“I’m nervous.” Natalia worried her bottom lip with her teeth.

Cash pulled the car into a lay-by next to a woodland area. He reached over and gently tugged on her chin. “Stop chewing.”

“I can’t help it,” she said, choosing instead to nibble on her fingernails. “I’m still not sure we should be dropping it on your mum like this. We should have called first.”

“No, it’s better this way,” Cash said with a grin. “We’ll be able to see her face.”

“And what if she’s horrified? Or disappointed?”

“Or thrilled and elated. Seriously, you think for one minute she’s going to be anything other than excited about being a grandmother?”

“I don’t know.”

He unclipped his seat belt before doing the same to hers. “Let’s go for a walk. This stress can’t be good for the baby.”

They headed into the woodland on a well-worn path until they reached the lake in the middle. They’d visited this place a few times when they’d returned from Paris after his accident. Lilies floated on top of the water, and as they sat on a well-positioned bench that allowed them to take in the view, her shoulders relaxed, and she breathed out a soft sigh.

“Feeling better?” Cash said, weaving a lock of her hair through his fingers.

She nodded. “I love this place.”

The weak spring sunshine lit up her face, making her look more beautiful than ever, and Cash caught his breath. Acting on instinct, he cupped her neck with both hands and leaned in. He paused, half expecting her to pull away, but when she parted her lips, he kissed her.

He’d been starved of her for so long. Desire swept through him, and a groan eased from his throat. He moved away from her mouth and trailed kisses across her jaw. She moaned softly, and he captured her mouth once more, his tongue darting inside. Her arms tightened around him, and her fingers burrowed into his hair.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered as his lips locked onto her neck. “But your timing is shit.”

He pulled away and gave her a questioning look. “Why?”

She grinned. “Because all I want to do now is go back to your place and take you to bed.”

He smiled wickedly. “Mum doesn’t actually know we’re coming.”

She swept her tongue over her lips, making his pulse jump. “As tempting as that thought is, I need to get this over with. I’m not sure my blood pressure can take any further delays.”

He stood and helped her to her feet. “You worry too much. Come on, then. Let’s go. You’ll feel better when it’s done.”

Five minutes later, Cash parked in the driveway of his mum’s house, the same one she’d stayed in all those years she was in a coma after his father had beaten her half to death. After she regained consciousness, Cash had made several offers to move her somewhere else, but she’d refused. And she did seem genuinely happy there.

“Ready?” he said, threading his fingers through Natalia’s.

“No,” she replied, a glum expression on her face.

“Good,” he said, planting a quick kiss on her lips.

He let himself in and headed to the back of the house. Undoubtedly, Mum would be in the garden. Unless it was snowing or pouring with rain, that was where she spent most of her time. He spotted her tending to one of her many borders.

“Shhh,” he said to Natalia, raising a finger to his lips. “Stay out of sight.”

Natalia played along, standing off to the side behind the curtains as he opened the patio doors.

“Hey, Mum.”

Rachael spun around, her face lighting up. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in London.” She tugged off her gardening gloves, tossed them aside, and gave him a warm hug.

“I was. But then I got all homesick.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on?”

Cash laughed. “Can’t hide anything from you, Mother.” He glanced over his shoulder and called, “Come on out.”

Natalia appeared in the doorway, her footsteps tentative. Rachael froze, her eyes wide as her gaze swept from head to foot, lingering on Natalia’s belly, and then a cry fell from her lips. She ran across the garden and swept Natalia into her arms.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she said leaning back to give her the once-over. “How far along?”

“Twenty-three weeks.”

Rachael hugged her again. “Please tell me you two are back together.” When Natalia nodded, a tear slipped down her cheek.

Natalia met Cash’s gaze, and he smirked. “Told you,” he said.

“Told her what?” Rachael said, dabbing at her face with a tissue.

“She was worried you wouldn’t be happy about the baby.”

“Not happy? I’m absolutely thrilled.”

Cash placed his arm around Natalia’s shoulder and kissed her temple. “Can we stop stressing now?”

“I guess,” she said with an embarrassed smile.

“Right, let me make some tea,” Rachael said. “Tally, sit down. Cash can help me.”

Cash followed his mother into the house. “Subtle,” he said as soon as they were out of earshot.

Rachael switched the kettle on and turned to face him. “How did this happen?”

“Which bit?” Cash said, grinning. “Surely we don’t need to have a birds-and-bees conversation, Mother.”

Rachael rolled her eyes. “Very funny, Cash. You could have warned me.”

“It was more entertaining this way.”

“You are incorrigible,” she said, giving him a playful shove. “But I can’t tell you how happy I am for you both. Especially with what you’ve been through these last few months.”

“Yeah, it’s been rough.”

Rachael glanced out of the window, and Cash followed her gaze. Natalia was sitting in a garden chair, head tilted back to catch the warmth from the sun, eyes closed, and a look of pure contentment on her face.

“Don’t let her go again, Cash. I doubt you’ll win her back a third time.”

* * *

Cash switched off the engine and twisted in his seat. Even though his home was only ten minutes from his mother’s, Natalia had fallen asleep on the journey back. Her cheeks were flushed, her wrist bent as she rested her head on her hand. Loath to wake her but left with little choice, he grazed her cheek with his fingertips. She muttered something unintelligible under her breath before her eyes fluttered open.

