Silence falls over the room.
“She told you?” my father asks.
“No.”
“Then you’re not sure …”
“I fucking know, okay!” I snap. I first realized it a couple of weeks ago. I think it happened Halloween night. We had sex three times that night by the time we finally went to sleep. There have been signs. I’m not even sure she’s seen them, but they’ve been there. I know my wife’s body better than herself.
My father sighs, running a hand down his face. “Did you tamper with her birth control?”
My wife straddles me while I lay on my back in our master suite at the cabin, my hands propping up my head. She runs her finger over the Lords crest that was burned into my chest, lightly tracing it. “We should get divorced in six months. My mother would flip.”
I snort at that thought. “That won’t be happening.”
Her finger pauses, and her eyes trail up over my chest and face to meet mine. “I understand why we did this, Ryat.”
“Oh, yeah? Enlighten me.” I want to hear her thoughts on why I made her mine forever.
“You don’t love me.” She shrugs. “I don’t love you. You wanted to marry me to rub it in Matt’s face. I said yes because I didn’t want him and bonus it will piss off my mom. I understand neither one of us meant forever in city hall earlier today.” Yawning, she lays her head on my bare chest.
I’m still hard. I could fuck her all night, but I’ll let her rest. After all, I have the rest of my life to fuck my wife. Because no matter what she thinks, when I took my vow today, it was forever. After several minutes of silence, her hands fall off the side of my body, and her breathing evens out.
She’s passed out.
Unlinking my fingers from behind my head, I run them through her curled hair a few times. Then gently, I roll over, placing her down next to me. I get up from the bed and make my way into the bathroom. I remove her birth control pills and then the pack that I’ve kept stashed in my bag at the back of the closet. I punch the dates she’s already used and place the placebos ones back in the drawer. Blakely isn’t going anywhere. If I have to keep her knocked up every day of our lives, I will.
“Yes—no,” I spit out. Sighing I add, “She ran and didn’t take it with her.” That very next night was the ceremony at the house of Lords where she left me. When I brought her back, I didn’t even bother with giving her the fake shit. My wife wasn’t going to be taking it anymore.
Mr. Anderson places his cup of coffee on a tray next to my bed and undoes my left wrist.
“What are you doing?” my father barks when he undoes the other.
“Didn’t you hear him? My daughter is pregnant. We need to find her now. The tracking device will lead us right to her.”
“He needs medical attention,” my father argues.
“I’ll hire a doctor. Gavin. I’ll pay for him to travel with us.”
Finally! Someone gets it!
“Hand me my cell,” I order my dad while my father-in-law exits the room, leaving us alone.
He pulls it back. “Ryat …”
“Don’t give me some bullshit!” I snap and flinch. My free hand now pushing into my side to try relieving the burning pressure I feel. It doesn’t work.
“How in the fuck are you going to save her?” he demands. “Ryat, you’re injured. I know you love her, but risking your life to save hers just puts you both in danger. Again.”
Baring my teeth, I glare up at him. “Hand me my goddamn phone.”
The door swings open, and my father-in-law returns along with Gavin. “I must advise against—”
“I’m fucking going,” I interrupt the doctor. My heavy breathing fills the room, and I bite my inner cheek to keep from whimpering at the pain in my side. Fuck me, I can’t breathe.
“I’ll send you with pain pills, but Ryat … I can’t go with you,” Gavin informs me.
“That’s … fine.” I manage to get out, I’ll eat them like candy. Enough drugs can make you feel invincible.
My father runs his hand through his hair aggressively and hisses in a curse. “Goddammit, Ryat. You don’t even know she’s alive!”
There it is. The reason he doesn’t want me to risk my life for hers—because he thinks it’s not going to be worth it. “I’ve risked my life for the Lords over and over,” I say, taking a deep breath. “I will do no less for my wife. She deserves that!” This is all because of me. I put her in this life, this situation. I will be the one to save her from it.