10. Official
Faith
Yes, I will marry you.I’d said the words, but it seemed like a dream.
“That’s wonderful, Faith.” Cassius kissed my hand. “I’m so glad.”
“Me too.” But my smile was forced. The reality of my situation still hadn’t set in yet; none of this felt quite real.
“I’d like to ask that we move quickly,” Cassius said. “Would you be willing to sign a prenuptial agreement? I’ll need to let my team know as soon as possible.”
“O-Of course.” He was a billionaire. Of course, there would be a prenup. Still, the speed at which he mentioned it gave me whiplash.
“Because you’re pregnant, the sooner we make this official, the better,” he continued. “The Blackwood estate is held in a complicated trust. It’ll take some time for our legal team to make the necessary arrangements for my heir.”
I nodded, completely overwhelmed. Not only was I pregnant, but I was getting married. Soon. And there would be an heir. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine having a conversation like this one.
“I can organize a ceremony in a few days. Are you agreeable to that?” Cassius asked.
Again, I nodded. But I felt dizzy—this was all happening so fast.
“Would you like to be married here or in Boston?” he asked.
I licked my lips, which had gone dry. “Boston,” I croaked. “I need to include my brother.”
“Of course.” Cassius nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.”
I hesitated. “This will be a lot for him to take in.”
“I understand. You should call him as soon as possible so that he’s prepared,” Cassius said. “Am I correct that he’s unable to leave the treatment center?”
“He has to stay in his room,” I said. “He needs constant monitoring.”
“Then we can bring the ceremony to him.” He squeezed my hand. “I know how important Lucas is to you. I need you to know I will always take care of him.”
My heart thundered in my chest. “That’s very kind of you, Cassius.”
“I’m going to be your husband, Faith. It’s not kindness—it’s my duty.” He lifted my chin, bringing my eyes level with his. “I will take care of you and your brother. You won’t ever have to worry about your security or future again. And you won’t have to worry about your child’s future. Because the Blackwood heir will have the world at their feet.”
“Cassius…” My voice trailed off. He seemed so sure of himself, moving forward at warp speed. “What if the pregnancy test is wrong? What if I’m not pregnant?”
“You are.” He kissed my lips as if that settled it. “And I’ll have my physician examine you and the test results just to confirm.”
“O-Okay.” But was it really okay? What would happen to his marriage proposal if the next test was negative?
“I’m going to have to meet with my brothers to tell them the news,” Cassius said. “I hate to leave you again, but this can’t wait. It impacts all of us.”
I nodded.
He kissed me again; this time, it was slower, more tender. I felt the knot in my chest unfurl, at least a little.
“Wait for me in our bed, Faith. I’ll be home soon.”
With that, my billionaire fiancé was gone.
Cassius was gone for hours.I lay in the bed—our bed. That’s what he’d called it. I pulled the covers up to my chin and stared at the ceiling. I hadn’t called Lucas yet, deciding to leave that conversation until morning. My whole life had changed, and I couldn’t put it into words yet. I should be calm and composed when I told my brother the news.
I’m getting married to Cassius Blackwood.I’m pregnant.
Not necessarily in that order.
I’d wanted the billionaire to ask me to stay. If I was being honest with myself, which I wasn’t, I’d also secretly prayed in my heart that someday, we’d be married. But when I’d hoped for someday, I meant someday when we were in a serious relationship. When we’d grown together, enjoyed each other, and truly gotten to know one another.
Someday, when we were in love.
For although I was in love with Cassius, his proposal wasn’t welcome news. Instead of a love match, I once again felt like a transaction. He hadn’t asked me to marry him because he loved me—he wanted to secure his heir’s future. He’d made it very clear that he’d take care of me and that, as his wife, I would become his duty.
But I didn’t want to be his duty. I didn’t want just to be the mother of his child. I wanted him to want me and cherish me the way I wanted him and cherished him.
So, instead of joy, the prospect of exchanging wedding vows filled me with mild dread. I kept thinking about what Macy said. I don’t want history repeating itself. That, coupled with every awful thing my mother had said about being a parent—mixed with memories of my shitty childhood—tossed and tumbled inside my head.
Who was I to be a mother? Who was I to get married?
Who was I kidding?
I might have felt better about the situation if Cassius had expressed some sort of romantic intention toward me, but that had been glaringly absent. Instead of professing his love, he’d said things like prenuptial agreement and complicated trust and Blackwood heir. I understood—he was an enormously wealthy man, not to mention the head of his family. His was a complicated situation that I had little knowledge of. For me, getting married would mean signing a few papers and hoping for the best. For him, the Blackwood empire was at stake.
Still, my heart ached as I thought of the past few days. I’d let my guard down and let myself fall for the billionaire. He’d possessed my body, but more than that, he’d stolen my heart. The sad fact was now that we were to be married, the fragile ecosystem of hope and trust that had been building inside me was toppling.
I was pregnant and getting married, but I felt more alone than ever.