But in her mind it hadn’t been just sex. It felt as if they’d transcended the physical. Shantel had never felt such a heightened sense of attraction to another person. She’d dreamed about him. Replayed every moment of their lovemaking like a running loop in her head. The feeling of being out of control unnerved her because he was more than anything she’d ever experienced. She hadn’t turned away from him then and she wasn’t going to now. They would have to figure out how to move forward.
Roman’s mouth curved into a smile. “I’m happy to hear that, Shantel, because quite frankly, after the night at the art gallery, I thought I’d taken advantage of you and you regretted our night together.”
“I don’t regret it.”
“Even though you’re pregnant?” Roman asked.
Shantel inhaled sharply. She hadn’t known how she felt about the pregnancy until that moment, but she knew now. “Even then.”
She was going to have this baby. She had absolutely no idea if her son or daughter might inherit her mother’s illness, but she would do her damnedest by them if they did.
“When did you find out?”
“Over the weekend. I’d been having an upset stomach for a couple of weeks. I thought I had a bug or maybe even an ulcer. I was planning on going to the doctor, but my sister-in-law, who has three children, recognized the signs. She forced me to confront the truth by buying a home pregnancy test. Four of them, to be exact, and they all said the same thing. I’m going to be a mommy.”
“Why do I feel there’s a but coming up?” Roman asked.
“I wasn’t ready to accept it,” Shantel explained. “I guess I was hoping they were wrong, but the morning sickness didn’t get any better. I’ve barely been able to keep any food down and today when Julian visited me at the office, I fainted.”
“You fainted!” Roman was on his feet, starting to pace. “Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”
Shantel nodded. “I’m fine and the baby’s fine. Julian rushed me to the ER, where they took a lot of tests, including a pregnancy test. I hadn’t planned on telling Julian before you, honestly I didn’t. But the doctor assumed he was the father and offered him his congratulations.”
Roman nodded in understanding. “I see, and when Julian figured out how far along you are, he deduced I was the father.”
“Something like that. I told him to let me talk to you, but he was furious and wanted to confront you himself.”
“Oh, he did that all right!”
“I’m sorry for causing friction between you.” Shantel would hate it if she was the reason the brothers were at odds.
“No, I’m sorry you’ve been going through this alone, but from here on out, it’s you and me,” Roman said, sitting beside her again and squeezing her hand. He pressed one of her hands to his lips. “And we have to do what’s best for the baby.”
Her brow furrowed with confusion. She thought that’s what she was doing now. In her opinion, he was taking the news in stride. Better than she’d thought for someone who’d learned his whole world had changed overnight.
“Marry me.”
Nine
Roman heard Shantel’s audible gasp when he gave her a slow, lazy perusal. He seemed unable to hide how deeply he was attracted to her. Hadn’t it been that way since the moment he’d laid eyes on her?
Is that why he was taking such a huge leap of faith by asking her to marry him? He, Roman Lockett, who’d always shied away from commitment, was now offering marriage? It wasn’t like they couldn’t coparent and raise their child separately. It was an option, but Roman couldn’t imagine his child not being raised in a two-parent home like he and his siblings.
Or was there more to his proposal than he was willing to admit? He certainly couldn’t deny Shantel meant more to him than a one-night stand. It’s why he’d run from their hotel room. But he wasn’t running now. There could be a silver lining in all of this. He could have his child and Shantel too.
“You can’t mean that,” Shantel replied, balling her hands in her lap.
“I’m absolutely serious,” Roman said, sliding off the couch to crouch in front of her, his hands on her knees. “We can’t change what’s happened, but we can do what’s best for our baby.”
“No.” She shook her head adamantly. “It’s not a good idea.”
“Would you deny our child the chance to be raised by a mother and father in a two-parent home?”
“Of course not, but have you even given any thought to coparenting? We don’t have to get married.”
“I don’t want to be a single parent, not if I don’t have to be. And I’m sure you don’t want to be one, either. If we get married, our child will have both of us.”
Shantel rose to her feet. “Stop bullying me. I can’t think straight with you coming on so strong. You’ve flung the word marriage at me as if I’m a dog with a bone dangled in front of it. I’m not going to jump.”
Roman was torn between anger and amusement. He’d never had someone speak like that to him before and wanted to both shake her and kiss her to make her comply. “You’re already five weeks along,” Roman said. “If we get married now and fudge the dates a bit, no one will ever now.”
Her eyes were cold as ice when they focused on him. “We’ll know. And I won’t lie. I’m not ashamed.”
“I get that. I do,” Roman said. “But now that I know, I want to be by your side. I want to be a father to our child.”
“How can you say things like this? Did you even want to be a parent?”
“Yes, of course…one day.”
“See.” She pointed at him when he hesitated. “You weren’t ready.”
“And neither were you,” he retorted. “But here we are. I’m trying to make the best of things and you’re fighting me every step of the way.”
“Because you don’t love me,” Shantel shouted. She sat back on the couch and tears slid down her cheeks.
