Twenty
A nother day, another summons. In the weeks since we found out I was pregnant, Ephraim has called me into his office more times than I can count. He wanted to see the confirmation test my OBGYN did, the first ultrasound, the plan for my prenatal care. It’s not time for my next appointment yet, so when the intercom on my wall sparks to life, I’m a little annoyed.
I’m also curious as hell why he’s inviting Alex this time.
It’s that churning curiosity that has me fixing my hair and slipping my shoes on instead of cursing at the ceiling. Normally, Ephraim claims his progeny has “better things to do” than keep up with the day to day happenings of pregnancy, so what’s so important that he needs to come too?
I get my answer pretty quickly as I head into the office. Alexander is already heated, pacing the room and arguing with his father for the first time that I’ve ever seen. “Of course he’s mine. Who else’s would it be? She doesn’t leave the damned house!”
Fuck.
Oh, fuck.
“What’s going on?” I ask quietly, shutting the door behind me before the whole house hears. “Alex?”
He doesn’t answer me, but his father does. “It’s just a standard precaution. It’s completely non-invasive for the child. They’ll take some blood from Miss Harbough, and a cheek swab from you. Totally harmless. And since this child stands to inherit millions of dollars from me when I pass, I think you can understand why I’d want to be sure.”
I should come clean now. Explain to him that Alexander wasn’t man enough to do it so Draven stepped in. Explain it’ll still be his grandchild, a Creed by name and blood.
But I can’t.
Maybe I’m a coward, too.
“It’s ridiculous and insulting is what it is,” Alex snaps. “Why—”
“Well if you’re so sure this child is yours, then what’s the problem?” Ephraim counters. “As I stated, the test will not pose any risk to the child. No one will know it’s happening except for us and the doctor who performs it, so tell me, Alexander. What are you so afraid of?”
Alex looks like he’s about to explode, so I step in. “It’s fine. You know how men are about their seed, Provost. He’s just a little indignant that it would ever be called into question. I have no issues with this, and neither does he.”
His face relaxes only slightly, an expression there that tells me he thinks I have some sort of plan when the truth couldn’t be further. “Yeah, well. I guess I don’t want to consider the alternative. Did you not feel that way when you found out you’d be a father?”
He keeps looking for humanity in Ephraim Creed — his father — with his natural questions, but he’s let down every time when the Provost responds in turn. “I had no doubts whether or not my woman stepped out on me, but I can see it in your eyes that you can’t say the same. You were struggling to get the job done just a couple of months ago, were you not?”
Oh, he doesn’t have to wonder if I stepped out on him. He knows I did. He asked me to. But that’s a very dangerous question, so I don’t let him answer. “It was my fault, I think. Nerves and stress can make it harder to conceive. I was so anxious to give him a child that I think I did the opposite. But he helped me a lot, and now we’re here. I didn’t step out. I’m happy to prove it.”
“See? Nothing to worry about. What happened to your balls, son? I don’t even know who you are right now.”
This is getting worse. Reaching out, I take Alex’s hand and squeeze it once, hoping to give him a little bit of confidence here even though neither of us should have any at all.
We’re about to get caught.
“I’m still your son. You’ve got this backward, Father. I’m not worried about her stepping out. I’m offended that you’re entertaining the idea that she might’ve, or that I’d be stupid enough not to notice. If someone did that to you, you’d have them killed.”
“And so would you,” he says a little too firmly. “I’m sure Draven’s been bored enough. Should probably find him a job soon.”
“You’re the only one doubting this,” Alex says coldly, then spins to head for the door. “Let me know when the test is.”
“It’s scheduled for next Monday. I’ll be going with you, so don’t worry. I won’t let you forget.”
Alex freezes and so do I. Any plans we could’ve made just became infinitely more complicated since Ephraim will be there watching our every move, and now I’m afraid the writing is on the wall.
One thing is clear.
We need to find Draven before Ephraim does.
––––––––
D raven’s room is still dark as we let ourselves in, and Alex wastes no time ripping the covers off the sleeping devil.
“Get up. We have a problem.”
He’s up and reaching for the gun he keeps on the nightstand in seconds, but he realizes who it is before he does any damage. “What... the fuck? I’m not down for this threeway.”
Weapon forgotten, he sleepily reaches out his arms for me, drawing me in. It feels good to be back in his bed, cuddled close. We don’t get to do this often.
“Hi, baby. We have some bad news.”
“Uh uh. No such thing when you’re in my arms.”
God, he’s cute when he’s sleepy.
“Will you get him to take this seriously?” Alex hisses, making Draven blink up at him with a frown.
“You’re still here?”
“Yes.”
Snuggling closer, I kiss him gently. His world is about to get a lot more complicated — the least I can do is let him relax for a few moments more.
