Charlene Sands - Forbidden Secrets

Because sex was easy. It was all the emotions that made the struggle real.

“Do you want me to go?” he asked, needing to hear her say it, but refusing to beg for anything. He eased a hip onto the bed next to her. “Do you want me to leave you alone and simply wait for texts about our child? Because you have to know that’s not my style. I’m not a man who waits for anything. When I want something, I take it.”

Her mesmerizing eyes slowly came up to his. “And what is it you want? The baby, I know. But we’re a package, Graham. Don’t you see that? I don’t even know how we’re going to make this work. You and I aren’t together, our families hate each other and your brother is so angry and hurt, he’s ready to destroy my father given any opportunity.”

Tears welled up in her eyes and the sight was something Graham wished he never had to see. “Right now, all that matters is this child. Not your father, not my brother and not this fight. I don’t want you worrying about this, Eve. It’s not good for the baby.”

She burst into tears. Full-on, hands-over-her-face sobbing. What had he said? Obviously the wrong thing when he was only trying to help. No wonder men and women never seemed to be on the same page. They weren’t even in the same book.

Clearly words were getting him nowhere and he wasn’t about to leave when she was so upset. Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her against his chest as she continued to cry. Stroking her back, he attempted some comforting words, but he doubted she could hear them.

Moments passed and Graham had to wonder if there was something else that was upsetting her. Surely this wasn’t just him. But with all the weight of everything coming down on her, she was bound to break. He didn’t want her broken, but if she had to lean on someone, he wanted it to be him. No other man would be coming in here, not when she was carrying his child.

Eve wasn’t weak, she wasn’t vulnerable, yet right now she was having a moment. He wouldn’t embarrass her by asking what he could do. She wouldn’t want anyone coming to her rescue. He may not know much about her, but he recognized pride. Actions always trumped words anyway, so he’d show her how he cared instead of just talking about it.

Finally, Eve eased away, wiping at her damp cheeks with the back of her hands.

“Don’t say you’re sorry,” he interjected when she opened her mouth.

“I’m not.” She offered a soft smile. “You should’ve left me to have my meltdown. I can’t believe you stayed.”

“What kind of jerk do you think I am? I’m not just going to leave.”

Closing her eyes, she blew out a breath. “I don’t know what to think right now or what your angle is, but I don’t think you’re a jerk.”

His angle? Simple. He wanted his child to be raised with the Newport name. He wanted her to willingly give him rights, and if he had to marry her to get them, then he would. Being around Eve was no hardship and his ache for her hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

Before he could comment, her stomach growled. Graham laughed. “Hungry?”

She wrapped her arms around her waist as if to ward off any other sounds. “Actually, I was going to get something when you knocked. Then you guided me up here and the bed was so inviting. I haven’t eaten since early lunch.”

Graham came to his feet. “Stay here. I’ll get something.”

Eve rolled her eyes. “I’m not bedridden. I can make myself something to eat.”

“I’m sure you can, but I’m here.” Graham stepped back when Eve swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Stubborn, aren’t you?”

Even with her red-rimmed eyes and pink-tipped nose, her smile was like a kick to his chest.

“A trait we both possess. Sounds like we’ll have a strong-willed child.”

Graham smiled. The idea of his child being strong, independent and a go-getter was absolutely perfect. A healthy combination of mother and father...he’d never given it much thought, but their child would be a perfect Newport.

Eve got to her feet and attempted to readjust her hair. Finally, she jerked the ponytail holder out and gathered up the fallen strands. In a flash, she had the mass of hair piled back atop her head.

“You don’t have to stay,” she told him. “I’m just going to make a quick sandwich and go to bed.”

“You’re trying so hard to get me out of here.” He tipped her chin up and stepped in closer, so close the heat from her body warmed him. “I’m going to make sure you eat and then I’m going to make sure you’re all settled in. We’ll make small talk—we may even share a laugh. We can talk about the weather or we can talk about the baby. Up to you. But I’m not leaving, Eve. I’m going to be here, so you better get used to it.”

“Is that a threat?” she asked with a soft smile.

He kissed her, hard, fast, then released her. “It’s a promise.”

Nine

Eve rolled over in bed, glanced at the clock and closed her eyes again.

Wait. She jerked up in bed and stared at the glaring numbers. How did it get to be so late? Sleeping in had never been an issue for her. She always showed up before anyone else and got a jump start on her day. At this rate, she was never going to make it into the office on time.

The sudden jolt of movement had her morning sickness hitting her fast. She rushed to the en suite bathroom and fell to her knees.

She’d had worse mornings, but still, she didn’t like this feeling one bit. How could she remain professional if she was showing up late and looking like death?

Once she was done, she wiped her face with a cool, damp cloth and realized two things: one, it was Sunday so she wasn’t late for anything. And two, there was a glorious smell coming from the kitchen and overtaking her home.

Surprisingly, whatever that scent was, it didn’t make her more nauseous. If anything, her stomach was ready to go. This roller coaster of emotions and cravings was extremely difficult to keep up with.

Eve thought back to last night when Graham had made a simple grilled cheese sandwich and cut up an apple for her. Then he’d practically patted her on the head and sent her to bed, saying he’d lock up.

So, either he’d stayed and that was him in the kitchen, or one of her sisters was here. She highly doubted Nora or Grace had come by just to do some cooking, so she had to assume Graham had made himself at home.

Considering that she’d just tossed her cookies, so to speak, she opted to brush her teeth before heading down. By the time she hit the bottom steps, her mouth was watering. The magnificent aroma filled the entire first floor. Suddenly her belly growled and she had no idea how she could go from sick one second to hungry the next. Pregnancy sure wasn’t predictable.

Heading down the wide hall toward the back of the house and the kitchen, Eve tried to figure out what to say to Graham. She’d seriously had a meltdown last night. He’d been so concerned about the baby, about her. But she hadn’t been able to control those insane emotions.

Years ago when she’d thought herself in love, she’d have given anything for her boyfriend to have cared about her, about their baby. But she’d endured the first trimester and part of the second alone. Then she’d struggled through the miscarriage, the D & C, the grieving. All of it on her own. She’d pushed her sisters away because nobody could fix her broken heart. Nobody could bring back her baby and she wanted to be left alone.

Graham was most likely worried about his place in their child’s life. He wasn’t the type of man to sit back and let someone else raise his child. Still, the fact he’d stayed last night showed the type of man he was. He could’ve walked away.

So what did this mean? Did he want more than just shared parenting? Did he want to try at a relationship?