Page 34 of The Marine's Homecoming

"Hey, shh. I'm not mad, okay?" His thumb brushes my cheekbone gently, so soft I could be lulled into believing he cares. "It's okay. You know, I've always known I wanted to be a dad someday."

Oh, my God, my heart. It flips and lurches, and my body responds to his touch, wanting to melt against him. But this is a man I've hated for all of my adult life. I should never have slept with him, and now I’m pregnant. It's not some fairy tale where the war hero comes home and sweeps a woman off her feet. We have really bad history. I can't just look past that. What would Nick think?

I am going to have to co-parent with him, and everyone in this town is going to know I betrayed my brother by having sex with his killer. God, even that word stains my conscience now. Luke didn't kill Nick. I'm mature enough to know accidents happen, but someone has to take the blame, right? It has to be someone's fault.

"Okay, so we'll deal with it. I can help pay for doctors and we can do visits. If you need help with?—"

"No, Luke," I say curtly, trying to pull away. "I can't do this. I don’t want to talk about this right now." More tears well up and burn hot streaks down my face. He's not supposed to be happy about this or accepting. This isn't how I pictured it. I thought anger and denial would be his response. Not this.

"Hannah," he says, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into his hard body. The way he does it so possessively makes me shudder. It's so calming to feel his strength when I feel so weak. It's also scary to think how easily he can do this to me—make me calm and steady when I'm feeling terrified. "I'm not letting you push me out anymore, okay? I'm here, and I want to talk about this."

Luke leans in, pressing his lips to mine, and I can't resist him. It's such a light, lingering kiss that it draws me in and makes me forget myself. This is everything I have ever wanted. A man who is strong and confident, someone who will put my needs before their own, someone who wants the best for me, and who supports me and encourages me. I have wanted this fairy tale feeling my whole life, and now I have it.

But it's Luke Freaking Maddox, and I can't wrap my brain around how twisted Fate's sense of humor is. Still, I kiss him back feeling my body get hungry to be with him, not because I am sex-crazed or horny. Because I crave the comfort of being fully seen and fully known by this man. It terrifies me and my hands rise to his chest and push gently.

My forehead presses to his as our lips part, and I suck in a breath. "Luke, I know we have to talk but right now, I'm a mess. I can't do it right now." I blink and my eyes shed more tears.

"Hannah, please stay with me. Don't walk away and say we'll talk another time because I know we won't." His hands are stillclaiming me, holding me by the hips so I can't back away. "You have been hiding from me and I've known something was up."

"Luke, please," I whimper, pulling back harder. Everything in me wants to listen to him and stay, but I can't let this overwhelming chemistry and emotion derail my future. I have plans that don't involve him. I can't throw that away just because I'm having his baby.

"Hannah, no. I'm not wanting you to stay for sex. I wantyou, Hannah. And I?—"

"Stop," I say firmly.

"No…" Luke backs away but he shakes his head. "You've been letting things from our past scare you from what you know in your heart is the right thing, and now the universe sends you a sign that we belong together and you're ignoring it."

His eyes blaze with emotion. He looks hurt. And that pain goes straight to my chest like a dagger.

"I promise, we'll talk. I just need some time, okay?"

I can't even look him in the eye as I turn and let myself out, and with every step back toward my car, left in the parking lot when Evelyn picked me up for dinner, I sob.

I can't.

I just can't fall in love with him.

And he can't just talk to me like that… like he actually wants me.

21

LUKE

Inever went home. I sat here in this office all night until I was so tired I fell asleep sitting up in Dad's old chair, and now I sit watching the sunlight glisten off the waves as I try to make sense of Hannah last night.

When she told me she's pregnant, it honestly didn’t come as a shock. I think I knew on some level. She's been hiding from me and being weird. And toast for supper? Come on, who does that?

It makes sense, too—unprotected sex and then suddenly, she's sick and dizzy and avoiding me. And I don't blame her. I'm the plague on this town that doesn’t quit. It's like every one of the people in this town who loved Nick or his family blames me for his death. I stick to my own space where folks understand I was just a kid and things happen. And when I venture out anywhere, I feel the hostility. I understand why Hannah doesn't want to admit she's slept with me.

But not telling me about it for how long now? How long has she known and she just said nothing? I don’t want to be irritatedwith her, but I am a little. Though, I do get why she hasn’t said a word. It's no secret how much she's hated me for years.

I lean back in Dad's chair and it creaks. I could use some of his advice right about now. The man raised me on his own after Mom died and if there's one thing he drilled into me, it's that you show up. You show up when it's easy and when it's hard, and you especially show up when someone needs you even if they're telling you to go away.

Hannah might be wishing me away right now, but I can't even think of respecting that. She thinks she can do this on her own—or, how'd she put it, she needs "space". But I know better. No woman wants to go through pregnancy and motherhood alone. Hannah is probably angry with me over our past, but she's letting that blind her to what we could really have and what she really wants. Maybe that's not me, but I know damn well it's not being alone, either.

I have to be smart about this. If I come at her too strongly, she'll bolt. She'll shut me out and double down on pushing me away. So I have to let her come to me on her own terms, even if waiting feels like holding my breath underwater. But I also have to protect her from Dorsey.

I'm sitting there turning all of this over in my head when I hear raised voices coming from the pier. I stand and walk to the window where I see Hannah and Dorsey standing near the passerelle toThe Mariah. Dorsey has a folder in one hand and he's jabbing his finger at something in it while Hannah stands with her arms crossed over her chest and her chin tilted up at him.