Page 64 of Untouchable Queen
“I’m pregnant,” she breathes. “We’re going to have a baby.”
Her tears overflow now, spilling down her cheeks, and my heart feels like it might burst as she says the words I’ve been dying to hear since the doctor told me she was expecting.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” she whispers.
“How long have you known?” That question has been burning inside of me, torturing me with the thought that she’s been sitting on such a massive secret for so long.
“A few weeks? I’m not sure exactly…”
“I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. You’re telling me now.” And as I pull her into my arms, I realize it really doesn’t matter at all. I’m just so damn grateful she actually told me. It means she doesn’t hate me anymore, and relief surges through me as I realize it also means she’s not getting ready to run. I kiss her fiercely, as I hold her close, cradling her in my arms.
Then I pull back abruptly.
“Wait, did you just say you love me?”
Tatiana laughs, the sound carefree and light. “I don’t just love you, Lucian Agosti. It might have taken me a long time to realize it, but you’re the only man I could ever want. And if you still want me, I would like to give this whole marriage a real shot this time around.”
A joy I’ve never known before floods my body with warmth, and I lean in to capture her lips once more. “I’ll want you until the day I die,” I promise.
37
TATIANA
“Ilove you, Tatiana,” Lucian murmurs against my lips. “God, I love you so much it hurts.”
“I love you too,” I breathe. Every time I say it, it feels more true. I’m crazy about Lucian, and it feels so good to finally have that off my chest.
I’ve felt so guilty about being attracted to him, so conflicted about finding good things about him, that I’ve tangled myself up in knots trying to avoid the truth. And now that it’s all out there, I feel like I can finally breathe.
“We’re going to have a baby,” he says, his hazel eyes brilliant with anticipation.
“We’re having a baby!” I squeal, suddenly giddy with excitement. God, it feels good. I never knew how much I could want to be a mom, but now that I’m going to be, I am so intensely grateful for the opportunity.
Leaning into Lucian’s chest, I kiss him again, then I pull back abruptly.
“Something wrong?” he asks, his arm tightening around my waist, like he’s waiting for me to come back to reality and bolt.
“No, just…Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he promises, his lips curving into a smile.
“You didn’t seem all that surprised when I told you I was pregnant.”
Lucian chuckles, the low, rumbling sound releasing butterflies in my stomach. “Well, we have had an inordinate amount of sex since we got married,” he points out, but then his expression turns repentant. “But I have actually known since the doc came to check on you after you got knocked out.”
His palm cradles the bruised cheek that’s nearly back to its normal color now, and I lean into the touch automatically.
“If you knew, why didn’t you say anything?”
“Well.” Lucian’s Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, pain and loss flashing across his face for just a moment. “After that, I found the pregnancy test in the trash, so I could only assume you already knew and decided not to tell me.”
My stomach knots, and I can feel the blood draining from my face as I realize I completely forgot to dispose of the test like I had intended to. Then hot embarrassment creeps into my cheeks. “That’s why you’ve been so distant,” I breathe.
Lucian’s eyes drop to the collar of his oversized T-shirt I’m wearing, and he reaches out to run his finger along my throat right at the edge of the fabric. The seemingly innocuous touch sends a shiver down my spine, and my nipples harden, puckering the fabric.
“I thought you intended to run.”
“So you pushed me away?” I ask, my brows pressing together.
