Broken (9 page)

“And I’ve been telling you no.”

“You’ve been not answering at all. Are you saying no now?”

She hesitated. The truth was, she wanted to be his wife, but going through with it, giving in to hope for a great future seemed out of reach. “How can you have been hurt so badly too and just forge ahead, Nathan? Why aren’t you more afraid of los—of everything not working out?”

He grinned. “Because of Melly and now because of you. I have two beautiful women in my life, and I’ll do anything to keep them safe.
Anything
. You seem to think you’ve only had loss, and there’s nothing left. Look at us, me and Melly. If not me, look at Melly. She adores you. Isn’t she worth doing what you can to keep her?”

“She’s not mine.”

“I offer her to you. She’s as much your daughter as she is mine now. I won’t take her back. I’ll share her with you always.” He touched her stomach. “Melly has a baby sister or brother growing right here for us to love together.”

“This is why you wouldn’t cover your wick, isn’t it?”

His eyes twinkled.

Then a new thought struck Ciera. Could the doctor have been wrong all along? Could the problem still have been Tony and not her? What if Tony had married that new woman and they kept having issues getting pregnant. Yet here she was having a baby. She had come to place where she no longer wished a boulder would fall on his head and kill him. The destruction of her marriage had nothing to do with her body being broken, and understanding that fact felt pretty damn good.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Nathan frowned in confusion “Yes, what?”

“Yes, I’ll marry you. I love you, Nathan, and I love Melly. I want to start again and be a family.”

He cupped her face with both hands. “Oh, Ciera, you’ve made me the happiest of men.”

* * * *

Eight months later

The tiny cry filled the room, and Ciera leaned down so Melly could see. “This is Eva, Melly. It’s going to be your responsibility to look out for her as her big sister. Can you do that?”

Melly’s eyes grew wide as she stared down at the baby.
I’m the big sister,
she signed.

Ciera nodded. “Yup, you’re getting to be a big girl, too. Can I count on you to look out for Eva?”

Melly’s little chest swelled, and she raised her chin, her head bobbling.
Don’t worry, Mommy. I’ll teach her and take care of her,
she signed at light speed. Ciera had no problem now following along. Even after marrying Nathan and living under his roof and cocooned in his and Melly’s love, her heart danced each time he told her he loved her. And each time Melly signed “Mommy.” The fears continued to exist inside her, and sometimes she panicked. Every now and then, Nathan had to pin her down to keep her from hiding her tears. Now there was not only hope but expectation.

She and Nathan and Melly were still kind of broken, but they had each other. Now they had Eva, too, and together they made a complete whole.

The End

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve