Page 76 of Nigel
“We are herbrothers.”
“His love isnew and fierce,” she reminded him. “Like ours was.”
“Like it stillis.” Abandoning his seat on the sofa, he came to kneel in frontof her. “I have been neglecting you.”
“We have bothbeen busy with work.”
“That shouldnot be an excuse.” He took her delicate hands in his and kissedthe knuckles. “And you are right. I watched the way Nigelbehaved around my sister and I admire his devotion to her. Let meshow you my devotion to you.” He drew her up and led the way tothe bed.
“I am not goingto say no to that.”
Chapter 15
“I already havethe dress.” She ticked it off her list as she rubbed herstomach absently. She was two weeks away from getting married and thepressure was increasing. She was driving her attendants crazy withthe details and the wedding planner was threatening to quit. “Theflowers-“
“Will be takenfrom the gardens at the house.” Dahlia shook her head androlled her eyes at Maria. “Everything is covered.”
“What about thedinner? And did we remember to put aunt Eloise next to us? She is aprickly old woman and her tongue is sharp.”
“I like her,”Dahlia said with a grin.
They had had her overfor dinner last Sunday and had enjoyed her sharp wit. The first timeAva met her, she had been subjected to intense scrutiny and warnedagainst hurting ‘her boy’.
“It goes bothways,” Ava told her coolly. “I told him that if furtherdown the road, if he suddenly decides I am not good enough for him, Iam going to skin him alive.”
The woman had stared at her andthen burst out laughing. “I really like her darling.”
“Ava?”
“Yes?”
“What’swrong?” Dahlia was staring at her with a frown.
“I don’tfeel so hot.” Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. It wasSaturday afternoon and she had asked her sisters-in-law to the houseto have a final check.
Nigel had gone out oftown for the weekend and would not be back until in the morning andshe had refused to stay alone at his place.
“It feels weirdwithout you.”
But she missed him somuch that it felt like a hole inside her heart. Damn him for makingher feel like a lovesick idiot.
“I am justgoing to lie down for a little bit. I think I am coming down with thedamn flu. My stomach is queasy and I am tired.”
The other womenexchanged looks.
“What?”
“How long haveyou been feeling like that?”
She frowned slightlyas she tried to recall when. “I think last month some time. ButI am putting the lethargy down to having sex every night and mostmornings.” She grinned as the others gave her dirty looks.
“Bitch,”Dahlia said mildly, rubbing her own stomach.
“When was yourlast period?”
“What doesthat-“ She sprang up from the dining room table and raced intothe kitchen to check the calendar. “Oh, my good God! Can itbe?” She rushed back into the room, her eyes bright. “Canit be?”
“A CVS is justaround the corner, let me go and get some pregnancy tests,”Maria suggested.