It hadn't occurred to him until she said it that she might have arrived here without him, with no one to hold her, and help her find her way. The idea slid like an ice knife along his spine and he gathered her close again, pressed a kiss to the top of her head and sheltered her.

"I'm glad I was here. That you didn't end up in this place pregnant and without me." Z was tough and she'd have survived, but he didn't want to think about what it would have done to her heart.