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Ross’s gaze dropped to their sleeping son nestled against her chest. “You’ve done a really good job with him, Brielle. A man couldn’t ask for a better mother for his child.”
Heat infused Brielle’s face. Whether from his praise or from the way he was looking at her, she wasn’t sure, just that she was getting the warm fuzzies inside and Ross was causing them.
Then again, th
is man had always caused her to get warm fuzzies of one kind or another.
“It was nice having you here today to help me with him,” she admitted, stroking her fingers along Justice’s back to occupy her hands. “Much easier than if I’d had to deal with his cuts on my own.”
“I should’ve been there every time you needed help with him, Brielle.” He grimaced, sighed, then stared directly into her eyes. “I would have been there from the beginning if I’d known.”
“I know.”
She did know. Only she’d wanted him to be there because he’d wanted to be there, not because he’d felt obligated to be there.
Men who stayed because they felt obligated ended up leaving and the ones left behind were all the more devastated for having believed in for ever and always.
CHAPTER TEN
ROSS CARRIED HIS son’s limp body to his bedroom, waited while Brielle pulled back his bed covers, then gently laid the boy down. Brielle helped to position him in the bed, fluffing his pillow beneath him, adjusting the comforter that Ross had pulled up over the boy.
His son.
It was crazy that just two weeks before he hadn’t known he had a son. Already he couldn’t imagine going back to an existence without Justice. The child had won his heart completely.
He couldn’t imagine going back to an existence without Brielle either.
His gaze lifted to her, caught her watching him. Her eyes were glassy, as if she fought tears. Then she lost the battle and a wet streak slid down her cheek.
“Don’t cry, Brielle. He’s okay.” He wanted to take her into his arms, but she’d only push him away. Despite their moment of peace at the hospital, she’d clammed back up, sliding the walls she held between them back into place.
“I know.” She nodded, swatting at her tears. “It’s not that. It’s...”
“It’s...?” he prompted.
She glanced toward their sleeping son, shook her head, then quickly slipped past Ross without looking at him.
Ross watched her go, realized that more than anything he didn’t want her to go, so he went after her.
“Brielle?” he said, knocking on her bedroom door.
Not having been properly latched, the door fell open. She sat on the edge of her bed, her face buried in her hands as she sobbed silently.
Ross gave in to the need to hold her.
He gave in to the need to feel her in his arms and breathe in her scent.
He gave in to everything that was inside him that said this was the woman he wanted.
Without waiting for permission, he crossed the floor, sat beside her on the bed and pulled her into his arms.
Her gaze lifted to his, startled as if she hadn’t realized he was there until he held her. Had she been so lost in her misery?
“Don’t cry, Brielle. I can’t stand to see you cry,” he said gently, brushing his fingers lighttly across her cheeks to dry her tears. “I never could.”
“Don’t be nice to me,” she surprised him by ordering in a low but firm voice.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
