Page 9 of Imperfections Seduced
“You said that already. I don’t want to hear it again. I never promised you that I would marry you, let alone inthree months. Did you lose your fucking mind? Are you crazy!”
She inches around the desk in her father’s study on her stacked wedge heels, looking at me like I’m the crazy one, which puts me even further on edge.
“No, I’m not crazy. I know you didn’t…didn’texactlypropose—”
“I didn’t propose.”
“But we did discuss it.”
“Let me refresh your memory, so there will be no misunderstanding from this point forward.”
“Okay but—”
“Shut up. Don’t say anything until I’m finished! You showed up at myofficeand told me you had something important to tell me that couldn’t wait. The next thing I know you’re telling me you’re pregnant. I told you I needed a paternity test. We had sex once, and when I pulled out my dick, I pulled out an intact condom to go along with it. I know they’re not a hundred percent effective, and once is all it takes, but I need proof that baby is mine.”
I look at her, pointing to her stomach. “If this baby you’re carrying is mine, I will do the right thing for my child. I said marriage was one option I wasn’t ready to commit to, especially not knowing if this child is mine.Yousuggested marriage, not me. I’m not going to marry you—or anyone—because you’re pregnant. That would be ill-advised for both of us. I said I would draw up papers to make sure you and my child—if in fact this is my child—are taken care of financially. Visitations would be worked out and scheduled; we would be co-parents in raising this child if I’m found to be the father. Beyond that there will be nothing between us but mutual respect as parents.”
At this point, I am so close to her that when she triesto interrupt me, I place my finger against her lips and slowly shake my head. “Don’t interrupt me. Until you can get the paternity test, if you need anything, you can call me. If you need me to escort you to an appointment or family function, I’ll go with you, so if the baby turns out to be mine it won’t look like what it is—a mistake.” I drop my hand away from her, and she walks back around the desk, lowering herself into the chair while avoiding my eyes.
“Do you remember that conversation, Kate?”
“You’ve changed it a bit, but yes, I do.”
“Good. No one is going to find out about this pregnancy until I know if I’m the daddy. One more thing—I don’t care what you do or how you do it, but make sure that everyone who was in that room last night during your little announcement keeps their mouths shut.”
She looks at me then, hands folded on the table like a shrewd businesswoman ready to cut a deal she’s not entirely satisfied with but has no choice but to accept.
“So this is the other side of Nicholas Alexander. Like father like son.”
“If that’s the way you want to think of it, then yes.”
I walk to the door, closing it behind me, and immediately hear a loud thud against it. She’s probably wishing that was my head.
Cat
“Hey,Cat, I was about to come up and see you, are you going out?”
“In a few minutes,” I tell Kate, coming off the stairs.
“Where’s Ava? Mom said she was here.”
“She forgot something in my room. Look, here she comes.”
Coming down the steps with her jet black hair bouncing around her, Ava stands next to me, facing Kate at the bottom of the stairs. Ava and Kate aren’t the best of friends; I hope Ava doesn’t say anything that will set off an argument. I’m not in the mood to play referee.
“Kaitlin Reed. I haven’t seen you in a long time. I hear you’re engaged to my favorite cousin, I guess I should say congratulations?”
She leans in and gives Kate an I’m-touching-you-but-I-really-wish-I-wasn’t type of hug and a kiss on the cheek, immediately pulling back and looking her up and down. Kate clears her throat, puts her hands together in front of her and tries to put a smile on her face, but it’s strangled.
“Thank you.”
“Nicholas and I are very close, so imagine my surprise when my dear friend here told me you were engaged. I almost choked on my orange juice when she said Nicholas was your fiancé.”
She moves over to me and puts her hand on my shoulder, smile not leaving her face.
“We had breakfast together this morning and drove all the way over here, and he didn’t once mention you or the fact you were getting married. You know, he is so busy these days it probably just slipped his mind. I’m sure he was probably going to tell me later.” Ava has a smug, satisfied look on her pretty face. She knows how to push Kate’s buttons, and every chance she gets she’s going to take it.
I can see Kate is working hard to keep the smile on her face, looking more and more uncomfortable with every word that comes out of Ava’s mouth.
