Page 51 of Royal Secret

The admission cracks the dam holding back my own resolve. “I— I came back because I have something important to tell you,” I manage to say, my voice steadier now. It’s the truth that propels me forward, the undeniable reality that has grown within me since those two lines appeared.

His eyes lock onto mine, waiting, anticipating.

“Jakob, I’m pregnant.”

The words hang in the air between us, fragile and momentous, and I search his face for any sign of what comes next.

His eyes widen, and for a heart-stopping moment, he looks as if someone has knocked the wind out of him. He steps back, his hand raking through tousled hair as he processes my revelation. I’m frozen, waiting for the storm, but it doesn’t come.

“Okay,” he breathes out, and there’s a firmness to his voice that wasn’t there before. “I’m here for this — for you and our baby. No matter what.”

His words wrap around me like a blanket, warm and unexpectedly protecting. But can I trust them? The Jakob I knew was always caught in the tangle of family expectations. Yet, here he stands, looking at me with resolve in his eyes.

“Even with your family?” My skepticism hangs between us, an unspoken challenge.

“Even with them.” He steps closer, closing the distance I didn’t realize had grown. Reaching into his jacket, he pulls out something that shines even in the soft light.

My breath catches when I see it — the necklace, my grandmother’s. The same necklace his family claimed as their heirloom.

“Is that…?” I can’t finish the sentence; emotions knot in my throat.

“It belongs to you,” he says, his voice laced with conviction, and there’s something rebellious in his gesture, something beautifully defiant.

This act, reclaiming what’s mine from the clutches of his own blood — it’s more than just metal and stone. It’s proof. Proof that he’ll stand with me, even against the gilded walls of his legacy.

“I love you, Courtney,” he breathes. “I am sorry for what happened, for hurting you. This necklace… it should have always stayed with you.”

I’m on him before I know it, my arms wrapping around his neck, holding him close. “I love you, Jakob.”

In this embrace, in the beat of his heart against mine, I find the truth I’d been searching for. He’s all in — just as scared, just as giddy, but all in. And with this, we step into the unknown together, bound by something far stronger than fear or obligation.Love.

CHAPTER 29

JAKOB

This is it. The day that I didn’t even know I was waiting for. In one minute, everything changed. Courtney loves me. She’s pregnant with my child.

And here she is, right next to me in my car, her fingers threaded through mine. We are together. Two people. One heart.

I navigate the winding roads that lead to my apartment, feeling like I’m steering through a dreamscape. A father. Me, a soon-to-be dad. My mind whirls with images of tiny fingers and toes, and a life infinitely more complicated and beautiful than I ever imagined.

“Jakob?” Courtney’s soft query pulls me back from the edge of my reverie.

“Sorry, I’m just… It’s a lot to take in,” I admit.

“I know,” she says, squeezing my hand. “I feel the same.”

An idea sparks, and before I can second-guess it, I act on impulse. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet before we go tomy place,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel. This is important, more so now with the news of our child.

“Who?” Courtney tilts her head, her forehead creasing in confusion.

“Rolph, my grandfather,” I answer, leaving out the why.

I could explain the whole story, but I would rather take her to my grandfather first. Introduce the two of them and let the truth unfurl from there.

“Okay,” she agrees, though I catch the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. She trusts me, though. That much is clear, and it bolsters my confidence.

As we drive, the landscape shifts from urban to pastoral, quaint homes giving way to rolling hills. The familiarity of the route soothes some of the anxiety churning inside me. Grandfather Rolph’s house, which I was at just yesterday, comes into view.

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