Page 70 of The Wife Deception
"Or," she fished a box out of her bag, "You could take one in your own time," and gave me the box. "Otherwise, rest, drink a lot of water and stop stressing."
I nodded and watched her as she wrote a prescription, which she handed to me as soon as she was done. Then she closed her bag and got up.
Nolan shook her hand. "Thank you, doctor."
"It's probably nothing, but if anything happens, you know how to find me."
When the doctor left, Nolan raked his hand through his hair with a shaky hand. "You freaked me out."
I got out of the bed, trusting my legs not to fail me, and when I didn't stumble, I put on my shoes. Nolan looked at me, surprised. "Where are you going?"
"You heard what the doctor said. I'm fine."
"We still have a lot to talk about."
"I don't think so." The door was a few feet away from the bed, and I was desperate to leave the room. I wanted to avoid spending more time with Nolan because I knew what he wanted to ask. And just as I was about to make my way to the door, Nolan slid in front of me, blocking my exit.
"I said we need to talk."
I scoffed and sidestepped him. But I must have done it so quickly that I stubbed my toe and stumbled. The thin high heels I had on didn't exactly help my balance, but Nolan was quick to catch me.
"You're not well."
I sighed. He was peering at me like I was some sick little Victorian child. His pity was not welcome and made me feel like I couldn't walk on my own two feet. Even when I tried to wiggle out of his hold, he held me firm, his hands gripping my arms tight, not enough to hurt, but enough that I couldn't move. "The doctor," I stressed. "Said I am fine,"
"I'm talking about the other thing she alluded to."My heart skipped a beat. He motioned to the pregnancy test still in my hand. "We had sex without protection a few times."
"And I told you I was on the pill, remember?"
"It's not one hundred percent effective."
I wiggled out of his hold again and this time; he let me go. "Are you forcing me to take the test?"
He blanched. "No. But, it's better if we know, don't you think? This is important."
Fuck, I wasn't going to get out of this one, was I. Nolan was going to hound me down until I took that test or wait until I was showing. Either way, he was going to make sure he found out. "Fine. You want to know the truth. I am pregnant."
37
Nolan
Pregnant. She was pregnant. The drive back had been silent as I reflected on the news. She wanted to keep it. I wanted that as well. I was going to be a father. That part made me happy. The prospect of kids and having kids was something I never gave full thought until tonight. Tonight, when she told me, was when I realized how I wanted to be a father. A different kind of father than the one my siblings and I had. A child to give love I never received. For the first time in my life, I understood what Ivy and Damien had gone through with Lake.
But then there was the mother. A conniving bitch who had tricked me into marrying her inplace of her cousin. Her missing cousin, I might add. Not only was she a horrible person, she came with a lot of baggage. She was going to be a complication. The divorce proceedings would have to be put on hold. We were going to have to stay married for a while, at least until the child is older and I can find a better woman to be the mother of my children. But was she so hard to live with? I had grown up with a difficult and selfish mother and as long as I am around, I would have to make sure she was not selfish to my child. She was not so bad overall.
"'We are having this child together," I said when we entered the townhouse. I practically voiced my thoughts without thinking.
Aire froze. She had walked a few paces ahead and had to turn to face me. "I thought you wanted a divorce?" Even in the night, after fainting and a shock to her health, she looked beautiful. She had a glow about her that drew me to her like a moth to a flame. That's how my father had described my mother. He could not resist her charms, he told me. That's why even after divorce and having children with two other women, he still went back to her and had Ivy and Raine. Was I just like him? Wanting to be with someone who will never love me? I wasn't going to make the same mistake. I was coming into this with my eyes wide open.
"Not when it means our child will have to live in two different homes."
"Plenty of kids do and they turn out fine."
"Mine will not."
She straightened her neck, crossing her arms across her chest. "So what? You're not the one who decides what happens to my child."
"It's my child too."
