She stared at me with wide eyes, her gaze darting back and forth between me and Harlan quizzically. I let him go and turned to her.
“Matilda, hello,” I said. “How is Chloe?”
“She’s going to be okay,” she said. “She just woke up, she’s going to be fine.”
“That’s wonderful!” I cried.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her eyes filled with confusion.
Fuck this, I thought. I’m tired of keeping secrets. I’d let Chloe put off telling her mother about us for way too long.
“Harlan called me,” I said, turning back to him. “You wait here, I’m not finished talking to you.”
He nodded and slumped against the wall.
I turned back to Matilda and flashed her a smile.
“Can we talk?” I asked.
“Of course,” she replied. I led her away from Harlan as I searched for the best words.
“There’s something you need to know,” I said.
“There is?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Chloe and I have grown close, Matilda,” I said. “I know it might come as a shock and we should have told you sooner. I wanted to tell you right away but Chloe wanted to wait.”
“Wait for what?”
“To tell you about us. We’re engaged.”
“What? Engaged? Are you kidding?”
“No, Matilda, I’m not. Like I said, I know it must come as a shock, but I think you’ll get used to the idea.”
“I don’t understand,” she shook her head.
“What’s not to understand? Chloe is a wonderful woman, Matilda. I never came into this expecting to fall in love. I promise I’ll take wonderful care of her and treat her with all the love and respect she deserves.”
“I can’t, I don’t… this is a lot to take in,” she said, shaking her head.
“I know, Matilda, I’m sorry to tell you like this, but I think it’s best that you know now,” I said.
“This is a lot to process,” she replied, searching my eyes. “I know you’re a good man, Bear, I’ve known you for years. I’ll need some time, but thank you for telling me. I wish Chloe didn’t think she needed to keep things from me.”
“I think the fact that I’m your employer had something to do with it.”
“Of course,” she said. “I’ll have more to say but… right now I think it’s best if I gather my thoughts. As soon as the nurse leaves, you can go in to see her. She’s in room 305. She’s awake now.”
“Thank you,” I said, pulling her close for a hug. I’d never hugged Matilda before and I wasn’t quite sure she wouldn’t break in half, but she didn’t. She’d taken the news a lot better than Chloe had imagined. I wasn’t worried in the slightest.
I just hoped Chloe would still have me.
Matilda walked down the hall and I turned back to Harlan.
“Now go, and remember what I said. Don’t come back. She’s done with you. Do you understand me?”
“I understood before you got here.”
I turned away, my eyes on the door at the end of the hall.
I had no idea what I was going to say to Chloe, but I had a lot of explaining and apologizing to do. I could only hope she’d forgive me.
I’d fucked up royally.
I knew I’d spend the rest of my life making it up to her, if she’d let me.
I was halfway down the hall when Harlan called after me.
“By the way… Congratulations!”
I turned back to him.
“For what?”
“You’re going to be a father.”
He smiled and waved, turning and walking down the hallway, leaving me standing there in the hallway with my mouth open.
Slowly, I turned back, walking towards Chloe’s room and straight into my future.
Chapter 29
The door squeaked opened and I waved him away.
“Go away, Harlan,” I mumbled through the tears.
His footsteps fell heavy and slow, coming closer, despite my plea.
A hand landed on my arm and I flinched, jumping away and turning back to him.
“Don’t touch me!” I snapped, before looking up.
I gasped when I saw it wasn’t Harlan. It was Bear.
My Bear.
“Bear!” I cried, the tears falling even harder.
“Beauty, Beauty,” he murmured, pulling me into his arms. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I whispered, my face pressed into his chest, my salty tears and snot smearing all over his shirt. “Why are you here?”
“Harlan called me,” he said. “I’m so sorry he bothered you again. I should have been more forceful the first time. I don’t think he’ll be coming around ever again.”
I nodded, leaning into him, my head spinning. I couldn’t think straight. There was so much to say to him, so much to sort through, and I had no idea where to start.
He pulled away, peering into my eyes.
“Chloe, I owe you the biggest apology. I am so sorry for what I did to you. You didn’t deserve that and I’m completely ashamed of taking it that far. I will never touch you like that again, I promise. It will never happen again. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be.”
“Thank you,” I said, my voice shaking, everything inside of me melting. I’d waited so long to hear those words.
“I mean it, babe. I’ve never done anything like that before. But I’ve never loved anyone the way that I love you. I’ve never felt anything this strong in my life. Something about you makes me feel like I’ve finally found a home, the kind of home that I’ve always searched for, one where I can be me, where I can nurture the parts of myself that nobody has ever understood. But you did! You understand me. When I found you, Chloe, it was a miracle.”
My heart raced as I drank in his words.
“I could have anything in the world I want, Chloe. I have more money than I’ll ever be able to spend. I could buy the companionship of a million women, who would let me do anything I wanted to them, say anything I wanted to hear. But that’s not what I want. That’s never what I’ve wanted! There’s something so unique about you, the way you fit with me, in a way I never imagined I’d fit with anyone. It’s you. Only you.We were made for each other. Don’t you see?”
“No, Bear, I don’t, why? Why me, Bear?” I cried. It was the question I never could understand the answer to. I’d asked it before and I still didn’t get it.
“Because my heart tells me it’s you.”
“Oh, Bear,” I sighed.
“It’s that simple,” he said, his eyes shining bright blue love right into mine. “I love you, Chloe. There’s nobody else like you in the entire world and there never will be, Beauty, don’t you see? We can’t buy this, we can’t recreate it with anyone else, there is no formula that you can follow over and over again. This only comes once in a lifetime. I never should have touched you like that, and I never will again, I promise you.”
“You stopped when I used my safe word,” I reminded him.
“I did, but I took it too far. You can have dinner with anyone you want. You can take whatever job you want. It’s not that I didn’t trust you, it’s that I was afraid of losing you, don’t you see? You’re everything to me, Chloe. I’m nothing without you. The penthouses, the cars, the business, even our island. You’ve touched everything, babe. Every part of me. I’ll never be the same without you. Please, please forgive me, Beauty. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, if you’ll allow it.”
“Oh, Bear,” I whispered, tears shimmering in my eyes, my heart so full of love I thought it might burst. “Of course, I’ll allow it.”
“I love you, Chloe,” he said, kissing me gently, his lips melting into mine.
“Wait, I have to tell you something,” I said, pulling away. “It may change your mind.”
“What is it, love?” I said.
“I—I can’t believe this I’m saying this,” I said, my voice shaking. I bit my lip, holding my
breath before I let the words fall out in a rush. “I’m pregnant, Bear.”
“I know! Isn’t it wonderful?” he exclaimed gleefully, his eyes shining down on me with pure love.
“How did you know?” I asked, my eyes wide.
“Harlan congratulated me, right after I threatened to kill him if he ever came near you again,” he shrugged.
I burst out laughing.
“Do you even like kids?” I asked. “We’ve never even talked about it.”
“I love them,” he said, the beautiful blue eyes that I’d fallen helplessly in love with beaming at me.
“This is all so fast,” I said, shaking my head. “I haven’t even told my mom yet…”