“I wish that too,” he said, brushing his thumb across the corner of my eye. “If only to have spared you from the pain of what happened.”
“It's not just that.” I took a breath and wished I had the courage to take a step back, the strength to say this without needing his touch.
“Please, just tell me.”
It was the desperation in his voice that did it.
“I'm pregnant.”
I waited, but other than a slightly stunned look on Reed's face, there was no reaction. No cursing. No pushing me away. Neither was there joy or excitement. I hadn't expected that though. Shock had been the best I'd hoped for. After all, I hadn't thought anything of it when Reed and I had made love those few times since he'd come for me, hadn't thought to tell him that we needed to use a condom.
I was able to move away now and his hands fell at his sides.
“There's more,” I forced myself to say it. “I haven't taken my birth control since we were in Venice. So when we've...and when Tanek...” Bile rose in my throat and I choked it down. The words that came out next were just as bitter on my tongue. “I don't know who the father is.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks and I dropped my head, unable to look at Reed, to see whatever expression was on his face. Rejection. Disgust. Even pity.
Then his arms were around me, pulling me against his bare chest. He held me tight, making soothing noises that had no words. His skin was hot and I welcomed the heat, my own body cold from my confession.
“Do you know what I know?” Reed's voice was soft, but there was no hesitation, no wavering. “I know that it doesn't matter whose DNA that child has, I am its father.”
I caught my breath and looked up at him, not daring to hope that I was understanding him correctly.
“I don't care if this is too fast or if people think I'm crazy.” His expression was fierce. “I love you, Namisa Carrmoni, and if you'll have me, I want to marry you.”
I wanted to say yes so badly, but I couldn't. Not when I knew why he was saying it. Maybe we would get there in some distant future, but I didn't want it to come like this.
“I won't let you do that,” I said.
“Won't let me?” he asked.
“I won't have you marrying me just because I'm pregnant.”
He shook his head and released me, taking a step back. “If you don't want to marry me, Nami, all you have to do is say it. I would never force the issue.” He looked away. “I just thought, that since you said you wanted me, that you chose me...”
“I do,” I said. “And I did choose you.”
“Then why won’t you marry me?”
The question was so sad that my heart broke. “I do want to marry you. I just don't want it to be because...”
I didn't get to finish because Reed's mouth was covering mine, swallowing my protests. The towel fell to the floor and his hands were on me, running down my back to my ass and back up again, leaving burning trails of fire along my skin. His tongue slid between my lips, curling around mine and drawing it into his mouth. I moaned, everything else forgotten but the feel of his chest under my hands, the way his teeth were scraping against my bottom lip.
I made a muffled squeak as he picked me up and felt him smile. He lowered me to the bed, finally releasing my mouth so that he could kiss his way down my neck. His lips danced across my skin, up my breasts, pausing to circle my nipple with his tongue, then moving to the other one. I expected him to either return to my mouth or move lower to the aching place between my legs. Instead, he stopped at my stomach, placing a kiss just above my bellybutton. He ran his fingers across my skin, his expression thoughtful as he looked at my stomach.
“Is that really the only reason?” he asked softly, not looking up at me. “You don't want me to feel obligated?”
“Yes.” I reached down and ran my fingers through his hair.
He looked up at me, his eyes deep pools of black. “I love you, Nami. And that has nothing to do with...this.” He spread his hand across my stomach. “I want to marry you.” He smiled softly, his fingers moving slowly over my still-flat belly. “Not in spite of, or because of.” He leaned forward and kissed my stomach again. “I want to have a family with you. It doesn't matter to me that things are moving faster than I'd thought they would. It's what I want because it's you.” He looked at me again. “What do you want, Nami?”
I gave him the truth. “You.” I cupped his chin, using it to pull him back up my body.
“Then marry me,” he whispered against my mouth.
“Yes.” I pulled his head down so that our lips crashed together.
His hands moved down my body as we kissed and then I felt his cock between my legs, pushing against me. He pulled his mouth away long enough for our eyes to meet and me to nod my consent. Then he was sliding inside me and the world was reduced to just the two of us. Our bodies moving together, hips rising and falling in perfect sync. The pleasure was building fast inside me, driving me towards the inevitable explosion. And when it happened, Reed was there with me, calling out my name.
This was what I wanted. Not only the sex, but the completeness that came with joining with someone who knew me, understood me on some level that no one else did. Reed wasn't just a great lover, he was my other half. He made me a better woman. He was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, the man I wanted to be the father of my children, no matter what biology said.
I didn't know how the people of Saja would react to any of this, but for the first time in my life, that wasn't what mattered. For the first time, I was going to have something I wanted.
Chapter 19
Reed
We left Philadelphia Friday morning and Nami didn't ask why I hadn't gone to see my parents before we left. I'd been a little worried that she would think I didn't want them to know about the engagement or the baby, but she seemed to understand that I wasn't ashamed of her but rather didn't want to deal with all of the shit that would inevitably follow a visit to my parents.
I did, however, take her with me into the bank where I'd kept a small safe deposit box with a few things I didn't want to take with me as I traveled. One of those things was my grandmother's engagement ring. It hadn't been expensive enough for Britni, but I knew Nami didn't care about that. The moment she saw the ring, her face lit up and she held out her hand.
Judging from the expression on her parents' faces when we met them at the airport, the ring came as no surprise. Halea, however, was thrilled. We took a private plane back to Italy and she spent at least half of it talking to Nami about what the wedding would be like. The queen joined in, assuring Nami that before the plane landed in Saja, the marriage to Tanek would be annulled. The only question was how long we wanted to wait before we held the wedding.
