Unleashed (The Elliott Brothers #2)

Chapter 32

Two Months Later

I knew months ago that Slade would make my life a living hell once he found out about the pregnancy. True to form, he didn’t disappoint. He fought for custody of our unborn child, dragging me through the courts while flaunting his younger girlfriend at every opportunity. I was numb to it by then. Whatever love or care I had left for him was gone the moment he began tightening the screws.

The night I broke the news to Michael, I watched that familiar tortured look take over his face again, the one I had hoped would disappear after everything we’d been through. Just when things were finally falling into place for us, fate threw in another cruel twist. But unlike Slade, Michael stood by me, and that was all the assurance I needed. Even with the slim possibility that this child could be his, he didn’t flinch. He was there for me, for us.

On the day of the blood test, I prayed harder than I ever had before. The results would take five agonizing days. Five days of waiting, hoping, dreading. I told Slade the truth right away, and he wasted no time—his attorney immediately filed a motion to demand the results as soon as they were available. Those five days were a nightmare. I tried to hide my fear from Michael, but I knew he felt the same. The last thing we both wanted was Slade hanging over us like a dark cloud, influencing our lives and the life of our child.

“Sweetheart, did you check the website?” Michael’s voice broke through my thoughts.

I couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears welled up for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Michael pulled me into his arms as I clung to his shirt, my fists balled tight.

“I’m so sorry,” I hiccupped between sobs. “This is all my fault.”

He stroked my hair, his voice a calming murmur. “It’s no one’s fault. The chips will fall where they may. I have you in my life, and that’s all that matters. This child is mine, no matter what. I’ll love it like my own.”

“Michael…” I sobbed harder, burying my face into his chest.

He cupped the back of my head, holding me close as if to shield me from all the fear swirling around us. “Go check,” he whispered gently.

My hands were shaking as I finally pulled away from him and stood up. I could see the tension in his jaw, the silent weight he carried even as he tried to stay strong for me. Our lives were teetering on the edge, and this result would decide everything. He stayed in the living room while

I made my way to the bedroom we now shared, my heart pounding as I sat down at the desk and powered on the laptop.

Each keystroke felt heavy as I typed in my login information. I had to stop myself from shaking as I punched in the file number and hit "enter." The screen loaded, and I closed my eyes, afraid to look. I took a deep breath before cracking one eye open.

The results flashed across the screen, and I gasped, my heart leaping into my throat. "Michael!" I screamed, my voice breaking.

He burst into the room so fast he nearly tripped over the rug. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Look!” I shoved the laptop toward him, my hand trembling as I pointed at the screen.

He leaned in, reading the result. His face went pale, and he shook his head slowly. “I don’t know what to say. This… this is going to make things very complicated.”

I swallowed hard, guilt surging through me. "I’m sorry, Michael. I didn’t want this."

“Don’t apologize,” he said softly, but the weight of the situation pressed down on him. He sat on the edge of the bed and put his face in his hands, his shoulders tense with the burden we now shared.

I stood there, watching the man I loved, the man who had vowed to stand by me no matter what. And yet, all I could feel was the crushing reality of what this would mean for us, for him, for our future.

“Push, Mrs. Elliott,” Dr. Towner directed, his voice steady amid the chaos of the delivery room.

“It hurts,” I gasped, every muscle in my body straining against the wave of pain.

“It will be over soon,” he promised, his tone reassuring.

I looked up at Michael, who was clad in green scrubs and a white mask. His eyes were filled with determination as he held my hand tightly. Each time I pushed, I gripped him so hard I worried I might break something, but he never complained. He had been my rock throughout this entire pregnancy, perfect in every way, even in the midst of our complicated circumstances.

At 7:42 PM on February 5th, as the city outside was blanketed in a snowstorm, our son—Kaden Sinclair Elliott—made his entrance into the world. It felt like a beautiful echo of that snowy weekend at The Backpack Motel when we had rekindled our love. After weeks of uncertainty, I finally received the blood test results confirming what my heart had hoped: Kaden was Michael’s.

