Surprise Delivery (Page 56)

“Can I ask what changed?” I ask. “Can I ask why you’re not blowing me up right now?’

He finally looks up, a rueful smile on his face. “A few things, actually.”

“Such as?”

“Such as the fact that the moment you opened the door and I looked into your eyes, all of the steam I came over here with evaporated,” he says. “Seeing your face reminded me that I love you, Alexis. And because I do, I at least owed you the chance to explain yourself.”

As I listen to him speak, the cold stone in my stomach starts to lighten, if only a bit. The dark and oppressive air that’s been pressing down on me begins to lift, and that flicker of hope in my breast becomes an ember. I know we’re not out of the woods just yet – not by a long shot – but, I’m hopeful that we’re at least on the path there.

“Also, everything my mother said to me yesterday has been echoing through my head,” he continues. “And when you started saying some of the exact same things she did, about your fears, it made me realize she wasn’t just pandering to me because she’s obsessed with having a grandchild. She’s been where you are, and what she told me is genuinely her own hard-won experience. She told me to not judge you too harshly or be upset. Because of my own upbringing, I’d never be able to truly understand or relate to what you’re going through or feeling.”

She’s right, he’ll never understand. He grew up wanting for nothing. He never had to experience any of the hardships I did, nor can he ever understand the fear of losing everything to the whims of somebody in a financially and socially superior position. He can sympathize, but he’ll never truly understand it.

“And the last thing is seeing that contract,” he says.

“What about it?” I ask.

“You didn’t sign it.”

I shake my head. “No, I didn’t.”

“If this were a play for the money, you would have signed it without a second thought,” he says. “I mean, Henry is offering you the moon.”

“He is,” I say, my voice harsh and bitter. “But I’m not that type of person. I don’t just up and leave when somebody pays me to leave.”

There’s a prolonged silence between us as we sit there, looking at one another. Both of us are processing all of our feelings and everything that’s been said. The tension in the air between us has mostly dissipated. Though I wouldn’t say we’re exactly back to normal, I have real hopes that we’re on our way there.

A smile crosses Duncan’s face. “Were you tempted, though?” he asks. “To take the deal?”

I let out a breath. Since we’re starting from square one and I know I need to earn back his trust, I have no choice but to be completely open and transparent with him.

“Honestly, I was, but only because when I didn’t hear from you these last few days, I was fearing the worst,” I tell him.

“And what exactly was the worst?”

“That you were lining up a legal army to take Aurora from me,” I admit. “I thought if that was happening, it might be best to take the money, skip town, and start over somewhere new.”

He nods as if he understands – and who knows? Maybe he really does.

“That’s – understandable,” he says.

I look at him, searching for some sign that will reignite that fire of hope within me completely. His face gives nothing away though. It’s cool, smooth, and neutral. There is barely a trace of emotion in his eyes. And seeing that detachment on his face hurts something inside of me – because I know I’m the cause of it.

“Are we – okay, Duncan?” I finally ask. “I mean, are we going to be okay?”

He lets out a long breath. “I want to be,” he says. “But I’m not going to lie and tell you that we will be for sure. You hurt me, Alexis. What you did cuts me deep. You broke a trust with me.”

“I know I did,” I say. “And I’m sorry. More than you’ll ever know. You will never understand just how much I wanted to tell you. How much I hate myself for not saying a word and causing all of this pain. I’m so sorry, Duncan.”

“I know you are,” he says, and his eyes lock onto mine. “I love you, Alexis. Just know that.”

“And I love you too,” I say. “And I am going to do everything I can to earn back your trust. I swear it.”

He gives me a small, warm smile. “Well, you can start by testifying against Brad,” he says and laughs.

“Testify against Brad? What do you mean?”

He fills me in on the attack and everything that happened. With his every word, my heart sinks and I grow a bit angrier. I can’t believe Brad did that. I can’t believe he could have killed Duncan because of his misplaced obsession with me. It kills me that Duncan paid the price because of me.

“How bad are you hurt?” I ask.

