8

Sage’s POV

I was going to throw up, and it had nothing to do with morning sickness.

The midnight blue dress fit perfectly. The shoes made my legs look longer than they actually were.

I’d even managed to do something with my hair that looked intentional instead of “I gave up halfway through.” But none of that mattered because in thirty minutes, Kael would be here to pick me up, and I still hadn’t figured out how to tell him I was pregnant.

”Hey, before we go to your grandmother’s formal dinner, I should mention I’m carrying your baby.”

No. Too casual.

”There’s something we need to discuss about our one-night stand three months ago.”

Too formal.

”Surprise! You’re going to be a father!”

Absolutely not.

My phone buzzed. A text from Margaret: Breathe. You can do this.

Another text, this one from Marcus: Just tell him straight. He respects directness. Also, I’m leaving town for the weekend just in case.

Despite my nerves, I smiled. Then my phone buzzed again. Kael:

Downstairs. No rush.

I grabbed my clutch-borrowed from my roommate Jade (not Sterling, thank god) —and headed down.

Kael was leaning against a black Mercedes, wearing a suit that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe.His dark hair was styled perfectly, his gray eyes sharp even in the evening light.

When he saw me, something shifted in his expression.

“Miss Draven.” His voice was different. Softer. “You look.:.”

“Acceptable for dinner with your grandmother?”

“Beautiful.” The word seemed to surprise him as much as it surprised me. He cleared his throat.

“The dress is perfect. Claire has good taste.”

“She said you called ahead personally.”

“I wanted to make sure you’d be comfortable.”

He opened the passenger door. “Shall we?”

I didn’t move. “Actually, I need to talk to you first. Before we go.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Is something wrong?”

“Not wrong. Just… complicated.” I took a breath.

“Can we sit in the car? This isn’t a conversation for the sidewalk.”

He studied me for a long moment, then nodded.

“Of course.”

We both got in. He didn’t start the engine, just turned to face me.

“What’s this about?” he asked.

I twisted my clutch in my hands, trying to find the words.

“Remember our one night together? Three months ago?”

His jaw tightened. “I’m not likely to forget it.”

“Right. Well. Something happened. After.” I forced myself to meet his eyes. “I’m pregnant.”

Silence.

The kind of silence that feels like it might swallow you whole.

Kael’s expression went completely blank.

“Pregnant.”

“Three months. I found out about two weeks before you hired me.”

“Three months.” He was staring at me like I’d just told him I was actually an alien. “You’ve been working for me for two weeks, and you didn’t think to mention this?”

“I was trying to find the right time-”

“The right time?” His voice was still quiet, but there was an edge to it now. “You’ve been in my office every day. We’ve had dozens of conversations. And you didn’t think ‘by the way,

I’m pregnant with your child’ was worth mentioning?”

“I didn’t know how you’d react!”

“So you decided to hide it?” He ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair, messing it up.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice eventually?”

“I was going to tell you-”

“When? After you started showing? After the baby was born?” He turned to face me fully, and his eyes had gone from gray to that dangerous gold.

“Were you even going to tell me it’s mine?” That hit like a slap. “Of course it’s yours! Who else would it be?”

“I don’t know, Sage. You didn’t think I deserved to know about the pregnancy. Maybe you didn’t think I deserved to know I’m the father either.”

“That’s not fair-”

“Fair?” He laughed, but there was no humor in it.

“You want to talk about fair? You’ve known for weeks. Margaret knows I can tell from how she’s been hovering. Probably Marcus too, knowing him. Everyone knew except me.”

”I was scared!”

“Of what? Me?” His voice rose slightly. “Did you think I’d fire you? Abandon you? What exactly did you think I’d do?”

“I don’t know! I barely know you!” The words burst out of me. “We had one night together, Kael. One night. Then you disappeared. Left me a note and coffee like I was a business transaction. I didn’t hear from you for two months until I showed up at that interview.”

“I looked for you.” His voice was tight. “For weeks.

But you paid cash, didn’t leave a last name. I had Marcus search every database we could access legally. I couldn’t find you.”

“You looked for me?”

“Of course I looked for you.” He turned away, staring out the windshield.

“That night… I’ve never felt that way before. With anyone. I thought I’d lost you.” My heart was doing complicated things.

“Then why were you so cold when I showed up for the interview?”

“Because I had to be professional. Because hiring the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about was already a conflict of interest. Because I thought maybe, if I could just work with you, I’d figure out how to-” He stopped.

“It doesn’t matter now.”

“It matters to me.”

He was quiet for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was calmer. Controlled. “How far along are you?”

“Three months. Almost thirteen weeks.”

“Have you seen a doctor?”

“Not yet. I’ve been… figuring things out.”

”You need to see a doctor. Tomorrow. I’ll have my assistant-” He stopped.

“Margaret. I’ll have Margaret schedule something.”

“I can schedule my own appointments.”

