AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Him! That handsome man that had swooped in and literally rescued her without asking was turning out to be the strangest beginning to any relationship – and it was working. Oh gosh, she could hear it playing out now in her head…
How did you two meet?
Oh, I’m a pathetic deadbeat who makes pennies and he was a sexy pilot that walked into the bar I worked at, paid off my clunker before feeding me – and I was smitten.
“I am such a loser,” she whispered, starting her car, and saw Killian do the same.
He offered to follow her home, so he knew where to pick her up at in the morning. They were meeting at eight, getting married, then coming back here so she could change for work. They didn’t have rings, barely knew each other, and it certainly wasn’t a love match, but rather a mock-marriage out of necessity.
He wanted a home – and she wanted a child.
Destiny had first started thinking about it a year ago after having an intense dream one night that left her emotionally bereft, because it wasn’t true…
In her dream, she’d been swimming in a warm ocean when everything just kind of faded away and she saw herself in the hospital room. She was covered in sweat and her massive stomach was pressed awkwardly against her thighs. She leaned forward, bearing down with all her might to deliver a baby moments later.
Destiny remembered that beautiful dream so vividly, waking with tears on her pillow, because the nurse had handed her the child covered in amniotic fluid that was shrieking angrily, waving its fists. She was so stunned by the miracle before her that she didn’t have a chance to see if it was a boy or a girl – nor the man that leaned down to kiss her forehead proudly.
… And she woke up sobbing into her pillow, touching her stomach and chest feeling for the baby that she’d delivered – only to find both barren and empty.
She wanted a child so badly, that she’d actually looked into artificial insemination. There was the cost of fertility medications in order to guarantee that it ‘took’.
Finding a donor was mortifying.
Guys usually thought she was nuts, offered ‘love’ but wanted to wear a ‘glove’ – which defeated the purpose of even doing any of this… or didn’t want to be on the birth certificate, at all.
By the time she’d reached her third ‘dud’ in a row just talking with a guy… she’d given up completely - until now. Killian had asked what she wanted in her home… and it just fell out of her mouth before she could stop it.
… And he agreed?!
Pulling into the driveway of her tiny two-bedroom home, she turned off the car and saw him pull in behind her.
… As he got out of his car, too.
“It’s late and I’m sure you are tired,” she said nervously, hoping that he wasn’t wanting to dothatright now?
Please don’t do this,she thought wildly.I’ve seriously got to shave my legs, shower, and brush my teeth.
“I thought we might talk for a moment. Could I bother you for a cup of coffee or water?” he asked quietly. “If not, it’s okay, but I thought it might be better to hash out a few details before tomorrow morning. We might be in a rush to get you to work and then…”
His voice trailed off and she blushed, again knowing what he was alluding to.
“Of course,” she stammered and then hesitated. “Now, my place isn’t fancy at all, so please don’t judge me. It’s clean, but I just don’t have much furniture.”
“No judgement here,” he said openly. “Remember, you have much more than I have currently, unless there’s just a bunk and footlocker in there – then we are even except for the house.”
She nodded nervously and knew he was trying to put her at ease, but this wasn’t helping things. As she unlocked the front door, she realized she was holding her breath, dreading his reaction.
“Now, remember, it’s clean…” she reminded him, feeling the spotlight on her painfully. “And I just moved in here six months ago. I’m still setting up my home and…”
“Would you rather I didn’t come in, Destiny?” he said kindly, causing her to look at him where she stood on the stoop, her hand on the front door handle. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but if we are seriously thinking of putting this all together somehow… then in the near future? I would want to see my child and the friend that I married. Does that make sense? I’m not here to judge or condemn you.”
“I’m just scared, Killian,” she whispered painfully, looking up at his dark eyes and not hiding. “I’m afraid that if you see how I’ve been struggling then you’ll back out of this.”
He reached around her, put his hand over the door handle and gave it a little twist, pushing it open about two inches… smiling tenderly at her.
“Trust me,” he said softly, his eyes holding hers. “If you are going to trust me with your body, then trust me to be a friend, too.”
“You promise you aren’t going to murder me?” she said quietly, unable to resist asking him once more.
