Chapter Nineteen
Colt and Hux have been gone for what feels like forever.
Kira and Sia are talking, but their voices are distant, background noise to the deafening thud of my heartbeat.
It won’t slow. It won’t stop hammering against my ribs like it’s trying to break free.
I’m not crying anymore, but that doesn’t mean I feel any better.
The numbness is creeping in, slow and suffocating, swallowing me whole.
I can’t sit still.
Suddenly, I’m on my feet.
Still clutching the test, I leave the penthouse, my pulse roaring in my ears.
“Dee, wait. Do you want us to come with you?” Sia’s voice follows me, laced with concern.
I don’t answer.
I don’t look back.
The press of the key card, the sharp beep of the lock disengaging—it’s all a blur. The door slams shut behind me with a satisfying finality.
Then, I snap.
I fling the test onto the bed like it burns me, like it’s responsible for the wreckage of my life.
The suitcase is open in seconds, belongings tossed inside with sharp, reckless movements.
My hands shake, breath coming fast. The crushing despair twists, hardens, and turns into something more powerful. More destructive.
Rage.
I tear through the suite, stuffing clothes into the case, my vision blurring at the edges.
“Fuck you, Colter Slade!” I scream, my voice raw, my throat burning with the force of it.
“That’s not very nice.” The sound of his voice freezes me mid-motion.
My head snaps up.
He’s there.
In the doorway.
Watching me.
His face is unreadable, but his presence alone ignites something volatile inside me. I don’t know whether I want to run into his arms or drive my fist into his perfect, infuriating face.
I grit my teeth and go back to packing. Faster now. Desperate. Like if I can just get out of here, maybe I can breathe again.
“Dee,” he says, stepping closer. “Anna said you haven’t taken the test yet.” His voice is calm. Too calm.
It makes me want to scream all over again.
“What does it matter?” I bite out, snapping the suitcase shut with a sharp click. My chest heaves, my entire body vibrating with emotion. “You don’t want me. You don’t want this baby. You made that perfectly fucking clear.”
His expression shifts. There is a slight flicker of something I can’t place, but I don’t let myself analyze it.
I take a breath, force the words out with as much strength as I have left. “Colt, it’s fine. If I’m pregnant, you don’t have to be a part of our lives,” I say, my voice breaking, but my resolve holding firm. I meet his gaze, daring him to argue. “You’re off the hook.”
He grabs my arm, spinning me around, and suddenly, he’s right there—so close.
Too close.
I can’t meet his eyes.
The tears start falling again, hot and relentless, my body trembling like it’s coming apart at the seams. But then Colt’s arms wrap around me, pulling me into the warmth of his chest. I don’t fight it.
I can’t.
The dam breaks, and I let go.
Colt holds me like he’s afraid I’ll slip through his fingers, one hand pressing my head to him, the other splayed wide across my back, grounding me.
“Dee,” his voice is rough, thick with something I don’t have the strength to decipher. “I don’t want to be off the hook. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I freaked out.” His chest rises and falls against me, his breath uneven.
“If I’m being honest… I’ve never thought about being a dad.
The idea scares the living shit out of me.
” His arms tighten around me as if bracing for impact.
“But that’s no excuse for how I treated you.
And I swear, I’ll spend the rest of my life making this up to you.
” Slowly, he lifts my face, his fingers gentle as they tip my chin upward.
His thumbs brush away my tears, and for the first time since everything shattered, the storm inside me starts to settle. My body still shakes, but somehow, in his arms, the chaos feels quieter.
“I love you so much, Colt. It’ll break me if you leave,” I sob, my voice fractured, barely holding together.
His grip on me tightens. “Baby, I’m not going anywhere. And neither are you. We’ll deal with this together.” His lips press to the top of my head, warm and reassuring, but the gnawing anxiety in my chest refuses to ease.
Colt steps away, grabbing the box from the bed. Then, taking my hand, he guides me toward the ensuite. Each step feels heavier than the last, like wading through quicksand. His words should have calmed me, but the anxious nerves only grow, coiling tighter, suffocating me.
The moment stretches unbearably as he settles on the edge of the bathtub and I on the toilet. The longest three minutes of our lives are ahead of us.
I’ve never peed in front of anyone before.
Ever. But Colt is adamant that he wants to be with me every step of the way.
And for some inexplicable reason, that comforts me.
So, with his steady presence beside me, I did it.
