‘It’s beautiful here. You were lucky.’
Zoe felt a pang to think of Maks’s toxic childhood. At least she’d known happiness and love for a while.
Knowing that she couldn’t delay any longer, Zoe stood up.
Maks rose fluidly beside her. She tried not to be so aware of his body.
‘Maks, I—’
‘There’s something—’
They both looked at each other. Maks’s mouth quirked. ‘You first.’
‘No, you—please.’
Coward, an inner voice mocked her. She pushed it down.
Maks huffed out a breath of air, ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up messily. Sexily.
‘Okay. I want to say that when I came to your flat and found out you weren’t pregnant I expected to be relieved. After all, having a baby is the last thing I’ve ever wanted. A family...’
‘You told me.’ And she really didn’t need reminding. Not now.
‘But the truth is that I wasn’t relieved. What I felt was a lot more ambiguous.’
Zoe’s breath stalled for a second. She looked at Maks. ‘What are you saying?’
He shrugged minutely. ‘Just that I realised I’d changed. Seeing Nikos with his family...seeing how happy he is...it made me realise that not all families are toxic.’
‘Mine wasn’t,’ Zoe said, almost to herself. ‘My mother and father adored each other—and us...’
It had been so perfect and she realised now that a part of her had always afraid she’d never attain that level of perfection, more than she was ever afraid of loss or grief. If she was brutally being honest with herself.
Maks continued. ‘It made me realise that perhaps a baby wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world...’
Zoe stumbled backwards so abruptly that Maks reached out as if to steady her. She ducked out of his reach, dreading him touching her for fear he’d see his effect on her.
‘Why would you say this now?’
Dear God. Did he know? Could he tell? He’d always been able to read her mind.
He frowned. ‘Believe me, it’s the last thing I ever thought I’d hear myself admit to anyone.’
Zoe shook her head. ‘You know, don’t you...? You’re just saying that now because...’ Her breaths came choppy and fast.
Maks frowned. ‘Know what? Zoe, what is it?’
She turned away, but Maks caught her arm, turning her back. He was close. Too close.
‘Zoe, what the hell is going on?’
The words tumbled out—finally. ‘I am pregnant, Maks. I lied in London because it was too much, seeing you in my flat. You were saying that stuff about me colluding with Dean, and I couldn’t believe you still didn’t trust me, and I just... I was so hurt. I couldn’t tell you then.’ She stopped.
Maks was looking at her. His face stripped bare of expression. She saw when her words sank in. He let her arm go. Stood back.
‘You are pregnant?’
She nodded, and braced herself for his inevitable reaction, in spite of what he’d just said. Surely the reality would remind him of how he really felt... But what she saw was dawning anger.