Twenty-One
M y nerves are fried as I head down the stairs with Maddy to wait for Ephraim and Alex. Dray says he has this handled, but so far, I’ve seen no evidence of that. My appointment hasn’t been rescheduled, Maddy didn’t say anything about Ephraim staying behind, and the pit in my stomach reminds me that we’re still utterly and completely fucked.
I’ve had a few days to think about plan C and what I’ll do if Ephraim discovers the truth before the wedding. Each idea I come up with is worse than the last. I won’t be able to run. Staying almost certainly won’t be an option. Lying in the face of irrefutable evidence is a good way to get myself killed, and bargaining won’t do me any good either.
Pretty and pristine, and at the end of my rope.
Alex meets us in the foyer first with his head bowed and dress shirt unbuttoned halfway down. His hair is a mess and one of his shoes is untied. It’s the most unkempt I’ve ever seen him.
“Alex,” I scold gently, walking over to button his shirt and try to flatten his hair. “I understand you’re scared, but we have to keep up appearances. Don’t you think it’ll be suspicious if you look defeated before we even go?”
“None of it matters. We aren’t going to pull this off.”
Ignoring him, I drop down to tie his shoe as Draven joins us. It seems I’ll have to remind him to keep up appearances too, because he does nothing to hide the scowl on his face. “Tie your own fucking shoes, Alexander.”
He reaches down to take my hand and help me up, the scent of his cologne calming the anxiety threatening to suffocate me.
He’s wearing a deep blue collared shirt that brings out his eyes so well it stops me in my tracks. This is the man who killed Jake to help a friend, who killed Theo just for showing me kindness. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that Draven Creed will protect his child. It’ll be okay.
Bastard, baby, murderer, psycho, savior.
“Hi.” I can’t kiss him, not here, so I force myself to take a step back from him. “Any news?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately, Father’s computer was hacked last night and they can’t figure out what was taken. Whoever it was filled it with porn.”
He offers me a small smile, one that has a much larger effect. “That’s terrible,” I say with a surprisingly straight face. “What’s he doing about it?”
“I imagine he’s hiding in his office pretending he isn’t tempted to jack off.” He shrugs. “Not my problem, but I’m coming along to make sure everything goes smoothly here. Tie your shoes and pull your shit together, big brother. After today there will be no questions about whether or not you’re going to be a dad.”
Madeline lets out an audible sigh of relief next to me, blushing when all three of us turn to look at her. “What? I’m simply glad that Mr. Creed has someone he can rely on, that’s all. It’s a good thing you’re going, Draven. Thank you.”
She knows, and all three of us understand that. It’s just another layer of this twisted, dangerous web we’re weaving.
“Of course they can rely on me.” Draven’s smile is genuine as he steps in to kiss her on the cheek. “You raised me right, Miss Maddy.”
“Kiss ass,” Alex mutters, but the relief is evident on his face.
Draven did it. We can do this.
“We should get going,” I say quickly, taking Alex’s arm and heading for the door. “I wouldn’t want to be late.”
Or to stall so long that Ephraim changes his mind. We have one shot at this, and if we blow it... I don’t want to think about what will happen.
––––––––
“S ullivan Harbough,” I tell the receptionist. “I’m here to have a p—”
“Paternity test, yes. You and Alex can follow Nurse Stall to the back.”
Grinning, I turn and nod to Draven, who falls into step behind me. We’re fine, I think, until Nurse Stall glances at her clipboard then behind him to Alex. “Oh, I’m sorry. We need him to come too since he’s the father being tested.”
“And where he goes I go,” Draven says, an authority in his tone he doesn’t bring out often. “Do we have a problem?”
I’m still stuck on how she knows, but as I step closer, I catch a glimpse of a picture of Alex on her clipboard. Ephraim must’ve made sure they knew what he looked like after Draven’s display at the fertility tests.
“No, no problem,” she says with a cheery smile. “Right this way.”