“Can you afford it?” His eyes met mine, and they were sharp. Cutting.

“You were unemployed two weeks ago. Living in that apartment with the bathroom in the hallway. Can you afford prenatal care?”

I flinched. “I’ll figure it out.”

“You don’t have to figure it out. You’re carrying my child.” He pulled out his phone. “I’ll have my lawyer draw up an agreement. Financial support, medical coverage, everything you need.”

“I don’t want your money.”

“Too bad. You’re getting it.” He started typing.

“What’s your full name? Legal name, for the documents.”

“Kael-”

“Your name, Sage.”

“Sage Draven. No middle name.”

He typed for another moment, then set his phone down. “Done. My lawyer will contact you tomorrow with the details.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.” He turned to face me again.

“This baby is my responsibility. I take care of what’s mine.”

“I’m not yours.”

Something flashed in his eyes. “The baby is. That makes you mine by extension.”

“That’s not how this works-”

“That’s exactly how this works.” He leaned closer, and I could smell his cologne. “You’re carrying my child. That means you’re under my protection.

Whether you like it or not.”

“I don’t need protection-”

“You’re living in a studio apartment with a bathroom in the hallway. You’re three months pregnant and haven’t seen a doctor. Your last job was waiting tables.” His voice was flat. Factual. “You need protection. You need support. And I’m going to provide both.”

”can take care of myself.”

“You shouldn’t have to.” He sat back, and some of the tension left his shoulders. “I’m not trying to control you, Sage. I’m trying to help.”

“By throwing money at me?”

“By making sure my child is safe. And healthy. And has everything they need.” His eyes softened slightly.

“Including a mother who isn’t stressed about paying rent.”

I wanted to argue. To tell him I was fine on my own.

But the truth was, I wasn’t fine. I was barely surviving.

“What about your grandmother?” I asked quietly. “Are we still going to dinner?”

“Do you want to?”

“I don’t know. Do you?”

He was quiet for a moment. “She’s going to ask questions. About us. About our relationship.”

“What will you tell her?”

“The truth. That you’re my assistant. And that you’re pregnant with my child.”

My stomach dropped. “You’re going to tell her? Tonight?”

“She’s going to find out eventually. Better to controlthe narrative.” He started the engine.

“Unless you’d rather wait?”

“I don’t know. This is all happening so fast.”

“You’ve known for weeks, Sage. This is only fast for me.” –

That was fair.

“What do you want to do?” I asked. He pulled out into traffic, his hands tight on the steering wheel. “I want to go to dinner. I want to introduce you to my grandmother. And I want to tell her that she’s going to be a great- grandmother.”

“And if she hates me?”

“She won’t hate you.” He glanced at me. “She’ll probably love you more than she loves me.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re giving her what she wants most. A grandchild. An heir.” His jaw tightened.

“She’s been pressuring me for years to mate, to produce an heir. You’ve just solved her biggest problem.”

“I’m not a solution to your family drama-”

“I know that.” His voice gentled. “But she won’t see it that way. To her, you’re exactly what this family needs.”

“What about what I need?”

He pulled up to a red light and turned to look at me.

“What do you need?”

“I don’t know yet.” I met his eyes. “But I need time to figure it out. Without pressure. Without being treated like a problem to solve.”

“You’re not a problem.” His hand moved like he was going to reach for me, then stopped.

“You’re… complicated. But not a problem.”

“Complicated. That’s one word for it.”

The light turned green. He drove in silence for a moment, then said quietly, “I’m sorry. For how I reacted back there. You surprised me.”

“I figured that out.”

“I don’t handle surprises well.”

“I noticed.”

“But I meant what I said. The baby is mine. That means you’re under my protection. That’s not negotiable.”

“Even if I don’t want it?”

“Especially if you don’t want it.” He pulled into a long driveway lined with trees. “Welcome to the estate. Try not to let my grandmother intimidate you.”

I looked up at the massive mansion ahead of us.

“That’s going to be difficult.”

“Yeah.” For the first time since I’d told him, he almost smiled. “It usually is.”

He parked and came around to open my door.

When I stepped out, he offered his arm.

“Ready?” he asked.

“No.”

“Good. Neither am I.” He guided me toward the front door. “But we’re doing this anyway.”

The door opened before we reached it. A butler- an actual butler-stood waiting.

“Mr. Thorne. Miss Draven. Mrs. Thorne is expecting you in the drawing room.”

“Of course she is.” Kael’s hand moved to the small of my back. “Let’s get this over with.”

We stepped inside, and I tried not to gape at the marble floors, the crystal chandelier, the paintings that looked old enough to be in museums.

This was Kael’s world. Money. Power. History.

And I was a waitress from nowhere, carrying his baby.

This is fine, I told myself. Everything is fine.

But as we walked toward the drawing room, I had the distinct feeling that nothing was going on to be fine ever again.