LITMIR.BIZ

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      ‘The baby’s fine,’ said Matt, approaching the bed. ‘Will you let Elsa take him for a while, Jo? I’m worried about you. You look exhausted.’

      Joanna gazed across at Elsa with tears in her eyes. ‘Don’t let Matt’s mother take my baby away, will you?’ she begged. ‘He’s all I’ve got.’

      ‘You’ve got me,’ exclaimed Matt, uncaring what his mother thought now. He sat down on the side of the bed and cupped Joanna’s face between his hands. ‘And nobody’s going to do anything without your say-so.’ He paused. ‘But perhaps you should let Elsa take him for a while.’

      ‘I can look after him,’ said Adrienne at once, but Matt gave her a warning look.

      ‘Not now,’ he said forcefully. ‘I think you’ve done enough.’

      ‘I was only thinking of you, Matt,’ she protested, but Matt ignored her.

      ‘Just go,’ he said. ‘You’ve got packing to do.’

      ‘Matt!’

      Her voice was loud with protest and Dr Rodrigues, who had appeared behind his wife, came into the room.

      ‘I can hear your voices in the study, Mr Novak. I told you, Joanna needs to rest.’

      Matt sighed. ‘I know. And I’m sorry.’

      ‘Yes, well, whatever it is you need to say to one another, surely it can wait until Joanna is stronger?’

      Now Matt took charge. ‘You were just leaving, weren’t you, Ma?’ he said, looking at his mother, and Adrienne was not prepared to say any more in front of the doctor and his wife.

      To Joanna’s relief, Matt saw them all out of the door and closed it. Then he turned back to the bed. ‘I’m sorry about that,’ he said huskily, resuming his seat beside her. He stroked her cheek with gentle fingers. ‘I’m sorry for a lot of things. I never meant for you to discover the truth about your dad. And the timing couldn’t have been worse!’

      Joanna lifted a hand to cover his, looking up at him with anxious eyes. ‘But it is true, isn’t it? He had a gambling addiction, didn’t he?’ she whispered. ‘It explains so much.’

      ‘Yeah, well, the old man made me promise not to tell you.’ Suddenly Matt didn’t want to talk about it anymore. ‘Do you believe me now, Jo?’

      Joanna sniffed. ‘Matt, ever since I came to the island, I’ve found myself wanting to put the past behind me. You must know that. I haven’t exactly pushed you away.’

      ‘I hoped that was so. But I was afraid I was getting the wrong message,’ said Matt huskily. ‘When something means so much to you, you tend not to believe it.’

      Joanna squeezed his hand. ‘I’ve been such a fool. Can you ever forgive me?’

      ‘We’ve both been fools.’ Matt groaned. ‘Why the hell do you think I wanted you here? I wanted to take care of you. I wanted us to be together. I—hoped you might want to stay.’

      Joanna met his eyes. ‘I do want to stay,’ she said eagerly. ‘I never thought I’d say that when you insisted on me coming here, but I do.’

      Matt shook his head. ‘When I left your apartment in London, I was convinced that was the end of us.’

      Joanna nodded. ‘So was I.’

      He grimaced. ‘That’s not to say I wouldn’t have tried again. You know I love you. I never stopped loving you, no matter what garbage came out of my mouth at the time.’

      ‘Do you mean that?’ Joanna caught her breath, looking up at him through tear-drenched lashes. ‘You love me?’

      ‘Of course, I love you,’ he muttered thickly, raising her hand to his lips. His tongue brushed her knuckles with the utmost tenderness. ‘I want us to be married again. I never want to let you go.’

      ‘Oh, Matt, I love you, too.’ There was so much more she wanted to say to him, but it could wait. ‘I was so stupid to let anyone come between us.’

      ‘Hey, he was your father,’ said Matt gently. ‘I just kept on hoping that sooner or later the truth would come out.’

      ‘Will you forgive me for doubting you? If I promise to spend the rest of my life making amends?’

      ‘I may keep you to that,’ said Matt, looping one hand at her nape and pulling her towards him. Then, after kissing her until she was breathless, he added, ‘I just wanted to hear you say you love me. That’s all I ever wanted. And to be with you and our son.’

      ‘I’m so glad you were there at his birth. When he’s older, you’ll be able to tell him so.’

      ‘We’ll be able to tell him so,’ Matt amended with some satisfaction, before kissing his wife again.

       EPILOGUE

      A WEEK LATER Joanna wheeled the baby down the path to the jetty.

      Matt had gone out in his dinghy earlier that morning for the first time since the baby was born. He hadn’t wanted to leave her, but Joanna had insisted she could manage on her own. Well, with Callie’s help, she appended. Teresa and Henry’s granddaughter had proved her weight in gold since the baby’s birth.

      Adrienne and Oliver had gone home the day after the baby’s birth, and Oliver seemed satisfied that he had played some part in Joanna’s and Matt’s reunion.

      For her part, Joanna knew that she and Adrienne would never be friends. But Matt’s mother had apparently accepted that, as they were getting married again, there was no point in depriving herself of her grandson by trying to keep them apart.

      Jealousy was a terrible thing, and Joanna guessed Adrienne would have been jealous of any woman who took her son away from her. Discovering Joanna was Angus Carlyle’s daughter must have been doubly distressing. Particularly when her husband had announced he was going into business with her old lover. She must have lived in fear of their previous relationship being made public.

      Joanna wondered now if Angus had sought to destroy her and Matt’s marriage to hurt Adrienne. As with so much else, his actions were hard to forgive.

      To be charitable, Joanna knew her father’s illness had changed him. Learning he was suffering from terminal cancer had made him brooding and resentful of other people’s happiness. Even her own.

      But that was in the past. Matt and Joanna were planning to get married again as soon as they could. And then, later, they’d agreed to return to Miami for the baby’s christening.

      Joanna had destroyed Adrienne’s letter. That was one piece of poison that would never again see the light of day. She and Matt were together and that was all that mattered. She really hoped that her father had forgotten the letter was there.

      She could feel the sun’s rays on her shoulders as she emerged from the shadow of the palms, but she didn’t mind. It was so good to be out and about again, so good to be able to wear an outfit that didn’t outline the swollen curve of her stomach.

      Their son lay on his back in the stroller, protected by the shade cast by its hood. Matt had had the baby carriage flown over from Nassau the same day the baby was born. Along with baby clothes and equipment of every kind.

      It was a thrilling time for Joanna. And Matt, too, she knew. Their son was a constant delight to both of them but, more importantly, they were rediscovering every aspect of their love for one another.

      Joanna heard Henry’s voice and a moment later she saw her husband vaulting onto the jetty. He hadn’t been out very long, she thought humorously. Evidently, since he’d become a father, sailing had lost much of its appeal.

      Matt saw Joanna at once, and, leaving Henry

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