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both know that I am the one you have chosen.”
    Before I could say anything, he pulled the covers over my body and rose from the bed. Without an other word, he left me there, alone in our bed, to mull over what he had said. It felt like another game, but I was bound by my own vows to play it.
    He wanted me to choose him, but I had already done that when I stood by his side in front of a preacher. What he wanted was my heart, and that was no longer mine to give away. Alex had set me free months ago, but he had forgotten to give it back. He took it with him when he bolted to England, or wherever it was he was hiding now that he knew I had married his brother.
    But honestly their bitter competition was the least of my worries. I had children now to protect, and they were, as they had always been, my focus… far more than Drew’s overweening ego, which demanded I submit to him in every possible way.
    I wasn’t ready and he would just have to wait. Period.
    I sighed as I cuddled up to the pillows on the bed and drifted off into a fitful sleep.
    The next morning I found Drew, in lounge wear, dozing on the other side of the bed, close enough to be there should I need him, but giving me enough room to feel safe and secure. The minute I stirred, he woke. He handed me the crackers and poured me a glass of water, then pulled me close so that I could recline against him until the waves of nausea passed. He then brought me a small, manageable breakfast in bed before we went for another walk around the island.
    Most days passed in this fashion. Drew was affectionate without being pushy. Even his goodnight kisses, which were longer, hotter and every bit as hungry as one might expect, he always ended before things got too carried away and pressured me outside my current comfort zone. He’d escape to the office, likely to do his business remotely, and then by morning I would wake to find him beside me, his palm flat against my tummy, as we slept together next to the soothing sound of the Caribbean.
    My favorite day of our “honeymoon” was the day he brought me into the office so we could video chat with Jonathan. What surprised me more than the unexpected call was the familiar library backdrop behind my favorite little boy. He was at Alex’s ranch, and Max was hopping up and down beside him, as ecstatic to see me as I was to see the both of them. I sank into the plush leather chair with a tearful smile. “Hey, guys!”
    “Rachel! Rachel!” they said in unison, eager to tell me all the things they had been up to in the week I had been gone.
    “I’m back in school,” Max beamed proudly. “I even got a girlfriend!”
    I laughed. “You’re only four!”
    “Nuh uh!” he corrected. “I turned five,” he said, holding up five fingers, “day before yesterday.”
    “I stand corrected,” I grinned. “Happy belated birthday. Guess you’ll be getting married next, huh?”
    He giggled and blushed, and Jonathan quickly took over. “We went camping for Max’s birthday,” he said. “Mom took off to New York for the weekend, so they let me stay here. It wasn’t as fun without you, though.”
    I touched the screen. I wanted to offer that we could do it again once I got back, but there was no way I could make a promise like that anymore.
    “There’s someone who wants to say hi,” Jonathan said before he disappeared off screen. I held my breath, thinking Alex’s handsome, rugged face would fill the frame. But it was Millicent, whose smile was warm, though her eyes were troubled.
    “Rachel,” she greeted. “I suppose congratulations are in order.”
    I nodded, embarrassed to face her. She was one of the few people who knew what kind of relationship I had developed with Alex, and I knew that her allegiance certainly fell to her former son-in-law. “I sure miss you, though,” I said. “Are you back for good, or will you be going back to France?”
    It was my safe way to ask if Alex would once again flee overseas. She smiled