Page 36 of Fake Fiancée, Real Baby
He didn’t want her to think he was worried, nor did he want it to seem as though he didn’t care. But a baby changed everything. A kid meant an heir. Recent attempts to modernize the monarchy had resulted in changes to the hereditary laws. Boy or girl, the firstborn would inherit the throne. Had it been a one-night stand, or a vacation fling, Adrien might’ve tried to hide the matter, to bury the prospect with money. But this was different. The marriage was announced, and what had been meant as anattempt to extract himself from a forced engagement had now become something… serious.
“Tired,” Claire said. “I know why I fainted at the hospital. I missed my period.”
“I’m… I’m sorry,” Adrien replied.
He didn’t really know what he was apologizing for, but it felt as though he’d done something wrong — tying her to him, even as she would’ve preferred for them to go their separate ways. His feelings for her were growing stronger by the day, but would she really want to have his baby? He was regretting the nights they’d spent together — why hadn’t he been more careful?
“It takes two,” she said, shrugging, as she tossed the pregnancy test onto the bed.
It was hard to tell how she was feeling. Was she angry with him? Resigned? Or was she happy?
“I know, but… a baby. You know what it means, don’t you?” he said.
Claire gave him a look and rolled her eyes. “I know what being pregnant means, yes. It’s taking a while to get used to. I suppose… well, do we have to tell your parents? Does it make a difference?”
Adrien didn’t want to patronize her. He hadn’t meant it literally. But, as with so much else, the fact of his position complicated what should’ve been a normal and joyous realization. For the ordinary couple, whether married or not, the news of a baby brought happiness. But for Adrien, far more was at stake.
“We can’t tell them, no. Not yet. It’s… well, a baby complicates things. We can’t be seen to have a baby out of wedlock. It’s justnot what’s expected. You know how it’ll be — all the things they’ll write about us,” he said.
“So you want me to get rid of it? I won’t do that, Adrien. I couldn’t,” Claire exclaimed, but Adrien shook his head, putting his hands on her shoulders.
“No, no, I didn’t mean that. Please… we’re in this together. I couldn’t imagine… I want you to have it. But it’s all come as something of a shock. We’ve got to think how to manage it.”
Again, she gave him a look.
“Manage it? It’s a baby — a new life. It’s not something to be managed. We’re going to have a baby, Adrien. That changes everything.”
Adrien nodded. He wasn’t thinking properly. It was all too much. He didn’t want Claire to feel he was managing her, but that was exactly what would happen if his parents found out she was pregnant. Adrien’s life wasn’t his own. Since birth, other people had decided things for him. It was why he’d so often rebelled. But with Claire, things were different. He wanted to settle down — to prove he could be different. He’d planned to ask her to marry him for real, but the discovery of the pregnancy held him back. It should’ve spurned him on, but he was beginning to doubt her feelings for him, and whether they’d be reciprocated.
“I know… and I want to support you in every way I can,” he said.
It sounded so trite.
“You make it sound like it’s a dirty secret,” she replied.
There was a sadness in her eyes, and Adrien felt a surge of guilt for what he’d done to her. It had been like a game at first — likesomething he’d do with any other woman in the past. Exciting and alluring. But it wasn’t a game. It was serious. He didn’t want her to be a dirty secret. There was nothing secret about the way he felt.
“No, please… that’s not true. Not for a moment. I don’t think that. But we’ve got to be careful. Does anyone else know?”
Claire shook her head. “I asked Esme to get the test. But I trust her. She’s worked for the royal family her whole life.”
Adrien nodded. He knew Esme wouldn’t say anything, but royal watchers would soon be suspicious. Adrien had already seen something on his phone about Claire’s collapse at the hospital, with the words “morning sickness” linked below.
“You need to rest. That’s the most important thing.”
“And stay out of sight, you mean?” Claire replied.
“No, I don’t mean it like that. Please, Claire… I want you to understand how I feel. This isn’t a game to me anymore. I know a baby isn’t what we planned, and perhaps it means putting the restaurant on hold for a while…”
At these words, she turned away, raising her hand to her face as though fighting back tears. He put his hand out to touch her — he wanted to put his arms around her, to tell her it would be all right, that they’d get through it together. He wanted to tell her he was falling in love with her — that what had happened between them on the yacht, and over the past few weeks meant something to him. But he’d already said the wrong thing.
“That’s my dream, Adrien. I know it didn’t mean much to you. A small price to pay for a pretense. But it meant something to me.We’re both to blame for this,” she said, placing her hand on her stomach.
“But it does mean something to me.Youmean something to me. Don’t you see that?” he said.
For a moment, she avoided his gaze, and took her hand in his, raising it to his lips. He wanted her to understand how he felt — how she made him feel. No other woman had ever made him feel like this. With Claire, he was himself. There was nothing strained or on show. She’d brought out the best in him.
“I’ve got to think about this… I need some time,” she said.
