Page 111 of The Heir

"Do you need anything, sweetie? Before we sit down for supper?" I ask quietly. Pressing my lips to the top of her hair I inhale her unique scent, clutching her harder to me. She's so soft, womanly, desirable. Mine.

Isobel clutches her fingers into my shirt. "No…" she says. "But I want to go to bed after dinner. I'm tired, I think I overdid it and should have stayed home like you said." I clutch her harder, wishing we could skip dinner. But now, in her condition, that wouldn't be smart.

"That's okay beautiful. We have all weekend to rest. Though you know tomorrow Teresa's bringing baby Vi to my parents' for us all to meet." When I pull out her chair, she tightens even more against me. The action soothes my nerves, and I turn, sitting carefully in my seat with her nestled against my lap. "What is it, gorgeous?"

"I'm pregnant!" she sobs. Her eyes well up, the tip of her nose turns red as she bursts into tears before burying her face in my neck. There's a desperation there that makes me weak, calls to me. Just when I'm raising my hand to stroke her hair, Marianne breezes through the door with our food on dome covered plates.

"Thank you Marianne," I say quietly.

She leaves with a nod, throwing Isobel a fond look before leaving. It's adorable how much my staff respects and cares for her already, andI am once again so validated in my choice that I can't help but take a minute to just be there with her. I wait until Marianne exits the room before I turn my face into hers, nuzzling her temple, taking a deep breath and soaking her in.

"I know you are, baby." With a finger hooked under her chin I turn her to face me, ignoring her squeak of surprise. Her eyes are wide as I lower my lips to hers and kiss her softly, before deepening it.

She tastes like salt tears, and it makes me want to crawl inside of her and ensure that she'll never hurt ever again. I'm busy basking in how hard she's clutching me to her, my hands roaming over her soft curves and permeating my lungs with her smell when her next words send me crashing down back to earth with a literal bang straight to the heart."Don't make me get rid of it,"she cries.

Digging her nails into my shoulders she hangs on tight, and it's then I notices she's trembling.

Wait, what did she say?

The beating of my heart quickens as I struggle to process her words. Tilting my head back I can't help but pin her with a look that I know must be an incredulous one. My brows furrow before arching as I clock the almost manic desperation to her expression, the way she's breathing, how hard she's currently digging her nails into my arms.

"What?!"I say, shocked."Why on earth would you say that, Isobel?"

Get rid of it?

"Because you wantedme, not a baby!" she cries tearfully as her eyes flicker back and forth between mine. She licks her lips, and at the sight of the tears rolling down her cheeks I raise a hand and swipe them away with my thumb.

"Sweetheart, if I didn't want a baby with you I would have used a condom when we were having sex.I wasn't concerned about a pregnancy." Iemphasis on a half-laugh, seeing her crying begin toslow. "I thought that was made clear when I told you that I loved you. So, why would I make you do something that might potentially hurt you?" I ask softly, seeing her eyebrows furrow.

"I-I don't understand…you knew I was on birth control though… so I thought that you were just relying on that."

I grin at her, deciding that I love a discombobulated Isobel. "Izzy, birth control isn't always fool proof, and whenever I was with a partner before you, I always used a condom regardless if they were on birth control or not."

At the mention of me being with other women, even if it was well before I began stalking her, Isobel's demeanor changes so suddenly that it takes me by surprise. Her hazel eyes narrow, and her mouth pulls into a pout forcing me to tighten my arms around her to try and placate that little demon that's trying to make an appearance and ruin our moment.

"But-with you,"I stroke her cheek, trying to soften her up. "I didn't have the same worries as I had with others. I knew what I wanted with you Isobel, and that included a family of our own. I never just wantedyou,baby, I wanted everything that we could possibly amass together. And for the record, I'd like an army of children."

Isobel's eyes go from being narrow to wide before she swallows hard."W-W-Well,"she stammers, turning a vivid shade of red."I think one, for now, would be just fine."

She goes to move off my lap, but I tighten my grip around her in a warning for her to relax and be still. As she settles back against my arm, we both watch, riveted, as I work to pull up her shirt, exposing her tummy. I place my hand right over her belly button and press.

"Hendrix,are you sure?Please don't make me think you're okay with this if you really aren't-" Isobel's back to being nervous, but Iinterrupt her, quickly putting my eyes to hers, letting her know under no circumstances am I playing with her emotions.

"We will give our child a beautiful life, one where she doesn't have to worry about being sad, or unloved, or abandoned. She won't ever have to worry about eating noodles every meal until she's so sick of them she doesn't want them anymore. Maybe we can grow a garden for her so she can pick her own food? She will be one spoiled little girl."

Isobel smiles at me before placing her hand over mine. "Okay… but nottoospoiled, or you'll have a monster on your hands if you aren't careful."

I chuckle. "And I should be afraid of a monster, when I have a little she-devil for a wife?"

Isobel gasps and hits my arm. "Hendrix!Stop calling me that."

"No," I say sternly. "Don't ask me to." I bend, treating her to a rough, lavish kiss before finally letting her up and helping her into her seat.

"And a girl? Why not a boy?"

Pulling off the covered dome to her dinner, the sight of her serenesmile makes my heart warm as she begins to dig in.

"I fancy myself in a pink tutu sitting at a little fake china set and playing with dolls with a daughter who smears make up on my face as we play dress up." I grin at her, seeing her smile back. "And, well, it'd be nice to break a generational curse too while we're at it. We need more daddy's girls in the family to give us men a run for our money."

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