by Fiona Archer
I believe his exact words were, “If you don't get rid of the girl, your precious children at that stupid charity will be out on their own.” As if their lives and the trials they go through are nothing.
Harrington’s Place was created for children who don't have anywhere else to run, and honestly, I wish I’d had a place like that growing up—somewhere you could go to talk to someone, a place to hang out and stay out of trouble, or even a place to learn something that is out of reach for some communities. I wanted it to be a safe haven for all children, no matter their background, and my family has hated it ever since its creation, even if it looked good in the press.
Dad knew that dangling the possibility of that place shutting down meant I would do whatever he asked, and he was right. It went against every fiber of my being to break up with Amber. Seeing her eyes turn from love to hate in a matter of seconds broke me, and I’ve refused to talk to my father ever since, even while living under the same roof.
As I make my way out of my room and down the hall, visions of what would have happened if I had told him to fuck off filled my head. Would he have followed through or would I be with the love of my life without consequence? I have no idea.
“Mr. Harrington, I have her in the west sitting room for you,” Maria says as I descend the stairs and give her a grateful smile.
“Who is it?” I ask, not expecting company and trying to figure out who’s here.
“She wouldn't say. Just that she needed to speak with you and that it was urgent.” My forehead crinkles in confusion as I make my way to the west sitting room, pushing the French doors open, and as my eyes land on the woman in front of me, I wonder if the universe is playing a cruel joke.
“Amber?” My voice is hoarse, like I haven’t spoken in weeks, and when my eyes meet her dark brown ones, I see that anger that’s still playing along the edges and wonder if she’ll ever forgive me.
“Hello, Dillon.” I recoil at the cold, distant greeting as she crosses her arms over her chest, taking all my self-control to keep my eyes on hers and not lower.
“What are you doing here? Last time I saw you, you said you never wanted to see me again.” She barks out a laugh, her arms falling from her chest as I finally get a chance to take her in. Her dark brown hair is up in a high ponytail, her face is free of makeup, and she's wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans. The look is so refreshing, especially to someone who is used to women wearing nothing but designer names and caring more about what they look like than the people around them.
“The last time we talked you broke my heart. I feel my reaction was warranted.” She glares daggers as I hold up my hands in surrender.
“I know we didn't end on the best of terms.” I’m just digging myself a bigger hole here, but what else am I supposed to say? I can't date you because if I do, I’ll lose everything I’ve worked for?
“Best terms? Dillon, you broke up with me by telling me that I never meant anything to you and that I was just someone to warm your bed until the next willing set of legs parted for you.” I cringe because I know it’s word for word what I said to her that night. That night still haunts me, even after all this time, and I can tell from the fury in her gaze that it’s haunted her too. I never wanted to hurt her like that, but at the time I knew it was the only option I had. I needed to make her hate me so she wouldn’t come after me and pull me back in, because I knew she could. Being this close to her after all this time makes me realize I would have caved and gone back to her; consequences be damned.
“I didn't come here to fight with you,” she says, motioning to the couch across the room. Her eyes land on the mid-century replica, and her eyebrows lift. “You sure it's okay for me to sit on this? I might crease it.”
I smile, loving the attitude, and missing her like crazy. “Yes, it's fine,” I say, sitting on the other end of the couch as she fiddles with her fingers in her lap. “What did you need to talk about?” She takes a deep breath, and I expect her eyes to meet mine, but they never do. They continue to stare directly at her lap.
“Did you happen to get a call from a fertility clinic telling you that your sperm was mistakenly used in an insemination?”
My stomach drops, and for a split second I wonder what newspaper got the news, but then her eyes catch mine, and I know that that is not the reason she's here.
“What are you saying, Amber?” I ask, realizing that everything about my life is about to change.
“I’m pregnant, and the baby is yours.”
Chapter Three
Amber
I don't know why I expect a more dramatic reaction, but Dillon just sits beside of me, silent, as if waiting for me to say something. Anything. But I refuse. The moment I opened that envelope and saw his name, I thought it was some cruel joke. For one, I was shocked that they actually released his name. I honestly thought I was going to get a bunch of files with the names redacted, yet here we are. Me, standing in front of my ex, telling him that he’s the father of my child and him saying...nothing.
“You’re sure…” he mumbles, as he just sits there, his eyes on the fireplace opposite him and his hands on his knees.
“No, I came here to fuck with you. Of course I’m sure. Trust me, if I could choose someone else, I would.” I don't mean for it to come out as harsh as it does, but I can't take it back now. What I don't expect are his eyes. When they meet mine, they’re full of an emotion I can't explain. One second it looks like anger, the next fury, and maybe even pain? “What? Did you expect me to be happy that the man that broke my heart is now attached to me forever?”
