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His chosen, perfectly imperfect world

His hand ski to rest on the rise of her abdo She placed her hand on his, their fingers interlacing He knew the heartbeat he felt was hers, not the child’s, but his breathing tightened anyith fear, with love, some more fear and finally with hope He wanted this, with Sam, so badly He was so much luckier than he deserved

If he’d learned anything in these past ood for each other Even when they fought he felt hi each time more easily on this trust he’d never trusted On Sa in his loneliness when being with her felt so natural It was into this world, this reality they would bring their childtheir children It felt so right his heart cracked each time he allowed the realisation to settle

Each time he let himself love her a little more

‘Love of hed and took his hand, pulling him towards the icker chair under the s

‘I knew not even you could write with all that noise At least this ti as the rest of the house did’

‘It wasn’t the noise that distracted er chair Better yet, sit on me, you two’

‘I’er feel seasick Perhaps our little girl was practising for all the voyages we shall take her on’

He pulled her on to his lap, touching his lips to her forehead and breathing her in

‘Or boy,’ he ainst her skin and she took his hand, but he could feel that quiver of tension that ca hih to accept your proposal’

‘Occasionally even you have bursts of intelligence’ She snuggled ainst hi on the are, but now that I’ve read Treasures of Siwa again I couldn’t help wondering’ She opened the book and he tensed as her fingers rested below a particular passage ‘I wondered why Durham only sent a partial manuscript of this one and when I discovered you were the author I was so upset I forgot to ask you why Was it because of this?’

He glanced at the page Strange that he had not thought o in Brazil It had justcome Now it looked like a premonition

Leila knew love was never intended for her kind and she had no such expectations So when love came she hid it deep inside the caverns of her soul and turned her back on it, though it blazed hotter than the August sun

But even the best hiding places raves And so, when she stood at Gabriel’s side above the valley and felt his pain strike sharper and deeper than the swords that decimated her fa either damnation or release

‘It was only ever you, Gabriel, my one and only love’