Roman was quiet for a moment as he studied her. Her lips were pressed together and pain shadowed her eyes. So she is a romantic. He’d had no idea, but then again, they hardly knew each other. Perhaps he should pump the breaks and take time to think about proposing marriage. They’d shared one amazing night and now they were bound together by the child they’d created. “I’m sorry, Shantel. I can’t offer you love at this point.” He wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to because he’d never felt it for another person other than his family. “I admit I may not have a good track record, but I promise you I will be a good husband. An honorable one. I will treat you with respect and kindness, and I hope you can give me the same in return.”
She sniffed and glanced up at him with wet lashes. “I want to believe you, but it’s hard to take what you’re saying at face value.”
“Let my actions speak for themselves and if I fumble I will give you sole custody.”
“You would do that?”
“Of course, because I want the best for our baby and that’s having you full-time as its mother.”
“And our baby, will you love him or her?”
“Yes.” He certainly hoped so. He would give his child all the love and affection he’d never received from his own father.
She gulped. “All right.”
“All right? You’ll marry me?”
She nodded. “Yes, but first I need to know if there’s anyone else.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Are you free of entanglements? There’s no woman waiting in the wings?”
“I promise you I’m very much single and able to make the commitment to you. So if there are no further objections…” He moved toward her and she rose to her feet, allowing him to draw her into his embrace. It had been weeks since he’d held her. He could see everything now, her long black hair, her smooth brow and elegant cheekbones above beautifully sculpted lips. “Shantel…”
She looked up at him and the torrent of emotions she aroused in him couldn’t be denied. For a moment, she stilled as if she too was breathing h
im in. His hands slid to her hips and she tensed, but didn’t pull away.
It felt right to be so close to her. And so, with a slow descent, his mouth covered hers. She accepted his kiss. Her soft, slender body folded into his. Her full rounded breasts pressed against him and dear God, her sweet, generous mouth tasted of honey and nectar. One of his hands slipped around the nape of her neck so he could kiss her more fully, deeply.
And each kiss only created a wilder hunger for her. He reached upward and caressed her breasts through the thin material of her blouse, but Shantel freed herself from his embrace.
“Just because I agreed to marry you doesn’t mean I’m going to fall into bed with you again.”
“No?” His brow quirked.
“No,” she repeated, and by the look in her eyes, she meant business. Roman didn’t understand. Why is she pushing me away when she’d wanted that kiss as much as I did?
*
Things were happening too quickly. Shantel was used to order and routine. Her life was predictable and that was okay with her. After the unpredictable highs and lows she’d experienced as a child, she liked knowing what was going to happen each day. But suddenly, her entire life was headed off the rails. She was pregnant by Roman Lockett, of all people, and not only had she agreed to marry him, she’d let him kiss her after vowing that he’d never touch her again.
What is wrong with me?
Shantel wished she could blame it on the hormones, but she’d been susceptible to Roman from day one. She was attracted to him even though her mind told her to keep him at arm’s length. So why had she agreed to marry him? Shantel told herself it was to give the baby a stable two-parent home, but was she doing this so she could have Roman all to herself?
If she were, could she really keep a man like Roman satisfied? Wouldn’t it be better to stay platonic?
“How do you foresee this marriage going?” Roman asked, folding his arms across his chest. “Do you see it as just a formality for the child’s sake? Because I don’t. If we can’t keep our hands off each other now, it’s only going to get worse when we’re in close proximity to each other.”
“I hadn’t really thought about marriage at all,” Shantel said, her voice rising. “This whole day, this night has been a complete disaster. I came over here to stop Julian and tell you about the baby myself. I didn’t have a thought beyond getting to you first.”
“Okay, okay,” Roman said, softening his voice. “You’ve been under a tremendous amount of stress today. And I don’t want to add to it if my advances are unwanted.”
She hadn’t said that.
Hell, Shantel didn’t know what she wanted. It certainly hadn’t been marriage to one of Atlanta’s most eligible bachelors. Everyone was going to think she’d gotten pregnant on purpose to trap him when that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“What are you thinking?” he asked when she remained silent. “Because I can see the wheels of your mind turning.”
“I’m thinking this has been a long day and I need to go home and rest.” Shantel got to her feet.
“I understand and I’ll give you some space.”
“Thank you,” Shantel replied. She was exhausted from the emotional upheaval of the day. “I’m leaving.”
“All right.” He let her go, but Shantel could see it was on sufferance, and soon she would have to pay the price for the one night she’d allowed herself to be free.
*
Roman released a long sigh. He’d been going crazy for over a month, recollecting every memory of their passionate encounter. And now, Shantel was pregnant with his baby.
There was no doubt in his mind that he was the father. Although she hadn’t told him right off the bat, Shantel didn’t strike him as vindictive. She would have told him, but of course Julian stuck his nose where it didn’t belong.
His brother’s angry outburst had precipitated Roman finding out the truth sooner, so he couldn’t blame Julian. He was the one who’d taken Shantel to bed. This was his responsibility.
Roman didn’t know if he should be overjoyed or shaking with fear. Although his father had recently mentioned giving him a grandchild, Roman wasn’t certain if he would be happy or call him a screwup for letting something like this happen in the first place. His mother would welcome the news, though.