“I never wanted to break your heart!” he screams, his fingers grasping the edges of his hair, pulling until I see tears in his eyes. At first, I want to laugh it off because he's the one who said what he said, he's the one that chose to end it. But the longer I watch him hunched over, elbows on his knees and hands covering his face as his shoulders shake, I realize that maybe what he said has some semblance of truth.
“What are you talking about? You're the one who broke it off, remember?” I can't help my tone as the words escape, and from the dead serious look on Dillon’s face, he doesn't appreciate it. I turn away, praying the flood of tears that are threatening to fall stay where they are, when Dillon gets up off the couch and storms toward me, his footfalls echoing in the empty room. Before I have the chance to yell at him some more, he takes my face in the palms of his hands and kisses me. His lips meet mine in a punishing kiss that sends me reeling back against the wall as the weight of him holds me upright.
I never thought I would feel this again. The weight of him, the impression of him against me and especially the way his fingers grip my hips, hauling me close. “I never wanted to leave you,” he mumbles against my lips. “I never wanted you to hate me, but I knew it was the only way. I needed you to hate me so that staying away from you would be easier.” I draw back from him and stare up at his sad eyes, wondering how long he’s been keeping this to himself.
“Why?” I need to know why he would break us up when everything was so perfect. Why would he implode the one thing in my life that was going right? I want to know the reason, and from the way his eyes search mine, he doesn't want to say a thing. So, with his silence, I walk away through the double French doors and toward the front door.
“Amber! Please wait, please,” he begs as I keep walking, listening as his footsteps echo through the large hallway.
“Why would I wait, Dillon? I loved you with everything I had, and you threw it away like I meant nothing to you, and honestly? I won’t have our child go through the same thing.”
“CHILD?” a shrill voice screams from above, and when my eyes tilt upwards, I see the one woman I know always hated my guts.
“Mother, please leave us alone,” Dillon grunts, his eyes never leaving mine, like he's afraid when they do, I’ll disappear. From the disgusted look his mother is giving me, I’d rather disappear then be in this room right now.
“What is she talking about,
Dillon? Please tell me you didn't get this girl pregnant.” She looks between the both of us, and when neither of us answers, she huffs and stands between us. “Dillon, we told you to never see her again. You know what your father will do when he finds out…” At the mention of his father, Dillon stiffens, and my shoulders sag. For a split second I wondered if he’d actually choose me over this family, but when nothing is said for what feels like minutes, I turn and head toward the front door once more.
“Amber, please don't leave.” Dillon’s hand grasps my elbow, gently pulling me around to face him, and when our eyes meet, I see the war going on inside those beautiful blue depths.
“I can't be the reason you don't talk to your family, Dillon. Even if they did make you break up with me in the first place, it doesn’t matter. You still did it, and I still got hurt in the end. That will never change. You can be as involved with this baby as you want, but I can't and won't do this tug of war. It's not fair to me or our child.” With that, I give him a tight smile, ignoring the glare his mother sends my way as I head out the door and straight to my car. I start the engine, refusing to look behind me because I know if I do, I'll go and beg him to take me back.
Chapter Four
Dillon
Fuck.
What have I just done?
Chapter Five
Amber
“Holy shit,” I whisper, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I went to bed with a flat stomach and this morning I have a little pooch, and it's the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It's been a few weeks since that fateful meeting with Dr. Fallon and still no word from Dillon. Maybe it's for the best. Maybe seeing him one last time is enough to last for the rest of my life, and for the first time I think I’m okay with that. Looking at my belly and visualizing the life growing inside of me makes me realize that I have bigger things to worry about, and Dillon isn’t one of them.
I get dressed, checking my phone for messages before heading out the front door and smacking into a wall of muscle that has me almost falling on my ass.
“What the fuck?” I mutter, gathering myself and looking up only to find the one person I never thought I’d see again. “Dillon? What are you doing here?” I ask, not knowing if I really want to know the answer. But he doesn't say a word. He just takes my face in the palms of his hands and lowers his mouth to mine in the softest kiss I’ve ever felt.
“I came to ask for your forgiveness. Being without you isn’t worth it.” His breath whispers across my lips, sending shivers through my entire body. “I will explain everything, but fuck, baby I’ve missed you so much…” he groans, his lips finding mine once more, and before I think better of it, I melt into the feel of him against me.
I struggle with the door behind me, and once I finally get it opened, Dillon picks me up and slams it shut behind us before heading toward my bedroom. It seems our separation hasn't erased his knowledge of my place, and when he gets to my bedroom, he places me gently in the middle of my bed, staring down at me.
“Before this goes any further, I need you to know that I never stopped loving you. I wanted to go back to you every single day we were apart, and I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
“You broke my heart,” I say getting up on my knees and making my way to where he stands at the end of the bed. I place my hands on his chest, feeling the sculpted muscles beneath the material of his shirt and inwardly groaning at the memory of what his chest looks like. “But even when I hated you, I still loved you. No matter how much I tried to convince myself you were the devil, you were the devil I always wanted.”
