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I grab my phone, sliding it open and tapping on the display, then press on Luna’s name.
She picks up on the third ring, her cheerful voice echoing in my ear and calming me down for a brief second. “Hi, babe! How have you been?” I hear razor-sharp sounds, so she must be cutting something. “I’m in the studio right now working on my latest statue, so if you can—”
“I’m pregnant.”
“Fuck the statue.” Silence instantly falls around us as she must have stopped whatever she’s been doing. “Who is the father?”
“What do you mean, who’s the father? Florian!”
I called Luna right away after losing my virginity, only to find out that Vincent dragged her to Vegas, and they got hitched.
“Well, I had to ask. It’s been weeks. Would it be so wrong to assume you had a revenge fuck with some hot hunk to get back at him?”
She says it so matter-of-factly I barely manage to pick up my jaw from the floor. “Yes. Sex is supposed to be about my pleasure, not trying to prove something to my…hookup?” Not sure what I’m supposed to call Florian at this point, and I huff in frustration. “Let’s focus, Luna. I’m pregnant, and I’m freaking out, so I need you to calm me down before I spill my guts once again.” I flip open the water bottle and greedily gulp it. “Well? Any suggestions?”
“Okay, okay. Hmm…let’s think about it rationally. First…are you keeping the baby or not? Because my plan of action depends on your answer.”
Placing my splayed palm on my abdomen, I sigh and rub it a little, thinking about all the options I have at my disposal. Despite my young age, I always wanted a baby, and I have all the financial means to support it with or without my family's approval. “I’m keeping the baby.”
“Okay.” She fails to hide her surprise and exhales a heavy breath. “Okay,” she repeats, which makes me think nothing, in fact, is okay. “So you have to talk to Florian. He has a right to know.” I nod even though she can’t see me. “It’s better he finds out from you than someone else.”
“I know.” I might be mad at him and disgusted at myself for lusting after such a man who fucks everything that moves just to prove a point to me, but still. As the father, he has rights and responsibilities. “If he decides to be involved, then we can tell our families together.”
“If?” Luna snaps, her tone changing to full-on pissed off. “You weren’t the only one having sex that night, Jimena. The hell you mean if?”
“I won’t force him to be in the baby’s life if he doesn’t want to, Luna. We all have a right to decide that for ourselves, and it won’t make him an ass.” I won’t budge on this one because I strongly believe in that. A father who hates his kid is worse than an absent father. “Sounds like I have a plan.” Giving myself one last glance, I hide the test under the sink and go back to my room, breathing the fresh air slipping from the open window and bringing some much-needed relief. “We’re traveling to New York again this weekend. Santiago has some urgent matter to attend to there. I’ll tell Florian then.” My brother’s friend Arson is having some issues with his woman there, and my brother asked me if I minded tagging along to ease some of her tension. Initially, I planned to refuse, but it’s the perfect place to spring the truth on Florian since my brother won’t be around to breathe down my neck. “Wish me luck.”
She stays silent for several beats as I drop on the bed, the cushions swallowing me whole, and stare up at the ceiling, waiting for her to say what’s truly in her heart. My friend can’t lie for shit. “Are you sure about this, Jimena? This baby…it will forever bind you to him. You can fool yourself into believing the storm will pass, but you’re a Cortez and he’s a Price. One character trait you all have in common is stubbornness. He’ll claim that baby, but chances are, he won’t claim you in the process.” She shoots an invisible arrow straight to my bruised heart, and my fingers curl on the blanket, clenching it hard. “Will you survive that? Having him in your life but not really having him? And someday watching him build a family with another woman while he didn’t want to do so with you.”
Oh God, why does it hurt so much?
I force myself to push through these emotions and face the reality anyway. With or without the baby, our families are so tight I will forever have to interact with him in some way. Baby or not.
But at least I will have a part of him, right? As pathetic as it sounds.
“I want the baby, Luna. Please be on my side on this because I’ll have to fight everyone else. I can’t have you on their side.”
She must hear the desperation in my voice because she quickly says, “Sure. Cool. I’m the godmother, right?” She barks a laugh. “I can be the cool aunt who teaches the kid all the wrong things and never take responsibility for it.” A beat passes. “I assume Octavius will be the godfather? He can be the boring uncle who follows all the rules. We’ll balance each other out.”
A smile curves my mouth as I listen to her ramble on about the future, and I roll to the side, rubbing my stomach.
Yes, if Florian accepts the baby, there is no doubt Octavius will be the godfather, and a great one at that. He’s an amazing uncle to his sister’s triplets.
I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Death
A wide grin spreads on my face when I finish listening to Jimena’s conversation while pleasure spreads through my veins in anticipation of the upcoming kill.
Finally.
A new heir to the throne that the Price family will have no choice but to claim.
And once they do?
The little kid is mine.
Except…
