Exclusive! Billionaire Boss

 

AMELIA

 

I know I was reckless.

But Kellan Shepard has been in my fantasies since I was fourteen. So I seduced him. Yep, sitting right across from him on the other side of the catwalk. His eyes followed my every move, especially when I uncrossed and crossed my legs, giving him just enough to make him hard underneath his seven-thousand dollar suit.

I was the real show. Not the skinny models up on the runway.

And now I’m pregnant.

So I have a lot of growing up to do, especially given that he wants nothing to do with me…

 

Or our baby.

 

 

KELLAN

 

I know I was reckless.

I should never have taken her in that bathroom after the show. But she’s got longer, sexier legs than any model I’ve ever fucked. And If I had have known who Amelia really was, I would have kept my pants zipped up.

Now my dick's gotten me into trouble.

But it’s her own fault. She should have known the kind of man she was seducing.

She knows I’m flawed.

So she can have my money.

 

But she’ll never have me.

 

Note: This story has been previously published as Billionaire Flawed.

***

Chapter One

Amelia

My father always told me that there were two types of people in this life; the ones who only wanted things and the ones who went after what they desired. Both of us were, undoubtedly, the second kind.

My entire life I’ve gone after—and achieved—what I desired. As a teenager, I wanted to intern at a rival fashion agency, and so I did. Later on, I decided that Harvard would be my school of choice, and I got in. Finally, after six years of yearning for Kellan Shepard, I made up my mind that it was about time he desired me as well.

The very first time I saw him, I was an awkward teenager, and he was the thirty-something, hot-as-hell new partner to my father’s modeling agency. We were at a restaurant, celebrating their new business venture, and I spent the entire time blushing and pretending that I wasn’t gawking at his face. It was pathetic and, as much as I hate to admit it, it only got worse with time.

As their business and their friendship grew, Kellan started to spend a lot of time with our family. We went out to eat at least three times a week and shared many vacations together. That closeness fuelled my crush until he was pretty much all I could think about.

I’d spend nights awake dreaming about him and saw his face even when I made out with my boyfriends. Although I’d never admit it out loud, Kellan was also the reason why I was still a virgin at twenty-four years-old. In my mind, he was the only man deserving of my first time, and I refused to lose my virginity to anyone but him.

Hopefully, that would change soon.

A smile curled up on my lips as I looked out of the tinted windows of my father’s Bentley. We were on route to one of the many fashion shows dad was invited to attend. From what I had gathered from his conversation with mom, eleven out of the twenty models scheduled to walk the runway were signed to us, which made this an important client and a sure ticket for me to see Kellan again.

It had been a few years since I last laid eyes on him and the anticipation was killing me. For the first time in my life, I was going to meet Kellan not as an awkward, love-struck teenager, but as a woman. Under the guise of looking appropriate for the event, I went full out with my look hoping to impress him. My hair was styled in soft curls that fell neatly over the shoulder strap of a red bandage dress that accentuated my curves. Thanks to the ridiculously high Louboutin’s on my feet my legs looked long and toned, and a black smoky eye gave me a sultry and mysterious look.

I was pulled back to reality when the car stopped in front of the long red carpet leading up to the venue. I checked myself in the mirror as the driver exited the car and came to open my door. With the aid of his hand, I gracefully exited the vehicle and smoothed out the fabric of my dress as I looked around. The street was busy with cameramen and celebrities. Everyone who was anyone was there and as stylish as ever. My family and I made our way down the carpet, greeting familiar faces and posing for the cameras until were inside the lavish hall.

“I’m going in to take my seat,” I told my mother as she and dad lingered in the lobby talking to some friends. Mom nodded, and I went inside, knowing that they would probably just hang out by the bar until the show was over.

I followed an usher through the chaos to my first-row ticket and got busy with emails and social media as I waited for the other chairs to fill and the show to start. I was in the middle of a text to my best friend, Asha, when I saw him walk along the runaway towards his seat.

My heart pounded as I stared at Kellan Shepard. Despite having recently entered his forties, the man looked as dashing as ever. His face was as handsome and sharp angled as I remembered and his chocolate brown hair still made envious. His body looked lean and strong under a black on black ensemble that was accented by a deep blue tie that matched the shade of his eyes perfectly.

I cleared the text I was writing and instead wrote:

KS just walked in, and my panties are on the ground!

Still pretending I was checking my phone, I looked back at him from under my false lashes just in time to see him cross his ankle over his knees. He looked around the room sporting his signature arrogant smirk and waved at a few familiar faces.

I crossed my own legs and pressed my thighs together just as his intense gaze landed on me. I held my breath as he slowly ran his eyes from my face all the way down to my toes. For a moment, I thought he would recognize me as the little girl with the stupid crush on him, but then he cupped his chiseled jaw and ran his tongue across his lush lips as his eyes filled with a kind of lust that told me I was nothing more than a desirable stranger.

Excitement flooded me as he held my gaze for a second before looking away as if I was of no interest to him. My phone buzzed in my hand saving me from continuing to stare like a disappointed moron. Asha’s text read,

As if you were wearing any. LOL.

Either way, use that bare ass to your advantage and seduce that man.

I laughed out loud at her words. As a virgin, the only knowledge I had on seduction came from Asha, and I wasn’t entirely convinced that she really knew what she was talking about or that her tricks would work on someone as experienced as Kellan. However, I was more than willing to give it a shot.

According to my friend, the key to seducing an older man was to mix innocence with teasing and let him know you want him while playing hard to get. I had no idea how to go about doing that, but I figured that biting my lips and crossing my legs while staring at him was a good place to start.

To my surprise, the move worked, and his blue eyes returned to me. I fought the smile that threatened to break through my lips as I turned my gaze to the DJ taking his position at the beginning of the runaway. Kellan’s eyes stayed on me as the lights dimmed announcing the start of the show.

Gorgeous models strutted down the catwalk in beautiful gowns. Although my eyes stayed on the garments being modeled, my attention was on the handsome man seating across from me.

Kellan alternated between watching the women walking by and gazing at me. I tried to look aloof to his interest, but inside my heart pounded so hard it felt like it was plotting to run away. Every once in a while, I’d allow my gaze to drift to his intense blue eyes, and when our eyes met, I’d do something obviously sexy like run a hand down my legs or up my chest, bite my lips or touch my hair. In response, Kellan would pull a sharp breath through barely parted lips, shift positions on his chair or adjust his trousers—which was my absolutely favorite reaction.

By the time the designer followed his models down the runway for the final walk, the bulge on Kellan’s pants was visible from where I was standing, and the desire in his eyes shone brighter than the lights around us. For the first time in my life, Kellan Shepard wanted me as much as I wanted him.

There was no denying that I would lose my virginity and, after so many years dreaming about it, Kellan would be the one fucking me. Our locked gaze lingered as we applauded the collection, but once people started to get up from their seats, Kellan’s attention shifted from me to the leggy blonde beside him.

All the excitement I was feeling oozed out of me in a long, deep sigh. I sulked for a bit as my heart and breathing evened out, and then opened my clutch to get my phone.

I tapped my foot on the hardwood floor as I typed a message to Asha letting her know how badly I sucked at being sexy. Before I hit send, the sound of someone clearing their throat called my attention. Thinking it was my mom checking in on me, I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat when instead of my mother’s face, I saw Kellan’s.

Chapter Two

Kellan

Where on God’s green Earth did this woman come from, and what game is she playing? That was the thought that kept rolling through my mind for the duration of the show.

She was breathtaking in every way, and I’d watched her with unwavering eyes. She managed what I thought was an impossible feat, to look as elegant and graceful as a ballerina while also being sexy enough to make my body ache. I didn’t know what she wanted from me—if she wanted anything at all—but I knew that she was not a creature of this planet.

I drank in her beauty like she was the sweetest of wines and I was an alcoholic. Everything from the fullness of her lips to her long, tan legs was beautiful and carefully made to look effortlessly beautiful. She looked young but not so young that would put me off. In fact, her youth mixed with the sophistication of her designer dress and the skillful way in which she taunted me from across the runaway made her everything that I desperately wanted.

From the first time looked me in the eyes and opened her knees just enough to make me wonder what kind of underwear she was wearing before crossing them again, I couldn’t think of anything other than having her red lips on mine, her gorgeous legs wrapped around my waist, and my cock buried deep inside of her. In all of my years interacting with beautiful women, I had never encountered one who used seduction so shamelessly, and I loved it about her. Like me, she knew exactly what she wanted and, apparently, we both wanted the exact same thing.

“Did you enjoy the show?” I asked once she peeled her eyes from her phone and looked up at me.

She was quiet for a moment, hesitating as if she could not come up with words. My lips turned into a pleased smirk at knowing that after all she had put me through in the past hour, I was able to make this vixen speechless.

After several seconds, she placed her phone back inside her clutch and asked, “Did you?” The wicked light that shone in her eyes let me know she wasn’t talking about the show.

“It was nothing out of the ordinary,” I retorted with a shrug, keeping my cool as I assessed what exactly she wanted. “The fashion industry is full of feigned attractiveness and people feed into it with faux desire. There is beauty in the illusion.”

Her left brow shot up with indignation, and her previous determination returned to her eyes. I had to restrain myself from chuckling. For a woman who toyed with me so easily, she knew nothing of mind games.

“Are you insinuating the show was just marketing?” she asked, staring at me with eyes so green I lost myself in them. Before I could reply, she got up from her chair and placed her hands on her slim waist. Her body was even more delectable than I had imagined. “That’s disappointing,” she continued displaying almost as much confidence as me. “A man such as yourself should know there was nothing forced in that show. Desire can’t be faked. When you see something you actually want, you either go for it, or you miss out.”

Oh, shit. There was no containing the surge of blood that rushed south of my navel. The sexy smile on her lips told me that arousing me was her desired result. Mental images of ripping her dress to shreds and fucking her seven ways from Sunday flooded my mind, and I knew that if I didn’t get her out of this room and away from all of these people I was going to get myself into a lot of trouble.

As if reading my mind, she ran a hand down the length of her delicious body and asked, “Would you like to discuss the show somewhere a little more quiet?”

For the first time in my life, a woman rendered me speechless. For the next several seconds I just watched her in a haze. It was as if my body was in autopilot mode allowing my mind to focus on nothing but what I would do to her once we were alone. The crotch of my pants felt tight and uncomfortable as I pictured her pressed against a wall and my cock buried to the hilt inside her. I needed, desperately, to make her feel as crazy as she was making me.

“So what’s it going to be?” she purred softly, her voice like warm, sexy and innocent like honey.

Instead of replying, I simply reached down to take her hand and started to walk towards an exit. Excitement and anticipation pulsed from her and fueled my own desire. Although I was no stranger to having these kinds of rendezvous at events, I had never wanted one as badly as I wanted this moment with her.

It took several minutes to find an empty room that was unlocked and far enough that no one would bother us. Once I did, I opened the door with a satisfied grin and motioned for her to enter. I looked at both sides of the hallway before following her inside and then locked the door behind me.

With a deep, steadying breath, I turned to the woman I was going to ravage like my life depended on it. “And so it begins,” I said, adding to the anticipation and making her pull a sharp breath through her parted lips.

Our eyes locked as I walked towards her. We were in a bathroom and though it wasn’t the classiest place in the world, it definitely was enough for us.

The closer I got to her the heavier and hotter the air around us became, it was like our combined desire filled everything around us with electricity and heat. Unable to hold it in any longer, I buried my hands in her hair and pulled her face to mine.

I kissed her hard, and she responded eagerly. We kissed like our lives depended on it. It was a kind of passion and urgency I had never known before and was quickly getting addicted to. We didn’t pull away until we needed air, but once we did, I hooked my fingers on the hem of her dress and hiked her skirt up to her waist.

My heart nearly stopped when I looked at her. “No underwear?”

She smiled and shrugged. “This dress doesn’t do well with them.”

“Neither do I,” I whispered as I kissed her again.

With our mouths locked in yet another passionate kiss, I guided her over to the sink and lifted her up. She opened her legs slowly, showing off, as I unzipped my pants and pulled out my throbbing member. Her eyes shot down and widened a bit. It was a reaction I wasn’t expecting but thoroughly appreciated.

“You want this, right?” Although her actions up to that point made it blatantly obvious that she did, in fact, want it, I was—mostly—a gentleman and needed to check. Her head bobbed in a slight, breathless nod and I pulled her hips closer to the edge of the counter and pressed my tip to her center.

She was wet enough for me to slide all the way in and tight—too tight. Her lips parted, inhaling a sharp breath that revealed that she was, in fact, a virgin.

“Oh, fuck,” I groaned.