“Not very,” he replies. “He got me in the leg and across the torso. Superficial. I didn’t even need stitches. I’m lucky he wasn’t really into murder or I probably would be toes up right now.”

He says it with a laugh, but it only sours my mood even more. I want to kill Brad. Literally. I’m pretty sure if I had a gun in my hand, I would shoot him dead right here, right now.

“I’m so sorry, Duncan,” I say, absolutely mortified.

“It’s not your fault,” he replies. “That was just one very disturbed man. I’m just glad he fixated on me and not you, to be honest.”

“Well, whatever we need to do, I’ll do it,” I tell him. “I’ll testify. I’ll do whatever. I just want to see him locked up for a very long time.”

Duncan nods. “You and me both,” he says. “I want him out of our life permanently.”

Our life. He said our life. It’s a small thing, but it makes the hope within me explode into a roaring fire. The fact that he said our life, as opposed to any other phrase, to me, is significant. Not our lives, lived separate, but our one life that we live together. It means that he’s still picturing a future for us. And that makes me beyond happy.

Duncan stands up and closes the distance between us. He pulls me to my feet and pulls me into a tight embrace. My body melts against his as I return his hug. The warmth and sense of connection between us returns and it makes my heart swell with emotion. I fight them but can’t keep the tears from falling.

Duncan pulls back and gently cups my face, wiping away my tears with his thumb as he looks into my eyes.

“Why are you crying?” he asks softly.

I sniff loudly and scrub at my eyes with my hand. “I just – I have something so wonderful and amazing in you. In us,” I sob. “And I almost fucked it all up. I almost threw it all away because of my stupid fears.”

“They’re not stupid. Your fears are genuine, and I understand where they’re coming from,” he says, his voice gentle. “I can’t promise you anything right now, Alexis. But I want to get back to where we were. I want to put all of this behind us and move forward. Together. As a family.”

My lower lip trembles as I look up at him. “As a family?”

He nods. “As a family,” he repeats. “I’ve felt so connected to Aurora from the moment I laid eyes on her. There’s just something about her that fills some void in me I never knew existed.”

I laugh through my tears. “That’s exactly how I feel,” I say. “Exactly.”

“I guess maybe, on some levels inside me that I don’t quite understand, I knew,” he says. “Maybe, deep down, I knew Aurora was my daughter all along. Maybe that’s why I’ve taken to her like I have.”

“Maybe,” I sniffle.

“Whatever it is, I want to hold on to that,” he replies. “I want us to be a family. Nothing would make me happier than getting us back to a point where we can be that.”

“Nothing would make me happier either, Duncan.”

I pull him down and press my lips to his. Our kiss starts off slow and sweet, but with so much emotionally charged energy flowing between us, it quickly morphs into something far more passionate. Our tongues swirl and dance together, our hands eagerly roaming one another’s bodies. Duncan pulls me closer to him and I gasp as I feel his hard cock pressed against my stomach.

The fires of hope flickering in my chest have transformed into desire, burning bright within me. I’m already dripping wet by the time he slides his hand down into my yoga pants and touches me. Duncan slips a finger into me, making me draw in a sharp breath. It sends an erotic shudder through my body.

Duncan removes my shirt and bra in short order, with my yoga pants and panties following a moment later. As I stand there before him, completely naked, I feel completely exposed. I’m keenly aware of every imperfection in my body and am resisting the nearly overwhelming urge to cover up.

This is the first time Duncan has really seen me completely naked before. Or at least, the first time he’s stopped to look my naked body over. And as his eyes travel up and down my body, my stomach is roiling, but I see something in his face that makes me stop. I watch him drinking me in, his eyes absorbing me from head to toe, and I see raw desire burning in his eyes.

“You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” he says softly.

And in that moment, as his gaze explores my entire body, I’ve never felt more beautiful. Duncan is looking at me like I’m the most gorgeous woman to ever walk the Earth, and it sends an electrical charge through me. The heat between my thighs is growing by the second, making me grow even wetter.