Page 64 of North
“What the fuck?” I snarled as I watched short clips of a teary-eyed Sierra detailing how I raped her against the front door before she could escape and bolt from the house. Flames rose from the base of my spine until they engulfed me in so much fury I couldn’t see straight.
“Wait…she said what?” Melanie laughed, plucking the phone from North’s hand. “This is going to be exactly what stops the case from going forward.” She seemed excited but I was too pissed to figure out why.
“Explain to me why this is something I should be happy about, Mel,” I grumbled.
“Everything she’s saying can be easily disproved. You have one of those home security cameras, right?” She looked at me lifting her arched brow.
“One on the doorbell and at all the doors in the house.” I scrubbed at my beard and realized the claim that I forced myself on Sierra in the foyer against the front door was full of holes. All I had to do was run back the tape for her lawyer and the case would get dropped.
“We can prove she’s full of shit and sue her for defamation at this point,” North’s eyes lit up even though I could tell she was in so much pain from the migraine inching in on her.
“North, a girl after my own heart.” Mel locked fingers with Elijah who seemed quiet and withdrawn. “Come on, let’s go pick up a few things and we’ll see you guys at the house.”
“You okay, man?” I asked him once we stepped onto the sidewalk.
“Not really. You’ve been working hard as hell on that painting for Mr. Chandler and now…” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Now it’s all gone to hell,” I said, finishing his thought.
“Exactly.”
I didn’t have anything to say in response because he was right. I poured months of my life into that painting and it could have elevated my career. Now it was all up in smoke. It stung and it wasn’t fair but I needed to focus on my reputation and my freedom. In comparison to those things, my painting not being featured was small.
North and I parted ways with Elijah and Melanie and went home. I needed to be somewhere familiar and safe.
We ended up in our bedroom amongst the silence that managed to pile up between us. I shut the blinds and curtains, plunging the room into darkness so North could lie down. When I moved to help her out of her apron and clothes, she stiffened.
“What’s wrong, Shortcake. I know you have a migraine but I feel like there’s something else you’re not telling me.” The mattress dipped under my weight when I sat on the bed. “I need some kind of win. Tell me what’s on your mind, please.” I wished I could extract her thoughts and examine them in my hands.
North stood in front of me with her lips tucked between her teeth. Her body rocked back and forth, wrought with uncertainty. I saw it in the way her brows knitted together.
Finally, she pulled her hand out of her apron pocket and placed something in my palm. I was fixed on the expression warping her features though. “What’s this?” I quizzed, holding her wrist in my free hand.
“Mel thought I might be pregnant so we went to get pregnancy tests right before you called and told me you’d been arrested. I haven’t had a chance to look at them. So, I don’t know if this will be a win or not but I want to look at the results with you.” She sat on my lap and my hand instinctively went to her flat stomach.
“Pregnant? You really think…”
“It’s plausible. I haven’t had my period yet and I haven’t been feeling well.” She tucked thick red locks of hair behind her ear and stared down at her fingers.
“Holy shit,” I sighed. I found myself wishing for a tiny version of us. I wanted something to commemorate our love and how beautiful it was. North having my kid was perfect.
I rubbed the back of my neck and closed my hand around the pregnancy tests. “Wait,” I said, holding onto her anxious hands. “What are we looking for? One line across or two lines down the middle?”
“Two lines down the middle,” she smiled a little even though I knew she felt like shit.
“Let’s do it.” I opened my hand and turned the plastic sticks over so they were facing up. Both tests read the same blaring result.
Two lines down the middle.
My Shortcake was pregnant.
Suddenly, all the chaos and rage of the day fell to scraps at my feet. Nothing in the world had ever made me this happy. My mind began painting images of the family I always wanted.
Joy consumed me starting at my core then spilling onto my face. I smiled from ear to ear before pulling North’s pretty mouth against mine. She was so goddamn beautiful right then. I couldn’t show my appreciation the way I needed to because she wasn’t feeling well. I’d have to save it for later.
I kissed her lips gently, circling her waist with my hands. My dick stood so fast it ached. I hated how much stress Sierra was putting on North. I hated it even more knowing my woman was pregnant and she didn’t feel relaxed.
“You have no idea how happy this makes me, Shortcake.”
