Page 20 of Ruin Me Sweetly

I longed to hear the sweet word from my child.

Daddy.

But now I could picture the woman who would make all my dreams come true—the DNA coalition to my future. A certainty that Bella was the best mother for my son or daughter.

Sadie had only ever had the capacity to love herself.

I winced, eternally grateful that she’d prevented us from having any children. She’d have used any child we shared as leverage, and that would’ve had me dancing to her tune. For once, her vanity had saved an innocent soul.

I turned my focus back to work.

The sooner I finished, the sooner I could return to Bella.

Chapter 11

Isabella

The house was quiet. Luke had work. Amber and Zach had gone into town to do some shopping and catch an exhibit. I was glad they had each other. Things might have gotten a little rocky, but Zach was back, and Amber had her big brother to look up to again.

I spotted another smear on the window and squirted it with the spray before vigorously wiping it away with the cloth.

It was so strange—it felt like only yesterday that Amber was eight years old, meeting Zach for the first time. Clive and I had both been nervous, but thirteen-year-old Zach had given her a head nod and carried on doing his own thing. We’d classed that as a success at the time and cracked open a bottle of wine to celebrate.

I smiled, though part of me still missed them as children.

Which brought me back to Luke and his now-apparent attempts to impregnate me. I could tell him I knew exactly what he was doing, but he seemed so pleased with himself. Like a man on a secret mission.

I chuckled, continuing to polish the glass.

Plus, he talked in his sleep.

Who thought of cervical mucus in their sleep?

This was my last chance to be a mother again, and the way Luke cared for us was a good indication of what kind of father he’d become.

A baby might bring Zach home a little more often. Amber would love anything—the girl still talked to bugs when we did the garden.

Hm. I should have gotten her a pet as a child, but it would’ve required someone home to care for it. I was at work, and Amber had school. I’d only had the bandwidth for Amber, my job, and looking after the house back then.

I moved to the patio doors next, spraying a fresh mist across the glass, sunlight catching the droplets before they slid down in slow, silvery trails. The garden beyond looked bare and frost-bitten, the last of the winter light thin and pale against the lawn.

Luke’s teasing smile flashed in my mind. I loved his thick, grey hair, long enough for me to toy with, tufts of darkness threading through it. The way he looked at me with those dark eyes—so intense, so focused. Even when he came, he kept his eyes on me.

Probably willing his seed to succeed.

I began to chortle, the sound echoing faintly off the glass as I wiped the last streak away.

Rhea would never believe me.

❧ ❧ ❧

At the cusp of the New Year, we were all in the kitchen while I decided which dessert to whisk up. The children were helping with the prep work.

I glanced at Amber.

The surprise breakup with Nolan had come out of nowhere, but the way Zach and Amber were playing around, she didn’t seem too upset about it. Luke hadn’t been very impressed either, referring to the poor boy as Gollum ever since.

I flicked through the cookbook. Perhaps a simple apple pie and vanilla custard, to help bring in the new year. It was a favourite of Amber’s and Zach’s both.