I felt Nami's eyes on me when her mother asked the question again. I looked up from where I'd been on my phone, reading all the emails I'd ignored over the past week. My parents were responsible for at least half of them, some business, some personal. I supposed they figured that at least this way there was a chance they'd get to have their say. I put all that aside though. My parents could wait.
“Whatever you want,” I said quietly. I understood what she was asking and I would let it be her decision. If we married quickly, then announced the pregnancy in six weeks or so, we might be able to pass off the child as having been legitimately conceived on our wedding night, just born early.
I didn't know what Saja annulments required, but there was a chance that they were the same as American annulments which, as far as I knew, required a marriage not be consummated. In my mind, consummation meant consent, but I didn't know about the laws in Saja. If an announcement of the marriage being annulled meant that the people of Saja believed Nami and Tanek hadn't slept together, then they would believe that the child was mine.
It was mine, I thought fiercely. Nami was mine. My family.
“We would like to marry as soon as possible,” Nami said. “There is no need for something lavish. As we all know, that does not guarantee a happy marriage.”
“We will be arriving late and we will need to adjust to the time change,” King Raj said. “But if you wish, we could conduct the ceremony tomorrow.” He looked at me. “Do you have any specific religious affiliations that you wish us to include?”
I was surprised by the question. While the king and queen were honoring their word about letting Nami choose what she wanted to do with her life, I'd expected them to tolerate me, especially since they knew little about me save that I'd had sex with their daughter before she'd been married to Tanek. Well, that and the whole rescuing thing, which I sincerely hoped made them think better of me than the rest.
“My family attended church back in Philadelphia, but it was a social thing. They go because it's expected of them. I'm happy to follow whatever customs Saja follows.” I smiled at Nami. “Nami is my family now.”
I saw her hand go to her stomach and wondered at how quickly the gesture became natural.
“And speaking of family,” she said.
I was a bit surprised she was going to tell her parents and Halea, but I'd meant what I'd said. I would support what she wanted.
“I'm pregnant.”
Queen Mara's mouth tightened for a moment, her eyes going from Nami to me and back again.
“Who is...?” The king was obviously thinking the same thing, but couldn't quite bring himself to ask it.
Nami's eyes met mine and I knew she’d let me decide this one. It wasn't even a consideration. “I am.”
“For certain?” King Raj gave me a cynical look.
“Yes.” I stood and walked over to Nami. I reached down and took her left hand, raising it to kiss her ring. “They're both mine.” Her eyes shown and she tilted her head up so I could kiss her lips. Mindful of the eyes on me, I kept the kiss chaste and brief. Still, it sent electricity through me and I had to remind myself that I only had to wait until tonight, tomorrow night at the latest, and I could indulge in a more thorough kiss. That and more. I ran the back of my hand down the side of her face. I'd never get enough of her.
“Tomorrow, then,” Queen Mara said. “We have plenty of time on the journey home to plan a wedding.”
“And a nursery.” Halea was beaming. “I wonder if it is a boy or a girl.”
I left the sisters to talk with their mother and went to get a drink for myself and the king. I had a feeling, with all of the wedding and baby talk, King Raj and I were going to need a drink. Him, because of the events of the past couple days. Me, not because of my impending marriage or fatherhood. I wasn't nervous about either one, at least not about my choices. No, I was going to do something else that was freaking me out.
I was going to send an email to my parents with an invitation to my wedding and an offer to pay for a private plane.
By Saturday afternoon, I still hadn't heard from my parents and I put it all aside as I made my way out of the guest chamber where I'd slept last night. Alone, unfortunately, but understandably. Very little about this wedding would be traditional, but I could at least stay away from Nami until the ceremony. A ceremony where I would have no one at my side. My parents had made their decision and my conscience was clean. I'd leave Philadelphia and my family in the past. Today was about moving forward. New life. New home. New family.
As soon as I walked into the garden – the little one that Nami loved so much, not the big one – I saw two familiar faces.
“Piper! Julien!” I stared at my friends as they hurried over.
“Nami called me when you guys landed in Italy,” Piper said, pulling me into a quick hug. “She wanted you to have someone here to stand with you.” When she stepped back to Julien's side, her smile faltered. “Unless you think this is too weird.”
“No.” I shook my head and gave them both smiles. “It's definitely good to see some friendly faces.”
“Yeah, those two don't exactly look like the friendly type.” Julien gestured over my shoulder.
I glanced back and laughed. Kai and Tomas were standing on either side of the entrance, looking very much like the menacing former linebackers I'd once thought they were. “Actually, they're good guys. Threatened to kick my ass a time or two...and one of them once said he'd castrate me if I got near Nami again, but we've worked out our differences.”
Julien glanced down at Piper, a smile playing on his lips. They had one of those moments of silent communication that I understood now.
“It's good to see you happy, Reed,” Piper said sincerely. “Ever since...well, it's all I wished for you.”
“I know,” I smiled at her. “I am happy, and I owe you two quite a bit for that.”
“Not at all,” Julien said. He held out his hand. “It's what friends do.”
“Yes,” I agreed as I shook his hand. “It is.”
The music changed as the string quartet saw the king and queen ready to enter. Piper and Julien hurried off to stand with a handful of other spectators I didn't know but assumed I'd be meeting later on. I took a step backwards until I was off the path and gave a slight bow as my soon to be in-laws walked past.
Halea followed them, dressed in a simple pale blue dress that made me realize that Kai and Tomas were going to have their hands full soon, keeping guys away from her. Halea and the queen moved until they were across from the other members of the audience and the king stood at the top of the path. He looked at me and I took a deep breath. It was my turn.