Alexio looked fierce and affronted. ‘I’ve never, ever said that to another woman and I never intend to.’
Sidonie felt a mix of tears and laughter vying for supremacy. But still she couldn’t afford to believe. Visions of her stepfather’s sad face came back to haunt her. Sad because he’d loved his wife his whole life when she hadn’t loved him. Even though he’d sacrificed so much to be there for her. Alexio was saying this...but he couldn’t love her as much as she loved him.
‘You don’t...don’t mean it,’ she got out, too scared to hope for even a second.
Alexio reached for her and put his hands on the bottom of her top, pulling it up to reveal her belly. Sidonie squeaked with shock, but before she could stop him Alexio was putting his big hands on her, spanning the small compact swell, and he was bending down, his mouth close to her bump, saying with a none too steady voice, ‘Belle...I’m doing my best, here, to convince your mother that I love her and trust her and want to spend the rest of my life with her...and you...but it’s not going so well. I don’t think she believes me.’
Sidonie felt a very definite kick then—the first proper kick apart from the flutters. In shock, her eyes wide, she watched as Alexio came back up, his hands still on her belly.
There was a look of wonder on his face. ‘I felt that...’
And then the look cleared, to be replaced with one of determination.
‘Belle is clearly on my side. It’s two against one.’
Sidonie couldn’t prevent the tears from clogging her throat and flooding her eyes. She was overwhelmed by Alexio’s hands on her belly, the baby kicking for the first time...him saying he loved her.
But she ignored all that for a moment and choked out, ‘I thought you said we couldn’t call her Belle...’
Alexio smiled, and this time it looked slightly less nervous. ‘It’s growing on me—and Tante Josephine will never forgive me if we call her something else. But next time it’s my choice.’
‘Next time?’ Sidonie choked out through even more tears.
Alexio was just a blur now, and his hands left her belly to come up and cup her face, thumbs wiping at her tears.
‘Next time...if you’ll have me,’ he said gently, ‘And the next time and the next time...’
And then his mouth was on hers and Sidonie was shaking too much to do anything but submit and allow herself the first sliver of belief that this was real and that Alexio meant what he was saying.
When he pulled back Sidonie’s mouth tingled. His hands were still on her jaw, cupping her face. She looked into his eyes, searching, and all she could see there was pure...emotion. For the first time. No shadows. No cynicism.
She took a deep shaky breath. ‘Alexio...’
‘Yes...?’
‘I love you too...even though you really hurt me. I fell for you when we first met and I never stopped. I’m still falling. Every time I look at you. I told myself I hated you...but I couldn’t.’
Alexio’s hands tightened around her and his gaze grew suspiciously bright. ‘You love me?’
Sidonie wanted to take a snapshot of this moment. Alexio Christakos, multi-billionaire and playboy. Arrogance and confidence personified. Eyes shining with tears, doubting her word.
She reached up to touch his face, feeling the spiky prickle of his stubble. He was a different man from the one who had so coolly laid out his plan that morning. He’d been hiding all this emotion. Suppressing it.
‘Of course I love you. I love you so much that I’m terrified I love you more than you love me.’
Alexio just looked at her for a long moment and shook his head, smiling a little ruefully. ‘Not possible, I’m afraid. You’re getting the full force of years and years of repressed loving and then some more...’
He reached into his pocket for something, and pulled out a small black box. Sidonie looked down at it and back up.
Alexio looked nervous again. ‘Sid... Sidonie...’
‘No...’ she said urgently, and then, more shyly, ‘I like it when you call me that... I just... I was angry...’
She could see the pain in his eyes at that and she touched his jaw. Alexio dragged his gaze away and opened the box. Sidonie looked down and gasped when she saw a stunning heart-shaped diamond ring glittering up at her. Alexio took the ring out of the box. He took her left hand in his and looked at her so deeply that he took her breath away and made fresh tears well.
Looking endearingly unlike himself, palpably nervous, he asked, ‘Will you marry me, Sidonie Fitzgerald?’
The tears overflowed and fell. Sidonie couldn’t speak. She was too overcome.