Royal (A Selection Fan Fiction) (Book One in my Selection Series)

Chapter 67

It was the last day at the island. The weather was better than back in Illèa and definitely much warmer, but I wasn't really paying attention to that.

I was crying, my eyes dry and red in the bathroom mirror looking back at me.

"Charlie! Breakfast is ready!" Alex calls throughout the house on the beach.

"I'll be out in a min—" I made the mistake of accidentally choking on my words. A silent sob racks my body so I sit against the wall behind me.

"Charlie– I'm gonna come in. Okay?" He says and I can tell he's already at the door.

"Just give me a minute? Please?" I say in a pleading, weak voice. I couldn't look at him now. I couldn't stand to see the shock on his face.

"Fine. Just one minute. After that I'm coming in. I've got the key." He says and I see his feet disappear away from the door. I hold in my cries and dry under my eyes again before staring at my reflection in the mirror. I wasn't sure how long it had been so I rested my hand on the door and slowly pushed it open.

Alex sits on the sofa, but doesn't stand up he just looks at me, worried. I stand outside the door still grasping the frame for support.

"Four days." I mutter. Alex looks at me expectantly. "I'm four days late." He still didn't understand what I meant until a minute later.

"You mean...?" He looks away from me and down at his feet. I nod and sit on the floor on my knees with my head in my hands. I heard him stand up and soon saw his feet in my vision on the floor. "Come here." He takes me hand and pulls me to the couch and wraps both arms around me.

"I might be wrong." I say quietly.

"Do you want to be wrong?" He asks slowly and carefully.

"I'm just scared." I mutter. Now I see what this probably looked like to him. Me being forced into a position I didn't want to be in, but I wasn't lying. I was just scared.

"Do you want to keep it?" Alex's voice was shaking now. Was he scared I'd kill it?

"Yeah." I nod and shake pen more time with a cry. I was so scared.

"I could be a dad." He mutters. I sit up away from him and look at him. Was he happy? Or did he not want this either? Then his eyes light up like the moon. "I could be a dad."

"Yeah." I nod. I look down and imagine a human inside my stomach.

"It'll be okay." Alex says putting his hand on top of mine. So many things could go wrong. The baby could die, and in fact, I could die too. I was too young to be having kids. But I have to trust Alex, I mean, he wouldn't tell me it would be okay if it wasn't going to be.

I smile and sit up and hug him. His hands find my waist and rest on the small of my back.

"Are you really happy?" I ask him.

"Thrilled." He smiles and kisses my forehead.

•••

That night we both lay quiet, in our own thoughts. I wasn't completely sure he was awake until he spoke.

"Do you really want this?" His voice was soft and deep, and had a hint of fear hiding in it.

"What?" I ask.

"Do you really want to start a family now? Are you ready? Because if gaining this means I lose you and the real you..." he pauses for a minute then I turn and look at him. "It's for nothing."

I look him up and down. He wasn't lying. I'd always imagined, but never experienced someone loving me in the way you love your husband or wife, but he did and I wasn't sure why.  I scoot closer to his chest and feel his warmth.

"Alex, I'm ready. I'm just scared and I'm gonna be scared for a while, but it'll get easier." I say and settle my head in the crook of his neck.

"I'll be here when you need me." He says and kisses my forehead. "We'll get through this. Together."

"Together."