Happily Ever All-Star: A Secret Baby Romance - Sosie Frost Page 0,357

hand.

“Careful.” I braved a smile. “No one’s water needs to break for a while.”

The bottle fell from his hand.

He wasn’t ready for jokes.

“How…” He swallowed. “How…”

“I think you know how.” I teased him. “Only one way for that sort of thing to happen. A very fun way, but, uh…nothing we had planned, obviously.”

“No, uh…” He looked up, but his eyes were hazed, a dulled green masked in shock. “How did…”

“I was on the pill. But I guess there can be accidents. I didn’t realize—”

“No. It’s not your fault.”

“I really wanted to tell you.”

“How…long have you known?”

I took a breath. “I’ve known for a month.”

He opened his mouth. No sound came out.

“Yeah, that was kinda my reaction,” I said. “It took me a while to process it.”

“I bet.”

“I just want you to know…you can be as involved as you want.”

He blinked, staring at me. His voice hardened. “You think I wouldn’t want to be involved?”

“There’s no pressure.”

“We’re married,” he said.

“Kinda? I mean, sure. We eloped, but I didn’t know if what we had was…”

“Was what?”

My stomach turned. The question was too hopeful. I revealed too much and too little. “I don’t know if what we have is real.”

Lachlan stood, frustrated. “I might be crazy, Red, or just crazy for you, but I planned to see how this marriage plays out.”

“And I want this to be a magical fairy-tale too. If you knew how…” How I felt about him. The truth knotted in the queasiness in my tummy. One wasn’t coming up without the other. “This isn’t like the time we cooked for Sebastian. We aren’t just playing house. This is real.”

“I know what it means to have a child, Elle.”

“I’m not trying to fight.”

I wasn’t sure he believed me.

Lachlan rubbed his face. “You didn’t tell me.”

“I know.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

I hadn’t meant to hurt him. “Of course I do. But I was trying to…help. I didn’t want to cause you any more stress.”

“I can handle the stress, and the team, and the games.” Lachlan’s jaw tensed. “Just like I can handle this. For Christ’s sake, Elle. You’re…pregnant.”

He sunk onto the couch again, head in his hands.

The shock returned.

I sat on the coffee table, knocking a snow globe, candle stick, and my seagull figurine out of the way. Lachlan’s hands were cold. I held them close, forcing him to look at me.

“I want you to know that I don’t expect anything from you,” I said.

“Fuck me. Thanks.”

Damn it. “That’s not what I meant. We can either do this together, or we can make an arrangement. I can raise the baby by myself—”

“Like hell! You’re not going to be alone in this. I’ll be with you, every step of the way.” His voice hardened. “I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

“Our marriage was kinda sudden and probably a little foolish…” Maybe a lot foolish. “This is a baby. I’m scared, but this feels like it could be a really good thing.”

“I know.”

“I didn’t have a family growing up—I had a prison. Now it’s my chance to experience what you have with your mom and Bast. I’m going to give this baby a beautiful, loving home.”

“Absolutely.”

“And I bet, if we do this together…we could raise a pretty awesome kid.”

“I know.”

His voice strained. He looked away. Scared? Probably. Hell, I was terrified. At least I had nine months to get over the shock.

Well. Eight months now.

“Lachlan, I’ve seen you with Sebastian. You’re a natural with kids.”

“Elle—”

“I know we can do this. We can handle it. If we’ve managed the marriage so far, and we’ve gotten so…close. I’ve been feeling…a lot of things for you. And maybe it’s time—”

“Wait. I should tell you something.”

I shook my head. If I didn’t say it now, I wouldn’t say it at all. “You are a wonderful man. A little crazy sometimes. And maybe you should come with a shock collar. But it’s all part of your charm.”

“Red…”

“I hadn’t planned on starting a family yet, but now when I close my eyes, you’re the only man I can imagine in my life. It’s scary. It’s fast. It’s absolutely insane. But I know you’re going to make a great father—”

“I am a father, Elle.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to imply…the baby’s not born, but of course you’re a father.”

“Elle, listen to me.” Lachlan’s voice lowered. I’d never heard him so serious before. “I am a father. I already have a child.”

I pulled my hands away. “What are you talking about?”

“I kept it secret, even from you. No one knows.”

“Knows what?”

“Sebastian is my