Ferdinand would have had a field day with how I just bared myself to Cat. I’ve never gone that far with anyone before, never connected with them, never scooped out my heart like that and laid myself bare. I feel like, even though we haven’t known each other that long, she can see me through the inside out.

And she’s the mother of my child.

I hope she likes what she sees.

We finish our dinner at Julie’s Peak, although I’m not that hungry. Cat eats plenty though, and I can tell that she’s really enjoying it. Good call to switch restaurants. I recognized the panic on her face when she was trying to find something she could eat.

Wisely—well, on Cat’s part, I would have toughed it out on my own—we call a cab to take us back to the restaurant so that we can pick up my Tesla. Dubreva doesn’t have that many cabs, but I’ve been in the backs of most of them during my stints at home. Many times, that had been with ladies I picked up from bars.

That seems like a lifetime ago for me.

The cab driver recognizes me and waggles his eyebrows in the rearview window. “His Highness has a date tonight?”

I look down at our clasped hands and grin widely at Cat. “Yes,” I say aloud, although it’s not quite just to the driver. I’m proclaiming for her. Proclaiming her as mine.

I leave the cabbie a huge tip.

When we get back to the Tesla, I start to break into a cold sweat again.

“I can drive,” Cat offers.

“No. I need to do this,” I say. “I have to get back to the man I used to be.”

Her expression is unreadable, but she nods and heads over to the passenger side. I wince as I get into the driver’s seat, twinging my bad leg as I do so. Yeah, good decision on Cat’s part to call the cab. I nearly spent all my strength climbing that hill.

I’m going to have to cancel on Margo tomorrow. She’ll be pissed. I stifle a grin at the thought.

Cat puts her hand in my lap again, which oddly calms me and I’m able to put the car in drive. I think my hands have a little more blood flow to them this time as I drive her back to the Palais Dubrevs.

She’s quiet. I’m quiet, too, lost in my own thoughts.

It isn’t until we pull up to the front that I see Doorman McDoorman scowling at us. But Cat takes no notice as she turns back to me, her dark eyes glittering in the night. Impassioned.

I feel my cock twitch in response.

“Do you want to come up?” she asks, her voice throaty.

I swallow, about to pounce on her, and she kisses me again, her impossibly soft, petal-like lips against mine. Her tongue enters my mouth, and she possesses me, body and soul.

I think I’ve fallen for you. The thought comes unbidden to me and I freeze. I’ve been with many women before, but I didn’t feel this way about any of them. I didn’t consider them to be a part of my future.

But I’m feeling this for her. And I don’t want to ruin it like I did that morning.

It takes every fiber of my being to pull back and look at her with regret. “Not tonight,” I say. I sound strangled, because it’s one of the hardest things for me to ever say.

Hurt immediately flashes through her eyes as she narrows her eyes at me. “What?” She sits back and crosses her arms in front of her, her body language screaming that she’s embarrassed. “I…see…”

“No, it’s not that,” I say quickly to smooth over the pain in her expression. “It’s not that at all.” I entwine my fingers through hers, and I bring the back of her hand to my lips and kiss it softly. “My lady.”

That catches her attention and she cocks her head to look at me, confused.

I swallow painfully. “We’re obviously going to have to do this together moving forward.” My free hand finds her stomach and I put my hand flat against it. I don’t feel any kicking or movement there, not yet. But I promise the baby that I will be there when he or she starts kicking.

“I want to do this right,” I say. “Just because you’re pregnant with my child doesn’t mean you’re suddenly bound to me. I don’t want you to fall into bed with me just because you think that’s what you have to do.”

“I wasn’t going to do that,” she protests.

I smile tiredly at her. “The same for this job that Jessica’s offered you. While I would love for you to take the job here and stay in Dubreva—I’d move back here, too—I want you to do what’s right for you. And if that’s staying in New York City or moving to Bangkok, well,” I swallow self-consciously, “I want you to know that I’ll go with you.”

“So, you’re saying…” she says slowly.

“I’m saying that I would give anything to feel your body against mine again. To make love to you again. But I want to do this right.” I look down at my hand over her belly. “I want to court you right. And have you do the right thing for our child.”

She looks at me with something akin to wonder. “You’re not quite the same Henry I met two months ago.”

I let out a short laugh. She has no idea. “I’m the right Henry now, I think.”

She considers this before kissing me again. I groan against her lips, and if she holds the kiss any longer, I’m going to forgo what I just told her and have my way with her here while the doorman is watching. But she pulls back breathlessly at the last possible second.

“Thank you,” she whispers. “Thank you so much. For giving me a choice.”

“Now, the big question is,” I tell her, “will you go on a date with me again tomorrow?”

She smiles and nods. “I’d like that,” she says. “Earlier this time? I want to spend the day with you.”

I nod. “I’ll pick you up at noon. I know another place in Dubreva I can take you.”

“Sounds good.”

She doesn’t kiss me again as she gets out of the car—probably because neither of us would be able to handle it. I immediately miss her presence at my side, and I let out a long sigh as I stare at the steering wheel.

“All right, buddy,” I mutter to my car. “Let’s do this.”