A part of me wanted to stop, to pull out and go find a model to take care of what I needed. But then, she wrapped her legs around me and looked into my eyes, commanding my hips to move in a rhythmic motion against her. With our eyes locked, I thrust in and out of her, savoring how tight, warm and wet this beautiful woman was.

She moaned softly as her head fell backward and her legs tightened around me. There was such a sense of satisfaction in knowing that this woman wanted me to be her first, I almost exploded at the thought. However, I wanted to repay the gift she was giving me with a remarkable first time. I wanted her to remember what it was like to be fucked by me and use me as a comparison to everyone who came next. Above that, I wanted her to see how beautiful the pleasure I was giving her looked on her face.

Reluctantly, I pulled out of her. She whined between pants, but neither of us said a word as I pulled her down from the sink, turned her around and bent her over the cold marble. Her eyes focused on me for a second before they found her own face in the mirror.

I squeezed her hips between my fingertips while I entered her from behind. The bewilderment in her eyes turned to pure lust as I started fucking her again. This time, I moved harder and deeper.

She looked her reflection in the eyes. I could see her savoring the sight of her pleasure as much as I was. Although I would have rather her first time to be in a better location—say a bed or a couch or my office desk—watching her stare at herself in the mirror while I fucked her, was probably the sexiest thing I had ever seen.

“Oh, Kellan,” she roared as her walls grew tighter around me, making my cock go crazy.

Not wanting any passerby to hear us and interrupt our fun, I covered her mouth and thrust harder, bringing both of us to the brink of release. She moaned against my hand and looked at me through the mirror. As our eyes locked, her pussy convulsed around my cock causing my own climax to erupt. Her moans were like a sweet symphony as I continued to rock my hips back and forth, gripping her skin tighter as we rode our orgasms together.

I drifted back to reality slowly, but, once I did, my mind was full of questions and confusion. “This was your first time,” I said as I pulled back. When she nodded, I asked, “Why me?”

“Does that really matter to you?” she countered with a sated smile as she pulled her dress down to cover herself. Our eyes met and a second later, she turned back to the mirror to check her appearance.

A line formed between my brows at the nonchalant way she spoke. In all my years, I had never met a woman who seemed to care so little about losing her virginity. It was as strange as it was refreshing, and though it made me yearn for her again, I knew our time together was over.

“I guess not,” I replied as I stood beside her to fix my hair and tie. Once I was sure I looked as good as I did before our encounter, I turned to leave.

“You’re just going to leave?” There was a clear and unexpected outline of outrage in her voice.

I took a deep breath and, in an attempt not to be a complete asshole, turned to look at her. “The cocktail party has started, and I’m sure my associate is wondering where I am,” I responded, giving her at least a valid excuse. “But this was lovely.”

Without another word, I left the bathroom and walked to the hall where the party was being held. I greeted familiar faces along the way and flirted with a few women, but my mind stayed in that restroom with her.

I had never taken someone’s virginity so I had no grounds to compare, but there was something about the way she had acted that puzzled me. Her laser-sharp focus on getting me made me feel like she had saved herself solely for me, which made no sense since we had just met.

I shook the thought away and scanned the room in search for Alexander, my business partner and best friend. Although Alex was a family man and had a very poor grasp on my bachelor lifestyle, he liked a good story and never failed to offer reliable advice when it came to handling certain situations.

As per usual, the party was filled with celebrities, models, and businesspeople that socialized in a drunken haze that was only acceptable in these kinds of occasions. Usually, I thrived in places like these, but tonight it was all too loud and busy for my taste. Trying to ignore people as much as I could, I made my way towards the bar knowing that was probably where I’d find Alex.

From a few feet away, I saw him talking to his wife. I gave them a small wave and received warm smiles in return.

“I was starting to worry,” Alex proclaimed shaking my hand.

I kissed his wife, Leslie, on the cheek before ordering my drink. When I looked back at my friend his eyes were wide and curious. I cleared my throat and stole a glance at Leslie. No matter how many times I found myself in these kinds of situations with them, discussing my sex life in her presence always made me uncomfortable.

“That’s because you worry too much. I was just making a new friend,” I said trying to defuse the awkwardness.

Leslie rolled her eyes and took a long sip of her blush wine while her husband stared at me with a broad smile and knowing glance.

“You were fast to find your fun for the night. You must be getting better,” Alex commented with a tipsy chuckle.

“I suppose I am, but tonight it wasn’t all on me.”

My words got Alex’s attention, but before I could continue, Leslie yelled, “Finally!” My brows gathered above my nose she dropped her wine glass over the counter and ran to greet someone.

That kind of overly excited behavior was very unlike Leslie—even drunken Leslie—and forced my curious eyes to follow her. My frown deepened when I realized that I had just been between the legs of the same woman that was now between Leslie’s arms.

What the hell?

The bartender placed my glass of whiskey sour in front of me just as the two women started walking towards Alex and me. I couldn’t peel my eyes from her. She looked just as gorgeous and elegant as she did before our encounter, the only thing that had changed was the way she looked at me. Instead of the wild vixen who had seduced me not an hour ago, the woman walking towards me now regarded me with an aloofness and innocence that made my whole body twitch.

Her eyes stayed focused on me until she and Leslie finally stopped in front of us. Then, they turned to Alex. “Hey, Daddy,” she greeted, and my heart sank to my feet.

“Hi, honey. Mom and I were about to send someone after you.”

I reached for my whiskey and downed half of its contents in on gulp as I watched my friend interact with his child—whom I had just casually deflowered. Shit!

Through my blurry eyes, I watched her say something to her father that made him chuckle, but I was too preoccupied cursing inside my head to pay any attention to her words. My silent freak out only ended when Alex called my name. I plastered the most natural looking smile I could muster and nodded. “Yeah?”

“You remember Amelia, right?” Alex asked me with a proud smile.

This was such a complicated question to answer. “S-sure,” I shuddered and then cleared my throat before adding, “Hi, Amelia.”

Alex frowned at my unusual display of nerves, but before he could say anything, Amelia stuck her hand in my direction and smiled. “Hello, Mr. Shepard,”

Instinctively, I reached out and shook her soft, dainty hand. “I haven’t seen you since your high school graduation, I think. It’s a pleasure seeing you again.”

She kept her eyes on mine and broadened her smile as her hand gently squeezed mine. “Oh no, Mr. Shepard. The pleasure is all mine.”

 

Chapter Three

I woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm going off. My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the vibrant morning sun shining through my bedroom window. In a sleepy haze, I fumbled around in search for the culprit who disrupted my slumber but instead, I found the soft contours of a slender, pale body. I took a deep breath and sat up on my bed as the model I had picked up the night before grunted and shifted further under my crisp white sheets. My hand slammed the noisy device just as the girl opened her eyes.

Her round, blue eyes peeked at me from under the blanket, and I could see a smile forming on them. She ran a hand through the dark roots of the mess of bleached blonde hair sitting atop of her head and scooted over towards me.

I moved closer to the edge of the bed and farther away from her. “I have to get to work,” I spoke in a voice still drenched in fatigue as I rubbed the residue of sleep from my eyes.

The persistent young woman shifted once more until she was practically on top of me. She wrapped a thin arm around my waist and brought her warm, chapped lips to the small of my back.

“What are you doing?” I asked, slightly uncomfortable with the unnecessary affection she was bestowing upon me.

“Giving you a good morning,” she purred and reached around to grab my crotch.

I sighed and moved her hand away from my body as I stood up. Morning sex on weekdays wasn’t something I was in the mood for—or used to, for that matter. The women I brought back to my apartment usually left before I woke up. They understood, as well as I did, that what I needed from them required that they stayed for two or maybe three hours, anything more than that was just an unnecessary invasion of personal space.

This one, however, didn’t seem to get the hint. “Not in the mood,” I deadpanned.

“Okay . . . Would you like to take my number so we can have some more fun later?” she asked with hope laced in her voice.

“No,” I replied. In the back of my mind, I could almost hear my mother telling me off for being such an asshole, but I just rolled my eyes and kept walking towards the bathroom. There was, after all, no point of even thinking about what she would have said.

Behind me, the woman scoffed and sat up. I could hear her feet patter against the floor as she gathered her clothes. Mom’s voice nagged at me again, so I turned to look at the woman.

“Look,” I started with a sigh, “it’s nothing personal. I just don’t do relationships. I’m too busy for that.”

Her blue eyes looked into mine and, for a moment, my mind drifted to Amelia. I hadn’t seen or heard from her since that night. As a result, I had been walking on eggshells around her father for the past four days and dreaming about her for four nights.

Alex was a man who loved his family more than anything and, for that reason, I had no doubt that he would rip my head off if he ever found out about my involvement in the deflowerment of his beloved daughter. Since losing someone so dear to me because I couldn’t keep my dick in my pants around a beautiful young woman was something I couldn’t allow to happen, I forced myself to push Amelia out of my mind and instead, focused on the young model cursing at me.

She yelled and called me every name in the book as she wrestled her clothes back on. I wanted to remind her that, as per my usual, I had warned her beforehand that I wasn’t looking for anything other than a one night stand. However, I knew from experience, that saying such a thing would only get me slapped in the face, which was, in my opinion, very unfair. It wasn’t my fault that, despite my warnings, they chose to believe that they could change my wealthy bachelor’s mentality and make me want to settle down.

Once my front door slammed shut announcing that my visitor had left, I glanced over at the clock. I cursed under my breath when I saw how late I was for my day and rushed to get ready. With Fashion Week around the corner, I didn’t have a minute to spare.

After a shower, a shave and a quick breakfast, I was out the door and rushing to the office. Luckily, the traffic was light which allowed me to arrive at the office within half an hour and only ten minutes late.

Once we reached the skyscraper where our agency was located, I thanked my driver and followed a few other people inside the mirrored building. I made my way inside the elevator and pressed my back against the cold stainless steel panel as about half a dozen people walked in. As much as I loved having our office at the top floor, the elevator ride—and its many stops—always made me tap my foot on the floor in anticipation. There was very little in the world I hated as much as waiting inside elevators.

Once the doors finally opened at my agency’s reception, I sighed a breath of relief and started making my way to my office.

“Kellan,” Alex’s voice echoed from a few feet behind me.

His voice made Amelia’s face appear at the back of my mind as I turned to look at him. I forced the aloof smile I had given him over the last few days and replied, “Aren’t you supposed to be on your way to Milan?”

He waved a hand at me. “I’m on my way, but I’m glad I found you first. I have something important to talk to you before I go.” My brows pulled together in a frown as I prayed that this important thing was a business crisis instead of something regarding his daughter. To my great displeasure, he added, “It’s about Amelia.”

Shit!

Although I tried to keep my face calm and collected, my heart fell to my ass. I prepared myself for the angry glare on his face and for a very public argument that would leave our employees gossiping for months, but neither came. Instead, Alex smiled at me.

Double shit!

“As you know, Amelia is young and inexperienced,” cold waves traveled down my spine as I tried to think of how to explain myself. Before I could find the right words, Alex added, “but she’s very bright and I have no doubts she’d be a great addition to our staff.”

I blinked a few times as relief flooded my mind and muscles. “So, you want to talk to me about hiring her?”

“Actually, I already did.” Alex looked away from my eyes as if he was the one who had done something shameful. I almost laughed. “I know you’re the one in charge of hiring, and I don’t want to step on your toes. However, since we haven’t found anyone even remotely qualified to fill that agent opening in months, I gave her the position. I hope you don’t mind.”

I gave him a genuine smile and nodded. “As long you think Amelia’s up to the task, that’s fine with me.”

Alex sighed. “I do, and thank you, Kellan. It means a lot to me.” I nodded, and he checked his wristwatch. “Geez, I’m late. Okay, I told Amelia to wait in your office so you two can talk about whatever it is you talk to agents about. She’ll be working from my office while hers is being redone.” Before I could respond, Alex added, “I really have to go now if I want to catch my flight.”

He waved me goodbye and disappeared into an elevator. With a sigh, I headed over to my own office and found the dark-haired woman that had tossed me a curve waiting. She looked up at me with those brilliant green eyes and flashed me a pearly, welcoming grin. Her long hair was tied back in a sleek ponytail that displayed her heart shaped face and high cheekbones, and I was dazed by her beauty.

“Good morning, Kellan,” Amelia said as she uncrossed her long legs and stood. She sashayed her way towards me, her navy dress swaying around her gorgeous legs and, for a moment, I wondered if she was going commando like the last time we met.

I shook the thought away and walked around her towards my desk. “Amelia,” I responded in a curt tone.

She closed my door with a thud and turned to look at me. Judging by the staggered look on her face I could tell that she expected something warmer and more welcoming. However, for more reasons than one, that was something she was not going to get from me.

