by Tia Wylder
“Oh my god,” I moaned, burying my face in my hands. “Michael! I can’t believe you!”
“I bet I was right,” Michael said smugly. “Wasn’t I?”
I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. “It was...different,” I said. “Damien was…more intense. Derek was sweeter.”
Michael raised his eyebrow. “Oh yeah? So, Damien was hot and nasty? And Derek was the sweet one?”
I flushed so hotly that I felt like my face was on fire.
“Something like that,” I mumbled.
“Here we are,” Ana chirped as she turned into the local clinic. “Want us to come inside with you?”
I nodded. “I didn’t have time to make an appointment, I have no idea how long we’ll be waiting.”
Ana nodded. “I see,” she said. “That’s fine. We’re not going anywhere – I don’t want you to think that I’d abandon you like that.”
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
Inside the clinic, the three of us waited nervously until I could be called into a room with a nurse. It felt like it took forever, but after an hour so, my name was finally called.
“Emma Rogers?”
I stood up too quickly, and the blood rushed to my brain. The smiling nurse led me into a room where she weighed me and took my blood pressure.
“So, Emma, what seems to be the issue?”
“I think I’m pregnant,” I said softly.
“Date of your last period?”
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the calendar before giving her the date.
“Hmm, Emma, looks like we’ll only be able to do a blood test. Is that all right with you?”
After I had given my consent, the nurse took blood and then had me sit in a room while she ran the test. I fidgeted and twisted my hands, wondering what the hell I was going to do. When the nurse got back, she nodded at me.
“Emma, yes, right now it looks like you’re about six weeks pregnant,” she said. “Now, depending on how you feel, we can talk about some options.”
I took a deep breath. “I should…speak to the father,” I said. Or, fathers, I added mentally with a silent groan.
She nodded. “That’s a good idea.” The nurse pulled some papers from her pocket and handed them over to me. “Here are some phone numbers of centers you can call, and a free counselor. None of these people are biased, they will only tell you about your available options.”
“Thank you,” I said shyly.
The nurse showed me out into the waiting room. Ana and Michael stood up and rushed over to me.
“What happened?” Ana asked.
I pressed my lips together and gave a brief shake of my head. “I am,” I said softly.
Ana took my hand and squeezed it. “What do you want to do?”
I bit my lip. “Can you…can you drive me over to Damien’s condo?”
Ana narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure?”
I nodded and took a deep breath. “Yeah,” I said. “I…I have to talk to him.”
Ana nodded. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s go.”
Twenty minutes later, I stood nervously and shaking at Damien’s door. When he answered, he leaned down and kissed me.
“Hey,” Damien said. “I wasn’t expecting you – everything okay?”
I took a deep breath. Just get it out, I thought. Like ripping off a band-aid.
“I’m pregnant.”
Damien stared at me. “Are you kidding?”
“No,” I said softly, shaking my head. “I just got back from the clinic. They did a blood test. I’m about six weeks.”
Damien took my hand and pulled me into a hug. “God, Emma, are you doing okay? Do you want to sit down?”
Why is he so calm? I wondered nervously. Why isn’t he freaking out and screaming at me and calling me a slut?
“No,” I said. Tears filled my eyes, and I blinked, spilling hot salt water down my cheeks.
“Don’t cry,” Damien said fiercely. He led me to the couch and had me sit down, then sat next to me. “What’s wrong?”
“I…I don’t know if you still want me,” I said, my chin trembling. I could feel that I was blushing hotly and I suddenly hated myself. This was all my fault – if only I’d been careful!
“Emma, of course, I still want you,” Damien growled. He pulled me close and kissed me. I melted against his frame.
“But…what if it’s Derek’s?” I asked softly. “I…I have no way of knowing.”
“Well, we used a condom the first time,” Damien said. He raised an eyebrow.
“The only time I slept with Derek, we used a condom,” I said meekly.
Damien shrugged. “Well, then it’s probably mine, and if it’s not, I don’t care. I love you, Emma. And I’m sorry I wasn’t able to say it until now.”
My jaw dropped. “You…love me?”
“Very much,” he nodded. “I know, it surprised me, too. But I love you, Emma.”
I stared at him in shock.
“And I want to stay together, as a family, and raise the baby with you,” Damien said firmly. “If that’s what you want.”
I nodded weakly. “That’s…what I want more than anything else in the world,” I said. “I…can’t believe it, Damien! I can’t believe you’d do that for me!”
Damien smirked. "Well, that’s how it’ll be,” he said. “I love you, and I can’t wait to raise this baby with you. But you have to do me one favor, okay?”
I frowned. “What’s that?”
“Come with me,” he stood up and grabbed his car keys. “I have a surprise for you.”
I blinked. “We’re…we’re not going to Derek’s, are we?”
“No,” he laughed. “Come on. The sooner the better. This is something I should have done days ago.”
