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“I’m pregnant, August, not dying,” I snapped, making him cringe.
He tucked me under the covers while Atticus stared out the window. Leo was sitting at the foot of the bed, staring at his hands like he was trying to memorize his lifelines. “I’m just going to say what we’re all thinking,” August said, his voice scratchy. “The baby is totally mine.”
Atticus turned his head to us, a scowl on his face. “And what would make you think that?”
August stood taller, a proud grin on his face. “According to my research, if she had her period seven weeks ago, then that means she ovulated about four or five weeks ago, and I vividly remember fucking her brains out then.” He paused to look at me. “Respectfully, love.”
I sat up and stared at him. “You looked up ovulation?”
He stroked my cheek. “I needed to know.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I glared at each of them. “Would it make any difference if it was Atticus’s or Leo’s baby?”
“Well, no,” August stammered. “But I mean…this baby is mine. That’s different.”
Atticus cleared his throat. “We don’t know for sure. Some women ovulate at different times. Plus, Christine has been under a tremendous amount of stress. It could be mine.”
“It’s definitely not mine,” Leo snapped, the hurt in his voice making me sigh. “The royal guard makes all their men get vasectomies.”
I sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. “You know that this baby is all of yours, right?” I whispered as I reached out to hold Leo’s hand. “I know things are complicated, but when I said I want you all, I meant it. Which means we’re all having a baby.”
Leo looked at me like I had stabbed him. “That sounds really idealistic, Christine. But let’s try and think about this objectively. You want all four of us to raise this baby?”
“Well, yes, why not?” I asked all of them.
“Christine, your child will be a royal,” August explained.
Atticus cleared his throat. “My child would be a DuPont.”
Leo looked bitterly at the ground. “And if it were my child, it would be nothing more than a bastard. You’re planning on marrying August still, right?”
“Yes.”
Leo stood up. “So if it’s his baby, the child will be a royal. He’s the one you intend to marry, yes? Regardless of his father, August will be king.” He paused to wave a hand at Atticus. “And if later on down the line, you have Atticus’s child, he or she will still be a bastard, but no one will think twice about it. They’ll be protected and provided for by the DuPont name. But if it were my child—not that it could be…” He swallowed. “It would be a no-name bastard with no title, no recognition. I’m…struggling with a lot of things. I want to believe you when you say that we’re all in this together, but what if everything changes when that child comes along? What if you decide it’s too much work—it’s too twisted—to love us, too. Then what? Atticus and I will be forced to just give you up?”
Atticus laughed. “I’m not giving her up. I don’t care about marriage. I already own Christine’s fucking soul. I’ve got a death grip on her heart that no ceremony or piece of paper can get rid of.”
August held his hand up like a stop sign. “For the record, I’m not giving up, either. I’m not where I thought I would be in my life right now, but I would go through hell and back to prove to Christine that I’m a good father and husband.” He pulled my hand up to his mouth to kiss my knuckles. “Atticus might not want a ceremony or piece of paper, but I’m excited to do that with you.”
Leo raised his head to look at both August and me. “If Christine chooses you over us, or if you both decide you’re just better off without us, then I don’t want anything to do with the baby. It would hurt too much. It’s your choice, but I won’t be involved.”
“Leo, it’s not like that,” I said, hurt in my voice.
“I’m not saying it is. But I don’t think I could handle watching you two love each other, building a happy little family without me. I could never be okay with that.”
Atticus sighed. “I’ll love the child like they are my own.”
“I’m not going to give you up, Leo,” I croaked. “The only person pushing you away is yourself. I’m telling you that I want all of us to find a way to make this work. It’s still new and we have a lot to process but—”
“But when you’re done processing, will you decide staying with August and only August is the best course of action?” Leo asked.
Atticus scoffed. “Doesn’t matter what she decides. I’m telling you, that’s not going to happen. I’m not going anywhere, whether she wants me or not. So the only person ending this is you, Leo. Let’s give you two some time to talk.”
The room fell silent. Atticus stood up and motioned for August to follow him. After a moment of hesitation, they both left the room, closing the door behind them. I looked at Leo, hoping he would say something to make this better, but he just covered his eyes with his hand.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say,” I said softly as I stood up. I took his hand and pulled it away from his face. “I realize that I can’t control you, I can’t force you to try. I want us to find a way to make this work,” I spoke as I lightly stroked his face. “I know that once we figure it out, we’re going to be stronger than ever.”
I reached my arms up to wrap around his neck. “I’m not choosing August or Atticus. If we move forward, it will be all of us. How can I convince you that I want this? I want you? If you can’t believe me, then we’re never going to work, Leo. All I have is my faith in us, and all you have is…”
