“So have you,” he indicated, his voice strangely emotionless. “You’re going to have my baby.”
Thinking of the life she carried, Haley smiled and placed her hand over her flat stomach. “And I couldn’t be happier about that. I’ve dreamed of the day when I would have a child of my own.” Of having your child, she added silently.
“But?”
“I can’t honor our agreement to stay married until after the baby is born,” she disclosed, wondering how her heart could keep on beating even as it was breaking in two.
“But if I remember correctly, that was your main requirement for having my heir,” he remarked, walking over to stand directly in front of her.
“And I’m sorry I got us both into this fiasco,” she confessed, tears filling her eyes. “But if I don’t get out of this now, I don’t think I’d be able to survive our breaking up later on.”
His expression turned thoughtful. “Is that the only reason you want me to give you a divorce?”
“Luke, please don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be,” she urged as she wiped an errant tear from her cheek.
He didn’t want to hear the real reason she couldn’t continue being his wife, wouldn’t want to know that she was hopelessly in love with him and had been from the moment they met.
“Okay, you’ve had your say. Now, I intend to have mine,” he declared, his voice as determined as she’d ever heard it. “You want a divorce because you’re in love with me, admit it.”
She wasn’t surprised that he’d figured out how she felt about him. He’d had more than ample opportunity to come to that realization over the course of the past month. But did he have to humiliate her by pointing out that he didn’t want her feeling the way she did about him?
“Yes, I love you,” she admitted, finding it difficult to get her voice above a whisper. “I’ve loved you for years.”
“Then before I give you my answer, there’s something I think you need to know, Haley.” Turning, he walked back to the fireplace and seemed to take an inordinate amount of interest in something on the mantel. “I could have found someone else with similar characteristics, whom I could have convinced to have my heir,” he explained, his back still to her. “But do you have any idea why it was so important to me that you be the mother of my baby?”
“No.”
There was something in his tone that caused her heart to beat double time and a small bubble of hope to form within her soul. But she refused to allow it to grow. She wouldn’t be able to bear the devastation if it turned out she was wrong.
He picked up whatever had claimed his attention on the mantel, then turning, walked over to kneel down in front of her. “The reason I didn’t want any other woman having my baby, the reason I went along with your marriage stipulation and the reason I won’t give you a divorce without a damned good fight is because I love you, too, Haley Garnier. More than life itself. It took me a long enough time to realize it, but I do and you might as well come to terms with the fact because I’m not letting you go that easily.”
The hope she’d tried so hard to keep tamped down, blossomed and grew to fill her with a joy she’d never imagined possible. “Oh, Luke, I love you so much I ache with it,” she revealed, reaching for him.
When he wrapped her in his arms to pull her close, she felt his body shudder and she knew he was experiencing the same emotion she was. “God, sweetheart, it like to have killed me when I thought there was a possibility that I might lose you.”
“I’m so sorry I put you through that,” she stated, kissing his cheek. “I thought the reason I started feeling ill was because I was so emotional. I had no idea about the baby.”
He shook his head. “No, you have nothing to be sorry about. You were upset with me and rightly so. I’ve been a complete bastard not to consider your feelings in all of this.”
“But you had no way of knowing how I felt,” she said, loving him more with each passing second.
“Yes, I did.” He cupped her cheeks with both hands and the love shining in his vivid blue eyes stole her breath and caused her heart to soar. “Maybe not consciously, but deep down I think I’ve always known. You wouldn’t have even considered my proposition if you hadn’t loved me.”
Luke took her hand in his and the feel of his warmth and the strength of his love flowed through every part of her. “There’s something I need to ask you, sweetheart.”
“And what would that be, dear husband?” She loved finally having the freedom to call him that and to openly tell him how much she loved him.
His expression turned serious and so tender, it brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes. “Will you marry me, Haley Rollins Garnier?”
“But, darling, we’re already married.”
“Marry me again,” he stressed, showing her the object he’d removed from the mantel. He flipped open the top of the little black velvet box and removed a gorgeous diamond-encrusted, white gold wedding band. Then, holding it close to the third finger on her left hand, he asked “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife again?”
“Yes, Luke. Nothing would make me happier.” Her heart filled to overflowing with love when he slid the ring onto her finger. As she gazed down at the sparkling diamonds, she couldn’t believe that it was a perfect fit. “How did you know the size?”
He gave her a smile that caused her pulse to race. “I have my ways.”
Kissing him until they both gasped for breath, she couldn’t stop smiling. “Yes, Luke Garnier, I’ll continue to be your wife for the rest of my life.”
To her dismay, he shook his head. “Sweetheart, that’s not what I asked you. I want to know if you’ll marry me again.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You mean you actually want us to go through another ceremony?”
He nodded as he pulled two folded pieces of paper from his pants pocket. Handing her one of them, he smiled. “This is the name and phone number of the wedding coordinator at the Opryland Hotel. As soon as you’re feeling well enough, I want you to set up an appointment to meet with her. I’ve already instructed her to make this the wedding of your dreams.”
Haley couldn’t believe he was willing to do that for her. “But why, Luke?”
“You deserve so much better than our first wedding, sweetheart. I want everyone we know to be at this ceremony and see how special you are to me and how honored I am that you’re my wife.” He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and his tender touch sent tingling sensations down her body. “And this time around, there aren’t going to be any business meetings or labor disputes to keep me from being with you every second of our wedding day and night.”