by Kyndall, Kit
Deciding I didn’t want to put on the wrinkled salmon-pink dress again, I went to his closet and borrowed a blue oxford shirt instead. The buttons strained just a bit over my breasts and gently rounded tummy, but as I eyed myself in the full-length mirror, my damp hair curling just slightly in waves over my shoulder, I decided I looked damned adorable.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he took one look at me and swept me back to bed. My bare mound dampened at the thought, even as my stomach rumbled at the smell of bacon that hit me when I opened his bedroom door and padded down the hardwood floor on bare feet. Maybe I’d insist on breakfast first, or at least a couple of slices on the way back to the bedroom.
I’d been to his apartment before, if not his bedroom, so I knew how to find the kitchen. As I drew nearer, I heard at least two voices conversing, and my stomach rolled with dread—or morning nausea—when I braced myself to face Nila. The feminine voice sounded too warm to be his mother’s, but I wanted to be prepared.
As I entered the kitchen, they stopped talking. My gaze settled on the dark-skinned woman sitting near him at the table, and I breathed a small sigh of relief. She was a younger, prettier version of her mother and bore a strong resemblance to Mykael, though her features were finely drawn and delicate where his were bold and sculpted.
I relaxed slightly as she gave me a shy smile. I don’t know what I’d expected, but she looked perfectly normal. There were no scars or visible signs of the trauma that had haunted her the past six years, at least until I met her gaze. Then I saw the haunted sadness in her dark gaze and knew where she carried her pain. It was inside her, soul-deep, but it leaked out through the expressive dark orbs so like Mykael’s.
I felt awkward as I sat at the table across from Mykael and his sister. Annika made the first move, holding out her hand, which I took quickly so she wouldn’t think I was reluctant or trying to avoid her. “Hello, I’m Annika. You must be Gabriella.”
I nodded as I shook her hand before letting go to accept a glass of orange juice Mykael offered me. I stomach growled for food, and my mouth watered for coffee, but I knew he would make life difficult if I tried to get a cup. I settled for the orange juice grudgingly as he got up from the table and brought me a plate.
“It’s nice to meet you, Annika. Mykael talks about you a lot.” And he did on our dates. She was obviously a big part of his life, and I guessed that was part of why I was feeling so nervous about finally meeting her. That, and considering how big of a disaster it had been with his mother yesterday, I couldn’t bring myself to be overly optimistic about the outcome here.
“He’s told me a lot about you too. I know you make him happy, and that’s the most important thing.” Her gaze left me to seek out her brother’s, and she tipped her head slightly with her lips pursed. “There’s one thing you never did tell me though, Mykael.”
He took a sip of his coffee before answering. “What’s that?”
“You never enlightened me how you came to be involved with Wayne Chastain’s stepdaughter.”
He and I both froze, and I looked at him in panic. I hadn’t expected her to know or guess. I cleared my throat. “How did you know?”
“After…it happened…and I assume you know what I mean?” At my nod, she continued, “I wanted to learn as much about the bastard as I could, I wanted to make him suffer, along with his friends. There were a few pictures of you online, including the recent one for your mother’s obituary.”
So the rape had happened sometime around my mother’s passing, though I still wasn’t certain if it was before or after. In a way, it made me hate Wayne even more. If he had been stressed or upset by my mother’s impending death, how dare he take it out on this poor girl across from me?
If he had been angry at losing his wife, he’d still had no right to do such a thing, and he had cheated on my mother if she was still alive. Knowing him though, I doubted my mother’s rapid decline and sudden death had influenced his decision to hurt Annika. He was selfish enough to take whatever he wanted without thinking twice about the consequences. She probably hadn’t been the first or last girl he and his friends had used so despicably.
He was an all-around asshole, but that wasn’t a shocking revelation. “I’m sorry.” What else could I say? I was truly sorry for what Wayne had done to her, but I was powerless to change anything. So far, she didn’t appear to hate me, but I was on edge and cautious in case she changed her mind or showed a different response.
She nodded, but didn’t reply to my apology. “Well?” prompted Annika when neither of us answered her question. Her expression softened slightly when she looked at me. “I hope my brother didn’t do something asinine as a way to get back at Wayne by hurting you.”
My eyes widened at her perceptiveness, but I found myself shaking my head. She didn’t need to know the sordid details, and none of it mattered now. “No, not at all. We met on a plane, and it was a surprise to find out later that we were linked in such an unpleasant fashion.”
I darted a glance at Mykael, who looked surprised for just a second before his expression went to neutral. He clearly hadn’t expected me to cover for him, and I hoped he understood it meant something more than just a reluctance to tell his sister the whole tale. Maybe he understood it meant I didn’t care what had happened in the past, because a second later he reached for my hand and held it in his, squeezing gently.
Annika looked relieved. “I’m glad to hear that. I want you to know, Gabriella, that I don’t hold your stepfather’s actions against you. That would be like someone disliking me because Mother can be…quite intense.”
I managed to smile, but I certainly understood what she meant. She was much kinder than I would have been when verbalizing the fear that people wouldn’t like her because her mother was a bitch. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to be anything like Nila.
