and sighed.
“What really happened?” he asked.
She blinked, debating whether to tell him the truth. About the chalice and the vision, about her imaginary friend Lilia and his role as the prince in her lifelong fantasy that maybe wasn’t just a fantasy after all.
But no. He thought witchcraft was cute. It wasn’t like he would take her seriously.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Been here all night. Even though Doc said you were only exhausted and in need of sleep, I was...worried.” He sighed and pulled a rocking chair up closer to her bedside, then sank into it.
“I mean, why are you here? At Havenwood?”
“I don’t really know. Bahru was moving into the cottage, and those books were about to be shipped, and I just got the crazy notion to deliver both of them personally.”
“Why?” And why was that stupid hope flooding into her heart again? He wasn’t her prince. He never would be.
But Ryan held her eyes. “Look, it’s my kid, too. I just...I don’t know, I feel like I ought to be here for this. And like I should have been here for this from the beginning. But you didn’t give me the chance.”
“I did.”
“Bull. You told me some bogus story about a friend of yours getting pregnant.”
“You said no one gets pregnant by accident in this day and age.”
“Well, clearly I was wrong about that.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you sure? I wound up controlling a big chunk of your father’s money after all. If that was my plan, I sure pulled it off in spades.”
Ryan was scowling at her. “Don’t put words in my mouth, Lena. I know you’re not one of those schemers. I never would have thought you were . And even if I had, you sure as hell proved me wrong by running off without a word.”
“Maybe that was part of my plan.” She looked away as she said it.
“You couldn’t have known my father would die, much less that he’d leave so much to the baby.”
“I didn’t think he even knew I was pregnant.”
“Bahru told him,” Ryan said.
“But how did Bahru know?”
“You didn’t tell him?” Ryan asked.
“No.” She sighed. “So he came with you?”
“Yeah, headed straight for the guesthouse.” Ryan got up and wandered to the window, parting the curtain to look out while she stared at his back and wished it was shirtless, and that she was running her hands over it. “That’s odd,” he said, breaking into her fantasy.
“What?”
“Doc’s pickup is parked in front of the guesthouse. He and Bahru know each other?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Lena said, frowning.
Ryan dropped the curtain. “Must’ve met on one of my dad’s trips out here, I suppose.”
“So...what do you want, Ryan?” She was restless, simultaneously itching to fling back the covers and get up, wanting him to leave so she could tell her mother what had happened in the temple room, and longing for him to crawl into bed with her and hold her close.
“I want to stay. I can bunk with Bahru. But I want to be here for the final weeks of this pregnancy, and for the birth of my child.”
“ Our child,” she corrected. “And that’s all?”
He frowned, meeting her eyes. “I don’t know. Hell, Lena, I’ve only known about the baby for a day, and it’s been a day when a lot of other things have happened. My whole freaking world just had a hurricane whip it to the ground, you know?”
“Like mine hasn’t?” she snapped.
“Hey, you’ve had months to adjust. I’m on Day One here. Cut me some slack, okay?”
She huffed, turned to, stared at the wall. A rippling shadow caught her attention, as it so often had since they’d moved here. It was always in a dark corner, always in her peripheral vision, and always vanished when she looked at it straight on. Like a floater in the eye. Her mom had glimpsed it, too, and they’d decided it was some kind of ghost or trapped energy from times gone by. They’d saged the hell out of the place, cleansed it with holy water and sea
“What really happened?” he asked.
She blinked, debating whether to tell him the truth. About the chalice and the vision, about her imaginary friend Lilia and his role as the prince in her lifelong fantasy that maybe wasn’t just a fantasy after all.
But no. He thought witchcraft was cute. It wasn’t like he would take her seriously.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Been here all night. Even though Doc said you were only exhausted and in need of sleep, I was...worried.” He sighed and pulled a rocking chair up closer to her bedside, then sank into it.
“I mean, why are you here? At Havenwood?”
“I don’t really know. Bahru was moving into the cottage, and those books were about to be shipped, and I just got the crazy notion to deliver both of them personally.”
“Why?” And why was that stupid hope flooding into her heart again? He wasn’t her prince. He never would be.
But Ryan held her eyes. “Look, it’s my kid, too. I just...I don’t know, I feel like I ought to be here for this. And like I should have been here for this from the beginning. But you didn’t give me the chance.”
“I did.”
“Bull. You told me some bogus story about a friend of yours getting pregnant.”
“You said no one gets pregnant by accident in this day and age.”
“Well, clearly I was wrong about that.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you sure? I wound up controlling a big chunk of your father’s money after all. If that was my plan, I sure pulled it off in spades.”
Ryan was scowling at her. “Don’t put words in my mouth, Lena. I know you’re not one of those schemers. I never would have thought you were . And even if I had, you sure as hell proved me wrong by running off without a word.”
“Maybe that was part of my plan.” She looked away as she said it.
“You couldn’t have known my father would die, much less that he’d leave so much to the baby.”
“I didn’t think he even knew I was pregnant.”
“Bahru told him,” Ryan said.
“But how did Bahru know?”
“You didn’t tell him?” Ryan asked.
“No.” She sighed. “So he came with you?”
“Yeah, headed straight for the guesthouse.” Ryan got up and wandered to the window, parting the curtain to look out while she stared at his back and wished it was shirtless, and that she was running her hands over it. “That’s odd,” he said, breaking into her fantasy.
“What?”
“Doc’s pickup is parked in front of the guesthouse. He and Bahru know each other?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Lena said, frowning.
Ryan dropped the curtain. “Must’ve met on one of my dad’s trips out here, I suppose.”
“So...what do you want, Ryan?” She was restless, simultaneously itching to fling back the covers and get up, wanting him to leave so she could tell her mother what had happened in the temple room, and longing for him to crawl into bed with her and hold her close.
“I want to stay. I can bunk with Bahru. But I want to be here for the final weeks of this pregnancy, and for the birth of my child.”
“ Our child,” she corrected. “And that’s all?”
He frowned, meeting her eyes. “I don’t know. Hell, Lena, I’ve only known about the baby for a day, and it’s been a day when a lot of other things have happened. My whole freaking world just had a hurricane whip it to the ground, you know?”
“Like mine hasn’t?” she snapped.
“Hey, you’ve had months to adjust. I’m on Day One here. Cut me some slack, okay?”
She huffed, turned to, stared at the wall. A rippling shadow caught her attention, as it so often had since they’d moved here. It was always in a dark corner, always in her peripheral vision, and always vanished when she looked at it straight on. Like a floater in the eye. Her mom had glimpsed it, too, and they’d decided it was some kind of ghost or trapped energy from times gone by. They’d saged the hell out of the place, cleansed it with holy water and sea
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