Chapter 10
Nova
“W ow, that is fucked up,” Adora murmurs as she sips her tea. “I mean, I knew dating your stepdad was a taboo situation, but this gives new levels of fucked-upness.”
“Thanks for your vote of confidence,” I say in a sarcastic tone while sipping at my own cup of tea. “It really makes me feel better about the situation.”
Adora merely smiles before putting her hand on mine.
“You know I don’t mean it that way, Noves. It’s just ... I mean, Hunter is a piece of work. And now, you’re actually pregnant with his baby! I mean, isn’t it awkward? It must be so weird to live with this guy, pregnant with his child, while avoiding him at the same time.”
I nod, resting my hands on my belly. I’m not showing very much, but I am showing a bit now. Enough for Hunter to notice, and he accosted me immediately.
“Nova are you pregnant?” he asked in deep tone, those blue eyes surveying every inch of my figure. “Tell me.”
It was probably only a few weeks after our intimate encounter, but I’d already missed a period and taken a home test. But I was so angry about what he did, and what he did to me specifically, that I refused to acknowledge him.
His efforts to engage with conversation were met by stony silence on my part, and eventually, Hunter gave up.
We were like two ghosts living in the same house: together, yet apart simultaneously.
“Why, what is it to you?” I demanded hotly, spitting the words in his face. “Is this all a part of your master plan?”
The huge man looked suitably chastised, and yet his blue eyes continued to roam my figure hungrily.
“Are you?” he demanded in a throaty tone. “I need to know, Nova. Let me take care of you, if you are. Let me shield you.”
But I wouldn’t answer his question, and merely flounced up the stairs to my room before slamming the door.
Yet, somehow Hunter knew, and he began directing Mrs. Stanch to cook especially nutritious foods for us.
Suddenly, there was a plethora of milk, meat, nuts, whole grains, and leafy greens at every meal.
Suddenly, there was a collection of probiotic yogurt in the refrigerator, as well as the disappearance of all alcohol from the liquor cabinet.
But I knew he knew when pre-natal vitamins appeared in my medicine cabinet one day, as if by magic.
“Really,” I grumped, looking over the label. “He thinks he can control my life, hmm?”
But I rolled my eyes, popped a tab, and then swallowed a vitamin because I want my baby to be healthy. Maybe I’m still angry at his or her father, but my child shouldn’t be paying for Hunter’s sins. He’s a grown man. He should atone for his own sins.
But it’s been awful living so close and yet so far from the charismatic alpha male.
Sometimes, at night and alone in my bed, I feel the urge to get up and slip into his bedroom, snuggling beside that huge warmth before he slips inside me.
Sometimes, I can hear him working in his home office, and I want to creep inside and sit on his lap as he places those huge hand on my burgeoning belly.
Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to give in, and to depend on Hunter a hundred percent.
I would feel safe then, and taken care of.
My baby would be safe, and we’d both be protected within the circle of Hunter’s arms.
But he acted like a complete bastard, and he needs to pay before I decide on my next steps. I can’t let him off just because I’m pregnant! That would be caving in way too soon.
So life goes on. I’ve been attending classes, per usual, and the only person who knows so far are myself, Hunter, and Adora. Of course, my friend’s supportive. She knows I’m keeping the baby and has already asked to be called “Auntie Dora.”
“Should you be drinking that tea?” my buddy asks quizzically, eyeing the steaming mug in my hand. “I thought pregnant ladies couldn’t have caffeine.”
“No, they can,” I say with a rueful smile. “We just can’t overdose on it, but this isn’t caffeinated tea anyways. This is a special milk thistle concoction that’s supposed to promote breastfeeding.”
“But it’s so early!” Adora remarks, her pretty features nonplussed. “The baby’s not even born yet.”
I wink.
“Sometimes ladies lactate a bit before the baby’s born. I haven’t yet, but it’s always good to be prepared. They have it at the café, so I figure why not?”
Adora smiles and nods.
“I love that about you, Noves. Always be prepared, like Smokey Bear.”
“You know it,” I giggle. But then my expression changes. “So what do you think I should do about Hunter? I mean, I’m living in his home, I’m having his baby, and I’m basically going to be dependent on him after the kid’s born. I can’t just go out and get a job.”
Adora’s silent for a moment, thoughtful.
“Well, you know that you can only answer that question for yourself, Noves. But it sounds like you don’t have that many choices.
I mean, I don’t mean to be a downer, but yeah, what about money?
Kids aren’t cheap, and you need a spare pair of hands.
Even if all Hunter does is hire a nanny to help you with the baby, still that’ll be a lot. ”
“But you’ll be there too, right?” I ask with a quizzical arch to my eyebrows. “You’re Auntie Dora, after all.”
My blonde friend nods.
“Of course, but you know I know nothing about babies. Hell, I haven’t held a baby in like a million years. And I have never changed a diaper in my life, so you’ll need Hunter’s help.”
I sigh, my shoulders sagging.
“Yeah, that’s what I figure. Dang, I never thought I’d be so reliant on a man.”
Adora shoots me a searching look, her fingers snug around the mug in her hand.
“But let me just say something, girlfriend. You seem really happy right now. I mean, I know you haven’t figured things out with your babydaddy, but it seems like you’re really content. You know you’re taken care of, with a roof over your head, plenty of food to eat, and a man who adores you.”
“Who says he adores me?” I ask, my cheeks heating a bit. “I never said that!”
Adora shoots me a sideways smile.
“Girl, it’s obvious. You are the definition of fat, pregnant, and happy.
You’re glowing, and it’s because you know that Hunter wants your pregnant bod.
He wants that baby. He wants the three of you to have a happily ever after and despite his horrific missteps, that’s what you want too.
So my only question is: why are you making him suffer? ”
“Because he deserves it!” I retort emphatically. “That man pretended to give me birth control, but swapped in sugar pills instead! And now, there are real consequences.”
“Consequences that you love,” my friend slips in.
“True,” I say. “But that whole thing with my mom is so fucked up too. How he said ‘we respond the same in bed’ and even ‘like the same sexual positions.’ Oh my god, so gross!”
Adora nods thoughtfully before flicking a long lock of blonde hair over one shoulder.
“Noves, can I say something that’s a little offensive? You might not want to hear it.”
“No.”
She smiles sassily. “I know you want to hear it. But the truth is that sexual thing he does to you – I mean, any woman would like it. Who doesn’t like getting their clit stroked and rubbed?
Who doesn’t cream heavily into a man’s hand while it’s happening?
I mean, maybe you misunderstood. Or maybe Hunter’s misunderstanding himself, but it doesn’t sound like it’s the craziest sex move in the world. I think he could be confused.”
I shrug.
“Maybe. Not everyone ends up falling in love with their late wife’s daughter. It would spook anyone.”
“And I think it spooked him, which is a good thing,” Adora emphasizes.
“It means he has a conscience. It means he respects the memory of his late wife, and respects you too. Maybe you should go easier on him, and give him a chance? At least talk to him a little. I think it’ll be easier to raise a child together if you at least talk. ”
“Maybe,” I concede. Then I wink. “But I kind of like having him wrapped around my little finger right now. It’s nice to have an alpha male on leash and collar.”
With that, we both burst out laughing because the truth is that I adore Hunter Taggart. I’ve been giving him the cold shoulder as punishment for his lies and betrayal, but maybe it’s time to stop. After all, our baby will be born soon ... and he or she deserves to have a doting daddy.