Скачать книгу

Callie’s hand. “I must say, Eduardo,” he murmured, “that’s unusually restrained for you.”

      She was still wearing Brandon’s engagement ring! Horrified, Callie tried to pull it off her swollen finger, but it was stuck. “I’m sorry—I … forgot …”

      Without a word, Eduardo eased the ring from her finger and tossed it in the trash. “I will buy you a ring,” he said flatly. “One worthy of my wife.”

      “Don’t worry.” She gave him a weak smile as she felt the pain start to build again. She panted, “Our marriage will be so short it really doesn’t matter …”

      “That’s the spirit,” the judge said jovially. “Ring can come later. Or not. Well, kids, we’ll just skip through and assume the part about forsaking all others and staying together for better or worse. And since with Eduardo I already know it’ll be for richer, not poorer, I reckon that’s about it.”

      Callie stared at the judge, then Eduardo. The wedding ceremony had passed by in a flash. Just a few words spoken, and two lives—soon, three—forever changed. How could something so life-changing be so fast?

      The judge gave them a big grin. “You may now kiss the bride.”

      She nearly gasped. Kiss? She’d forgotten that part! He was going to kiss her?

      Eduardo turned to her. Their eyes met. He slowly leaned over the bed, and for an instant, all the pain fled Callie’s body in a breathless flash.

      When his mouth was an inch from hers, he hesitated. She could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin, causing prickles up and down the length of her body.

      Then he lowered his lips to hers.

      Eduardo kissed her, and prickles turned to spiraling electricity, sizzling her nerves like a current sparking up and down her body. His lips were hot and soft, in pledge of their promise, inflaming her senses from within. It lasted only a brief moment, but when he pulled away, Callie’s hands were shaking, and not from pain.

      “Congratulations, you crazy kids,” the justice said, beaming at them. “You’re married.”

      Married. Callie’s body flashed cold over the magnitude of what she’d just done. She’d married Eduardo. She was his wife.

      Just for three months, she reminded herself desperately. The prenuptial agreement had been clear about the timetable. At least in the paragraphs she’d skimmed before the contraction had hit her … She tensed as another contraction hit, burning through her like wildfire. She gasped, biting back a cry as her doctor came in, a brown-haired man in his late fifties. Glancing at the monitors, he checked her. Then he smiled. “Seems you’re good at this, especially for a first-time mother. All right, Callie. Time to push.”

      Her eyes went wide as fear ripped through her. Instinctively she reached for Eduardo’s hand, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

      Eduardo took both her hands in his. “Callie, I’m here.” His voice was deep and calm as his dark eyes looked straight into hers. “I’m right here.”

      Panting, she focused only on his black eyes, letting herself be drawn into them. As she started to push, bringing her baby into the world, she’d never felt any pain so deep. She gripped her new husband’s hands so tightly she thought she’d break his bones, but Eduardo never flinched, not once. He never left her. As she held on to him for dear life, nurses moving around them at lightning speed, monitors beeping, she focused through her tears on his single, blurry image. Eduardo was her one solid, immovable focal point.

      He never looked away.

      He never backed down.

      He never left her.

      And in the end, the pain was worth it.

      A healthy seven-pound-eight-ounce baby girl was finally placed in Callie’s arms. She looked down at her daughter in amazement, at the sweetest weight she’d ever known. Cuddled against her chest, the baby blinked up at her sleepily.

      Leaning over them, Eduardo kissed Callie’s sweaty forehead, then their baby’s. For a long, perfect moment, as medical personnel bustled around them, the newly married couple sat together on the bed with their brand-new baby.

      “Thank you, Callie, for the greatest gift of my life,” Eduardo said softly, stroking the baby’s cheek. He looked up, and his dark, luminous eyes pierced her soul. “A family.”

