Bought For Marriage

“I’m not a big fan of you running off with a doctor and then telling me I need to wait another day to find out what all the mystery is.” His gaze swung to Sullivan. “Whatever the hell this is all about, you’d better take care of her. If not, no amount of brownie points will keep you safe from me.”

It took everything I had in me to not burst into tears and throw myself into my brother’s arms. He was such a good brother, and he was going to make an excellent uncle to the baby I was carrying.

Sullivan stepped forward and latched onto my hand, tugging me close to his side as he stared down at my brother. “I’ve got this, Graham. You don’t have to worry. She’s not just yours to look after anymore. She’s mine, too.”

With that, he led me out the door to the waiting car. The tension between us as we rode to our home was different than usual. The chemistry was still there; it always was. But this time the air around us was thick with emotion. His and mine. Sullivan kept hold of my hand, clenching it tightly but not saying a word as he mostly stared out the window.

I would have given anything to know what he was thinking, but I was afraid to break the silence because he’d been right—this was a conversation we should have at home, no matter how much it was killing me to wait to know what his reaction to the baby news was.

I was a bundle of nerves by the time we pulled up and exited the car. As soon as we walked through the door, I turned to Sullivan. “Okay. We’re here. For the love of God, please tell me what you’re thinking. I can’t take it anymore.”

His hazel eyes filled with humor, and his lips tilted up in a grin. “Were you stewing over it the entire ride here?”

“Yes! Of course I was, Sullivan. I’m scared to death of what you’re going to say,” I cried. “I swear I didn’t do this on purpose. I know it sounds crazy because birth control is supposed to be like ninety-nine percent effective, but I don’t react to the regular pill well so I’m on what they call the mini pill since it doesn’t have as many hormones in it. But it’s not quite as effective and it’s way more sensitive to timing, and I didn’t think about the time changes with my alarm when we were traveling—”

He cut off my frantic rambling with a soft kiss, lifting his head after my lips stopped moving and softened beneath his. “I don’t blame you for getting pregnant. I understand that it was an accident.”

I heaved a sigh of relief, relieved to know that at the very least he didn’t think I’d done this on purpose. But not blaming me wasn’t the same as being happy about the baby. “I know you said you didn’t want kids, and I agreed to it in the beginning of all this.” I dropped my hands over my belly protectively. “But even though we weren’t trying to get pregnant, I’m not upset that it happened, and I want to keep the baby.”

“Of course you’re keeping the baby!” He dropped down on his knees in front of me and pressed his face against my hands where they rested over my stomach. “He or she is the happiest accident that’s ever happened to me. Completely unexpected, but something for which I’ll be eternally grateful”—his hazel orbs were wet when they gazed up at me—“just like my love for you.”

“You love me?” I gasped. My knees crumbled, and I fell into his arms.

“So much,” he confirmed. “Even without this pregnancy, my plan for just an arranged marriage with you never would have worked. I should have known it with how I reacted to you back in the Luxe Connections offices, but I was too focused on what I wanted to accomplish with Bradford Enterprises to be open to the idea of more with you.”

I shifted in his lap, and his arms tightened around me like he thought I was trying to get away. “But that didn’t stop my feelings from growing, each and every day, until they were so damn big I couldn’t imagine my life without you anymore. I love you, and I’ll do everything I can to convince you that I’m worth the risk of loving me back after I was such a dumbass and made you sign a contract saying you wouldn’t. A contract I’m going to tear up as soon as you tell me you’re going to give me the chance to show you how much you mean to me.”

“Don’t tear up the contract.” I reached up and pressed my palms against his cheeks. “It’s what brought us together, and I don’t want to forget any part of our story. Not when I’m madly in love with you, too.”