Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Harper

I stared at the pregnancy test.

Then at the note.

Then back at the pregnancy test.

My brain completely stopped working.

Beside me, Damian looked equally stunned.

Neither of us spoke.

The waves continued crashing against the shore. The sunset continued glowing across the ocean. Meanwhile my entire life had apparently decided to fall apart.

Again.

“What.”

My voice came out weak. Very weak.

Damian cleared his throat. “I was about to ask the same thing.”

I picked up the note.

CONGRATULATIONS, MOM AND DAD.

I immediately looked around. “Is someone filming us?”

Damian actually checked. Which somehow made the situation even worse.

“No cameras.”

“This feels illegal.”

“I agree.”

For a second we simply sat there.

Then Damian reached for the box. The pregnancy test remained inside. Unused. Still sealed. Thank God. At least there was that.

“I think somebody made a mistake.”

I nodded immediately. “Definitely.”

“Most likely.”

“Absolutely.”

Our eyes met. Neither of us sounded convinced. Not even a little.

Because there was one small problem. A very obvious problem.

We had stopped acting like strangers weeks ago. And after this vacation…

Things had changed even more. Dangerously more.

I quickly stood. “I’m going for a walk.”

Damian immediately stood too. “Harper.”

“Nope.”

“Harper.”

“No.”

His mouth twitched. “Running away?”

“I’m strategically retreating.”

“That’s not a thing.”

“It is now.”

I started walking down the beach. Unfortunately my husband followed.

The annoying man always followed.

“You’re thinking too much.”

I looked at him. “You aren’t?”

“Of course I am.”

“Then stop being calm.”

“I’m not calm.”

He looked extremely calm.

I pointed at him. “See?”

“What?”

“That face.”

“What face?”

“The billionaire face.”

Damian laughed. A real laugh. The sound made my stomach flip.

Which was becoming a serious issue.

Everything about this man affected me. His smile. His voice. His laugh. His existence.

Honestly, it was exhausting.

We continued walking.

The beach was nearly empty now. The sky darkened slowly above us.

For a while neither of us spoke.

Then Damian broke the silence. “You know it was probably a honeymoon gift.”

I looked at him. “A pregnancy test?”

“People are weird.”

Fair point. Very fair point.

I sighed. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Sure.”

“Anything else.”

He smiled. “How much do you love the ring?”

I groaned dramatically.

The ring.

Of course he brought up the ring.

Earlier that day he had convinced me to wear the simple silver wedding band we bought at the market.

The ring currently sat on my finger. Looking innocent. Completely unaware it was causing emotional damage.

“I knew you had an agenda.”

Damian looked pleased. “You love it.”

I looked down at the ring. Unfortunately. I really did.

Because it wasn’t expensive. It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t about money.

It was simple. Personal. Meaningful.

The exact opposite of what I expected from Damian Blackwood.

My husband noticed my expression. Then his own softened.

“There it is.”

I frowned. “What?”

“The look.”

“What look?”

“The one you get when you forget to be angry at me.”

I laughed. The man was impossible. Completely impossible.

And somehow I had fallen for him anyway.

The realization hit me unexpectedly.

Not attraction. Not affection. Not confusion.

Love. Actual love.

The truth settled heavily inside my chest.

I loved my husband. The fake husband. The real husband. The complicated husband.

All of him.

The thought should have terrified me.

Instead it felt right. Dangerously right.

We eventually returned to the villa.

The atmosphere between us had changed again. Not awkward. Not uncomfortable.

Just… deeper. More honest.

After dinner we sat together on the balcony. The ocean shimmered beneath the moonlight. A warm breeze moved through the air.

Everything felt peaceful. For once. Truly peaceful.

Damian handed me a glass of wine. I accepted it.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Our shoulders touched lightly. Neither of us moved away.

A comfortable silence settled between us.

Then Damian suddenly spoke.

“Can I tell you something?”

My heartbeat quickened. “Sure.”

He looked out toward the water. For the first time since I met him, he seemed uncertain.

That alone got my attention. Because Damian Blackwood was never uncertain. Ever.

“You were wrong earlier.”

I frowned. “About what?”

“The vacation.”

Confusion filled my face. “I have no idea what that means.”

A small smile appeared. “You said it was making you like me.”

Heat immediately rushed into my cheeks. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

I looked away. The ocean suddenly became fascinating. Very fascinating.

Damian shifted closer. Just slightly. Enough to make me aware of him. Enough to make breathing difficult.

“Harper.”

My pulse jumped. “Yeah?”

His eyes met mine. Everything else disappeared. The ocean. The stars. The villa. All gone.

Only him remained.

Then he spoke. Slowly. Honestly. Like every word mattered.

“It’s not making me like you.”

My heart stopped. For one horrible second I thought I misunderstood everything.

Then he smiled. Softly. Beautifully. And completely destroyed my ability to think.

“It’s making me fall in love with you.”

The world froze. Completely froze.

I stared at him. Unable to speak. Unable to move. Unable to breathe.

Because those were the exact words I had been trying not to hear. Not because I didn’t want them. Because I wanted them too much.

Damian watched me carefully. Waiting. Patient. Giving me time. Giving me a choice.

I swallowed. Then laughed softly.

The emotional kind of laugh. The kind that appears when your heart becomes too full.

“You picked a terrible moment.”

His eyebrow lifted. “What?”

I smiled through sudden tears. “Because now I have to tell you something too.”

The expression on his face immediately changed. Hope. Real hope.

My chest tightened.

I reached for his hand. Intertwining our fingers. Holding on tightly.

Then I opened my mouth. Ready to tell him the truth. Ready to tell him I loved him too.

But before a single word could leave my lips, my phone suddenly rang.

Both of us froze.

The screen lit up. One name appeared.

Evelyn.

My mother.

I frowned immediately. It was almost midnight.

Something felt wrong. Very wrong.

Slowly I answered. “Mom?”

Silence. Then heavy breathing.

My stomach dropped. “Mom?”

A shaky whisper came through the phone.

Three words. Three terrifying words.

Words that instantly wiped every trace of happiness from my face.

“Harper… I’m pregnant.”