After scoring the internship of a lifetime, college student Lila Grey is ready to let loose and have a little fun. But thanks to the virile Kol Mikaelson, one night of carelessness turns into something much more complicated than she'd ever imagined...
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(A/N: This is the final chapter, but there will be an Epilogue posted soon. And then I've written a bonus epilogue for Kol's own Happily Ever After, so that will post the following day. Thanks so much for reading!)
"I'll just give you guys a minute," Presley offered, stepping outside the front door.
Kol sat down beside me, his breath leaving his lungs in a slow hiss. "So. This is uncomfortable, eh?"
My lips twitched as I thought of something playful to say in response, but it didn't feel like the time. I looked up at him with curiosity, waiting for him to gather up the courage to speak his mind.
He cleared his throat and leaned back against the pillows.
"Suppose I should start at the beginning. I've always been somewhat of a black sheep in my family," he began, gazing off at nothing so he wouldn't have to look at me. "Elijah was the smartest, Klaus was the most popular, and I was.. just me."
"You're special, too," I whispered, but he shook his head.
"I was the one who could make people laugh. The clown no one ever took seriously, always overlooked in favor of his older brothers. Even my Kappa brothers call me Little Nik. And then Lila Grey came along. I'd noticed you on campus before, of course. Everyone had. You're ethereal, love." He shifted his gaze to finally meet mine. "That night at The Firefly, with dozens of other men hoping for a chance, you chose me to take home." A wry smile curled his lips, and my heart sank.
"Kol..." I broke off, unsure what to say.
"You said you didn't want any more than one night, so I didn't allow myself to hope for anything else. And then by some miracle, or perhaps simply poor decision making, in those few hours together we conceived a child."
My teeth sank down on my lower lip as the guilt swirled around in my chest.
"I thought, perhaps, this was my chance to become the best of the Mikaelsons: the responsible father to a baby shared with the most beautiful, feisty mother the world had ever known. But I suppose a good bit of that was my own fault.. as we didn't truly know one another at all, did we?" He wore an expression of quiet acceptance, as if he'd reluctantly come to terms with the reality of the situation.
"God, Kol. I am so, so sorry. We never meant to hurt you. This thing between Elijah and me came out of nowhere, and we tried so hard to fight it..." I squeezed my eyes shut as I remembered the internal struggle we each battled.
He sighed, looking so weary I could cry. "After I kissed you, I knew for sure you weren't interested in me. But I never guessed—" he trailed off, lost in thought. "I just can't believe I was so blind. Elijah is crazy about you, and you're crazy about him. You have the real thing, and our baby will have an uncle who loves them like his own," he said, his voice straining with emotion. "Maybe someday, I will find a woman to love our baby like her own, too. And then JB will have two sets of parents who would do anything for them." He rested his hand over mine as I felt a tear slide down my cheek.