He might not know Shantel, but Roman was determined to make the best of the situation even if she had misgivings.
*
The next morning, Roman woke up groggy. He’d barely gotten any sleep after the gravity of what he’d just done last night sunk in. He also thought about how his father might view his rash actions and knew what he had to do. Pulling his phone from his pocket, Roman called his lawyer and filled him in on the details. He would draw up a prenuptial agreement and have it to him tomorrow before close of day. A prenup was a sensitive issue and Shantel could react negatively if she thought he viewed her as a gold digger, which was far from the truth. He didn’t know her well, but he believed her to be a good person. She was willing to put her desires and wants aside to give their child the best start in life. He would explain it to her and hoped she would agree. Roman was prepared to offer Shantel generous terms, but the paperwork would make it clear she had no claim to the Atlanta Cougars, his birthright.
After he hung up with his lawyer, Roman felt better, but still unsettled. They couldn’t very well get married without rings. He contacted the jeweler Preston Holmes to come to the Lockett estate and he was there within the hour.
Wearing a navy pinstripe suit, Preston was several inches shorter than him with pale skin and a buzz cut. He carried a suitcase chock full of the most exquisite rings Roman had ever seen.
Roman quickly scanned the rows of precious jewels until he laid eyes on a ring resembling a flower blossom. A brilliant diamond in the center was elegantly framed by a halo of smaller diamonds laid out like petals. It was simple yet elegant enough for Shantel. “I want that one.”
“You sure you haven’t thought about this before?” Preston inquired. “You seem to know exactly what you want. That ring is four and a half carats.”
“I’m only getting married once. So nothing but the best will do. I’ll get you Shantel’s ring size tomorrow.”
“Sure thing,” Preston said, packing up his suitcase. “Your engagement is going to be quite a shock and have everyone’s tongues wagging.”
Roman shrugged. “What else is new?” He was used to the media’s focus, and his engagement to an unknown was going to cause a ruckus. He would have to spin it as a love story for the ages. The only question was whether his intended would go along with the fairy tale.
Ten
“Pregnant.” Vanessa stared back at Shantel openmouthed from across the table as they had lunch at a local delicatessen the next day. “You’re not pulling my leg or something?”
“Not at all,” Shantel responded. “I wish it was all a dream, but it’s not. I’m going to have a baby.”
“Dear Lord.” Vanessa crossed her heart. “Do you know who the baby’s father is?”
Shantel frowned in annoyance. How could Vanessa even ask her that? She knew Shantel did not sleep around. “Of course I know his identity.”
“I’m sorry, Shantel. I never expected this to happen to you of all people. Ms. Put-Together would never…” Her voice trailed off.
But despite it all, Shantel couldn’t think of the tiny life growing inside her as a mistake. “It’s crazy, right?”
Vanessa nodded. “When did you find out?”
Shantel filled Vanessa in on her hometown visit to McDonough, the pregnancy test and of course Julian’s reaction and her subsequent revelation to Roman. Her best friend’s eyes grew larger with every passing minute.
“Well, no wonder you’re a bit stressed. It’s been a trying time and you pride yourself on calmness and stability.”
“This is far from that, Nessa. And there’s more.”
Vanessa fanned her face with her hands, reached for her glass of water a
nd gulped it down. “Lord, girl. I’m not sure my heart can take much more.”
“Well…” Shantel paused for several beats. “When Roman learned of my condition, he proposed and I agreed.”
“Ohmigod!” Vanessa’s hands flew to her mouth. “You’re going to marry Roman Lockett?”
Shantel nodded and glanced around to make sure no one heard Vanessa’s outburst. “I never imagined he’d ask me to marry him. I was as surprised as you are.”
“But you agreed.”
“He made a valid argument about our child growing up in a two-parent household and I want that for my baby.” She pressed her hand against her stomach.
“I know, Shantel, but this is huge. You hardly know the man except for the one night you spent together. Are you really prepared to make such a big commitment? I mean, you’ve always been a romantic. I assumed you would marry for love.”
“So did I, but… I want a stable home for my baby. One I didn’t have growing up with my mom and all her mental health issues.” Shantel couldn’t explain it, but she was prepared to do anything for her baby.
“And Roman? How do you feel about him?”
Shantel released a deep sigh. “We have incredible chemistry. Is that enough to build on? I don’t know. I just want to offer my baby the very best start in life.”
“What’s next?”
“Roman suggested we get together for dinner tomorrow night,” Shantel said, “to discuss the details.” She’d been pleasantly surprised when he’d called this morning. He’d sounded like they were discussing business and Shantel hadn’t known what to make of it other than he was as floored as she by the turn of events. She wondered if Roman had told his family yet. She sure hadn’t told hers.
As if she was reading her mind, Vanessa asked, “Have you told your family?”
“No, not yet, but I will. Only my sister-in-law Charlene knows I’m pregnant because she was there when I took the home test.”
“Four tests,” Vanessa corrected her, as if Shantel could forget. Each time one of those blue lines indicated she was going to be a mother, Shantel had wanted to throw up, but after a few days, she was starting to make peace with her condition.
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