I had heard enough. With my hands on her shoulders, I looked deep into her eyes. “Why would I be mad? All I want is to be with you. I’m thrilled! You saved me the trouble of coming to get you.”
Her brow lifted. “But you ignored all my letters. I thought you were mad at me.”
“I would have answered your letters if I’d been here.” Cupping her face, I kissed her. Feeling her lips against mine and knowing there was no wall between us any longer was exhilarating and better than all the food and drink I’d enjoyed after starving. “I hate that you put yourself in danger to get here, but I’m eternally grateful that you came.” I pulled my head back; our eyes locked. “I’ve fucking missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.” Her eyes teared up.
“Hey… shhh… what’s wrong? Don’t cry.” I pulled her into my arms. “You’re here now. We’re together.”
Devina covered her face, her shoulders bobbing from the crying.
“Talk to me, love.”
“I’ve tried to be strong, but I was so scared that you’d be mad at me. I’ve lost everyone and I thought I’d lost you too.”
I groaned and held her tight. “No. I’m right here.”
“But there’s something I haven’t told you and you’re going to be so mad when I tell you.”
Chills ran down my neck and my posture stiffened. “Did you sleep with someone else?”
“Nooo…” She creased her eyebrows.
“Then what is it?”
With her eyes full of tears, Devina took my hand and placed it on top of the cover where her stomach was.
From the look in her eyes, I knew she was telling me something.
My heart rate increased to a million beats per second and I pulled the cover away to see the most beautiful bump on my woman’s belly. “You’re pregnant?!”
“Yes.”
My eyes were staring down at her round belly. “It’s mine?”
“Of course it’s yours.”
We had only shared one night together and that was back in August – my mind was frazzled as I tried to count.
“I’m four months pregnant.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her hand lifted to caress my face. “I figured we could never be together and that telling you would only make things worse for you.”
I got under the cover with her and wrapped myself around her body. To feel the warmth of her made everything better. These past two weeks had been hell to me – her goodbye letter that tore my heart to pieces followed by King Jeremiah’s bombshell that he claimed the right to marry any widow he wanted to; failed attempt at poisoning him, and two weeks being locked up and unable to protect our women. The trauma I had experienced healed a little as I lay in my bed listening to Devina’s heartbeat and held a hand on her belly where our child was growing. “You should have told me about our baby. I almost died today.”
“What do you mean, you almost died?”
I told her everything about our attempt at killing King Jeremiah and how it had gone wrong. She teared up when I explained about the small cell and the long days with almost nothing to eat.
“So that’s why you look thinner. How can anyone be so cruel?”
“It gets worse,” I explained about being led to the room with the long table and seeing my mother, sisters, and Starr being paired with hideous men and forced to sit next to them and listen to our last words.
“And then what happened?”
“Well, like most men in this country, Jeremiah had no real experience with women. He mistook them for innocent and weak fairy creatures that can only do good, so imagine his surprise when Wilma jerked a knife into his throat.”
