His Every Desire (Contemporary Romance Box Set)

by Alexis Winter

  “Four years?” Dani asks.

  I nod. “Trent is under contract for four years.” I look at Levi. “You’re a lawyer. Can’t you get him out of it if he wants?”

  He holds up his hand, palm upward.

  “Let’s forget all about this for now. Let’s eat,” I say, moving toward the table.

  Dani jumps to act like everything is fine and normal, but Levi isn’t as easy to convince. He grabs the bowl of salad and slowly walks toward the table.

  Dani talks through the entire dinner while Levi and I sit quietly, thinking about my situation. When we’re done eating and cleaning up, I grab my things to leave. Dani shows me to the door, but I stop and turn back to face Levi.

  “Please keep your mouth shut about this for now. I’d like to be the one that tells him.”

  His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat, but he nods.

  When I get home, I take a long, hot bath to relax. While soaking in the tub, I place my bathtub table across the top and start going through the mail I’ve avoided all week. I find it easier to open the mail if I’m already relaxed. I know it’s weird, but I only open my mail once a week and always in the bathtub to avoid any stress of bad news or bills.

  Most of the mail is junk or a bill, but the last envelope I open is the divorce papers. I pull them out and read over them. A sigh leaves my lips just from thinking about divorcing Trent. My phone rings, and I quickly answer it.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” Trent rasps into the phone. “What are you doing?”

  “Looking at our divorce papers,” I reply. “They just came in the mail.”

  “Oh,” is his only reply.

  “Are you still wanting to do this?” I ask, sliding the papers back into the envelope.

  “Yeah, aren’t you?” he asks. His words make my gut sink.

  “Well, I mean, things are going good between us. I thought that maybe we could just hang onto these and see where life takes us.”

  He lets out a deep breath. “Mia,” he breathes out.

  I can’t believe this. Here I am, putting my life on hold and waiting for him to come back to me, pregnant with his child, and he doesn’t even want to stay married to me? Anger fills my chest.

  “Never mind,” I bite out. “It’s clear that the only thing you want from me is sex. But don’t worry, I understand now. I’ll sign these papers and mail them back to your lawyer to send it to you.” I hang up without another word. The tears filling my eyes finally spill over the lids, running down my cheeks.

  My phone immediately begins ringing again, but I reject the call and then turn my phone off for the night. I need time and space to think everything over. I don’t know if I can do this on my own. I never thought that this would be my life. I never thought I’d end up alone and pregnant.

  I lean my head back against the tub and let the tears fall as they might. I don’t try to hold them back or stop them. I just let go, and by the time I’m wrinkling and pruning, I feel much better. Nothing has been fixed, but my body got rid of the stress it’s been carrying around. I feel drained, tired, and ready for sleep.

  I get out of the tub and pull on some pajamas. I make a hot cup of tea to take to bed with me and turn out the lights. As I’m locking the door, someone knocks on it. I peek through the hole and see Levi standing there.

  With a sigh, I open it and motion for him to come inside.

  “How are things?” he asks, sliding his hands into his pockets.

  “By how are things, I take that to mean, did I tell him? No.” I set my cup on the table and plop onto the couch.

  He sits at my side. “Why not?”

  I take a deep, soothing breath. “The divorce papers came in.”

  He nods, just waiting.

  “I asked if he wanted to go through with it, and he said yes. If he doesn’t want to be married to me, he’s not going to want to have a baby with me, will he?” I ask, feeling the threat of tears once again.

  He shakes his head as he stares at the floor. “I don’t know, Mia.”

  More tears fall, and he pulls me to his side, where I cry on his shoulder.

  “I do know one thing, though. Dani and I, we’ll always be here for you. You can count on us. We’ll help in any way we can.”

  I nod but am too broken to speak.

  Levi sits next to me and holds me, lets me cry for what feels like hours. Finally, the tears run their course and have dried. I sit up and wipe my face.

  “You should get back home to Dani and the baby. I’m going to go lay down.”

