I stood in front of the large mirror on the wall and smoothened my dress over my bump.

As much as I would've loved to lay down in my bed and cry my feelings away all night, I still had an evening with Killian Fobster to get through first.

For some last-minute adjustments, I applied eyeliner and pinched my cheeks, satisfied with my look.

I took in a deep breath and flitted back into the bedroom in search of my shoes. That was when a knock sounded on my door.

It had to be Killian.

My nervousness topped up a notch. I quickly kicked the pizza wrapping underneath the couch and padded barefoot towards the door, trying not to show entrepreneurial oomph.

When I opened it, his dark eyes caressed me, gliding from my head to my toes before lingering back on my face. "Can I come in?"

I blinked away the hotness I felt and immediately released the door handle for him to step in.

"You're here a little earlier than I expected, I'm not done getting ready yet," I told him, watching as he looked around, no doubt in dismay.

"It's fine, I can wait." He said and then held out a box to me. "I got you something."

It was a medium-sized box wrapped in red paper, complete with a black satin bow. I took the box and looked at him, panic and nervousness in my eyes. "What's in it?"

"Open it."

Eyeing him curiously, I sat on the couch and peeled back the paper. My heart started to pump faster as I tore back the last wrap and lifted the lid to find a pair of black Dior heels that weren't high but weren't low either. 

"Killian..." I sighed, unable to take my eyes off them. "You didn't have to."

"Do you like them?" He asked me and I looked up at him.

Of course, I liked them. Who in their right mind wouldn't. I closed the box and heaved a breath. "Why are you doing this? First with the flowers and chocolate, now this?"

He sat beside me, plucking one of the shoes out of the box in my lap. "I read in one of the pregnancy catalogs you left behind that at this stage, your feet might start to get swollen and your shoes might not fit perfectly anymore." He pulled the stuffing out of the shoe. "I thought I would ease your discomfort. It's easy to put on and it's a number higher than your usual size."

When he moved off the couch and down on a knee, my cheeks grew light red. I wanted to protest but damn him, I just couldn't. "If it helps, you could just see it as a thank you present for going on this date with me."

The shoes were too much. Way, way too much, and yet I knew I wasn't going to refuse them. He slipped it into my foot and when he let go, I wiggled it.

It did seem light and comfortable. I smiled, not sure how I should feel, not sure if I even deserved to be feeling this way.

Still, on one knee, he looked up at me. "Does it fit?"

"Yes," I nodded, trying not to get too excited but deep down, I knew Cinderella would be jealous of me.

When he slid the other one on, I stood up and looked down at them. Excitement bubbled inside me as I wiggled my toes. Hands down, I loved them.

"Will you wear them tonight?"

My heart rose in my chest. I met his gaze. "You want me to?"

He nodded.

Oh, the flutters were back again.  "Alright. I'll just get my purse so we can leave."

A minute later, I grabbed my purse and my coat and we walked down the stairs together. He opened the door for me to slide in.

During the ride, he kept his sole focus on me; asking me if I was okay, if I was cold, if I needed anything. He was playing the part of the gentleman perfectly, and some part of me worried that he might have just been faking it.

I tried hard to push the thought away but Scott's words still lingered in the back of my mind. What if he was right? What if Killian didn't actually love me, what if he was just doing this because he felt guilty?

I peeked at him. I didn't want pity love. I'd already been a victim of it once.

He took a right turn and suddenly the road we were driving was narrow and sandy. When I looked up ahead, I could see a house gleaming with light.

"Have you ever been to a beach house before?"

I shook my head and continued to stare at the magnificent landscape. It was late but locals and tourists still milled about in bikinis and swimming trunks, some laughing, some eating, others playing by the docks.

"I think you'll love it. We'll do some exploring after diner."

"Anything's fine with me."

He was silent for a moment, but then he spoke again. "Maybe after all this is over and the baby is born, we could go on a real vacation and make up for the chaotic honeymoon we had."

My nerves jumped anew. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Killian. I only agreed to go on a date with you, I never said I was coming back." 

"At least think about it."

I pursed my lips. "Yes, sure I will." 

He gave an avuncular smile and circled the car around the huge waterfall before coming to a halt. "We're here." 

He climbed out and walked over to open the car door for me. I clambered out, quickly enough to witness the mahogany doors leading to the house open and reveal a young blonde woman adorned in silk prints.

"Good evening and welcome. Please, right this way." She headed toward the walkway. "And, watch your step."

Drawing in a breath, I walked the footpath made from gleaming stone, thankful for the shoes.

The walk was long and the lights were dim, I missed a step at one point but Killian's arm immediately came around my waist to steady me. "Take it slow, I don't want you getting hurt."

A current sparked where he'd touched me and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the flutters in my belly. I nodded and gulped, pulling away from him.

Before long, we passed through the foyer, and then we were being ushered into the dining area.

"The table will be served shortly." She announced, crossing the long room to push open the shutters guarding the tall arch-shaped windows. "You can look around in the meantime."

"Come," Killian told me and I followed behind as he stalked over to the east side and pulled the door leading to the terrace open.

I walked in and immediately embraced the remarkable sight before me. "It's... Beautiful," I admitted, breathing in the musty sea scent. "I always dreamt of having a view like this."

"My mother thought so too." He said from behind me.

"Your mother seems like a nice person."

"She was, actually. Too nice."

I turned away from the view to look at him. "How come you never talk about her?"

