The giant abyss she saw in her dreams now threatened to open up and swallow her whole. Prying her eyes open, she said in a soft voice, "My sister would tell me to blackmail you for every possible dime I could get. But that is not me—I can't marry you and let that kind of thinking into my life."

  His brow furrowed. "I don't understand. I'm not asking your sister."

  But if she simply said yes, it was like following her sister's disastrous plan. She removed his hand from her knee. "Look, it boils down to the fact that we don't trust each other."

  He shrugged. "We don't. I've never met a beautiful woman who didn't want my money.”

  “I don’t want it, Damien.”

  “I can ensure your business income will seem like pocket change to the kind of access you'll have with me."

  Serenity’s mom would get up and dance a jig if she thought she'd never have money issues again, and if she could hold her head up high with her friends. Her stomach churned and she looked away. "I want to offer my child something we both know you can't give."

  His hard voice carried in the air. "What's that?"

  Love. She'd always wanted to be in a family that cared about her half as much as they cared about money. She swallowed, unable to say that, so she chose other words carefully. "Stability and to grow up in a loving household with two parents who care about each other."

  He stared at her with a blank expression. "Neither one of us had that. How do you know what it looks like?"

  True. His mother was his father's mistress and his father was married to a woman he’d locked away.

  She rose from the couch and walked to the window to pull calm from the bay and the palm trees that waved at the shore. "I won't be blind, not like my mother, and I'm not marrying a bad boy like you."

  He followed and stood behind her, so she could see his reflection in the glass. He was at least a foot taller than her with lean muscle and a smooth jaw. "Perhaps we start with mutual respect. Marrying me opens up a lifetime of opportunities for our child that you'll never achieve on your own."

  Her baby. She cradled her flat stomach. If she became her mother or followed her sister's advice, she'd end up just like them—but if she gave her child a chance to be successful, was it worth the risk? The thought wouldn't go away. She turned and looked up into Damien’s patient brown eyes. "Forget marriage. Why do want a child? You can walk away."

  He widened his stance. "I can’t walk away from family and neither can you. It's why your sister and mother mean so much to you. Together we can ensure our families stay strong."

  Together wasn't a word she’d expected to hear so sincerely. Her shoulder sunk. She'd do whatever she could for her child. She brushed her hand against his arm, the sensation making her ache. This wasn't right. She shook her head and let him go, fast. "Let me think about this."

  "And eat. My child needs to be healthy." He walked toward the counter and the food.

  She hugged her stomach and stared at Damien. He was too close to being just like her father. She should never have slept with him. And she should’ve kicked him out of the doctor’s office, or her condo just now.

  He piled a spaghetti dinner on a gleaming white plate and brought it to the dining table for her.

  If she married Damien, she'd get everything she ever wanted, except to be loved by a man who adored her. Neither one of them were ready for what he asked. He motioned for her to sit at the table, but she said, "Make yourself a plate, too. I can't eat all of this. And then, if you're free, I'd like for us to go see my mother."

  "Your mother?" He echoed as if she’d said something strange.

  She nodded but didn’t explain as a plan formulated in her mind. He did as she asked, getting pasta and savory sauce and joining her at the table.

  At the wedding, she hadn’t spent much time talking after he saved her. Perhaps eating with him was the first test to see if they could get along and for her to possibly say yes. Then she'd have to ask her mother what she thought about Damien. Maybe the Morgan name was enough for her mother to be on guard against a union. She'd find out. She had to know because there was a wistful part of her that longed to say yes to his wedding proposal.

  9

  Serenity sat across from Damien and ate her pasta, too overwhelmed for conversation. The spaghetti provided energy coursing through her veins—he’d been right about needing to eat. She swallowed the last bite and sipped on her lemon water while he finished his plate.

  He put his fork down on the empty china. "What is your typical Saturday morning like?"

  "I usually work." He wiped his mouth with a napkin.

  Work was what her father had done all the time too, except when her mother threw one of her social parties. She leaned on the table. "Even in the morning?"

  He nodded and placed the napkin on the table. "My brother and I work together. So work is the discussion but we also play various sports to outdo each other."

  Sports and competition would make sense for him. She averted her gaze from his body that she remembered touching everywhere, and looked back into his eyes. "You have the build of an athlete."

  "I can't let Galen win." He scooted away from the table and picked up both plates.

  She took the glasses to the kitchen, following him. He turned on the sink and began to rinse the plates. Useful in the kitchen made him hotter. She went beside him, put the glasses in the sink and picked up her towel to help dry. "What about your other brothers?"

  Damien took out the sponge and soap and washed their two plates. "Mitch is the responsible older brother who keeps us in line. He shows up a few mornings to play with us, but he's there for fun. Axel was on a TV show as a kid and hardly home. Now he's a rock star with his band and travels the world. I hardly see much of him, but now that our sister is back, he's shown up to more family events."

  He handed them to her one at a time, and she dried them, but she stared at him. Part of her wanted them to go back to her bedroom, but she lowered her lashes. "I don't remember you having a sister."

  He turned off the water once he finished with the glasses and handed them to her. "Our father told our mother she died. Axel blamed himself."

