His gaze felt like a laser that slowly burned her face. He grunted that sound like a deep animal growl. “I don’t believe that. No, I refuse to believe it. I think you’re just punishing yourself over something you have no control about. I’ve heard stories about your past, Juliette. Bergefjord alpha is one of my good friends. Being infertile is no reason for you to shut yourself away from the world. There’s plenty of people in your life who care about you.”
Juliette flinched as if his words had slapped her. “It’s not about being unable to bear cubs for Anders Bergefjord. It was betrayal, Wilhelm. He promised me…” Her voice getting smaller, “We would always be together. In richness, in sickness, ‘til death do us part. But he cast me away the second he found out I was barren.” Bitterness laced her voice.
After a long silence, his hand squeezed hers. “I’m sorry, Juliette.”
He didn’t try to tell her that maybe life had other things in store for her, or that there was more to life than having children, or that she should focus on the good things in her life. He simply said he was sorry and let it be, and her heart ached again at how grateful she was for that. When his fingers touched her chin to lift her face, and his thumb brushed away a tear coursing down her cheek, Juliette’s heart did something different than ache, and she wondered if any second she’d wake up in her bed or with her forehead in a puddle of dipping chocolate to discover all this was a terrible, wonderful dream.
Wilhelm leaned toward her, and she anticipated the taste of his lips.
“I have returned, Mr. Sorenson,” a shrill voice said from the doorway.
Juliette leaned toward Wilhelm as he pulled back, then realized what she was doing. The moment was lost.
“I thought you insisted on having the rest of the day off, Leanne.” Wilhelm rose, brushing off his pants.
The nanny strode in like she owned the nursery. She cast a derisive glance at Juliette as she picked up Leah and put her in her crib. “I felt bad about what happened and realized I shouldn’t have gone. I’m sorry if I was difficult earlier. Maybe I was in shock.” She put Thomas in his crib as well.
Juliette felt the loss immediately. She stood and looked down at the twins.
“Yes, of course you were. I understand,” Wilhelm said. He took Juliette’s wrist gently. “We’ll leave you to them for now.” He pulled Juliette with him.
She smiled at the babies before they left the room.
Once she was alone in the hall with Wilhelm standing in front of her, Juliette felt suddenly vulnerable in a way she hadn’t while sitting on the floor with the babies. A feeling of loss. An urge of asserting her dominance and kicking that nanny out of the nursery simmered to the surface. Juliette squelched it down forcefully.
“I hope you’ll still have dinner with just me?” Wilhelm asked.
She wanted to. She wanted to pull him to her for the kiss she’d wanted so badly seconds ago. But the desire was gone and things were changing so quickly that Juliette thought the best thing to do would be to leave and think about things before doing something rash.
“Thank you but now that the nanny’s here … I should go.”
“Juliette—”
She put a hand on his chest and could feel the heat of his body and the curves of his muscles through the shirt. Juliette swallowed hard. “Wilhelm, I just need to go. I—I’ll talk to you tomorrow, all right?”
And unlike his usual persistent self, he leaned back and gave her room to walk away, but he took her hand and squeezed it. “All right, Juliette. Thank you so much for your help today. I’ll call down to my driver to take you back to your car.” After a long look into her eyes, he let go and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He didn’t follow Juliette down the stairs, so she looked up and waved at him before she walked into the foyer. As she suspected—as she’d hoped—he was watching her walk away, and waved back.
When Juliette finally made it home, she realized that the sweet smell of the cubs clung heavily to her clothing. Silently, she resented the nanny again. If she hadn’t showed up, Juliette would still be playing with the twins. Perhaps, she could even hold them in her arms all night.
Let it go, Juliette. They aren’t yours.
I know that already, she thought angrily. But why does it hurt to see they are cared for by someone else?
Juliette crawled into bed without changing. She pulled the fabric of her shirt up to her nose. She sniffed deeply, filling her lungs with the scent of the twins. All of a sudden calmness descended upon her. It took her a while to fall asleep.
She
dreamed about Leah and Thomas.
And Wilhelm.
Chapter Seven
“Yes, I know it’s late,” Wilhelm said. It was actually early, two in the morning, but he couldn’t sleep and wanted to make sure everything was taken care of for the morning. “Her shop opens at six, and I want to make sure she gets the new rental paperwork as soon after that as possible. I don’t want her to spend a moment of the day worrying that there’s a mix-up.”
Getting that misunderstanding straightened out was the least Wilhelm could do after Juliette’s help with the babies. He’d been delighted when she’d offered. And when he’d stood in the nursery doorway, watching her with them, part of him wanted to cry at how perfect the scene was.
And part of him wanted to put the babies in their cribs and carry Juliette to a bedroom to express his appreciation in other ways.