Chapter 25
TWO WEEKS LATER
Charlie
I opened my eyes before the alarm went off and stared at Marley as she slept on her back, her belly sticking up under the sheets. I was in love with her but had yet to tell her. She blew into my life without warning. One minute, she was sitting next to me on a plane back to New York, and the next, she was standing in my living room telling me she was pregnant.
She told me her panic attack a couple of weeks ago was because after we found out the gender of the twins, it made them more real. Perhaps that’s how I felt. If I said those three words, it would make us real. Shit. The more I thought about it, the more I felt like an asshole. I loved this woman who disrupted my perfect bachelor’s life.
Reaching over, I placed my hand on her belly. Her eyes opened, and she stared into mine.
“What are you doing?” A soft smile crossed her lips.
“You grew overnight again.” I smirked.
“It’s a nightly thing now,” she yawned.
The alarm went off. Reaching over, I shut it down and held my arm out.
“I need some cuddling before I get up and ready for work.” I smiled.
She snuggled against me, laying her head on my chest. I thought about how much my parents would have loved her.
“I love you, Marley.”
She lifted her head and stared at me.
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” My brows furrowed. “I’m pretty sure you know I love you.”
“Well, I wasn’t sure because you never said it.”
“I know, and for that, I’m sorry. It’s just?—”
“It would make all of this more real?” A smirk crossed her lips.
“That, and I know how you feel about love. I didn’t want to scare you off. I’m not scaring you off, am I? Because, just for the record, it’s too late.”
“No. I love you too, Charlie. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. You blew into my life, got me drunk, impregnated me with two children at the same time, and here we are.”
“I didn’t get you drunk. You did that all on your own.” I tapped the end of her nose. “And as for me blowing into your life, I think you’re confused. You blew into my life by sitting down next to me in the airport. You could have sat elsewhere but chose the seat next to me.”
“I’m happy I did because you had me at first glance.” She wrinkled her nose.
“I’m happy you did too.” I brought my hand to her face and softly stroked her cheek. “I’m so in love with you.”
“I’m so in love with you too.” She leaned in and kissed my lips.
Later that evening, Marley and I went to dinner at Eleven Madison Park. As we ate, Marley reached across the table and touched my arm.
“Look who’s sitting in that booth,” she said.
I glanced over and noticed it was the man she’d had a one-night stand with in Chicago. He sat beside a woman with his arm around her, stealing small kisses.
“That must be his girlfriend,” Marley said. “Cheating bastard.”
“It’s none of our business, babe. Finish your dinner.”
“It is my business when he straight up lied to me, Charlie.”
“That’s in the past. Let it stay there.”
“It’s just I hate people who cheat.”
“Really? Because just the other night, you cheated while playing one of my games. You looked up the cheat code.” My brow arched.
“You know what I mean, mister.”
I chuckled. “I know. Be a good girl, mind your business, finish your dinner, and then I’ll take you for ice cream.”
“Really?” Her face lit up.
“Of course. I know how you get if you don’t get your nightly dose of ice cream.”
“I’m not that bad.”
“I beg to differ.” I smirked.
Marley
I was running late to the bakery, where I was meeting Allison for some cake testing. When I stepped inside, I froze when the man she was with turned around. His eyes widened as he looked at my expanding belly.
“Marley, look who’s here.” Allison beamed with excitement. “This is my fiancé, Troy. Troy, I’d like you to meet the woman who is helping plan our wedding. This is Marley.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” He nervously extended his hand.
“You too.” My eyes narrowed as I placed my hand in his. “Allison told me you were on a business trip the past couple of weeks. When did you get back?”
“Uh, a couple of nights ago.”
Allison’s phone rang. “Oh, excuse me. I have to take this call. It’s important.” She smiled, stepping out of the bakery.
“You cheating, little bastard,” I spoke through gritted teeth. “I saw you last night at Eleven Madison Park playing kissy face with some woman who isn’t your fiancée!”
“I can’t believe Allison hired you. She never told me your name. All she kept saying was, ‘Our event planner.’ What’s going on here?” He pointed to my belly.