I rested my coffee cup and briefcase atop my mahogany desk and took a seat. With a raised brow Amelia walked to one of the chocolate colored chairs facing me and took a seat. Her legs crossed in a slow, calculated move. “I imagined your office differently.”

My eyes traveled away from her, focusing nowhere in particular. Most people thought my office was too classic for a man in my position and, to some extent, it really was. The dark wood and earth tones didn’t exactly scream fashion forward, but they were a soothing reminder of the modesty of my childhood home. In a business as chaotic and fast paced as this one, the sense of security this room provided was what kept me same most of the time.

“Most people do,” I said as I returned my focus to her. “Your father told me you will be working with us from now on.”

A smirk curled up on her lush lips. “I am. Excited?”

“Yes,” I replied, and her smirk turned into a smile. Before she got any ideas, I added, “Yours is a position I’ve been trying to fill for some time, so I’m relieved and excited to have a full staff again. Also, your father told me you’re accomplished and up to the task.”

“Is that the only reason why you’re excited?”

Despite the electric current set loose in my spine by her words and the suggestive way she kept staring at me, I kept my gaze firm as I cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, Amelia, it is. This is my job, my company, and my life. I take this very seriously, and I hope you do as well.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave me a challenging look. Ignoring it, I continued, “What happened between us was a mistake—a foolish mistake—and your father must never know about it.”

“And what if I have already told him?”

I rolled my eyes at her childish games. “Then you wouldn’t be in this office, and I would be missing a few teeth.”

“My dad would never hit you,” she muttered petulantly. “And it wasn’t a mistake.”

“Yes, it was. One that won’t ever happen again, I assure you,” I replied adamantly.

With pursed lips, Amelia got up and walked towards me. She pushed the contracts and headshots piled at the edge of my desk away and took a seat at the wooden tabletop. Her green eyes stayed focused on mine as she crossed her legs.

“So you’re telling me that you haven’t thought about fucking me at all?” Amelia tilted her body in my direction, placing her cleavage right in my line of sight. Instinctively, I licked my lips as her voice dropped to a sexy whisper. “Mr. Shepard, I know you want it to happen again just as bad as I do.”

I closed my eyes and took a sharp breath to calm myself. It was hard to tell if my heart was pounding so hard because I was incredibly turned on, unbelievably pissed or an uncomfortable mixture of both. Before I could gather my feelings, a thumping sound of her red pumps falling to the floor echoed around my office. I opened my eyes just in time to see her foot traveling up my tight towards my crotch.

Fuck! I pushed my chair back and stood up. “No,” I lied in a believable tone. “I don’t think about fucking you.” I walked towards the massive window behind my desk and ran a hand through my hair. “You seduced me, Amelia, and I feel for it, but I won’t fall for it again.”

“A man is only enticed by a woman who truly beguiles him,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving mine. “You wanted me just as badly as I wanted you.”

“I’m not saying I didn’t. You’re beautiful and sexy, but I didn’t know—”

“Knowing that I was his daughter wouldn’t change how attracted you were to me,” Amelia interrupted. She turned around and walked over to leather couch at the far end of the room to gather her things. I watched her in silence as she made her way to my office door and glanced over her shoulder at me. “I hope you change your mind, Kellan. I promise it would be worth it.”

Amelia’s words hung in the air as she walked out of my office. Once I was alone, I collapsed back in my chair and took several breaths.

In all my years I had never met a woman who got under my skin and caused my body to react the way it did around Amelia. She made me feel like a moth drawn to a flame, ready to throw everything to shit and burn with her. Every inch of me wanted nothing more than to chase after her and surrender to her charms. I wanted to make her mine again, consequences be damned. But I was twice her age, and she was my best friend’s daughter, there was no scenario where following my urges would end well.

After a few moments of breathing and reminding myself who I was, I regained composure and devoted my energy to my work. For the sake of my company and everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, I vowed that Amelia would not get what she wanted from me, no matter how badly I wanted to give in to her.

 

Chapter Four

New York Fashion Week passed as quickly as it came. I was proud that our agency had had the largest booking rate out of all our competitors. Still, a lot of the girls were left disappointed—which is part of the job, I guess.

With Alex in Milan, I had to handle the stress of it all almost entirely alone. It was weeks of long days sitting through meetings and even longer nights negotiating contracts, and then there was the actual week of the events, which was even busier with me jumping from show to show to make sure the girls were there and doing what they were supposed to do.

The little rest I was able to get was thanks to Amelia, who surprised me more than anyone had in a long time. She was smart, efficient and had undoubtedly inherited her father’s work ethic, which earned her the respect and admiration of our entire team as well as mine. We worked amazingly well together and, with each passing day, I found myself wanting to talk and get to know her better. Whenever that desire hit me, however, I would do my best to push it away.

I was bluntly aware that I couldn’t be trusted around Amelia. Everything about her enticed me. The bold way she flirted with me made my insides quiver, the way her skirt danced around her legs as she walked made my mouth water and the sweet scent of her perfume drove me to edge of sanity. She was like a siren calling me to my demise, which was why I was so wary when I walked out of my office late on a Friday night and saw that the only other lit room was hers.

Unbidden, thoughts of all the sexy fun we could have together in the empty office filled my mind. I imaged myself doing unspeakable things to her in various locations of the office, and the pleasure those thoughts brought me were enough to knock me back to reality. She was Alex’s daughter and, therefore, completely off limits.

Desperate to put as much distance between me and Amelia as possible, I pressed the elevator call button with unnecessary force and focused my thoughts on what kind of takeout I’d order once I arrived home. I was debating between pizza and Thai food when I heard a mixture of gagging sounds and clicking heels coming from the barely lit corridor to my left. I turned to look at what was happening just in time to see Amelia run from her office to the bathroom. With a furrowed brow, I walked over to investigate.

Once I reached the door, I knocked, but no answer came. I tried to open it but it was locked, so I just stood there, in silence, listening to the awful sounds of a person puking. Worry deepened the lines between my eyes as I impatiently tapped my foot on the floor. Moments later, I heard the toilet being flushed, water running from the faucet and steps approaching the door.

I straightened my back just as the door swung open. “Are you okay?” I asked immediately.

“Jesus, Kellan,” Amelia muttered and brought a hand to her chest. “You scared me half to death.”

She closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm herself down. The worry I felt grew as I ran my eyes over her. She was always so well kept, yet, at that moment, she looked like a freaking mess. Dark circles surrounded her beautiful eyes, her hair was messy, and her skin had a light green hue. My chest ached at seeing her like that.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I was leaving, and I saw you,” I attempted to explain. Then, I ran a hand through my hair and took a breath, “Are you alright?”

“Of course,” she replied with a fake-ass smile as she walked past me and headed towards her office.

Unconvinced by her words, I followed behind her. My confusion grew when instead of gathering her things to go home, she simply sat behind the desk and went back to work.

“You should go home, Amelia. You don’t look well,” I commanded.

Amelia looked up from her papers and rolled her eyes at me. “I am fine, Kellan,” she told me in a voice completely devoid of her usual flirtatious tone.

Completely exasperated, I blurted out, “If you were fine, you wouldn’t look as awful as you do.” Realizing how harsh my words were, I quickly added, “and you didn’t sound fine in the bathroom.”

Amelia sighed a heavy breath and dropped her pen. Knowing her fiery personality, I watched her and waited for the blunt come back I knew would come. However, she just closed her eyes and hung her head. It was evident that something was eating at her, I could see it written on her face.

“Amelia, what is wrong?” I pressed.

She looked up at me with the pain of hell in her eyes and whispered something I couldn’t quite catch. I stepped a little closer, furrowing my brows with confusion. I asked her to repeat and, unfortunately, she did.

“Kellan, I’m pregnant with your baby.”

Chapter Five

Amelia

Puns aside, there was an impregnated silence inside Kellan’s car. I had no idea where we were going but the way the muscles of his jaw popped told me that I wasn’t supposed to ask, so I kept quiet and stared out of the window.

After about half an hour of that awful silence, the car stopped in front of a tall building with a doorman. Kellan stepped out and started walking, figuring that this was our destination I followed him. We walked through a pair of glass doors and entered a lobby of modern opulence. The floor was made of gray marble, and there was a large chandelier hanging in the center. I knew he was a billionaire, but, for some reason, I was surprised that he lived in a place with such a prestigious first impression.

“You sure know how to impress the ladies,” I joked as we waited for the elevator.

Kellan either didn’t hear or flat out ignored me, either way, the uncomfortable silence became even worse as we stepped into the elevator. I could tell by his pacing that the news I had delivered back at the office was starting to sink in. Panic shone in his eyes and, for the first time, I felt like we were one the same boat.

By the time the elevator came to a stop at the penthouse, my anxiety was at a new high. I felt like I could literally climb the walls of his fancy apartment as I followed him inside and watched as he made it straight for his booze collection. Unable to take it anymore, I said, “Kellan, it’s been half an hour. We have to talk.”

Kellan narrowed his eyes at me and opened—with unnecessary force—a bottle of scotch. He poured himself what I could only assume was a quadruple shot and downed it in one gulp. Annoyed by his behavior, I crossed my arms over my chest and stared back at him.

He filled his glass again and leaned against the table. Finally, Kellan’s eyes found mine but still he refused to speak. The intense emotion in his gaze was something I couldn’t comprehend. It was a mixture of fear and anger, and though I understood both emotions separately, combined under these circumstances, they were quite unsettling.

A part of me wanted to go over and comfort him, but an even bigger part of me wanted to keep my distance. I knew that this painful silence was nothing more than a dreadful calm before a storm. Based on the size of this calm, the storm was going to be a nasty one, and I wanted to be as far away as possible when it hit.

When five more long minutes went by without a single word, my body felt like it would explode with anxiety. It was so unfair that he could calm himself with booze and I had to make do with pacing—I hated pacing. However, walking from side to side in his living room allowed me to think and try to understand what was happening inside Kellan’s mind.

All I knew from him was based on what my father had told me, which honestly wasn’t much. However, I did know that he had never had a serious relationship and that he didn’t keep in touch with his family. It was evident that both things were somehow connected to each other and to his behavior now.

In another attempt to start a conversation and, hopefully, appease his mind, I said, “I’m not asking for a relationship, I promise.”

Kellan chuckled sarcastically and downed the remaining contents of his tumbler. Without even looking at me, he reached for the bottle again. It was then that I snapped. This was undoubtedly the most important moment of both our lives and I refused to discuss it with a drunk.

I walked over and took the bottle from him. Looking him in his eyes, I barked, “Stop acting like a teenager and talk to me.”

Fire burned in his eyes as he turned his gaze back to me. “Have you told your parents?”

The intensity and anger in his voice made me tremble. “N-no, I haven’t,” I stuttered.

“Good, don’t.” I frowned at his reply, but Kellan ignored my expression and reached for a different bottle of alcohol. “Just so we’re clear, I’m not going to allow your stupidity to cost me my best friend, my company, my job or anything else I care about. You’re the one who made this mess for yourself so you’ll be the one cleaning it.”

I had always thought that it was a euphemism when people said that words can cut like knives, but in that exact moment, I found out it wasn’t. The bitterness and coldness in his words pierced my heart like a sword. After all of my failed attempts at getting him naked again, I had no delusions that he would be happy about my pregnancy and willing to marry me, but I also didn’t expect him to be such a jerk about it. Suddenly, I was Hulk-level angry.

“I made this mess?” I asked incredulously. “I’m sorry, but did I grow a penis and fucked myself in that bathroom? No, I didn’t. You were just as involved in this baby making as I was,” I snapped with tears blurring my vision.

“Oh, please,” he said, rolling his eyes, “you were begging for it the entire show. Opening your legs and pushing your tits out. What was I supposed to do? Ignore the girl who obviously wants to get laid?”

I raised a brow. “No, but maybe, as a guy who obviously doesn’t want a child popping around, you should put on a freaking condom.”

He rolled his eyes and refilled his drink. I looked at the amber liquid and decided I would gladly give a limb for a sip. I hated being pregnant almost as much as I was starting to hate this overreacting jerk.

“Or maybe, you should be on freaking birth control before seducing a man twice your age.”

Once again, his words hurt me and I hated that they did. I also hated myself for the childish infatuation I had for this man. I hated that it had made me stupid enough to lose my virginity in a public bathroom, with a man who clearly didn’t care about me or the child we had created together.

Taking large, calming breaths, I watched as Kellan collapsed onto his couch and crossed his ankle over his knee. Tears welled in my eyes as I continued in a calmer tone, “You’re right, but so am I. We both should have taken precautions, but we didn’t and now we need to figure out what to do, together.”

