The Billionaire's Secret Baby のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

SamanthaI closed my eyes and tilted my head back, sucking in the cool night air. I felt some of the tension leave my shoulders and the pressure leave my head.It was nice and quiet out here. I’d needed to escape the crowd and the noise of the reception for a moment, so I’d gone outside to get some fresh air. Stepping out of the hall, I’d thought I’d just wander the parking lot a bit, but I’d spotted a little garden with a walking path next to the building.At that moment, I stood in the middle of the garden, letting my head clear as I cooled down.I hugged myself, thinking of what Ryan had said to me earlier. I couldn’t decide if I was angry at him or not.He’d blatantly ignored my wish to not talk about us until after the wedding. For that alone, I should be furious.However, I couldn’t quite bring myself to be angry with him. He was fighting for me. For us. I knew he was worried about what was happening between us. At the first sign of trouble, I’d pushed him away. I’d ran, convinc

SamanthaI woke with a start and gazed around in confusion. It took me several moments to realize I was in a hospital room and a bit longer to realize I was hooked up to beeping machines with an IV stuck in my wrist.Panic seized me, and I began to hyperventilate. How’d I get here? What happened?My heart monitor began to go crazy, and within seconds, a nurse came rushing into my room, followed closely by Ryan.“Miss Berner?” the nurse said in a calm voice as she reached my bed. “Miss Berner, it’s all right. Can you take a deep breath for me? We need to get your heart rate down.”She took my hand and held my gaze as she showed me how to breathe. I watched her and mimicked her as she sucked air in and slowly blew it out again and again.It took a bit of time, but I managed to pull myself out of my panicked spiral as I focused on my breathing. The machine stopped beeping at last, and I didn’t feel like I was on the verge of a heart attack. The whole time, Ryan stood at the end of my bed

“I am happy for you,” he assured me. “Really, I am. I’ve always known your heart belonged to Ryan, as much as I hated that fact at times. For a while, I thought it was better that you two stayed away from each other, but now, I know that you belong together. If you can forgive him for being a colossal dick all those years ago, so can I.”I didn’t realize until that moment how important it was for me to have Jason’s approval. It wouldn’t have changed things had he protested Ryan and I being together, but I wanted him to be happy for me. To be happy for us.I wanted him to continue being an important figure in Henry’s life, as well as my own.Suddenly, there was a commotion outside of my room. I heard a familiar voice start to admonish whatever poor soul was in her way.“Somebody needs to tell me where the hell she is! I swear to God, I will bring the pain if you keep me away from her! I mean that entirely respectfully because I appreciate all the work that nurses and doctors do, but I

She clicked a button on the remote, and the cartoon figures on the TV screen froze. Henry didn’t protest as Sam led him to the couch. I followed them, and the three of us settled on the cushions together. Henry sat between us, but I felt as though I were the one being boxed in. I didn’t want to screw this up, and despite Sam’s assurances, I was still terrified Henry wouldn’t be excited to find out who I was.The boy looked between us, a curious gleam in his eye.“Am I in trouble?” he asked.Sam quickly shook her head. “Oh, no, sweetheart. You’re not. I promise.”“Okay.” Henry nodded, his worries forgotten. “What do you want to talk about, then?”Sam shot me a look and a nervous smile. I gulped, my heart hammering as I gave her a quick nod. She turned her gaze back down to Henry.“Do you remember what I’ve told you about your daddy?” she asked.Henry blinked and nodded. “You told me he had to go away before I was born, but that he loved me very much. He was big and strong and looked ju

Giving me a little half-smile, Ryan held out his hand to me.“Come with me,” he ordered.Raising my brow, I slid my hand in his.Intertwining our fingers, he turned and led me out of the room.“Where are we going?” I asked him with a small laugh as we continued down the stairs.“I’ve got a surprise for you,” he told me, shooting a wink over his shoulder.“What kind of surprise?”“You’ll just to wait and see.”I grinned and rolled my eyes, but I let him continue to lead me out the back door. Stepping out onto the back porch, I froze, stunned.“Ryan? What…?”“Surprise,” he said and chuckled, letting go of my hand and stepping aside so I could take in the whole scene unobstructed.There were candles in mason jars set out all throughout the porch and down in the yard, giving everything a soft, warm glow. Toward the middle of the yard was a picnic blanket, on which sat a platter of cheese, crackers, meat, and other finger foods, as well as a bottle of wine.“What is all this?” I gasped.Ry