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  I knew firsthand how devastating divorce could be, especially for children. I pulled away from Sheldon. “As much as I want to start a new life with you, I’m concerned about the emotional impact the changes will have on Angelica and Ruby. I’m a stranger to them. Besides, your wife may suddenly decide that she’s ready to be a mother and fight you for custody. I don’t want to put them or you through that kind of pain. I’m content in knowing you’ve accepted Marissa and wants to be a father to her one day when the time is right to tell her who you are.”

  “Denise will never do that,” he said with remarkable certainly.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “She gave me full custody. She doesn’t even want visitation rights, she told me.” His voice broke.

  “Oh, Sheldon.” I knew it must hurt him. David wasn’t Marissa’s biological father, and it made me sad whenever I see the hurt on her face brought on by his neglect of her. As bad as it was for me, it had to be more devastating to hear the person you made babies with say they want nothing to do with those babies.

  But still. “Is there any chance she may come back for you?” I asked. I mean he was a hunk and the woman may have been a total idiot to have not realized that in the past, but she could suddenly wake up and decide she wanted her man back, especially if she saw him with another woman. “Six months isn’t that long ago.”

  Sheldon let out a long sigh and leaned back against the sofa. “It’s embarrassing, but we haven’t been intimate since before Ruby was born. I haven’t had sex in almost two years.”

  “Oh, goodness, Sheldon.” I knew this man’s passion, and for him to be without a woman for that long was just plain wrong.

  “Yeah. Shocking, huh?”

  I hadn’t been with anyone since my divorce either, but that was from fear and uncertainty, and the fact that I hadn’t found anyone worth my time. Sheldon was a man—a handsome, rich, sexy man. He could have any woman he wanted, yet he’d chosen not to. My respect and admiration for him climbed a lot higher. “I never imagined it was that bad,” I murmured. “I mean before the divorce, and all.”

  “I threatened to find another woman to take care of my needs if she didn’t.” He chuckled. “She told me that I should. Then shortly after, she filed for divorce. When I refused to sign the papers, she threatened to air our dirty laundry. I couldn’t put my girls through that. Denise really doesn’t care about me or our children.”

  “Were you ever tempted to follow through on your threat to find another woman?” I asked.

  “Many times, but— ” He cupped my chin in his wide, warm palm. “I never found one who was worth going through the hassles for. Even so, I tried, Elizabeth. I really tried to make my marriage work. If Denise had given me even twenty percent, and if she’d been a mother to our girls, I would stay for their sake. It just breaks my heart when she pushes them away, or just totally ignores them, like a few weeks ago when she skipped Angelica’s dance recital for a day at the spa.”

  The poor child.

  “I told Angelica that her mommy wasn’t feeling well. It didn’t lessen the hurt on my daughter’s face when she realized her mother wasn’t coming to watch her dance. Denise and I had a big fight over it. She told me in no uncertain terms that she did not want to be a mother in any way shape or form. She said she has done her duty to her family and mine, and that she wants out for real. She packed her bags, and I haven’t seen her since. She hasn’t even called.”

  “Have you called her?”

  “I tried because my girls have been asking for her. But she disconnected her cell. I can’t even tell you if she’s dead or alive, Elizabeth.”

  My heart ached, but I said nothing. I couldn’t imagine any woman not wanting to be a mother after she’s held her precious little newborn baby in her arms.

  “When I saw you with Marissa yesterday,” Sheldon continued, “I knew you were the kind of mother my girls should have. One who would love them, be there for them. There are three thinks I can thank Denise for. Each of my daughters and my freedom to love you. I do love you, Elizabeth, have loved you for six years.”

  Tears ran down my cheeks. “I love you, too, Sheldon. I’ve always loved you, and I will love your children. I will be there for them.”

  He wrapped his arms about me. “You know. I often wonder about the “what if” if you’d still been in that hotel room when I returned that morning.”

  “Well, for one thing, you still would have had Marissa, but you wouldn’t have had Angelica and Ruby. Can you imagine your life without them?”

  “No. Not at all.”

  “Then there is no need for regrets. We have a chance for a future together. Let’s revel in that.”