“Fuck that!” he spit back after another long sip of whiskey. “You’re the one carrying it, it’s your problem. If you want money for an abortion I’ll give it to you, I’ll even drive you to the clinic myself. Aside from that, I want nothing to do with it.”

Being sucker punched in the gut, that’s how his words felt like. I wanted to scream and punch him in the face and break all the expensive looking things in his apartment, but instead, I just cried. I wasn’t ready to be a single mother, but I also wasn’t willing to kill the little baby growing inside of me.

Kellan just sat on his stupid couch, staring at the tears that ran down my cheeks with an expressionless mask on his face. Tired and sick of humiliating myself in front of this man, I wiped the tears away and grew a bit taller in my spine as I turned to walk away.

I was almost at the elevator when his voice sounded behind me again. “What are you going to tell your father?”

“Whatever the hell I want,” I replied as I pressed the call button. “But don’t worry, I won’t involve you. I’m not going to allow my child to grow up knowing that they were fathered by a selfish, pathetic middle-aged man who’s too weak to own up to his actions.”

My words still hung in the air when the elevator arrived at Kellan’s floor. I stepped into the metal cage and looked back at the greatest disappointment of my life. He stared back at me with a mixture of emotions shining in his eyes, but I didn’t have the energy or the desire to decipher them.

I held the storm of tears that were building inside my chest until I was out of his building and in a cab, riding home. I folded my arms around my belly. Despite being sadder and lonelier than I had ever been before, I was glad that at least I had this little being growing inside of me to keep me company. It was hard to explain, but somehow I knew that whatever the challenges ahead, I’d be alright as long as my baby was okay.

 

Chapter Six

Kellan

Three Months Later . . .

Uneasy wasn’t a word accurate enough but, as I parked my car under the reddening canopy of a three, I decided it was the closest I would get to expressing how I felt. Months had passed since Amelia walked out of my apartment and, as it was to be expected, a lot had changed.

Despite still having an office just down the hall from mine, Amelia and I barely saw each other. Soon after that dreaded night, she asked to be transferred to the production department under the guise that it was her real passion. I knew as well as she did that she was merely running away from the pain and awkwardness between us. However, regardless of her reasons, she seemed to be happy and thriving in her new position.

As for me, well . . . I was miserable in every aspect of my life.

Try as I might, I was unable to flush her words out of my brain. I had tried everything from drinking until I was practically comatose, to fucking random models into oblivion, to working even longer and harder than I normally did, but nothing helped. I still saw the disappointment in her eyes every time I walked in or out of my apartment and the selfish and pathetic middle-aged man who was too much of a coward to do the right thing by his child every time I looked in the mirror. Those things were constant reminders that I was becoming a deadbeat just like my father. That knowledge only served to fuel my self-loathing to the point where I hated myself almost as much as I hated him.

On top of that, I missed Amelia. It was strange to admit it, especially after the way I had behaved that night, but I did. I missed talking and working with her, I even missed her shameless flirting. In the few weeks we had interacted she had brought light and color to my existence, and now that I was back to my usual gray life I felt cold and empty. However, she and her child deserved better than a damaged man who was unable to love.

Desperate to escape my thoughts, I opened the door and stepped out my car.

Crisp fall air filled my lungs as I walked toward the studio where our newest model was having her first photo shoot. It had been too long since I had visited a shoot and though it wasn’t my favorite part of the job, at the moment, it was a welcome distraction.

As soon as I stepped into the studio, my lips curled up in my usual smile. For the next few minutes, I walked around the chaotic set greeting the models and the production staff. As per usual, they didn’t seem to mind that I had no idea what their names were. They just smiled back at me and kissed my ass in the same tiresome way most people did.

After a while of talking nonsense with people I didn’t care about, I set out to look for the photographer, who was a good friend of mine. That’s when a familiar face at the dressing area caught my eye.

My heart raced as I took Amelia in. She looked serious and exhausted as she browsed through racks of clothes. Her figure hadn’t changed much, but I could make out the slight curve of her baby bump peeking through her thick jacket. Out of their own accord, my lips curled up into a smile at the sight, but it quickly vanished as a thin, middle-aged woman approached her.

I watched in silence as the woman pursed her lips and looked over the outfits Amelia had selected with disdain in her eyes. My own mouth tightened as I saw her shake her head and pick up a pair of denim pants.

“This is all wrong,” the harpy barked. “What were you thinking? This is a high fashion shoot.”

The woman’s voice echoed through the studio as she continued to belittle Amelia. I was proud of her for keeping a leveled head and not use her father as a way to shut the woman up. It showed a level of maturity and professionalism I couldn’t find in myself at that moment.

“Excuse me,” I called as I made my way toward them. “Is there an issue here?”

With my peripheral vision, I could see Amelia’s shock as she looked at me, but my focus was on the rude woman beside her.

The harpy pursed her wrinkly lips and crossed her arms. “This girl here knows nothing of style,” she said with a thick Southern drawl. “She’s opting denim for this shoot. It’s all wrong.”

Slowly, I looked from the older woman to Amelia who looked thoroughly embarrassed to be seen in such situation by me. I gave her a reassuring smile before turning my gaze to the garments she had selected. I studied the pieces for a moment before looking back to Amelia.

“What are you pairing the denim with?” I asked her in a business tone.

She took a deep breath and cleared her throat before replying. “I was thinking about pairing it with those thigh high glitter boots, that distressed leather jacket, and a lace bralette.”

A smirk threatened to form on my lips, but I kept my face straight as I nodded and turned back to the other woman. “Her choices seem pretty fashion forward and coherent with the shoot’s theme to me.”

The woman opened her mouth to say something else, but I wouldn’t have it. I might not be on board with her pregnancy, but Amelia was still the mother of my child, and no one would treat her like crap.

I raised a hand to stop her from speaking and added, “I can assure you that Amelia knows what she’s doing. Her father is my business partner, and she was raised in this industry. Fashion and style come as second nature to her and, in my not so humble opinion, her youth provides an edginess that your vision so desperately needs.”

The stylist blinked a few times as her eyes shifted from me to Amelia. The smirk I’d been holding finally peeked through as she smiled and nodded in agreement. I could see the storm raging in her eyes, but she clearly knew better than to get into an argument with me or continue to mistreat Alex’s daughter. People like us could make or break careers in this business and, apparently, she wasn’t willing to risk hers.

She smiled at Amelia and excused herself to go talk to the set director. Once she was gone, I turned my focus towards Amelia. From up close, she looked even more tired and sickly as she had before. “How are you?” I asked with concern laced in my words.

“How I am is none of your business, Kellan,” Amelia responded in a blunt tone.

I knew I deserved to be talked to that way, but it didn’t mean I liked it. I ran a hand through my hair as Amelia turned to select some jewelry. She picked up a pair of hideous earrings, and I noticed that her hands were shaking.

“You’re right, I forfeited the right to ask about you three months ago. However, you’re still my best friend’s daughter, and I worry on his behalf. Have you been eating and sleeping enough?”

“Kellan, I’m trying to work. Go away. My life is none of your business,” she said without even looking up at me. Then, she scoffed and shook her head. “And don’t pretend that you care about your friend’s child when you don’t even care about yours. That’s hypocritical and stupid. ”

I closed my eyes for a second feeling the verbal slap in the face. As much as I wanted to leave gracefully and avoid more unnecessary confrontation with her, I couldn’t help myself. “What is the point of keeping this baby if you’re not going to take care of yourself while you’re pregnant? You say I’m selfish and pathetic and hypocritical but aren’t you all of those things as well?”

Those words made Amelia finally look up at me. The moment her gorgeous, tired eyes met mine, I wished she would look away. The incredulity in them wasn’t new to me, I had seen too many women gaze at me that same way over the years. However, that look coming from Amelia made my heart feel cold.

“Excuse me?” she hissed as she slammed a thick, golden bracelet over the table. The noise made me cringe. “How dare you talk to me like that? I’m tired because I’m working despite being constantly nauseated. My child already has one loser parent. I refuse to fail at my dream job because I got knocked up by a deadbeat asshole and give him a loser set.”

I reigned in my temper. “Your father owns half the company, and I own the other half. Believe me, your job is safe. No one is going to fire you for taking a few days to care for yourself.”

For some reason, that comment seemed to make her even angrier. Her nostrils flared as she continued to stare at me. “Great, so now I’m a charity case?”

I raked my fingers through my hair. “No, you’re not. Jeez . . . I’m just worried and trying to be nice.”

“Well, don’t,” she stated abruptly. “My son and I are not your concern, so please, leave us alone.”

Son . . . She’s having a son. The information danced around in my mind, but before I could process it properly, Amelia’s face turned white and her eyes rolled backward. My heart stopped with worry and fear as I rushed to her side just in time to catch her as she collapsed.

 

Chapter Seven

Amelia

I awoke to a sea of bright, white lights. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust, and then several more for me to realize where I was. The hospital room looked exactly as you’d expect and smelled just as bad—like a mixture of sickness and sanitizer. I sighed and shifted into a more comfortable position.

Once seated, I glanced over to the chair to my right and was surprised to see Kellan sitting there. The tension between his brows relaxed as he saw me awake.

“Hi,” he greeted in a cautious voice.

I tried to smile, but it felt weird and forced. “Hi. What am I doing here? What happened?”

“You collapsed about half an hour ago, and I brought you to the hospital. The doctor just left, he said you’re dehydrated and fatigued. They’re running some bloodwork to see if it is something else,” he explained in a tired and worried voice.

My heart sank at his words. I knew that with all the extra pressure I was putting on myself to be the best at work and do everything for the baby on my own, I wasn't the healthiest, but I had never imagined that my behavior could bring me, and my unborn child, to a hospital bed. The notion made me feel awful and stupid. Kellan’s voice from our argument earlier today returned to my mind, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Is my baby alright?” I asked with tears in my eyes.

Kellan nodded, and I relaxed. I sank back into my pillows as he added, “I’ve already spoken to your father, and he’s on his way.” I glanced back at him with panic in my eyes and covered my stomach with my hands. Understanding the issue, Kellan closed his eyes and asked, “You still haven’t told him?”

I shook my head and looked away, not wanting to see the anger in his eyes. “No, I haven’t. I didn’t know what to say or how to explain the father situation, so I just kept putting it off.”

Kellan muttered a curse under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. “You have to tell him before he finds out, or he’ll be pissed at you, and you don’t want that to happen. Your father is a kind and understanding man, but he hates being lied to. You know that. You’ll need him and your mom once the baby arrives.”

As unrequired and out of place as his advice was, I knew he was right. This was a big deal, and I would have to lean on my parents a lot once my son arrived. As much as I tried to look in control, I was falling to pieces.

There was no question in my mind that I wasn’t ready for this. It hadn’t even been four months since my graduation. I was twenty-four, living in a brand new house, working a brand new job and just learning how to be a grownup, I had no idea how to be a parent. That, however, was no excuse to be irresponsible and act as if I was just another woman my age. I had responsibilities and limitations most of them didn’t, and I had to start living accordingly, for both our sakes.

Knowing that I couldn’t afford to keep my parents in the dark any longer, I made up my mind to tell my father about the pregnancy as soon as he arrived. In order for me to do that, however, Kellan had to go away. Under normal circumstances I was a terrible liar, I couldn’t even imagine how bad I’d be with the lie staring me right in the face.

“Thank you for your advice, for bringing me to the hospital and for staying with me, but you have to go. Like you said, I’m on my own with this one, and I have to deal with it accordingly.”

An indecipherable emotion settled into Kellan’s face as he stared back at me. He crossed his arms over his chest and used a very petulant tone when he spoke, “But if I leave, how will I know that you’ve told them and that you’re taking good care of yourself?”

“You won’t. Which was the point, right?”

He looked away from me and shook his head ever so slightly. “I knew you would say that which is why I am giving you the next few weeks off to relax and worry about what actually matters.”

My eyes widened as I glared at Kellan. “You can’t do that! I need my job and the money.”

He rolled his eyes as she typed something on his phone. “Your job isn’t going anywhere. As for the money, think of this break as a paid vacation.”

The nonchalant way he said that made me even more pissed off than his actions. I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but before I could get a word in my father’s voice echoed from the hallway. I glanced from Kellan’s face to the opening door.

“Pumpkin,” Dad said as he raced into the room with a bouquet of my favorite flowers in his hands and worry in his eyes. “I told you not to overwork yourself.”

Tears welled in my eyes at the sight of my father. I blamed my emotional outburst on pregnancy hormones and anticipation, but I was aware that the real culprit was an irrational fear of how he would react to my news. Unwilling to break into a crying fit in front of Kellan I kept myself together and forced a smile at my father.

