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“It’s not for you to choose—”
“It wasn’t a healthy environment for the baby.” She held out the platter. “Brownie?”
Caramel macadamia nut with white chocolate chips. His favorite. He narrowed his eyes. Did she truly think him so weak that he could be bought so simply?
“I’m not hungry.”
She shrugged, then cut herself a big piece. Her smile spread into a joyful grin. He watched her bite into the gooey caramel brownie, with its layers of butterscotch and macadamia nut. Melted white chocolate smudged her lip. He watched her lick it off. His mouth watered.
But it wasn’t the brownie he wanted anymore. He hungered for Louisa.
Her body.
Her laugh.
All of her.
Making love to her last night had been incredible. He’d seduced her to punish her but in the end, he was the one who’d been caught. He’d woken up, bereft of her in his arms. He hadn’t liked the feeling. He’d jumped in the shower. He’d tried to pretend to them both that finally having her in his arms again, finally making love to her after sixteen months of yearning, had meant nothing.
But he could not lie to himself. Not anymore.
Rafael watched her pick up the baby from his bouncy seat and lift him on her hip. As she sang songs to Noah, swinging him in her arms as they twirled around the kitchen, her eyes danced with laughter.
He watched Louisa laughing with the baby in her arms. He looked at them, his heart in his throat.
He’d married her yesterday intending to discard her in Paris. Now, he realized his plans had changed. Louisa brought so much to his life. Why should he ever let her go?
He could still get the revenge he’d planned. Then he could take Louisa to Paris and they could start a new life…
“By the way,” he said abruptly, “my mother is coming for dinner tonight.”
Louisa stopped, clearly startled. Then her eyes lit up. “Your mother? How lovely!” she exclaimed. She tickled the baby, making him squeal with laughter as she cooed, “And she’ll get to meet her sweet new grandbaby, won’t she?”
Yes, she would. For the first and last time.
Grabbing the knife, Rafael cut himself an enormous piece of brownie. He took a huge bite. It was delicious. Like the taste of vengeance.
Louisa beamed up at him as he ate. He could see that she thought he was starting to bend, to break, beneath her influence. Well, let her continue to think so.
He smiled at her.
She would soon learn the truth. Rafael would neither bend, nor break, for any woman. He would be the last one standing.
He’d once begged Louisa to remain his housekeeper. He’d once pleaded with her to become his mistress.
Marrying her had changed everything.
The marriage license would hold her as no employment contract ever could. Louisa would warm his bed, take care of his child and prepare his meals. The fact that she was now his wife meant he would never have to pay her. He’d never have to give her a vacation. And he’d never have to fear losing her again.
She was his wife. He owned her now. Forever.
“Welcome, Mamá.”
Louisa watched Rafael kiss the stooped woman on both cheeks as he welcomed his mother to their home. Agustina Cruz was nothing like Louisa had expected. She’d thought Rafael’s mother would be a slender, severely elegant socialite. Instead she was plump, gray- haired and had a timid, hopeful smile on her bright coral lips as she looked at her tall, handsome son.
“Buenas noches, mi hijo,” she said to Rafael. “I am so happy to see you,” she said in Spanish, standing on her tiptoes to embrace him. Louisa’s high school Spanish was rusty after so many years in France, but she could still understand as Agustina continued tearfully, “It has been too long. I haven’t heard from you since I sent you the letter after your father died.”
“I remember,” Rafael said coolly in English. “Come in.”
