LITMIR.BIZ

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filled her eyes, brimming over and trickling down her cheeks. ‘So you did remember?’

      ‘That this is your dream house for us? Yeah, I remembered.’

      He brushed her tears away with his thumbs, following their trail with his lips. ‘How could I forget? How could I forget anything about you when you’re the only woman in the world for me? Always have been, always will be.’

      ‘Stop it,’ she sobbed, burying her face in his chest, comforted by his cedar smell, her heart overflowing with so much love for this incredible man she thought it would burst.

      Pulling away, he brushed her mouth with his in a slow, sensual kiss that reached all the way down to her very soul. ‘What, stop loving you? Never.’

      ‘I love you, too,’ she said, sniffling and laughing and crying all at the same time, her last lingering doubts fading away under the intensity of his love and the lengths he’d gone to in proving it.

      With the smile of a man who’d just won the lottery, he slipped an arm around her waist, drew her close, and gestured towards the soaring glass-enclosed atrium entrance.

      ‘Come on. Why don’t I show you around our place?’

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      CAMRYN floated through the house, her feet barely touching the floor.

      With Blane’s arm firmly anchored around her waist, his body heat enveloping her in a warm, intimate cocoon and his low, soothing tone washing over as he spoke of his plans, their plans for the future, she couldn’t be happier.

      Until they entered the master bedroom, and her dreams of happily ever after blew away on the brisk ocean breeze entering from the open window.

      ‘What’s that little nook over there for?’ She had to ask the question, needed to hear him say it, even though she already knew the answer.

      The rest of the palatial home screamed family, from the huge rumpus room to the family games room, from the five spare bedrooms to the family-friendly meals area, and the little added-on space within the grand master bedroom could only be for one thing. A makeshift nursery. Large enough to fit a cradle and feeding chair and, in Blane’s case, a whole lot of futile dreams.

      How could she have been so stupid? She’d meant to tell him as soon as she realised she loved him but had been so wrapped up in their reconciliation, so high after realising he loved her as much as she loved him, that the truth had taken a back seat to their reunion.

      They’d never discussed having kids in Rainbow Creek. Heck, they’d practically been kids themselves back then.

      Ironically, it wouldn’t have been an issue back then. But what she’d gone through the last few years would have an impact now, with the potential to ruin any chance of happiness before they’d really begun.

      ‘That’s a temporary baby station,’ he said, sending her a bashful smile which broke her heart. ‘My sisters have two kids apiece and were always going on about the risk of SIDS being reduced dramatically if you keep the baby in your room for the first six months, so I figured it was easier to add the extra room into the plans now rather than fiddle with the house later.’

      He made it sound so logical, as if planning for future babies was the most natural thing in the world. Maybe it was, but not for her. She’d given up on that dream about the same time she’d given up on ever finding him again.

      ‘Hey, don’t you like it?’

      He snuggled up to her from behind, sliding his arms around her waist and holding her close, his chin resting on her head as she blinked rapidly, the sudden sting of tears burning her eyes and clogging her throat.

      ‘It’s not that,’ she rasped, clearing her throat several times, knowing she had to tell him the truth, hating what this was going to do to them.

      He wanted kids.

      Probably a whole band of boisterous, beachcombing ruffians to fill every room of this fabulous house with love and laughter.

      She could see the vision so clearly in her head, a vision she’d deliberately obliterated when she’d hobbled from the hospital that last time.

      But now, in this man’s arms, in her dream house, the vision was real, very real, and she wanted it as much as he did. Sadly, wanting something so badly you could taste it and having it come true were worlds apart.

      She had to tell him so.

      Gently turning her in the circle of his arms, his smile faded, the tenderness in his eyes quickly replaced by concern as she slowly raised her stricken gaze to meet his.

      ‘Hey, what’s wrong? Am I moving too fast? I know we never talked about kids but I thought—’

      ‘It’s not that.’

      She laid a finger against his lips, wishing she could trace its sensual contours, cover them with hers, and lose herself in the moment, effectively eliminating the need for words or painful truths.

      But she had to do this. It was the only way if they were to have any chance, remote as it was.

      With her heart aching from the unfairness of it all and the growing confusion on his face, she dropped her hand and eased out of his embrace.

      ‘I don’t think I can have children.’

      His eyes widened in shock, the cobalt flecks sparking to life as she shook her head and crossed to an enormous window overlooking the ocean, bracing herself against the frame and staring out at the endless azure expanse.

      ‘I’ve had pelvic inflammatory disease for the last few years. It’s been pretty bad. The docs did exploratory surgery, cleared away scar tissue, had a general poke around. They said it’s not impossible for me to have kids, but it’s going to be tough. Very tough…’ She trailed off, suddenly overwhelmed by the thought of not giving this incredible man the babies he deserved, and she inhaled a sharp breath, hoping the sea air would stave off the deep, heart-wrenching sob bubbling in the back of her throat.

      ‘Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.’

      He came up behind her and hugged her close, his body a solid, comforting backdrop in an unfair, unsteady world. ‘Is there anything I can do?’

      She shook her head, wishing he could fix this as well as he’d fixed the empty hole he’d left in her life by simply walking back into it.

      ‘This doesn’t affect us, you know. We’ll face whatever happens together.’

      Not affect them? That wasn’t entirely true, and they both knew it. This house clearly symbolised his hopes for the future, a future which might not include kids no matter how much she wanted it to.

      Sighing, she turned to face him, propping her butt on the sill and bracing her hands on his chest.

      ‘You wouldn’t have built this house, designed it as a family home, unless you wanted to fill it with a bunch of kids, yeah?’

      His face softened when she said the K word, and, while he might have said it wouldn’t affect them, she had her answer before he spoke.

      ‘Guess I’m tired of being the doting uncle to my sisters’ broods. I want in on the action. The mess, the fun, the laughs, I want it all.’

      A tiny crack appeared in her heart, splintering outwards at the realisation of how incredible he really was, and what she’d be giving up if she did the right thing and set him free to follow his dream with someone else.

      ‘Listen to me, Cam. The docs said it’d be hard, so we’ll try. And if it doesn’t work, we’ll explore other options. Nothing’s impossible as long as we’re together.’

      Reaching out, he drew her closer, and she let him, eager to believe his words yet knowing she’d be selfish for taking a risk on them when she might never be able to give him the family he deserved, her hands sliding up his chest, anchoring her while the rest of her

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