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Luke seems to sense my conflict, and seizes my hand with his own. “I’m so sorry for lying to you, but I honestly thought it was best not to tell you about my encounter with Jocelyn. Of course, I’ll have to confront James, but I can’t imagine any other scenario than this one.” He stares deeply into my eyes. “Patty, I didn’t tell my brother that you’re an escort. I swear.”
Something breaks in my heart, and I nod as tears slip down my cheeks. “I believe you,” I whisper.
He exhales a long breath, and then to my surprise, gets off the couch and sinks to one knee before me.
“Luke, what are you doing?” I whisper, tears streaming down my cheeks. But Luke shushes me and then fishes in his pocket, only to reappear with my engagement ring. He slips the diamond onto my finger and we both look at it for a moment.
“It belongs there,” he says in a soft voice. “The same way my heart belongs to you, Patty. Will you marry me, honey? For real, this time. None of that fake stuff.”
I’m crying buckets and buckets of tears now, but somehow, I manage to nod. “Yes, yes! I love you so much, Luke. I want to marry you so much.”
He looks teary now too, and pulls me against his chest.
“I love you, sweetheart,” he rasps, his voice emotional. “When I thought I lost you, I went berserk and this whole piano thing …” he says, gesturing at the bundled item on the floor. “I’m so sorry, honey. I lost my wits and basically went insane trying to get you back.” He’s holding me so tight that he’s almost crushing me against his chest, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. But when he finally lets me go, I look up at him and hiccup a little.
“No, it’s okay, but you’re not the only one with a secret,” I say. “There’s something I need to tell you,” I whisper.
His blue eyes gentle.
“It’s okay, honey. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.”
I take a deep breath.
“Well, I’ve been feeling a little sick recently, so I took a pregnancy test, and …”
His breath catches as those blue eyes flare.
“And? You’re pregnant?” he asks.
I nod, placing my hand over my softly burgeoning stomach.
“I am, Luke. You’re going to be a daddy.”
The billionaire is silent for a moment, breathing hard, but then he cradles me in his arms and presses our foreheads together.
“I love you, Patty,” he whispers. “This is the best gift a man can receive, and thank you so much,” he says in a choked voice. “A baby! Imagine that.”
I smile softly.
“I love you too, Luke. We’re going to have the most beautiful family in the world,” I say in a soft voice, and with that, our fate is sealed. Even though I began as this man’s hired fiancee, in the end, I became his bride for real. It was a rough path, and we still haven’t dealt with the issue of his brother, but I know that somehow, Luke and I will figure it out: in life, love, and as partners forevermore.
Epilogue
Patty
Six months later.
We’re having Martha over for dinner again, but this time, I’m not the one straightening and tidying things in our house. Instead, Luke bustles around the apartment putting the food out and setting the table while I sit at the piano, dreaming as my fingers drift over the keys.
After all, I released my first EP a few weeks ago, and it’s actually doing really well. A few critics have reviewed it, and their assessments have been glowing. Even more, I’ve attracted more than a thousand new followers on Instagram, and doubled the number of people reading my Twitter feed. Maybe my EP’s not double platinum, but I’m over the moon with excitement regardless.
But now, I’m in my third trimester, and it’s time to kick my feet up and begin nesting in anticipation of the baby. We’ve already converted one of the guest rooms into a nursery, and it’s been set up with a crib, a changing table, and a huge, oversized giraffe that’s at least five feet tall. I have no idea how our son or daughter will play with it until they’re at least three, but it was a loving gift from my mother-in-law.
Speaking of which, Martha should be arriving soon. We’ve ordered from Dominina’s again because Luke and I are both hopeless when it comes to cooking, although we’ve been practicing our mashed carrots and peas for the baby. Still, we order from Dominina’s at least once a week, and it’s quickly become one of our favorites.
Luke walks past me with a broom and dustpan. He rolls his eyes playfully as I sit at the piano and smile. I love how my man is so domestic now, and stick my tongue out at him while continuing to play. After all, it’s not like I can help because at the moment, my tummy is so big that the piano bench is pushed back almost three feet. These days, I can’t even bend over to tie my shoes, so my husband has to help me with that too.
