The Doctor's Pregnant Bride (Mail-Order Bride Book 1)
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He had also failed to take into account his wife’s personality. He thought back to how she treated his patients at the surgery. She was friendly, asking after their families and loved ones. Becky was a cheerful soul by nature and did everything she could to ensure people were comfortable.
She had done that with Dr. Thornton, and the fool in him had confused that for love. Shame flooded him at how foolishly he had behaved. Now, he might lose his Becky without getting a chance to shower her with his love.
Chapter Fourteen
Becky snapped awake as she heard the door opening. Her heart leapt with joy as it did every time Karl came into her room with the baby. She had lost all concept of time and day. All she knew was that Karl brought the baby in for her milk every couple of hours.
“Your mother is awake,” Karl said as Becky pulled herself to a seating position. “Let’s draw the curtains first, little one.”
Sunlight flooded the room and as Karl opened the window, sweet birdsongs reached her ears. Spring had come and, although she had missed most of it, Becky felt blessed to see another springtime. She would never take the gift of life for granted again.
I have to enjoy every moment that I’m alive, she thought, soaking in the view of Karl cradling her daughter.
“You look a lot stronger this morning,” he said.
“Yes, I do,” Becky said and smiled. Something had changed this morning. She felt as if a dark veil had been lifted.
“That’s good to hear,” Karl said. “The baby is hungry,” he said and turned to coo at the child. “Aren’t you, little one?”
It warmed Becky’s heart to see Karl’s obvious love for her child. It took a kindhearted man to love a child who was not his. She took the baby in her arms and peered at her face. She looked right back at Becky with intelligent blue eyes.
“We haven’t named her yet,” Karl said.
She had not given any thought to the baby’s name. The last days, or weeks, she had been in a fog of pain that had left no room for anything else. She still remembered the moment Karl had yanked the babe from her and the relief that followed.
After that, she had drifted in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware when Karl brought the baby to her breast for feeding. She did not need to be told how close she had come to losing her life. She looked at Karl now, who was waiting for her to suggest a name.
His face looked thin and haggard, and she knew it had been a terrible time for him. She longed to reach out and caress his cheek, but she dared not. He was not hers to love. Theirs was a partnership, she reminded herself.
“I haven’t thought about it,” Becky admitted.
“You could name her after your mother,” he said.
“Sarah is my mother’s name,” Becky said softly.
“It’s a beautiful name,” Karl said. “Sarah Madden.”
Her heart dropped to her feet, and she looked up at Karl. She hadn’t dared hope that he would be willing to give her his name. “Thank you,” she said, her voice shaky.
His eyebrow rose. “She’s my daughter, Becky, just as you’re my beloved wife.”
Hope filled her heart when she heard the word beloved, and she looked at Karl, waiting for him to continue. Was he saying what she thought he was? He reached out and took her hand.
“Becky, I don’t know how to say this, but I’ve been so foolish. I’ve denied my feelings for you and when Dr. Thornton came, I behaved like a complete idiot. I thought the two of you had developed feelings for each other.”
“Dr. Thornton?” she said, puzzled.
Karl lowered his head. He looked like a boy who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“But … Dr. Thornton is engaged to someone. And besides, how can I have feelings for another man when I love my husband?” Becky said, aghast that Karl could think such a thing.
Then she remembered what he had told her about Anne Shields and immediately understood where that fear would come from. Now, he slowly raised his head and gazed at her.
“Did you just say you love your husband?”
Fear prickled her heart. Would she lose him now that she had exposed her feelings?
“Yes,” Becky said in a low voice. “I’ve loved you for a long time, Karl, and I know you can’t, or won’t, love me back, but being your wife is …”
“What are you talking about, woman?” he bellowed, making her and the suckling baby jump. “I love you more than life itself. I was a fool, Becky. I thought love was something one could turn off. You’re a beautiful person, and I beg your forgiveness for doubting your integrity.”
Tears blinded her. “I forgive you, but there’s one more thing you must do.”
“Anything, my love,” Karl said sincerely.
“Write Dr. Thornton a friendly letter just to make sure he knows all is well between you two.”
He had been so kind to them that he deserved an acknowledgement of that. He had left their home a confused man, and he did not deserve that.
“I will,” Karl said promptly.
At that moment, the newly-named Sarah moved away from Becky’s breast, and she covered herself.
“Is there space for another person in that bed?” Karl asked. “I’d like to be close to my ladies. To my two loves.”
Her face heating up from excitement and joy, Becky moved to the other side of the bed and placed Sarah in the middle. Karl slipped into the bed and lay on his side. Their gazes fused, and she felt herself becoming one with her husband. They drank each other in over the baby’s head. There were no more words needed between them. Love had won out in the end.
The End