Sophia’s POV
We had an early dinner and Mr Prescott was the picture of the perfect father to be, asking me if I was fine every other second.
I, on the other hand, felt so tense that I could barely taste the food that passed my lips as the dread of the moment Mr Prescott and I would be alone built.
How angry would he be that I had kept this from him all this while?
When our room door finally shut behind us, Mr Prescott remained silent. Swallowing hard, I turned to face him.
“Mr Prescott?” I said tentatively, my voice slightly shaky.
As though I had broken an unspoken agreement by speaking, Mr Prescott moved towards me.
My breath hitched and despite the fact that I instinctively knew Mr Prescott was not the type of man to hurt a woman, I took a step away from him.
Mr Prescott followed and for every step I took away from him, he took two towards me. Within seconds, he had me backed up against the wall.
My heart raced in my chest and my mouth felt dry. The last time we had been this close, we had been dancing at the Baxter Shareholder Gala and Mr Prescott had kissed me then to get a rise out of Jerry.
Now though it was just us and the secret I had kept from him between us. Mr Prescott leaned in and my lips parted involuntarily only for him to place his hand carefully on my belly like he was scared that if he was rough, it would affect the child.
“It’s Jerry’s.” He said finally and it wasn’t a question.
I didn’t respond.
Even though I wanted this child to be for my unknown one night stand instead of my cheating ex-husband, I knew there was a higher probability it was for Jerry.
Mr Prescott’s voice was so cold and distant as he continued to speak that it scared me.
“Does my half-brother know you are pregnant for him?”
I shook my head.
“No, he doesn’t.”
A small sound left Mr Prescott’s lips and I couldn’t tell if it was a strangled laugh or a sigh.
“Good,” He said finally, that dark amusement creeping into his voice. “And you will keep it that way, Miss Evergreen until our arrangement is completed.”
Until our arrangement was over. Right.
What had I been expecting? The only thing that mattered to Reid Prescott was revenge. He likely saw this pregnancy as another means of getting to hurt Jerry.
“Fine.” I agreed if only to end this conversation.
Mr Prescott’s hand was still on my belly, his proximity messing with my head.
Mr Prescott’s eyebrows climbed high, those gray eyes questioning me.
“Is it really fine, Miss Evergreen?”
I was immediately confused.
“What do you mean?” I said.
“Will this pregnancy sway you from taking revenge on the Baxters?” Mr Prescott asked, the meaning of his words painfully obvious. “Your child with him will be an heir to the Baxter fortune after all.”
My cheeks burned in embarrassment. Mr Prescott wasn’t completely wrong. If I could sign a contract marriage with him for money then it wasn’t exactly a leap for him to assume that I could leverage my pregnancy for money.
But the thought that Mr Prescott saw me in that light did something to me.
“This child is mine,” I said finally as I locked gazes with Mr Prescott. “Not Jerry Baxters but mine and mine alone. So no, this pregnancy will not sway me from taking revenge on them.”
After all the Baxters had done to me, there was no way I would give them access to my child. Ever.
Mr Prescott’s eyes stayed on mine for a moment as though he was trying to ascertain if I was saying the truth then he nodded and pulled away from me as he inclined his head towards the bathroom.
“You can take the shower first.” He said.
I saw the avenue of escape and took it quickly hurrying into the bathroom with my robe and a change of clothes, my cheeks still burning for whatever reason.
It wasn’t until I stepped out of the bathroom drying my damp hair with my towel that I noticed Mr Prescott sitting at the edge of the bed rather than the couch he usually slept on now we shared a room… the couch that was now gone.
“The couch…” I said pointing at the empty space the couch had previously occupied.
Mr Prescott stood up from the bed picking up his towel to head to the bathroom as he spoke.
“Apparently, Nana was redecorating, but don’t worry, I’ll sleep on the floor.”
He would sleep on the hard bare floor?
“No.” I refused.
“No?” Mr Prescott echoed in apparent confusion then a hint of frustration crept into his voice. “Don’t even think about it, Miss Evergreen, I won’t allow you to sleep on the ground in your condition.”
I shook my head, my cheeks flushing as I spoke.
“I wasn’t suggesting that,” I looked into those gray stormy eyes and I knew this might be the craziest decision to make.
“We can share the bed, Mr Prescott.”