“I’m a whale,” I groan, looking at myself through the full-length mirror in the bedroom of our suite. My dress is deep purple silk and although the strapless style is comfortable, all that I see is my huge stomach. It looks like I’m having twins instead of just the one baby. The dress is fitted across my swollen breasts and belly, and then it drops from my hips to my ankles. I have some flat ballerina style shoes to wear because there is no way I’m going to be able to waddle around in heels. No way in hell.

“Wow,” my brother, Joshua, whistles. “You look beautiful, sis.” He moves further into the bedroom and frowns. “What’s wrong?” He stands behind me, looking me over, trying to find the problem

“I’m all baby.”

“Sirena, you look amazing. Better than you were the last time I was home . . . and this,” he places a hand on my belly, “is something that you should be proud of. You’re pregnant. You’re carrying a new life. You.” He kisses me on the top of my head. “Are. Amazing.”

I stare at my brother in shock at his words and watch while he smirks. Collecting my shoes from the floor, he ushers me into a chair. “Joshua, are you really in there?”

He rolls his eyes and slips my shoes onto my feet. “I can be sweet and caring when I choose to be, as you well know.” He shrugs. “You weren’t feeling it, so I helped.” He grins. “Now let me haul you up from there and we’ll go downstairs. I know Garrett is worried about you, but I think he’s excited to have you on his arm as well.”

I smile at the mention of Garrett while keeping my gaze on my brother. “You like him, right?”

“He makes you smile again. It’s obvious to everyone that he’s worried about you and your baby.”

“Garrett will be a great father to this child, and even if we have more children, I believe that he’ll treat them all the same. He’s a good man, Josh.”

“As long as he treats you like a Princess,” he smirks, “then we won’t have a problem.” He cups the back of my neck and leaning down, kisses my forehead. “Let’s get you to the ball.”

Giggling, I take my brother’s offered hands. “Do you really think I look okay?”

“Women!” Joshua mumbles. “I’m proud to have you on my arm.”

“That was smoothly done, Mr. FBI agent.”

He groans. “Trust you.”

“Are they keeping you safe?” I ask, moving toward the elevators.

“I’m fine. Please don’t worry about me. Concentrate on my niece or nephew.”

I wrap my arm through his and plastering a smile on my lips to cover up my nervousness, I enter the party on my brother’s arm.

The large ballroom is beautiful with large circular tables throughout. Black and white linen covers them with tall vase’s holding white lilies. It’s elegant and it takes my breath away. But nothing can take my breath the same way as Garrett does when I find him in the sea of guests.

“The man of the hour.” Charlotte appears and wraps her arms around me before squeezing the life out of Joshua. “He’s been looking for you.”

“He told me not to be down until now so that I rested up.”

“Doesn’t mean he wasn’t missing you,” she counters. “Go put the poor man out of his misery, and get him away from his sister-in-law.” She shudders. “That woman needs a swift kick up the ass.”

The thought of seeing that woman again doesn’t sit too well with me, but now that we’re going to be family, I’m going to have to play nice. Doesn’t mean I want to though.

“What the fuck,” Josh curses and quickly glances at me.

I frown and glance toward Garrett, and that’s when my smile slips. The woman who his sister-in-law keeps trying to throw at him has her arm through his. I have to give him some credit because he’s trying to untangle himself without making it so obvious to the others. She keeps a tight hold though.

A photographer appears before them and as the woman smiles, Garrett shakes his head, and finally get’s free. He lifts his eyes and his face changes from anger to delight as he spots me. Before it registers, Joshua is moving me across the distance and then Garrett is the one surrounding me.

He holds me close and whispers, “I’ve been waiting for you all damn night.” He kisses my ear. “You are the most beautiful woman here tonight, and you’re all mine.”

“Mmm.”

“God,” he presses me closer and his arousal is more obvious than perhaps it should be, “don’t ‘mmm’ in my ear. It makes me hard.”

“I know.” Kissing him quickly on the lips, I turn and face his brother while making sure that Garrett’s erect problem is hidden from others.

“I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m Sirena Bennett,” I say to William, Garrett’s brother.

“Soon to be Sirena Hudson,” Garrett adds, his face breaking out into a gorgeous smile. “That is the first time I’ve said that out loud and I really like the sound of it.”

“Me too.”

Garrett wraps his arm around my shoulders. “William, Jenny, I’ve asked Sirena to marry me, and she’s agreed.” He adds, “Annalise, I hope you find the same happiness that I have.”