Breakfast passed quickly amid the casual chatter, and soon enough, Annika excused herself to complete homework. Apparently, she was taking an online program to complete her Master’s degree. I hated the thought that she was staying cooped up in the apartment all the time, but I couldn’t say I wouldn’t have done the same if I’d been through the kind of trauma she had experienced. If I hadn’t been so adept at avoiding my stepfather’s creepy friends, I might have ended up sharing a similar fate anyway.
The apartment was quiet when she had left, and when Mykael suggested we watch a movie, I nodded. I’d have to return home soon, because I had laundry to do for tomorrow, and I couldn’t stay in his apartment forever, but it was Sunday and I intended to relax a little bit with him.
He put on a ridiculous romantic comedy, and I curled up against him. It felt right being with him like this, and I snuggled closer. The movie was somewhat boring, but I didn’t move. I was too engrossed by the beat of his heart against my ear and the firm pressure of his arms around me, while one of his hands cupped my tummy and rubbed in a small circle on a continuous basis. By the time the dreadful film ended, we were mostly lying on the couch, which was an overstuffed thing that had plenty of room for us to cuddle side-by-side.
He reached for the remote and pulled up the menu, asking, “What would you like to watch now?”
“Not another rom-com,” I said in a mock-complaining voice before turning serious. “I actually need to get home. I have things to do before work tomorrow.
His arms tightened around me. “Don’t leave. I like having you here, Gabriella. It feels right. What do you think about moving in with me?”
My head whirled at the possibility. I hadn’t expected something like that so soon, but he was correct. This felt right. Being here on the couch with him, just hanging out on a lazy Sunday as we cuddled together, felt perfect. I’d never been so content doing something so simple before. It was probably way too soon, and I think I surprised us both when I said, “Okay.”
He stiffened for a moment, and I looked up at him through the veil of my lashes, wondering if he was going to withdraw the offer or be reluctant about it. I didn
’t think he would have made it just for show, but if he seemed to have changed his mind, I would certainly back off.
Instead, a huge grin spread across his face, and he lifted me higher, plastering me atop him so he could kiss me with passion and enthusiasm. His hands cupped my cheeks, holding me against him, and I grabbed handfuls of his T-shirt to anchor myself.
“I didn’t think you’d say yes,” he whispered.
“Did you want me to say no?”
Mykael shook his head. “No, I certainly didn’t. I’m thrilled you’ve agreed to move in with me. I just expected it to take longer, and I thought you’d probably resist the idea at first.”
“I probably should if I had any common sense. It’s certainly too soon, but I can’t argue with you that this feels right. It feels like the decision I should make, if you know what I mean?”
He nodded, not a hint of uncertainty in his dark eyes. “I know exactly what you mean. That’s why I made the offer to start with, even expecting you to reject me. I thought you’d be gentle about it and tell me you needed more time, but I fully expected a no in some form. That’s why I’m so thrilled you said yes.”
How could I feel any doubt in the face of his honesty? Instead, I snuggled up with him as our kisses gradually turned more passionate, our touches meant to stimulate and tease. It was several hours later before I made it to my apartment to pack up my things with his assistance, and I never did get a load of laundry done.
Chapter Six
Gabriella
I arrived at work ten minutes early, as was my habit. I wasn’t entirely shocked to find my manager waiting for me, telling me Mrs. Watts was expecting me. I’d vaguely anticipated this, but with the move yesterday and the flurry of excitement, I hadn’t allowed myself to dwell on it too much.
Mykael had left before me this morning, to meet a client for breakfast, so it was just me making my way to the top-floor office alone. It would have been that way anyway, because I couldn’t in good conscience mix my personal life with my professional life and insist on dragging along my boyfriend to meet his mother for what was probably going to be a disciplinary meeting at minimum.
I was actually a little surprised she was acting already, especially by summoning me during work hours, but I supposed she wanted to deal with me and have me gone as quickly as possible. I was fully expecting some sort of offer to go away and never come back, which I knew I wouldn’t be accepting.
After the childhood I’d had, and the last six years spent being so lonely, there was no way I was throwing away a chance of happiness with Mykael just because his mother didn’t approve. Directly after meeting her Saturday, my inclination had been to do so, but I had calmed down since then and realized that no matter how much she objected, she couldn’t stop us from having a relationship.
Something had changed between Mykael and me over the weekend, something moving us a step closer toward his original goal of marriage, and in the end, Nila Watts wasn’t even a factor in my decision. Or not much of one.
I was feeling a little less brave than my thoughts implied as I knocked before entering her office a few moments later. It was so spacious and luxurious that it made Mykael’s nice office seem like the janitor’s closet. I didn’t bother to pay much attention to the décor or my surroundings as I focused on Nila, not letting my gaze waiver as I crossed the room to her desk.
She was seated, which was a bit startling. I’d expected her to stand up and tower over me, since she was several inches taller. I couldn’t decide what kind of message she was trying to send—either that I was too unimportant to acknowledge as anywhere near an equal, or that she was so powerful she had no need to make an overt show about it. I didn’t know her well enough to guess which.
