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He was failing He had failed, in every way that mattered

And Paige e Ana The child, if there was one All tied to him because of an act of carelessness

The truth was, this business trip could be deferred But he had to get his control back He had to get distance

And as long as Paige was around, as long as he had to see her, with her petite curves and tendency to dress in sequins, to listen to the sound of her voice, that voice that he’d heardas he had to smell that sweet floral scent combined with the fresh smell of her clean skin…he wouldn’t be able to master his emotions

And he had to There was no other option

Even if it ht already be too late

Midnight, the day of the wedding, Dante arrived back at his San Diego ho trip And his bed had seemed cold, empty

He had ht, but he had no doubt Paige wouldn’t be too thrilled if he tried to make that happen And he wouldn’t blame her He’d acted like an ass to her

About everything About the potential baby

But he had everything contained now One thing the tiain To start feeling like he had some semblance of control over his mind and body

Whatever was ahead for the as hewould be fine

He walked into the house, expecting silence, and heard Ana’s indignant wailing instead He walked up the stairs, toward her rooht together

But she wasn’t there

He could hear the water running in the next rooe was in the shower, and since it was the ti what had been her first chance of the day

But now the baby was crying Deep sobs A sound so sad, so pitiful And so full of helplessness that it called to him, resonated in him

He walked into the nursery, an i endless tears, with no one there to co for a mother ould never return He approached Ana’s crib, his heart pounding in his head