It was almost miraculous, considering the odds. We had only shared those fleeting moments of intimacy without a condom, and for so long, I had braced myself for the worst—that Slade could be the father. He had even demanded a second test, but I stood my ground. When he attempted to push it through the courts, the judge agreed that the original results were sound, finally silencing his attempts to drag me through more turmoil.

Realizing his options were dwindling, Slade filed for a quick divorce, and I couldn't have been more relieved. By the end of August, we were officially free. I had moved all my belongings into Michael’s apartment, and in October, we exchanged vows in a simple civil ceremony before my belly grew too big to fit into anything nice.

As the nurses cleaned Kaden up, Michael was handed our son. He laid Kaden on my chest, and tears streamed down my cheeks as the tiny boy cried. I gently stroked his soft, black hair, overwhelmed by the rush of emotions.

The nurses carefully placed Kaden in his crib, and I drifted off, exhaustion pulling me under. When I finally woke, I blinked against the soft light and saw a familiar sight: Erika, Lincoln, Michael, Donovan, and Cathleen were gathered on the plush couches of the luxurious private room that Michael had insisted on for us. The warmth of their smiles wrapped around me like a comforting blanket.

“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Michael said, his eyes lighting up as he approached.

“I want to hold my son,” I murmured, my heart swelling at the thought.

Michael grinned, his excitement contagious. He gently lifted Kaden from his crib, cradling him like the precious gift he was, and placed him in my arms. The moment I held him, my breath caught. He was perfect. When his bright blue eyes opened and locked onto mine, I couldn’t help but smile at the resemblance to his father.

“This kid is gorgeous,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.

“That he is,” Michael replied, his pride radiating. “I think we’ll be in trouble when he’s a teenager.”

Laughter erupted in the room, and I felt a rush of warmth. “You have no idea,” Cathleen chimed in, shaking her head playfully.

I took a moment to count Kaden’s tiny fingers and toes, planting soft kisses on his velvety skin between my joyful whispers. I couldn’t wait to embrace motherhood. Everything happening now felt like a beautiful twist of fate, a stark contrast to just a few years ago when my life revolved around work and thoughts of retirement. Before Kaden's birth, Michael had urged me to stay home, and I had gladly accepted.

All the rigid expectations I once had for my life had melted away, replaced by the vision of a family I had never truly believed I could have. As I held Kaden close, I knew I had righted the wrongs of my past, crafting a perfect life that I hadn’t even dared to dream of until now.

The End

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I was still nervous when I left the office for the day. Sadie was waiting for me in front of my building so we could walk to the subway together. I dropped my purse when I got to her, spilling half the contents on the ground. She helped me recover everything and when she handed it to me, I dropped it again but this time it was zipped.

Sadie narrowed her eyes at me. “What happened at work?”

“I’ll tell you when we get home,” I said quietly.

“Now. Tell me now,” she demanded.

“Home.”

We started walking to cross the street and the black car that I’d seen Oliver slide into the week before pulled up to the curb. The back window opened, and Oliver’s handsome face came into view.

“Ladies, can I give you a ride home?”

“Absolutely,” Sadie said. She didn’t hesitate and I had no choice but to join her. The driver got out, the same hulk of a man I saw before with slicked back black hair, a graphite gray suit and a thin mustache. He opened the back door and Oliver stepped out to let us into the car. Sadie glanced at me, and I gave her a weak smile. When we were on our way, Oliver turned to me.

“How was the rest of your day?”

“It was okay,” I said in almost a whisper.

“Miss Fulbright, Ryleigh tells me she’s too busy this weekend to have lunch or dinner with me. Is that true?”

I almost died right there on the back seat. I glanced at Sadie and pleaded with her to say I was busy.

“I know she has a couple of things going on.”

“I was hoping she would join me for dinner tomorrow night.”

“I told you, I have to check my schedule.”

“And I told you I hoped I didn’t have to wait too long.”

“You only asked me a few hours ago.”

“I can be impatient.”

