The Girl Who Always Wins (Soulless 13)

“Thanks. I learned everything I needed to know from mine.”

He smiled. “Then he’s still here.”

“Yeah.” I was blissfully happy to have a family with the woman I loved, but that did drop my mood sometimes, that my parents weren’t here for this. My sister too. I was on my own. But at least I’d be related to my daughter. I’d be connected to her in a way I wasn’t connected with anyone else.

“Did Daisy tell you about the genetic test she got?” I wasn’t sure if she would keep that between us or share with her family. She seemed to share everything, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she had.

He shook his head.

“I guess she has an extra chromosome…where I’m missing one.”

His expression changed, immediately turning into the focused physician at the lab and hospital. “That’s why this is possible for you…”

I nodded. “Isn’t that crazy?”

“No.” He shook his head. “Because medicine only goes so far…until there’s God.”

24

Daisy

“Oh my god, I look ridiculous.” I stood in my wedding dress on the pedestal in front of the mirror, and regardless of how beautiful the gown was, I looked huge. My stomach overshadowed the curves I once had, my cheeks were plump, my arms jiggled. I didn’t look anything like I imagined I’d look in a wedding dress.

“You do not look ridiculous, honey.” Mom left the chair, her eyes on me in the reflection. “You look beautiful—”

“Mom, come on. I look like a freakin’ cow.” I marched off of the pedestal and back into the changing room. “Forget it, I don’t want to get married. We’ll just wait until after she’s born, and I’ll get back into the shape…” I tried to shut the door, but Mom barred it.

“Honey, he’s going to think you’re beautiful because you are—”

“I look nothing like the woman he fell in love with.”

“No, because you’re two people now. And trust me, he’s going to love that.”

I sat on the bench and crossed my arms over my chest. “This just…isn’t how I imagined my big day, you know?”

“What does your dad say?”

I rolled my eyes. “Mark your life in pencil…not pen.”

“I was pregnant with Dex when your father and I got married.”

I gave a shrug.

“And I can say with complete confidence…he didn’t mind at all.”

I gave a grimace. “Mom…”

“Atlas is not going to see you like that. He loves you.”

“This is a freakin’ Versace dress, and I look like shit.” I held up my hand to her. “Just go.”

“The seamstress needs you to come out so she can make the adjustments—”

“She’s not going to need to because I’ll just need a whole different dress at this point.”

“Honey, I’ll give you a few minutes to calm down. Come out when you’re ready.” She shut the door and left me to my thoughts.

There wasn’t a mirror inside the stall—thankfully.

I’d always imagined my husband looking at me in disbelief when I walked down the aisle, like I was the most beautiful thing in the world, the hottest piece of ass he’d ever had. I didn’t want him to say I was beautiful. I wanted him to show me I was beautiful. But that wasn’t going to happen now…not when I was seven months pregnant and couldn’t even wear heels with my dress.

When the baby came, she would be our whole world, and setting aside time just for us was probably unrealistic. Planning a wedding would be impossible. So, we had to do this now. But damn, I wished we didn’t have to.

I simmered inside the stall, arms crossed over my chest, leaning against the wall, the beautiful gown surrounding me. My hormones were all over the place, so I knew that was making this so much worse. I wanted to burst into tears because I’d never felt so ugly in my life. And then I was going to get even bigger soon.

A couple minutes later, my mom’s voice called out. “Honey, come out.”

I continued to sit there, being a brat.

“Honey.” Mom’s voice grew more forceful. “The sooner you do this, the sooner we can go eat.”

“Because that’s all I care about…eating.”

“Daisy, that’s not how I meant it. Come on.”

I pushed myself up and opened the door, knowing I had to get this shit over with.

I stilled when I saw Atlas standing there.

He was in jeans and a hoodie, fit as always, still working out every morning while I slept in. His eyes were on me, a jolt of surprise at my appearance. But then his eyes softened and turned intense at the same time, a look he’d never given before. He looked me over, looked at me the way I always wanted to be looked at.

Mom and the seamstress were gone. It was just the two of us. I picked up the front of my dress and walked toward him.

His hand immediately went to my stomach, and he came closer to me, his other hand cupping my face, looking at me like he’d never loved me more in his life. He didn’t say anything, just looked at me, and that was all that I needed.