Page 14 of Secret Baby for the Bad Boy

“Listen to me, Damon.” My tone is steel, unbreakable and strong. “I'm here for you. No matter what. You’re not alone.”

“Even if that means sacrificing your plans for the future and the life you want to live?” He shakes his head, as if doubting he’s worth that.

“Whatever it takes.” My response is immediate. Fear clamps down on my heart, but I push it aside. For him.

“It isn't fair to you,” he says, but I shake my head.

“Life isn’t fair for anyone. But you’re my favorite person in this whole world, and I love you.” I squeeze his hand, willing him to believe it.

He nods, but I sense he’s not convinced. I don’t know what else to say, so I decide to push forward instead of looking back. “Now, how about we tackle the day? Together.” Except one thing I have to do alone.

“That sounds like a plan,” he says, and there's a spark of something that wasn't there before; hope or trust. Either way, I’ll take it.

*

I’m in the bathroom, trying to keep from throwing up. My hands tremble as I tear open the package, the crinkle of paper loud in the silence.

“Come on,” I whisper to myself, willing my heart to settle down. “It's just a test.”

A test that could redefine everything and alter the course of my life forever.

I follow the instructions, feeling numb and refusing to let myself to think beyond each step. The seconds drag into minutes. My heart clenches, my hands shake, and I can’t control the urge to bounce a leg as I sit and wait.

And then, there they are—two little blue lines in the white test window.

“Damn it.” The words are a whisper, and tears blur my vision, but I blink them back. This changes nothing. Alex needs me, and I've got plans, big plans that don't include diapers, midnight feedings, and sleep deprivation.

Twin tears slip down my cheeks. We don’t need this. Damon needs my attention, even though he’s very capable on his own. But neither of us can handle a baby in the mix.

But the truth is, it's not just about Alex. It's about Lark—the only man I’ve slept with in the last six months, and therefore the only man who could be the father of the baby growing within me.

I squeeze my eyes closed and see his face; the bad boy with a smirk that could melt steel and a reputation that could freeze hell over. Lark, the man who knew my body better than I knew myself and made me feel incredible in ways no one else before him could.

But I can’t tell him. The man is dangerous. Chaos, personified. Fun for a fling, but not someone I can let into my life for good. Just tying myself to him as the father of my child is too much. He has the power to ruin my plans, my future, my life. I can’t let that happen. For Damon. For me.

My hand touches my belly low between my hips, as if I’ll be able to feel something there. But the area is flat. Still, I know there’s something there, a baby.

What do I do now?

“Trouble follows you, Lark,” I whisper, into the empty room, my mind struggling to solve this riddle I’m facing. “I won't let it follow my child.”

And just like that, everything falls into place. I’ll figure things out, just like I always have. I wipe the last tear away, toss the evidence of my new reality into the trash, and square my shoulders. Life might have just thrown a curveball, but I've got my eye on the ball, and I'm not striking out.

“Whatever it takes,” I whisper, the memory of my earlier promise to my brother mixing with a new vow made in my heart.

“Whatever it takes.”

I pull out my phone and call Shana. I want to ask her to come over so I can share the news.

“Shana,” I blurt out before she can even say hello, “I'm pregnant.”

A heartbeat passes, then another, then she speaks so softly I wonder if I’ve made up her response. “Oh, Lara, that's—wow.”

“Yeah, wow doesn't quite cover it.” I still haven’t come to terms with the turn my life has taken.

“Have you… Who…” She doesn't finish the questions, but I know what she's asking.

“Only Lark,” I say, his name slipping over my lips like a secret I shouldn't tell. “He can't know, Shana. He just can't.”

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