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4RzPRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgADAEAAAMAAAABAfQAAAEBAAMAAAABAyMAAAECAAMAAAADAAAA ngEGAAMAAAABAAIAAAESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEVAAMAAAABAAMAAAEaAAUAAAABAAAApAEbAAUAAAAB AAAArAEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAgAAAAtAEyAAIAAAAUAAAA1IdpAAQAAAABAAAA6AAAASAA CAAIAAgADqYAAAAnEAAOpgAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTNiAoTWFjaW50b3NoKQAyMDE1 OjA4OjEyIDE3OjQ4OjQ3AAAEkAAABwAAAAQwMjIxoAEAAwAAAAEAAQAAoAIABAAAAAEAAAXcoAMA BAAAAAEAAAlpAAAAAAAAAAYBAwADAAAAAQAGAAABGgAFAAAAAQAAAW4BGwAFAAAAAQAAAXYBKAAD AAAAAQACAAACAQAEAAAAAQAAAX4CAgAEAAAAAQAAG0kAAAAAAAAASAAAAAEAAABIAAAAAf/Y/+0A DEFkb2JlX0NNAAH/7gAOQWRvYmUAZIAAAAAB/9sAhAAMCAgICQgMCQkMEQsKCxEVDwwMDxUYExMV ExMYEQwMDAwMDBEMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMAQ0LCw0ODRAODhAUDg4OFBQO Dg4OFBEMDAwMDBERDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAz/wAARCACgAGQD ASIAAhEBAxEB/90ABAAH/8QBPwAAAQUBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAwABAgQFBgcICQoLAQABBQEBAQEB AQAAAAAAAAABAAIDBAUGBwgJCgsQAAEEAQMCBAIFBwYIBQMMMwEAAhEDBCESMQVBUWETInGBMgYU kaGxQiMkFVLBYjM0coLRQwclklPw4fFjczUWorKDJkSTVGRFwqN0NhfSVeJl8rOEw9N14/NGJ5Sk hbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2N0dXZ3eHl6e3x9fn9xEAAgIBAgQEAwQFBgcHBgU1AQAC EQMhMRIEQVFhcSITBTKBkRShsUIjwVLR8DMkYuFygpJDUxVjczTxJQYWorKDByY1wtJEk1SjF2RF VTZ0ZeLys4TD03Xj80aUpIW0lcTU5PSltcXV5fVWZnaGlqa2xtbm9ic3R1dnd4eXp7fH/9oADAMB AAIRAxEAPwDF2VvOx+rTBJ8wuh+r5orxrW1VjcbNDH8lq52vV476rqfq9Y5tFrGjT1tWnUasH5v7 yk5z5v8ABH5rsO31dCu57mlz3bQ17WQOxc4Vuc7+oiP9MZOw2RUfc57tA1rQX2uf/wAW1nuQGudj 02i8+nWwHcSBsE+5tz/U+l6ln877vYuI+tv1ndluOD0mxwpvbuzOAXu03UMs2tsdU78/d/O/4RUx ZNM9aW71n1qxBbGPkPpZa8/ZqGvDHvku2W32WMdYx1m9/wBnrr9P9Fsrt9f/AAeB1p2ZcTdaL7qH CBf6nrFgH5pps2Of/nep/wCe1gi3Gtq23MLrGiHF8CxhH8po3Pq/r+psTN6tltJFNrxtjc8ugf2n V7nf5icIlRkKeh6Pk4xrbdU9rrBo9r/oE8WMc+wetj7ne+i//B/zGR+i/SK31W2p2P64Y+q/HIew xLSWnc9ugLqLdv5rPZ/1a5evqOb6ouD7SWkH1ay4aj95tr7mWN/41i1h1vFNf6JoJiDU4bWvGvsq +k2qyv8A7jP/AEf/AHH2VfoakQbUDo9p07r+Nn4lePmWnbk2MZjvmRvNbbi0uP0Gf9/Vmz6wYLt/ S7KnCxnslp3D+3p7P/Pa89+qzmZXUqMS4uZiNyn3VtdDYJb7Z/d27Fp5jrsDqWVbV+nqsfvseDus MQD/AMd6jfzKkiEDV6jDz6MTCtfVYx2PQ4F8ABrmuP5jgfpN/kLJ6hgg/WOq6siC0ENjkHWVRryM PKabKbGmn8+lzdoE/S9Sv/yTUV/1p+z9VqxsrbZXBsbYCA8CHMbVwm12S9L9lP2mfLwSQP2+fT+3 eg/7P9GdN0/6bb/ovzUktEUX/9DFxdb2j48q1g/WjGacjFc+7Hwd5F2XTUx73naGOqqbkP2V/wDG bbP+LWdc9rGvIcGsgjc9xYNp/eexzHf9JYGT1EvZbVjv9KkmGsrBa06ef0K1JzeswPAfmuw6C/Ev QdZ+suJbi/Z6s5/USLRYyzIpNVgH+jtbudj2MdP6T02VrlQ5+TlNra7Wx0Dwk9tqBB+JPCs4uLc3 Ki1jqjU4S0gtcHD3BQCIiCv4iSA2m4ma9zK7Ggkkth4lwA/lfT2/2lv4H1VFz2+pqxupAEAf2GBP h0utvbbYA0uIkDj950LqOrfVm3NwacjAvsx7KiHzS5zXEx/IURkSa2ZhEAXv2b3ROgYFVLbRXXkU OMB7YcAW8tVjqX1J+rXUgSaDi2O5sxzsmP3mfzb1ifVjqHUsfrFlDjYa7yfUqtG51ha39HkvdXXS 1mWz+avtbTX9ro9P1v1mv1bOrr610e+w45zMduS6NtYuZJJO1o+l++kPBRvq+cfW/o1P1azOnOxi HVEOh7wHuJBbLjWfY7buWRn25mXsvcxofe82MNbS0OYB6frM3y5rXuWp9buojrfVsm2uLMTplZx8 Z3IfZu/T3s49u8PYz/g2VI2Dh23Y7brXepfAD44aAPaxv8itiN0B3QI8Rc

Скачать книгу