“When will she have the result?”
Lifting her chin, Belle met my eyes with a look of defiance. “She already has the result.”
“So?” My head felt like it was splitting in two as I stared at her.
“I’m pregnant and no matter what anyone says, I’m keeping the baby.”
“You’re pregnant?” I felt like my legs wouldn’t carry me and slammed a hand to the wall for support.
Belle misunderstood and jerked her head back just as the door opened and Doctor White came out. “Hey, Mason. I thought I heard your voice. From the shocked look on your face I assume that Belle already told you that the urine sample showed she is pregnant. I’m about to run the blood sample, but I’m fairly certain that you’re going to be a father.”
I licked my dry lips and tried to stop my brain from focusing on all the things that had now been added to my list of problems. The French would try to take her and our child away from me, and I couldn’t allow that. I should say something, tell her I was hoping for this; but before I could push my worries aside and focus on the positive, Belle turned and started walking away from me.
“Where are you going?”
“To find Pearl.”
I jogged after her and quickly caught up. “My aunt? Why? Belle, stop for a second. You need to talk to me and not her.”
Stopping abruptly in the long hallway, Belle turned to me. “You’re obviously upset that I’m pregnant and I get that, but I’ve already apologized for not realizing that my pregnancy prevention implant was overdue for replacement. It doesn’t change that I’m not going to let you, Victor, or anyone else decide for me. I’m having this baby. She’s mine!”
Before she could walk off again, I closed her in with my hands against the wall on either side of her shoulders. “How do you know it’s a girl?”
“I don’t. It’s just a bunch.”
“A bunch?”
“Yes, you know, a feeling I have.”
“Oh, you mean a hunch.”
“Oui.”
“Boy or girl, this is our child, Belle. Not yours or mine alone. It’s ours.” I spoke with a stern tone because I needed her to understand. “And now that you’re carrying our child, you’ll marry me.”
Belle stood for a second as if waiting for me to say something more when all I wanted was for her to say yes.
Instead she rolled her eyes, ducked under my arm, and walked off with a long sentence in French that sounded like a complaint.
“By Lucifer’s ass, Belle, will you stop walking away from me? I need you to tell me that you’ll marry me.”
This time she looked angry when she turned and pointed a finger in my direction. “I have read enough romance novels to know that a man doesn’t tell a woman that she’s marrying him. He asks, and not only does he ask, but he tells her marrying her would make him the happiest man in the world. You don’t look happy and I will not marry anyone who does it out of a sense of duty.”
I squinted in confusion. Never had Belle shown this much temper and she clearly misunderstood my intentions. “What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with duty. I was hoping you were pregnant because I want to be with you.”
She walked back toward me with blazing eyes. “Liar. You want the child. If you wanted to be with me, you would have asked me to marry you yesterday or last year, but you didn’t.”
“That’s not fair. Things were complicated, but now everyone will understand.”
Belle’s voice was shaking when she lowered her brow and pushed the words out. “I know that it means everything for you to be close to your child and I want that too. I don’t know how you will convince my government to let me go, but if you can, I will stay here and take care of my baby.” She closed her eyes for a second before opening them and correcting herself, “I mean our baby.”
“You’ll stay?”
“Yes. For now.”
“Good. Then we should go and tell Victor together.”
We began walking side by side when I reached for her hand. “You got it wrong, you know.”
She released my hand and turned her head to look up at me. “About you marrying me out of a sense of duty?”
“Yes. I told you I’ve liked you for a long time.”
“Mason, stop. You also told me in the cabin that your family wants you to marry a Northlander. It doesn’t matter if you like me. I’ll never be the right woman for you and I’m not going to play a pretend game.”
Taking her hand, I kept it pressed tight in mine so that she didn’t let it go. I might not be as smart as Victor but I understood that a war is won in a series of battles, and the first I had to face was getting the French to accept that there was no way in hell they were getting Belle back. My woman had said she wanted to stay. She might not feel ready for me to call her my woman out loud, but in my mind that’s what she was… mine!
Victor was in the library when we found him. Standing by a bookshelf, he quickly closed the book he was holding and put it back. His gaze lowered to our linked hands before he spoke in a level tone. “I gather there is a result.”
“Belle is pregnant and she’s choosing to stay with me.”
With an arched brow, Victor pushed his dark hair back and let out a whistling sound. Looking at Belle, he spoke in French and the two of them barked back and forth at each other without my understanding anything.
“English please.”
“Why please? I didn’t think you people had that word in your vocabulary. The Motlanders are courteous and use it all the time, but you Nmen just take what you want and now you think you can take Belle from us without any consequences.” Victor’s English was more accented than usual, which told me how upset he was.
“This was always the fear of our government, that one of us five would want to leave. Do you know the effect it could have on our society if more people decide to go and explore the world?”
I stepped forward and lowered my voice to a threatening sneer. “Then don’t tell them she left. Say that Belle died in that avalanche.”
As Victor was about to answer, Freya walked in with three books in her hands. She tilted her head and came to join us by the bookshelf in the corner.
“I heard angry voices, what’s going on?”
“Stay out of this,” Victor warned her, but as the daughter of a former council member and a fierce ruler she ignored his warning and looked at Belle.
“Let me guess, you’re pregnant.”
“Yes.”
“Ah.” Freya turned her head to Victor. “Have you informed your government yet?”
“No, but they will demand that I return with Belle immediately. We were hoping there was no pregnancy so that we could leave all of this behind us.”
“And do what? Continue like nothing had happened?” Freya asked.
“Pretty much. Except for Belle being excluded from any future summits. I think we could have found a way to forgive that you kept her here a week longer than intended, but now…” Victor’s gaze glided over all three of us and landed on me. “Our government will not let go of their demand to have Belle back.”
I started lashing out and making threats, while Freya waited with a worried expression next to me. Once I was done, she simply looked at Victor and asked, “Do you have a solution that doesn’t involve Belle going back?”