Pushing back a piece of her golden hair behind her ear, I chuckled. “I have a very attentive husband, Lucy. And a mother-in-law, whom I am sure will be more than happy to help me.”
She shook her head. “Mrs. Montgomery will be furious.”
Winking, I said, “Leave her to me.” Kissing Lucy on her cheek, I nodded to Michael. “I’m trusting you to take care of her. She is like a sister to me.”
Pulling Lucy closer to him, Michael nodded his head. “I will. You saved me from having to come take her from you.”
Laughing, I shook my head and smiled. “I do love you like a sister, Lucy. We shall see each other often once Danny and I move to Tybee Island.”
Wiping a tear from her eye, she smiled sweetly. “I love you, too, Sophia.”
Turning, I headed back to the carriage. Danny was smiling that knock-me-over smile of his as he held his hand out to help me into the carriage.
Once we were in the carriage and on our way, Danny shook his head and looked to the floor as he chuckled. “Your mother is going to be very angry with you.” Moving his eyes back to mine, his smile caused me to catch my breath. I loved his smile. “Lucy was the last of your servants, the only one foolish enough to stay and take your mother’s abuse for next to nothing.”
Lifting the corner of my mouth, I barely smiled. “And telling her I dismissed Lucy is going to be one of the greatest pleasures, since telling her I was carrying your child.”
Danny’s laughter boomed throughout the carriage. It moved through my body and covered it like a warm blanket. “You naughty girl.”
Lifting my eyebrow, I whispered, “I believe that is one thing you admire about me, Mr. Stowe.”
Moving over and sitting next to me, Danny pushed his hand up my dress and found his way to my wet sex. “One of the many, many things I admire about you, Mrs. Stowe.”
It didn’t take long before I was lying in the seat of our carriage while my husband had his wicked way with me.
THEY GOT MARRIED. Sophia’s pregnant. They got married. Sophia’s pregnant. Where’s Devlin fitting in to all of this? What is the baby’s name? I racked my brain trying to recall anything Aunt Leelyn had said. The fact I had read graphic sex to Gael failed to register with me.
“Ashlin, you still with me?”
Gael’s voice brought me out of my stunned silence. “Yeah, I am. I’m … they’re ... I’m …”
A sickening thought occurred to me before I could finish and my brain tried to assimilate answers to all my questions. Throwing the covers off, I started downstairs quickly, not finishing my jumbled thoughts.
Gael responded, not realizing I was on a mission and thinking I was as stunned as he was. Little did he know there was a deep concern that I was afraid to voice, even mentally, at this point until I saw what the genealogy program said.
“I was not expecting that. But, I did like hearing you read the naughty parts.” His words didn’t register with me as I kept thinking. They got married. Sophia’s pregnant. They got married. Sophia’s pregnant. Where’s Devlin fit in to all of this? What is the baby’s name?
“Ashlin, did you hear me?”
“What?” I sounded slightly breathless as I took the stairs two at a time.
Gael’s voice changed to more concern. “You sound like your jogging. What are you doing?”
“I’m headed downstairs. I need to see something on my Aunt Leelyn’s genealogy program.” My socks were slippery on the wood stairs.
“We could keep reading.”
I nearly slid into the door frame as I rushed into the office. “No, I need to look at this closely. What if we really are related, Gael? Sophia’s pregnant. Oh, what if—”
Gael cut me off. “Hey, we’re not. We both had different great-great-great-grandparents.”
“What if we got it wrong or this is a misunderstanding? Sophia’s pregnant. What if somehow it was Daniel and Sophia’s daughter listed in the lineage?” The thought I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge verbalized itself and a knot formed in my stomach.
Gael was silent for a second as my words sunk in before he responded, “Ashlin, don’t think like that. We’re not. We can’t be.” His words sounded strained.
The thought of the happiness I had found being yanked away had my heart palpitating in fear. I wouldn’t be able to watch Gael be with someone else if we were family. There was no way. Please. Please. Please don’t let us be related. The nervous pulse of my heart could be felt in my fingertips.
The creak of the chair sounded as I sat and moved the mouse to awaken the computer. “I know, Gael. I’m checking.”