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He wasn’t prepared to lose another

Oh, ht, I love her I love Alexis

Hard on the realization came fear With love canancy was putting her at risk If the worst should happen and Bree’s experience be repeated, he kneouldn’t survive that again He had to put away those feelings for good He thought he had achieved that already but Alexis’s steady and constant under of his stance with Ruby had undone that

Her gentle ways, her care and support, all of it had left hiain He hadn’t wanted to love her—hadn’t even wanted to want her the way he did Even now he felt the urge to race back to her room, to make sure she was okay, but he couldn’t trust himself around her Couldn’t trust her

He needed to pull hiain Only this ti and no one would get past theain

Feeling stronger, ed his cell phone froh his contacts list There it was, the number for Bree’s obstetrician He hit Dial before he could change his uy was one of the best in the country and Alexis deserved that And he hi with

A few minutes later, an appointment made—thanks to a cancellation—for in a couple of days’ time, he shoved his phone back in his pocket Until then he had to keep his mind busy and his heart fir and no one could reach it

“I don’t see why you weren’t prepared to let h frorumbled as he drove her to Christchurch two days later “I’ve stopped bleeding anyway”

“Don’t you want to knohy you started bleeding in the first place?”

“Raoul, soht not be a why, sos simply are”

He shook his head, dissatisfied with her answer “No, there’s always a reason and always a solution There has to be”

He heard Alexis sigh and out the corner of his eye he saw her turn her head and look out the side

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, the same question he asked of her several times each day

“I’ I often get a bit of motion sickness”

“Do you want to drive?” he offered

“No, it’s okay, I’ll be all right”