Inherited Malice: A Dark Secret Society Romance

“Was getting pregnant part of a con?” I interrupted. She wouldn’t be the first person who trapped a rich man by getting knocked up. I thought it was a fair question to ask. Did she see me as an easy mark since I was getting shit-faced in a bar in an expensive suit?

“No,” she answered softly. “The pregnancy was not planned. I wouldn’t have had unprotected sex, just like you wouldn’t have. I know that might be hard to believe—”

“I believe you,” I stated again. I needed her to understand that fact. “But now we have to discuss what happens from here. We have another life to think of beside our own.”

“I’m quite aware of that.” She placed her hand on her stomach and, for the first time, I looked at her belly and truly realized there was a living being in there. A living being I helped create. I let the thought in. I let it sit.

And then the overwhelming need to do something, anything to try to make this all “right” nearly took my breath away.

“So first of all, we need to get you to see a doctor. I’ll have Mrs. H sneak one in as soon as possible. And then we need to get those special vitamins I know pregnant women are supposed to take daily.”

I glanced down at her stomach again. “We want the baby to be healthy. And then we need to get those baby books that tell us what to expect. Oh, and those pregnancy pants. I’ll order some of those special clothes you’ll need.”

A list of To Do’s were going off in my head like rapid machine gun bullets. “Maybe I can get a maternity yoga instructor here, and what about a breastfeeding expert? And do we need to talk about a midwife or regular doctor?”

Abilene laughed. “Slow down there!”

She stopped walking and turned to face me. “I understand you want to try to take control of the situation, but you’re going too fast. We need to focus on the right now. All that other stuff you mentioned… well, why don’t we focus on the Trials for now.”

She had a really good point. “If the Elders find out you’re pregnant, they’ll disqualify us.” We started walking slowly again. “And maybe they’d be right in doing so. Maybe it’s not safe to have you do them any longer.”

“I don’t think having orgies is going to hurt the baby.”

“It’s more than just sex, and you know it.”

“Nothing we’ve done up until now put the baby’s life at risk even in the slightest or I wouldn’t have done it. I didn’t even drink the champagne if you remember,” she pointed out. “Besides… we both need to complete the Trials. You know it as much as I do.”

“True,” I agreed. “I need to take over the business. Even more so now that I have a family to think of.”

The sun was beginning to really heat up and my back, sticky with sweat, told me we needed to get inside where it was cooler. “Let’s get you inside. It’s getting too hot out here.”

“I’m not fragile, you know. Just pregnant.” But she turned with me and headed back to the manor.

“I get that. But we need to think about the baby’s safety. And you are right that we need to continue on with the Trials… for now. Though, I’m telling you right now, that if I ever so much as think any harm will come to you or the baby, I’ll stop everything immediately.”

“I get that,” she murmured.

“And I still want you on those vitamins, and I’m still getting those books. We need to come up with one of those birthing plans too. Oh, what about those labor classes where they teach us how you breathe and stuff? We have to plan for this.” I needed to get back to the room so I could start listing everything down.

Abilene chuckled. “God forbid we don’t plan on how we’re going to breathe.”

13

Abilene

So Beau knew about the baby. My big, bad secret was out. And everything was… fine. Fine-ish?

I should’ve known he would just take it in stride and start planning everything to death. He’d mentioned the baby’s college fund after we’d gotten back from breakfast this morning.

The kid wasn’t even born yet, and he was thinking about where they’d go to college! Jesus, I could barely think about getting through next week.

But here was Beau, ready to storm the castle, plan everything from the kid’s preschool to their ideal collegiate pedigree, and I was just… I was just…

I was overwhelmed. And a little terrified that Beau was doing exactly what I’d been afraid he would. He was making all these plans, but rarely was he checking in with me to see if it was what I wanted for my child.