“I’m sorry, dad,” was all I could manage to say as he hugged me. Once he had released me, he looked at Kellan and smiled. “Thank you for calling me and taking care of my girl, Kellan.”

Kellan shook his head and said something. I didn’t pay attention to his words, though. I was too mesmerized by their interaction to focus on anything else.

The last time I witnessed them around each other outside of a business environment, I was a teenager. At that point, my infatuation with Kellan had kept me from noticing that they interacted more like brothers than friends. However, now that I was older and with a more realistic view of the man who had fathered my unborn son, the depths of their relationship was blatantly clear to me and it put everything into perspective.

As much as I couldn’t condone Kellan from turning his back on our unborn baby, I could see that revealing the truth to my father would forever change their relationship. Considering that Kellan had no family that I knew off, I could understand—if only barely—his refusal to claim his child.

Kellan glanced over at me and then at my father. “Well, if she were my daughter, I would have wanted someone to call me as soon as possible.”

His words made my heart ache, but I tried to keep my voice steady as I spoke. “Thank you again for calling my father, Kellan, but you really don’t have to stay.”

I knew that the moment to inform my dad of my pregnancy was now, and I did not want Kellan present for such an intimate family moment. Regardless of how fondly my father regarded him, to me, he was the man who had chosen against being a part of my family and therefore didn’t deserved to experience the emotion that would unfold.

With understanding in his eyes, Kellan nodded and turned to gather his things. It was evident, at least to me, that he was as ready to go as I was to have him gone. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, just as he was saying goodbye to my father, a nurse entered the room.

She greeted the three of us with a bright, warm smile and looked down at the chart in her hands. “Your blood work came out clean, so it looks like you will be good to go once your IV bag is empty. However, the doctor asked me to give you this brochure and make sure you read it.” I looked at her with eyes filled with fear of the train wreck that was about to happen. Oblivious to my panic, she continued, “In this, you’ll find all kinds of information about prenatal care and the new demands of your body. I’m sure you’ve heard it all from your doctor already, but information is never enough. Right?”

I nodded at her, but my eyes stayed focused on dad. Happy in his ignorance, he smiled at the woman and shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I think you have the wrong room.”

The nurse apologized and looked down at her chart with a mortified expression. Her brows pulled together as she looked back at me.

I closed my eyes hoping I would just disappear. When I opened them again, I felt overwhelmed by the three pairs of eyes gazing intently at me. I focused only on my father’s. “She’s in the right room, dad.”

“You’re telling me that you’re pregnant?” he asked in between laughs, sure that this was some sort of pre-Halloween prank.

My eyes were filled with sorrow and shame as I continued to stare at him in silence. Slowly, as reality started to sink in, I watched as his face turned from normal to white before finally settling into a deep shade of red.

The nurse excused herself and left my room, shooting me a look that was both apologetic and chastising. I ignored her and Kellan—who, for whatever reason, was still there— and kept staring at my father. “I swear I was going to tell you and mom. I just didn’t know how.”

“You’re pregnant?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Unable to find the words to respond, I just nodded. Dad started pacing. “How long have you known?”

I forced myself not to glance at Kellan as I stammered, “A-about three months now.”

Momentarily, he stopped pacing and glanced at me with so much sadness and disappointment in his eyes I could barely bear. Then, he turned his eyes towards Kellan, silently asking the father of my unborn child to leave. Leaving me no room to question where his loyalties lied, Kellan nodded and walked out. Tears filled my eyes as, once more, I was hit with the realization of just how alone in this ordeal I actually was.

Once my father and I were the only two people in the room, he turned to face me fully. I wasn’t sure if the heartbreak I saw in his eyes was his, mine or both of ours.

“Who’s the father?” he asked in an unrecognizable weak tone.

My heart pounded frantically as I replied, “Some guy at a party.”

“You don’t even know who he is?” His eyes glistened with a raging fire.

“Yes, I do,” I started, deciding that I should keep my lies as close to the truth as possible. Hopefully, by doing that they would suck less and pass as facts. “But he’s not important or in the picture. It was a one-night thing.”

His pacing stopped again. My father’s gaze traveled around the room before they finally landed back on me. The disappointment in his eyes was so intense I could barely stand to look at him.

“So that’s it?” he asked after a heavy sigh. “I send you off to the top school in the nation, shell out thousands of dollars, give you a house and job, and then, you come home knocked up and don’t even tell me about it?” He shook his head and, in the saddest voice ever, asked, “What happened to my little girl?”

Tears fell freely from eyes. “She’s here, and very sorry, daddy.”

“I bet you are and frankly, so am I. You had so much to look forward to, Amelia. The world was at your feet and now . . .”

He never finished the sentence, not that he needed to finish it. I knew exactly where he was going, and I agreed. I had compromised a good chunk of my future plans for a cheap lay with someone who couldn’t care less about me. I was stupid and pathetic, and it killed me that now my dad knew about it as well.

Every inch of my body ached as I watched my beloved father gather his things and walk to the door. He didn’t turn to look at me or say goodbye, he just stood by the half-opened door and said, “I’ll let you be the one to tell your mother. Please, don’t wait another four months to do it. She deserves better than that.”

With those hurtful words, he left me alone to cry my pain and sorrow away.

 

Chapter Eight

Kellen

After leaving Amelia alone at the hospital to tell Alex about our baby, this strange feeling of guilt settled in my chest. I felt like the biggest coward alive and a carbon copy of my father, which was a terrible thought. However, plain and simple, I couldn’t bear the thought of hurting Alexander and losing not only my one true friend but also my place in the company. I had learned at a young age that people had to look out for themselves first, and that was what I was doing.

Though sound, that rationalization did absolutely nothing to appease the self-loathing I felt. And that’s where the Asian beauty beside me came in.

Since that day, I had distracted myself from thoughts of Amelia with as many women as I could manage. Being as desperate for company and distraction as I was caused my standards fall significantly and instead of my usual “models only” policy, I was now bedding pretty much any woman who would smile at me. Some of them had been unfortunate looking, but this one wasn’t. In fact, she was one of the prettiest women our agency had signed in a long time.

After a pleasant date, we were driving back to my place. Like most women, this one had babbled on and on about how unusual it was for her to go home with a guy on the first date. I was sure the speech was meant to make me feel special, but it just made me feel bored and allowed my mind to return to Amelia.

Noticing my diminishing interest, the model whose name I had already forgotten, skimmed her long fingernails up my thigh, towards my crotch. Yeah, never does this my ass!

My head rested against the seat, and I closed my eyes. As I did, I imagined Amelia’s hand pleasuring me. As lips came to kiss my neck, I imagined that they were Amelia’s. Picturing her made me more aroused than I imagined I could be after three whiskeys and, once the car finally came to a stop in front of my building, I was beyond ready to take this woman up to my bed and imagine I was fucking Amelia while I buried myself inside of her.

Guiding the girl by the hand, I made my way into the building’s foyer and froze when I saw Amelia sitting on the plush Chesterfield couch. I blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t an alcohol induced hallucination. Once I was sure she was real, I released the model’s hand and raced towards her.

Amelia’s eyes were red and puffy as she looked up at me. I wanted to scoop her up in my arms and hold her until she felt better, but instead, I settled for sitting beside her and holding her hand.

“I had a fight with my parents,” she said without me even having to ask. She stole a quick glance at the confused looking model standing a few feet away. Once her eyes focused back on me, her face looked pained. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t want to ruin your night, I just didn’t know where else to go.”

I rolled my eyes and looked at the Asian beauty glaring at me. Without leaving Amelia’s side, I said, “Thank you for the night, but this is important. Tell my driver where you want to go and he’ll see that you get there safe.”

As my gaze returned to Amelia, I saw a glimmer of surprise shining in her gorgeous green eyes. I couldn’t blame her, I was also fairly surprised at my lack of hesitation in dismissing a beautiful girl. However, knowing that despite my appalling behavior Amelia had come to me for safety and comfort, felt ten times better than getting my dick wet with some nameless model.

“Come on, I have some leftovers in my fridge,” I said and stood up. I offered my hand to help her up, and she took it without hesitation.

As we walked towards the elevator, I noticed she was wearing only a light sweater, so I removed my jacket at draped it around her shoulders. She smiled at the gesture and closed the fabric a bit tighter around herself.

“I really didn’t mean to ruin your date,” she in a quiet tone.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said with a smile. “You’re not ruining anything. Besides, this is the least I could do.”

She raised an eyebrow at me, but no others words were shared as we entered my apartment. Normally, I was comfortable in silence, it provided a soothing peace to my chaotic life. Yet, with Amelia, I longed for the noise. She was a talkative person, and she would smile and laugh as if all was good in the world. She was a true breath of fresh air, and I had missed her more than I could admit.

“What happened with your parents?” I asked as we entered my kitchen.

I was expecting her response to be the usual, “it’s none of your business.” However, I was pleased—and shocked—when instead she sighed and offered a real explanation.

“After I told my mom, things between her and dad got tense. You know how understanding and accepting mom is, and her support pissed dad off big time.” Amelia shook her head and took a deep breath as she continued, “They haven’t even spoken in days. And then today, I went over there for our weekly family dinner, and mom showed me some clothes she bought for my son and dad lost it. I’ve never heard him yell like that.”

And there was that word again. Son.

I looked down at her ever-growing stomach and smiled at the evidence of my son—or rather, her son. A new wave of self-loathing hit me as I grabbed a container from the fridge and shoved it inside the microwave. For some reason, Amelia showed up beside me and covered her hand with mine.

My face turned to her. I blinked a few times, trying to understand what was happening and why I was enjoying it so much.

“You can’t put the foil in the microwave.” She looked at me like I was crazy.

I glanced at our joined hands and noticed that she was not really touching me; she was simply keeping the microwave door open. I cleared my throat. “Sorry, I got distracted,” I muttered as I reached inside to remove the foil off of the plate. Once it was balled up in my hand, Amelia smiled and closed the door. I typed the time and cleared my throat. “You were saying?”

With a raised brow, she walked over to the island and sat on one of the stools. “I was saying that I didn’t want to be alone and since my best friend is in London and no one else knows the truth about you and the baby, you were my only option. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Trust me, you’re alright,” I muttered. “I’m not as shitty of a person as I might seem. You’re always welcome here, Amelia.”

She grew silent at my words. I felt her eyes on me as I took her food out of the microwave and placed it in front of her. I sat beside her and watched as she ate. It was hard to explain, but I felt a need to make sure that she—and our son—were well fed and healthy. The fear and agony I had felt that day at the hospital was something I was determined to never feel again.

“Can I ask you something?” Amelia hesitantly asked after two bites of risotto.

I nodded and leaned against the counter. “Sure. I don’t see why not.”

She took a long breath and looked down at her plate. “Why exactly don’t you want to be responsible for the baby?”

I knew she had been silently wondering that for the past few months, but I wasn’t expecting her to actually ask me about it. Or maybe, I just hoped that she wouldn’t since I wasn’t comfortable talking about that subject.

My family history and the reason why I was so against committing and having a family of my own, was something I had never discussed with anyone. Most people assumed that I wasn’t ready to grow up, which was partially correct. However, it wasn’t the whole truth.

For a moment, I debated whether or not I should answer her. Then, I realized that in spite of my personal feelings, Amelia deserved some answers. I just wasn’t sure I was ready to give them to her.

“You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to,” she said after a few long minutes of silence. “I’m just curious.”

I straightened my back and shook my head. “I just . . . I just don’t know how to talk about it,” I explained, “I’ve never talked about it with anyone. It’s something I rather keep locked back in the past, you know?”

Amelia tilted her head. “And you think that’s healthy?”

“Of course it’s not healthy,” I said with a chuckle. “But alcohol, money and sex make excellent therapists.”

She looked like she was half-amused and half-sympathetic. “Weird, I though they were only great at momentarily covering those metaphorical holes in people’s hearts.”

With me being used to talking to air-headed models, I was used to only having shallow and pointless conversations with the opposite sex. For that reason, her insight and sharp wit felt refreshing and incredibly alluring. I couldn’t help the smirk that formed on my face.

“As a matter of fact, they do. They’re also amazing escapes from reality and responsibility.” Amelia laughed at my words. It was a sound I thoroughly enjoyed and hoped to hear more often. Once her laughs died, I asked, “Do you really want to know?”

She nodded. “I do.”

“Fine, but I’m not talking about this sober.” I sighed and stood up from the stool.

Amelia continued to eat as I walked over to the little bar I kept in the living room and poured myself a hefty glass of scotch. She watched me as I returned to the kitchen and took my seat.

