Lucas finished speaking with his father and then called his attorney to draw up a prenuptial agreement, making sure he was protected.
The phone calls took him about an hour. He finished up and then drank a shot of bourbon. “Okay Amy, let’s get this over with,” he mumbled out loud to himself. He knew he was in for a fight once he told her they would wed.
He walked back down the hallway to her apartment and used the key he hadn’t given back to her to let himself in. Amy was still sitting in the living room. At first it looked like she hadn’t even moved, then he noticed the bowl sitting on the table.
Well, he guessed that her pregnancy hadn’t ruined her appetite. He took a closer look at her and didn’t see any differences at first. She was only a couple of months along after all. Then he did notice some changes. Her br**sts seemed to be fuller, although she hid them well in her loose clothing. She also seemed to have a continual flush about her cheeks.
“Why haven’t you told me you’re pregnant?” he asked without easing into it. He believed you should always get straight to the point in a conversation. Why take time to beat around the bush, as the old saying went. If you wanted an answer then you should ask the question.
She hesitated for a few moments as she stared up at him, seemingly shocked he knew about her pregnancy. How had he found out? Then she realized he’d used her bathroom and she hadn’t yet emptied out that trash can. How could she have made such a foolish mistake?
Well it was easy to make that mistake, when she didn’t think he would be stepping into her apartment. Had she known he lived in her building she wouldn’t have left the kit anywhere it could’ve been spotted. She’d never had any visitors besides Tom though and hadn’t known she needed to hide anything.
“I didn’t see that it was any of your business. My job performance hasn’t been affected by it and in this day and age it’s nobody’s business if you’re a single mother or not. You can’t fire me for being pregnant.” She finally sucked in enough air to reply to his question. It wasn’t his concern, her eyes were shouting at him.
He stared at her open mouthed. None of his business? How the hell could she say that carrying his child was none of his business?
“You won’t be a single mother Amy, and you know that. I won’t allow my child to be raised as a bastard. He’ll have my name.” His voice told her his way was the only way they were handling the situation. If she didn’t like it then too bad.
“This isn’t your child.” Amy looked directly at him as she spoke those words. There was no emotion to her voice. He stared at her dumfounded. Not his child? What was she talking about?
He knew she’d been a virgin when he’d had sex with her. The timeline fit. Of course it was his child.
“If it’s not my child, then whose is it?” he decided to see what she would say. He was watching every move she made. There was no way she would be able to come up with some story out of the blue.
“I told you I was in a relationship. It progressed but he didn’t want the baby so we split up,” she lied to him. She’d rehearsed the story to herself many times over and said it with conviction. She wouldn’t even attempt to go into a custody battle with Lucas.
He saw the tiny flicker in her eyes as she lied to him. He knew she wasn’t telling him the truth.
He knew she was pregnant with his baby but he couldn’t figure out why she would tell him otherwise. What if he allowed her to convince him the baby wasn’t his? He couldn’t figure out what she would gain by that.
“What kind of game are you playing Amy? I don’t get it. We both know that the baby you carry is mine so why would you lie to me about it?” In his confusion he let down his guard somewhat and spoke to her puzzled instead of with anger.
“I’m not playing games with you Lucas. This is my baby and no one will take him or her away from me. I’m qualified to raise this child.” She said almost pleadingly. “I’m telling you the truth.
The child isn’t yours,” she was trying to will him to believe her words.
“Don’t worry Amy you’ll get to be a mother and a wife. We’ll be married Friday. I’ve already made all the arrangements,” he laughed without humor.
Lucas suddenly leaned down in front of her, trapping her between the couch and his arms.
“Don’t get me wrong though my dear fiancé, if you try to cross me, or run away with my baby, you’ll never see our child again. Do I make myself clear?” he whispered to her in a deathly calm voice.
She knew he meant each word he said. She had to somehow convince him the kid wasn’t his, or there was a real chance she could lose her child before she even had a chance to know her.
Please, she screamed inside her own head, please don’t take away my child. “Lucas, I’m sorry, but she isn’t yours. That night we had together was great but I moved on quickly. I don’t know what else to tell you…” she said to him with as much conviction in her voice as she could manage.
“Fine, if you say the child isn’t mine then we’ll go have a DNA test done tomorrow. The procedure will be somewhat painful to you but will cause no harm to our child,” he said, calling her bluff.
Amy turned stark white at his words. He could tell she had no idea such a test even existed. She probably figured he would have been glad not to be the father and just run as far as he could. She obviously didn’t know him well at all.
She started to speak and then just gave up.
Game.
Set.
Match.
He just smiled. He knew that getting married wasn’t what either of them wanted but there was no possible way that he would ever let another man raise his child or that he would be a weekend parent. She was carrying his baby, therefore the only solution possible was for them to wed immediately. He’d never understood how a man could walk away from his family.
Lucas was angry and he was confused but he knew what the right thing was for them to do and that was to provide a home together for the baby she carried.
Chapter Seven
Lucas decided he’d had enough for one night. “We’ll finish this business tomorrow. Enjoy your last week as a single lady, because on Friday we will marry,” was all he said before walking out her front door.
Amy collapsed on the sofa and allowed herself a good cry. How could she have ever fooled herself into thinking he would believe that her child wasn’t his. Why had she not gotten rid of that test? If she’d only emptied her garbage can, then she could’ve held her secret to herself for a few more precious months, maybe even more if she found the right clothing.