For the first time in my life, I was absolutely thunderstruck, speechless without anything to say. Because never had I thought that my best girl would be seeing another man.
“Rusty?” came my hoarse rasp. “Who the fuck is that?”
“It’s not your business,” she said coldly. “He’s a man I know who’s kind and good, and that’s more than I can say for you, Robert Morgan.”
I took deep breaths, wiling my lungs to inflate. Because this changed everything. There was another man in the picture, another alpha, and my hackles raised. Holy shit, I’m not afraid of doing battle with a competitor, but still. Anna was pregnant with my child. That was my baby in her stomach and possession rose within me in a wave, so strong and furious that I felt lightheaded.
“That’s my child, isn’t it?” were my words, curiously calm.
Anna looked ready to spit nails but then her look softened, hands rubbing the curve of her belly.
“The baby’s yours,” she confirmed. “It’s not like that with Rusty, we’re just friends,” she relented. “But still, this doesn’t let you off the hook. Not one bit.”
I closed my eyes then, relief washing over my frame. Thank fuck. The baby was mine, my little girl hadn’t given it up to some other dude. She hadn’t fucked another man, that pussy was all mine, still mine. I had her ass, it was curved to the shape of my dick, and no other guy had ever tasted her sweet insides. Right?
“Please tell me you haven’t slept with this Rusty asshole,” I rasped, eyes boring into her hotly. “Please tell me that.”
Anna got all prickly again, but her voice was even when she answered.
“No Robert. If you haven’t noticed, I’m six months pregnant. I haven’t been getting it on with any other guy, no one wants some huge whale for their girlfriend.”
Again, I shut my eyes, letting the relief wash over me. There is a god. Thank you, our father who art in heaven. Thank you, thank you. And this time, I didn’t wait. Scrabbling in my suitcase, I found something before crossing back to her in two huge steps. And taking her hand, I did it then. I jammed a huge diamond onto her left ring finger, a five carat stunner that sparkled wildly under the lights.
“Robert stop!” she shrieked, trying to pull her hand away. “Stop stop!”
But I wouldn’t be stopped. I continued pushing the ring down until it sat snugly against her knuckle, marking the female as mine.
“This belongs to you,” I said roughly. “We’re getting married. You and me, Anna, it’s always been you and me.”
I half expected her to yank the ring off and throw it into a corner, but she looked at it, eyes wide, lips trembling, and suddenly, a single tear rolled down one cheek. That was worse than the anger, the rage, the tirades. Yelling and screaming was okay, but tears? Oh shit, I had no idea what to do.
“Please baby,” I said, stroking her cheek. “Please don’t cry.”
The tears just came harder then, flowing like a river, making my goddess even more beautiful.
“Robert, I can’t,” she choked. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” I asked, my growl gentle now. “Why?”
She paused for a moment, looking down, wiping her eyes.
“Because of everything that’s happened between us,” she said softly, refusing to look at me. “And now I’m pregnant to boot.”
“It’s because you’re pregnant that we should get married,” I growled roughly. “I need this. You need this. Our child, bless his heart, needs this.”
She shook her head again, still looking down.
“Robert, what’s happened between us is indescribable,” she said tearily. “You kidnapped me, don’t you remember? Literally bundled me into your trunk and drove off, with me bound and gagged inside. And then instead of fighting back, I … I …” and here, her voice broke.
“You what?” I rasped, bending forwards, grabbing her hands. “You what?”
The world hung in the balance. I needed it. I absolutely needed to hear the words, and Anna delivered, as always.
“I fell in love with you,” she said, raising her eyes, the gentle brown a salve to my soul. What I would have given to erase the sadness, to see those lips curve in a smile instead. But the redhead lowered her head, staring blankly at the ring. “I fell in love with you,” she continued in a numb voice. “It wasn’t right, it wasn’t okay, but it happened.”
I seized that small chin in my hand.
“Baby,” I ground out roughly. “That’s a starting place. That’s a damn good starting place because I love you too, and we’ll make this work. I’ve fucked up, over and over again, ever since we met, but I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“But how?” she lifted tear-stained eyes to me. “How could you make up the kidnapping? Keeping me locked in your cabin? How could you?” she wailed softly.