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depths and saw
genuine curiosity. Few people rarely asked about her past and, now
given the chance to talk of her mother, she found she wanted to
share it with someone.
    “ As soon as I realized what
I’d done, I confessed to her. The look of relief on her face had a
profound change to my life. I focused on my magic like never
before.”
    “ In other words,” he said
softly. “You made her proud.”
    “ I’d like to think I
did.”
    He gave her a lopsided smile before he
turned back to the road. Adrianna let the silence stretch. She was
too lost in memories of her time with her mother to want to
talk.
    Was Grayson correct? Had she made her mother
proud? She wasn’t so sure.
    Her mother had cautioned her about giving
her heart to a man and bearing his child. For years Adrianna had
weighed her options, and then she’d met James.
    “ Do you believe in love,
Grayson?”
    He jerked his head to her, his brow knotted
in a frown. “I beg your pardon?”
    “ Love. Do you believe in
love?”
    “ I suppose,” he answered
with a shrug. “Drogan and Serena claim to love each other, and I’ve
seen what each will do for the other. If that’s love, then aye, I
believe in it.”
    “ That’s love,” she
confirmed.
    “ Why do you
ask?”
    She propped her chin in her hand. “My mother
told me that if I chose love, then my life was doomed. If I chose
to be against it, I would be alone.”
    “ Seems like either way you
weren’t going to live happily.”
    Adrianna chuckled. “It’s
true.”
    “ Did you love your
husband?”
    She licked her lips and lowered her head.
“James wasn’t my husband,” she confessed and waited for the deluge
of insults she was sure would follow.
    When none came, she slowly lifted her face
to him.
    “ You’ve never told anyone
that, have you?” he asked softly.
    She shook her head.
    “ Why tell me?”
    “ I don’t know. I’ve told
you more about myself and my past than I have anyone.
Ever.”
    He reached over and put his hand atop hers.
“Thank you.”
    “ Do you not think badly of
me?” She knew she should leave well enough alone, but she had to
know. It was suddenly very important he not look down on
her.
    “ Life isn’t easy, Adrianna.
Sometimes the choices we make aren’t the wisest. We learn from them
and move on. No one should have to carry the weight of those
mistakes forever.”
    She couldn’t help but smile. “Is it that
simple?”
    “ It is,” he said with a
wink. His expression then grew serious. “If you don’t mind me
asking. Why didn’t he marry you?”
    Should she lie or give him more of the
truth? She decided on the truth since there was no use in lying.
Not now. “Actually, he asked. Several times. I’m the one who
refused.”
    “ Because of the
curse?”
    “ That was part of it. It
would also allow him to marry someone else should he so
choose.”
    “ And your son? You were
willing to let him be labeled a bastard?”
    “ Aye.” His comment stung,
but she wouldn’t let him know how much. “I knew as soon as James
left that I would as well. A different village, a different
life.”
    He nodded at her explanation. “It would have
worked. No one would have been the wiser. Would you have told your
son the truth eventually?”
    “ I’d like to think I would
have,” she said. “In truth, I don’t know. I’ve seen what living
with the label of bastard can do to a person. I wouldn’t want that
for my son. I suppose I should be thankful I don’t have those
decisions to make now.”
    Their gazes locked. His silver depths didn’t
look at her with censure or anger, but with acceptance and
understanding. She would be forever grateful to him for that.
    He raised a brow. “Do you believe in
love?”
    “ Oh, aye.”
    “ Did you love
James?”
    She opened her mouth to answer then
hesitated. “Before, I would have answered aye but, after seeing
Drogan and Serena, I’m not so sure. I enjoyed James’ company and,
though it wounded me greatly when he