“My dad was almost forty when he married my mom. She was nineteen,” I started after a gulp of the amber liquid. Amelia sat quietly, eating my words up with as much gusto as she ate the risotto. “I don’t remember them actually acting like they were in love. It was more like he paid the bills, and she did whatever he told her to do.” I scoffed and looked out of the kitchen window as I added, “They did have two children, so I guess they must have had some good times. I just never understood how she could possibly want anything to do with him.”

I shook my head and looked back at Amelia. She had stopped eating and was now devoting her full attention to me. “You see, my father was a class A jerk. He did drugs, cheated on my mother and couldn’t keep a job to save his life. My mom had to work two full-time jobs to support us, and he still blew whatever she earned on women and drugs.”

The words were hard for me to speak. I hated that life and every memory attached to it. Seeing my discomfort, Amelia’s hand covered mine in a display of affection and support that only added a new layer to my distress. For me, it was easier to bury my dick in a random pussy than to have someone I was starting to care about show me affection.

I smiled at her so I wouldn’t seem too rude and pulled my hand out of her grasp. She gave an understanding glance as I continued, “As I got older, got a job mowing lawns to help mom with the bills, but he took that money too,” I muttered before I gulped down my scotch. “One day, my mom reached her breaking point and confronted him, but instead of respect that asshole gave her a black eye and a broken nose. I was too young and afraid to step in and help her, so he continued to beat her up until she finally had enough.

“The last time I ever saw my mother was on a cold winter morning. I remember her kissing my brother and me before leaving to work, but instead of returning for dinner, she disappeared.”

Amelia stared at me with so much emotion in her eyes it was almost too much for me to take. I looked down at my empty tumbler, desperately wishing I had at least one more drop to drown the pain in my chest.

“I’m so sorry, Kellan. I really am,” Amelia said and her voice was so honest it melted a little of the coldness in my heart.

My gaze shot up to meet hers, and I gave her a half smile. “You see now why I don’t get attached to people, especially women? I loved her so much, and she just left me like I was nothing.”

Instead of annoying me with questions, Amelia only sat there in silence, staring at me with kind and non-judgmental eyes. For some reason, her behavior made me a smidge more comfortable, so I continued my story.

“After she left, my dad started beating my brother and me. He used the little money my mother left us to feed his addiction, and when the nuisance of buying food for his children became too much, he dropped us off at his parents’ house and disappeared. From what I know, he met someone else not too long after and moved on with his life.”

“What happened to your brother?” she asked gathering the last of the risotto in her fork and bringing it to her mouth.

I shrugged. “He got into drugs in high school and chose to stay in a dump instead of coming to New York with me. He died of overdose eight years ago.”

“Is he the reason why you don’t want to be responsible for the baby?”

My brows furrowed as I stared at her. Up until that moment, I hadn’t made the connection myself, but I could see it now. If hadn’t even been able to care for my brother and keep him straight, what good could I possibly do to a child?

“I guess, but it’s not just that,” I said with a shrug. “I drink and work all the time, Amelia. I have a different woman for almost every night of the week, and I feel no remorse that I don’t even know their names. I’m too much like my dad to have a kid.”

She nodded. “I get that, but don’t you think that completely abandoning your son makes you exactly like both your parents? I don’t mean to hurt you, I really don’t, but if you go on like this, you’ll be no better than them. You’ll have chosen yourself and booze and women over your child and perpetuated their mistakes.”

Deep down, I knew she was right. However, her words bit at me in the most painful way. I hated that she was using my deepest and darkest secret to teach me a lesson I didn’t want to lean. In a knee-jerk reaction, I got up from the chair and glared at her.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I barked as I made my way back to the living room to refill my glass.

Despite my desperate need for distance, Amelia followed me.

“Yes, I do know. You’re scared, that’s what’s happening,” Amelia said. I looked up to glare at her, but it didn’t stop her one bit. She continued to walk towards me and speak as if she couldn’t see the anger on my face. “You built a life around not caring because that way you’re safe. You have nothing to lose and no one to hurt you, which is why you’re so bent on not being around for our baby and me.”

I was fuming by the time Amelia stopped in front of me. I took deep breaths to calm myself as I watched her raise the hem of her sweater to expose her pregnant belly. My brows pulled together above my nose as I looked down at it. It was still small, but it left no doubt that a little person was growing inside of it. Without taking her gaze from me, Amelia reached for my hand and placed my palm over her bare flesh. I tried to pull it away, but she held it there.

“Life is not safe, Kellan,” she continued exasperated. “I had sex for the first time and ended up pregnant. I’ve been a great daughter my whole life, and now my father won’t even look at me. I’m scared to death because I have no idea how to be a mother, let alone a single mother, but I’m still here. I’m holding on because that’s what people do and that’s what this baby—our baby—needs.”

As if agreeing with his mother, the little nugget inside Amelia’s belly moved. I felt it in my palm, and my insides fluttered as a result. At that unexpected reaction at the baby boy growing inside her, my anger grew, and I pulled my hand away. My eyes narrowed at her, and I measured my words so they would make her feel as shitty as she was making me feel.

“Don’t pretend to be a victim or better than me, Amelia. And don’t blame your stupidity on life. It’s not it’s fault that you couldn’t keep your legs closed.”

I took one breath, and everything was silent.

I took a second breath, and the clapping sound of her small hand slapping my face echoed through the room.

I took a third breath, and my hands reached for her face and my mouth covered hers.

Amelia’s lip opened to welcome me, and I kissed her with anger and passion and the longing I had hidden for so long. Her arms draped around my neck, and I pulled her close, crushing her soft body against mine. Even with her bulging stomach, she made me more aroused than any other woman on the planet.

With each soft moan that passed through her lips, my cock grew harder. I wanted—needed—to feel her warmth around me and get lost in her. I had never felt such intense desire, and it was enough to jolt me back to reality.

We couldn’t do this. I couldn’t do this.

I pulled away and stepped back. “I can’t do this.”

Amelia’s swollen and deliciously red lips curled up in a smile. She took a step in my direction. “Yes, you can. We both want this and I’m already pregnant, there’s nothing more that can happen.”

If only that were true, I thought. There was a lot more that could happen. I could fall in love, I could have a family, I could open myself up, and then, she could leave or die or get hurt, and I’d be crushed. It was a risk too high for me to take.

“No, you want this,” I said taking another step away from her. “I told you to stay away from me, and I meant it. I don’t want to get involved with the baby or you. You can spend the night, but you have to leave in the morning. I’ll have my driver pick you up.”

Before she could see the self-directed disgust on my face, I turned around and walked towards my bedroom. I felt her eyes on me as I closed my door and sank down to the floor.

Chapter Nine

Amelia

The bed was fantastic, but I couldn’t sleep worth a crap.

For hours, I tossed and turned, lost in thoughts and old dreams. As much as I wanted to hate Kellan for everything he had put me through over the last few months, I couldn’t. There was no question that he had inherited his father’s jerk gene, but now that I knew his whole story, I understood that on him, it was only a defense mechanism. His true self was a lot more gentle and vulnerable than he showed and I liked that he had allowed me to see his truth. I also hated myself for how I had handled it.

There was no denial that he wanted me as much I wanted us to be a family. I had loved him since I was a girl and, for some bizarre reason, I loved him still. Plus, he was my child’s father, and deep down I knew that given a chance, Kellan would be a great dad. However, I also knew that I couldn’t force him to be involved, that desire had to come from him. All I could do was lay to rest my childish dreams of how things should be, accept Kellan for what he was and hope that one day he would wake up and own up to the feelings he so clearly had for me.

With a heavier heart and a calmer mind, I finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to the brightness of the sun shining in my eyes. I fluttered my lids open and smiled when vomit didn’t instantly rise up my throat. It was the first time since I got pregnant that I felt good upon waking. It was a great change that not only put me in a good mood but also gave me hope that the rest of the day would be just as great.

Swinging my legs off of the bed, I stood and stretched my back. I looked at the chair where I had left my clothes the night before, but they were nowhere to be seen. In their place was a folded baby blue, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. Above the clothes was a piece of paper that read:

Took your clothes to wash.

They’ll be ready soon, in the meantime, wear this. –K

I wasn’t sure how I felt about Kellan walking in while I slept naked and taking my clothes away, but the gesture of leaving clean garments for me to wear was sweet enough to make me smile.

His shirt looked like a dress on me, so I skipped the shorts and folded the sleeves as I walked out of the room. I made my way down the hall, towards the kitchen. Once I arrived there, I found Kellan sitting at the dining table with a piece of toast and a cup of coffee in front of him. At the sound of my approaching steps, he looked up from the newspaper he was reading and tossed me a lazy smile.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he greeted.

My lips curled up into a pleased smile. Not only he seemed to be in a much better mood, but he also looked gorgeous with his hair disheveled and reading glasses. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and sweats which made him look younger and more relaxed than usual. I liked it.

“Good morning, yourself,” I greeted and took a seat across from him. “Did you sleep well?”

“Surprisingly, yes,” he said, folding his paper to give me his full attention. He nodded towards the kitchen and added. “There’s food in there, you can have whatever you want. Though, I have to warn you that I drank all the coffee.”

I chuckled as I got up. “That’s alright. Caffeine isn’t good for the baby, anyway.”

Inside his fridge, I found some orange juice as well as bread and fixings for a nice sandwich. It wasn’t my typical breakfast, but after months of not even being able to look at food in the mornings, I was excited to have a feast. Once my sandwich was ready, I carried it and a glass of juice towards the table.

Kellan’s face beamed at my plate. “Hungry?”

“Oh, my god, yes!” I said a bit more emphatically than expected, making both of us laugh. Once our chuckles died, I cleared my throat and decided that now was as good time as any to say what I needed to say to Kellan.

“I’m sorry about what I said last night,” I started. “I was insensitive and out of line. I just . . . I just think you’d make a great father. I can’t help but feel sad that you and the little guy here will miss out on having a relationship with each her, but I won’t nag you about it anymore. I promise.”

He was silent for a long time and, understanding that the conversational part of the morning was over, I focused on my breakfast. Although I kept my eyes focused on everything but him, I could feel Kellan’s gaze on me as I ate. It was unnerving and exhilarating.

I was almost done with my sandwich when he spoke. “Can I ask you a question?”

“You just did,” I pointed out. Kellan rolled his eyes at my smart-ass reply, so I added, “Go ahead.”

He took a deep breath and said, “Why did you choose me that day at the show?”

My heart raced at his question. “You’ve already asked me that.”

“I know.” He nodded and added, “But you’ve never answered it.”

“No, I didn’t.”

For a couple of minutes, my words hung between us. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could tell by his heavy breath that Kellan was anxious as well. I had no idea why, though. He wasn’t the one about to completely humiliate himself. I was.

Briefly taken by self-preservation, I considered lying, but decided against it. He had been honest with me about his past, and I owed him honesty in return.

After a long breath, I started, “I didn’t choose you that day, Kellan. I’ve been in love with you since I was sixteen.”

Kellan’s eyes widened, but he didn’t say anything, so I continued, “At that age, I vowed that you’d be my first. Looking back, I can see that it was stupid to make such a major decision based on a crush, but I saw you as this perfect man on a pedestal, and no one could ever reach you. In my teenage mind, it made sense.

“As I got older, my feelings for you grew to the point where I’d go on dates and imagine that you were the boy sitting across from me. I’d kiss guys and imagine I was kissing you. You were every man I flirted with and the only one I desired, so I continued to save myself for you even when it stopped to make sense.”

Embarrassed, I looked away from Kellan as I continued. “Then, I came back home from Harvard, and my dad invited me to that show. I knew you’d be there, and I wanted you to see that I wasn’t a teenager anymore and want me like you wanted the women you used to bring around to dinners and parties. I wanted you to want me as I wanted you.”

As I finished, I could feel my cheeks blushing. I could also feel his eyes burning a whole on my face. So I glanced at him and saw a mixture of amazement, confusion, and indignation.

“So, you seducing me was planned?”

“Yes,” I said with a weak nod. “But getting pregnant wasn’t. I promise you that. I never meant to trap you into anything. I just wanted to know what it would be like to be yours.” I looked up and stared him deep in the eyes so he could see I was honest. “I should have told you who I was from the start, but I was childish and, as you keep pointing out, stupid.”

Kellan caught the smirk on my lips and, after a heavy breath, smiled back. “You’re not stupid, Amelia. Naïve and reckless, but not stupid.” The kindness in his words eased the tension in my shoulders and the heaviness in my chest.

