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CHAPTER 17
Étienne
Iwas back for forgiveness. I was back for a second chance. I was back on the Savatier land and my brother Hugo had his gun aimed at my throat.
The light was blinding, burning as I stared up into the sun.
“How the fuck are you getting on to this property?”
I couldn’t even watch the man with the gun pointed at me, because my eyes were anxiously scanning the yard for Léonie’s beautiful pregnant shape.
“You must help me plead my case to her,” I rasped. “I know you can’t be seriously trying to steal my nine-months-pregnant wife from me.”
“Why would I do favors for a man who has keep me jailed in the lodge for years?” Hugo asked in a darkly amused tone.
That was another bitter pill.
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
“What the hell do you have to bargain with, brother?” he snorted, waving me toward the gate with his gun. “I’m free because of Léonie. Not you.”
“I made a mistake agreeing to lock you up.”
Hugo’s lips were twisted, and how the hell could I blame him for hating me? I’d feel the same way.
“Let me guess, Mme told you I was a liability to the family?” Hugo asked. “That no one would respect us if they knew you had a brother with a cane? Funny, how much healthier I feel now that I’m not under her control.”
“I want to make that right,” I said. “I want to fix what I fucked up.”
“There is no way you can fix everything she took from me. In fact, you’re only living because the Savatier don’t like a mess. Now get out of here.”
“Not without seeing my wife!”
And then I did see her—to my horror there was a frown on her face as she walked outside, one hand on her lower back, the other on her massively swollen beautiful belly.
“Léonie. How are you?”
I didn’t say anything about what was on my forehead, but I knew she saw it.
Her eyes were cool, assessing, then flicking impersonally past me like I was just a part of the scenery.
This wasn’t the same girl who had followed me trustingly, the same girl who would have stepped out into the sky because I said I’d catch her.
“Ooh, oh! Hugo!”
Her eyes closed tight as she stopped to catch her breath.
“I think I’m going into labor. The contractions—they’re coming faster now. The last one was less than five minutes ago.”
“Let’s go inside,” Hugo said instantly. “I’ll call the doctor. He’ll bring everything we need.”
He hurried her inside, then down the hall to a room that had been clearly prepared for this—a big ball for her to gently bounce on, different chairs and beds and even a large bathtub.
Léonie gripped the side of the bed and groaned. There were beads of sweat on her forehead as Hugo rushed a cup of ice over to her.
“Eyes on me,” I said, not sure if I should rub her back or what to give her. “You’ve got this.”
“No—Léonie—eyes on me,” Hugo ordered firmly, and she popped her blue eyes open and fixed them on him. “You’ve got this. Your body is strong and powerful. You can do it. Just like we said. Breathe, girl. Breathe. In and out, just like we practiced.”
