Master of his heart (Max and Brielle) novel Chapter 1494

Her eyes, as blue as a clear sky, were filled with warmth for Dustin as she gently took his hand and placed it on her cheek.

"Do I look like I've lost some weight?" she asked softly.

"Not at all, you're still as stunning as ever," he replied with a smile.

Clare chuckled lightly, "Honestly, can you stay here with me for a couple of days?"

Dustin's brow furrowed a bit, but the sight of the scar on her neck, a chilling reminder from the doctor that she had been just inches from death, tugged at his heartstrings.

"Alright," he agreed.

Clare's smile widened, her gaze never leaving his.

Dustin settled into a chair, his phone buzzing at that moment with a message from Emma.

"The baby just kicked! Feels like it knows it's almost time to make an entrance."

A grin spread across Dustin's face as he read her message.

"The due date's just a week away. I'll be back in two days," he texted back.

Emma nodded to herself, then realized he couldn't see her nodding, so she quickly typed a reply.

"Okay."

Dustin was about to ask if she’d been eating well and if they had any names picked out for a boy.

But just then, Clare playfully snatched his phone and leaned in, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Are you busy with work?" she teased, her voice soft as she nestled into his arms.

"I hadn’t finished what I was saying. I thought I might never see you again, but I always believed you'd come to save me," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in for another kiss.

Dustin gently pushed her back, "Clare, we were clear that night was just a moment of madness."

Clare's eyes lowered, "Can't we have a week, a month, together?"

Dustin scooped her up and laid her on the bed, tucking the blanket around her.

"In two days, I've got to head back to Beaconsfield. My fiancée's about to have our baby."

Clare's eyes widened in disbelief, as if she'd heard wrong.

"A baby?" she asked.

Dustin nodded, "So, I'm truly sorry."

"But I can see you don’t really love her. With your means, you could easily raise the child on your own."

"I'll try to love her," he said.

Clare's gaze turned determined, "But that takes time, doesn’t it? Right now, you don’t love her. You’re drawn to me, I can feel it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have left her to come see me. It’s just the baby that makes her special to you."