Page 41 of Queen’s Gambit

“Just say it.”

“I’m worried what you’ll think of me for bringing this up.”

“Eddie, please. This is me. If you trust me as much as I trust you then just say the words, I will never think ill of you.”

“I told Marcus that we were worried your father wouldn’t approve a marriage between us,” he said.

“Okay, and what was his idea?”

“He said….” Eddie shook his head and then burst from his seat to walk to the window. “Forget it, I can’t.”

Following him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and nuzzled his back. The world felt right when I was holding Eddie.

“Please tell me. I won’t be angry.”

Eddie turned in my arms and gripped my hips, sending fireworks throughout my body. We’d spent so much time apart, separated by thousands of miles. The last month had been magical, and every second fed into the dream of our future together. His grey eyes captivated me, and I knew without a doubt that he was the only man I would ever love. Distance couldn’t break us, and time held no meaning. We were simply destined to be together.

“He said that we should consider getting you pregnant.”

Eddie’s voice was soft, and his eyes were filled with shame, but...

“Oh my god….”

“I know, Ana. I’m so sorry. I never should’ve brought it up,” he said, and I shook my head.

“No, that’s brilliant. How did we not think of that? It’s so simple.”

“What?”

I tapped my chin and paced as I thought through the potential outcomes of such a scheme. We were a little younger than I’d pictured. But did it really matter when we planned to marry and spend our lives together? We needed to force my father’s hand and make him agree. This accomplished that.

“My father is all about tradition, but the one thing he values more is his reputation. If word gets out that his daughter is pregnant out of wedlock, he’ll be humiliated.”

“I’m not sure humiliating your father is the way to go here,” Eddie said, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.

“But it is. If we do this, then he’ll force a wedding. Paperwork will be signed, and we’ll be married within days. Yes, he’ll be furious at first, but he’ll get over it. He may even respect it as a power play.”

Eddie sat down on my bed and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees.

“I don’t know, Ana. This doesn’t feel right.”

I knelt in front of him and cupped his face.

“Do you not want me or...children?”

His eyes flared with an instant heat that stopped my next breath.

“Of course I do. I want a life with you, including kids, but…this…feels dirty in an underhanded way that I’m not sure I’m comfortable with.”

“If this is about deceiving my father, then you should know he wouldn’t think twice about doing it to you if given a chance, and it served his purpose.”

Eddie caressed my arms until he got to my hands and then held them.

“Yes, my hesitation is partially about the repercussions and your father’s wrath, but more than that…Ana, I don’t want to disrespect you.”

“Me? Eddie…you could never. I want this. I want you, and if that means having children earlier than we may have planned, then I’ll do it.”

“Ana, that is no reason to have children, and I don’t want our child to ever feel they were conceived as a power play move and not out of love.”