I was stunned when he asked the question, staring at him in shock. I knew I couldn’t fool him; he was looking down at me, trying to gauge my reaction.
But I wasn’t ready to let him know about my pregnancy. I don’t think we’re there yet. Even though he seems to be warming up to me, I need to guard my heart.
I smiled softly, trying not to give anything away.
“Why did you ask? Did you see any baby pictures in your dreams?” I asked with a nervous laugh.
He smiled and pulled me closer. His eyes darted around my face as if searching for something only he knew.
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, wondering if he already knew, if he could somehow sense the life growing inside me.
He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch gentle.
“Just curious,” he said softly, his voice laced with something I couldn’t quite read.
“You seem different lately… I thought maybe there was something you weren’t telling me.”
I forced myself to keep smiling, though inside, my thoughts were spinning.
“Different? How so?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light.
He chuckled a low sound.
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m imagining things. But you seem… distracted, maybe a bit distant.”
“You know you can tell me if you’re pregnant,” he said suddenly, catching me off guard.
I laughed, trying to sound casual. “Logan, I’m not pregnant. I wish I was, but sorry, I’m not.”
He looked at me, surprised. “You wish you were?” he asked, nibbling my ear. I shuddered at the intimacy, my body craving his touch.
It had been so long, and all I wanted was to feel him inside me, but I didn’t want to rush things.
“Mm-hmm,” I nodded. “It’s almost nine months since we’ve been together, and part of the contract says I need to give you an heir. So if I got pregnant now, after nine months, I’d give birth, take care of the child for six months, then drop the child with you and go my way.”
I paused, looking away.
“My mom would be fine, you’d have an heir, everyone would be happy… and we’d go our separate ways.”
He pulled back slightly, his expression shifting.
“So that’s it?” he asked, his voice bare above a whisper. “You’d just leave after everything?”
I nodded, feeling a knot form in my throat. “That was the deal, Logan. You get an heir, I get my freedom. It’s what we agreed on.”
He was silent for a moment.
I know I didn’t mean everything I said, but I just brought it up to hide the anxiety I’m feeling.
He’s so close to guessing that I’m pregnant. How could I give birth to a child, love him, and then leave after six months? God knows I would cherish and love my child unconditionally.
“We would need to make a plan for how to take care of our child after we separate.”
Logan’s jaw clenched, and his grip on my hand tightened.
“Logan, you’re hurting me,” I said, hissing in pain. I could see something like a haze lift from him as he quickly pulled away.
“Sorry,” he muttered, looking down.
“I didn’t realize I was holding on to you like that.”
But I could tell he was hurt by what I said. He hadn’t expected it, especially after I’d stuck around through his accident and everything that followed.
He couldn’t hold back his thoughts. “You’ll leave your child and walk away after six months?” he asked, looking at me, waiting for my response.
“Chill, Logan,” I said, trying to sound casual.
“You’re making it sound like it’s way out of the ordinary. It’s in the contract, remember?”
His face fell, and I could see the hurt in his eyes.
“I know our being together is supposed to be for two years, but I…” He trailed off, not finishing his sentence.
“But I… what, Logan?” I asked, confused about why he stopped.
He looked at me with wounded eyes, shaking his head. He hadn’t expected me to say all of that. “You know what, never mind,” he said in disappointment.
I watched as Logan turned away slightly, the tension between us growing, and I knew that what I had said had hurt him more than I intended.
“Okay, Logan,” I said, trying to ease the situation.
“But before you start overthinking, I’m not pregnant. And please, let’s just leave it at that.”
Logan didn’t seem convinced.
“Okay, Nadine, if you say so,” he finally replied.
I knew he wasn’t happy that I brought up the contract again, but it was true.
He had used it to taunt me too many times, twisting me up inside because of his attitude.
We both lay on the bed, neither of us making any move to get up. I knew we needed the rest, but the tension lingered. Logan turned his face to look at me.
Our eyes locked for what felt like an eternity. I didn’t want to make things more awkward than they already were.
“How’s your arm?” I asked, trying to break the tension in the room.
“I feel better,” he said as he drew me closer with his good hand, his eyes flickering between my eyes and my lips.
I felt his warmth as he pulled me closer, and my heart skipped a beat.
The intimacy between us was undeniable, even with everything that had happened.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” I said softly, trying to keep the conversation light.
He moved his lips closer to mine, and my mind became a jumbled mess. My heart pounded loudly in my chest, and my hands grew sweaty.
As much as I wanted to dive into the moment and enjoy the passionate kiss he was about to initiate, I couldn’t let myself give in so easily.
He had hurt me, and even though I had stuck around after everything, my decision to stay was my own. He couldn’t just walk back into my life like everything was fine.
He leaned in, expecting our lips to meet. But just before that could happen, I gave a small cough, breaking the moment.
His eyes snapped open, a mix of confusion and surprise on his face.
“Sorry,” he said, pulling back. “I guess I got carried away.”
“It’s okay, Logan,” I replied, trying to sound casual.
“We all get caught up in the moment sometimes.” I paused, then added, “I’ll check on Kiana, the nurse, to come take care of you.”
My heart still pounding in my chest, I hurriedly left his room so I wouldn’t change my mind and go back, pouncing on him for the kiss I had refused earlier.
Once I reached my room, I sat at the edge of the bed, trying to steady my breath. It wasn’t easy being that close to Logan and resisting the urge to go further.
The tension between us was undeniable, and it took all my strength to hold back.
After calming myself down, I made my way downstairs to inform the nurse to take care of Logan.
“Good morning, Nadine,” Kayla’s cheerful voice called out from the kitchen.
“Oh, Kayla, how are you?” I replied, trying to sound normal.
“Not bad. I prepared dinner last night, but neither you nor Mr. West came down to eat,” she said, her tone playful.
My cheeks burned red at her words. Kayla had a way of teasing me about Logan without directly saying anything.
“We both fell asleep,” I explained, trying to brush it off.
“Probably tired from all the back and forth at the hospital.”
“Amen to more sleeping off together,” Kayla said with a broad smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
I couldn’t help but laugh, even though her teasing made me blush even more.
“You’re impossible, Kayla,” I said, shaking my head.
I know Kayla is happy to see me and Logan back together. She’s never been a fan of Samantha, though she tries to be subtle about it to avoid any issues with anyone.
After giving instructions on what Kayla and Kiana should do to take care of Logan, I turned around and gasped.
Samantha was standing in my way, a sly smile on her face. My heart dropped when I saw what she shoved in my face.