Ceinlys almost fell. Her vision dimmed for a moment, and she fought for air, unable to understand what he was saying. Two hundred million dollars? That was more than she ever wanted from him.
“That will ensure you’ll never have to do anything for money again. Life is short, Ceinlys. Especially for us at this point. Go do the things you really want to do.”
“I don’t understand.”
He looked away. “I know you married me for money, while I married you for love. I just wish I’d had the courage to leave as soon as I found out. Then we could’ve saved each other a lot of misery. And I would’ve never said those horrible things to Dane.” His mouth twisted. “Poor impulse control. Always has been a problem.”
“But what made you think that I married you for money?” She took a step forward. “Your money was never a consideration. I would’ve married you even if you had nothing.”
His jaw tightened. “Let’s not. You and I both know what happened.”
“I most certainly do not. I’ve never done anything to make you think that I married you for money. I want to know why you thought that. I deserve that much!”
Salazar’s cheeks turned dull red. “I heard you talking to Olivia. You were telling her you married me for money. I believe the exact quote was ‘Money, of course, why else.’”
She shook. She remembered that moment. Her friend Olivia Fairchild had been nagging at her, mocking her for her sentimentality. And finally Ceinlys had gotten fed up and said that she’d married for money just to shut Olivia up. She’d always flaunted her old southern roots and made Ceinlys feel inferior about everything. But she’d had no idea Salazar had been listening to the phone conversation. “We wasted our lives over that?”
“What did you expect me to do? I wasn’t going to confront you. I had my pride.”
Of course. Salazar was a proud man. He would’ve never questioned her about what he’d heard because it would’ve made him appear weak and needy.
You should never have lied, not over something as pointless as Olivia’s taunts.
“I hope you’re happy with whatever you decide to do in the future,” Salazar said. “We both deserve to be happy.”
He pushed himself away from the bed. Ceinlys raised a hand, but it was shaking so hard she dropped her purse. He picked it up and handed it to her. When she didn’t take it, he put it on the bed and started to walk away. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to, and she couldn’t speak even if she wanted to, not through the big lump lodged in her throat. Tears blurred her vision.
And she couldn’t see Salazar anymore.
Chapter Forty-One
Vanessa delivered a healthy baby boy after six hours of labor. Dane knew his sister was tough, but this was beyond his expectations. And he wasn’t alone in his admiration. All the siblings, their significant others, several of the cousins and both sets of parents looked at her with pride and happiness. Then there was Barron, who puffed out his chest like he was single-handedly responsible for the baby.
Her sweaty hair stuck to her face, and her gown was wet as well. But he’d never seen her more beautiful or radiant. She held the infant boy carefully to her chest. Then, finally, she let Justin hold their baby as well.
In Dane’s peripheral vision was Sophia. Tears glistened in her eyes, her hands over her mouth.
He put an arm around her waist. “What is it?” he murmured.
“The baby. He’s so beautiful. I’ve never seen anything so perfect before.”
“I take it you’ve never looked in a mirror. But yes, he’s pretty close.”
She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder, and he knew he’d said the right thing.
What would it be like for him and Sophia to have a child together?
He blinked at the thought, almost gasping at how suddenly it hit him. He’d never wanted a child. Experience had shown him that children were simply pawns in their parents’ games, and beyond that, he’d just never understood the point.
Still, the idea wouldn’t leave his mind. It drew a picture of Sophia with their baby. It would be red. All newborns were red, and they wailed in their thin reedy voices. But even in that state, the baby would look just like Sophia. Dane wanted it to inherit all her sweet temperament. He was too much of a bastard to give anything worthwhile to their child.
A fiery need surged through him, and he shifted slightly, making sure his sudden tumescence was hidden. Damn it, he felt like a perv. What the hell was he doing, thinking about impregnating Sophia and getting a hard-on while surrounded by the family to celebrate the birth of his nephew?