Page 16

“Is it fair knowing the man you loved kept you a secret from his family, that his career aspirations came before yours? Or that he never wanted to be seen in public with you for fear of how a non-Caucasian, liberal attorney wife would affect his father’s reelection chances in his extremely conservative state of Louisiana? What sucks is I’m not even a liberal. Why did you marry me if you’re so ashamed of who I am?”

Tears poured down my cheeks. Through all our fights, I’d never asked that question.

I was such an idiot.

Dev cupped my face. “Because I love you. I couldn’t see my life with anyone but you. I am anything but ashamed of you.”

“No. You don’t get to say that and expect everything to be okay.”

“Don’t you think I know this?” He stepped away from me and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “I fucked up. I’d hate any man who’d do the same thing to my sister. I get why Ashur hates me.”

My big brother took overprotective to a whole new level, and anyone he perceived as hurting me, even one of his closest friends, was enemy number one.

Dev couldn’t take all the blame for this mess.

“I fucked up too. Do you want to know who I’m angry with the most? It’s me. I’m a strong, independent woman and I let my love for you push my needs behind yours. I made it okay for you to cater to your family and your job.”

“How are we going to fix this, Sami? You want to fix this, don’t you?”

The uncertainty in his voice broke my heart. He was the most confident man I knew.

I had to harden myself against him, or I’d never stop the repeated pattern of our relationship.

“I don’t know if it’s possible if things don’t change.”

“So that’s not a no. There is still a chance?”

I released a deep breath. I’d always believed I’d get married once and for the rest of my life. With everything I’d strengthened myself against over the past few months, I’d never stopped hoping. Could I do this? He was asking me to help fix the mess we made. My answer would determine our next steps.

Before I lost my nerve, I said, “Yes.”

Relief washed over his face, and then after a few seconds, a grin appeared.

“I have a plan.”

He always had a plan. This would be good.

I lifted a brow and waited.

“There is only one way to make sure you never have any doubt about how I feel about you, that I’m not ashamed of us, of you. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

He walked toward me with a glint in his eyes that made me retreat.

“And what’s that?”

“To have a baby.”

He couldn’t be serious.

“Say that again.” I continued my retreat until my calves grazed the stone surrounding the fire pit.

“I want us to have a baby.”

Devin gripped my waist and pulled me toward him.

My heartbeat accelerated. I hated when Dev looked at me like I was the center of his world.

I broke his spell on me by slipping out of his hold and moving to the couch.