“Hi,” he said.

She yawned, stretching her arms above her head. “I fell asleep.”

“You did.”

“I’m so exhausted these days.”

“That’s because you’re busy growing a human being inside you.” He unclipped her belt. “Come on, time for bed.”

She smiled a slow, lazy smile as she looked at him through half-opened lids. “Now you’re talking.”

Cash laughed. “To sleep. For you at least.”

“Spoilsport,” she said, but she didn’t complain when he gathered her in his arms and began walking upstairs.

He hovered outside one of the guest bedrooms on the first floor. Despite Natalia’s comment, it didn’t feel right to assume anything. He nudged the door open with his foot.

“What are you doing?” she said, cranking one eye open.

“Putting you to bed.”

“Not in there, you’re not.”

“Are you sure?”

Natalia huffed. “Look, you can stand here talking about it, but I’m pretty heavy, and you don’t want to put your back out.”

He laughed. “You are not heavy.”

“Cash, stop procrastinating. I don’t want to sleep in there alone. I want to sleep in our bed with you beside me.”

His breath hitched when she referred to our bed. He’d hated sleeping alone after they’d split last October. And now, once again, he’d be able to wake up next to her.

A soft sigh escaped her lips when he laid her down on their bed. Her eyes fell shut as he removed her shoes and socks. He dug his thumbs into the balls of her feet, the strength in his right thumb weaker than the left, but Natalia didn’t seem to notice as she sighed again, louder this time.

“You always were a master at massaging feet,” she murmured.

“Gotta be good at something.”

She opened her eyes and fixed him with a stare. “Stop it.”

He shrugged. “Get some rest. I’ll go and grab your suitcase from the car.”

He left before she could say anything else. He knew that look—the one that said she was about to go on a rant about his self-deprecating comment. The conversation about tennis was looming, and he was dreading it because he didn’t know how he would react. Despite his successful test with Suze, he hadn’t yet tested himself with Natalia.

By the time he returned with her case, she was fast asleep, still dressed in her jeans and T-shirt. She looked comfortable enough, so he simply unfastened the top button of her jeans, laid her pyjamas over the foot of the bed in case she woke, and quietly closed the door.

He lit the log burner, poured himself a glass of wine, and put on some music. Since the night he’d found out Natalia was pregnant with his child, he hadn’t spent any time alone. Now that he had time to think about what it would mean and how his life was going to change, the most perfect feeling he had ever known swept over him.

Having a baby meant it was time to grow up, and that included putting things right with those who meant the world to Natalia—Pete and Emmalee. He hadn’t had a chance to speak with them before he and Natalia had flown to Ireland, and he owed them a direct conversation.

He picked up his phone and called Pete first and then Emmalee. Humbled by their kindness and understanding after he fully explained himself, he acknowledged one more call he needed to make. He clenched and unclenched his right hand. His grip had improved, but he hadn’t been working as hard as he could have these last couple of weeks. His desire to play again had always been phenomenal, but now he had the best reason of all: he wanted his son or daughter to be proud of the man he was and the things he’d achieved in life. He didn’t want his career to end on a whimper, a result of fate dealing him a blow. He wanted to go out on a high, and on his terms.

He pulled up the right contact information and made the call.

* * *

Cash rubbed sleep from his eyes and rolled over. He stretched out his legs, his eyes snapping open as he connected with someone. For a brief moment, he panicked. Was it Suze or some other faceless woman?

His vision cleared, and his heart began to race. Natalia was fast asleep, one arm thrown over her head. Sometime in the night, she’d swapped jeans and a T-shirt for her pyjamas, but the top had ridden up, revealing her smooth, round stomach. His hand crept forward tentatively, and he touched her belly. The skin was firm around the bump, and a thrill of excitement raced through him. As though sensing he was there, the baby kicked against his hand.

He pressed his lips against her stomach. “Hey,” he whispered. “Take it easy in there. Mum’s trying to sleep.”

“What are you doing?”

A trace of a smile left his lips as he lifted his gaze. “You’re awake.”

She reached her arms behind her head and stretched. “Were you kissing my belly?”

He gave her a goofy grin. “What if I was?”

“That’s weird.”

“Not to me.” He pushed himself upright. “You hungry?”

“Starving. I’m always starving.”

“What do you fancy?”

“You,” she said, reaching up for a kiss.

He groaned as her lips touched his, but then he pulled away. “You need to eat.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Okay.” She began to get up until he stopped her.

“Where do you think you’re going? Get back in bed.”

“I’m not an invalid,” she said, hitting him with a scowl. “Plus, you’re a terrible cook, and I want pancakes.”

“I can get Anna over here within fifteen minutes.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” she said as she stuffed her feet into slippers. “Besides, my back aches if I spend too much time in bed. I’m better moving around.”

As she set off downstairs, Cash held back. He wanted to touch her so badly, but what if he hurt her in some way? But he hadn’t missed the narrowed gaze she’d given him at his reluctance to become intimate, and he added that to the other difficult conversation they needed to have.