Page 59 of The Prince's Green Card Scheme

“Chloe it’s me,” I say. “Can I come in?”

“No,” she says shakily.

“I’m worried about you. Please let me help.”

“Okay, fine,” she calls with a shaky sigh. “It’s not locked.”

Carefully, I open the door to find her crouched on the floor next to the toilet, one hand holding back her hair, the other clutching her stomach.

I rush over to her, sinking to my knees next to her. “What’s the matter?” I ask. “What’s happened?”

“Nothing,” she lies, and paranoia creeps around my ribs.

“Are you sure?” I ask. She nods then leans forward to throw up again. Unthinkingly, I reach out to take her hair and pull it out of her face. She doesn’t resist, and I sit there holding her until the vomiting has passed.

Then I sit up on my knees and rummage around in my pocket, looking for the pills. “Are you sure it’s nothing?”

She looks at me with wide, pleading eyes. They’re shining with tears, almost like she’s begging me not to keep asking.

My own hands shaking, I pull the pack of pills out of my pocket and hold them up. “You dropped these,” I say quietly.

She gasps, her hand coming to her mouth, the tears in her pretty green eyes finally falling. She reaches out to snatch the pack away from me but she doesn’t say anything else. There’s not really anything else to say. Nothing except…

“Is it true?” I whisper. “You’re taking these because… because you’re…”

“Because I’m pregnant,” she splutters. “I’m pregnant with your baby.”

I let out the breath I’ve been holding ever since I left the dining room, the relief and shock of the truth washing through me like a thousand shots of adrenaline.

“My baby,” I echo.

“I’m sorry,” she sobs. “I know this wasn’t what you wanted. It’s probably going to make things so much harder than they already are. I didn’t mean for this to happen. And I’ll understand if you don’t want it. If you never want to see me again, I’ll?—”

Not wanting her to spiral any further, I lean in and cut her off with a kiss. As our lips press together, I regret it a little because her lips taste of salty tears and bile, but I can ignore that.

I’m sure I’ll share better-tasting kisses with her in the future. Right now, all that matters is Chloe and me and our unborn baby.

“Idowant this,” I say as I pull away, wiping my mouth. “I want this more than I can possibly tell you.” I reach out for her hand. “I’m so sorry for all of the lies. Believe me; I’m being honest now. I want you, Chloe Fontana. I love you.”

She stares at me in shock, and I let the rest of my confession tumble out. “I’ve loved you since the moment I met you. I loved you more every single time I’ve seen you. I know our relationship is weird. I know it’s unorthodox. But if you’ll have me, I promise that I’m going to spend every second proving to you that I can be a good husband. More than that, I’ll prove to you that I can be a good friend. A good lover. A good person.”

This is what I’ve been trying to say to her for such a long time now. This is the least romantic way I could possibly have done it.

But I don’t care. I love her. I mean it so much, my heart could burst. I love her, and I love our baby.

And now it’s up to her to decide if she still wants me.

CHAPTER 29

CHLOE

Isniff, scrubbing my eyes with the palm of my hand. But it doesn’t stop the tears from flowing. This man… “I already know you can be,” I say. “You are ridiculous, Paolo. You and your schemes. You and your life.”

He gives me this look as if to ask if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, and I realize then that he really means it. Trying not to burst into tears again, I say, “I still haven’t a hundred percent forgiven you for all the lies. But we have a baby on the way now. That changes things. I know you have it in you to grow. But I can’t pretend I don’t feel anything, because I’ve loved you since we met too. I love you too.”

His breath catches in his throat, his eyes shining.

“I can’t promise to be what your family want me to be,” I add. “All I can do is promise to be good and faithful to you. To be the kind of wife that will make your parents proud, even if they won’t admit it.”

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