Kylian's POV“She’s yours for the taking. She loves you for some stupid reason and you love her.”My mouth dropped. “I never said that.”“You didn’t have to. I know you do. You’ve loved her since the day you proposed that whole fake engagement nonsense. You don’t know how to tell anyone how you feel and are terrified to admit you can feel something for someone else, so you hide behind that tough exterior you present to the world. I know you, Kylian. I know you want her. You’re standing in your own way. I’ve been sitting back and waiting for you to figure it out, but I don’t think you will anytime soon.”His words were blunt and to the point. I wasn’t sure I believed them. “I don’t know,” I mumbled.Desmond shook his head, laughing as he did. “You don’t have to know. I do. You keep pushing her away after something happens between you two. And by something, I mean something that would normally bring two people closer together.”“That’s not true. I married her.”“And she was gone the nex
Yvonne's POVCynthia had taken the day off. She had built up a crazy amount of vacation time and was all too happy to take one of her days for a shopping spree with me. I had been putting off the buying of baby clothes and whatnot until I was well into the second trimester. I was there, and my credit card was burning a hole in my pocket. I had gone to bed early the night before in preparation for a full day of exhausting shopping.She called to let me know she was almost at my place. I grabbed my purse and headed out, making sure my sweater and fashionable scarf were arranged just right to cover the slight bump that sometimes liked to be seen. If anyone saw me shopping for baby goods, it wouldn’t be hard to figure out, but I wanted to keep the gossip to a minimum. I wasn’t ready to cross that bridge yet.It almost felt like I should wear a scarlet letter on my belly. It shouldn’t be that way, but I knew once it came out Kylian and I were not together— and hadn’t been for a while—the r
Yvonne's POV“You want me to pick up something for dinner?” Cynthia asked as she climbed in behind the wheel of her car.I shook my head. “No, I’m good. I am absolutely exhausted. I feel like I ran a marathon.”She laughed. “You are one hell of a shopper. I think it’s because you’ve been doing so much online shopping, you forget how tiring it can be when you actually have to be in the store.”I nodded, completely agreeing with her. “I’ll have to learn to pace myself.”“It was a good day. We got a lot accomplished. I would say you are at least halfway to getting everything you need.”I groaned. “All day and only halfway there?”“We’ll take another day to shop, plus whatever you buy online,” she assured me.“If I am as big as a house, the last thing I’m going to want to do is shop for hours. We’ll have to make it a trip within the next month or two; otherwise, I’m going to need a wheelchair or one of those motorized carts. What if I can’t wear my heels?” I asked in horror.She laughed a
Kylian's POVI left work, driving my own car once again. I was really getting into the hang of driving and found I really liked the independence it gave me. I realized I had been a pampered man most of my adult life and it had spoiled me. I was too used to others doing for me. I had to reshape my entire life if I expected Yvonne to believe I was a changed man. I knew she didn’t hold my dependence on others to take care of little things for me against me, but I felt like I needed to prove to her I was all man.Yes, I needed to rip off my shirt and beat on my bare chest, declaring I was a man. I was a man capable of taking care of my wife and child. It was some inner instinct I could not ignore. It was a challenge I wanted to be great at. Every time there was a challenge in my life, I liked to tackle it and make it my own. I didn’t half-ass anything. I was ready to make a go at the Yvonne thing, but first, I had to do something.I knew exactly who to talk to next. The one person in the
Kylian's POVI laughed. That was my mom. With seven men in the house, she had long lost the need for tact and decorum. She called it like she saw it.“I do want to try, but I don’t think she wants me like that anymore. I think I’ve pushed her away one too many times,” I confessed.“Well, do you blame her? You’ve played that girl for a yo-yo. I don’t blame her one bit for making you jump through some hoops and I’m sure that’s what she is doing. I saw the two of you together. There is something between you. I know you can’t see it, but the rest of us did.”I nodded. “Desmond and Kieran said the same thing.”“Because they know you and it was obvious to all of us. You were too busy hating your brother and looking for nefarious plots to take you down. You missed out on what should have been one of the happiest days of your life. You have a chance to recapture that life that was so promising.”“I know, I know.”“The question is, will you do it? Will you let go of some of that pride and admi
Yvonne's POVMy time at the lab was going great. I was having way too much fun playing in the lab as I referred to it. I had come up with the perfect red lipstick, but I couldn’t very well start a company with a single lipstick. I needed to have nail polish to match along with other shades. I loved the color mixing. I arrived home from the lab a couple hours earlier, grabbed a snack, and got right to work.I was putting together a business plan and jotting down ideas for a company name as well as clever names for the lipstick shades. Names mattered. A buyer needed to remember what it was they were spending their money on. Brand names were not something a person came up with overnight. I had spent hours upon hours doing word play, trying to name my company.When I heard the door buzz, I got up from my chair in the office, expecting another delivery from one of the many stores I had shopped at. The concierge had made it a habit to wait until late afternoon until all the deliveries had b
Yvonne's POVI couldn’t walk away from him. I would never forgive myself if I missed the chance to be truly happy with him. I owed it to our child as well.“One shot, mister—one shot,” I talked to my empty room.I inhaled a deep breath and carried the dress into my room. If we were going to make an important decision about the rest of our lives, I was going to look damn good doing it. I wanted to show him what he would lose if I walked away. I was feeling a little self-conscious with my belly pooch. The dress would conceal it.I jumped in the shower, wanting to be fresh as a daisy, just in case things went really well and we ended up at his place. I moisturized tip to toe before starting on my makeup. I loved dressing up. I didn’t get to do it often. This was likely my last date for a very long time. I wanted to make sure I enjoyed the experience of getting dolled up to impress a man.Soon enough, I imagined my hair would be in a permanent bun, no makeup, yoga pants, and spit-up on wh
Kylian's POVI was nervous as hell. Never before in my life had I ever been so damn nervous. I was used to being confident. I was used to being the guy in charge. I knew I could call the driver and ask if she got in the car, but I wanted to wait. Deep down, it was because I was too afraid to hear the truth. I knew a dress wasn’t the wow factor my mom and Desmond had been trying to spark. They were encouraging something big and dramatic.I knew Yvonne and that wasn’t her style. A huge ten-carat diamond or a million bouquets of flowers would not get through to her. She could buy all that stuff herself. I needed to do something that was heartfelt and truly from me. It had to be special. It couldn’t be something I ordered through a catalog or sent my assistant to pick up.I had felt a little foolish shopping in the boutique, but I knew Yvonne well enough to know she liked the unique. She liked being a little different. I also knew she wasn’t flaunting her baby belly. She wasn’t wearing th