Chapter 25
Chapter twenty-five
Abigail
As the night progresses, the music melts into something faster and brighter. Laughter grows louder. Glasses clink more often. And the dance floor fills to the brim.
Suddenly, a room filled with conservationists, businessmen and women, bankers, and lawyers alike, comes alive. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
Someone swaps my champagne flute for a fresh one, and I smile when the bubbles hit my lips.
My body feels warm and buoyant. My nerves from earlier have dissolved entirely, and I’m practically giddy.
“Want to call it?” Lincoln murmurs, his mouth close to my ear as Beau slides his hand over the curve of my ass.
The question catches me off guard. Because when we first arrived, my pulse had been racing for an entirely different reason. I’d been bracing for stares. For judgment. For whispers sharp enough to cut.
But now I’m laughing. I’m flushed. I’m surrounded by four men who look at me like I’m the very treasure they’ve been searching their entire lives for.
“I don’t want to leave,” I admit, slightly breathless.
Beau grins wide, Lawson chuckles, and Jasper cups my face in his hand. Lincoln studies me carefully, like he’s making sure I’m not forcing it.
“You sure?” he asks.
“I’m having fun,” I admit. “Like actual fun.”
Jasper’s thumb brushes along my cheek. “Then we stay.”
And just like that, the night opens wider.
Servers begin circulating again—this time with smaller plates. Late-night bites and sugary indulgences.
Mini Cheesecakes. Chocolate truffles dusted in cocoa. Petite fruit tarts that glitter under the lights. And… Macarons.
Soft pastel treats stacked neatly in delicate rows.
My favorite.
“Oh,” I breathe, already reaching.
“Easy,” Beau teases as I wobble a little in my heels.
“Come to mama.” My fingers hover, then I choose a pale green one. Pistachio, if I had to guess.
The shell cracks perfectly between my teeth.
Sweat. Creamy. Nutty.
And then—
My stomach flips on a dime.
Not a gentle twist, but a violent roll.
I swallow, forcing it down.
The sweetness of my favorite treat suddenly feels suffocating. Heat flashes through me, starting at my chest and racing upward.
I grip Jasper’s arm.
He looks down instantly, smile fading. “What’s wrong?”
The room tilts slightly. Just enough to make me blink to clear my vision.
“I’m—” I swallow again, but the nausea surges higher. “I’m fine.”
Lincoln’s gaze sharpens from across the small circle we’re standing in. Lawson cuts his conversation short mid-sentence, and Beau’s brows knit together.
“Abigail,” Jasper says more firmly now, fingers curling around my waist. “You’re pale.”
“It’s just the sugar,” I insist. “And the champagne. And I probably ate too fast.” I offer a weak laugh but no one joins me. “I’m going to run to the bathroom,” I add quickly. “I’ll be right back.”
“You want me to—”
“No,” I cut Jasper off gently. “I’ll be okay. Promise.”
I squeeze his hand and step away before any of them can argue.
The hallway to the restroom feels longer than it did earlier.
With each step, the nausea builds instead of fades.
My heels click faster against the marble flooring.
My breathing grows shallow. Halfway down the corridor, I realize I’m not going to make it gracefully.
I practically run the last stretch.
The bathroom door swings closed behind me just as my body gives up. I barely make it into the stall before I’m on my knees.
The first heave is sharp and sudden.
The second empties everything.
It’s humiliating. Loud in the otherwise quiet bathroom. My ribs ache as my body convulses again and again until there’s nothing left.
And when it finally stops, I sit back against the wall, trembling.
What the hell was that?
I stand carefully
The room spins, but I steady myself once I make it to the counter.
I wash my hands before rinsing out my mouth as best as I can. Then, I wet a piece of paper towel and press it to the back of my neck, hoping to ease whatever just came over me.
Looking up, I stare at myself in the mirror.
Cheeks flushed. Eyes water. Lipstick slightly smudged.
My eyes roam over my body to make sure there’s no lingering vomit on my dress, but my gaze stops when it gets to my abdomen.
