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Had she just luory as Joshua? Fuck if that didn’t make his stomach clench and roll "Alyssa--"

"I should have askedit damn near killed him "I knew you’d proposed because of the baby Deep down, I’d hoped that you cared for ined that you actuallythe baby wasn’t yours"

Luc closed his eyes as his world imploded Soiven her the information and let her draw the worst conclusions Since only two people knew, and Deke would never spill, he knew exactly who had revealed the truth

Kimber he’d deal with later Now he had to talk to Alyssa,to do with her, not just the baby

"I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about mycondition The fact the baby likely isn’tfor me I care about you every bit as much as I care about this baby"

Finally, she flashed blue eyes that spit fire at hi to try to convinceto you?"

Luc grabbed her shoulders and forced his gaze deep into hers "Youto me even before we married I was so elated and relieved to see you the day you appeared at the depart, just to ht was more than I ever dared to hope for"

She rolled her eyes "Stop! Be honest! I appeared with the answer to your fertility probleot pregnant Hallelujah! And even if the baby isn’t yours--I guess that’s a minor detail in your head--why not suddenly heap adoration on her and persuade her to marry you?" Every word dripped scorn "Why not becoe her to bear her soul to you? She’s just a fertile woe of accusations pelted Luc, and he winced He’d have to answer her quickly if he wanted to diffuse this situation Clearly, he’d hurt her ined She felt used That, he’d never seen co Damn it to hell

"That is not true I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about ret it more than you know Yes, you did come to me with a convenient solution to ht her closer, willing her to understand "Iseparated froaping hole infor this baby to be ainst me"

"So, Sherlock, whose baby is it? Tyler’s?"

It would be so easy to lie to her--and so wrong "I assumed that at first I kno he feels about you, and the way he touches you is so familiar, as if he’s done that--and more--a thousand times But you’ve said that you aren’t lovers, and I’ve coh to know that you’re not a liar"

"Wish I had that same sense of security about you," she hurled at him "So, at the time we married, you assuured out that’s not true, who do you assume I whored myself to? Random customers at the club?"

He cupped her face in his hands "Of course not Either Peter raped you, and you don’t re perfectly He never penetrated me This is your child"

"His attack was traued

Alyssa wrenched away from his touch "I didn’t block it out If I can still remember the smell of the chlorine bleach on my sheets and the fact my childhood teddy bear stared inity, I think I can re ainst him, and his stomach turned inside out at her words She sounded so certain that Peter hadn’t succeeded in violating her, which et her pregnant?

"Or?" she snapped "What’s the ‘or’?"

"Orabout the severity of et the man a prize" She bounded off the bed, away frorabbed Alyssa and pulled her back into his lap She struggled and squirhtly He wanted her to listen, not be frightened

"God, I wishI’d love to know that the life growing inside you now is one we created together But understand that, after years of being told that would be more or less impossible, it’s hard for er slipped into a nation "I understand that If a doctor tells you so is impossible, you believe it I would I don’t blame you for that at all"

Thank God Maybe they could work through this rip and bolted across the rooritted teeth, "What I can’t stand is the goddamn deception!"

Her demeanor shouted, "Stay the fuck away," and Luc respected it Trying to comfort her would only be counterproductive, and he wanted her to work through her anger She was definitely entitled to it Certainly he was questioning his decisions now Had not telling her the truth been truly been keeping the peace or mere cowardice?

"I can only tell you that, when you infornant, I wanted you and the baby so badly, I don’t have words to explain it Every nerve in my body screamed atthe truth would serve any purpose except to tear us apart"

"The truth is tearing us apart" She shook her head, face tense Tears threatened to spill, and Luc hated that he’d put that look on her face "When we h for ht I loved you enough for both of us, and that soht come to love me, too"

She loved hiled by fear Alyssa had spoken in past tense

"You don’t have to hope, sugar I love you I--"