  “Are you sure?” he asks. I can hear the worry in his voice.

  I nod. “I’m sure. Thank you for stopping by.”

  He stands and moves toward the door. “I meant what I said, Mia. We’re always here no matter what happens.”

  I offer up a weak smile. “Thanks, Levi.”

  He nods his head as he walks out the door.

  I pick up my tea that’s now cold and move to lock the door. Instead of making another cup, I set mine down in the sink and go straight to bed. It doesn’t take long before sleep is pulling me under.

  I’m sitting at my desk, clicking my pen over and over as I stare at the signature line on the divorce papers.

  Just do it and get it done with, I tell myself. But what if he changes his mind when I tell him about the pregnancy? Do you really want him ‘this’ way? I want him to want me, not marry me out of pity because he knocked me up.

  Without another thought, I scribble my name across the line and slide the papers back into the envelope. I pull some stamps out of my desk and stick them on the front. Gathering my things and the envelope, I leave the apartment for my doctor’s appointment.

  As I walk down the street, I come to a mail drop off box, and I stand in front of it, bouncing from foot to foot. This is my last chance to back out. I pull the envelope from my bag and look down at it. This is it. It’s now or never, and Trent won’t allow never. He wants this, so I’ll give it to him.

  I open the slot on the box and drop the envelope inside with a surge of bravery. I suck in a big breath of air as I close it and push myself forward. I’m not a divorced woman—not officially, since I only just mailed the papers, but soon enough. Trent will be on his own, and this baby and I will be on our own. My hand moves to my stomach in a protective manner as I walk down the street.

  I think about what it will be like from now on, just this baby and me. Maybe it will be a little girl with my blonde hair and his dark brown eyes. Maybe it will be a little boy that looks just like him. I’ll have my own little piece of him to hold onto forever. I work from home, so that won’t cause any issues with childcare, and I already have a spare bedroom. I’ll just have to kick Della out of the room and replace some furniture. I’m sure I can persuade the cat by buying her more catnip. I shake my head at myself and my druggie cat.

  I walk into the doctor’s office and fill out a million forms. As I sit waiting, my phone rings, and I pull it from my pocket. Trent’s picture is on the screen. I get lost looking at those dark eyes and wide smile. Just seeing this picture causes my heart to skip a beat, my lungs to double their pace, and my body to tingle. I want nothing more than to answer it and hear him say the words I’ve longed to hear forever, but I know that’s not what will happen. I’m sure he’ll tell me he’s sorry about the way our talk went last night, he’ll promise to come and see me when he’s back in town, and then when we hang up, I won’t hear from him for months. It’s always the same old routine.

  “Ms. Fowler?” a nurse says as she walks out.

  I pull myself from my thoughts and slide my phone into my purse as I stand up and follow her to the back.

  “How are you feeling today?” she asks, motioning for me to stand on the scale.

  I nod and force a smile. “Pretty good,” I reply, stepping up and watching the number change on the digital scale.

  She writes the number down and moves to get my height. Once we’re finished in the hall, I’m taken into a room that has a big bull
etin board on the wall. It’s covered in pictures of different babies. All tiny, pink, and adorable.

  “Are these all the babies that Dr. York delivered?”

  The nurse smiles and nods. “They are. Those pictures range from last week all the way back to the mid 90’s when Dr. York came to work here.” She rolls a cart toward me. “I’m now going to take your temperature and blood pressure.” She places the thermometer into my mouth while checking my blood pressure.

  “All looks good there,” she mumbles when she finishes and moves back to the computer to type in the info. “Dr. York will be with you soon,” she assures me, leaving me alone.

  I stand and move closer to the board, looking over all the pictures of the tiny babies. I never really considered whether or not I wanted a baby. It was always something I just assumed I’d figure out later, like if/when I met someone I wanted to be with. Messing around with Trent never lead to talk of babies. Mostly because I knew we’d never go anywhere. But now, here I am, being forced to decide.

