A Man Worth Loving. Kimberly Meter Van

him. But getting a dose of his own medicine was just the thing he needed to get his head together.”

      “Sounds like Dana knew how to get what she wanted,” Aubrey murmured, silently in awe of Sammy’s deceased wife.

      Annabelle sighed. “Yeah…but sometimes she went after what she wanted without considering the consequences.”

      “Do you mean Ian?” Aubrey asked, almost holding her breath. All she knew of Dana’s death was that it was an unfortunate incident that occurred during childbirth.

      Annabelle nodded. “Dana wanted a baby so badly she ignored what the doctors had told her. Sammy…he tried to talk sense into her but she desperately wanted a child with Sammy. And so she finally got pregnant.”

      “Why couldn’t she have babies?”

      “Dana was diabetic. It’s not something she ever talked about, in fact, for a long time she hid it from Sammy until he caught her giving herself an insulin dose early in their relationship. She didn’t like anyone to know about her private stuff and the diabetes was something she preferred to fight on her own with little interference. The pregnancy took everything out of her. She died from kidney failure.”

      “Oh.” Aubrey’s eyes watered for a woman she’d never known but had a feeling she was beginning to understand. If she were given a chance to have a child…she’d do what she could to make that happen. She knew the pain of being denied something so badly desired. “Did she get to see him before she died?”

      Annabelle squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment and Aubrey knew she was holding back tears. She felt bad for reminding her of such a painful memory but she hungered for glimpses into this woman’s life and she couldn’t bring herself to stop her. Annabelle drew a deep breath before answering. “Briefly. She opened her eyes long enough to make sure he was all right. She heard his cries and then she was gone.”

      “I’m so sorry,” she said, not quite sure what to say. It was such a tragic story but it only made her want to know more about the woman who had managed to tame the wild ways of the youngest Halvorsen brother. “She sounds like a wonderful friend and I have no doubt she would’ve been a good mother.”

      “Thank you,” Annabelle accepted the polite sentiment at face value and then, wiping at her eyes, she gave Ian another quick kiss and gently returned him to his toys. “It was nice chatting with you but I should get back to my own little one. Perhaps you could bring Ian over for a playdate sometime? Or maybe when Sammy is ready to pull his head out of his ass you could join us for a barbecue before the weather gets too cold.”