Rachel studied me coolly “They never expressly tried, but Flair wasn’t on birth control. Three years of having sex without protection and nothing? It defies the odds. But I’m more worried about her heart. Grayson, she’s not cut out to be a mother who abandons her child. If you ask her to leave her baby, she’ll break. This contract might have seemed like a good idea initially, but now” she shook her head “if you still insist it remains a contract, then you should both sever it now before it gets too emotionally messy.”
Let her go? My chest tightened. “That’s not feasible,” I said harshly “Flair agreed to the conditions. She agreed to the contract. She is the only one that is able to break it.”
“The only one?” Rachel asked, uncrossing her ankles and regarding me with interest “Aren’t you able to do the same? Why don’t you just ask her to divorce and give her a hefty settlement? She might not need it being a grant, but if you ask her to leave, she’ll accept your decision without question. She’s too proud not to” Rachel argued.
“Why do you care so much Rachel?” my voice was hoarse, my expression grim “What gives you the right to barge in here and start questioning my motives towards Flair?”
“Because I watched her as she became nothing more than a shell while she was married to Johnathon and I won’t see her go through that again. She loved that man and he didn’t deserve her.”
Rachel’s voice was passionate, full of emotion, her eyes shiny. “That man used her and then discarded her as though she didn’t mean a damn thing to him. Years of loyalty, of working her fingers to the bone for him and what did it get her?” she whispered, her voice shaking “Nothing but divorce and the knowledge that he cheated on her for the sake of money. How much do you think that affected her?”
“I am not Johnathon” I thundered, causing her to jump slightly “Don’t you think that my morals might be different to that bastards? How can you even conceive of comparing me to that bastard?” I demanded, spearing her with a glance “I would never do something like that to Flair.”
Rachel’s lips curved upwards “Why is that Grayson? What makes you so different from Johnathon? You’re both wealthy, you’re both lawyers” she persisted, her voice growing higher “You both wanted something from her. What makes you so different from her ex-husband? What makes you so certain you won’t do the same thing he did to her?”
I was breathing shallowly now. I saw Timothy out of the corner of my eye as he looked through the doorway, a look of concern on his face. He must have grown tired of waiting for Rachel and come looking for her. She put her hands on my desk and leaned forward “What is it that you feel for Flair that’s going to make me confident that you’re not going to ruin her or leave her an emotional wreck when this is said and done? How can I trust you, Grayson?” Rachel was persistent and aggressive, her words coming thick and fast.
I hated to admit it but this woman would make one hell of a lawyer “What is it you’re not telling me?”
“I love her damnit” my words echoed loudly across the room, causing Rachel’s mouth to gape wide open and Timothy to gasp from his position “Alright? Is that enough for you? I love your friend” I said with gritted teeth “I might not have told her but this is not something I anticipated. I wasn’t planning on falling for Flair, but now that you’ve pushed me to admit it, I’m in love with her” I snarled “and the thought of losing her is something I can’t bear to imagine.”
Silence. Pure silence. Rachel looked satisfied as she slowly removed her hands from the desk. Timothy remained standing still. I breathed heavily. I had been afraid to admit it to myself, but Rachel had continued pushing until it had slipped out without warning.
“You love her,” Rachel said softly, a smile on her lips “I knew it,” she said quietly “the way you two look at each other. She never looked at Johnathon that way. Not once” she murmured.
“Are you satisfied now?” I shot out.
“Very. I’m not going to tell her Grayson, that’s up to you. But I would suggest you tell her soon because if I’m right, she feels the exact same way about you. She’s just too scared to say the words in case they mean nothing to you” she whispered, standing up and regarding me.
“They would mean everything to me,” I said quietly and Rachel nodded, beginning to turn.
“Then I hope for your sake that she finds the courage to express it. Forgive me for intruding, but I needed to know that you weren’t going to be like Johnathon. I wanted to protect her this time” Rachel breathed with one last glance over her shoulder before joining Timothy and walking away.
I loved her. I bowed my head and closed my eyes, feeling at peace for the first time in a long time. How was I going to tell the woman I had proposed a contract marriage to that I had fallen for her?
Flair POV
Not pregnant. The words continued to echo inside my mind. I wasn’t pregnant. The irrefutable proof had happened this morning and now I sat, with my head in my hands, Roscoe nudging me and whining softly as though in sympathy while I tried to gather my composure and my thoughts. It was silly, but for a moment, maybe longer than a moment, I had hoped, that maybe this time, it would have happened It was foolish, I hadn’t been married to Grayson that long, and yet, I found myself yearning to be with child.
How was Grayson going to react when I gave him the news? I absent-mindedly allowed my hands to fall and patted Roscoe, who put his head on my knee. Most women didn’t get pregnant the first month they tried, I tried to convince myself, but the disappointment was there nonetheless. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes and I forced myself to blink them away.
“Oh, Roscoe” my voice broke “I know it’s stupid, but I really thought…” my voice faded to a whisper and Roscoe jumped onto the sofa and rubbed his head against me, in an attempt to comfort me.
Thank goodness for the dog. I put my arms around him and breathed. Everything was going to be okay, I convinced myself. But the depression remained and I was having a difficult time trying to push past it. Not to mention the pain in my stomach and back from having my time of the month was not helping matters. I groaned and leaned back, Roscoe putting his paws on my legs.
“I need ice cream” I muttered to myself “or chocolate, or junk food.”
Anything to help numb the pain and cravings. Roscoe looked at me expectantly and wagged his tail. The voice inside my head continued to admonish me for turning to bad habits instead of dealing with my bad news in a healthy way. Sometimes I really hated the voice in my head.
“Should we go for a walk Roscoe?” I murmured and the wolf lit up, jumping to the ground and enthusiastically wagging his tail back and forth.
At the very least the walk would help with the cramping pain. I slowly got up and began to get ready, putting shoes on and fetching his lead. I hoped he didn’t drag me too fast, but he was sitting patiently, cocking his head and waiting. There was a park about a block away that I wanted to take him to. I clipped him to the lead and locked the front door behind me, setting off with a determined expression.
The weather was nice outside. Calm and sunny, with a breeze that was soft and gentle. Roscoe was in his element, playfully skipping ahead and then pausing as he waited for me to catch up. I laughed, beginning to feel my spirits rising and in no time we were at the park, casually walking around. It was fenced in and Roscoe was content to walk slowly, sniffing the various plants and flowers. I relaxed, taking in the sun and feeling the warmth of it on my face. This was what I needed, I thought to myself.
I sat and watched the children playing on the playground, while Roscoe lay down with his head on his paws, content to feel the grass on his stomach and watch the insects flying around. The sounds of their laughter and their shouting filled me with joy. They seemed to have a constant flow of energy as they ran and played. It brought a smile to my face.
“I like your dog,” a little girl said shyly, her mother keeping a close eye on her as she approached.
“Thank you,” I said.
She was like a little cherub with blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in jeans and a shirt, with scuffed-up sneakers and loose hair. She had her thumb in her mouth and couldn’t be any older than four at the most.
“Can I pet him?” she asked.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.