Page 172 of Modern Romance June 2025 1-4

‘You’re out of your mind, Emilio! I’m not marrying you!’ She looked around the office, searching for who knew what; when she looked back at him, her hazel eyes were vivid with repressed rage. ‘It’s the twenty-first century, Emilio. We don’t have to get married just because I fell pregnant. We can co-parent. Come to a satisfying custody agreement. There is a myriad of options that don’t include marriage!’

Absolutely not!Emilio wasn’t going to miss out on any part of his child’s life the way his father had removed himself from his. Shared custody would mean he would have to go days, maybe weeks, without seeing or living with his child. No way was that happening. He wanted every moment. His child would not wonder where he was, would not question why they weren’t enough for his attention. They wouldn’t grow up with that pain.

‘Together, we can give our child a better future, Jasmine. A better life. Surely you want that for them?’ She had grown up poor; that had been clear from the fact-file. ‘If we share custody, they would be bounced from house to house, having to unpack a suitcase just to turn around and pack one again the next week. They will have more stability if we marry.’

Jasmine planted her hands on her desk and leaned towards him, a vein throbbing in her temple. ‘You mean you can avoid a scandal if we marry.’

Emilio didn’t want to lie to her, so he said nothing.

‘I know how it works with old money, Emilio,’ she said through clenched teeth.

‘Surely you would agree that growing up in a two-parent household is better than the alternative?’

‘You utter bastard!’ Jasmine pushed off the desk, her nostrils flaring. He saw her hands clench into trembling fists as she tried and failed to contain her outrage. ‘You looked into me, didn’t you?’

‘Of course I did. You have to know that a man in my position can’t operate on blind faith,’ Emilio said calmly, still seated in his chair. But what he wouldn’t say, wouldn’t show, was that he knew a little about how Jasmine felt. He’d never know what it was like to struggle for money, but to be raised by a single parent… That he understood.

Jasmine’s father had abandoned his family for a new life in a new town; Emilio’s father had stayed. He had lived with them, slept in the same bed as Emilio’s mother, showered attention upon Enzo. But he had still abandoned Emilio—just him. His father had removed himself from Emilio’s life. There’d been no conversations with his younger son, or concerns about his well-being. Not even a word for him at dinner.

Emilio knew exactly how it felt to sit alone and question what could be so wrong with him that he deserved to be unloved.

He didn’t want that for his child. He would give them the attention—the affection—that he’d never once received.

Emilio had infuriated her, and he was being ridiculous, and—worst of all—the maddening urge to climb him like a tree hadn’t abated. But, despite all of that, Jasmine had to acknowledge that he was right. If the roles had been reversed, she would likely have been suspicious too. And she had to admit that, now the paternity had been confirmed, Emilio was here taking responsibility.

She was fully capable of providing for her child, but she knew what it was like coming from a single-parent background. She would move heaven and earth for her baby, but it still might not be enough. How would her child feel when she had to prioritise work over something important to them? That would happen, inevitably, because she would need SOP to thrive more than ever: her child’s livelihood would depend on it. And how would they feel without their father’s constant presence? She knew howshehad felt growing up: the anger and hate and questions. What about when her child found out that they could have had a complete family, but Jasmine had been the one to say no? Would they grow to resent her for making that choice?

She walked to the open door and scanned the floor of vacant desks. Every one of those symbolised an employee, another responsibility. She had worked so hard to be a success. The goal had always been financial stability, then marriage and then children, in that order. Her father leaving was a big reason for that. She had thought Richard was going to be her partner through that journey, but his secrets and lies had just left her with greater wounds, and wasted the years she had spent trying to make herself fit into a mould for him.

‘You’re working on a Saturday! Are you trying to prove that you’re more ambitious than me? Is that it? You need to prove you’re better?’

She’d allowed Richard into her head. Tried to work less around him, tried to make him comfortable. Now she had replaced him entirely with SOP and was happier for it, but her lifestyle meant that both she and her child would have to make sacrifices. On her own, there would be sacrifices, no matter which way she looked at things.

It might not be the way she would have chosen for her plan to come to fruition, but Emilio was offering her everything she had wanted, and he seemed sincere in his desire to be a father for this child.

‘You’re right,’ she said reluctantly, still not looking at him. ‘A home with two parents to love our child would be better.’

She turned round to find Emilio giving her his full attention. His face was a perfect mask of calm. That rationality would make what must come next a much easier discussion.

‘We need to set some ground rules for this marriage.’

‘I’m all ears.’ Emilio gave nothing away. There was no twinkle in his eye or smile on his lips. His leg was crossed over his knee, elbows on the arm rests, fingers knitted between each other. This was a negotiation.

‘What happened between us at Boulevard was meant to be just for a night. I don’t know you and I don’t trust you. We will not be sharing a bed.’ It was best that she remove any temptation to grow close to Emilio. Physical intimacy could lead her to grow feelings for him, to rely on him. Her trust had been broken, shattered too many times to risk that again. Last time, she’d lost her fiancé and her best friend. It was always safest to go through life depending on no one but herself.

‘You don’t trust me yet, Jasmine, but I’m hoping that with time you will. That said, I agree with you.’

She hadn’t expected him to agree so readily. Especially when it was clear to her from that night at the club that he was someone who revelled in female company. Her doubt must have been written on her face.

‘I don’t require sex to live, Jasmine. It’s not that important in my life. What’s your next rule?’

She found that hard to believe, and not just because she was disinclined to believe anyone’s words any more. He hadclearlyenjoyed himself during their encounter. Despite her thoughts, she continued.

‘The second thing is that I am happy for you to be involved with the baby and provide for our child. But you will not be doing the same for me. What is our own will remain so.’

‘I will have a pre-nup drawn up immediately and sent to you for approval. You can look it over tomorrow morning. I will arrange to have the ceremony in the afternoon.’

This man was insane.

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