First comes love.
Then comes marriage.
Then comes a-
Unfortunately, life is not a checklist, and there's no white picket fences and baby carriages. After a failed long and stable relationship, Arryn Rivera tries her hand at online dating and gets mo...
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Rhys wasn't sure what pissed him off more. That another woman duped him, or that he'd been the consolation prize.
He downed his second whiskey and considered his next move. He'd driven by her place earlier but decided he needed to cool off before he confronted her. He'd scared Darcy, and he didn't intend to do the same to Arryn. He needed to think about how to handle the situation. No matter how mad he was, he admitted the timing couldn't be better. Yesterday, he found out he needed a family to save his career, and today one materialized. It had to be a sign of karma or some shit like that.
Elia—Arryn. Damn, I'll have to get used to the new name. Arryn may have wanted Devon, but Rhys was the father of the baby, so she'd have to settle.
He could hear the car ambling down the drive. Ace was right on time—a first for her.
Seconds later, Accalia rushed in out of breath. "I got out of work early for this. Tell. Me. Everything."
He ran fingers through his hair and set the empty glass on the counter. "It's my baby."
Her mouth dropped open. "Are you sure?"
"If I'm willing to take Darcy's word, and right now, I'm not sure I trust anything that comes from her mouth, but yeah, and it wasn't an accident. She lied about everything. Where she lives, works, hell, even her name."
Ace stiffened. "Wait a minute. Did you say it wasn't an accident? As in, she wanted to get pregnant?"
For the next fifteen minutes, Rhys explained everything, including how a wife and child could benefit him, how he'd driven by Arryn's apartment earlier, and fought the urge to confront her. When he finished the saga, he refilled his glass and toasted the air. "Here's the deal. I'll insist we get married. Not just for my job situation, but because it's the right thing to do. I don't want my child to think I didn't want him or her."
"So, you want the baby?"
He frowned at his sister. "Hell, yes! Why would you even ask?"
She held her hands in mock surrender. "Sorry. What if she says no? Having a baby is not a good reason to get married, Rhys."
"She won't have a choice. She'll either marry me, or I'll sue her. I can do that, can't I?"
"I don't know of precedence, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. Exactly what would you be suing for—custody? Because to win, you'd have to prove her unfit as a mother. She was a one-night stand, and a judge or jury will rule you should have been just as responsible for protection. In other words, you should have provided your own condom, and you should've worn one every time." She paused, considering, before plowing on. "Or the judge could think you're both dumbasses and take the kid and put them in foster care."
He emptied his glass and stepped to the work island for more. "Then what are my options?"
She leaned against the bar and eyed the bottle of whiskey. "Here's an idea. Why don't you ask her nicely? Offer to pay all the medical costs for her and the baby. If you want the marriage to last for X amount of time, say until after your promotion is in place, then you can discuss child and spousal support following a divorce."