Neither of us said anything else as we finished eating. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was certainly weird. After so many years loving him in secret, finally having it out in the open made me feel like a weight had been lifted off my chest and I could finally move on with my life and be happy.

Once both our plates were empty, I knew it was time for me to go, but I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to him yet. “Would it be alright if I took a shower before I left?” I asked.

He nodded and stood up, “Sure, I’ll show you where the bathroom is.”

I followed him down the hall, marveling at the way his white t-shirt hugged his muscles and his gray sweats curved around his butt. I knew I would never have him again, but wasn’t about to pass on an opportunity to admire his beauty.

We entered his bathroom, and, at once, I was in awe. The floors were made of white marble, and the glass shower was large enough to fit at least half a dozen people. It seemed funny to me that all this space and luxury was for a single person, but I guessed that if I were as rich as him, I’d also have a bathroom big enough to throw a party.

“The towels are over there, and you can use my toiletries,” he said, looking over at me and holding my gaze for a second too long. During that second, my heart fluttered with the hope that maybe he had changed his mind about us, but before I could dream too much, Kellan turned and walked out.

Once I was alone, I unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the floor. I admired my figure in the mirror and smiled. My belly looked even bigger today than it was yesterday, but it was a good thing. I had never imagined that a bulging midsection could make me feel beautiful and womanly, but it did.

I ran a hand over the tight skin of my stomach, hoping that my baby could feel the amount of love I already felt for him. Yes, he had been conceived by mistake, but I would make sure he never felt like that. As far as I was concerned, this child—my child—would live every day of his life knowing that he was loved and wanted by his mother.

I peeled my eyes from my reflection and entered the shower. I got the temperature just right and stepped under the cascading flow of warm water. I lathered my skin, allowing the soap to wash away the stress and secrets I had been holding in for so long. By the time I turned the water off I knew I was finally ready to enjoy whatever life had in store for me.

As I exited the shower, a single knock echoed through the bathroom. Before I could react and wrap a towel around me, Kellan walked in. He looked over my wet, naked body with nothing but lust in his eyes. Our eyes locked as he walked over to me.

Confused and frozen in shock, I just stood there staring at him. My heart raced when he clasped his hands around my waist and pressed my back against the door of his shower.

My voice was barely above a whisper when I asked. “What are you doing?”

Instead of responding, Kellan pressed his lips against mine in a passionate kiss. The surprise of it made me gasp, and he used that opportunity to run his tongue against mine. Jolted back to reality, I kissed him back with all of the passion I could muster. Every ounce of pent up lust and yearning I had for him poured out into that kiss, and it felt so fucking good.

I could feel his erection pressing against me as Kellan broke our kiss. “I need you so fucking bad,” he groaned dotting kisses down my chest.

“God, I need you too,” I moaned in response.

My fingers tangled in his hair as he pulled my legs up and around his hips, and carried me out of the bathroom. Carefully, he laid me down on the bed and pulled his shirt off. It took me a moment to fully process what was happening, but, by the time I did, he was already slipping off his pants and revealing the master of all erections.

Knowing what to expect this time around, I wasn’t as intimidated by the girth and length of his cock. Instead, I was filled with excitement and anticipation at what was about to happen.

With curious eyes, I watched as Kellan’s body covered mine. I was pleasantly surprised when instead of pressing his thickness on me, he started kissing his way down my body. Slowly, he ran his tongue in circles around my breasts until he reached my nipples. His breath was warm against my skin and that warmth spread across my body and pooled between my legs. As he brought one of my sensitives peaks into his mouth, his fingers pinched and gently pulled on the other making my lips part and my heart race.

Once my breath was heavy with pleasure, Kellan released my nipples and continued kissing down my body. He kissed and nibbled my ribs and the upper portion of my stomach, but he pulled away once he reached my bulging belly. I didn’t say anything and quietly watched as he placed his hands on it and admired my bump it with the eyes of a proud man. He kissed it once before continuing his way down to my warmth.

My eyes closed when his mouth covered my opening. It was hard to pay attention to what he was doing when my whole body hummed with pleasure. I lost track of time as Kellan kissed and sucked and lapped at my most sensitive part. When my body finally exploded with an orgasm, I cried out Kellan’s name as I had fantasized about doing for so many times.

As my heart and breath started to slow down, Kellan replaced his mouth with his cock. He pulled my hips towards his and caressed my breast as he slid inside of me. My mouth opened, and my back arched at the delicious fullness. He kept his eyes focused on my face, drinking in every moan that passed through my lips, as his hips started to move in a slow and rhythmic fashion.

Instead of the instant surge of pleasure the fiery passion of our first time created, the torturous pace in which he moved now create a slow build of pleasure that drove me half insane. My body ached and trembled as I wondered if I would never reach my final destination.

“Kellan, I won’t break,” I managed to say between moans.

He stared at me for a moment gauging if I actually meant it. Once he saw that I did, the focus and tension in his eyes melted away, and he started to really move. His gentle thrusts turned into ones of power. I could feel him stretching and filling me, and as he did, the whole world disappeared. All that existed was him and me and this moment.

Our voices echoed through the walls as Kellan sped his pace, slamming into me as our bodies became one. Never in my life had I experienced anything as thrilling and meaningful as that moment. I could tell, without a shadow of a doubt, that this time we weren’t just fucking. We were actually making love, and being loved by Kellan Shepard was way better than I had ever imagined it to be.

I dug my nails into his back as my body trembled with the sweet approach of my orgasm. Feeling how close I was, Kellan slammed his hips harder against mine, going deeper than ever. My eyes closed and I yelled his name I found my release and, with few more vigorous thrusts, Kellan groaned my name as he too gave in to the overwhelming pleasure.

Kellan kissed me deeply and collapsed beside me on the bed. Unlike the angry, lustful kiss we had exchanged the previous night, this one contained the hope for the future I had dreamt about for so long. I wanted to cry happy tears at the realization that, for the first time in forever, my hope wasn’t one sided.

“That was better than the first time,” I said as Kellan pulled me to his chest.

He kissed the top of my head and chuckled. “A bed and no clothes will do that.”

As a silly smile formed on my lips, fear that this would be only a one-time thing clawed into my heart. However, before it could completely take hold of me, Kellan covered my baby bump with one hand and reached for his phone with his other. I watched him with curiosity as he dialed a number and brought the device to his ear. Our eyes stayed locked as he waited for whoever it was he was calling to answer the call.

“Hey, Jo,” he greeted his secretary. “I have some personal things to take care of today so I won’t be coming in. Please, let Alex know and tell him I’ll call him later.”

Once he disconnected the call, Kellan turned off his phone and placed it back on his bedside table. He smiled at the shocked expression on my face. “What?”

“You’re not going to work?” I asked.

“Nope.” He shook his head and gave me a peck on the lips. “I have almost a decade of your sexual fantasies to fulfill and after that, you and I need to talk about how we’re going to tell your father about us and our baby.”

Oh, my freaking God! Was the only thought running through my head as I kissed the life out of him.

 

Chapter Ten

Kellan

It was a chilly autumn morning and, for the fourth day in a row, I was arriving at the office after nine in the morning. It was odd considering I had been the first one to arrive since Alex and I first opened the agency, but I had the best SEXcuse in the world for my tardiness. Amelia.

“Good morning, Jo,” I greeted my assistant with an uncharacteristic grin.

The woman looked a little uncomfortable as she smiled back at me. “Good morning, Mr. Shepard. Mr. Blackwell called to say he’s running late today, but he’ll be here in soon to go over the go-see schedule with you.”

“Sounds great,” I said as I unwrapped the scarf from around my neck and walked towards my office door. “Let me know when he arrives.”

“Will do, and one more thing, Sir,” Jo called as I opened the door and stepped into my office. “Miss Blackwell is waiting for you,” she added at the exact same time that my eyes focused on Amelia, looking beautiful in a white blouse and navy trousers.

I thanked my secretary and closed the door behind me.

Amelia sat at the exact same spot on my couch she had occupied on her first day working at the agency. Instead of the anxiety I had felt that day, today I felt nothing but a sense of comfort at seeing the mother of my son waiting for me. I smiled at her as I hung my coat and scarf and moved towards my desk.

“Good morning, Amelia,” I said as I placed my briefcase on the wooden surface. “How are you today?”

“Thoroughly satisfied,” she retorted with a wink. I chuckled as she stood and walked over to me, causing my heart to beat like a man on speed. “I’m also a little anxious. Are you going to talk to my dad today?”

I shifted from foot to foot and fixed my tie. She had been asking the same question for the past few days, and I could tell she was getting antsy. As much I tried to hide my hesitation, I knew she could see right through it.

We had talked about my fear of losing her father’s friendship a bunch of times, and though she had assured me that she would have my back and not allow Alex to turn on me, I still hadn’t been able to tell him the truth. As understanding of the whole situation as Amelia was, I could tell that it was making her question whether or not I was actually committed to her and our baby. I hated that I was making her feel insecure because there wasn’t a single question in my mind of how much I wanted both of them.

“I have a meeting with him this morning, I’ll tell then,” I said holding her hand. Amelia raised a challenging brow that made me let out a nervous chuckle. “I will, I promise. I’ll get him a nice cup of coffee and get it out in the open.”

He tilted her head. “You do know that caffeine makes my dad grumpier, right?”

“I’ll give him a scotch, then.” I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close.

Amelia laughed. “That’s better, though a.m. drinking may not be the route to prove you’ll be a good father to his grandson.” Her words filled me with a new wave of panic, and my face must have given me away because she laughed again and kissed my lips. “I’m sorry, I was just kidding. Relax! He already loves you and he’ll continue to love you because you’re going to do right by our son and me. He may get mad and yell, but he’s not going to hurt you, and he will forgive you. He’s forgiven me, and I’m his screw up daughter.”

Amelia’s words made me feel a little better. I leaned down and rested my forehead against hers. “It’ll be okay?”

“Yes, it will,” she assured me once again.

I nodded and kissed her once more. As I pulled back, Jo’s voice announcing that Alex had just arrived echoed through my office. I looked Amelia in the eyes and she smiled.

“Go get him, tiger,” she urged taking the folder I needed from my desk and handing it to me. I chuckled, patted her stomach and kissed her one final time before walking to the door.

My heart was lodged in my throat as I approached Alex’s office. I felt like a kid going to the principal’s office, which was ridiculous since I was forty years old.

I stood outside his door and took a deep breath. After one single knock, I pushed it open and walked inside. Alex was sitting behind his desk, reading contracts and drinking something from a Starbucks cup. Crap!

Completely innocent to the fact that I was about to drop a nuke on his head, Alex greeted me with a smile. “Morning, Kellan.”

“Good morning,” I took a seat in front of him and placed the folder to the side. I had to do this now, or I’d chicken out again. “I know we have business to discuss, but there’s something I need to tell you first.”

Alex frowned at the seriousness of my tone and nodded. He closed the file containing the contracts he was reading and placed his reading glasses to the side. A lump formed in my throat when I realized I had his undivided attention.

“It’s about Amelia,” I blurted out.

At once, Alex’s features were covered in worry. “Is she alright? Did something happen?”

“No,” I said with a shake of my head. Feeling like a moron for starting this all wrong, I ran a hand through my hair and tried again. “Amelia is fine. Actually, she’s great. But she’s pregnant.”

Alex raised a brow. “Yes, Kellan. I’m aware of that.”

I knew what I had to say next. What I didn't know was if I had the strength to say it. A desperate desire to stand up and leave washed over me. As much as I wanted to be different from my father, I finally understood why he took the route he did. Being shitty was a lot easier than being decent.

However, at that moment, I realized something important. I wasn’t about to hurt my best friend with the worst truth he would ever hear because I wanted to be decent. I didn’t give a crap about that. I was doing this because I couldn’t imagine Amelia and our son living a life that didn’t include me and I didn’t want to imagine my life without them.

Fueled by that realization, I took a deep breath, cleared my throat and grew a little taller in my spine. “It’s my baby.”

“Excuse me?” Alex asked.

“I said that Amelia is carrying my child,” I said a little louder.

The room filled with a thick blanket of tense silence as the comfortable warmth shared between friends disappeared. The fire of Hell burned in Alex’s eyes as he stared deep into my eyes. I wanted to look away, but I knew I couldn’t. I wanted him to see me as someone worthy of his daughter and not a coward.

We continued to stare at each other for what seemed like hours. Once the silence became too much for me, I spoke. “Alex, I’m so sorry.”

My apology was met with a scowl of pure disgust. It was the very look that I had dreaded since the moment I found out that Amelia was pregnant.

“How long have you known?” he asked, his tone dry and cold.

“About three months.”

The anger and disgust gave room to just a little bit of hurt. “So you knew when she was at the hospital and chose to let her face me alone?”