I could see the fear in his eyes, and I couldn’t resist.
“I was going to call you, but I didn’t know your last name or how to get in touch.”
“Excuse me?” He spoke through gritted teeth. “Are you saying?—”
“There’s a ninety percent chance that the babies are yours.”
“Babies?”
“Twins.” I smiled.
“That’s impossible. I used a condom!”
“Perhaps it broke. I wasn’t on birth control.”
“You’re a liar.”
“No. You’re the liar!” I jammed my finger into his chest. “Why are you marrying Allison if you can’t keep your dick in your pants?”
“It’s complicated.” He sighed.
Allison walked back into the bakery, and Troy and I immediately composed ourselves and smiled.
“What are you two talking about?” Allison grinned.
“I was just asking Marley how far along she was. Did you know she’s having twins, babe?”
“Yeah. She told me. I can’t wait until we have kids.” A bright smile crossed her lips.
I wanted to throw up. Allison was perhaps the nicest girl I’d ever met, and she didn’t deserve a scumbag like Troy. After doing some cake testing, the cheater and Allison picked what they wanted.
“Thanks, Marley. I’ll talk to you later.” Allison smiled.
“I’ll meet you in the car, babe. I want to grab a few pastries for the office,” Troy said. As soon as she walked out, he turned to me. “If you think for one second that I’m going to be a father to those kids, you’re sadly mistaken. There is no way they’re mine.”
“Well, I did find out I was pregnant shortly after Chicago, and I didn’t sleep with anyone else, so?—”
“Stop it!” He pointed at me. “You are not going to fucking ruin my life.”
I was laughing hysterically on the inside, watching this man squirm.
“Stay out of my life, Marley.” He turned to the door.
“Now that I know who and where you are, I’ll need some of your DNA.”
“Excuse me?” He turned to me.
“To prove that you’re the twin’s father.” I smiled. “How are you going to explain to your beautiful fiancée that you’re a cheating bastard? You have no business marrying that sweet girl. She doesn’t deserve someone like you or have done what you’re doing to her.”
He shook his head, opened the door, and left the bakery. With a smile, I approached the counter and purchased some pastries to take to Charlie’s office. When I arrived, he stood from his desk and embraced me.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I bring pastries.” I held up the white box.
“Ah, thank you.” His lips met mine.
“You are never going to believe what happened,” I said.
“What happened?” He removed an apple turnover from the box.
“I met Allison’s fiancé.”
“Oh yeah? Is he a nice guy?”
“He’s Troy!”
He stopped chewing and stared at me. “As in Chicago one-night stand Troy? The guy we saw last night with that woman?”
“Yep.” I popped my lips.
“Shit. What an asshole.” He leaned against his desk. “What did he say when he saw you?”
“He was shocked. But even more shocked when he saw this.” I placed my hand on my belly and twisted my face.
Charlie cocked his head. “Marley, what did you do?”
“It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, Charlie,” I whined.
“Marley, what did you do?”
“I may have led him to believe the twins are his.”
“WHAT?” he shouted.
“Calm down. I couldn’t help it. You should have seen him. He was nervous and all squirmy. It’s what he gets for lying to me to get me to sleep with his dumb, non-single ass.”
“You can’t fuck with people’s lives like that. Wait a second. You didn’t realize who he was when Allison gave you his name for the wedding invitations?”
“No. I didn’t put two and two together. I didn’t know his last name, and hundreds of men could be named Troy in this city.”
He ran his hand down his face and sighed.
“Don’t be mad. Allison is the sweetest girl I’ve ever met, and she doesn’t deserve this. He will cheat on her for the rest of his life. You saw how he was with the woman who was not his fiancée in the restaurant. I asked him why he’s even marrying Allison, and you know what he said?”
“What?”
“He said it’s complicated.”
“Then he must be marrying her for some other reason,” Charlie said.
“Can you find out?” I ran my finger down his chest. “Maybe hire a private investigator to do some digging.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.” I pouted.
“I may know someone who can find something out.”
“This is why I love you so much.” I grinned, kissing his lips.