  The doctor comes in and shakes my hand. “Ms. Fowler, I’m Dr. York.”

  “Please, call me Mia. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “You say that you took an at-home pregnancy test, and it came back positive, correct?” His brow lifts as he looks at me.

  “That’s right.” I nod.

  “And you left a urine sample already, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, well, let’s have a look and see if the results have been recorded yet.” He sits behind the computer and clicks around. “Congratulations. You are, in fact, pregnant.” He smiles wide, but all I can do is force a weak smile in return.

  “Do you have any idea when your last period was?”

  I shake my head. “I’ve never been regular.”

  “That’s okay. We’ll perform an ultrasound and see what the baby is measuring. Let me grab a nurse, and you can put on this gown,” he says, opening a cabinet and pulling out something that looks like a sheet.

  When he leaves the room to go retrieve the nurse, I slide out of my jeans and pull on the gown. I’m sliding back onto the table when they knock on the door and walk in, pulling another cart behind them.

  “Due to you being so early in your pregnancy, the baby is too small to do a normal ultrasound. In order to determine how far along you are, we have to do the transvaginal ultrasound. Please, lie back and place your feet in the stirrups.”

  I do as I’m told while they get everything ready.

  Moments later, I’m looking at the image of my baby on a small screen. “That’s it? That’s the baby?”

  “That’s it. It looks like you are about ten weeks pregnant. We’re going to get you started on vitamins and folic acid right away,” the doctor says as he continues with the exam.

  Walking out of the doctor’s office, my heart pounds with excitement over getting to see the tiny baby that Trent and I created. Before, I didn’t know if I was ready or if I wanted this baby, but now, I know this is the only route for me. I want this baby. I need this baby. Even if Trent isn’t on board, this is the road I’m supposed to take in my life.

  I had no idea where my life was going just a few short hours ago, but now, I can see everything play out before my eyes. I see everything from the moment this baby is delivered to our first night home together. I can see myself taking him to his first day of school, walking him down the aisle at his wedding, and watching as he has a child of his own. Suddenly, my life has a purpose.

  When I get home, I call Dani.

  “Hello?”

  “I went to the doctor. I’m ten weeks pregnant.”

  She squeals. “That’s awesome, Mia. Are you excited?”

  I smile and nod. “I am. It’s so funny how I was freaked out before, but now, after seeing the baby, everything feels right. I know I’m right where I’m supposed to be, even if Trent doesn’t want anything to do with us.”

  “Did he say that?” she asks.

  “No. In fact, I haven’t even told him yet. But I did sign and mail our divorce papers,” I tell her, my voice void of emotion.

  “So, you’re still doing that, huh?”

  “Trent made it very clear last night that he did, in fact, still want that divorce.”

  “But that was before a baby was in the picture,” she argues.

  I shake my head. “I’m not trapping him, Dani. If he wants me, fine. If not, I’m not going to try to force this on him.”

  “I understand. It just sucks.”

  “It does,” I sigh.

  12

  Trent

  “MIA, pick up the damn phone,” I mumble over the ringing sound in my ears. Her phone rings until it goes to voicemail. “Goddamn it, Mia,” I curse, hanging up the phone and dropping it onto the bed at my side.

  When I told her I still wanted to move forward with the divorce, it wasn’t because I didn’t want to be with her. How could she even think that? The fact that she’s hurting and alone right now only angers me further. If she’d just answer her phone, I’d be able to explain.

  Laying in the dark hotel room, sleep takes over my body, and I’m so tired from working and traveling that I can’t fight it off for another second.

  Falling asleep unexpectedly last night, I forgot to set my alarm. I wake up late and have to rush to get to work on time. On the drive into work, I call Mia, but again, it goes to voicemail. At this point, I’m not sure if she turned her phone off or if she’s just avoiding my calls, but either way, I’m going to keep trying. She’s not getting away that easily.