Jenny looks as though she’s fighting a battle with herself about saying something, but as I watch her, she pointedly states, “That’s a bit rushed.”

“Jenny!” William chides.

“I’m only stating the obvious,” she defends herself. “Everyone will think that the baby is his.”

“That’s enough!” Garrett hisses. “Sirena and the baby are mine,” he seethes, his anger getting the better of him. “Until you can accept that, you are no longer welcome at my home or in my life.”

He ushers me away, but the anger is not left behind. I feel it radiating throughout his body. I stop him with a hand on his chest. “Please don’t let her ruin your evening.” I reach up and caress his face. “I love you, and I know exactly how you feel about me. Nothing will ruin that.”

He inhales and exhales and then sighs, pulling me close. “You can’t know how much I love you, because I’ll never be able to tell you how much.”

“Infinity, huh?” I smile softly up at him.

“You got it, babe.” He kisses my forehead. “We’ll celebrate properly later, but right now your cousins are approaching.” His hand slips onto my hip as I turn and smile at Alexander and his sister, Olivia.

I’m extremely lucky to have been brought up within a large family. Although I have two brothers and one sister, our cousins are more like siblings, which I love.

Alexander, Uncle Lucian’s oldest, is the serious one, while his younger sister, Olivia, is as tough as nails when she needs to be, but has a heart of gold and has always gotten hurt easily.

Olivia is the first one to lean in and she whispers, “Congratulations, you sneaky one.” I chuckle and accept the kiss to the cheek while Alexander stays silent but I catch the smirks dancing on his lips.

He shakes Garrett’s hand. “Great party.”

“Great hotel,” Garrett counters, amused.

My cousin smiles with pride because this building is his design, and although I know he had regular meetings with the others, including his dad and mine, he brought this through to completion. “I’m so proud of you Alex.” I beam at him.

He grins and stepping forward kisses me on the cheek. “I’m proud of me too, not only that, but I’m proud of you, Sirena. You finally look content.”

“That I am and all because of this handsome and caring man.” I grin up at Garrett and watch him blush at the praise.

My family laughs before they wander off to mingle with other guests, leaving us alone. Garrett tightens his hold around me and places one hand on my stomach in a gesture that tells everyone, I’m his.

“How are you doing?” he asks, gently rubbing my stomach now that we have a moment to talk between ourselves, still being watched by the curious eyes of the guests.

I meet his concerned gaze and smirk. “Having your hands on me is making me hot.”

His eyes widen in surprise, which he follows with a laugh. “Hot, hmmm?”

“The caress of your hands has me imagining them lower.” I chuckle. “I think we should dance before I need to sit down.”

“There’s a spot just over there with our name on it,” he suggests playfully.

I nod as he leads me over to a quiet spot on the dance floor.

He wraps his arms around my waist and holds me tightly in his embrace. It’s frustrating not being able to get as close as I’d like because of my belly, except that’s forgotten when I see the way he’s looking at me. My nipples pucker to attention and the area between my thighs grows warm and swollen with need.

“You look flushed,” Garrett observes. “Are you okay?”

I slip a hand behind his neck and whisper, “I need you.”

His hands tremble on my back. “What?”

Teasing him, I nibble on his earlobe, and I feel a subtle shudder wrack his body. “I said I need you . . . inside of me.”

He groans and drops his forehead to my shoulder while he exhales on a shaky breath. “Of all the places to need sex.” He chuckles, which ends on a groan as I press closer, rubbing against his erection.

“I don’t need sex, I need you to make love to me.” I slide my hands through his hair and feel him shudder again at my touch.

“Sirena,” he groans, his breaths growing heavier.

Taking pity on the man, I tell him, “I’ll be fine until you take me back to the room, and then we’ll have a quickie before you come back down here.”

He groans and chuckles. “I need to calm down before we go anywhere.” Our eyes meet, and he gently cups my face in his hands. Caressing my cheeks with his thumbs, he whispers. “I love you.”

“You make my knees weak when you look at me like you are . . . with all your feelings for me clear in your beautiful blue eyes.” I turn my face and place a kiss to his palm, and then, my cousin interrupts us.

Alexander looks between us and with a smirk on his lips, says to Garrett, “Haven’t you got a hotel to open?”

Garrett laughs and wrapping an arm around my waist, follows Alexander to the middle of the dance floor as a hush falls over the ballroom.

I’d much rather be sat on the sidelines, especially in my pregnant state, but my man obviously wants me beside him, and that fills me with joy, and nerves. There are so many people watching us, and I catch a few people frowning when they look at me, and then to Garrett.

