Page 58 of His Secret Virgin
Chapter 23
Christopher
“Emma?” I watched her body freeze up at the sound of my voice. “Baby, I’m here for you.” I walked into the small dorm room that belonged to her friend.
Thank God Valerie had answered my message when I arrived at Columbia. I knew Emma had to be there somewhere, but I had no idea where. Valerie had responded to my message with the number to her room, and I came straight away to get my girl back.
Emma still hadn’t moved so much as a muscle. I wrapped my arms around her from behind and kissed the top of her head. It felt so good to have her back in my arms.
“You shouldn’t have come,” Emma whispered. “She shouldn’t have told you where I was.”
“I had to,” her friend said as she came to stand in front of her. “I’m not letting you run, Emma. He’s come here for you, and I’m not about to let you make the biggest mistake of your life by trying to do this on your own.”
I had to hand it to the young lady, Valerie was an excellent friend. “Thank you for letting me up here, Valerie. After Emma called, I knew there was only one place she’d be, and that was with you.”
“I’ll leave you guys alone.” Val looked at me with a soft smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Christopher. Do right by my friend, please.”
“I will, I can promise you that.” I turned Emma in my arms, and she buried her face in my chest as her arms wrapped around me. “We’ll lock up when we leave.”
“Thank you,” Valerie said just before she walked out the door. “Love you, Emma. Call me later.”
Alone at last with the young woman who carried my child, I knew I had to let her know how I really felt about her. “Emma, I want you to know that I love you. I want you to know that I’m here for you and this child. And we’re going to tell everyone about us now. No more hiding.”
Her arms tightened around me. “I love you, too. But I’m so scared.”
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared as well, but she needed me to be strong for her. “There’s no reason to be afraid. You’re not alone in this. You shouldn’t have run off, baby. You scared me to death, you know.”
She looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry about everything. I should’ve been on birth control or made sure we used condoms, but I never even thought about it. If I’d been smarter, then this wouldn’t have happened.”
Swaying back and forth with her in my arms, I could do nothing else but smile into her eyes. “Don’t blame yourself—I wasn’t thinking about birth control either. And I’m glad this happened.”
Slowly her expression transformed into disbelief. “You can’t be glad about this. Don’t lie, Christopher.”
“I’m not lying.” I pulled her along with me to sit on one of the small beds and then I pulled her onto my lap. “At first I was shocked and numb, but then it started to sink in. We’re having a baby. You and I are really having a baby. And I’ve never been happier in my entire life.” I knew my smile matched my words, and I couldn’t have wiped it off my face if I tried. “I’ve also never loved anyone the way I love you. Having a baby is exactly the right thing for us to do, Emma. Can’t you see that? This child is a product of our love. Nothing could make me happier.”
Her brow furrowed, she still did not look convinced. “This isn’t going to go well. This will not be easy. I have no idea how my father will react, but it won’t be good at all. And I’m sure your daughters won’t be jumping up and down with joy either.”
“I don’t care. They can all get the hell over it, baby. First of all, you won’t be living at home with your parents anymore. You’ll be moving in with me in my home.” Watching her reaction, I wasn’t exactly pleased.
Her face melted and paled. “No! Your daughters will hate me, Christopher!”
“I don’t want you to worry about them. If they don’t treat you right, they’ll have to move out.” I wasn’t about to let them make Emma’s life uncomfortable in the least. “I mean it. If they say one bad word to you, I want to know about it. No one, including your father, is going to say a harsh word to you, or they’ll have to deal with me.”
Slowly, her expression began to change. Trust began to glow in her eyes. “That’s so much for you to take on.”
I kissed her lips softly. “I can take it on, Emma. I want to take it on, don’t worry about that. Come home with me now.”
“I guess that’s the best thing for me to do. We can weather this together, I think, no matter how many people will hate this.” She looked into my eyes as she ran her hand over my cheek. “I do love you. And hearing you say all that stuff about us having a baby makes me so happy. I’ve been such a mess since I saw that stick this morning. But you’re here, and you’re making me feel very safe, very happy—very taken care of.”
“And loved?” I asked. I wanted her to feel that most of all.
Her smile was brilliant. “And loved.” She leaned up to kiss my cheek. “And I hope you feel loved too.”
Turning to catch her lips, I gave her another kiss. “I do feel loved. I would’ve said it sooner, but for some reason it never slipped off my tongue. But now that it has, prepare yourself to hear it often.”
Taking Emma out of that dorm room, I put her in her car so she could follow me home. I’d told her to call her father to let him know she was fine, and that she would see him and her mother at home the next evening to explain everything.
On my way home, I’d called my daughters and told them to meet me there because I had big news. I imagined they thought I was going to tell them that I would buy them that island they wanted. If so, they would be in for a real disappointment.
