Arctic's Gamble: An MM Mpreg Holiday Romance by Maggie Hemlock

Author:Maggie Hemlock [Hemlock, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-12-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Arctic

After I was cried out, I took long deep breaths, thankful it was just the dog and Zyler here to witness my breakdown. Sure, maybe running for my life across the Atlantic garnered me the right to a breakdown, but it wasn’t something I wanted broadcasted publicly. That was the great thing about Zyler back in the day: No matter what, I could always be myself around him. I really missed that in London, but only had myself to blame. I walked away from the only place that ever felt like home. No one made me leave. No one kicked me out. Hell, from the sound of it, no one wanted me to leave. Everything inside me ached. I wasn’t sure if it was jetlag or being on the run.

“Hey,” I said, not looking up at Zyler. “Can I ask you something?”

“I don’t see why not,” he sighed.

“Were you really going to propose?” I asked, unsure if I wanted to know the answer.

For a moment, Zyler smelled as if he was going to scream at me or growl or something. Instead, he just stood up and told Clover to stay before walking out of the room. Clover whined, and I scratched behind his ears.

“He lives here, boy. He can’t be gone too long,” I whispered to the dog and grabbed a napkin from the table to wipe away his drool.

By the time Clover’s face was clean, Zyler was back, holding something in his fist. He sat down on the floor across the room with his back against the fridge door. He sat a little black box down and slid it across the floor to me.

“What’s this?” I asked, swallowing hard.

“Open it.”

I took a deep breath and glanced at Clover.

“I think Clover hopes it’s food,” I chuckled, trying to cut through the tension that clung to the air between Zyler and me.

“Well, he’ll be disappointed,” Zyler shrugged. “Open it.”

I did. Only I opened the little box with my eyes squeezed shut. As soon as I opened them, I knew I’d be back in the past, looking at the life that might’ve been.

“Arctic,” Zyler sighed, in the way he always did when he was exasperated with someone.

“Fine,” I groaned and opened my eyes.

Inside the box, set a ring I knew all too well. It was one of a collection Ignatius Hemlock left to Zyler when he passed. Most folks wouldn’t find the collection all that fabulous, but I loved the polished and magically protected petrified wood rings. I lost hours spinning them around on Zyler’s fingers, looking at all the secrets of the past they held.

“Believe me now?”

“You kept it in the box all this time?” I asked, blinking hard because I sure in the hell wasn’t going to cry again.

“I didn’t want to have it. I planned everything for months. In my head, it was already yours. Hell, keep it. Sell it if you need to or want to. It’s authenticated.”

“Zy --- I can’t---” I took a deep breath. “I can’t keep your dad’s ring.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.