Exhausted, Lily collapsed back against the delivery table, giving herself a moment to replenish her energy. She smiled drowsily, the miracle of birth settling around her like a warm, comforting blanket.
“I’ll be damned,” Eric murmured at her side.
Her heart thudded as panic seized her. Lily struggled to rouse herself. “What’s wrong? The baby? Is she okay?”
Eric laid a calming hand on her shoulder, his eyes dancing with amusement. “The baby’s fine. Only she’s a he.”
“A boy? We had a boy?”
He chuckled. “Looks as though we’re going to have to change those pink bunnies in the nursery to something a little more masculine.”
“Eric,” she said, her voice filled with wonderment.
Eric frowned, his expression concerned. “What is it?”
“You’re still here.”
“Of course I am, Lily.” He looked offended. “Did you think I’d chicken out and leave.”
She shook her head. “No. I mean, you lived to see our baby being born. The curse...it really has been broken.”
He smiled. “So that’s what all this concern’s been about. Do you mean to tell me that after all this time, you still had your doubts?”
“Well...”
“Listen to me, Lily. As far as I’m concerned, that curse ended when I fell in love with you.”
She considered this for a moment. “Eric, do you remember the day we talked about the curse?”
He nodded. “I remember. You thought love started the curse.”
“Do you remember what you said? You said, maybe just being in love wasn’t enough. That love had to be proved by doing something unselfish.”
He frowned. “I did?”
“Don’t blow your romantic image now, Eric.” She chuckled. “You were right. You could have taken me to court and filed for custody when I wouldn’t marry you. But you didn’t, because you loved me too much to hurt me. Eric, that was the most unselfish thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
He sighed. “Can we forget about the curse now, Lily? I’ve got lots of plans for our future. Things I’d much rather be thinking about. Like picking out a boy’s name. And having lots of brothers and sisters to keep our son company.”
Lily moaned.
Eric pressed his lips to her forehead. “I love you, Lily. I always will.”
“I know, Eric.” She smiled, feeling content and happy. “I know.”
* * * * *
ISBN: 978-1-4592-8760-0
Hazardous Husband
Copyright © 1995 by Susan Rundé
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com
Hazardous Husband Page 16