Fortune's Forbidden Woman. Heidi Betts

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СКАЧАТЬ spotted her first and rose from his place at the table to greet her.

      “Maya, sweetheart! You’re here.”

      He hugged her and kissed her cheek, and at least a portion of her grin turned genuine.

      “Happy birthday,” she told him, handing him the beribboned gift, a gold money clip engraved with his initials.

      “You didn’t have to do that,” he said, but the corners of his eyes crinkled with pleasure. He took the present and set it with a pile of other brightly wrapped boxes of varying sizes on a low cedar bench along the outer wall of the house.

      “Come sit down,” he invited, taking her hand and leading her over to the table. The women smiled in greeting, the men waving and calling out from the other side of the verandah.

      Only one person failed to say hello and looked less than pleased by her arrival. From the corner of her eye, she saw Creed’s expression tighten, his hard gaze on her as he lifted the mug of beer to his lips and took a long swallow.

      He certainly wasn’t looking at her like a man who’d recently shared her bed…or wanted to repeat the experience. In fact, she couldn’t say he was looking at her any differently than he ever had.

      The realization shouldn’t have wounded her, but it did, sending an arrow straight through her heart.

      Before she could dwell much longer on his indifference toward her, Gina handed her a glass of lemonade and patted the seat of the chair to her left. The sleeveless denim shirt she wore over white shorts completely hid any signs of her pregnancy. Of course, she was only a few months along, still in the first trimester, and they had only just recently shared the news with the family.

      Skylar, however, looked ready to pop, even though she still had a couple of months to go before her due date. Once the baby was born and it was safe for them to travel, she and Zach would be going back to New Zealand. They would return to the States to visit, but that’s where they planned to make their home.

      Maya felt a tiny stab of envy at the picture-perfect lives of the people surrounding her. They were all so happy together, and now positively ecstatic about the impending births of the next generation of Fortunes.

      And they deserved it. No doubt about it. But Maya couldn’t help the longing and regret that welled up within her when she compared their level of happiness with her own.

      She and Nash, it seemed, were the only ones whose lives were in shambles. And at least her stepfather’s misery was reasonable and already public, so he didn’t have to hide his emotions from everyone. Maya, however, spent the majority of her time pretending to be happier than she was, while inside she felt like weeping.

      Sparing a quick glance at Creed, who was busy flipping the steaks again, she decided he didn’t belong in the same category as Nash and her. He didn’t look miserable in the least, and she was pretty sure he had no interest in settling down anytime soon. Certainly not with her, at any rate.

      “Sit down and join us,” Gina said with an inviting smile. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

      “Thank you.” Maya took a seat between Nash and Skylar, reaching for a chip and holding on to her glass so she would have something to do with her hands.

      “The guys keep saying the steaks will be done soon,” Eliza said, her lips twisted wryly. “If you ask me, though, I don’t think they know what they’re doing. It’s been about two hours now, and this rabbit food just isn’t cutting it anymore.”

      Eliza rolled her eyes and flicked a hand over the vegetable tray. “We should have insisted on bringing in caterers or whipping up something a little more civilized, the way we girls wanted, instead of letting the men devise the menu.”

      “Oh, let them go,” Diana said with a light chuckle. “They’re enjoying themselves over there, drinking and flexing their muscles. And we can pay them back later when we start talking about babies and nurseries and wedding plans.” She cast her gaze around the table at the two expectant mothers and one soon-to-be newlywed.

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