Tugging her round to face him, he looked down into her eyes, his mouth curving upwards into one of those sexy smiles she knew would always take her breath away.
‘I talked really fast. Besides, I have two far more important women right here!’
‘And in about half an hour you’ll have three.’ She pulled away slightly and smiled up at him. ‘Pandora rang. She went shopping yesterday, and she wants to drop off a few things for Evie.’
Ram groaned. ‘I presume she went shopping overseas? There can’t be anything left in Australia for her to buy.’
Since the night of her anniversary party Pandora had been working hard to rebuild her relationship with her son, and Nola knew that, despite joking about her shopping habits, Ram was touched by his mother’s efforts to make amends. She had separated from Guy, and now that they were no longer forced to live together the two of them had begun to enjoy each other’s company as friends.
Nola laughed. ‘You can talk. Every time you go out of the door you come back with something for me or Evie.’
‘She deserves it for being so adorable,’ Ram said softly as she glanced down at the beautiful diamond ring he’d given her when Evie was born. ‘And you deserve it for giving me such a beautiful daughter.’
And for giving him a life, and a future filled with love.
Gently he ran his hand over her stomach. ‘I miss your bump. I feel like I’d just got used to it, and then she was here. Not that I’m complaining.’ His eyes softened. ‘I can’t imagine my life without her or you.’
Nola felt a pang of guilt. She knew how much he regretted not being there for the early stages of her pregnancy, for they had no secrets from one another now. That was one of the lessons they’d learnt from their past—to be open with one another.
‘I miss it too. But there’ll be other bumps.’
‘Is that what you want?’
His face had gentled, and she loved him for it, because now everything was about what they both wanted.
‘It is. It all happened so quickly last time.’
She hesitated, and then, leaning closer, ran her hand slowly over his stomach, her heart stumbling against her ribs as his skin twitched beneath her fingers.
His eyes narrowed, and a curl of heat rose up inside her as he pulled her against his smooth golden body.
‘I’m happy to go slowly. On one condition.’
The roughness in his voice made her blood tingle.
‘And what’s that,’ she asked softly.
‘That we start right now.’
And, tipping her mouth up to his, he kissed her hungrily.
* * * * *