SAFEHOUSE

It was time…

Julien didn't play around, he got the dummy-proof test. And boy was it

easy to read the word PREGNANT in all caps.

I slowly picked it up, tilting it this way and that. No, it definitely said what I thought it said. There was no mistaking it.

I started shaking. My hands were trembling immensely, making it nearly impossible for me to hold still. I gripped the countertop again, settling myself.

Deep breaths, Amira. Deep breaths. All these thoughts about the what-if's and consequences, all of it flew right out the window. There was no more what if. This was happening, one way or the other.

I waited until my heartbeat had finally calm down from the erratic thumping it was doing in my chest. I didn't need another hyperventilating scene again, especially if Julien was right on the other side of the door.

I gathered all the courage I could muster and opened the door, the test in hand.

He said nothing. And from the corner of my eye I couldn't tell by his facial expression what he was thinking. I couldn't handle it anyway, because I had so many thoughts to process on my own.

A baby? It brought so many different variables into our relationship that it wasn't even funny. And that was just looking at it from a scientific and not at all subjective point of view.

"Amira?" he said, his voice nearly a whisper. I looked up, surprised to see the tears in his eyes. I couldn't yet tell whether they were the kind of tears that were going to tell me to find somewhere else new to go, or what.

He cleared his throat, blinking back the wetness in his eyes. "I’m going to be a father?"

I nodded, bottling my emotion as much as I could.

“I love you, Amira.”

He tipped my chin up with his hand, softly rubbing his thumb over my jawline. “By the way, I liked the flowers you put in. They’re almost as beautiful and bold as you.”

I tucked my head underneath his, silent tears escaping down my cheeks as I smiled to myself.

Whatever the case was, if I had Julien at my side, I knew that things were not going to be quite as scary.

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Chapter 27

Believe me when I say that being the pregnant girlfriend of a billionaire was not how I saw my life going... Yet here I was, already twelve weeks pregnant and enjoying another visit with my doctor. She had been wonderful to me, and I couldn't be happier to have her on my side.

Dr. Thibodeau was a world-renowned obstetrician loved by the rich and famous… I was worried that she’d look down on me, but Julien insisted on the best doctor money could buy.

So much had happened in the past seven weeks since I had found out that I was pregnant. We had a long and thorough chat about our future, but I refused to entertain the idea of marriage just yet—something that seemed to aggravate Julien to no end.

The truth is… I wanted Julien to propose to me when he was ready, not because I was having his child.

Of course Julien insisted on me sharing his bedroom with him and I was all for that idea, obviously. Anything that let me be closer to him was all right in my book.

He sat there with me, holding my hand as Dr. Thibodeau squeezed some of that ridiculously cold gel onto my slightly swollen belly. She ran the instrument over my belly, smiling when she finally picked up the baby's heartbeat. "Ah," she began, listening in closely. "The baby is very active. Heartbeat is at 162."

Julien grinned over me, squeezing my shoulder. The baby's heartbeat sounded like the craziest herd of galloping horses you'd ever heard. It always made me smile to hear it, knowing that the baby was healthy and happy in there.

After Dr. Thibodeau had finished up with me, she gave me the usual European goodbye and kissed both of my cheeks before giving me a little curtsy. I always thought that was hilarious, and tried to do the same.

Julien helped me sit up, giving me a kiss on my forehead. It felt so nice to be loved by someone like this, I had to admit.

But the problem was just that. He loved me so much, and he loved the idea of this baby and the family that we were starting together.

Not everyone was quite as pleased…