Page 69 of Stranger's Choice
“I’m . . .” she paused. Took a deep breath. “I’m not with child.”
She saw it then, a brief flicker of disappointment before he focused so fully on her that his own emotions disappeared. Ever since she had told him of the possibility, he had been so intent on what she wanted that she hadn’t been able to catch a hint of his own desires.
She launched herself across the room, and he wrapped her in his arms. “It’s only been a few days, and I knew it wasn’t a certain thing, but somehow I had still convinced myself it was true. The circumstances were all wrong, but still, I wanted the baby. And now there is no baby.”
“You . . . you can still have a baby, Auraelie.” Sebin said haltingly.
Auraelie tilted her head back to better judge Sebin’s mood. There was something in his voice she couldn’t identify. She shook her head. “Not until I’m free of the Emperor.”
Suddenly, there was space between their bodies. “Of course. I shouldn’t have made you risk it in the first place. We won’t—I won’t—again. Then once you’re free, you’ll have the charms—”
Auraelie cut him off by grabbing his vest and shaking. “You didn’t make me do anything, Sebin. It was my choice, remember? And I’m not saying that we need to stop sleeping together. I’m saying that I’ll keep drinking the tea for the time being.”
She would. She wanted a child—Sebin’s child—but she would wait until she knew her baby would be safe.
Sebin opened his mouth, but he had that look in his eyes, the one that said he was going to sacrifice himself for her. So Auraelie didn’t let him say anything. She kissed him, pulling him close by his vest, pressing her entire body against his. Then she bit his lip before releasing him. “I hope you were not about to say something about the choices I’ll have once you give me your charm, Sebin. And I really hope you weren’t about to say anything about me having a child with another man. I don’t just want a baby. I want your baby.”
It didn’t matter if he didn’t care for her the same way she cared for him. She had to be honest about this. She had to take the chance, or she’d never see her dream come true.
“You do?”
“There’s no reason to look so shocked.” Auraelie frowned. Did he really not understand what he meant to her? He had to have suspected something of her feelings. “Have I or have I not made it clear that you are more than just an opportunity to me?”
Sebin took a step back. “You have, but I don’t know how temporary your interest is. We’ve never talked about anything beyond the short term. Actually, I don’t even know if we are talking about that right now. Wanting a child is not the same as wanting the father in your life.”
Sebin’s mood over the past few days began to make sense. She had declared her desire to raise the child herself, and he had assumed that meant he wasn’t a part of what she wanted. She had assumed he didn’t want to be a part of that future because he vowed so vehemently that she would have her child all to herself.
To not only have Sebin’s child, but to have Sebin by her side as that child grew up? Auraelie’s mind flashed back to the image of them in the forest. A family. It wasn’t a vision; she couldn’t see their future, but she knew what it would look like all the same.
“I want you in my life, Sebin,” she whispered. “I know you have a life waiting for you across the Mladin. I understand—”
Sebin cut off her words with a kiss. “I am the second son. There is no reason I must return to Moial. Not if there is a reason for me to stay here.”
“You would stay?” Auraelie’s fingers fisted in his vest.
“If you wanted me to.” Sebin lifted a hand and traced the curve of her cheek. “Do you want me to, Auraelie?”
“Yes.” She turned her head and pressed her lips to his hand. “Stay with me, Sebin.”