It takes his attention off his brother, softening his features, but Alex doesn’t seem to be on the same page.
“Father is demanding we take a paternity test.”
Dray kisses along my neck as he responds. “Whatever, I’ll go instead. I know this baby is mine.”
I wish it were that simple. “He wants to go, baby,” I whisper gently. “Ephraim wants to go.”
“The dude that didn’t go to one ultrasound with either baby mama wants to go to this?” His tone is joking, but when neither of us respond to his question he finally sits up. “Why? What does he know?”
Now he sounds accusatory, and it seems to be pointed at his brother.
“I have no idea. As far as I can tell, he’s just worried about Sullivan being a whore.”
I flip him off, pulling Dray closer. “Sounded to me like he’s doubtful you finally got it up,” I counter. “Either way, it doesn’t matter. It’s happening and we need a plan.”
Draven’s jaw ticks, but I can tell my touch is helping keep him calm. “I’ll call Damian. I’m sure he has a way to get in the system... or he can fuck up father’s computer that morning... or both. I have to be the one to take that swab.”
His hand moves to rub my stomach as it always does, settling that wild thing inside of me. It makes it easier to think clearly. “Okay. So plan A will be drawing Ephraim away. Plan B will be hacking the system to change the results, but that feels more complicated.”
“How sure are you Damian could get in?”
Draven huffs. “He could get into the Pentagon, Alex. Don’t doubt what he can do, you’re the one that’s going to have to convince father he’s needed here.”
“I can do that.”
I doubt it, but I don’t argue with him. “We’ll figure it out. But we should probably come up with some sort of a plan C, just in case we can’t. Like what we’re gonna do if we can’t pull this off and he finds out the truth.”
“I think it’s Alex’s turn to come up with some sort of an idea, he’s supposed to be the smart one.”
“Yeah. I got it,” Alex mutters. “If we fail and he figures out the truth, you two are taking Morella and getting far the fuck away from here.”
“If I agree to babysit your woman, then give me your word you’d protect mine if something happened to me.”
Alex looks at me, then back at Dray. “I may not ever love her, but she will be my wife. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“This is happening before the wedding,” I remind him. “There’s no way he pushes this wedding if he finds out this child isn’t yours.”
“I think you’d be surprised at how much he’d love to make us all suffer,” Draven says. “He’d do anything to keep you from me if he knew how I felt about you.”
“If the engagement didn’t, what makes him think a wedding would?” I ask. “This isn’t a real marriage. On paper, sure. But where it matters? The heart? It’ll never be real. No matter what he does, it’ll never be real.”
His blue eyes are staring into mine intently, and he leans in to kiss my nose. “Unless you want to see me eat your fiancé’s pussy, I suggest you fuck off for a little while, big brother.”
“You can’t. She can’t stay here,” he argues. “She needs to come with me and act like she’s my fiancé for a little bit unless you want this to end even sooner.”
Draven growls in frustration. “Then cover your eyes.”
I pull his attention to me and kiss him slowly. “He’s right, baby. We have to be really careful until this is over. I should go.”
Fingers curl into my skin as he nods. “I’ll come to you tonight, little keeper. Wait for me?”
He’s started saying that to me the last few weeks as he passes me in the halls, and like all of those times it makes me smile.
“Always.”
I kiss him again, then drag myself out of the bed and follow Alex to the door.
We walk in a tense silence for a few minutes before he’s grabbing my elbow and tucking me aside.
To anyone walking by we’d look like two love birds making out in a dark corner, but in reality we couldn’t be anything further. “You need to stop seeing him. You got the baby we needed already, so why keep it up?”
I wrench my elbow from his grasp, having half a mind to slap him. “You have a lot of nerve, Alex. Are you going to stop seeing Morella? How dare you insinuate that your happiness is more important than mine. You might have the privilege of being a man, but I’m a woman. I could ruin your life in the blink of an eye.”
True fear flashes in his brown eyes. “No. No, that’s not what I meant.” The audible gulp he takes would make me laugh under any other circumstances. “I’m just saying. Father knows about Morella already unfortunately, but we can’t have him know about you two.”
“You made your choice and forced me to deal with it. I’ll marry you, I’ll play along. But you will not tell me who I can and can’t be with on the side when you’re going to continue to do whatever you want. So if someone finds out, you will lie. You will cover for us. You will say whatever you have to. Do you understand?”
I can tell he wants to argue further, but he ultimately nods. “Yeah, I understand. Just be careful, okay? When he breaks your heart, you can’t blow this all out in the open out of anger, alright?”
“You let me worry about my own heart,” I mutter. ”I can handle this.”
I don’t have much of one left anyway.