Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Killian
Just like the first time he’d seen her, his heart stopped for a second at the sight of his princess as she leapt from her father’s couch, wide-eyed with panic as her gaze darted between him and Braden.
“What the hell is he doing here?”
The snarled question wasn’t unexpected, since he’d long resigned himself to the fact that letting her hate him was the easiest solution for everyone involved. But the slight hitch in her voice, one that told him tears were close to the surface, now that was certainly unexpected.
And everything in him ached to go to her, to wrap his arms around her and reassure her that no matter what put that hitch in her voice, it would all be okay. To tell her Daddy would handle everything.
But not only was she wildly, wildly off-limits, his fiancée was neck deep in wedding plans. Not that Portia would raise a fuss; she was too well bred to do more than look the other way when confronted with an affair.
His princess, on the other hand, would no doubt have some rather strong opinions about him falling in love with another woman in between picking out linen colors and cake flavors.
So he didn’t move forward, instead allowing himself to drink in the sight of her from the safety of the living room doorway while she glared daggers at him.
“Aria.” Braden’s voice, sharp with disapproval, cut through the tension. “You’re being rude.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize being rude to criminals was against the rules now.”
It had been a long time since a woman had made his palm physically itch, but she managed it with two sentences. And since he couldn’t spank the attitude out of her, it was tempting to needle her a bit, see if he could get a rise out of her.
But the memory of that hitch in her voice haunted him, so instead he turned to his friend and offered up an apologetic smile. “It seems you have some… family business to attend to. I’ll come by another time to go over those business plans you mentioned.”
Braden grimaced and gave a single short nod. “Probably for the best. I’ll call you.”
“I’ll be around.” Turning back to the two women standing in the middle of the living room, he inclined his head. “Lottie. Aria. A pleasure, as always.”
Lottie’s lips curved up, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “It was nice to see you, Killian. Thank you again for the wedding gift. It was impossibly generous.”
He deliberately kept his own smile breezy for her sake. “It wasn’t nearly enough to make up for missing your special day. But you’re very welcome.”
Clapping a hand on Braden’s shoulder, he gave it an affectionate squeeze before forcing himself to turn and stride from the room as if he weren’t leaving his heart at the feet of a woman who hated everything about him.
Portia. He needed to think about Portia. Even though their engagement was strictly a business arrangement, she still deserved his undivided attention. Business or not, it wasn’t fair to his fiancée for him to be hung up on a blue-eyed siren he couldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.
Aria
In the two months since she’d laid eyes on Killian O’Rourke, it seemed like her heart should have built up some kind of defense against him.
But no. Instead, said heart was practically screaming at her to go after him, to tell him everything, to throw herself in Daddy’s arms and let him sort out the mess she’d gotten herself into.
Stupid heart.
It was her father’s sharp voice that finally distracted her from Killian’s retreating form. “Aria, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but—”
“Braden.” By contrast, Lottie’s voice was soft, but firm, and to Aria’s surprise, her father cut off what was sure to be a scathing lecture. “Sit down. We need to talk.”
In a fingersnap, everything about Braden changed as anger shifted to worry. “What’s wrong? Aria?”
Shit, shit, shit. This was so not how she’d wanted to do this. Of course, there probably wasn’t ever a good way to drop this particular bombshell on her father, but right after insulting one of his closest friends was certainly at the bottom of the list.
“You should definitely be sitting for this.”
He didn’t sit. He went straight for her, pulling her into his arms, his cheek resting on the top of her head as he gently rocked her side to side. “Whatever it is, we’ll handle it together, baby.”
Oh, god, more tears. Giving into them, into the need for her father’s comfort and strength, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tight as she dragged in a shuddering breath.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I never meant for this to happen.
I don’t even know how it happened. I mean I know how, but like—”
“Breathe, Ari.” Strong, familiar hands, the hands that had held her and soothed her through sickness and heartbreak and grief for more than two decades, rubbed at her back. “Can you do that for me? Deep breath in through your nose and hold it.”
Right. Breathe. She needed to breathe.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled as deeply as she could manage with the vice wrapped around her lungs. The scent of her father’s cologne, sharp and spicy and familiar, filled her nose, loosening the vice. After a few more slow breaths, the panic ebbed, enough for her to actually get the words out.
“I’m pregnant.”
Her father went so completely still, she might have worried he’d passed out if he weren’t still upright.
“You’re what?”
It was more shock than anger in his voice, and it emboldened her enough to pull away, to force herself to look up into his eyes. Eyes so much like her own sometimes it was downright creepy.
“I’m pregnant. And I-I know this wasn’t the plan, and I’m supposed to go to law school in the fall, and I’m so fucking sorry I screwed everything up.”
“My baby’s having a baby.” Awe now, more than shock as his gaze shifted down to her still mostly flat stomach. “You’re really pregnant?”
“I am. You… You’re not mad?”
“No. No, honey, I’m not mad. In shock, definitely, but not mad.”
“Oh, thank god.” Now she let the tears come as she threw herself back into his arms. “I was so worried.”
“Aria, look at me.”
At the gentle command, she pulled back, but before she could swipe at her streaming eyes, his hands were on her face, his thumbs wiping at her tears.
“I don’t ever want you to feel afraid to tell me anything.
Was this the plan? No. But plans change.
People adapt. If you still want to go to law school, we’ll make it happen. You’re not in this alone, baby.”
“Mom’s gonna flip,” she whispered. “You know how she feels about this.”
A dozen emotions flickered across her father’s face before he managed to smooth out his expression again. “I do. And yeah, she’s going to be pissed at first. But she’ll come around.”
“You think?”