The dismay that flashed in his eyes didn't go unnoticed. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't—"

"She was…" he cut me. "...funny, bright, full of life…" he sighed and relaxed by my side. "She owned this place. She came here when she wanted to get away from the world and she did that very often." He said warily and then sighed.

"It must be hard for you being back here with all the memories of her still intact."

He nodded and lowered his head. He looked so vulnerable as he exhaled. "I can't keep running, can I? I did it once and it cost me a life."

A lonely light glimmering in his eyes as he stared down at the crystal water made the urge to touch him very hard to push back. For a fraction of a second, I wanted to comfort him.

"Mr. and Mrs. Fobster," the wait-staff's voice interrupted. "Dinner is served."

He stood straight and the glimmer in his eyes instantly disappeared; like he'd locked it back up. He turned to me. "You must be hungry. Let's have dinner."

"Oh, I don't think I can eat."

His brow squeezed together in a slight frown. "Why?" His voice was low and laced with worry.

I bit my lip. "I don't have an appetite."

And it was true. I didn't. 

He pursed his lips and looked at me like he knew he wasn't going to win this round. "Well at least keep me company at the dining table while I eat."

I nodded. "I can do that."

"Come." He whisked me toward the dining table and pulled back one of the wooden chairs for me to sit.

Van Morrison crooned softly in the background, setting the atmosphere.

I almost drooled at the huge quantity of food already dished on my plate.

Killian twirled his fork around the Chow mein noodles on his plate and held it to my mouth. "Try this."

"Killian, I told you I don't have an appetite."

"Just one, please?"

I narrowed my eyes and parted my mouth, allowing him to put it inside my mouth softly.

It tasted nice.

"It's good, isn't it?" He asked while handing me a glass of water.

I took it and nodded. "Yes but I don't want anything else."

He looked down at my plate. "Your Bisque looks good. Give me a taste."

Sighing because I had no strength to argue, I scooped a spoon full of the creamy soup and held it out for him. He obediently leaned forward and slipped everything into his mouth, grimacing a moment later.

"It's too spicy."

I shrugged. "It doesn't look spicy."

"It is." He scrunched his face in disapproval. "Don't try it."

Telling me not to try it only made me want to try it even more. "I'll try it."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

"How bad could it be?" I dipped my spoon back into it and swallowed. It was favorable. "See, not spicy at all."

"Maybe the noodles affected your taste buds, try another one."

Narrowing my eyes, I filled another spoon and dipped it inside my mouth. "It's not spicy."

He shrugged. "Still not convinced."

Irritated, I began to reach for another spoonful but my eyes flew to him when I realized he'd tricked me into eating.

I set the spoon down. "Well played. Asshole."

His lips twitched into a smile. "I've missed your smart mouth."

I tried not to blush. I didn't want to blush but I know my cheeks were getting red and since I didn't want him to see it, I lowered my head and grabbed my spoon whilst filling my mouth with Bisque.

He chuckled softly and began to eat.

I kept stuffing my face because this really tasted good and I couldn't get enough.

I was almost done with the bowl when I finally glanced up at him and saw that he was staring amusedly at me with both hands tucked underneath his chin.

"What's with the stare, It's creepy."

He shook his head and smiled. "I'm sorry, I got carried away for a moment."

My eyes darted to his plate and I noticed he hadn't eaten much himself. "With what?"

"How beautiful you look."

The spoonful I just had nearly poured out of my nose. I cleared my throat and forced my brain to work through the titillating haze. "Stop playing around with words like that."

"But I mean it." He leaned forward, brushing his thumb across my lower lip to catch the last bit of Bisque lingering. "You're beautiful." He put his finger in his mouth and sucked, making my thighs clench. "And just because I don't say it often doesn't mean I don't see it."

The air tensed between us. I stared blankly at him. Stupefied. I couldn't decipher the glint in his eyes. I didn't know whether he was genuine or not. "Why are you doing this now?" I tried to hang fiercely to the thread of annoyance, knowing if I lost it I'd throw myself at him. "Stop saying things to tease me."

For a moment, he didn't move or speak, just stared intently at me. When it got unendurable, I flushed and glanced down at my fingers.

"Most times..." He suddenly began, tilting my head back up to meet his gaze. "When I look at you, I want to tell you everything. I want to tell you that you're beautiful even when you're sleeping and snoring." His eyes softened with humor. "I want to tell you that I love it when you wear my shirt and walk around the house in it like you own the place. I want to tell you that If you lived on the top of Mount Everest, I'd be willing to climb up it every day just to see you smile. I want to tell you how I can't go two seconds without thinking about you. I want to tell you that I want to steal your heart just the way you've stolen mine. Most times... I want to tell you everything..."

Everything inside me shook hard and broke open. My voice wavered. "Then why didn't you?"

The silence simmered with unspoken emotion and words. He took my hand in his and spoke. "Compliments aren't something I'm good at giving. Plus, you wouldn't have believed me." He kissed my knuckles tenderly and the touch of his lips on my skin resonated through my body. "I love you, Hope. So much that it hurts sometimes and the irony is that the only cure for the pain is holding you even closer to me." His eyes delved into mine and stripped past all the barriers I'd put up within the last month. "I might not be perfect but I'll try my best to be. For you and our baby and I don't mind spending my entire lifetime apologizing for hurting you because it was never my intention to."

I was silent for a moment, just staring at him with glassy eyes and one thought running through my head.

Screwed. Definitely screwed.