Okay. I can do this. We can do this. My inner monologue has become a broken record, but there’s no alternative here. We have to succeed.
The small exam room becomes crowded when both Alex and Draven step in, and Nurse Stall looks a little uncomfortable as she sits me down. “It’ll be an easy test, as I’m sure you’ve been told. I’ll take a little blood from you, and we’ll be able to discern the fetus’ DNA profile from yours, then compare it to Alexander’s to confirm he’s the biological father. The results normally take a week, but Mr. Creed has put a rush on it. Do you have any questions?”
A half-cocked plan forms in my mind. “Um... nope. Can you do mine first, though? I tend to get a little squeamish around blood, so I’d like to be able to sit for a few minutes after it’s done.”
“Understandable. I’ll grab you a cup of water when it’s all said and done, and you can take all the time you need back here.”
She starts by taking my vitals before she begins opening up the needle packaging, and the entire time she works I feel Draven’s eyes on me.
“So it’s just a cheek swab for me, huh? Seems I got it easy.” Alex is nervous rambling, and I wish he’d just shut up. Glaring at him, I pump my fist to help her find a vein. “Yeah, you got off lucky. It seems to be that way for men in general. All you have to do is ejaculate into a warm hole while the woman ends up miserable for nine months.”
Okay, maybe I should shut up too, but I can’t. I think I’m starting to hate him.
The needle jab does nothing for me, but doesn’t bother me either. It never has, yet as she fills up a hefty vial of blood, I squint my eyes and look away to keep up appearances.
“All done,” she says gently, rubbing the spot and putting a bandage over it. “Just sit tight and I’ll get his swab done.”
She bustles around labeling the vial and washing her hands, grabs a few things, then opens the package with the cheek swab.
I stand up quickly, praying those two idiots catch on. “Nurse Stall? I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“Oh, no,” she rushes out, helping me toward the small trash can as Alex slips the swab from her grasp.
He mumbles something about taking care of it while she helps hold my hair, and after a few fake dry heaves, my fiancé moves over to rub my lower back. “All done, babe. She does this a lot, is that normal?”
Draven huffs. “Did you just ask if nausea is normal in the first trimester? Read a damn book.”
Alex is smart enough to keep his mouth shut, but I don’t miss the tiny smile on the nurse’s face. “It’s normal,” she says gently, taking the slim vial with the swab. “We’ll have to redo this though. I need to make sure we get enough of a sample.”
“Oh we did. I know you weren’t looking, but I made sure it was a good one. Right, Alex?”
“Mmhm.” He clears his throat. “My cheek still feels dry.”
I let my face fall just a little. “Mr. Creed sent Draven to make sure there were no mistakes. I wouldn’t doubt if he told him to do it himself just to be sure. Don’t take it personally.”
Her eyes flick to her clipboard again, resting forgotten on the counter by the sink. “You’re right. I’m sure that’s what happened. I’ll just label this and we’ll get you those results as soon as we can. Even rushed, it’ll likely be a few days.”
Nodding, I take Alex’s hand and squeeze. “See? Now in a few days, no one will be able to tell you our baby isn’t yours. We’re almost there.”
He nods, looking more genuine in that moment than he has all day. “Almost there.”
The nurse is none the wiser to how fake our loving exchange really is, but my attention is locked just above her head.
This should be our moment, mine and Draven’s. Not Alexander’s. The look in Dray’s eyes as he watches us tells me he feels it too.
I’m sorry, baby. Maybe Alex is right — maybe it’ll be easier if Draven and I aren’t together. He’ll still have to sit back and watch another man play father to his child, but at least he won’t have to watch me play a lovesick wife to his brother.
Yes, things would be easier if we weren’t together. But I’m a pawn, and in this case, I’m a slave to something far greater than any man’s whims. I’m simply caught in a game run by my own beating heart, and my heart says we’re not done here.
I’m too selfish to give him up.
I’m too selfish to stop.
So I’m sorry, baby.
But this is just the beginning.