LITMIR.BIZ

       Ten

      Graham didn’t give a damn about the slipup. And he could care even less if Nora was shocked. When Eve swayed and caught herself on the barstool, his protective instincts took over.

      Scooping her up in his arms, Graham ignored her weak plea to put her down as he carted her over to the living area off the kitchen. Once he laid her on the sofa, he noticed her pallor and the sheen of sweat that dotted her forehead. He eased himself onto the sofa beside her and lifted her legs onto his lap.

      “Get her a cold cloth,” he ordered Nora without taking his eyes from Eve. What if something was wrong? Why did she look so damn pale?

      Eve laid one hand on her stomach and the other over her forehead. “I’m fine. Just give me a minute.”

      Seconds later, Nora waved a washcloth in Graham’s face. He used it to wipe Eve’s forehead, her neck. He didn’t like this helpless feeling one bit. He’d seen his grandmother and his mother grow weak and pass. Not that Eve was dying, but the thought that there was nothing he could do for her right now really pissed him off.

      “Eve.” Nora stood over the back of the couch and reached down to smooth a damp strand of hair from her sister’s face. “Are you pregnant again?”

      Eve groaned, muttering something Graham didn’t comprehend because he’d homed in on the key word in Nora’s question.

      Again?

      What the hell did Nora mean by that? When had Eve been pregnant before?

      “I’m pregnant,” Eve mumbled. “Don’t tell Grace. I’ll tell her.”

      “Oh, honey.” Now Nora’s voice took on a compassionate tone, one that Graham instinctively knew had everything to do with this former pregnancy. He was almost afraid to find out the details, but he would. “How far along are you?”

      “Seven weeks now.”

      Graham listened to the sisters, but his mind was overloaded. A spear of unexpected jealousy hit him square in the chest. He had no right to be jealous of a faceless man who’d created a baby with Eve. Clearly they weren’t together anymore. But still, Graham didn’t want to think of her experiencing this with anyone else.

      “Promise me,” Eve was saying, her eyes pleading with Nora. “Don’t say anything. Let Graham and me handle this. We want what’s best for the baby, and our families have to come to some sort of peace.”

      Nora glanced at Graham before looking back down at Eve. “I promise. I know what it’s like to be pregnant and unsure of what to do next.”

      Nora had been a single mother before she and Reid had fallen in love. Graham didn’t know much about Nora’s circumstances, but it sounded as though she’d been alone and scared. Fortunately, Eve wouldn’t be alone. Ever, if he had any say.

      Eve started to sit up, waving her hand when Graham tried to ease her back down. “It passed. I’m fine. I’m just going to sit here for a bit.” Looking over her shoulder, she asked, “What did you need this morning, Nora?”

      “What? Oh, it’s not important.” Nora smiled, then wrapped her arms around her sister. “I thought we might go shopping for party costumes for Halloween, but we can go another day.”

      Again, Graham didn’t like being left out of this little shopping trip. Didn’t like being so easily dismissed as though he was replaceable.

      “I’ll feel fine in the afternoon if you want to wait.”

      Nora stood straight up and nodded. “Sounds good. Text me later. Reid doesn’t want to go, so I’ll just pick something up for him. But I was given a list of things he refuses to wear. Tights being at the top of the list.”

      “No Robin Hood for him, then.” Eve smiled. “Thanks for understanding and keeping this to yourself. I know you have questions, but I’ll address them. Just not now.”

      Graham watched the younger Winchester sister as she adjusted her cardigan and smoothed her hair back. “I promise to keep this all to myself, but if you need any help with doctor’s appointments or someone to—”

      “She’s got someone,” Graham stated. “Just be sure to keep that promise.”

      Nora pulled in a breath as if she wanted to let him have it, but Graham flashed her what he hoped was a charming smile. No way in hell was he letting anyone else care for Eve and his child. They may not be a couple, but she belonged to him now.

      Closing her mouth without saying anything, Nora turned on her heel and left out the front door. Silence filled the spacious room. Eve’s legs were still in Graham’s lap, but she sat up with her arm stretched across the back of the sofa.

      “We’re going to have to tell your brothers now,” she said, rubbing her head. “I’ll have to talk to Grace and...this is just going to be a mess.”

      “This isn’t a mess. If our families can’t see that a child is more important than our rivalry, then—”

      “Tell me more about Gerty.” Eve’s eyes held his. She reached down and took his hand.

      “Excuse me?”

      Eve glanced down, traced a pattern over his palm. “You seemed so happy when you were talking about her. You seemed nostalgic and that’s a side of you I don’t know.”

      Graham swallowed. She didn’t know this side because it was the one that was most vulnerable. But he wanted her to fully know him, to gain her affection so that his plan would be flawless. In order for that to happen, he’d have to bare all his emotions where his past was concerned.

      “Gerty was amazing.” Because he couldn’t sit still, he shifted from beneath her and went to the kitchen for her plate. After putting it on her lap, he set her juice on the side table. “She’d swat our hands with a wooden spoon if we cursed, then just as lovingly show us how to bake homemade bread. I’ve never known anyone like her.”

      Eve continued to hold on to her plate. Graham picked up the fork and got a small bite for her. When he lifted it to her lips, she kept her gaze on his as he fed her.

      “When I fell off the monkey bars in the first grade, she came right to the school because she didn’t want to worry my mom or disrupt her shift at the coffee shop. By the time Mom got home, Gerty had bandaged me up, given me ice

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