“You and Caleb?” I can’t keep the edge from my voice.
She shakes her head quickly. “No. Caleb told me we hadn’t had sex yet. I’m talking about me and you.”
Relief floods through me.
“Yes,” I confirm, observing her face. “I thought you’d already slept with Caleb when I took your virginity.”
She nods slowly, processing this information. Then she looks up at me, her blue eyes swimming with tears again. “I think I’m pregnant.”
I stare at her stomach, flat and toned from all those hours in the pool. My mouth goes dry as her words sink in.
“It’s too early to know,” I say, my voice rougher than I intended.
“Four weeks,” she says, twisting her hands in her lap. “Milly told me all about periods and said I’d have one soon, but it never came.”
I run a hand through my damp hair, mind racing. “You’re stressed. The accident, the memory loss—”
“I–I’m pregnant, Dom.” Her eyes fill with tears as she stutters out her words.
“Pregnant—”
“I’m sorry.”
Something fierce and protective surges through me. “No. No, don’t be. I’m not.” I cup her face, my thumbs brushing away the tears that fall. “But I’m so much older than you. I was just getting my head around letting you go for Caleb, but now...”
Her eyes widen, panic flashing across her face. “I can’t lose Caleb, Dom. Please don’t hurt him. I love him. I know I do. I feel it in my bones. My heart goes crazy when he is near me.” She presses a hand to her chest. “It’s like it does for you. Despite my mind not remembering, my heart remembers everything.”
“You love me,” I whisper, the realization hitting me like a physical blow.
She swallows and bites her lip, nodding slowly. My chest tightens with an emotion I’ve never allowed myself to feel for a very long time.
I press my hands over her stomach, marveling at the miracle growing inside her. Our miracle. “You’re carrying my child,” I say, voice thick with emotion. “A part of meand you, together. I’ve wanted nothing more in my life than I want you and this baby.”
“You do?”
“More than anything.” I pull her into my arms, cradling her against my chest as I bury my face in her hair, breathing in her scent, committing it to memory.
Her heart beats against mine, our rhythms syncing as I hold her close.
“I’ll never let you go,” I promise. The words are a vow I intend to keep until my dying breath. “You’re mine, Amara. You’ve always been mine.”
“And Caleb’s. It works for Lia.”
31
Amara
I wake to warmthenveloping me from behind. I know it’s Dom’s strong arms wrapped around my waist, and his chest pressed against my back. His breath is warm against my neck, coming in steady rhythms that tell me he’s still asleep.
The morning light filters through a gap in the curtains, casting a slither of sunlight down the wall I’m staring at as I wonder how I can get out of his bed without waking him.
I try to move, but his thick thigh is draped over mine, keeping me locked in place. Against my backside, I feel the unmistakable hardness of his morning erection pressing between my legs.
“Have you taken a test?” His deep voice startles me.
“You’re awake,” I say, my heart skipping a beat.
“I’ve been awake for hours thinking about it.”