I looked down at the ground, but I knew there was no hiding my shame. “I was afraid to be a father, and I didn’t react well when she told me.” I closed my eyes and saw Amelia’s face telling me everything would be okay. That image gave me the strength to look up and face her father once more. “I wasn’t involved back then, but I am now.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Alex muttered, standing up. “I never thought you to be a coward until now. You’re a real piece of shit, Kellan, and I feel sorry for my grandson.”

I watched in shock as he walked around his desk. I half expected him to come and knock a few teeth out of my mouth. We both knew I deserved it, and somehow I knew that being punched would make me feel better. To my surprise, he didn’t. Instead, Alex walked past me and out of the office without another word. I knew Amelia would be heartbroken if I allowed her father to go without the whole story, so I turned on my heels and ran after him.

“Alex, wait,” I called after him, unfazed by the attention I was drawing to us. He didn’t stop moving until he reached the elevator. I was almost there when the doors opened, and he walked in. I ran faster and slipped inside just as the doors were closing.

My breath was heavy as I turned to look at him. I had never noticed before, but his eyes were the exact shade of green as Amelia’s and that similarity gave me a boost of encouragement.

“Alex, I know I’m shit. You don’t have to tell me that.” Pacing my breaths as to not give him room to interrupt, I continued, “I’m also selfish, stupid, child-like and about a hundred different names your daughter has already pointed out to me. However, I am also the father of your grandson. Now, I won’t argue that conceiving him was a mistake because it was, but he is not a mistake. He’s probably the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

His silence was louder than the apathy on his face. Despite my words, Alex was still pissed, and I didn’t blame him. He knew me better than anyone and, therefore, was blatantly aware that, if I wanted to, I could sell salt water to the ocean which made him naturally wary of my words. However, what he didn’t know was that I had changed. His daughter and my unborn son had changed me.

All I had to do was show him that.

“For some reason, I’ll never understand Amelia has forgiven me and she is giving me the chance to have a real family, and I’m not going to give it up. You’re my best friend Alex and this company is my life, but I’ll walk away from both of you in a heartbeat to be with her.”

I wanted to laugh once those words were out of my mouth. I had dreaded them for months, but now that it was all said and done, I realized I had worried about nothing. The worst-case scenario was losing my friend and my job, but the importance of either those things paled in comparison to having Amelia and our son in my life.

Alex looked at the relief in my face skeptically and asked, “What are you saying, Kellan?”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a blue velvet box. It was something that I had impulsively chosen on my way back to the office the previous afternoon. At first, I hadn’t been sure if I was actually going to use it, but the longer I carried it around, the surer I was about it. I opened the box and showed Alex the diamond ring inside.

“I’m saying that I want to marry your daughter and raise my son with her. Please, let me show you that I can be the man she deserves.”

He looked at me like I had grown several heads and he wanted to punch each and every one of them. Then, as the elevator came to a stop and I continued to stand between him the only available exit, Alex closed his hand into a fist and settled for punching the only head I owned.

The punch was strong enough to send me thumbing down the building’s elegant foyer. I could feel my skin heating and swelling, and I could only imagine the massive bruise I would have by this time tomorrow. Still, I didn’t blame Alex. If it had been my daughter, I would have done the exact same thing.

“Are you alright? Do you want me to call the cops?” A young guard asked me, but my eyes stayed focused on the man I still considered my best friend.

I shook my head and pushed the boy away. Ignoring the stares of the strangers and workers around us, I watched Alex shake his hand as he walked away from me.

With a sore eye and a heart that felt both heavier and lighter, I headed back up to our agency completely conflicted. On the one hand, it felt amazing to have everything out in the open and my intentions for my future with Amelia clear. On the other, I knew I had broken something between Alex and me that would never be fully repaired. I couldn’t help but worry about how things would be between us from now on, but once I reached my office and saw Amelia waiting for me with a cup of scotch, all of my worries faded away.

She frowned at the shiner on my face and went to get some ice from the mini fridge. “I guess I was wrong about him not hurting you.”

“Yep,” I groaned taking a seat on the couch.

Amelia sat beside me and nudged me until I laid back and rested my head on her lap. “He’ll come around,” she whispered placing a baggy filled with ice on my eye.

“And if he doesn’t?” I asked, looking up at her. “Then I’ve lost my best friend for what?”

“For the baby and me,” she deadpanned.

I smiled at her and kissed her belly before closing my eyes. I don’t know how long it took me to doze off, but before I knew it, I was dreaming of my mother and brother. For the first time in a long time, it was a happy dream.

A light buzzing on my hip woke me up. Still a little groggy, I scrambled to pull the device out of my pocket and answered the call with what I assumed was a proper greeting.

“You hurt Amelia again, and I’ll have your dick,” Alex spoke from the other end. Instantly I sat up straight. “And you better use that ring and marry her, Kellan. I swear to God, I’ll have your head if you make my grandson grow up without a name.”

My lips settled in a ghost of a smile as I looked at Amelia working at my desk. She winked at me as I used with every ounce of honesty I could muster to reply, “I will and you have my word that I’ll never break her heart again.”

Chapter Eleven

Amelia

I checked my phone for the millionth time since Kellan left home that morning and was annoyed to see that I had no calls or texts from him. I knew he and my father were super busy getting ready for the fashion show later today, but his unusual lack of contact made me super worried. Not wanting to be the needy girlfriend, I fought the urge to call him and walked to our walk-in closet to pick out my shoes.

After a month of family dinners and long conversations about the future, my parents had finally forgiven Kellan and, as it turned out, dad was actually euphoric about adding his best friend to the family. With me nearing my final trimester, Kellan and I had decided that it would be best for me to move in with him. There was just no point in setting up two nurseries when we were in love and so freaking happy together.

It was sometimes hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I had gotten everything I had ever dreamt of having. I had a Harvard degree, an incredible job, and Kellan’s love. In addition to that, I also had a few things I had never imagined having, such as the interest of the entire fashion community.

As much as I’d like to say that their interest was due to my job or even my sharp sense of style, it wasn’t. All they cared about was how a girl like had landed fashion’s most infamous womanizer. The blogosphere buzzed with gossip regarding us, but I was too preoccupied being happy to worry about what people babbled about me. With that being said, I definitely wanted to look beautiful for our first public outing at the show tonight.

I squeezed my swollen feet into a gorgeous pair of red Louboutin pumps and looked at myself in our walk-in closet’s full-length mirror. A smile curled on my red lips at the edgy and yet pregnancy appropriate look I had put together. Beneath a white motorcycle jacket, I wore a simple and fitted knee-length, black dress that flaunted my new curves and some bold jewelry that complimented it well. The look was tied together by beach waves, a sharp winged eyeliner and a golden clutch.

Satisfied with my appearance and already five minutes late, I called my driver and made my way out of the apartment. Once I was sitting at the back of the car and on my way to the venue, I tried Kellan again. After a few rings, he finally answered the call.

“Hello, love.” I could barely make out his voice over the commotion, but I still relaxed instantly.

“Hi!” I purred. “I was starting to worry.”

“I’m sorry,” he responded. “I’ve been really busy with work today. I planned to go home and change, but I ended up doing it at the office to save time. Are you on the way?”

I nodded even though I knew he couldn’t see me. “I am. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“Perfect!” he exclaimed and then asked me about my day. We talked for a little bit before I finally hung up.

For the remainder of the ride, I checked my social media and fussed with my hair and makeup. As vain as it may sound, I wanted to look perfect and sexy for Kellan. After keeping me on edge all over his whereabouts, it was his time to suffer—and maybe, have a little flashback of the fashion show in which little Ben was conceived. I giggled at the idea.

After twenty or so minutes, the car stopped in front of an old church. As I stepped out of the vehicle, I admired its intricate marble detail and stained windows. It was truly a beautiful and perfect place for a bridal fashion show.

“There’s my beautiful girlfriend,” Kellan called from the crowd. I turned in his direction and, as per usual, he was dressed to the nines in a crisp white button down with the top few buttons undone to expose his tame chest hair, a pair of khaki pants with the hems rolled just a few inches, and a pair of tan Oxford’s. I would have jumped him then and there if the law permitted.

“Am I overdressed?” I asked after kissing his lips.

“Definitely, you should have way fewer clothes on. No clothes would be even better,” he stated in a serious tone that made me roll my eyes and laugh.

Happy Kellan was always my favorite Kellan, and I could tell that despite the unusual nervousness in his eyes he hadn’t been this happy in a long time. He winked at me and guided me down the carpet where we stopped for a few photographs before making our way inside the venue.

The inside of the church was just as magnificent as the outside. Adding to its architectural beauty, were tons gorgeous fresh flowers, candles and white silk banners that had been carefully placed to create one of the most—if not the most—romantic setting I had ever set foot in. I was instantly enamored with it.

I was so distracted by the beautiful serenity around me that I only noticed we were at our seats when my parents stood to greet me. It was strange to see them actually attend a show since they always either stayed backstage or at the bar, but that was fun to have them there and share the gorgeousness of the place with my mom.

As we waited for the show to begin, the four of us talked—mostly about the baby and our progress with the nursery—and I was amazed at how excited mom and dad were about everything. My mother even clapped her hands when we told them we had chosen a safari theme for Ben’s room. By the time the lights dimmed announcing the start of the show my heart was so full of love, I wondered how it was still able to pump blood.

I had never known I cared so much about wedding dresses until the first model walked down the catwalk. I was entranced by the sea of white and pastel lace with the gems and sparkles dancing in the spotlights. My heart pounded as I admired the details in each dress and veil. I was acutely aware that Kellan’s eyes were focused on me as I gawked at the gowns, and though I didn’t want to scare him or make him feel pressured in any way, I just couldn’t peel my eyes from them or stop dreaming about wearing one of those beauties myself.

One particular dress made my eyes tear up. It was a traditional dress with long sleeves made of sheer fabric with lace trims. The bust was cut in a deep v shape with a crisp white material lining panels of delicate lace that faded onto a long tulle skirt. The dress looked regal and perfect and, at that moment, I decided that one day I would wear it.

In the blink of an eye, the show ended, and I stood to clap along with the rest of the crowd as the designer came down the runway. Confusion lined my forehead when Kellan kissed the back of my hand before joining the designer on stage.

I turned to look at my parents, but they only shrugged with ridiculous looking grins on their faces. I glanced over at Kellan and saw he had a microphone in his hand. He motioned for people to seat back down and they did.

He looked sexy and confident as he started, “As you all know, I got myself a girlfriend, which is odd considering . . . well, me.” The people around us chuckled and whistled, but I frowned with curiosity as my boyfriend continued to speak. “I’ve never been a settle down kind of man, and I never thought I would be, until that gorgeous woman right there caught my attention.”

My face grew warm and red as Kellan pointed at me and the cheers grew louder. Gazing deep into my eyes, he continued, “Even with that bun in the oven, I fought my feelings for her and my desire to have her permanently in my life until she eloquently pointed out that I was an idiot. Well, I’m tired of being an idiot.”

Before me even noticing it, my lips turned up into a smile, the crowd fell silent, and my beloved boyfriend slowly made his way towards me. My heart raced and fluttered and did every other weird thing a happy heart can do as Kellan came to a stop in front of me.

Kellan handed the microphone to my mother who held it up to his face as he took one of my hands in his and helped me up to my feet. His lips delivered a soft kiss to the back of my hand as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box. Tears flooded my eyes as my gaze shifted from the object in his hand to the handsome face I had loved for most of my life.

“Amelia Blackwell, you have made me want to be a better man,” he cooed as tears pooled in his eyes as well. “I know for a fact that I don’t deserve you, but I love you more than I could have ever imagined loving another person. I want the chance to spend the rest of my life trying to not deserve you a little less.” With watery and amazed eyes, I watched as Kellan Shepard dropped to one knee in front of me and said, “Will you marry me?”

It was an odd moment. Dreams weren’t meant to come true, but somehow mine did, and the reality far exceeded them. Beside me, I could hear my mother sniffing and my dad breathing heavy the way he did when he was really anxious. Knowing we had not only their blessing but also their excitement, made my heart—and my tears—overflow.

“Yes,” I said breathlessly with a vigorous nod.

“Yeah?” he confirmed.

I laughed as I pulled him to his feet and into my arms. “Hell, yes.”

People around us cheered and clapped as Kellan slipped the gorgeous ring on my finger and kissed my lips.

“I love you, future Mrs. Shepard,” Kellan whispered against my mouth, his strong arms wrapped tightly around me.

I giggled and kissed him again. “I’ve always loved you, Mr. Shepard. And I’m sure that I always will.”

 

THE END