Hope

As Killian had said, his driver showed up exactly on time and picked me up. The evening air was brisk and breezy and the traffic downtown was heavy no surprise.

When the car finally pulled up in front of a towering building, I quickly thanked him, stepped out, and brushed my hands nervously over my skirt.

The moment the doorman ushered me into the softly lit expensive restaurant, a model-thin beautiful waiter dressed in native Chinese apparel approached me.

"Ms. Sterling, the gentleman is waiting for you."

I smiled, gripping my beaded purse more tightly in my moist hand as I stepped forward.

The waiter led me down a dark hall that had a walkway lined with tall bamboo trees. We passed an opening to a large seating area and once we reached the end of the hall, she opened a door and motioned for me to step.

Cautions, I nodded a thank you and entered. It was a small room widely decorated with flowers and Chinese lanterns.

It didn't take long for me to spot Killian. He sat leg-crossed in one of the chairs, looking nothing less than stunning in his grey suit.

When I began to consciously walk toward the table, his black gaze followed me, never leaving me. Even when I stopped at the foot of the table, he still held my gaze but they seemed to drop slightly to my bare limbs and they lingered there for a moment before shifting back up. He totally just checked me out.

The waiter pulled out the second chair at the table for me. I thanked her quietly and took my seat.

"We won't be staying long," Killian told her, picking up the menu. "So we'll each have a plate of chow Mein. Preferably with a fork." His eyes flicked through the menu. "Ma Po Tofu and green vegetables too. Then whatever side orders the chef has; and bring me Senorio de la Tautila Blanco while you're at it."

"Certainly, sir." The waiter said and scuttled off.

"Alright, let's cut to the chase." He began, unbuttoning his jacket so that the white shirt and the hard muscles it hugged came into view. "Who else knows about your pregnancy?"

"My brother and friend."

"I see. You still haven't told your mother."

My brows scrunched. "How do you know I have a mother?"

He ignored my question. "I think it's best that way. the fewer people know, the better. Now that we're both sure the baby is mine, I'd like to know your plans."

The waiter returned shortly and filled two glasses with wine before placing the bottle on the table a beating a hasty retreat.

Killian handed one over to me but I struck my hands out in rejection. "I can't drink alcohol, I'm-"

"Don't you think I know that?" He cut in, his arrogance personified. "I'm not insensitive. It's Non-alcoholic and harmless."

I stared at the bottle, feeling a little stupid for jumping to conclusions. I picked up my glass and took a small sip.

Killian swirled the ice around in his glass then brought it to his lips and looked at me over the rim before drinking. "How do you plan on living off until the child is born, clearly your current job isn't going to pull it off and I doubt your qualifications will."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know, now that I think about it, it's actually a big problem."

"It's not that big of a problem, okay and I'm currently trying to work things out," I stated defensively although it was a blithe lie because I had nothing figured out yet.

He sipped at the crisp of his wine. "Not very well from the looks of it."

Alright, he was starting to piss me off. "What do you know?"

"Seems you haven't stared deeply into the mirror lately. Look at you," his gaze traveled over me. "You've lost weight since I last saw you and you look pale, too pale. That's a clear indication that you can't even take care of yourself properly."

I clenched my fist underneath the table cloth. "Women can never be too thin," I reminded him through gritted teeth. "Besides, it doesn't mean I'm unhealthy."

"A ridiculous assumption made by women for women," he returned.

"You have no right to talk to me that way."

"On the contrary, I do. But that's beside the point. The problem is as much as I don't want to get involved with you, I don't trust your judgment. So I've crafted out a plan."

My brows furrowed. The waiter was back before I could speak. Briskly, she placed our plates in front of us and scuttled away.

"What plan?"

"Eat," he commanded. "You look like you haven't had anything healthy in days."

My eyes narrowed to the food. Deep down I knew I was hungry. The leftover fries I had for lunch expired hours ago. I was famished but sitting across from this man did not promote a healthy appetite.

"Eat," he repeated.