  “That’s why I love you,” he said. “You’re so smart, so optimistic. I’m going to try my hardest to make you very happy, Elizabeth. Give you and Marissa the life you deserve.

  I smiled into the hollow of his neck. “Just knowing you love me makes me happy, Sheldon. You don’t have to do anything else. I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

  “No, I’m the luckiest man,” Sheldon said, tightening his hold on me.

  We had a second chance. A future, but I couldn’t help but wonder about the challenges we’d have to face to make it happen. Whatever they were, I was ready to confront them. As long as Sheldon and I loved and trusted each other, anything was possible.

  The End

  From the Desk of Ana E Ross

  Dear Reader:

  I hope you enjoyed Sheldon and Elizabeth’s journey to Happily Ever After. Likes, Tags, and Reviews are always deeply appreciated.

  Find Other Books by Ana E Ross at:

  www.anaeross.com

  The Brit Who Loved Her

  Mark of a Good Man

  ***

  Billionaire Brides of Granite Falls Series

  The Doctor’s Secret Bride - Book One - Now Available

  Coming Soon

  The Mogul’s Reluctant Bride – Book Two - 2012

  The Playboy’s Fugitive Bride – Book Three - 2013

  The Tycoon’s Temporary Bride – Book Four - 2013

  In the meantime, enjoy an excerpt from The Doctor’s Secret Bride, Book One in The Billionaire Brides of Granite Falls Series.

  Fondly,

  Ana E Ross

  THE DOCTOR’S SECRET BRIDE

  Chapter One

  Erik frowned as a young woman hopped out of the cab that had just pulled into his driveway. His frown deepened when she hauled a suitcase out behind her, raised her hand to shade her eyes against the noonday sun, and gazed speculatively up at his house.

  “They’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered. He’d distinctly requested an older woman, no younger than fifty, and who had experience taking care of young children.

  Someone from the agency had called to say that the scheduled candidate had cancelled because of a family emergency, and that a Michelle Carter would be coming instead. Was it okay if she brought her credentials with her?

  Although the agencies conducted investigations, Erik ran his own background checks before interviewing potential employees. He could never be too careful when it came to the welfare of his only child. Today, he’d trusted Ready Nanny Agency because there was no time to check, and look what they sent him—a girl barely out of her teens.

  Her hair was cut too short for a woman. She was too skinny and too tall. Her jeans were fitted too tightly and the seductive sway of her narrow hips was too damn provocative. Despite his objections, and the fact that he handled women’s naked bodies on a daily basis, Erik felt a poignant stir in his loins.

  As a gynecologist, he’d learned to channel his sexual energy elsewhere when he walked into an examination room to see a patient. It was all professional. The woman walking up his driveway wasn’t his patient, and the images running through his head were anything but professional. They involved tangled sheets, soft sighs, harsh moans, musky odor rising from damp smooth skin...

  Shaking the libidinous thoughts f
rom his head, Erik tightened his jaws and moved away from the window. He’d been without a woman for too long. Yes, that was definitely his problem. It had been two years since his wife’s death, and since that fateful night, he hadn’t looked at any woman twice, much less bedded one.

  At the chime of the doorbell, Erik stepped into the hallway and caught up with the housekeeper in the foyer. “Mrs. Hayes, tell the young lady that I was called to the hospital on an emergency, and—um—that I will contact the agency with a new date for an interview.”

  “Yes, Doctor.” Mrs. Hayes threw him a speculative stare at the blatant lie.

  Erik marched down the hall and into his study. He closed the door, dropped into the chair behind his desk, and stared at the painting of his wife hanging above the fireplace.

  As usual, he tried to shift his sexual interest in other women to memories of lovemaking with her. There was no shifting for him today. As he stared into his wife’s brown eyes, the only images Erik saw were those of the young woman sashaying up his driveway.

  “Come in,” he responded to the knock on the door. “Is she gone?” he asked when it opened behind him.

  “No. She isn’t gone. She’s right here.”

  Erik swiveled around at the sultry voice. His heart did a triple take, and lust like he’d never experienced before crawled through his belly and settled into his groin. At a loss for words, he took a hard close-up look at the one hundred and forty pounds of temptation heading his way…

  Thank you for indulging…