I stood in front of her desk, awaiting an invitation to sit. She simply stared up at me with a cold look on her face. I could have made an effort to say hello or give some kind of greeting, but my voice felt trapped in my throat under the intensity of her glower. My mouth was much too dry to speak for the moment, so I just stared at her as the stretch of silence lengthened.
She spent a moment observing me, looking me over from head to toe. Finally, she leaned back just a bit in her chair, steepling her fingers together on the black wood. “There’s a folder in front of you. Open it.”
I looked down to see a plain white folder with only the law firm’s name embossed in navy ink. My hands tried to shake when I lifted the folder, but I refused to let her see the reaction. I opened the folder, and a check fluttered out. I picked it up, giving it a brief glance. All the zeros following the one made my stomach churn with nausea when I realized just how badly she wanted me gone.
Without allowing much of a reaction to show in my expression, I stuffed the check into the side pocket of the folder and looked at the papers. Without waiting for an invitation, I sat as gracefully as possible in the chair so I could read quickly.
The first page was notification from HR terminating my at-will employment. I swallowed thickly, dreading the idea of looking for a job, especially one with the benefits I had here, while pregnant. Still, I refused to betray my dismay and tried to keep my expression blank.
There was no explanation offered, but I knew in our state she didn’t have to give one. I wasn’t a contract employee or partner, so she could fire me for whatever reason she wanted, or simply no reason at all. At the bottom of the page, there was a check attached with a perforated line that included my severance pay. Apparently, this part was being handled separately from the bribery attempt to remove me from her son’s life completely.
Without commenting, I turned the page facedown on the opened folder and read the next one. It was a nondisclosure agreement forbidding me from mentioning any details of my employment here, the reason for my termination, my personal relationship with Mykael, or the outcome of that dalliance.
I blinked at the word. Dalliance. Like we were some kind of sordid fling. It might have started that way, or at least with overtones of sordidness, but she had no idea how we felt about each other. It wasn’t some cheap sexual relationship where I had deliberately trapped him by getting pregnant. I was certain she believed that, but I knew the truth.
With no comment, and making no attempt to reach for the pen nearby, I turned that page facedown as well and went to the last one. I stared at it uncomprehendingly for a moment as I read over the date and time, trying to process what it was. Finally, the realization that she had made me an appointment at the Brookstone Women’s Facility for Friday afternoon penetrated the fog of confusion.
Anger burned in me. I didn’t think she was concerned about the baby’s health. I also didn’t think this was some attempt to get a DNA test performed before birth to establish paternity. With an ambiguous name like Women’s Facility, it seemed likely there was one business, and one business only in which Brookstone engaged. She wanted me to terminate my pregnancy. Unable to hide my shock and horror at that notion, I dropped the page and glared at her. “What is this?”
She leaned forward slightly. “Even someone like you could figure out what it is. If you want that check, you have to meet all the terms of the agreement. I didn’t put them in writing, of course, but I think we can come to an understanding. After you get rid of it, you’ll leave the state. I’d prefer if you left the country, but I can’t force you to do that. If you ever come back, I’ll destroy you.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “You don’t think trying to force me to abort the baby of the man I love is going to destroy me, Nila?” Fuck authority and respect. She wasn’t getting Mrs. Watts out of me anymore. It was all I could do to choke out her first name. There were four letters in Nila, but I that I could think of a much more appropriate four-letter word to describe her. “I’m not interested in your terms.”
She didn’t even bat an eyelash. “That is just a starting point for negotiation. I’ll double the offer.”
My eyes widened, and I shook my head unconsciously as I fathomed just how much she must hate me, or a
t least the idea of me being with her son and the mother of his child. “Not even for ten times the amount.”
She arched a brow, looking intrigued. “What exactly do you want then, Ms. Chastain?”
My stomach dipped, though I shouldn’t have been surprised she had learned of the connection. No doubt, she had sicced her investigators on me over the weekend. They might have come from this very law firm, because there was an entire team of investigators for different lawsuits that worked out of the building. It probably hadn’t taken her five minutes to learn I was Wayne’s daughter stepdaughter.
“In an ideal world, I’d like you to welcome me into the family and support Mykael’s choice. I’d be thrilled if you loved our child and acted like a real grandmother, because I’ve always wanted a family that felt like a genuine family. Since we both live in the real world, I’d settle for you just leaving me alone while I do my best to stay out of your path.”
She sniffed. “You’re trying to make me believe you have no interest in that money?”
I lifted the check and slowly tore it in four pieces. “You can’t buy me off. I’m not leaving Mykael for any amount of money, and I certainly wouldn’t get rid of our baby. I understand why you might perhaps judge me based on my association with Wayne Chastain, but I’m nothing like him, and I have nothing in common with him. I love Mykael.”
Abruptly, I realized that was the second time I had admitted that to her, though I had not yet said it to him. I pressed on, determined to deal with that later. “If you would just give me a chance—”
She cut me off with a harsh laugh. “A chance to do what? To run his political prospects by saddling him with a child that probably isn’t even his? Should I give you a chance to have unfettered access to his bank accounts and our family name? He’s worked too hard and comes from too good of a family to waste himself on the likes of you. There is no way you are going to bring that child into our family. I won’t allow it.”