The By Request Collection - Kate Hardy Mills & Boon e-Book Collections

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reminded Graham so much of his grandma. Both women were strong. They both clung to their determination to get them through rough times. And they were both stubborn to a fault.

      Graham took a seat in the leather chair, propped his feet on the ottoman and laced his hands over his abs. He was perfectly content to watch Eve rest. This is exactly what he wanted her to do.

      Now he just had to figure out what he really wanted. Asking her to marry him may give her false hope. But on the other hand, he wasn’t so sure his goals in marrying her were quite the same as they once were.

      There was no denying that when she woke up, and once they started talking, the dynamics between them would change.

      Graham just had to keep the upper hand and decide how much their lives were about to be altered.

       Sixteen

      Eve woke to blackness. There wasn’t a single light on in the room. Where was she? She blinked a few times, sat up and quickly remembered. She’d fallen asleep on the couch in Graham’s cabin.

      The slightest glow from the porch lights filtered in through the windows. Eve sat up, turning her stiff neck from side to side. She didn’t even recall lying down. She’d started reading a magazine, had gotten swept up by some article on how to make your own baby food, and that was the last thing she remembered.

      Turning, Eve went still when she spotted Graham asleep in the chair across from her. His feet were propped on the oversize ottoman, his head tipped to one side. She wished there was more light so she could make out his facial features. Was he fully relaxed? When he’d fallen asleep in her bed, he always had those worry lines between his brows. Now that he was away, did he allow himself to completely let go?

      Eve pulled at the throw caught around her legs. She hadn’t put that there. An image of Graham covering her had a warmth spreading through her. The little ways he showed he cared couldn’t be ignored. The way he cooked for her, opened up about his mother and Gerty, swept her away when life became too much...he was putting her needs first and she couldn’t deny the tug on her heart.

      Part of Eve wished they could just stay here forever. Ignore their families, ignore the entire mess with Sutton, Carson and the investigator Brooks had hired. Ignore the reality that her father was dying, that her sister was marrying the love of her life and everything was perfect for her. The entire family was thrilled for Nora, and Eve was, too. But there was still that fear that once everyone knew of Eve’s pregnancy, she’d never be shown support. That she wouldn’t experience such happiness. Her family wouldn’t accept the fact that Graham was the father, and worse yet, that Eve had fallen for him.

      Eve got to her feet, shaking out the throw. Moving around the ottoman, she started to lay the blanket over Graham. Instantly he gripped her wrist and pulled her down into his lap.

      With a yelp, she fell right into the crook of his arm, her head to his shoulder.

      “I thought you were asleep.”

      Graham adjusted her legs to settle them between his. “You thought wrong.”

      That low rumble vibrated from his chest. His fingertips trailed up her bare forearm. “How do you feel now?”

      “Like I slept for days.”

      “Good. I want you to feel rejuvenated.”

      Eve relaxed fully against him. “I’m sorry I fell asleep when you were cooking. Did I ruin everything?”

      “We can heat it back up whenever. It was late. You needed rest.”

      His fingertips continued to trail up and down her arm. When she shivered, Graham took the twisted blanket and gave it a flick to send it soaring out over their legs. He wrapped her tighter, in the blanket and his arms. Eve wasn’t sure if this was some euphoric state from sleep or if this was really happening. Were they...snuggling? He wasn’t trying to get her undressed, she wasn’t straddling him and ripping his shirt off. They were just...doing nothing and it felt rather amazing.

      “As much as I want you to relax and take it easy, I want to know something.”

      Eve stilled. “What?”

      “About your first pregnancy.”

      Eve closed her eyes. She’d known the questions would be coming, and he deserved to know. He’d given her time to prepare and hadn’t immediately asked when Nora spilled the secret the other day.

      Eve was ready to tell him now—needed to tell him. There was still a part of her that had to heal before she could move on. Not that she could fully recover from the loss of a child, but talking about the pain with the man she’d fallen in love with would go a long way to preparing her for the next chapter of her life.

      “I was in love once,” she started, then realized that wasn’t the right thing to say. “Actually, I thought I was in love, but I had just been blindsided by lust and charm.”

      Graham remained silent, but kept his firm hold on her. She appreciated the darkened room, the fact she didn’t have to look him in the eye when she was telling him about this portion of her life. There was a deeper intimacy about letting him in this way.

      “I met Rick in college,” she went on. “The attraction was instant. We dated for six months. I thought he was the one.”

      The words sounded so cold, so lifeless when she said them, but there was no other way to tell this story. That period of her life was gone and she was only left with the emotional scars.

      “I found out I was pregnant.” She’d never forget how happy she was to tell Rick. “I thought we’d marry, raise our family and live happily ever after.” Eve pulled in a breath, toyed with the edging on the crocheted blanket. “When I told him I was pregnant, he was done with me. Apparently he was interested in being married to Sutton’s daughter, but not so much in having a child. No, wait. He was more interested in being married to money. I was nothing.”

      “I want to kill him.”

      Eve smiled. “I appreciate the offer, but he married into money, then his wife cheated on him with the pool boy. Clichéd, but I did a small victory dance.”

      Graham chuckled, squeezing her tighter. “I had no idea you had such a ruthless side. Remind me never to cheat on you with the pool boy.”

      Smacking his arm, Eve continued. “Anyway, I was about six weeks pregnant then. I was scared, but my family was so supportive. I knew I’d be okay. Losing the baby never even entered my mind. Not once.”

      Graham slid his hand over hers, their fingers lacing over her stomach. That silent supportive gesture had tears burning her eyes.

      “Nora, Grace and I had already picked out names,” Eve whispered, her throat full of emotions. “I knew I wanted the nursery decorated in gray and yellow no matter what the sex of the baby was. When I was seventeen weeks, I went in for an ultrasound. The doctor’s office had a new machine, one that had top-of-the-line imaging. I was so excited to see that little face, to find out what I was having.”

      When her voice broke, Eve bit her lip. She wanted to hold it together. She wanted to show Graham that she was strong, but all those past emotions threatened to strangle her and end this conversation. Tremors racked her body as her eyes filled. There was no stopping the wave of memories and feelings as she relived the horrid day.

      “Eve, don’t—”

      “No. I’ve come this far and you need to know.” On a shaky breath, she continued, “The tech kept searching the screen and moving the device over my stomach almost frantically, and I knew something was wrong. Her face wasn’t bright like when I’d first come in. At one point she excused herself and stepped out into the hall to ask someone to find the doctor. I knew. In my heart I knew something was wrong with my baby.”

      “What happened?”

      “In

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