Summoning my courage, I followed Damien outside into the bright sunshine. We climbed into his sports car, and he drove into town. We didn’t talk much – I could barely think; my mind was racing. How were we going to tell Derek? And what about Mom and Jack? What would happen to Damien’s job – would Jack kick him out of Empire Mesa? What would we do for money?
I shivered.
“I’m frightened,” I cooed “I…this is all happening really fast.”
Damien reached for my hand and squeezed my fingers reassuringly. “I promise, Emma, nothing bad will happen.”
“What…what about Derek? And Mom? And Jack?”
“Who knows,” he shrugged. “But we’ve got each other, and that’s what counts, right?” He grinned, and I flushed, licking my lower lip.
“Okay, I’ll try not to worry.”
When he parked in the lot of the biggest jewelry store in Rolling Hills, I gasped. My heart thumped wildly as Damien led me inside.
“Pick any ring in the store and then marry me.”
My jaw dropped. “Are you…are you serious?”
Damien dropped to one knee, and everyone in the store burst into applause.
“Emma Rogers, I love you, and I know I’ll love you until the day I die,” Damien said. “Please, make me the happiest man in the world and marry me.”
Fresh tears came to my eyes. All I could do was nod as the tears streamed down my cheeks.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Yes!”
Epilogue
Six Months Later
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Damien, you may kiss your bride.”
Damien took hold of the delicate veil shielding my face and pushed it over my hair. He winked at me and put a hand on the small of my back, pulling me close and dipping me into a deep, dramatic kiss.
“I love you,” Damien whispered. He kissed me again, gently, then brought me back up to my feet and put a hand on my growing belly. “And I love this little one,” Damien whispered in my ear. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
I grinned happily before slipping my arm through Damien’s. Damien escorted me down the grass aisle as our family and guests applauded happily. I must admit – I’d never thought I’d be one
of those people who gets married while pregnant – but I felt radiant and glowing, like everything was perfect.
Mom and Jack met us at the end of the aisle.
“This was amazing,” I looked all around. “Mom, you did a wonderful job with the planning!”
Mom beamed. “Thank you, sweetie,” she said. “Pretty good for only five months’ notice!”
I flushed. Damien and I had kept our engagement secret for a month…but I’d finally blurted it out to Mom one night when we had stayed up watching old movies. She hadn’t exactly been thrilled at first, but Damien had worked hard on winning her over during the past few months.
“I’m just happy you’re happy, darling,” Mom said.
“Congratulations, and welcome to the family,” he smiled. “Now we’ll all be Wilsons.”
I laughed and flushed. Damien rolled his eyes. “Dad, Emma was always family ever since you married Nadine.”
For once, Jack looked embarrassed. “You’re right,” he apologized. “That was rude of me, forgive me, Emma,” he said. “If you’ll all excuse me, I’m going to get some champagne.”
As soon as Jack had walked off, I turned nervously to Damien. “Do you think he’s ever going to be okay with this?”
“I don’t know,” Damien said. “Give him some time. Dad doesn’t like change.” He rolled his eyes. “You should see him at Empire. It’s like he can’t believe that his son is finally taking an interest in the family business.”
I nodded. “I get that, it’s a big change,” I murmured.
Damien smirked. “Have I told you how beautiful you look?”
I flushed, “About ten times.”
“Well, let’s make it twenty,” Damien said. He pulled me into a close embrace and kissed me passionately, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his body against mine. I moaned softly and wrapped my arms around his neck as our kiss grew more intense.
“I hate to ruin the moment, but I need to congratulate the bride.”
At the sound of Derek’s familiar voice, I jumped apart from Damien.
“Hi, Derek,” I said shyly. “Thank you for coming.”
“Congratulations,” Derek nodded. “And I mean it.”
“You look good, bro,” Damien said. “I mean that, too.”
Damien wasn’t wrong – Derek did look good. After he’d found out about the engagement, Derek had quit Empire Mesa and moved out west to start his own consulting firm. He was tanned and more taut-looking than before. But most importantly, his eyes were friendly, and I knew that his thanks were genuine.
“I hope you two are very happy together,” Derek said. “I’m going to say hi to Nadine and Dad.”
Derek and Damien half-hugged, then Derek sauntered off to find our parents.
“I hope it’s okay he came,” I said nervously. “I just…wanted to make sure things were okay between the two of you.”
Damien smiled as he pulled me close. “I don’t know that we’ll ever be that close,” he said quietly. “But I have you, and that’s what counts. I love you, Emma.”
I flushed with happiness. While I wasn’t sure what the future would bring, I knew that as long as I was with Damien, life would always be happy and perfect.
"I love you, too,” I said softly.
“Come on, Mrs. Wilson,” Damien winked. “Let’s go dance.”
As my new husband and I walked to the dance floor, I couldn’t believe it.
