Frozen to the spot, Cash bit back the surge of anger that raced through his veins as he watched the stranger put his hands on Natalia. Who the fuck was this jerk anyway? The way she’d gazed up at him told Cash they knew each other, and the fierce burn of jealousy in his throat tasted bitter, becoming infinitely worse when she stood on tiptoes and kissed him.

When Emmalee shouted at her, Tally looked away from the bastard Cash was having serious thoughts about beating to a pulp. She made her way to the waiting cab, her eyes met his, and she blanched.

Well, wasn’t that a fucking kick in the teeth.

He couldn’t tear his gaze away. Five months without seeing her was a lifetime, especially as he’d found it difficult to go twenty-four hours without her in the past. His memory of her had not done her justice. She was more beautiful than he remembered—peaches-and-cream skin, those stunning blue eyes that were always able to see right through him, and the chestnut hair that used to fall in waves over the pillow when they made love.

He didn’t know what made his gaze slip south. Maybe it was the way she dragged her eyes away from his, or the fearful look she wore as she did so. It didn’t really matter either way, because the minute he did, everything changed.

Shock coursed through him. Was he the father, or the guy she was with? He felt sick at the thought of her with another man, let alone falling pregnant by him. She hadn’t said a word, which meant it wasn’t his baby. Didn’t it?

She turned away and began to get into the cab. He’d better act fast, or she’d be gone. He sprinted across the street and managed to get a hand on the door before it was slammed shut.

“Natalia, wait,” he said, yanking the door back open.

Emmalee flashed him a look of surprise before her jaw clenched. “Go away, Cash,” she said, leaning across Natalia to try to close the door.

Cash tightened his grip. “Please. We need to talk.”

“You should have thought about that when you threw her out onto the street in the middle of winter,” Emmalee said.

Cash turned his gaze on her, and he must have hit the right level of acrimony, because Emmalee shrank back in her seat.

“When will you learn to keep your fucking nose out of my business,” he said.

“I don’t think there’s any need for that,” one of the guys butted in. The one who hadn’t touched his Natalia. The one who, up until that moment, might have kept his teeth.

Cash coiled his fists, having to draw on every single lesson Dr Bauer had painstakingly taught him over his long stay at the clinic. Natalia still hadn’t said a word. Her hands protectively cradled her belly, and she stared straight ahead.

He took a punt. “Were you ever going to tell me?” he said softly.

That made her turn her head. Her eyes glistened as she looked up at him. “I don’t know,” she said, her honesty catching him off guard.

So it was his. A thrill of excitement made his pulse jump. He’d never thought about being a father, but this was Natalia, the love of his life. And the soon-to-be mother of his child.

Cash held out his hand. “Please, baby,” he said in a placating tone, knowing he’d lost the right to call her that the minute he’d lied about not loving her. Then again, he didn’t like following rules. “We have a lot to talk about. I know I’ve treated you terribly, but I can explain.”

“Paul, close the door,” Emmalee said to the one who’d laid his hands on Natalia. His Natalia. Paul leaned over and grabbed the handle, but as he tried to yank the door shut, Cash shoved him hard in the shoulder, and he fell back against the seat.

“Stay out of this,” Cash growled. “It’s none of your business,”

“Enough,” Natalia said in a low tone. She stared straight ahead. “We’ll talk. But not now. I’m tired, and I want to go home.”

“Thank you,” Cash said, the relief at her acquiescence making his head spin. He didn’t know what he’d have done if she’d refused, but he was pretty sure hauling a pregnant woman out of a taxi was not acceptable, no matter how gently he would have gone about it.

She glanced up at him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “I’ll call you.”

She reached out and pulled the door closed. He lost sight of the cab as it was swallowed up by the busy London streets. Cash stared into the distance and tried to deal with what he’d seen. In a split second, his life had changed again. Why had she progressed this far into her pregnancy without letting him know he was going to be a father? Did she hate him that much? If she couldn’t tell him something as important as this, he could only imagine how much he’d hurt her.

He had a lot of making up to do, but whatever it took, he’d do it. He still struggled to connect with the person he’d been before the accident, but this baby could be the catalyst that helped him reach the man inside. He missed that man more than he thought possible. But not as much as he missed her.

At least he’d passed another test that night. He’d managed not to break Paul’s nose for daring to lay a finger on his girl.

Dr Bauer would definitely call that progress.