‘But what if I had?” she pushed.
‘lt did not happen.” And the overwhelming fury she sensed in him made her very glad it had not.
Then he turned his head and light coming in through the door exposed a stark pain she could not bear to see .
She cupped his cheek. ‘No. It did not happen. I didn’t want it to.”
He nodded. ‘see? You knew deep beneath your anger and disappointment in me that we belonged together.”
He did not love her had made no excuses for that but such a description of their relationship was not something to be scoffed at.
‘So, I guess you’re pretty disappointed with the kind of wife I’ve been for the past year.” Part of her still needed to make a joke of his incredible statement.
He didn’t laugh. He didn’t even smile. ‘you have been hurting. I knew this. I wanted to make it better, but did not know how.”
‘lt helps to know you believe me about our baby, that you grieve its death as much as I do.” The words came out sounding more like a question than a statement of fact.
He kissed her forehead his lips tender enough to make her smile despite remembered grief.
‘I do believe you and I do grieve. This grief is another thing that draws us together something we share that no one else is party to.”
She considered that and his assertion earlier that the doctor had said making another baby might be beneficial for her mental health.
‘you made love to me again without protection.”
‘I did not ” Feeling the extra wetness between her legs, she shook her head. There is physical evidence to the contrary.”
‘lt was you who made love to me this time.”
Remembering her wild ride and how she had exulted in bringing them b0th such pleasure she flushed with stirrings of resurging desire.
‘So this time it is my fault?”
‘lt is mutual. It has always been mutual.” It was his turn to sound as if he needed confirmation of that fact.
He’d promised not to lie to her. She could give him no less than the truth herself. ‘Yes.”
‘Say you will marry me.”
‘Because you feel guilty about the loss of our child?” She couldn’t help feeling that was still a big part of his desire to get married.
‘Because I do not wish to face a future without you.”
Again his tone dared a denial. She didn’t want to give one. She wanted to believe him. He might not love her but he needed her and heaven knew… she needed him. She’d only been half-alive over the past year.
‘yes ” The heartbeat beneath her hand sped up and Salvatore stretched out his hand to turn on the bedside light.
She blinked against the unexpected brightness.
A vibrantly triumphant male loomed above her, taking up her entire vision. ‘Say that again.”
‘yes I will marry you.”
She got only a moment of seeing a grin that indicated he was really happy before his lips covered hers and he took her on a sensual journey that outdid anything she had ever experienced with him before.
The next few days flew by in a whirl of activity. Not only did Elisa have to finish plans for the auction, but she also now had her stepmother calling every fifteen minutes with suggestions for her upcoming wedding.
Therese had been disappointed to learn the event was scheduled for two weeks hence saying a proper wedding could not be planned in under six months. Francesco had argued that he wanted to give his daughter a traditional Sicilian wedding, but both Elisa and Salvatore had remained adamant.