I grinned. “You’re right. Fuck that bitch.”

“That’s my girl,” he murmured.

It was after dinner.

And a lot of sex.

A lot.

We had a bunch to celebrate. I’d also called each of my friends. Stella screamed into the phone. Then she yelled, presumably at Jay, “Babe, stop coming into the room brandishing a weapon! I’m dramatic, deal with it!”

I was curled up in the loveseat, watching the ocean after I’d made my calls. Karson had just finished cleaning up.

“This isn’t going to be idyllic.” I was staring out at the waves and wishing, not for the first time today, that I had a glass of wine in my hand. My palm had settled over my still flat stomach, resenting and loving what was growing in there right now.

I felt Karson come closer, his heat warming my back. He didn’t touch me, didn’t say anything as he knew that I wasn’t done.

“This isn’t going to be exciting. We don’t get to float around on clouds, fighting over what color to paint the nursery or over what we’re going to name the baby,” I explained.

“I’m going to pretend, of course. That I’m impossibly happy, that this is a miracle, a blessing. Because no one wants to see my true feelings, no one wants to be reminded of what this could turn into. If only I had the luxury of not being reminded. It was here. It was always fucking here. Like a weight, making sure my hopes don’t get off the ground.”

I looked at him finally, my vision blurred.

“This isn’t going to be idyllic for us,” I repeated. “We don’t get that.”

I hated how fucking pathetic I sounded, how whiny. I wished I was better at pretending with Karson. Wished that there was a way for me to cloak all my ugly feelings, hide them from him. But he saw through it all. And even if he didn’t, I wasn’t strong enough to digest these feelings on my own. They would rot me from the inside out.

Instead of taking me into his arms like I thought he would, Karson took a seat beside me, staring out at the same ocean that seemed too calm for this conversation. I ached for it to mirror my emotions, so I could see the world could be as wild as I felt. So I didn’t feel so alone with my craziness.

Then again, if the outside world mirrored my insides, the ground would be opening up, and mountains would be falling into oceans. It was probably a good thing it didn’t.

“No,” Karson said finally. “We’re not going to get that. But once this part is over, once you get through it, we’ll have a family. Even if the worst happens, we’ll still have a family. But I have faith that this one is going to meet us in eight months.” He rubbed my stomach. “Because I have hope.”

I stared out at the ocean then back to him. “Yeah,” I nodded. “Me too.”

We got married the next day.

The bride wore white Oscar de la Renta. Off the rack.

The groom wore black.

The ceremony happened with our closest friends and family in attendance. It was not understated and simple, even though I only had a day to put it together.

I’d been training my entire life for such a thing.

It was over the top. There was a band on the beach. One of the most famous chefs in the country cooked our meals.

Flowers were flown in.

Everyone I loved was there.

And most importantly, at the end of the night, I was Mrs. Wren Walker.

EIGHT MONTHS LATER

KARSON

Wren initially went into labor without fanfare, which surprised everyone, me included.

Tags: Anne Malcom Dark
Source: readsnovelonline.net