  "Now that's awful." She finished with the glasses too. Done, she motioned for him to return to the living area. She needed to let her stomach rest a few minutes before she went to see her mother.

  He took the seat next to her. "I'm glad she's alive and he's dead."

  She’d wanted that closeness with her sister, but it never happened. Serena was the boss and the perfect child. She hesitated, but saw no reason to lie. "My family was never that close like you and your brothers."

  He leaned backwards and rested his head on the cushion. "How was it growing up for you?"

  She adjusted to get comfortable and sat cross-legged as she stared at the white wall across from them. The trickle of the indoor fountain soothed in the background. "My sister was my father's clear favorite. He brought her everywhere and she thrived. It's why she freaked out so much when he was arrested."

  He patted her knee and she turned toward him. "Tell me more."

  Opening up about her past wasn't what she normally did. She hoped those dark mocha eyes of his understood, and she steeled her spine. "My mother was always going to some event. She liked to show off and I swear half of her illness now is because she feels humiliated." His gaze seemed full of questions. She lowered her voice and continued, "I was often left alone with a caretaker, but they switched the nanny every few months so I never grew attached. It was just me and my imagination for most of my life. I finally felt free once I moved out and went to college."

  He traced the skin on her leg and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "When we marry, I can promise you that you'll never be alone. I expect the marriage to be real in every physical way."

  She sat further back and her lips parted. "You do?"

  He kept his hand where it was on her thigh, but he didn't otherwise move. "I’ve wanted you since I saw you getting on the ship. I stayed away because every other pulse in my vein wanted me to rip your clothes off and make you mine, again and again. I thought if I stayed away from you, I could eventually forget.”

  “Did you?”

  “Not for a second. I look forward to seeing you every day, and every night."

  The idea of repeating that passionate night struck a deep chord, but that didn't mean she'd ever truly trust Damien. She had to do what was best for her unborn child and he was the father. She focused on an image of herself holding a small child. "If I do say yes, sex was great. But first, let's go see my mother. If she’s against it, I can’t even consider it. Do you understand?"

  "I'll win over her support." He stood and offered his hand to help her.

  She wasn't heavy with child to need help. Serenity rose with grace on her own, and waved for him to head to the door. "Confidence might be a good weapon. We'll see."

  "I want to buy you a ring."

  She stopped and turned toward him. Her face felt drained of life as the world spun too fast. "I haven’t agreed."

  He came beside her and massaged her shoulders, his touch on her body sure. "You will once your mother gives the okay. I can tell from your expression."

  Probably, but no one ever read her expression so closely. She gazed up at him and listened to her heart that beat in a new rhythm near him. "And what if your mother ends up disapproving of me?"

  He made a tsk sound with his lips. "She won't."

  "How can you be sure?" she asked in a low, quiet voice. If his family could accept her, even though her sister had tried to ruin his half-brother’s life after their father was arrested, perhaps she needed to be more open-minded.

  His hand brushed against her cheek, and her body warmed from his touch. "You're exactly who she wants for me and when I tell her you're pregnant, it's game over. She'll be thrilled."

  Maybe it was easier for his mother to ignore what her family had done because Damien was from the illegitimate branch and there was some distance between the two sides. If his family could accept her and her mother understood, she'd give her son or daughter a life where they were sure to succeed. Her heart thundered as she realized she would say yes. "Well, that's one thing not to worry about then."

  He leaned closer and she closed her eyes as he said, "All your worries will disappear the moment you say 'I do.'"

  His lips met hers and steam seeped from her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and the memories of what happened that night flooded into her heart and mind. His kiss was delicious and made her melt.

  He ended the kiss and she remembered she needed to pretend none of this mattered. She hadn’t said yes and she’d hold her tongue for now. "Let's go. One step at a time."

  He offered her his arm and she just stared, torn. She might say yes, so she hooked her arm through the crook of his elbow and let the spark rush down her spine. Once in the hall, he directed her to the parking lot. "I'll drive."

  Right. She shouldn't even think about any answer to any crazy proposal. Her mother was sick and it was her duty to take care of her. They went toward his black truck. "I need you to be prepared. My mother hasn't been well since my father was arrested. I can't be sure of her reactions or what she might say—she probably will remember that you were instrumental in gathering evidence. So don't get upset if it doesn't go your way."

  He winked and unlocked his vehicle with a click. He opened the passenger door for her. "Stalling, but that's okay, Serenity. Soon you won't have to worry about anything."

  "So you keep saying." She climbed inside his truck and leaned over to open his door.

  His hand brushed against her leg but he backed away. "It's a promise."

  Well, it wasn't what she’d expected when she took the test this morning. Damien's return and his proposal brought hope she hadn't known existed.

  For weeks, she hadn't let herself dream he’d be in her life, but as he started the engine to the truck, she realized the truth. She'd wanted him to come back and now that he was here, she'd find a way to make peace with her family. She wanted to say yes and marry Damien Morgan.

  10

  Inside the rehabilitation center to visit her mother, Serenity silently said a prayer for peace. She signed them in as visitors and Damien took out his driver’s license for the nurse to photocopy.

