He hugged his mother and kissed her on the cheek. “Tori is lucky to have you.”

“No. She’s lucky to have you.”

Chapter Twenty

Victoria had already cleared the dinner table before Christian had walked through the door.

“I didn’t think you were coming,” she said, as her voice quivered as she said it.

“Don’t give up on me yet. I texted you and told you I was coming.”

She nodded. She didn’t like not trusting that he’d show up. “I know. You just haven’t missed a meal with us in almost three weeks.”

“I don’t intend on missing another one at all.” He walked up behind her at the sink and wrapped his arms around her waist. She noticed his hands rested on her stomach and tiny butterflies let go inside of her.

“I’m sorry I doubted you. I want this to work out this time.”

Christian turned her around to face him. He was so handsome. The mix of Italian and Puerto Rican blood that ran through him gave him that dark, mysterious look. There were hints of him that looked like his father, but his mother’s gentleness had always resonated from him. Victoria smiled when she thought of how handsome or beautiful their baby would be.

She’d had a long night thinking about him after he’d left wearing the T-shirt she’d long ago stolen from him when they were engaged and happy before the accident. Christian had gone through a lot of loss in the past year, as had she. He’d dealt with it differently and she’d not had the chance to. Her role had changed overnight. With every day that passed that he was part of their family, she realized that whatever had taken over inside of him, causing him to leave her as he had, that just wasn’t him. This man, who gazed at her with eyes of nothing, but admiration and love, was the man whom she wanted to share her life with.

She’d made a doctor’s appointment for the next afternoon. And she’d already asked Sonia to watch the kids so she and Christian could have a night together. The plan was to tell him about the baby and ask him to marry her. She was quite confident he’d planned on asking her too, but under the circumstances and the secrecy, she thought it best if she asked.

Those butterflies in her stomach ramped up in flight and she took a deep breath.

“I have some dinner left over,” she offered as Chris’s hand came to her cheek.

“I’ll settle for dessert.” He moved in and his mouth took hers. There was no softness, no ease into the moment. There was a heat that burned from his tongue to hers.

She gripped the front of his shirt and pulled him closer until there was no room between them.

“Wow. I sure have missed those kisses.” Chris rested his forehead against hers.

“Me too.”

“My mom wants me to invite you all over for dinner tomorrow.”

Victoria bit down on her lip. “Can we take a rain check? I don’t have to work, so I asked Sonia to watch the kids, so you and I could have a nice dinner. Just the two of us.”

She could feel what the moment and suggestion was doing to him, but he was fighting the manly urges she knew rattled in his body.

“I’ll tell her to wait. Maybe,” he moved in again closer, “we can share some news with her when we do go over.”

Victoria swallowed hard as Chris stepped away when the kids ran through the kitchen. Did he know? How could he know? Had Sonia or Scott…no. Scott wouldn’t do that and Sonia wouldn’t breach her trust. Maybe this was making him think about proposing. Should she do it now? Should she ask him and then tomorrow tell him about the baby? She had it in her head that having the picture would be the best way to do that. He wouldn’t be able to get mad when he saw what they created.

Her hands began to shake.

Chris picked up both kids and they gave him hugs. Those butterflies in her stomach must have multiplied, because it caused her to run to the bathroom and release the dinner she’d just eaten.

She tried to kick at the door so it would shut, but Chris was right there.

“How long does this last?” He asked and her eyes opened wide.

“I’m sure it was just nerves.”

“What could you possibly be nervous about?” He pulled the hand towel off the hook, wet it and handed it to her.

“Us. This. Your mom.”

“My mom? What could make you nervous about her? She loves you.”

“She does?”

He sat on the floor of the bathroom across from her. “You belong in my family. You know that. Sweetheart, I’m sorry for all the pain I caused you. I promise to make it up to you.”

“I just hope you won’t hate me.”

His eyebrows narrowed. “I can’t think of a reason in the world I would hate you.”

She could and that had her throwing up again.

Christian drove away from the house close to midnight. He’d hoped to stay—to make love to Tori all night, but she was worked up about something and he could only assume that she was worked up over the baby.

Since she still hadn’t told him about it, he had to only assume that the baby really was Scott’s. But, Christian was a Keller and Kellers didn’t let the opportunity to raise a baby born of someone else’s blood go unloved. His father and his aunts were adopted. Darcy had been an adopted baby and her parents had loved her unconditionally. Having Ali and Sam as his family and this baby which Tori is carrying—well it just made sense to him.

He was taking that damn ring with him tomorrow and he was going to give it to her whether she was ready for it or not. And he was going to pack a suitcase and start moving in. He didn’t want to leave the house at midnight anymore. He wanted to live there with her and the kids. This mistake he made couldn’t dictate the rest of his life. It needed to be over. He needed to move forward and he was going to do that with his family.

~*~

Victoria lay on the table in the doctor’s office. Her heart was racing as the doctor got the machine ready for them to look at her baby. Guilt was burning her gut. She should have invited Christian. She was about to hear the heartbeat of their baby. She was about to see their baby for the first time. Keeping this a secret wasn’t fair to him. He was missing out on this very special moment.

But at that moment the doctor turned to her. “Are you ready?”

She nodded and he put the jelly on her stomach and then the wand to her skin.