Page 75 of Nine Months to Love

“Olivia.”

She sighs. “My mother called. The second I turned on my phone, there she was.”

“Of course she did. What did she say?”

“She was thrilled about the partnership. And even more thrilled about the baby.”

I wait. There’s more. I can tell.

“She said I’ve locked you down,” Olivia continues quietly. “That the baby is the ultimate commitment. ‘He’ll have to stay involved now’ were her exact words.”

Anger flares hot in my chest. “She thinks you got pregnant on purpose.”

“Mhmm. And she thinks I’m smart for doing it.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Yeah.”

I tighten my arm around her. “You know that’s not true, right? You know I don’t think that.”

“I know. But hearing her say it...” She trails off. “It made me wonder if maybe part of me did want that. To trap you. To make sure you couldn’t leave.”

“Olivia—”

“I know it’s crazy. In my heart of hearts,Iknow I didn’t plan this. At least, not consciously. But what if somewhere deep down, I wanted it to happen? What if I’m just as manipulative as she is? What if that’s just my DNA and there’s no point pretending otherwise?”

I turn her face toward mine. “Listen to me. You are nothing like your mother. Nothing.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because your mother would never question her own motives. She’d never worry about being manipulative. She’d just do it and justify it afterward.” I brush my thumb across her cheekbone. “You’re too good for that. Too honest.”

“I don’t feel honest right now.”

“That’s because you’re human. Humans have complicated feelings about complicated situations. That’s allowed, Olivia. You don’t have to paint inside the lines she gives you.”

She searches my face. “Do you feel trapped?”

“No.”

“Not even a little?”

“Not even a little.” I pull her closer. “When I first made you that offer, I didn’t want attachments. I wanted an heir and a clean business arrangement. That was it.”

“And now?”

“Now, I’m glad you’re in my life. I’m glad you’re carrying my child. I’m glad we’re doing this together. Honestly, ‘glad’ feels like such an inadequate word for what all those things mean to me.”

“Really?”

“Really.” I kiss her forehead. “Ten years from now, I want to wake up and see you in my bed. We’ll watch our kid run around the house, probably destroying something expensive, and we’ll argue about what to have for dinner and where to go on vacation. I want that, okay? All of it, Olivia. The boring parts and the messy parts and everything in between.”

She’s quiet for a moment. “What are we to each other in this future?”

“Partners. Lovers. Soulmates. Whatever you want to call it.”

She pulls back to look at me, her eyes wide. “Soulmates? You believe in soulmates?”