CHAPTER NINE
Romy pulled off her latex gloves and patted Ebony’s shoulder. “Yup, about two to three weeks, I would say. You can get dressed now, honey.”
While Ebony tidied herself up, Romy sat down. Ebony had called her this morning and asked to come see her somewhere private. Romy had invited her to her home, and now, Ebony smiled at her gratefully.
“Thank you for doing this, Romy. I wouldn’t ask, but I’m conflicted.”
“I should say.” Romy gave her a warm smile. “Look, it must be a confusing time, what with this thing with Atlas, and I can totally see why you’re hesitant to tell him. That being said, Atlas is far from the oblivious billionaire. He knows stuff happens which isn’t convenient, or perhaps the way society states things should happen. It’s life.”
“So, you think I should tell him?”
“It’s not my decision, but I always think honesty is the best way to go. Do you want the baby, Ebony? That’s the big question.”
Ebony sighed and sipped the decaffeinated tea Romy placed in front of her. “That’s just it. I don’t know. My head is saying no, but the thought of getting rid of it…I just don’t know. And I have no way of contacting the father, I didn’t even see his face.”
She felt her face burn red and looked away from Romy, who leaned over to pat her hand. “You know what? Blue and I have been to one of those clubs before, just for the adventure of it. Nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Unless you accidentally get knocked up.”
“Which reminds me, there are other considerations. We’ll need to do some blood tests.”
Ebony closed her eyes. “I didn’t even think about STDs or worse.”
“I’m sure you’re fine, but we need to make sure.”
“God.”
Romy got up and came to hug her. “Sweetheart, listen. It’s under control. You and Atlas are using protection, right?”
Ebony nodded. “Definitely.”
“So, stop worrying. Take each step as you go, but I would talk to Atlas at least. Get things out in the open.”
Ebony smiled gratefully at the other woman. “You’re so great, Romy. All of you Sasse women, I adore you all.”
“You’re our family, Ebs,” Romy said with a shrug, “it’s what we do. We look out for each other.”
Ebony was still thinking about what Romy said two days later as she and Atlas drove to the mansion to celebrate Christmas with everybody. Ebony was a little nervous – Juno and Obe had called to stay they wouldn’t be able to make it to Seattle after all, and so Ebony felt one of her anchors was missing. Romy will be there, it’s okay, she told herself. They were the first to arrive, and Fino immediately bore Ebony off to see his presents. She was sitting on the floor with him, playing a game when she heard a girl’s voice called him. “Fino?”
“Bella!” Fino got up and scooted out of the room, re-emerging a few moments later with a young woman, a little younger than Ebony, long red hair and a shy smile. “Ebony, this is Bella.”
Ebony clambered to her feet and shook the girl’s hand. Bella smiled at her. “Atlas has sung your praises,” she said, her voice soft, “especially about your singing.”
Ebony laughed. “He’s biased. It’s lovely to meet you.”
“You too.” They both heard a more strident voice outside, followed by a mellower male chuckling, a low melodic sound, and two other people entered the room. The man, in his sixties, had a warm smile and big soulful brown eyes behind spectacles. His brown beard and hair were speckled with white. He introduced himself to Ebony. “Stanley Duggan, my dear, and this is my wife, Vida.”
Vida Duggan was exactly how Atlas had described her – a faded beauty queen type, with dark ruby hair and sharp silver eyes which darted around the room and up and down Ebony, appraising her.
“Hello, dear,” she said, “We’ve heard a lot about you. Perhaps you’ll be able to help Bella with her singing.”
Bella rolled her eyes. “Mom.”
Ebony smiled at Bella. “I’d be happy to help in any way I can.”
“See, Bella? Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Hello, Fino, dear.”
Fino gave Vida a cheesy, insincere smile which nearly made Ebony burst into giggles. Instead, she suppressed a smile, catching Stanley’s eye. He too looked amused, and Ebony felt they had shared a private joke. Stanley clearly had the measure of his wife and knew what she was like. It made Ebony warm to him, though she didn’t understand why such a kind man would have married such an obvious harpy.
