Page 100 of Single Dad's Fake Bride
I wasn't a pessimist, but this negative spiral felt like it had my world turning upside down and taking other people with it. If I lost this case, not only did I lose Hawthorne and Eloise's ability to remain there as a student—because I could never afford tuition on my own—but it would turn Sadie's world around too. And Janet's, stunting or even stopping her recovery.
The news from Blackwood today hadn't been promising. The judge allowing the case to go from deposition to discovery should never have happened, yet here I was, staring down the double barrel of life. Lose the case, lose everything, and have no job to return to. The pressure I was under felt helpless, given that I had no control over the situation.
Dragging Sadie into this had been a very poor leap of faith. I should've washed my hands of it when I had the chance and explained to my sisters why Eloise needed their help to stay atHawthorne. I'd let my pride ruin my chances of that, and now there was no turning back. I had to let this play out and pray to whatever god may be listening that something would break my direction.
When Sadie burst out of the bathroom with something fisted in her hand, I looked up, feeling a bit of shock. I didn't know where she was. After rushing off during dinner clean up, I thought maybe she was feeling sick. Then Janet said she threw up, and I assumed her last week at the school had exposed her to the flu that typically started doing its rounds this time of year.
But the frightened, deer-in-the-headlights expression on her face didn't scream "flu". It looked more like rigid panic, laced with hesitation or fear.
"Are you alright?" I asked her, ignoring the fact that I was in only my boxers. I made a point over the past few weeks with Janet staying here to change and be ready before Sadie came to bed, or long after she was asleep. The tension between us was often explosive, the chemistry so addictive we had no way of stopping ourselves. But I hated how disrespectful it made me feel toward her. She deserved better than my lack of self-control.
Sadie padded toward me, opening her palm as she walked, and I stared at her hand. Something wrapped in a tissue lay on her palm, and her hand shook slightly. Her skin was pale, like she was afraid, but her cheeks were flushed and her eyes wide. She acted as if she wanted me to take it from her, so I reached up hesitantly and plucked it from her palm, folding the tissue back.
The small, white plastic wand was face down, but I knew what it was the instant I saw it, and the second I had it in my hand, she hugged her arms over her chest and backed away like I had the plague. I didn't need to turn it over to know. My insides felt like lava instantly, and my chest blew up like a balloon.
But I flipped it over to see the two pink lines and the tears came before I could speak, large, swelling drops that rolled downmy cheeks and had me shaking my head. The breaking point I'd been needing for months.
"You're…?" I said, looking up at her frightened face.
Sadie didn't respond with words, but her head dropped like she felt ashamed as I stood and dropped the test, taking her by the biceps and pulling her against my chest.
"Oh my God, Sadie…" I breathed, cradling her, kissing the top of her head. My heart hammered, but it was elation, not fear or anger or whatever reaction she was bracing for.
"Please… don’t be angry…"
"Angry?" I asked, snapping her back to arm's length so I could see her face. "Why on earth would I be angry? My God….This is amazing. It's incredible. You're pregnant!"
She trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks and she stared up at me, still frazzled. I could tell she was still frightened and unsure of what was going through my head.
"Did you mean it?" she asked timidly.
"Mean what?" I shook my head, confused.
"When you said you loved me. Did you mean it?" Her lip quivered, and I let the smile I felt warm my face as I pulled her back to my chest.
"I meant it more than I've ever meant it to anyone, sweet, amazing girl. You came into my life and changed everything, and even if this entire circus of a mess we're in went pear-shaped, I would still love you. It's crazy fast and I know it's stupid and I should have no good reason to feel this strongly, but I love you." I held her back again, cupping both of her cheeks as I continued.
"I love the way you read to Eloise. I love the way you make coffee rings on my counter. I love the way you leave the lid off the milk carton and the way you fold towels in thirds instead of by halves and I love how you?—"
Her hand shot up and she pressed one finger to my lips to stop my rambling. It's a good thing because I had a millionthings I loved about her that I would probably stand here telling her if she let me. But her finger preceded her lips as she rose to her tiptoes and pressed them to mine. It was warm and hopeful, and I let her part my lips and slip her tongue against mine.
When she pulled away, she whispered, "It doesn't have to mean anything… Anything at all…" Then as another tear rolled down her cheek, she kissed me again.
Her finger fell from my lips and I let myself sink into her, into the trembling sweetness of her mouth. My hands framed her face, then slid down her sides, over her waist, until my thumbs found the edge of her shorts.
She didn’t stop me. She pulled me closer, her chest pressed against mine, her body warm and eager beneath my touch. I guided her backward until the backs of her legs brushed the bed, and she sank down onto it, her eyes wide and searching.
“Sadie…” I breathed, brushing a strand of hair away from her cheek.
She shook her head, as if she didn’t want me to say anything else, and tugged at the waistband of my boxers. Her urgency caught me off guard, but it only fanned the fire already burning through me. I slid her shirt over her head, tossing it aside, and she arched up to help me. Her skin glowed in the dim light, every inch of her calling to me.
“You don’t have to be afraid,” I whispered. “Not of me. Not of this.”
Her breath hitched, but she pulled me down on top of her, her thighs parting to cradle me. I kissed down her throat, tasting the salt of her tears, the heat of her pulse racing beneath her skin. Each sound she made wound me tighter, each gasp unraveling me more.
I hooked my thumbs into her shorts and slid them down slowly, her hips lifting to help me. She was shaking, but it wasn’t fear anymore. Her fingers clutched at my shoulders as I touchedher, as I let my hand slip between her thighs, feeling her already wet for me.
“Harrison…” she whispered, her voice breaking.