My entire body freezes.
My shot.
I was supposed to get it back in December.
But with the chaos of moving. The stress. The nights with Lincoln, Jasper, Beau, and Lawson. The kidnapping. My sister. I just… I—I forgot.
My heart begins to pound.
No.
It could be the champagne, the nerves, or all the food.
But as I stand there, staring at myself beneath the bright vanity lights, pieces begin to click into place with terrifying precision.
Constantly feeling tired lately.
The sudden aversions, like my coffee tasting weird.
My feeling sick this week.
And now I’m throwing up after a bite of my favorite dessert.
My hand presses flat against my stomach.
Holy shit. Am I… pregnant?
The thought lands heavy.
A—a baby.
Their baby.
My breath catches, and a thousand images flash through my brain in rapid succession.
Lincoln holding something impossibly small with reverent hands.
Lawson teaching a little one to ride before they can properly walk.
Beau’s smile directed at a tiny human who looks back at him with wide, curious eyes.
Jasper softening in ways he never thought possible.
Tears sting unexpectedly.
Would they be… happy?
Yes.
The answer is immediate and undeniable.
I know it with every fiber of my being. They would be over the moon.
But fear has a nasty habit of creeping in anyway.
My stomach tightens again—this time not from nausea.
I’ll go to the store tomorrow. I’ll take a test. I’ll be sure before I say anything.
“Don’t panic. Don’t make assumptions. Not until you know the facts,” I tell myself.
I inhale deeply. Exhale slowly. Smooth my dress. Wipe off the smeared lipstick. “You’re fine,” I whisper to my reflection. “Everything will be fine. It’ll be okay.”
Squaring my shoulders, I push open the bathroom door and collide straight into a solid chest.
“Oh—I’m so sorry,” I say automatically, assuming one of the guys came to check on me. But when I look up, it isn’t any of them.
The man standing before me is tall and broad, easily matching the stature of the men I’m here with. His suit is immaculate—dark charcoal, tailored to perfection. Silver threads through his neatly styled hair, and his jaw is chiselled in a way that speaks of careful grooming and money.
He’s attractive.
Striking even.
The kind of man who probably charms entire rooms without much effort.
But his eyes… they’re wrong.
Too still. Too knowing.
They drag slowly over my face like he’s cataloging it to memory. “Better watch out,” he says, voice smooth as polished stone. “Would hate for a pretty girl like you to get hurt.”
Every muscle in my body tightens. I offer the same polite smile I’ve used all night. The one I perfected in New York. “Excuse me.”
I move to step around him, but he shifts into my path. “Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” he asks.
My pulse begins to race. “I should get back,” I reply evenly. “My date is probably wondering where I am.”
A slow smile curves his mouth. “Ah. Wouldn’t want to keep those Willow Creek boys of yours waiting.”
I feel the blood drain from my face.
He knows.
Not just who they are.
But where they’re from.
Where I belong.
Where I live.
My spine straightens instinctively.
“I’m sorry,” I say carefully, lifting my chin. “I didn’t catch your name.”
His smile widens.
It’s predatory. Sinister.
“Keller. Miles Keller.” The name slams into me like a physical blow. The hallway suddenly feels suffocatingly narrow. “I believe you’ve heard a little about me. Even met some of my friends. Figured I should… introduce myself.”
My breathing turns shallow.
The edges of my vision blur.
This is him.
The man whose shadow has loomed over every conversation. The man who’s tried to take me. Who’s trying to take something from them. The man who tried to ruin my sister. Who’s trying to ruin everything.
And I’m standing alone in a hallway with him.
Somewhere behind me, faintly, I hear footsteps. “Abigail?”
Jasper.
Miles takes one step closer. Not touching. Just invading. “I hope you’re enjoying Montana, Anya. It would be a shame if you got… lost again.”
The world tilts violently.
Black creeps in at the edges of my vision.
My heart pounds so hard it hurts.
I try to step back.
My heel catches.
And the last thing I hear before everything goes dark is Jasper shouting my name.
Then, I fall.