Atlas returned with a tray of drinks for them all, followed by a slightly-irritated-looking Mateo, and a tall, dark-haired man with a stony face, clearly The Angel of Death.
Swallowing a burst of laughter at the nickname, Ebony heard him saying something about Harvard to Mateo, and Mateo, his green eyes flashing, sighed in annoyance. “He’s seven, Cormac. I think we have plenty of time to think about college.”
“I’m just saying, it’s never too young to start preparing him for the rigors of the university experience.”
“I don’t even know if he’ll want to go to college, Cormac. Fino will find his own path.”
Cormac opened his mouth to say more, but Atlas interrupted, probably hoping to head off a full-blown argument. “Cormac, this is my Ebony. Ebony, Cormac Duggan.”
Hearing herself referred to as his sent a bolt of delighted heat through her. It had never occurred to her to want to be claimed, but it turned out she loved it.
“Pleased to meet you.” Ebony stepped forward with her hand outstretched. Cormac Duggan looked at her but made no attempt to take her hand, and after a beat, Ebony dropped her own, flushing red and glancing at Atlas, confused.
Cormac shook himself. “I’m sorry, yes, hello. You’re the singer?” He offered his hand now and took hers, holding it for a beat too long. Ebony drew her hand away, gently, not wanting to slight him.
“I’m a singer, yes.”
“More than just a singer, Cormac.” It was Atlas’ turn to sound irritated now. “A once-in-a-lifetime singer. Stanley…I have your next superstar here…if you can fight off Quartet, that is. Ebony, Roman Ford called me yesterday, wondering why you haven’t called him.” Atlas grinned. “I took the blame, said I’d been hogging your attention and time, rather selfishly.”
“Dear one,” Stanley put his hand on Ebony’s arm, “if Quartet offers you a contract, take it without hesitation. If not, then I’d be happy to help. Otherwise, the truth is, I’m retiring. I’ve done my time, and now I just want to enjoy my life.”
Vida looked at her husband sharply. “What about Bella’s career?”
Mateo mumbled, “God, not this again,” under his breath and hooked his arm around Bella’s shoulders. “Bells, what do you say we go check on the food? And by the way, everyone…Merry Christmas.”
The atmosphere in the room changed in an instant as they all remembered why they were all there. As more guests arrived, Romy, Blue, and their kids included, the house filled with laughter and chatter, and when they all sat down to a magnificent dinner, Ebony felt more relaxed. Atlas was sitting next to her, Blue on her other side.
Atlas leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I think Cormac has a little crush on you. It’s quite funny.”
Ebony glanced over at the man and flushed when she saw him staring at her. She honestly didn’t find it amusing. There was something about him that was weirdly unnerving. Next to him, his fiancé, Lydia Van Pelt, was chatting to Vida, and Ebony heard them trying to one-up each other talking about designer clothes that had been gifted to them. Mateo, on Vida’s left, caught Ebony’s glance and rolled his eyes. She grinned at him.
“So, where do you hail from, Ebony?” Cormac’s booming voice cut across all of the conversation at the table, making everyone else fall silent. Ebony blushed a deep scarlet.
“From here, actually,” she said, “I’m a Seattle girl, but I’ve been living in New Orleans for a few years. My brother is a dance teacher down there.”
“So, you came back for Atlas?”
Ebony shot a look at her lover who had gone very still. “I came back to perform at the fundraiser for Haven,” she said slowly, then firmly, “I stayed for Atlas.”
Atlas touched her cheek. “I’m very glad you did, baby.”
“Fortuitous.” Cormac said with a smirk, his meaning clear. Ebony, instead of feeling hurt, fixed him with a glare.
