Page 96 of Thorns of Deceit

“What the hell is all that?” I asked, blinking hard. Did he hear Athena was pregnant and go rogue with baby shower gifts? I didn’t know much about baby showers, but this looked… excessive.

Aiden gave me a look that screamed obvious. “It’s for our baby.”

My eyebrows shot up so high they practically joined my hairline. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You’re pregnant,” he said, like it was the most casual fact in the world.

And just like that, the room tilted sideways.

THIRTY-SEVEN

AIDEN

Raven stared at me with wide eyes, a range of emotions rolling through her expression while silence stretched between us.

“No,” she finally said in a flat voice. “That’s not… no. No, no, no.” I got the sense she was trying to convince herself more than me. “It couldn’t have happened so fast. No, no, I’m not pregnant.”

“Would you like to see the pregnancy test?” I offered. “Or maybe we can take the test all over again? I stopped and picked up three different ones.”

“You should really learn to mind your own business, Aiden,” she snapped. “Besides, you’re bluffing. I know you are.”

I made my way into the living room and dropped the bags on the couch with a heavy thud. The teddy bear slumped forward like it wasn’t welcome here.

My jaw clenched. “Raven. I have seen the plus on the pregnancy test you left in your apartment.”

Her pupils dilated as she continued to stare at me.

“You snooped around my private belongings?”

“My brother found it while packing your stuff,” I said calmly. She was clearly in shock and didn’t need me losing my shit too.

“So, yes, they snooped through my stuff?”

“It wasn’t snooping. You knew they went back to your apartment to pack up your things to bring them here. Why did you keep the pregnancy from me?”

She opened her mouth but nothing came out. I could practically hear the gears grinding as she thought up an excuse.

“Raven,” I growled, anger twisting my insides.

“I didn’t see it,” she said in a high-pitched voice, pushing her hands through her strands and gripping them like it was her sanity. “I’d just taken it when you burst into my room. I never even got to see the result.”

“You should have told me you’d taken it in the first place,” I objected, knowing I was being unreasonable.

“It was positive?” she whispered, shaking her head as if that would alter the outcome. “False positives happen.”

I moved closer. She took two steps back, her hands trembling at her sides.

“We didn’t use protection,” I reminded her, my voice low, almost swallowed by the thick silence between us. “Not the first time and not last night.”

Her eyes widened, glassy and unfocused, like a deer caught in headlights. The color drained from her face until she looked almost translucent in the dim light. “Maybe it’s not… yours,” she whispered, each word trembling on her lips.

I took a slow breath, fighting to keep my tone steady.

“You were a virgin before we slept together,” I said gently but firmly. “And I’m the only man who’s touched you since.”

She shook her head, strands of hair falling into her eyes.

“No, no, no… It can’t be.” Her hands came up to her mouth, trembling. “I don’t want this.” Her voice cracked on the last word, raw and fragile. “Not now. Not like this.”