My eyes widen. Is this a dream? Did I imagine what I just heard? “You… what?”
He smiles.
“I said that I love you, you silly girl.” Then he pulls me into his arms and kisses my forehead before settling us onto the couch once more. He pulls me into his arms and I can barely breathe. Is this really happening? “We’re not really stepsiblings, Lina. Your mom and my dad were married a long time ago, and even then, it doesn’t really matter. We were never related by blood, nor did we grow up together. I couldn’t even remember my old stepsister’s name until today,” he adds with a wry grin.
I pause, my heart trembling like a hummingbird.”
“So you’re not mad at me?”
Tim presses another kiss to the top of my head.
“No, sweetheart, I’m not. Yes, you should have told me who you were a long time ago, but this isn’t that big of a deal. So what if our parents are dating? That’s Ed’s problem, not mine. I know I wouldn’t want to go back into that particular dragon’s lair,” he shudders. “But sweetheart, do you love me?” he asks suddenly, those blue eyes intense. “I haven’t heard the words yet.”
Suddenly, I’m laughing and crying at once in his arms.
“Of course I love you, Tim,” I sob. “I’ve loved you for so long that it almost seems silly, and yet I know what I used to feel as a little girl is real. It’s just blossomed into something mature and giving and adult, and yes, I love you to the moon and back.” Then, I climb into his lap and twine my arms around the handsome man’s neck. We kiss deeply as my head spins, and I can hardly remember why I had such a tough time coming clean to him in the first place. Why did I doubt this man? He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and more too. When I’ve calmed down, Tim holds me against his chest, those big hands stroking my back up and down. I take a deep breath because actually, I have one more secret to reveal.
“Tim?” I begin in a small voice.
“Yes, beautiful?” he growls.
“Well, um, there’s something else I need to tell you.”
He pulls back with a wry smile. “You’re not engaged to someone else, are you?”
I gasp at the implication. “No, of course not!”
“You’re not secretly an alien princess?”
I laugh and shake my head. “No, stop being so silly.”
He grins.
“Well, if it’s not either of those things, then I promise I can handle it.”
“Okay.” I take a deep breath. “I’m pregnant with your baby. You’re going to be a daddy in oh, about eight months. Is that okay?” I ask in a tentative voice.
His blue eyes flare and his hands stop their stroking motion for a moment. My heart contracts and fear washes over my frame. But then Tim lets out a yelp and looks into my eyes, his gaze stunned. “You’re pregnant?”
I nod and start to cry all over again. “Yes, I’m pregnant with your child.”
He lets out another loud hoot before lowering his lips to nuzzle against my cheek. Then, he smothers me with kisses and tickles my sides until I’m gasping for breath, before pressing a kiss to my lips, soft and sweet and full of love.
“I’m so happy,” he breathes. “You’re having my baby. Who would have guessed?”
I smile through the tears in my eyes.
“He or she is made of a piece of you, and a piece of me,” I murmur. “I’m so glad you want to be a daddy.”
“I do,” he confirms in a low voice, his breath hot against my cheek. “This is the best gift ever, Lina, and … well, I didn’t know I was going to be a father, but now, I can’t wait. Thank you, sweetheart. I want this child, definitely.”
With that, our lips join again and my heart swoops headily. I thought the fact that we were related would kill our relationship, but that wasn’t true, and obviously, I underestimated my man because Tim is resilient, realistic, and so loving. My man adores me, and always believed in me, no matter what I threw at him. As a result, our baby will be born into the arms of two adoring parents, and I’ll have this alpha male with me every step of the way. But then I pull back from our kiss breathlessly.
“I guess we’ll have to tell our parents,” I say.
Tim groans under his breath.
“I guess so,” he says before stealing another kiss. “This is a story we’re going to have to tell our child too.”
“Nooo!” I cover my face with my hands, mortified all over again. “Let’s just keep this between us. He or she doesn’t have to know that their grandparents walked in on us right as we were doing something naughty.”