“I noticed,” I mumbled.

Sadie sat there gaping as we continued our banter back and forth. Fifteen minutes later, we pulled up in front of our building. I had no idea how Oliver knew where I lived but an explanation would have to wait until we were in private.

Oliver stepped out and offered his hand so he could assist both Sadie and I from the car. He grasped my elbow as Sadie started to walk to the entrance, leaning into my ear and whispering.

“Don’t torture me too long. You have my number.”

His lips brushed against my ear, causing tingles to rush down to my core. He let me go and waited until the doorman opened the door and I was safely in the lobby. I watched the car pass by us before I turned around to join Sadie at the elevator.

She grinned. “You have some explaining to do.”

“Upstairs.”

She couldn’t ask me anything else because other residents had joined us. She started badgering me as we walked down the hall before we got inside our apartment. I kept silent until the door was closed.

“What the hell was that all about?” she demanded.

“I had lunch with Oliver today.”

I kicked off my shoes and padded to my room with Sadie hot on my heels.

“You had lunch with him? Where?”

I pulled out a tank top and shorts from my dresser. “His office. He took me up there and ordered food to be brought in.”

“Am I missing something? Why?”

“He wants to date me.”

I started unbuttoning my dark blue blouse and Sadie grabbed my hands.

“Did you just say he wants to date you?”

I nodded. “Yes. He made it perfectly clear what his intentions are for me.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“I said I need to think about it.”

She let my hands go and sat on the corner of my bed. “What do you need to think about? The man is a God in more ways than one. He’s fabulously rich, handsome and from what I can see, polite.”

“He’s also much older than me and more sophisticated. I’m afraid I would lag behind and… I don’t know, embarrass him?” I trailed off.

She chastised me. “Are you serious right now? You’re well read, Ivy League educated and smart. It’s not like you haven’t been places.”

Sadie was right about that. My parents had taken my brothers and me to many places. I’d been to several countries in Europe, Asia and South America besides Canada, Australia and Mexico. I could speak three languages although my French was not the greatest, but I was fluent in Spanish.

“He’s older. Fourteen years older. In four years, he’ll be forty and I won’t even be out of my twenties.”

“You’re crazy. That man seems stuck on you. I saw how he was looking at you. What could it hurt to go on a few dates with him?”

The truth was that Oliver Fox scared me. I was afraid of the effect he had on my body when I was in his presence. I knew if I fell for him, it would be hard and fast. If we broke up, I would be devastated. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to deal with the aftermath.

“He can have his pick of women.”

I removed my blouse and Sadie scowled, “You wore that bra?”

It was a basic white cotton bra with matching panties. Usually, I wore the set to work out but today I didn’t feel like wearing lacy lingerie.

“What’s the problem?”

She groaned loudly when she saw my panties as I removed my skirt.

“You had lunch with Oliver Fox and wearing that ?”

“Jesus Christ, Sadie, I wasn’t fucking him. It was lunch,” I huffed.

“But you never know. It could have escalated.”

I shook my head. “I refuse to allow myself to fall that fast for him. If I decide to date him, we won’t be having sex anytime soon.”

She threw up her hands. “You’re out of your mind. I could only imagine how hot he is in bed. I barely know the man, and if he offered, I would sleep with him right now.”

“You have more confidence than I do.”

“So? Are you having dinner with him this weekend?”

“I don’t know.”

I went to my closet and placed my clothing in the basket at the bottom before putting on the shirt and shorts I selected.

“Have dinner with him and see how it goes. You two might just hit it off.”

“Maybe. I’ll call him later.”

Sadie rose and went to her room to change. I was taking a bottle of water from the refrigerator when the lobby phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Miss Stewart?”

“Yes?”

“We have a delivery for you.”

I frowned because I wasn’t expecting anything. “What is it?”

“It looks like flowers.”

“I’ll be right down.”

Sadie came out of the bedroom in the same outfit as me except her tank top was yellow.

“What was the call for?”

“I have a delivery.”

She smirked at me as I opened the door.

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