Page 66 of Fallen Legacy

“Soon?” she pushes, her brow arching higher.

“Yes.” I sit down on the sofa and concentrate on putting my heels on. I can’t cope with her scrutiny.

“Who else knows besides me?”

I grimace. This isn’t going to go down well. “Damon knows. He’s been coming to my appointments with me, and, well, Alexis knows.” I hold my hand up. “And don’t even ask me how she knows.”

Vee swears under her breath as she kneels down in front of me and fastens the strap on my heels I’m struggling with. “So, the guy who your fiancé hates knows before him and he’s been taking you to your appointments. Eliza!” she exclaims. “I know Archer was a bastard for keeping the planned engagement from you, but seriously. If anyone should be at those appointments with you, holding your hand, it should be Archer, the actual baby-daddy.”

“I know,” I admit. “But I was so freaked out, Vee. It came out of nowhere and at a time I was at my lowest. I needed time to get my head around things and decide what I wanted to do. And well, if truth be told, I fear how he’ll react.”

“Why?” she asks me, shaking her head like I’m crazy. “You think he would walk away and not support you? Archer is many things, but he’d never walk away from his responsibilities.”

“Exactly,” I say. “I don’t want to be somebody’s responsibility. I want him to be with me because despite our families forcing us together, he actually wants me for me, Vee.”

“Oh honey,” Vee takes my hands from where she is kneeling on the floor in front of me. “He wants you. He wants you so much. I think it terrifies him how much, but he’d want to be there for the bubba growing in your belly.” Vee reaches out tentatively and places her hand on my tummy. “Have you felt he or she move yet?”

I shake my head. “Not yet. It’s a little early.”

Vee stares at where her hand rests on my stomach. “You and Archer made a person, girl. That’s like so freaking beautiful and amazing. God, he or she will be stunning with both your genes.”

I smile. “Despite it being terrifying, yes, it is pretty amazing, isn’t it?” It’s the first time I’ve really admitted to myself that we’ve created something beautiful together. “I’m terrified, Vee. I’m not even eighteen yet. I’m not sure I’m ready to be a mum.”

Vee nods her head. “I get it, but then, is anyone ever truly ready? You’ll be a great mum. I just know it, and of course baby will have kick-arse, cool auntie Vee to get up to mischief with.”

There’s a knock on the bedroom door and Vee quickly withdraws her hand from my stomach. “Tell him. Soon,” she urges me before she stands up and opens the door. “Talk of the devil. Our sexy escorts are here to take us down to the ball, Cinders.”

My heart pounds in my chest when I see Archer in his tux. Gods, if I wasn’t already up the duff, my ovaries would beg me to have his babies.

“Scar, wow,” he says, blowing out a breath as he walks in and drinks me in from head-to-toe. “Why don’t you guys go down ahead of us,” he suggests as he stalks into the room.

Vee places a hand on his chest, stopping him in his strides. “Uh-huh. You’re not undoing the perfection because you want to stick your dick in her. You can do that later, after the party.”

Archer bites on his bottom lip. “I can be quick.” He smirks, and my vagina pulses in excitement.

“Nope. Rafe, grab a hold of Casanova and let’s get them downstairs,” Vee orders, and Rafe and Seb both step forward.

Archer dodges them and grabs me by the waist and nuzzles his face into my neck. “Scar, you look stunning tonight. I can’t wait for them all to know you’re mine.”

“Enough now,” Vee orders, tapping him on his back. “Put your tongue back in your mouth.”

I chuckle and I feel his smile against my neck as he drops a barely there kiss on my skin. “Come on, you heard her.”

With a sigh, he pulls away, drinking me in one last time before he shakes his head and offers me his arm. “Ready for this, Scar?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I tell him, slipping my arm through his.

“Looking good tonight, Little Red,” Seb tells me as he comes up on my other side and kisses my hand. “You look like my favourite quality street in that purple silk dress. You know, the one with all that soft caramel inside that I like to lick out with my tongue.” He winks at me, just as Vee digs her elbow in his side.

“Lick someone else’s caramel,” Archer barks at him, which has Seb chuckling aloud as we make our way down to the ball.

* * *

The place is already burstingat the seams with the wealthy residents of Hawk Bay. All the wealthy elite in their finery and jewels. You can almost smell the money in the air tonight. Wilbur takes great joy in showing us off and taking us both round to greet all the guests. When we stop in front of Georgie and her family, I squeeze Archer’s arm tighter. I can’t undo the image in my head of Felicity and Phil and the noises she was making. Ugh.

“Eliza, Archer. It’s lovely to see you both. I was just saying to Georgiana what a stunning couple you both make, wasn’t I, dear?” She elbows her scowling daughter in the side and Georgie flashes that fake smile our way.

“Yes, you were. Although the rumours around school were that you two had split up and you were dating the Silver boy,” Georgie comments, still smiling at us, like her face might crack any minute.

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