“So, what happened between you two?”
“A couple years later, Sheila wanted to have another baby.” Anger welled up inside him as he remembered what had brought him here tonight. “But I didn’t want to replace Sara.”
Annika placed her hand on his chest. He felt his heart hammer against the palm of her hand.
“She wanted another baby and I didn’t, so she asked for a divorce. I just don’t think it helped that Sara looked a bit like me.” He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I have days I can’t look in the mirror, either.”
“So now she’s married to someone else and having a baby?”
Daniel nodded. He couldn’t trust his voice.
“So?” Annika raised an eyebrow and appeared genuinely confused.
“So...she can’t replace Sara.” Wasn’t this obvious?
Annika raised herself onto one elbow, her voice soft and soothing. “She’s not replacing her. She’s giving her a sibling. She’s moving on.”
“How can she move on?” Daniel snapped.
“How can she not?” Annika challenged him, her tone even and without accusation.
Daniel was silent. He couldn’t even consider moving on; he’d lose Sara all over again. But if Sheila was able to find happiness... His throat was tight, and his vision blurred again. “I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do with the knowledge that Sara has a sibling in the world.”
“What else did Sheila say?”
“She asked me to be the baby’s godfather.” He mumbled the words as if they were scandalous.
“That’s not a bad thing.”
He snapped his head to her in disbelief. “What do you mean?”
“I mean it gives you a chance to be involved, to be a part of Sara.”
There was no way he could do that. Even the thought of that threatened to drag his heart down. He shook off the thought. He didn’t want to think about that now. Not while he was here in the bed of the most beautiful woman he knew.
“You don’t have to decide now.” Annika forced him to look at her. “But you should talk to somebody. I know some people who can help you process—”
Daniel cut her off with a kiss. The last thing he needed or wanted was to have a standing appointment that required him to talk about Sara. “It’s okay. I really don’t want to talk about my ex-wife right now, do you? Because if you do, that’s really weird.” He ran his hands down her spine and thrilled at her moan as she pressed closer to him. This was what he needed. Just her. He hadn’t had this lightness in his heart in a long time. That feeling that everything would be okay, that hint of a feeling that he could actually be happy. That hewashappy.
She melted into his arms and wiggled closer to him. She grinned into his mouth. “Again?”
He kissed her neck, turned her onto her back and slowly, gently worked his way down, his mouth never leaving her skin. “And again. And again.” He stole a sideways glance at her. “We have all night.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
ANNIKA
“YOU’DREALLYUPSETMrs. P. if she knew you could cook like this.” Annika groaned in pleasure as she enjoyed another mouthful of the best omelet she’d ever had.
“Keep making sounds like that, and you may never get to finish it.” Daniel kissed the back of her neck, sending warm shivers throughout her body.
They had spent the night alternately sleeping and making love, until, exhausted, Annika finally decided they needed to eat. It was early Saturday morning, and Naya was still at Ravi’s.
Annika leaned back into his kiss and was rewarded with his hands on her body and hard muscle supporting her. She moaned again. “You’ll get no argument from me.” She was wearing his shirt, so Daniel was currently shirtless, his hair pleasantly rumpled and jeans slung low. As he came around to sit across from her, she couldn’t complain about the view.
“Ha! You’re the one who wanted to eat in the first place.”
“You have a shift!” Annika said.
