“How about you take a test before we leave the island?”
“Ummm … yeah, I can do that.”
I moved my hand from my hip to her stomach. “Whatever it is, I’ll protect him or her regardless.”
Our eyes locked.
“What if I’m not pregnant?”
“Then I’ll just have to fuck you in my office until you are.”
She wiggled her eyebrows. “You mean you weren’t going to do that anyway?”
In a determined voice, I countered, “I think you’re pregnant.”
“Is that right?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I always do everything right the first time.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Humble much?”
“Kitten, you know more than anyone I always get what I want.”
“At whose expense, Tristian?”
“Kit—”
“At some point, not now, but at some point, I need you to tell me why you just left like that.”
It was my turn to inhale a deep breath. “Everything happened so fast at your debutante ball.”
“I remember.”
“You were so fucking mad at me. I didn—”
“I was angrier after you left without even saying goodbye.”
“Given the choice, you think I would have left like that?”
“Choice?” Her eyebrows pinched together. “What do you mean by that?”
“It was a long time ago. Why do you want to rehash the past when we can’t change anything?”
“Because it’s staring me in the face every time I look at you. You broke my heart, Tristian. And I need to know why, so I can work on forgiving you.”
“It’s not going to change anything, kitten. We’ve still lost twenty years not being together.”
“Then why didn’t you come back for me?” Her eyes became glossy. “I waited for you, every day, for years. I waited for you to come back to me.”
“Belle…”
“You know I didn’t just lose a boyfriend that night. I lost you as my best friend too. I didn’t have anyone after you left. Do you understand how hard that was for me? You took it all away without even explaining why.” She couldn’t control her tears as they slid down her cheeks.
I kissed them away, whispering, “I’m sorry, kitten. I’m so fucking sorry.”