Oh, I do not like you, Ebony thought, and gave him the same insincere smile as he gave her. Mateo winked at her and mouthed ‘Ignore him.’ Atlas squeezed her hand, and she saw Romy shoot daggers at Cormac. I am amongst friends, she thought, her body relaxing. She looked at Atlas. “Darling…later, I need to talk to you about something. Something important that I should have told you before.”
“Of course, sweetheart.” Atlas looked curious but not worried. “Are you okay?”
Ebony smiled, suddenly at peace. “Totally and completely.”
After lunch, Molly arrived, having had lunch with her own family, and Ebony could immediately see the love between her and Mateo. She and Ebony got along immediately, chatting easily as the twins took them all on a walk through the snowy grounds as evening began to fall, and thousands of white twinkle lights suddenly turned on, making the walk even more magical.
Mateo and Molly strolled ahead, arm-in-arm, but Atlas stopped Ebony and kissed her, tender and loving. “Thank you for spending Christmas with me, my darling.”
“Thank you for inviting me.” She stroked his dark curls, gazing up at him. Had it really only been a few days?
“What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
Ebony drew in a deep breath. “Atlas…a week or so before I came to Seattle, I had a one-night stand. It was…a mistake, but it happened. A few days ago, I discovered…” God, could she really say the words? Her stomach clenched painfully. “I’m pregnant.”
There it was, out in the open. Atlas stopped. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Look, I haven’t decided what I’m going to do. But I didn’t want us to go any further without you knowing. It wouldn’t be fair.”
Atlas’s expression was unreadable, and Ebony studied him, her heart pounding. “I’ve just ruined this, haven’t I?”
Atlas shook his head. “No, no, no, I’m just a little…taken aback.” He gave a short laugh. “Okay, well…” He trailed off, obviously deep in thought and Ebony waited. He was still holding her hand; a good sign, she thought, hopefully.
Atlas took a deep breath in. “Well, let’s be logical about this. Have you told the father?”
“No.” Ebony shook her head. “Atlas, I honestly…I’m ashamed to say, I have no idea who he is. When I met him…it was in a specialist club, shall we say?”
For a moment Atlas looked confused, then “Ah.”
Fear touched her then, and an edge of desperation. “Atlas, I swear, I’m not a whore.”
Atlas looked astonished. “Ebs, I never in a million years would think that, and you should never think of yourself like that. You think I’ve never been to a sex club before?”
Relief washed over her powerfully. “There’s no chance you were in one in New Orleans two weeks ago, is there?” Ebony tried to joke, but Atlas grinned.
“No, but right now, I wish I had been, truly.” He put his arms around her. “So, first thing is we figure out whether you want to keep the child. Then we go from there. Ebony, I want to see where we go from here, whether we can make it work. If you want the baby, I’ll be there for you.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.” Ebony shook her head. “It’s too much. We’ve only known each other a week.”
His gaze, locked on hers, never faltered. “I know,” his voice was soft, “and already, I’m lost, Ebony. I’m lost.”
Her eyes filled with tears at the love in his voice. “I feel the same way,” she whispered, and then his lips were crushing against hers, kissing as her hot tears dropped down her cheeks.
Atlas placed a hand on her belly so protectively that she teared up again. “Let’s see where this goes,” he said. “Let’s see if we can do this.”
Ebony closed her eyes, her mind whirling. Was he really offering to be the father of her child? Even if it wasn’t his own? She felt discombobulated by the conversation as if it had run away from her and nothing had really gotten resolved, at least not responsibly.
For now, though, she would take his kiss, his promise, and enjoy the rest of Christmas.
In bed that night they made love, quietly as the rest of the house slept. Ebony smiled up at him as Atlas moved in measured thrusts inside her, and knew she was falling in love with him. How could she not? He was everything, he was perfect. Wasn’t he?
I don’t know, she thought, but for right now, he is perfect for me. Can we be happy? She played out different scenarios in her mind and still didn’t find an answer. As he slept in her arms, though, she knew she would try, and there was something else.
She didn’t know when exactly she’d made the decision, but she knew it was the right one, regardless of anything.
She was keeping the baby.