I know what those people are thinking and the thing is, I really don’t care. Nothing and no one will alter my love for the man standing proudly beside me.

He’s incredibly handsome and he fills out his tux more than enough to make me swoon—so delicious and I can’t wait to be alone with him later. He accepts the microphone in the quiet room and when he says, “My fiancée and I would like to welcome you to The Hudson Nirvana . . .” I don’t hear anything else because his introduction thrills me and so does the look of pride in his eyes when he says those words.

I guess there is no time like the present to announce to all our friends and family who are present this evening that we’re moving forward in life together.

By the time the speech is over and the applause has died down we’re surrounded by people eager to offer congratulations. They offer well wishes, not just for the hotel, but for our engagement as well.

The room becomes warm, hot even, just before it starts to become blurry, and as though at the opposite end of a tunnel to me, I hear Garrett talking, asking if I’m all right. I clutch his arm with my sweaty hand and then before I can register what exactly is happening, I feel strong arms lift me. Seconds later, I’m sitting on a sofa with Garrett rapidly waving something in front of my face to try and cool me down.

My vision starts to clear and with relief, I breathe calmly and know that if I don’t calm Garrett down that we’re going to be taking a trip to the hospital. Reaching out, I pull him closer and lay my palm against the side of his face. “I’m okay, now. I promise.”

“You nearly passed out, Sirena,” he says. “You scared me.”

“I’m sorry. It just got too warm with everyone around us.” I smile and opening my mouth to say what . . . when to my horror, Harry’s parents suddenly appear behind Garrett.

He notices my distraction and straightening, turns. He glances at me and back to Tina and Charles, offering his hand in introduction. “You’re friends of Sirena?”

Hearing his question snaps me out of my shock as I reach for his hand. “Help me up, please.” On my feet, I say with a nod of my head, “Tina, Charles.” To Garrett, I add, “Harry’s parents.”

“You’re looking very well, Sirena,” Charles observes while finding it difficult to keep his eyes from straying to my belly.

“I am well,” I smile up at Garrett, “and that’s because I have my love looking after me.”

“Harry never mentioned that you were pregnant?” Tina mentions, a single brow risen in question.

I grip Garrett’s hand. “Why would he?”

Tina frowns. “Surely you’re not saying that you had an affair whilst married to our son?”

Garrett opens his mouth to respond, but I beat him to it. “My marriage to your son should never have happened, which is something we both realized as soon as we said ‘I do’. I found my heart the moment I laid eyes on Garrett.” I snuggle into Garrett’s side, and say, “Let’s go.”

He looks worried and I know it’s because he’s worried about me.

“If you’ll excuse us, my fiancée needs to rest,” he says politely, however, I get the feeling that he’s angry on my behalf.

Ushering me away from the other couple as quickly as he can, I try to ignore the mumbling behind us. At the elevator Garrett rabidly prods the up button a few times as though that will make it arrive quicker.

“Garrett, honey,” a sticky sweet voice chirps.

I watch as his shoulders tense and he completely stills at the sound of the other voice. Curiosity getting the better of me, I turn and watch a beautiful woman with soft blonde hair and a figure that I’d kill for right now, drift up close and personal to my man.

“Clarissa,” he snaps, which draws my gaze to his face.

Most men would be taken by her beauty, but Garrett actually looks pissed to see her.

“What are you doing here? You weren’t invited, regardless of your endless attempts to obtain a ticket.”

“Is that any way to talk to a lover?” she says in a patronizing tone.

I’ve changed my opinion of her and she’s an ugly woman who sure as hell doesn’t know Garrett very well if she’s trying to upset me.

“You are not my lover,” he hisses, “nor have you ever been. I suggest you leave my hotel and go to another.” With those words, he waves over security. “Please escort Ms. Redford to the door, she isn’t welcome in this hotel. Ever.”

“You can’t do this,” she screeches, drawing everyone’s attention to us.

He nods at the security guards, and they start to move her away, as he ushers me into the elevator.

Garrett tugs me into his arms and leans against the wall of the moving elevator. My ear is pressed against his chest and I hear his heart pounding. “Do you believe me, Sirena? About—”

“About the ugliness of Clarissa?” I interrupt and meet his gaze. “Yes, I believe you. I trust you Garrett, and as we discovered within five minutes of each other, we both have pasts . . . I do have to ask though, who was that woman?” I smirk, feeling slightly amused.

He tucks me under his arm as we move to our room.