Tony bowed his head. “Madeline, Francis, I too am happy to be here before the arrival of our bebe—fille or fils; either is fine with me.”

The smiles coming from Madeline and Francis warmed Claire’s heart and continued her inner peace. She hadn’t considered that they might not be receptive to him. After all, they weren’t married. They had been, but Madeline and Francis didn’t know that.

Claire said, “I know dinner’s ready and I’m sorry, but first, I’m going to show Tony to our room. Could you please show Phil to the room he didn’t take before?” Her eyes sparkled teasingly toward Phil.

Phil replied, “That won’t be necessary; I remember.”

Madeline announced, “I’ll have dinner ready for you. After you’re done, Francis and I will eat at our house.”

Although Claire and Tony had started to walk toward their room, Claire turned back. “Oh no, I don’t want you to do that. We’ll all eat together—all of us. I’m so happy to have everyone here, and I want everyone to get to know one other. Please, give us a little time. We’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”

No one argued with the lady of the house as Claire led Tony down the hallway. When they reached their suite, Claire entered, expecting to show him around. The sound of the closing door surprised her. When she glanced back toward Tony and saw his expression, the deep yearning she thought was forever gone—ignited. The heat immobilized her; she couldn’t move toward him or away. Her only option was to stare into the dark, velvety depth of his gaze. For seconds or days, Claire was lost in his eyes. The black penetrating stare no longer filled her with fear; instead, it was a beckoning, a desire that only she could fill—truly an overwhelming and exhilarating responsibility. Within seconds, his strong arms surrounded her and their lips united.

Once again, her world was no longer her own. He didn’t take it—on the contrary, Claire relinquished it willingly. Not the control of the island or the money—those were truly insignificant. What belonged to Tony, probably before she ever knew him, was her heart and soul. As their bodies touched, her growing breasts pressed against his chest and his hands caressed her skin; Claire was totally and completely lost. Any thought of life outside their suite disappeared as the scent of his cologne and the taste of his kiss took on life giving power. Eventually, his deep, baritone voice penetrated their world while each word, each syllable dripped with desire. “God, I’ve missed you. I thought I’d never hold you like this again.”

Claire couldn’t respond verbally. Not only because her mouth was preoccupied—which it was—no, she couldn’t respond because the overwhelming sense of relief that was washing over her had removed her ability. It drained her and set her hormone-filled emotions into a new and terrifying cyclone. Tears fell from her eyes as she broke away from his kiss and buried her face in his wide chest. When her shoulders began to shudder from the sobs she couldn’t contain, Tony led her to the sofa. His sultry expression turned questioning. “Do you want me to leave? Isn’t this what you wanted?”

Claire shook her head and wiped her eyes. “No! I don’t want you to leave. This is exactly what I want”—she sniffled—“I can’t believe you’re really here. When you hung up—”

Tony knelt before her, his sad eyes a stark contradiction to the passion she saw moments earlier. “I was wrong. Everything was overwhelming.” She heard the restraint in his voice as he tried to subdue his shock and anger. “I had everything planned; how I was going to get the money and look for you.” His volume rose with each phrase. He shook his head. “I’ve told you before that you’re the only person in this world, who can keep me on my toes. I never imagined you’d access the accounts before me. I was totally blindsided! When I saw the signature of Marie Rawls, my gut told me that something was wrong! I still wasn’t sure until I called the number...” He exhaled and waited. Finally, he took her petite hands, surrounded them with his own, and reigned in his tone. “I wasn’t even sure it was you. I couldn’t fathom how you could possibly gain access—and then, when I heard your voice—”

The hint of anger faded into a sadness Claire couldn’t identify. She’d never heard so much pain in his voice. With all her heart, she wanted to make his world better; however, she couldn’t take away his sense of betrayal—initially from her and then from Catherine. He needed to say what he was thinking. While tears silently overflowed her eyes, Claire kept her gaze locked with his. Even with his visible pain, his dark eyes completed her world.

He continued, “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to believe you, but to believe you meant admitting that Catherine deceived...” His head bowed to Claire’s lap.

When he didn’t speak, Claire ran her fingers through his hair and waited.

Swallowing his emotions, Tony looked back up to her eyes. Dark windows of remorse matched the anguish she heard in his tone.

“I put you in harm’s way,” Tony said. “Since Roach explained everything, that’s all I‘ve thought about. I took you away from California and put you in the worse place possible. Tell me—tell me—you know—I didn’t know. I never would’ve—never thought—she was capable—of hurting you or me or”—he touched Claire’s stomach and rubbed, causing Claire to smile—“our child.”

The baby kicked Tony’s hand, and Tony’s eyes opened wide. “Did I just feel that?”

Claire nodded.

“That was amazing!” For a moment, their excitement and joy overpowered the shadow brought on by Catherine’s name.

Despite her moist eyes and tear-covered cheeks, Claire giggled, “I’ve been praying for you to feel our little one move and kick. I think we have a soccer player on our hands.”

Tony sat straighter and tipped his head. When their noses touched, he said, “Mighty fine!” Tenderly wiping her cheeks with the back of his hand, Tony brushed his lips over hers. “We’ve both made mistakes, too many to count, but this little life inside of you isn’t a mistake. He or she isn’t a Rawls or a Nichols. It’s a Rawlings! I’ve had many accomplishments in my life, and in comparison to this little life, they all pale. Beyond a doubt, this child is my—no, our—greatest achievement.

I don’t deserve you or an innocent child in my life. Thank you for keeping both of you safe. Roach explained how scared you were. If only I’d been home—”

Claire interrupted, “No, Tony. Don’t you see? It was all planned to happen with you away. Neither one of us is to blame for what happened.”

The nodding of his head moved hers. His words were barely a whisper, “For this one—”

Claire’s fingers touched his lips. “Stop—please. I know we have a lot to talk about. We both have questions, and hopefully we both have answers, but right now and tonight, can we please just have us?”

Tony kissed the tips of her fingers, which only moments earlier stopped his words. “You’re right. Besides, Madeline and Francis are waiting.” Claire stood, yet Tony refused to relinquish her hand. Standing close, he looked down and said, “I need to know one thing.”

Tipping her eyes up, Claire saw need in the depth of his dark eyes and her heartbeat accelerated. “What? What do you need to know?”

“Has all of this changed our relationship? I mean—are we still engaged?”

Claire smirked. “We definitely have a lot to talk about; however, if this little one is to be a Rawlings and not a Nichols”—her eyes twinkled—“I believe we only have a few more months to move our status to married.” She paused. “If that’s what you still want?”

“So, me being an ass and hanging up on you didn’t change your mind?”

“Well, you see—I’m used to you being an ass. It’s the part where you recognize it—that’s new, and that’s the reason my mind hasn’t changed.”