"Stop ordering me around."

"Then stop staring at me doe-eyed waiting for instructions."

I was defiant.

"God help me, Hope, if you don't start eating, I'll sit your ass on my knee right here in this restaurant and force-feed you."

I must have been sick to have gotten chills from the verbal diarrhea he just spewed out of his mouth. Yep. It had to be the hormones. Definitely. I shifted in my seat and reluctantly slurped a piece of Ma Po Tofu from my plate. He watched me intently and I narrowed my eyes as I shoved it in my mouth.

Wow.

It tasted good. So good that I went in for another fork full.

Killian pulled the wine bottle from the sterling ice bucket and refilled my glass even though I'd only consumed a small amount. I chased the spicy heaven down my throat with a sip and then leaned close to the table for another bite.

"Back to my question, what plan did you craft?"

He set down his glass and reached into his brown clutch bag to pull a file out. My eyes followed him. "What's that?" I asked, watching as he placed the file on the desk and slid it my way.

"For clarification purposes, it's an agreement contract, you can go over the details later, I'll spare you the heartache and give you a briefing." He paused for a moment and then said his next words without urgency. "We're getting married."

I paused, taking a minute to digest the nonsense he'd just spat at my face.

Hilarious. He couldn't possibly be serious. I searched his face, looking for a hint of sarcasm but I found none. He hadn't been joking.

"You must be insane if you think I'd marry you." My hands balled into a fist, my annoyance morphing into anger.

"It's not up for discussion Hope, we'll marry."

"Sorry to burst your egotistical bubbles Mr. Fobster but that isn't happening." I got up. "It's clear I wasted my time attending this meeting of yours."

"Sit, Hope." He commanded stiffly but I was defiant.

I clenched my jaw and spoke between gritted teeth, keeping my fists curled. "You can not do this to me,"

"You have no idea what I can do," he threatened. "Now sit."

"No."

"Goddammit, must you always act delusional?" He raved, glaring down at me. "You should be happy. Most women if not all would kill for a chance, this chance currently being offered to you in a platter of gold."

My face scrunched. If he had spat on my face it would've felt better. "Do you expect me to leap for joy and thank you for your thought-out plan?"

"No, but I don't expect you to throw a fit like some crazed woman. Either."

"I am not crazy!"

He narrowed his eyes and leaned back into his chair. "Just sit down, will you."

I sat back down in a plop, taking a breath, waiting until my vocal cords settled. "Look Killian," I gestured between us. "This isn't going to work. You can't just make me marry you."

I could tolerate co-parenting but that didn't necessitate a pointless marriage. I barely knew him and there was no way I was going to tie my life with his.

"Believe me you, Sterling, the last thing I want is to marry you but my child won't be born a bastard."

"So we'd suffer all through marriage so your child wouldn't be born out of wedlock?" I scoffed. "Come out of the dark ages, people hardly care about that anymore."

"Your family might not care much about nobility but mine does," his expression was inflexible. "And I do too."

"No, you don't. You hardly want this baby."

"I never said that." He clapped back.

"Well, your actions show it."

"Look, we're in a dire situation that needs to be handled with care. What my action shows don't matter."

I snorted. "Do you even know what marriage is? It's a lifelong bond. As in, after the baby is out you'll still be stuck with me for like the rest of your life."

"Yes, I know what marriage is Mrs. Wont-shut-up." He retorted. "I don't plan on really marrying you."

My brows pushed together. "What do you mean?"

"Well if you'd let me finish rather than ranting like a crazy woman you would have understood my plan. I want a false marriage. I figured a year would be a good duration date. It's enough to get everyone's attention off us before we go our separate ways."

"And the child?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "I know two parents are better than one, if you choose to exercise the role of its mother when the contract expires then fine but the baby stays with me."

"And what on planet earth makes you think I'll agree to this?" This man was crazy as he was arrogant.

"You have no one else, Hope, I'm your best bet at raising the child."