  Soon she'd be a Morgan. Serenity wasn't ready for it. Her mother might say no, but deep inside her soul she believed her mother would get out of bed and dance a jig at the idea she'd have money again.

  Once cleared through security, Serenity led him to the door. She let go of Damien's arm and opened it, calling through her half-knock to see her mother lying in bed staring out the window at a swaying palm tree. "Mother?"

  "Serenity, any news on Serena?" Her mother turned and pressed the button on her bed to sit higher.

  Serena was always the one her family worried about the most. Serenity pushed her hair behind her ears and straightened. "No, Mom. Today I have news though."

  The door opened wider behind her and she felt Damien's touch on her shoulder. Her mother smiled brighter than Serenity had seen in a long time. "Ohh, and is that Damien Morgan walking in behind you?"

  So she wasn’t angry at him. Damien might be right. Damien placed his hand on his heart while they both took seats closer to the bed. "You remember me, Mrs. Hansom."

  “Wait.” Her mother changed her expression and Serenity stilled. "You set my husband up for prison."

  She held her breath and pressed her hand on her still flat stomach.

  Damien leaned toward the bed and nodded. "My informants played a role in the investigation, ma'am, but, in no way, did I target your husband." He reached out for her hand. "I've always held your family in high regard."

  Her mother waited, then accepted Damien’s grasp.

  A sense of satisfaction entered her as she realized this time she'd be the good girl of the family.

  Her mother clutched Damien's fingers. "I'm confused. Why are you here then if not to apologize?"

  His lips curled into a smile and he placed his other hand on Serenity’s knee. "I’ve asked Serenity to marry me and she won't do it without your approval."

  Her mother’s sharp gaze zeroed in on her and Serenity felt like a teenage girl at one of her parent's parties, pushed to be belle of the ball and the perfect debutante. All the training came back to her and she went still.

  Her mother scooted closer to Damien and smiled at him. "You want to marry Serenity?"

  "Mom, I won't do it if it hurts you." Serenity heard the words out of her own lips and pictured herself in that white dress at sixteen. Her mother had beamed at her and told her that she'd marry well, if she continued to smile.

  Her stomach knotted.

  Her mother wore a cunning expression. "And you'd make certain that Serenity is taken care of, and never has to work for all of us ever again, Mr. Morgan?"

  He flashed his dimples and her mother actually giggled.

  Damien squeezed her knee but spoke to her mother. "Call me Damien, please, and yes, I'd ensure Serenity had everything she might need in life."

  Drowning that night when Damien had fished her out of the ocean had felt like this. She brought her hand to her blocked throat, not quite able to breathe. She interjected, "Mother, we've been doing fine on our own. Don't feel pressured-"

  Her mother waved off her comments and stared at Damien again. "Don't be silly, Serenity. You marrying well was always one of my dreams. I promise I'll get better if I know you're truly happy and not slaving away trying to take care of me."

  Calm Serenity and her interest in helping others find peace was all she had that was truly honest. Even the FBI found it clean from her father's influence. She lifted her head. "Mom, I like working in my spa."

  "And if Serenity wants to, I'll help with the financial aspects of her business so she's wildly successful and in every major city in the world."

  It felt like something or someone had their hands around her heart and squeezed. Damien was saying the right things, but it physically hurt her.

  Her mother carried on like nothing was wrong. "Last thing. I want my daughters to never have to live through the pain of finding out their lives were a lie and losing everything. Can you protect her if something happens to you?"

  Damien shifted, not at all uncomfortable with Mom’s line of questioning. "I don't do anything illegal, but I will set up an account for her and any future children we might have."

  No account. She didn't want his money for herself. She had to be different. A part of her soul felt like it died listening to her mom barter. Was Damien truly innocent like he claimed?

  Her mother beamed and let go of Damien's hand. "This is wonderful. You have my blessing. I can't wait to see your mother again."

  His mother. Serenity wracked her brain but really didn't remember her, though it was clear her mom did.

  Damien stood and held his hand for Serenity to stand with him. Guess it was time to go. She felt trapped. Damien continued talking. "She'll happily go shopping with you in Georgia so you can see all your old friends."

  "I would like to hold my head up." Serenity glared at her mother. Could she have said “yes” any faster? How was Serenity not doing enough by helping all this time, yet in marrying she'd finally be the “good” daughter?

  Damien's hand went to the small of her back and he edged her toward the door. "So it's settled. Serenity and I have to go shopping for a ring, but when you're better, we'll throw a party and you can meet all the Morgans together. My father’s death has allowed us not to act like two separate families."

  Her mother moved her legs beneath the covers of the bed, which was the first sign of activity Serenity had witnessed in a while. "That's good. Please tell Fiona that I'll see her soon."

  After fast goodbyes, they left, Serenity overwhelmed with confusion. Damien had no idea how she felt or what thoughts muddled her head. If they had a shot of happiness, she needed to learn to trust him with her heart. She swallowed back the sense of impending execution on their march toward the exit. "So, you talk regularly with Peter Morgan?"