Shane's blue eyes filled with shock and disbelief. "You're what?" he choked out, his voice deeper then normal, from anger or their recent lovemaking, Layla wasn't sure. Layla nodded, her green eyes filling with tears at his less then favorable response. He rolled off of her, alleviating the weight from her body. Instantly, she missed it. "When? Just now? How could you be pregnant?" he demanded, his voice hot in his throat.

Layla sat bolt upright and shoved off the bed. She rounded on him, her hands on her hips, her lips pursed. "Now you listen here!" she squeaked, her knees still wobbly from her orgasm. Her head swam around in circles. "I had committed myself to raising this child alone, without you. I even moved to this frozen wasteland so I wouldn't ever make you feel guilty. And you come to my door, and tell you me love me! You tracked me down, to make love to me. And now, now that I tell you about this baby, you close up on-"

She was cut off shortly as Shane propped himself up on his elbows and said, "You know, you're sexy when you're angry." Layla's eyes narrowed at him, the green depths making shafts of piercing light that hit him directly between the eyes. He rose a bit higher, settling himself on the edge of the four poster bed. He reached out and took her hips between his hands, and pulled her toward him. He brought her closer, and pressed his warm lips against her stomach. "And this," he whispered, passing a hand over the small round swell of her abdomen, "Is the sexiest part of all."

Layla felt her heart race as he kissed her navel again. "Do you mean that, Shane?" she asked, her voice thick with raw emotion. "Do you really mean that?"

Her voice was so uncertain that it stung him. How could she think that he didn't want to have children with her? Of course, he had never led her to believe that he ever wanted kids. In fact, everything he had done since he had met her said the complete opposite. Hell, he doubted that she thought he wanted to get married. Actually, that's probably the reason she left. She knew that if he found out she was pregnant, he would insist upon marrying her. Course, he had realized that life without her wasn't life at all. But by the time his brilliant mind formed that conclusion, their apartment had been subleted, and she was long gone. The only thing the new girl knew was that she sent the payments to Andie McGinnis, Layla's lawyer and long time pal.

Now, here he sat, with Layla before him, and the world had just started making sense again. But this bombshell had dropped without a sound, rocking him completely. "You don't want children," Layla whispered, stepping back a fraction of an inch. Her whole body was rigid with rejection; he could tell her heart was breaking all over again.

Even that fraction of an inch distance between them was devastating. Shane's grip on her tightened on her hips as he tried to pull her back to him. But Layla took another step back, and Shane felt the sudden lurch of his heart as she backed away. "No," he gasped, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her forcefully into his lap. She folded herself there, and curled into his shoulder. "I want children with you," he growled, astonished to find that he meant it. Layla hummed into his chest, the sweet contented sound of a well-fed cat. "I want your beauty and magic in every one of my children. I want to come home to you and our family, every day until the day I die. I'll even do it in this frozen hell you've chosen, if that's what you want."

Layla lifted her eyes to meet his, and he fell into a trance of sorts. In her every movement was something he had missed. The way she bit her bottom lip when she wanted to smile, the way her bangs lay across her forehead, the tiny scar near her left eye. He had seen her face so many times in the past few months, he could have imagined it every day for the rest of his life. But the fact remained that he didn't want to remember it, or imagine it, he wanted her there, with him. She was the best friend he'd ever had, the only one that would listen when he needed to talk, without expecting anything in return.

"I want it, Shane. I want it all. I want babies, and a house, and a job. I want to work, I want to do something with my life. I want to raise a family, a good, strong family, with a Mom and a Dad. I want my kids to be loved," she whispered. "And I want a man who wants all that too."

Shane's eyes filled with light as he smiled down at her. "I didn't want any of that, until I wasn't sure I could have it with you." Layla bit her bottom lip, and a second later, she smiled that brilliant smile that made Shane's heart twist.