"How generous." I jeered, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "You know what, I think you should really see a doctor because you're not only delusional but sick in the head." I pushed my chair a few inches back and picked up my purse as I rose. "I'm done with you."

I turned away and started to leave. I didn't want to talk nor hear what he had to say and I knew it was useless sentiment because I was pregnant with his child and eventually we'd have to come to terms, but those terms were not going to include giving my baby up.

"If you don't agree." Killian began. "You'll have to get a lawyer," his voice was low and flat. "You'll be needing it for when I come for you."

I slowly turned, my body vibrating with tension and raw emotion. I wanted to yell and pound my hands on something, he would make a satisfying target.

"You might want to think about it." He suggested. "I'm rich, filthy rich and I have a reputation to keep. I can take care of you in the meantime. All you have to do is sign these papers."

"I don't care about your filthy money. I never did and I'm not signing those papers." I persisted, turning fully to him.

An icy chill weaved through his tone. "It will be difficult for you to win against the money you so claim you don't want."

Fear tried to take hold, but I refused to give into it. "You can't take my baby away from me just because you're rich. This is America and the family law is heavily balanced in the mother's favor."

"You may be right, but can you afford the constant legal opposition?" He chuckled darkly. "You can hardly afford to keep the electricity in your house running, much less enduring the draining expense of hiring top-notch lawyers to plead your case."

The picture he painted was a bleak one. I wanted to deny it, but I couldn't. He was right. Except two bags of thousand dollar bills magically fell from the sky, there was no way I could win.

But I wasn't given up either.

"You simply cannot have this baby."

"I can and if you don't agree to my terms I will. You can't win against me, Hope, the sooner you realize this the better."

I shook my head, his gall was unbelievable. My fists clenched as I turned one last time and struck him with a look. "I'll do whatever it takes."

He shot out of his chair, frustrated. "Do you have to be so damn stubborn? I'm offering you a once-in-a-lifetime offer here."

"Well, I don't want it."

"You clearly haven't thought this through yet. Your mother. How would she feel if she found out you were damn pregnant and broke?"

I stood still. My body didn't know whether to go faint or boil with fury at his implied threat. "Stop trying to play mind games with me!"

"It isn't mind games if it's the truth. One you're not willing to accept!" He was in front of me in an instant, his compelling eyes holding me hostage. "Now, I know my reputation as a gentleman is questionable. I understand. I fuck too many women and I discard them quicker than I screw them, but contrary to what you may think about me, kitten, I'm not a fucking wimp. I'll take care of you if you let me. Do you honestly think our child will thank you for denying him his heritage?"

Frustration bubbled inside me and it grew bigger and bigger because deep down, I knew there was nothing I could say to that. When I looked past the hate I had for him, his words did seem to make sense.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment and tried to think about this practically. Killian was not the type of guy any woman would choose to have an unplanned baby with-he was narcissistic, sexist, unpredictable, and arrogant with an asshole title glued to his forehead-but as a mother, all I wanted was the best for my unborn baby. If marrying him meant they would have a stable environment to grow up in, then was this too big of a sacrifice?

With my unpaid debts and lack of decent a job, the only option was to take this plunge. I had already made things difficult for myself. I didn't think anything else could make it worse.

The silence between us slowly ticked along. Only broken by the grim sigh that escaped my lips.

I lifted my eyes to meet his. "I'll accept your proposal on one condition."

He stared at me with suspicion. "What do you want?"

"I'll have equal rights to the baby when this is over."

"We can arrange that."

"Also, you'll keep your hands and lips to yourself," I added, knowing that having any sexual activity with him at this stage would only mess with my emotions and complicate our already strained relationship.

"Rest assured, I won't be touching you except you want me to."

My nerves tightened. I bit my lip hard, aware of how his eyes lowered to my mouth as I did so. "I won't be wanting it."

"It's settled then." He snapped his gaze up to my eyes. "We still have a lot to do but I'll let you off the hook tonight." He glanced at his watch. "Well this meal is ruined, how about dessert?"

I heaved out a breath.

"Yes sure."