Page 59 of King of Hearts

The tech raised his hands like he was surrendering and walked out.

Juan wiped my stomach and held out his hand to help me sit up. “How do you feel?”

Moving to stand and button my shorts, I felt my lip wobble. “I feel like my heart just split in half. It’s such a strange sensation…but she’s so beautiful.”

Juan handed me the few photos that had printed. One had a little note written on the top that said, ‘Hi Mom and Dad.’ I kept my head down so Juan wouldn’t see my breakdown. If I had one wish, it would be to have this be real, to have Juan be the dad and me the mom, to have this little girl loved by us both and raised by us.

I knew my feelings were dangerous. For once I wanted to keep something for myself, and it terrified me that I wouldn’t be allowed to. Even if I was able to convince my father that this entire thing was real, how long would Juan play pretend for? He had a life to live, and there was no way I could expect him to keep up pretenses, nor would I want him to. I had a baby coming soon, and that would require long nights and lack of sleep. I couldn’t ask this of him. We were both so young; his entire life was just beginning.

As difficult as it was for me, I began to tuck away every rogue emotion that had rolled out, every feeling, every hope. It wasn’t a perfect remedy for what I was feeling, but it would help. I had to protect Juan as much as I had to protect my daughter, and in order to do that, I’d fight not to fall in love with him.

* * *

As soon aswe'd parked the car, Juan’s cousin was there updating him on everything, including the contract my father had drawn up for Markos. We settled into Juan’s room while rain danced along the windows, casting the room in a gloomy glow. Wrapping myself in a soft blanket, I began to pore through page after page of information, passing each one over to Juan as soon as I finished.

“So, your dad didn’t lie, but he also left out the part where Markos would be the successor to the outfit if something should happen to your father,” Juan summarized, shuffling the papers back in order.

I spun my chair to look outside, staring at the varying shades of leaves along the top of the orchards. “He also left out that our first child would be given to Ivan to secure another deal were Ivan to be in good health when the baby was conceived.”

“Interesting that he didn’t immediately suggest that the baby be dealt with,” Juan mused while rubbing his eyes.

I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. My stomach churned with disgust that my own father would stoop so low…that he would treat my offspring like a piece of livestock.

“Then there’s the part about your trust going to Markos, the one you can’t access until you turn twenty-one.”

That explained why he was so adamant about this specific birthday; it must have been a request from the Mariano family then. I had no idea what the trust included, but they must have known.

“Come on.” Juan grabbed my hand, helping me up. “It’s colder out now, so you might want a sweater, or something warmer.” Juan walked into his closet, and when I headed toward his bedroom door, he stopped me. “It’s all in here now.”

Letting go of the doorknob, I slowly followed him into his massive walk-in. Shelves lined each wall, along with various shoe racks. Juan had an impressive shoe collection, but it still didn’t take up all the space. He had a built-in dresser with gliding drawers on one wall, and as I turned around, I noticed the opposite wall had one set up too.

Curious, I pulled it open. All the folded items from my dresser in the guest room were now in the drawers. I tipped my head to the side, and there, hanging to the right, were all my skirts, dresses, and shirts. I still hadn’t brought my whole wardrobe over, so there wasn’t much, but it was still nice to see it all neatly hung and put away.

“Juan, you didn’t have to do this.” I gently touched the fabric of one of my sweaters.

With his back turned to me, he murmured, “It was no big deal.”

I smiled, turning once more, only to notice more hanging items on the far wall. This time, it was all the baby clothes I’d purchased so far. Tiny pink hangers held rompers, dresses, and little outfits, while the gliding drawers kept blankets, diapers, and folded onesies.

All the ice I’d infused into my heart since the ultrasound melted again.

“No one has ever done anything like this for me,” I whispered, slowly dragging my hand along the fabric of a soft blanket. “Did you have your men do this while we were gone today?”

I turned to look at Juan. He was still turned away from me, but I wasn’t letting this go until he faced me. His face was stern, like my heart had been before this moment.

“I did most of it while you were sleeping.” He tugged on a simple Henley that gaped at his throat, revealing his strong muscles.

I walked closer to him, slowly moving step by step to avoid spooking him.

He watched me with apprehension, a wariness to his eyes as I brought my hand up to his chest. Right when I thought he’d pull back or tell me we should get going, I made my move.

Leaning in, I gently pressed my lips to his. Once I knew he wasn’t going to push me away, I settled more into his space, tipping my head to the side and pushing in for access. He met the smooth glide of my lips with his tongue, dragging his left hand up my back while his right hand held my hip in place.

He broke away, pressing his forehead against mine. “We keep peeking over our walls, as if we want to climb over, only to realize how far the drop is…”

I blinked as reality hit me, rushing in as cold as a tidal wave. He was fighting this as much as I was…except he was doing a better job. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want me.

I stepped back; his grim expression only served to confirm that he was right. I wanted to keep him safe, but I was also falling in love with him. I had to stop this. Taking another step back, I tucked hair behind my ear and turned away from him. I couldn’t watch his expression as I put up another layer between us. It was what he wanted too, so there was little comfort in each step I took.

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