His Lovely Ward

Chapter 26

“If this is one of your tricks, it’s not funny at all, Angelica,” Henry said, a dangerous warning in his voice.

Angelica lifted her chin higher and squared her shoulders. “It’s not a trick. I’m really pregnant. But…” she sighed, looking around, feigning nonchalance, “as expected, you don’t believe me. So I really need to use my old strategy to make you accept the fact that you’re going to be a daddy.”

He peered down at her. He could very well be skinning her alive. “And how is that?”

“I’ll chase you around, of course. But only this time. I’m not doing it for a long time.” she retorted dryly.

“You should be hating me right now,” he hissed.

“If you continue to act like a stupid bastard, I might actually think that,” she looked him in the eyes. “But if you expect me to hate you because you believe you were responsible for my mother’s death, I’m sorry but that’s not going to happen. She chose to kill herself and she would have succeeded anyway if you didn’t come in time.”

He scoffed and looked around in disbelief.

“But Henry,” she uttered, turning serious. “This is actually your last time. I’m giving you one last time to do the right thing. What you did when you left me that night was just a big failing mark on my slate. So,” she backed away one step, “if you choose to be like my mother who chose self-pity and death, or my father who didn’t have that much confidence in me, you can go to hell and expect not to hear from me ever again. But if you choose to be honest with yourself, you’re very welcome to come to me and our unborn child and say that you’re sorry for being such an ass.” With that, she turned around and walked away.

Right now, she so felt like Cassandra, walking away from her Philip. But this was the best thing she could do. And now that she thought of it, it was the best speech she had ever said. Henry could do whatever he wanted. She was not forcing him to do anything, but she gave him an option. He just better be wise enough to pick the right one because she wouldn’t be chasing him around like she normal would.

  *****

Henry forgot about his mission. He was too stunned to even think.

She can’t be serious, can she?

She’s pregnant?

He didn’t know what to think anymore. Hell, he even doubted himself right now. Was it wrong for him to blame himself? What did she mean by what she said earlier? That she was okay with what happened all those years ago?

He couldn’t even decide if she was serious about being pregnant. Henry knew her too well to know that she would do anything to have what she wanted.

And that stuck him the most. She wanted him.

She didn’t say that up front but she sure threw it in his face when she gave him that option.

He fought the urge to run after her.

It was the first instinct that came to his mind.

But he was on a mission and he couldn’t fail.

But she was going away.

She was going away, lost in the crowd, and he was left standing alone looking like a statue that was out of place.

  *****

Angelica went back to the apartment with a hopeful heart. Stepping in the dark, she felt for the switch and turned on the lights. An overwhelming sense of familiarity engulfed her.