I’d finally found my perfect fairytale ending.
*****
Loved By The Rake
By Kathryn Havana
Chapter One
Sinner! Whore! Wretch! Fallen woman!
But it's not my fault! He took me in the night while I slept, even as I begged him to stop!
Did you hear? Charlie Monroe's daughter bore a child out of wedlock! Can you believe! It's that new money, the middle class can't handle the rise in status, it overheats their brains. Didn't Charlie die a few years back? Poor girl lost her way without her father around to guide her. What a pity, she's so lovely, could have made a good wife for someone someday.
A poorhouse is no place for a baby, young missy. There's charity homes you might take 'er to, churches and the like.
I'm so hungry, I'm not producing enough milk for Rosie, she cries for hours from hunger, she is weak, her strength is fading, she's stopped crying, my child is dying, I must surrender her to save her.
I'm a failure as a mother.
Rumor has it that Lord Blackwood has his eye on you, girly, he's seen you in town, he knew your father.
Write him. Tell him I accept. I'll leave straight away.
Rosie, I'm coming!
***
Lily Monroe's heart was pounding as her carriage came to a halt outside the palatial Blackwood Hall. Situated on the outskirts of London, the estate boasted lavish gardens on all sides, bordered by high, spiked, wrought-iron fences. The facade was fashionable, with ornately carved moulding and stonework, but much of it was painted black or left its natural gray. The somber house seemed at odds with the garden outside, which was well-tended and tidy. She could just picture little Rosie running and shrieking about in the yard, chasing a ball or a hoop, and she would be well-fed, and warmly dressed, and Lily would know forever that her child was cared for. This thought made Lily smile as the coachman opened the door for her and helped her out. As it was now, she could only wonder whether Rosie was happy, and hope and pray that the charity home was taking good care of her.
Marry Blackwood, get Rosie back, were Lily's sole aims in life. Blackwood was such a repugnant man with such a horrendous reputation that after his second wife (rumored to be just as ugly and only half as agreeable as Lord Blackwood) died, there were no eligible women yet left in polite society who would consent to marry him.
Except for Lillian Monroe.
Her straits were dire indeed to ignore the warnings her uncle had given her as she readied to leave his home, but for years the guilt of abandoning her baby on the steps of the church had plagued her, and for years her heart had ached to see Rosie again. But the destitute orphan of impoverished aristocrats had not a cent to her name, and no means to care for her child. Lily could barely even care for herself, and she was now half-starved and sometimes sickly, forcing her into her uncle's care.
The only blessing to arise from her terrible circumstances was a fashionably tiny, seventeen-inch waist. Lily was laced so tight she could hardly breathe, the bones of the corset bruising the bones of her ribs, and as the manservant led her up the stairs, she surreptitiously pinched her cheeks to make her complexion more lively. Her heart was in her throat now as the front door of Blackwood Hall swung open, revealing a spacious, lavish interior that belied the family's long-standing wealth. Lily had to remind herself not to gape, for she was supposed to be a girl of breeding, even if destitute, and she knew it was rude to stare, but from the shining mahogany floors to the high, carved ceilings with colorful frescoes painted at the top of the walls, she had never seen anything so magnificent.
“Lovely, I know,” said a gruff voice from behind, heralding the arrival of a cloud of tobacco smoke and a certain other... odor. So, the rumors were true. Lily steeled herself and thought of Rosie, as she always did when faced with difficulty, and found the strength to plaster on a honeyed simper and turn around to meet, for the first time, her fiance.
He was of a height with Lily, which was remarkable, since Lily was not a tall girl, and he was thrice as wide as she. He bore his teeth at her in what she supposed was meant to be a smile but it was not very merry, nor could she focus on it very well for she was distracted by the appalling state of Lord Blackwood's teeth. Several were missing, and the others were brown and yellow from years of excessive smoking. He reeked of tobacco, was smoking tobacco (making Lily's eyes water and forcing her to suppress her coughs), and when he moved, a smell wafted from his person that made Lily think he had not bathed since the New Year. He was also more than twice her age, with wiry gray hair growing
in unruly tufts from the sides of his head, but the dome of his scalp was bald and reflecting the light from the sconces on the wall. He had an unkempt mustache to match his hair. After trying to smile at Lily, Lord Blackwood put his pipe back in his mouth and furrowed his brow at her in appraisal.
Lily was twenty (to Blackwood's fifty), with soft, wavy blonde hair and gray-blue eyes. Her hair was pulled back and pinned in rosettes at the back of her head with just a few curls framing her face. The years of hardship had given her a delicate, angelic aspect, with wide eyes, pale skin, and a fragile frame. Her last pound had gone to purchasing the frock she wore, which was secondhand and at least two seasons out of fashion, but a pale blue color that enhanced her pallor, and of a cut which flattered her already pleasing figure. She widened her smile and curtsied at Blackwood.