  I call again at lunch, and again, it rings until it goes to voicemail. This time, I leave a message. “Mia, please call me back. I didn’t mean what I said last night. Just, please, let me explain. I love you.” I hang up the phone and get back to work.

  When my shift ends, I head back to the hotel and take a shower before going down for dinner. As I’m walking out of my hotel room, my phone rings, and I answer it quickly, praying for it to be Mia.

  “Mia?” I answer.

  “Guess again,” Levi says.

  “Hey, man. Have you talked to Mia? She won’t answer my calls.”

  “Yeah, I’ve talked to her.”

  “And? Is she okay? Is she mad at me? She hung up without letting me explain.”

  “Explain what? Why do you still want a divorce after carrying on this long-distance relationship with her for months?”

  A sigh slips past my lips. “It’s not like that,” I say, but he cuts me off.

  “Then what’s it like? I can’t believe you could be so stupid, man. You knew this marriage wouldn’t work out. You knew you wouldn’t be able to stick around for her, and what did you do? You slept with her, knocked her up, and now you’re divorcing her. I really wish you’d grow up.”

  “What?” I ask, my feet freezing, unable to walk down the hallway any longer. “What did you say?” I ask again.

  “Ummm, say about what? Fuck, man. You can’t listen either,” he tries, but he knows he fucked up.

  “She’s pregnant?” I ask, fear and excitement filling my chest.

  “Damn it. I wasn’t supposed to say anything,” Levi says, and I can hear the anger in his voice starting to simmer down.

  “Why didn’t she tell me? When did she find out?”

  “Last night. She came over for dinner, and Dani made her take a test after hearing her complain about not feeling well. She went to the doctor today. She’s ten weeks along.”

  My heart starts hammering away in my chest. It’s pounding so hard, I can hear it in my ears. My lungs double their efforts, trying to get in more oxygen, oxygen that I can’t seem to absorb. I fall backward, my back hitting a wall as I slide down it into a sitting position.

  “She’s pregnant,” I mumble, and my smile is frozen on my face.

  “Yeah, and you told her you wanted a divorce,” Levi says, his anger now returning.

  I shake my head. “No, it’s not like that. I don’t want to divorce her. I just want to end that f
ucked up, drunken marriage so we can do it right. I love her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. But I also want to give her everything she deserves. She should get more than some drunk Vegas wedding. I want her to have everything she’s ever wanted. I want a wedding planner, cake tasting, bridesmaid dresses. I want an event to celebrate our lives, not oops, we’re married. Oh well, may as well ride it out now.”

  “Oh,” he mumbles.

  “Yeah, oh. I’m guessing Mia took it the same way you did, huh? That’s why she’s not answering my calls?”

  “Yeah, man. I think so. I went over there last night, and she was upset. She thinks you don’t want her, that you won’t want anything to do with the baby.”

  I shake my head. “How in the hell can she think that?”

  “Listen, I don’t know what you two plan on doing, but Mia gave me an idea.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “I’m a lawyer.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Well, if you can send me the contract you signed, I may be able to get you out of it. Then you wouldn’t be required to travel for the next four years. I mean, you have a child to think about now. You don’t want to miss watching him or her grow up, do you?”

  I run my hand over my head, causing my hair to go crazy. “No, I don’t. I’ll send it over this evening so you can see what you can do.”

  “Alright. I’ll try getting ahold of Mia and tell her to answer your calls too. I think you two have some things to talk about.”

  I laugh. “Thank you, Levi.”

  “You’re welcome. And Trent, I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions. I should have known you wouldn’t act that way.”

  “No problem.” I hang up the phone, and my head falls back, resting against the wall. Mia is pregnant. I’m going to be a father. Levi is going to try and get me out of my contract. I want out. I want to be with Mia. I want to be a part of this pregnancy and this baby’s life. Being with Mia, getting married, and starting a family, it’s something I never in a million years thought I’d be lucky enough to get. In fact, I never considered having children at all. All I ever wanted was Mia, and I always told myself that I wasn’t good enough or around enough to get her.