I peed on the little stick while he turned his back, but stayed in the room, and then I settled beside him on the bathtub.
Now, we wait.
Stillness takes over the room, thick and suffocating.
The only movement comes from Colt’s leg, bouncing slightly, the restless motion contradicting the firm kiss he presses to the top of my head.
Our gazes remain locked on the test sitting on the counter, the seconds dragging like hours.
The only sounds are our uneven breathing and the quiet, rhythmic bounce of his knee.
And still, we wait.
“Before we find out, I want you to know that I’m in.
I’m all in, Dee. If we are pregnant, then we’re going to do it together.
I’ll be there for every appointment, every late-night feed, every back massage, and every sleepless night.
I’ll be with you. You know how I feel about you, and nothing will ever change that.
I acted like an arse, and it’s inexcusable,” he reassures, breaking the strained silence between us.
“If I were watching where I was going, you wouldn’t have found out the way you did, and the whole world wouldn’t know what they think they know.” I rub my sore knees.
“You can’t help tripping. Are your knees bad?
” Colt kneels in front of me, his fingers already tugging my jeans up to inspect the damage.
He winces at the sight and then, without a word, stands and gently pulls me up from the bathtub.
His hands move to my jeans, unzipping them with effortless ease before helping me step out of them.
I stay quiet, watching as he crosses the room, grabs the first aid kit, and comes back to me with that same determined look—the one that always makes my heart stutter.
“You’re gonna end up with scars on your knees if you don’t stop falling over, baby,” he says, kissing my thigh, then tends to my battered knees.
After he patches me up, Colt pulls me into his arms, holding me close, his warmth sinking into me like an anchor.
We stand there, wrapped in each other, for what feels like forever.
Moments like these remind me why I love him, and why, no matter how much we fight, he always finds a way to bring me back.
Then, he leans back just enough to look me in the eyes. His voice is soft but steady. “Are you ready?”
I squeeze my eyes shut for a second, inhaling deeply before nodding.
Together, we step toward the counter.
My pulse pounds as I reach for the test, my fingers trembling slightly. Holding my breath, I lift it, eyes scanning the result.
One.
Pink.
Line.
Relief crashes over me like a tidal wave, so strong that my legs nearly give out. I sink into Colt’s arms, pressing my face to his chest.
But then—his voice, laced with something I don’t quite expect.
“Baby, can you tell me what’s going on right now?” The slight panic in his tone is impossible to miss.
I pull back just enough to meet his eyes, a soft smile forming. “It’s one line,” I say, the words barely above a whisper.
His brows furrow slightly. “And that means?”
“We’re not pregnant.”
The second the words leave my mouth, a strange sensation washes over me. A wave of something I hadn’t expected—sadness.
I see it on him, too.
Colt laughs, but there’s a hesitation, a flicker of something unreadable behind his eyes. “So… all this was for nothing,” he says, chuckling, but the way his fingers tighten on my waist tells a different story.
A little giggle escapes me. “Um… yeah. Now we have to tell the world we’re not pregnant.”
“Well, I am relieved, I’m not going to lie. But I’ll have Sia and Rob make a statement. The person I’m most concerned about is your father, Dee. He already hates me. What’s he going to think now?”
“Oh, he’s already on his way to Australia to kill you with his bare hands,” I joke.
He swallows hard but doesn’t get a chance to say anything because my cell rings.
“Well, that didn’t take long,” I point to my phone. “It’s Daddy.”
Colt raises his hands in an ‘I surrender’ motion and steps back, giving me room to head into the bedroom to take the call.
Picking up the phone, I take a deep breath, then swipe the screen and put on a happy voice. “Daddy, hi,” I say, before walking out and sitting on the edge of the bed.
Colt hesitantly sits next to me.
“Deliah Norman, are you… pregnant?” His voice rises as he talks, and all I can do is roll my eyes at his pompous attitude.
“I’m doing great, thanks, Daddy. How are you?” I answer sarcastically.
“Deliah, don’t you play games with me. Did that buffoon impregnate you?” Those words, those arrogant words, cause me to giggle, and I know it infuriates him further because his breathing is heavier, more intense.
“No, Daddy, Colt did not impregnate me.” Who even talks like that?
There’s a sigh, the relief obvious. “Then why the hell do you have a pregnancy test? Are you having unprotected intercourse with that boy, Deliah? I taught you better than that,” he adds with a raised voice.