The Wrong Bride (The Windsors, #1)(99)
Grandma’s words are still resounding through my mind. Hannah won’t let him leave her clutches, and the new bonds between them can’t be broken.
“No,” I tell her. “I’m not going anywhere, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner we can figure out how to handle the PR surrounding your pregnancy. Hannah, no matter what you do, you won’t be able to sway Ares. There’s a lot I’m uncertain about, but the love between us isn’t one of those things. Whether you like it or not, I’m going to be by his side every step of the way. That means I’ll be a permanent fixture in your child’s life, too. These moments you think you’ll have with him? They won’t happen, because I’ll be there too. You won’t be able to use your child to get to him. I suggest you start focusing on what truly is best for your son or daughter, because I assure you, alienating me isn’t one of those things. I will, after all, play a key role in raising the baby.”
She glances past me for a moment, and then she gasps, her fingers trailing over her temple for a moment, before her body sways. She loses her footing and collapses to the floor before I can even take a single step toward her.
“Hannah!” Ares shouts from behind me.
He pushes past me and kneels on the floor, gathering her in his arms carefully. “What happened?” he asks me. “Did you upset her somehow? Her blood pressure is already too high as it is.”
He lifts her into his arms before I even have a chance to reply. As he walks past me, I see her glance at me over his shoulder, a smile on her face.
I just told her she wouldn’t have these moments with Ares because I’d be there too, but I realize now… she’s counting on me being present.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Raven
“I can’t believe she’s pregnant,” Sierra says, her face marred with worry. “This can’t be happening, can it?”
I nod and lean back on her sofa. In the last couple of days, I’ve found myself staying away from home more and more often. Ares is doing his best to reassure me, but his words fall flat when he hovers around Hannah constantly.
Grandma was right. It only took him a few days to start worrying about her wellbeing, and I can’t begrudge her that — not when I know it isn’t about her, but rather about their child. It still doesn’t make it any easier to watch.
“Yep,” I say, popping the P. “You’re going to be an aunt soon. Congrats.”
Sierra frowns and tilts her head. “Yeah, you… too?”
My eyes widen for a moment, and then I flinch. Sierra looks away, speechless for once. There are no elaborate schemes, no jokes. Not this time. This isn’t a situation we can make light of.
“Grandma told me she’d let me go if I want to. She’ll let us get a divorce. I guess Operation Happily Ever After failed, huh?”
Sierra sits up in shock. “Are you serious?”
I nod and stare down at my nails. “She told me that she just wants me to be happy, but I can’t tell if it was just a way of asking me to do the right thing and divorce him.”
Sierra shakes her head. “No one but Ares and you get to decide that.”
I nod. “I agree, but there’s some truth to what she told me. I spent my entire life loving your brother, and what for? In the end, she’s still standing between us.”
Sierra sits up and frowns, her phone in hand. “Someone disabled my security system.”
Moments later, Ares walks in, his stride confident and his expression unyielding as he approaches me.
“Ares!” Sierra warns, but he ignores her and shoots her a withering warning look.
He reaches for me and lifts me into his arms, one hand around my back and the other underneath my knee. I instinctively lay my head on his shoulder and breathe him in, my heart instantly at ease. No matter what we’re going through, he’s always home to me.
“Enough,” he tells me as he walks outs, his grip tight. “I’ve given you a few days to process what happened, but that’s as much as I’ll give you. You’re done running, beautiful. No more avoiding me. That’s not how we deal with our problems, remember?”
I look up at him as he carries me back to our home. He’s only gotten more and more handsome with age, and with each passing year, I’ve fallen for him harder. But is my love enough? Is it enough to see us through the struggles we’re about to face? The media attention, the ridicule, the co-parenting.
I tense as we walk into our house, worried Hannah might see us. I’m his wife, yet I still feel like I’m doing something wrong by being in his arms in our own home. Is this how I’ll always feel?
Ares puts me down in the middle of our room, and I take a step away from him, feeling conflicted. “Raven,” he whispers. “Can we talk, please? All you’ve done is work or run off to Sierra’s. You once asked me for honest and open communication, and I now ask the same of you.”
I glance at him and nod hesitantly. “Ares, I just don’t know what to say. That’s all it is.”
I run a hand through my hair and walk to the bathroom, expecting him to drop it, but he follows me.
“I’m not asking you to tell me pretty and calculated words, Raven. I’ve never once wanted that from you. I want your raw, unfiltered truth. Tell me every single one of your fears, so I can take them all away.”