His shoulders visibly deflate, and I wonder how long he's been carrying that weight.
“I need you to know that whatever was keeping us apart before isn’t anymore.”
I arch an eyebrow, sensing all the tension leaving his body.
“Let’s just say I told some people to fuck off.”
I smirk, bringing my arms around his neck, bringing my lips a hairsbreadth away from his. “Then we have some time to make up for, don't we?”
He groans, his hands falling to his sides as his fingers play with the hem of my shirt. Just as I’m about to beg him to take it off, it's ripped from my body and tossed aside. My eyes close, waiting for him to take me the way I’ve dreamed about, but nothing happens, and when I open my eyes and look down, Dillon’s eyes are on my stomach.
“This is really mine?” His voice is soft and full of wonder like a kid seeing Santa for the first time.
“Yes.”
His eyes leave my rounded stomach and find my gaze, and when they do, everything in the room changes. His lips sear to mine, his hands not wasting any time in taking the jeans I put on this morning off my legs and tossing them aside. I do the same with just as much passion and impatience. When we’re both naked and in each other's arms, the energy of the room changes, the urgency leaves, and everything around us starts to slow.
“Baby, I need to be inside you. It's been too long.”
I just nod, because words are failing me right now. The second he places his cock at my entrance, slowly entering my heat, I know I made the right choice. Being without him isn’t an option.
“Fuck, Amber, I am never leaving you again…” he groans as he starts pistoning his hips into me like a man possessed, and within minutes I feel the orgasm crashing over me.
“Dillon...please!” I plead as he braces himself on one hand and uses the other to tease my clit, allowing for every sensation to crash over me like a wave.
“That’s it, baby, come for me. I need to feel that pussy squeeze so hard around my cock.” Fuck, I missed his dirty talk. It always gets me there, without fail. And just like every time before, the moment his lips find their way to my neck, I go off like a bomb. My back arches off the bed, and my fingers dig into the sheets beneath me as a scream I didn't know I could conjure comes tumbling out of my mouth. “Fuck….” he groans, stiffening above me, his cock jerking as another small orgasm explodes through my body.
“Jesus…” I say breathlessly as Dillon untangles himself from my limbs and lies down next to me. “That was better than any other time we’ve done that.” I chuckle, rolling onto my side and facing him.
“Definitely.” We lie there in silence for a few minutes before the uncertainty starts to creep up into my thoughts.
“What’s going through your head over there?” Dillon asks as his fingers trace over my stomach in a way that makes me believe that maybe everything will be okay.
“Why did you leave me? What was so horrible that you would break up with me and never see me again?” The tears start, and when he sees them fall, his fingers wipe them away.
“Before we met, I started a charity for kids, something I worked hard to get off the ground and something I loved doing.” I nod, my chest filling with so much pride for the man he's becoming. “When I told my parents I wanted to marry you—”
My eyes bulge as I sit up. “What?”
He gives me a sly smile and kisses me lightly on the lips as we both sit up, me taking the sheets with me.
“When I told them I wanted to marry you, they freaked out. They wanted me to dump you and start dating a girl they found appropriate for my ‘status,’ but I refused. So they threatened to take away the charity, something I found out today they couldn’t even do, but at the time I was afraid it was a possibility. So I made the hardest decision of my life, and I’ve regretted it ever since.”
My heart sinks because I know that was a hard decision for him to make.
“I want this,” he says, putting one hand on my belly and one on my cheek. “ I want you, I want this baby, and I want your love, if you’re willing to give me the chance to earn it.” My heart bursts as a smile I haven’t had the heart to show crosses my face.
“Can I ask you something?” He nods, lightly kissing my shoulder. “Why did you donate your sperm?” He chuckles against my skin as his head lifts and our eyes meet.
“My parents were worried
that I’d never get married. They were worried I’d wait too long and my boys would shrivel up and die…” I bust out laughing because of course his parents would do whatever it took to protect their bloodline.
“Well we don’t have to worry about that anymore…” I admit placing my hand on my stomach. “I want this. So much. I love you,” I say, leaning in and kissing him lightly.
“I love you too, sweetheart. I never stopped.”
I never thought I’d get the chance to have my happy ending, but my Prince Charming came crashing back into my life, turning everything the right way around.
Copyright 2020 S.A. Clayton
About S.A. Clayton
S.A. Clayton lives in a small town outside of Toronto, Canada with her husband and her scary large collection of books that seem to take over every room.
She has worked on both sides of the publishing industry, both in a bookstore and for actual publishing companies. Although she loved both for different reasons, she found that writing was her true passion and has spent the last few years breaking into the industry as best she can.
She is a lover of all things romance and began her writing journey in her late twenties. Since then, she has immersed herself in the romance genre and couldn't be happier.
When she's not writing or reading, she enjoys binging a great Netflix show (Stranger Things anyone?), baking (because who doesn't love cookies!) and spending time with her family.
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