He laughed. ‘He must have been delighted to know we’d fallen apart.’

‘No,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘When he realised I was actually in love with you, the chip he’d been carrying went. He became my brother again.’

His lips were so close to hers. She craned her neck forward, suddenly desperate to feel them upon her, to be cradled in his embrace but he gripped her neck at the side, gently but with enough firmness to stop her moving.

‘So, you do love me?’ For the first time she saw his vulnerability.

‘Yes. I love you. With everything I have.’

She’d hardly finished speaking before his mouth crushed hers, his essence filling her with such sweetness the tears really did fall.

‘Oh, my love,’ he said, wiping her tears away. ‘I never want to see you cry.’

‘They’re happy tears,’ she said with a sniff. ‘You’re not the only one who’s always felt unworthy—I’ve spent my whole life feeling like a poisoned chalice, put on Earth to destroy anyone who gets close to me.’ She stroked his cheek. ‘I wanted you to employ Kerstin because I thought she was the perfect woman for you.’

Incredulity spread over his face. ‘You were trying to engineer me being with her?’

could make you happy. You wouldn’t have

cut off by a hard, possessive

gaze into her eyes. ‘Just you. We’ve both made sacrifices. I would make them again a thousand times over.’ He bowed his head and brushed his lips against hers.

everything,’ she answered

After a fortnight without Christian, she had a little insight into what he must have gone through. She would never be able to forgive him, not for the way his actions had so hurt Rocco—and they had hurt her brother more than her because Rocco remembered a time

‘I love you, Christian.’

‘Always.’

‘Always.’

And they did.

EPILOGUE

‘IT’S A GIRL!’

was the most excited at the giving of the news—the obstetrician or her husband, who announced it in unison while the midwife held the

bed or whatever it was she was laid upon, raining kisses all over her face, muttering prayers and thanks

he said into her ear in

yourself.’ She laughed, stroking his

good

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