Page 61 of Fallen Legacy

Damon looks over at me and then back at the Collings’ mansion. “Are you sure you can trust her?”

I nod my head firmly. “Yep. She won’t breathe a word.”

Damon puts the car into first and pulls away and we head to the clinic. We don’t have long to wait when we arrive, and we’re ushered into a room where the sonographer is waiting for us.

“Everything looks good,” she tells me as she moves the probe over my belly. She swivels the screen around so we can see. “I’d say you are about thirteen weeks along.”

My breath pauses in my throat when I see the image on the monitor. There is an actual baby. You can see its head and little arms and legs. The tiny beat of its heart flashes in and out on the screen.

“Woah,” Damon says, leaning in closer to examine the little person on the screen. “How did you make a person, princess?”

The sonographer chuckles, “Well, I think you may have had something to do with it, Mr Silver.”

Damon clears his throat and looks awkwardly at her. “I guess I did.”

“Everything is fine. We’ll get your bloods done and then get you booked in for your next scan. Would you like a video of the scan?”

“We can get that?” I ask her in surprise, struggling to tear my eyes away from the screen.

“You can. We can e-mail it over to you, so you have a digital copy.”

“Yes, please,” I reply keenly, and she smiles at my excitement.

* * *

We leavethe clinic twenty minutes later. I have the scan photos tucked in an envelope in my bag. When we get to the car, I tug on Damon’s jacket sleeve.

“Hey, can you keep these safe for me?” I hold out the envelope. “I can’t risk taking them home?”

“Home?” Damon replies with a cocked brow.

I glare at him. “You know what I mean. I can’t take these back to Archer’s house.”

Sighing, he takes them off me. “I’ll keep them in my safe. You know, if you told him, there wouldn’t need to be all this secrecy.”

“I’m not ready,” I reply sharply, shaking my head. “I just need some more time.”

Damon leans his back against his car. “More time for what, princess? What is it you’re waiting for? He’s marrying you. You’re living in his house and fucking him every night. The baby news won’t change anything.”

I hug my arms around my middle, feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny. I kick at the dirt with my trainers. “I know that, but I’m still processing all this. Plus, I have a stalker out there. The last thing I need is them knowing I’m pregnant and that the likelihood of me leaving the bay is even less now.”

Damon surprises me when he snags his arm out and pulls me in for a hug. “Come here.” He rubs my back, before pulling back and looking down at me. “Which is exactly why you should tell Savage. There isn’t just you that needs protecting now.”

“I know,” I sigh. “Just let me get the engagement announcement and party out of the way, and then I’ll tell him. I promise.”

“Whatever you say, princess.” He kisses the top of my head and peels away from me and he climbs into the car. I pause and rub my hand across my belly. I’m having a real-life baby. Shit just got a whole lot real.

ELIZA

The next week passes in a blur. Wilbur has assigned me my own personal bodyguard, Tony, who follows me everywhere I go. He’s a six-foot three wall of muscle with a stern face. The type of person who, if you met them in an alley on a dark night, you’d shit yourself. I did protest about having Tony, but Archer, Edward and Wilbur, all insisted it was necessary. If I’m honest, I sometimes forget he’s there. He’s so stealthy and silent and blends into the background. It is reassuring to know he's there and that he’s there to protect me and keep me safe when Archer and the boys aren’t around.

Alexis’ designer calls by the mansion and brings a tonne of dresses for me to try on in preparation for the engagement party. I choose a purple silk dress—simple but elegant. Plans are well underway for the party. Wilbur’s PA, Jackie, has everything in hand and the local press are being invited so that they can take photos and share the news in the local paper.

I’ve been lost in my own thoughts this week. Damon emailed me across the scan video. I’ve watched it a few times now, on those rare times I’m alone, which isn’t often because Archer or Rafe and Seb are with me everywhere I go. Archer has asked me a few times if I’m okay and I’ve plastered on a smile and told him I’m fine.

I’m a million miles away in my own head when we’re driving home from school on Friday, so I don’t notice straight away that we’re not heading toward home.

“Where are we going?” I ask him, perplexed.