Page 68 of The Duke's Virgin

I met her eyes levelly. “I wasn’t the one who was upset. My relationship with Emmett bothersyou, not me, and that’s your issue. So…no. I’m not upset with you over it.”

Her lids flickered slightly.

It was petty for me to feel smug, but I did. She was so set in her ways aboutproperfriendships,properrelationships. I wondered how often she’d ranted to my father about Emmett. Suppressing a smile, I took another sip from my ginger ale then put the glass down.

“However, since you brought it up, I do have something on my mind, and I might as well tell you both now.” I looked over at my father, then back at Mom. “I’m pregnant.”

Mom had been holding her fork, and it fell from her suddenly limp fingers to hit the plate. Her eyes, wide and stunned, locked on my face. “What did you say?”

That had actually been much easier than I’d thought.

Saying it a second time? Easier still.

“Mom, Dad.” I looked over at him this time. “I’m pregnant.”

“Stacia…” My mother sucked in a breath, sounding appalled. “How can you…you’re not evenmarried.”

“Mom.” Sighing, I looked over at her. “It’s the twenty-first century. Unmarried women don’t get stoned in our society for having babies anymore.”

My father still hadn’t said anything, but at those words, he shoved back abruptly from the table and crossed over to the beverage service and uncapped the whiskey decanter, splashing himself a healthy serving.

“Who is the father?” he demanded after taking a swallow.

“It doesn’t matter.”

My father shot me a hard look. “I fail to see howthatis possible.”

Meeting that look without wilting wasn’t easy, but I managed. “He won’t be part of the baby’s life. And before either of you ask,yes,I’m keeping the baby.”

“What do you mean, the father won’t be part of the baby’s life?” Mom half-shouted.

“I believe you heard me.”

“Iheardyou, but that’s not an explanation, young lady,” she snapped.

I rose from the chair.

“Sit down.” She pointed to the chair like I was eight and had refused to eat my vegetables.

“No, thank you. It’s clear you’re both upset about this. I’m sorry for that. But I refuse to sit here and be scolded like a child. I’mnot. I’m an adult, and I can make my own decisions.”

Twenty-Four

Luka

“You rememberwe have the party in Monaco this Saturday.”

I looked at Geraint, frowning. “What party?”

He stared at me. “You’ve misplaced your brain this summer. You can’t blame it on Emmett’s accident, either. It was misplacedbeforethat.Aeric’sparty. His birthday party. We’ve already RSVP’d.”

I resisted the urge to swear. I didn’t want to go back to Monaco, and I definitely didn’t want to go back to the Prince’s Palace and be assailed with memories of Stacia.

Speculatively, I eyed Geraint.

“No.” He pointed at me. “Get that look off your face, brother.Now.”

“What look?”

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