Page 49 of Daddy's Accidental Babies

“Thea said it was proof I was human.” I smiled a little, my eyes burning with tears, and when I blinked they rushed over my cheeks.

His lips twitched. “She wasn’t wrong.” He looked up at me with sadness in his eyes, and then leaned forward, eyes scanning every detail on the images he thumbed through. The boys with formula dribbling down their chins. A blurry one of Cal screaming while Leo watched with alarm. Another of them in matching duck onesies. His fingers moved gently across the stack.

“That was their first bath,” I said. “Leo cried. Cal peed on me.” I laughed quietly, pressing my hand to my chest as I remembered the moment and wished for the love of God that I’d have spoken up. Seeing his reaction made me feel like the worst person in the world.

He chuckled quietly. “They still do that kind of thing?” He looked up, one brow raised.

“Daily. You should see what they did to the sink last week.” I gestured vaguely toward the hallway.

He tilted his head. “Leo the engineer. Cal the chaos artist.” His tone was amused, but soft.

I tried to laugh, but it caught in my throat and landed awkwardly. My fingers twitched as I sifted through the next photo, the images suddenly too vivid, too honest. The truth I had buried was uncovered and shame threatened to suffocate me.

Then his voice dropped. “Hey. Savannah.” He leaned closer, now focused fully on me. I looked up. He was watching me, face open for the first time since he’d walked in.

“I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me ever again,” I whispered. My fingers clasped together under the table, and I felt him shift in his seat closer to me.

“I needed time,” he said. “Not because I was angry. Because I was gutted.” His hand moved slightly, as if resisting the urge to reach for me. “It’s a huge secret, Van.”

I blinked rapidly to stop the worst of the tears, but it was useless. “I was going to tell you—I swear. I wanted to every day. But…I was scared.” My voice shook, and I pressed a palm to my thigh.

His hand reached for mine under the table, and I let him pry it away from my body to hold it. He brought it to his lips and kissed my knuckles, and it made me come undone.

“I thought you’d be so mad. And then Dad…” I shook my head, unable to say anything else. Dominic had to know what this cost me in so many ways.

He reached across the table with his free hand and brushed his fingers over my cheek, swiping tears away. The contact sent a shiver through me.

“Shh, hey…I’m here, and we have a lot to discuss, but we’ll work it out.” His eyes searched my expression which I was certain was not what he expected to see.

“But…you said it was over.” My mumbled protest made him half smile.

“I said the fake relationship stunt was over. Van, you put yourself out there for the company, for me, for this merger, foryour job, and while that was one of the most selfless things anyone has ever done for me, I can’t let you keep doing that.” The way his hand cradled my cheek had me sobbing.

“You can’t?” I whined, completely overwhelmed by how amazing he was being to me.

“I can’t…not when I want to have something real with you.”

I almost pushed him away. I almost thought this was a setup, that he was toying with me because of how badly I had hurt him, but when his lips brushed over mine, I gripped his jacket lapel like he was my lifeline and I sobbed into his mouth.

“Dom—”

“Do not tell me you don’t want me.” He pulled away, suddenly fierce, and shook his head. “Because I won’t survive that.” His eyes darkened and I believed him. “We will figure out this mess of me being a father, but if you tell me you don’t love me the way I love you, I will literally die right here and now.”

“Oh my God,” I whimpered, throwing my arms around him.

His hands wrapped around my waist and he pulled me toward him. I eased down onto his lap as our lips collided in an angry and emotional kiss.

Dominic’s confession left me reeling. I clung to him, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. He loved me? After all the secrets and deception, he still loved me? Tears streamed down my cheeks, but this time, they were tears of relief and joy. His hands stroked my back, soothing me as I let out weeks’ worth of pent-up emotion.

Finally, I pulled back, my chest heaving as I attempted to catch my breath. “I love you too,” I said, my voice shaky but resolute. “Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening.”

A relieved smile lit up his face, and he wiped the remaining tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. “Van, baby, this is real. I promise you,” he breathed, before he kissed me again, this time more deeply.

Dominic’s hands slid to my waist, his grip possessive yet tender. I molded my body against his, reveling in the heat and strength of his embrace. Our tongues danced together, exploring each other as if it were the first time, but with a newfound intensity born from the depth of our shared secrets. It was messy and frantic, but it was us—raw and honest.

“I need you,” I whimpered into his mouth, arching my hips against him, feeling the hard evidence of his arousal through his pants. Dominic groaned low in his throat and stood us both up. He turned me around so I faced away from him and gave me a slight push.

“Show me the bedroom,” he growled hungrily before his hands moved to my shirt, tugging it up and over my head in one fluid motion.

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