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She finally found her tongue, ready to counter him as she s
o often had. But this time her voice was full of awe, incredulity.
‘How could I possibly have known? You never once even suggested it.’
‘On the contrary...’ He dragged his finger over her bottom lip, his eyes following the movement as if spellbound. ‘I may not have said the words but I betrayed myself time and again every time I worshipped your body.’
‘That was merely sex—’
Her voice was raspy, bumpy. But then, so was his.
‘We both know that it was never merely sex.’
If only he’d allowed himself to admit that much, much earlier.
‘Still, you can’t just walk away from your family, Tak. I know how much your siblings mean to you.’
He had to concentrate. Answer her every question. But he was having a hard time not simply bending his head and claiming her again.
‘Hetti is in despair,’ he muttered, struggling to drag his gaze from those luscious lips of hers. ‘She wants you to know how desperately sorry she is. She has no idea how my mother got hold of her key but she is adamant that she didn’t give it to her. And Sasha has long since said she can do without the drama. She’s trying to concentrate on her own family and she doesn’t want them being dragged into that life. As for Rafi—he has loathed both our parents ever since he could talk. I don’t think there’s any chance of any of them being upset that I’ve finally decided to cut all ties.’
‘It all sounds too perfect, too easy,’ Effie vacillated. ‘But I don’t just have myself to think about. I have Nell. And, as ever, the idea of doing something which could end up harming my daughter in some way is something I refuse to even entertain.’
‘I know how important Nell is,’ he confirmed.
‘I want to believe you,’ Effie choked out. ‘But love...it’s a big deal.’
And then he gave up trying to fight his instincts any longer.
‘I love you, Effie. And every time I tell you I only become more and more certain of that fact.’
‘I want to believe you...’
‘I know,’ he murmured, lowering his mouth to hers again. ‘I know that it’s just been you and Nell for so long. I know that with everything you’ve been through in your life that you’ve never loved or trusted anyone else this way. But it’s time to take that risk, Effie.’
‘Tak...’
‘Stop over-analysing,’ he murmured softly. ‘I love you, Effie. I’m in love with you. Let me prove it to you. Let me spend the rest of my life proving it to you.’
And then he claimed her mouth and set about honouring his word in the best way he knew how.
EPILOGUE
IT WAS ALMOST three years later to the day when Tak found himself staring at the 4D image of his new baby, who yawned widely before defiantly turning his back on them. It took everything Tak had to tear his gaze from the screen and down to his wife of eighteen months who, impossibly, appeared more beautiful to him with every passing day.
‘It’s incredible...’ he breathed.
‘Incredible,’ Effie echoed, her hands instinctively reaching for his.
‘Nell is going to be livid she missed this,’ he smiled. ‘Her new baby brother.’
‘I promised her we’d watch the video with her as many times as she wants to as soon as she gets home from her exchange trip. Our family.’
Our family. Happiness spiralled through him. His baby, his wife and his stepdaughter—who, at sixteen, was beginning to exert her independence more and more.
Nell was going to be as stunning as her mother, and Tak could imagine the trail of broken-hearted young men she was going to leave in her wake. He might only just have become her stepfather, but he felt honoured that she had accepted him into her life as if he was the real father she’d never had. She had even tagged his name onto her own, just as Effie had.
‘We have a new addition to our family, Mrs Robinson-Basu,’ he whispered, awe flowing throughout his body.