“I do. She loves you, Aria, and at the end of the day that’s all that matters.”
Right. Her mother might have some very strong opinions about things, but she really did love Aria. So much it sometimes felt like it might smother her.
“Okay.” Dragging in another breath, she blew it out through her mouth, happy to note it wasn’t quite as shaky now. “Holy shit. I’m having a baby.”
Once again, Lottie’s happy squeal rent the air as she wrapped her arms awkwardly around Aria and Braden at the same time. “We’re having a baby! We should celebrate! I’ll go grab a bottle of champagne.”
“Charlotte.” Braden’s voice was full of fond exasperation as he caught his wife around the waist before she could hurry away. “I don’t think champagne is the best choice, do you?”
It was hilarious, and adorable, watching the way Lottie’s mouth moved into a pout for a split second before her eyes went round. “Oh, right. Sorry. I’m dumb.”
The corners of Braden’s mouth dipped down. “You are nothing of the sort, and I suggest you wipe that phrase from your vocabulary right this second, little girl.”
Pink blossomed on Lottie’s cheeks. “Sorry.”
Well, this was awkward. Especially now that she had some inkling of what her dad and Lottie got up to behind closed doors. “Um, you guys could have champagne if you want. And I wouldn’t say no to another of those magic muffins.”
The annoyance in her father’s expression shifted into a confused frown. “Magic muffins?”
Lottie giggled. “Holden’s muffins.”
“They’re the first thing I’ve been able to eat in weeks without feeling like I’m going to puke it all up again. Magic muffins.”
“Ah.” Amusement sparkled in his eyes. “Silver said pretty much the same thing. Lottie, why don’t you grab the muffins, and I would love a cup of coffee.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Thank you, Lottie-bug.” Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to Lottie’s temple before releasing her, and Aria watched as her friend-turned-stepmother hurried off toward the kitchen.
Conflicting emotions warred in her stomach.
Clearly, Lottie and her father were deliriously happy with each other.
But even with all the snide comments her mother had made over the years, Aria had never actually seen her father acting like the ‘overbearing, controlling asshole’ Layla had made him out to be.
But now… “Did you really just tell your wife to go make you a cup of coffee?”
One dark brow rose as Braden’s lips twitched. “I like to think it was a bit less assholeish than you’re making it out to be.”
“It wasn’t.”
Tilting his head to the side, he studied her in that way he had that always made her feel like a child again. “Are you really pissed I asked Lottie for a cup of coffee, or are you trying to distract me from asking you who the father is?”
And there was the start of those uncomfortable questions with uncomfortable answers she’d been dreading. “Maybe a bit of both.”
“Sweetheart. If Lottie didn’t want to get me coffee, she’d tell me to get it my damn self.”
“And you’d… be okay with that?”
His grin flashed, easing some of the knots in Aria’s stomach. “More than okay. I love Lottie’s sass, you know that.”
“Yeah, but I also know you guys are, um, the way you are. I learned a lot while getting ready for the wedding.”
Wincing slightly, he rubbed a hand at the back of his neck. “I knew that was a bad idea.”
It wasn’t often she got to see her dad looking uncomfortable, and it was a welcome distraction from her current situation, so she doubled down. “It was very enlightening. I particularly enjoyed watching Cordelia boss people around. I think I might be a little bit in love with her.”
“She’s a force to be reckoned with, for sure. But back to the matter at hand.” He gestured toward her stomach. “Have you told the father yet?”
“No.” Instinctively, her hands went to her abdomen, as if to protect her baby. “And I’m not going to.”
Everything about her father shifted in an instant. Hardened, but not in a way that scared her. It made her feel… safe. As though he would stand between her and any threat that came her way, just like he always had. “Aria. I need you to be completely honest with me right now. Did he hurt you?”
“No. Not the way you’re thinking. He just… isn’t the man I thought he was, is all.”
“I want a name.”
“I can’t give you that. Please, Dad.” Reaching for him, she laid a hand on his forearm and squeezed, putting every bit of pleading she could manage into her eyes when she looked up into his furious gaze. “This is my decision, and I’m asking you to honor that.”
“All right.” But it was clear he wasn’t the least bit happy about it. Which was fine, as long as he didn’t push the issue. “If that’s the way you want it.”
“It is.”
“Aria…” He hesitated, looking uncharacteristically uncertain. “You know you have options.”
God, she loved him. “I do. And if the circumstances were different, I might choose differently. But I’m young and healthy and hella privileged.
This isn’t how I’d planned on starting a family, but now that it’s happening…
I want to do this, Dad. I’m fucking terrified and I know it’s going to change my whole life, but I want this. ”
“Okay.” Nodding, he blew out a breath. “As long as you know I’d support you either way. I don’t want you to feel trapped.”
Like your mother did. The unspoken words hung heavy between them, and she forced herself to smile, to pretend like she wasn’t painfully aware that she’d ruined her mother’s life. “I don’t, I promise. I’m doing this because I want to, not because I feel like there’s no other way.”
“Good. I’ll call Dr. Winters and see who she recommends for… this.” Again with the vague waving toward her stomach.
“I have an OBGYN, dad. She’s lovely.”
“Maybe, but is she the best?”
Aria didn’t need the best money could buy.
Her car was a very sensible Toyota because she’d talked her father down from the Range Rover he’d tried to buy her when she’d gone off to college.
And while her apartment was in the poshest building in Charleston, it also wasn’t the million-dollar home Braden had wanted to purchase for her when she’d started her internship.
But this… this was different. Not only did her baby deserve the best care, it would put Braden’s mind at ease knowing she was being taken care of.
“All right. Talk to Dr. Winters and we can discuss me changing doctors.”
“Deal.”