Beauty Unmasked Read online

  I rise, and the tone in her words makes me pause before I can so much as sit. “What?”

  Her radiant smile beams at me. “Yes!”

  “YES? Is that some kind of syndrome?” I ask, wondering why she’s smiling.

  “No, Viktor.” She laughs and tugs my arm so hard I fall to her side. “Yes, I will marry you. I love you!”

  Releasing a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, I hug her awkwardly around the wires she’s attached to. I breathe in her distinct smell, and some of the tension in my body eases.

  “Let’s do it as soon as you’re out of here!” I need everyone to know she’s mine.

  Her eyes light up with amusement, and she starts laughing. The sound is one of my favorites in the world.

  “I’m being serious,” I tell her with a smile. It seems it’s all I do now with her in my life.

  “I see you’ve told him?” a voice says, interrupting our private moment. “Congratulations! How are you feeling, Isabel?”

  “Great,” she says, but something in her tone doesn’t sound right to me.

  “Okay, good.” The nurse points at the IV bag hanging nearby. “You’re done with this bag, and the doctor will be coming by soon with your discharge papers.”

  “Take good care of her and her precious cargo,” the woman tells me with a smile before leaving us alone once again.

  My vision blurs and my head spins. “What…what is she talking about?”

  “You know how you want to get married soon?”

  “Yeah…”

  She grabs my hand in hers. “Let’s do it before I start showing…”

  Air.

  I need air and confirmation. “Showing what?” I ask, needing to hear the words from her mouth.

  “I’m carrying our baby… I’m pregnant.”

  With those words, I fall deeper in love than I thought possible with Isabel. Lifting my hand, I lay it gently over her flat stomach. “I’m going to be a daddy,” I whisper with awe.

  Tears of joy roll down her cheeks, and I catch one with my thumb. “I’m bursting with love, Viktor.”

  Remembering the box I’ve been holding all night, I stand. My quick movement makes her frown, but I ignore it and shove my hand into my pocket. Wrapping my hand around the box, I look into her eyes and everything around us stills.

  “You’re giving me the world. Wear my ring today and tomorrow we go to the judge.” My words are thick with emotion. I’m overcome with all the good Isabel has brought into my life. I open the box and slip the one carat diamond framed by rubies onto her finger.

  Where there once was despair and darkness, there is now hope and light.

  AJ Renee grew up in a military family and moved around until her family settled in Florida. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a M.S. in Criminal Justice and a B.S. in Psychology. She currently resides in Illinois and spends her time with her Air Force husband, three young daughters, dog, and cat. She loves to travel and see family and friends whenever she gets a chance. She has a love of music, movies, and anything that can make her laugh. AJ believes in reading books with humor and mystery that end in a happily ever after to help ease our minds and hearts of life’s daily struggles.

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  ALSO BY AJ RENEE

  ST. FLEUR SERIES:

  Widower’s Aura

  Always Mine

  Duplicity

  No Going Back (Coming 2018!)

  OTHER TITLES:

  Finding Love at the Falls… (Short Story)

  Fractured Fairytales: Book One

  Beauty Unmasked

  Winter’s Surprise (Coming November 2017!)