Page 13 of Revealed

“We knew this time would come,” I say quietly, tears sliding down my cheeks.

He looks up at me through the mirror’s reflection, studying my face in that way he has since the first moment we met. My brain decides to remind me that Michael and I never bothered with protection that night in the pantry. Or any time since. That thought alone adds another checkmark in the fear column of my emotional tally.

How could I have been so reckless?!

“Come here,” he commands, holding his arms open for me.

I move to him with no hesitation, breathing in his woodsy cologne that always seems to calm me. This is why I’ve been so reckless–being treated as someone special who should be cherished is intoxicating.

“I’m going to be a terrible mother. Ican’tbe a mother,” I confess between sobs.

“Hey now, look at me.” I do as I’m told and he gently grasps my chin, looking down into my eyes. “You’re not alone in this. I’ll be here to help you, along with Kathy.”

“The baby could be yours,” I toss out quickly, wanting him to know everything that’s spinning through my mind. I know it has to be on his mind as well.

His hand absently rubs up and down my back. “That’s a bridge for us to cross at a later date. Right now, let’s make sure Ashton knows. The sooner he knows you're pregnant the sooner he will stop making comments that make me want to slit his throat.”

I chuckle at his protectiveness and nod my agreement. Ashton and I have a deal, and now that I’m officially growing a life, that arrangement is set in motion.

Michael walks me to Ashton’s office, squeezing my shoulder before I knock, giving me confidence as I mentally prepare for this conversation.

“Enter,” the cold, distant voice reaches me in the hallway.

I briefly lay my head on the door, before pushing my way into the study. I've visited numerous times for him to use my body as a breeding machine. This moment of sharing a new life should be celebratory and not feel like I’m walking to an execution. I’m immediately thrown back to our wedding day, that feeling of being tossed into the tiger’s cage. My father could’ve prevented this, found a way to break the cycle. Instead, I’m turning in the news of my pregnancy like a quarterly report. It’s been a while since I’ve thought about the hate I have in my heart for my own father forcing me into this position. I guess finding out you’re about to become a mother will do that to you.

Ashton looks up from his paperwork as I move to stand in front of his desk.

“Make it quick, Father will be here soon, and I won’t keep him waiting for your nonsense,” he snaps.

“I’m pregnant.” I declare, tossing a pregnancy test on his desk, making him give me the attention this moment deserves. “Any sex between us is over starting today.”

“Good to know that you’re not defective. I was beginning to wonder what I was going to do with you.” He slides his glassesback on, before swiping the test to the floor in disgust. “Work with Kathy to schedule your doctor appointments. Make sure your visits are discreet. Now that you’re carrying my seed, there will be a target on your back.”

My hands clench at his ability to treat me like just another spreadsheet or business meeting. I know that even with my faults I could never be a worse parent than him. There’s no point in responding when he wields words expecting people to always follow his command. Instead, I turn to leave the office holding back all the comments I want to spew at him.

Chapter Eight

FrancescaRose

Texas, 1997 - 7 Months Later

When I turned sixteen, I asked my mother if she was in love with my father. Twenty-five years ago my mother’s fate was the same as mine. She was passed along to my father’s family to close a business deal and strengthen a bond. My maternal grandfather, Otis Parks, owned a butcher shop in their small town in Louisiana and my paternal grandfather, George Eden Sr., ran the criminal territory. Like most crime bosses of the time, George Sr. forced Otis into paying for the protection of his butcher shop. Once my mother was of age, she began working the front counter, eventually catching the eye of George Jr., who was being trained to follow in his father’s footsteps. The deal was struck without my maternal grandmother having a say. The butcher shop was their livelihood, and it wasn’t worth losing everything over a simple arranged marriage or what Otis believed would be a simple life for my mother.

Unlike me, Maria Eden wanted to be a mother. She wanted to feel the unconditional love of a child because she knew shewouldn’t get it anywhere else, especially not her marriage. After my mother told me her story, I was determined not to be caught in the same trap that she had been in.

I was delusional to believe I would go to college, start a new life that didn’t have anything to do with criminal organizations, and break the cycle. I lived in that delusion of a better future, untied to a man, for eight years.

The small kick in my lower abdomen brings me to reality. I rub my hand up and down my swollen belly, thinking about how much has changed. Pregnancy does weird things to your mind. That’s the only way I can explain my connection with the life growing within me. Only Michael and I know the gender. A baby girl. My grandmother always said our bloodline was cursed with bringing women into this world as multi-generational bargaining chips. I cried for a week straight because I knew her fate had the chance to match mine. My immediate instinct to protect her was the moment I fell in love with the reality of becoming a mom. I can’t rebel against being used as a pawn, but I can plant the seeds of rebellion in my child.

I’ve grown attached to Kennedy’s movement, the subtle kicks and the feel of her rolling in my belly. Her little button nose on the sonogram sucked me in before I even had a chance to look away. I saw the name Kennedy in the book of baby names Michael brought me and the name just felt right.Kennedy Eden.I don’t know if Ashton would agree to me giving her my maiden name, but I’m betting on him not giving a damn.

Ashton has been more tolerable of me since I told him I was pregnant. I also think his father spoke to him about how he should treat a pregnant woman. Especially now that I’m carrying the next generation, I’m to be treated with respect. Hedoesn’t even complain about the amount of money I’m spending on baby items.

There’s a light knock on my door, before it slightly opens and Michael’s head pokes through. He’s just as in love with the idea of this little baby being around as I am. The man is hiding all the girly clothes I’ve bought her in his room and that thought makes me smile. Ashton claims he doesn’t care about the gender of the baby, but it’s still information I keep close in case he changes his mind.

“You’re being summoned.”

His brows are furrowed as he takes in my prone body on the bed.