Chapter Eight
Jacqueline
I can’t believe this is happening. I can barely breathe. I’m on the sofa of my hotel with two pregnancy tests staring at the results. Pregnant. Twice. I can’t believe it. Of course, with a man who doesn’t want any more children. What do I do? I’m definitely not giving up my child because that’s something I would never consider. I’ve waited a lifetime for a family. Even if I have to go at it alone, I will.
My big decision is whether to tell him. Does he deserve to know the truth? He said he didn’t want any children or a wife. It’s the reason he didn’t see this relationship going anywhere with me. Hell, I was just an itch for him to scratch and a distant memory. How am I going to tell him? What am I going to do?
My eyes water and I let tears fall. I dropped my head on the floor and lay there until sleep took me.
A loud pounding on my door wakes me up. I’m on my feet, but then the room starts spinning. “Oh shit.” This isn’t good.
“Jacqueline, please can we talk?”
“Evan?” I called out, trying to get my footing. My leg is still asleep and I’m guessing my blood pressure is a little low as the room starts to spin.
“Yes, it’s me. Can I come in?”
“One minute.” I walk to the door and open it. He’s standing there, looking at me with a scruffy beard, damn. How the hell does he look sexy like that? His gray is starting to show, but it works for him.
There’s a shadow around his eyes as if he hasn’t been sleeping. “Are you okay?”
“Better now that you’re here.” I let out the tiniest laugh. So he believes, but he doesn’t know that when I left, I left with a miniature piece of him. We already had this discussion, and he didn’t want any kids.
“Evan…why are you here? I thought we’ve been over this.”
“Tell me that what happened meant nothing to you. Tell me that what we shared was just a fling.” I can’t. “Because to me you’re the world. I love you and I shouldn’t have let you walk out that damn door. I shouldn’t have let you get in that car. You cut me off when you mentioned having a baby. I didn’t get to answer because you cut me off.”
“So you were saying you wanted to have a baby with me?”
He cups my face and then tips my head so he’s staring at me in the eyes. Slowly he and succinctly, he says, “Every time I entered you all I thought about was fucking my child into you. I might have not gotten the words out, but my mind was hoping my little guys did the job. I’d been married for nearly twenty years and never had a kid of my own, so I’m not sure.”
“Whoa, slow down. Are you going senile on me? I’m pretty sure you have two daughters.” He sighs and takes my hand, leading me to the sofa. Thankfully, he doesn’t see the two tests that are on the table, but I can’t reach them either. Hopefully he doesn’t see them yet.
“There’s something I need to tell you. I would have told you sooner, but I had to explain it to Noelle and Autumn first.” He breaks the terrible tale down, every heartbreaking detail and by the end I’m in tears.
“Where are there some tissues?” He looks around and then he spots them.
“Are those?” He grabs them and reads the clear word across each. Pregnant.
“Were you planning to tell me?”
“I was trying to figure it out. I literally just took the tests before I fell asleep on the sofa.”
He pulls me into his arms. “We’re getting married whether you like it or not. I’ve got your sexy ass right where I want you.”
“In a small apartment?”
“No, trapped in my arms forever,” he whispers. “And now I’m never letting you go.”
“You promise?”
“Yes,” he says. I feel him take my hand in his and then the gentle cool feeling of a ring on my finger. I look up at him, mouth wide open and then down at the stone on my finger. “Like I said, you’re marrying me. I’m too old for you, and I’m sure you deserve someone better, but I’m too selfish to stop loving you.”
“That’s good because I don’t ever want you to stop. I love you too, Evan.”
“When do you finish your assignment?”
“Luckily, it’s just a short one. One more week.”
“Do you have another assignment?”
“Actually, I received a call from Dr. Johnson asking if I would return to the clinic for two days a week, and I said yes.”
“So you’ll be working close to home.” I love hearing the sound of that.
“Yes, so I’ll see you in a week or so.” I’m hoping that he wants me to come and live with him. I haven’t moved out of my apartment completely, but I’d love to spend every night in his arms. Missing him is all I’ve done since we’ve been apart.
He scoffs. “In a week? I have no damn intention of leaving until we leave together.”
“You’re staying.” I don’t think my smile can get any bigger. I know it can’t because my cheeks actually hurt.
“Of course. I don’t want to miss any more damn time apart again.”
I jump into his arms and kiss his face. “I love the beard by the way. It’s my sexy lumberjack.”
“I’ll keep it then, my sexy nurse.” He kisses me with a rough, possessive zeal before pinning me on the sofa, reminding me that I belong to him for the rest of our lives.