“Because you’re not painting and you’re pale and you told Aurora you’re fucking unwell. Fuck.” I run a hand through my hair. “I should’ve noticed it before.”
“I don’t think you could’ve. Not when I didn’t know myself.” She takes my hand, making me release my hair, and smooths the strands with her other palm.
This is why Astrid is my calm. She doesn’t allow me to get sucked into the black hole that only manages to push me into a vicious cycle. She always pulls me away before I’m dragged inside.
“You didn’t know what?” I ask in a barely audible voice. My shoulder blades snap together with fucking fear. The thought that something could happen to her drives me bonkers.
I just need to know what it is so I can fix it. Surely Jonathan can threaten a doctor or two, or an entire fucking hospital, if needed.
“Don’t be agitated, Lev. I only confirmed it this morning.”
“Confirmed what?”
She swallows, her delicate throat moving with the motion.
“Princess, I’m barely holding on here, so any day now.”
“I’m pregnant.”
The words reach my ears, but it takes me a few seconds to absorb them. “So you’re not sick?”
“Sick? No. I have some nausea, but it’s nothing bad.”
“Right.”
“Right?” She scowls, her brow furrowing. “That’s all you have to say? Aren’t you...happy?”
“Of course I am, but I’m happier that you’re healthy, Princess. I nearly lost my heart thinking you were sick or some shit. Are you healthy?”
She bites her lower lip. “I think so. We need to go to the doctor since I only took a few tests.”
I hold her hand. “Let’s go right now. I’ll ask Aiden for Elsa’s OB-GYN. If she can handle Aiden’s late night calls, she can handle mine.”
“Wait.” She tugs on my fingers, making me stop and face her again. “Aren’t you mad that this happened without a plan? We wanted to wait, and then this came along. I think it’s because of that one time I missed the pill.”
“Why would I be mad, Princess?” I place my hand on her stomach, and even though there’s no bump or anything, I feel a sense of belonging already. “As long as you’re happy, I’m more than ready for this. Are you? Happy, I mean?”
She nods frantically, holding on to my hand that’s on her stomach. “I didn’t know I wanted this so badly until I saw the positive line on the test. I want to be the mother of your children, Levi.”
I grin. “The mother of my children. I like that.”
“You do?”
“Fuck right, I do.” I kiss her lips to the point that she’s breathless when I release her. “Now, let’s make sure you’re healthy.”
17
Elsa
Age Twenty-one
“As I was saying, you can’t argue with me using some theory. Be an actual nerd and prove it in real time.”
Aiden stares at our classmates with his signature poker face. I swear he’s become even more tenacious about hiding his emotions.
I’m lucky I met him at eighteen, because twenty-one-year-old Aiden would’ve driven me bonkers.
Scratch that. He does, but I know him well enough to counter him at every turn now. I don’t always win, but the challenge is worth it.
Our colleagues stare at him with questions and no answers.
Only Aiden would call university students nerds to their faces. When I told him not to do that, he said he’s a firm believer in calling things by their names.
“Anyone?” he challenges. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
He’s lucky Cole isn’t here. It would’ve morphed into a full-blown war if he was, and we’d be all sitting here watching them argue all night.
No one ever wins, but Aiden keeps insisting he takes it easy on him.
“Actually, there’s one.” A sinister voice comes from my right. His American accent differentiates him immediately.
I groan even before the twat joins the circle. I thought we were lucky tonight since Cole had things to take care of.
Turns out, no.
“What are you even doing here?” I ask. “You don’t belong to this club.”
“I do now.” Deep green eyes fill with mischief as he waves his access card. “I had to be where all the cool kids go. Isn’t that right, Pres?”
Our debate club president, Oliver, nods at the American’s charming grin.
I roll my eyes. The only reason he joined is to challenge Aiden and Cole. I swear they attract lunatics like this American as if they were magnets.
Even Aiden didn’t join the club out of goodwill. I joined first and he just slid in because ‘he was interested’.
Interested, my arse. More like he wants to be here to shoo the flies away, as he calls them.
Aiden’s possessiveness knows no limits. He doesn’t like how close I am to the other club members, so he barged in to make their lives hell. He can be so frustratingly argumentative when he chooses to.
“Good of you to join us, Ash.” Aiden grins as sadism sparks in his eyes. “Now look away from my wife before I create a diplomatic problem between England and the US.”
The all-American golden boy bursts into laughter, raising his hands. “All right, all right. You have it bad, dude.”
Aiden wraps his hand around mine, interlacing our fingers as if to prove a point.
Our rings are above each other’s. Something Aiden likes to do a lot.
We’ve been married for two years, and he’s been publicising it everywhere. Whenever someone stares in my direction, he nearly blinds them with the huge diamond ring he got for me.
It’s not something I would wear, but I accepted it nonetheless. This ring was Alicia’s, and I understand its emotional value for Aiden.
I soon found out he’s also using it to mark his territory at every opportunity.
The press is the only medium he didn’t use for publicity, but he didn’t need to.
Our wedding, although exclusive to family and friends, made the headlines.
The King and Steel marriage was written about over and over in business columns and newspapers.
It’s the start of a new era for both companies. While Dad and Jonathan aren’t the best of friends, they learned to work together.
I still can’t trust Agnus completely. He really is a psychopath and I’m always wary of him. However, Dad trusts him even though he seems to know of his exact nature.
Agnus plays a huge part in Dad and Jonathan’s partnership. He’s become a pillar of strength for our families, and I can’t hate him for that.
Even Aunt and Uncle’s company, Quinn Engineering, has been thriving since the partnership between King Enterprise and Steel Corporation.
Aunt was a little sad when I chose Oxford over Cambridge, but she quickly got over it.
“Do you have anything to add to the discussion, Ash?” Aiden asks his American friend.
All the team members focus on the latter.
Some girls blush. Others stare up at him with dreamy eyes.
If only they knew what lurks under the beautiful façade.