Chapter 47

Marcus

"She's pregnant?"

He looked up from the monitor where he'd been reviewing the latest footage for their show. They'd been halfway through their meeting when Justin and a few of the guys who worked with Alex's company had returned from an impromptu gathering at his building. "Oh yeah. And really loving the attention, too," Justin said, looking over his shoulder with interest. "She had the entire office decked out in blue and pink, and insisted it was mandatory everyone took part."

"Alex must have loved that," Erica said, wrinkling her nose.

"Poor bastard didn't know where to put himself," Justin replied. "He was obviously uncomfortable, and she either didn't care or didn't notice."

Marcus shook his head as he tried to imagine Sophie as a mother, shuddering at the thought. This was a woman who would wait around for the next tram if she saw a child get on board. She refused to eat in family-friendly restaurants and complained loudly if a kid spoiled her evening.

And this was her attitude towards well-behaved children with parents who could reason with them. She had even less patience for babies and wanted nothing to do with them.

"I wonder if there's trouble in paradise," he wondered out loud. "Maybe she wants to keep her hooks in Alex as much as she can."

"She's an idiot, then," Justin said. "If rumours are to be believed, he's already cheated on her."

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer woman," Marcus said with a shrug. "Shall we get back to work? "

"Wait a minute," Erica said, looking at Justin. "Who has he supposedly cheated with?"

"Someone from our lot," he said. "One-night stand type of deal."

"And you don't know who?"

"''Fraid not." He shrugged. "I'm sure they're keeping a tight lid on it. Whoever she is, if the higher-ups find out, she's a goner."

Erica exhaled a slow breath and met Marcus' gaze. Seeing the pity in her eyes, he silently applauded her empathy. Saying goodbye to Justin, he looked back at the monitor for a moment, not really seeing anything on the screen other than blurred shapes.

So.

A child with him was out of the question, but for Alex, she was happy to ruin her body and give up her freedom. Interesting. He didn't care, nor did it surprise him. But it was a stark reminder that the woman he had once given his all to had never loved him at all.

Or, more than likely, she loved Alex too much.

"Do you feel weird?" Erica asked quietly, barely meeting his gaze.

"How so?" He asked. Weird wasn't quite the right word, but he definitely felt some kind of way.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I mean, did you and Sophie ever talk about kids?"

"Yeah." He nodded and released a humourless chuckle. "On our first date, in fact. She told me under no circumstances would she ever have a child. It was completely off the cards if I was to continue dating her."

"You didn't want children then?" She asked, finally looking at him. His heart leapt at the genuine interest in her eyes. This was moving into a territory he hadn't expected. But given everything else they had already achieved together in the last six months, why shouldn't children be a topic they broached?

"They weren't a deal breaker for me," he said. "I was twenty-five when I had that first date. And I was a young twenty-five. It was easy for me to rule out children in favour of the incredibly beautiful woman in front of me. "

"I can understand that," Erica said. "And now?"

He hesitated for a moment, taking a slow breath to compose his thoughts.

The truth was, his stance on children hadn't really changed. He didn't have a desperate yearning to be a father and dedicate his life to someone else. But as he'd grown, the thought of not having them had left a small pang in his chest. It had been easy to ignore all these years, brush it off as one of life's regrets. At the time, as long as he had Sophie, everything else seemed to fade away.

And now?

Well, shit.

"I think recent events have made me more inclined to have children in my future," he said, keeping his eyes on hers. "In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think it might be fun to have a couple of rugrats around."

"I think so too," she replied, the ghost of a smile forming on her lips. "One day, at least."

His heart soared at the thought before his stomach lurched uncomfortably as reality settled.

The vasectomy, of course.

A procedure he'd agreed to with little persuading, naively thinking he and Sophie were forever. In fact, he'd been happy to. The less thinking he had to do about contraception, the better for him. There was nothing worse than getting hot and heavy, only to break up the fun and fumble awkwardly with a condom.

He had to tell her.

"Listen," he said, patting his knee as an invitation. She moved to sit in his lap, resting her arm around his shoulders. "Like I said, Sophie was dead set against children. It wasn't even up for debate. So when she suggested a vasectomy, I didn't even hesitate."

"Sensible," Erica said with a nod. "And it also explains why we've never used anything."

"They can be reversed," he assured her. "I think I'm still in the window for a high chance of a successful reversal."

"And when does that window end?"

"Pretty soon," he admitted. "Like within the next six months or so. "

Erica nodded, falling silent. He was desperate to know what was going on inside her mind and exactly what she was thinking. But he gave her the space to compose herself and gather her thoughts.

Neither of them had been expecting a conversation this heavy.

But that was the beauty of this relationship he shared with her. No topic was off limits, no question out of line. It had been like that with Sophie, only she dictated what she wanted and didn't. With Erica, he felt that even if their ideals didn't align, they could compromise and ensure both were happy.

Although he had to admit, children were probably one of those things they should be in full agreement about.

He couldn't imagine anything worse than bringing life into this world that wasn't one hundred per cent wanted and loved. His heart ached for Sophie's unborn child, knowing that it was nothing more than a pawn to her. He could already see all the ways she would weaponise that innocent babe to make sure Alex bent to her will.

It was a sickening thought, and he could only hope that something had changed for Sophie. That she truly loved the life growing inside her.

"I think I'd really love a child with you one day," Erica said, finally breaking the silence. "Not now. Not in the immediate future. But one day, I think I'd like that."

"Yeah?" He felt a frisson of excitement. He agreed with everything she said. Their relationship was still in its infancy, and he had every intention of enjoying growing with her for a couple of years. But now that it was out there in the world, he couldn't deny that being a father was something he would like.

At least now he had found the right partner.

"I want you to answer me something though," she said, playing with his fingers. "If we didn't work out, or you hadn't met me or something, would you still want kids?"

"That's a hard question to answer," he admitted. "Because it's you that makes the whole prospect exciting."

"Thank you," she said, pecking him on the lips. "That's sweet of you to say. But I want you to think about it, okay? I won't pretend to know the ins and outs of vasectomies and reversals, but it's still surgery. There's always a risk with surgery and you need to do this because you might someday want children. Not because I do."

"I understand," he said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "But I want to make it clear - you and I not working out is not an option."

She smiled, chuckling as she nodded. "Understood. My point still stands."

"It does, and I'll take it into consideration." He sat with her for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. "Were kids in your plan with Alex?"

"We never discussed it," she said with a small shrug. "I've been thinking about it since Justin told us Sophie was pregnant. But I cannot remember one instance of us discussing children."

"You're kidding."

"I know, it's so fucking strange," she said. "I think expectations were that we'd eventually have kids. At least, I assume so. But I honestly could not tell you if he even likes them."

"Is that why you feel weird?" He asked, squeezing her hip. "I figured that's why you were asking me."

"Sort of," she admitted. "I don't really know how I feel. I'm not jealous, and I don't wish it were me."

"But you feel something?" She nodded, avoiding his gaze. He gave her another squeeze, this time to reassure her. "It's okay, beautiful. I get it. I can't quite explain it, either."

"It's like the whole thing leaves a nasty taste in my mouth," she said. "I don't like the thought of them having a baby because I don't think they should ."

"And?" He chuckled. "Come on, I'm sure there's something more."

"And I think it's fucking selfish that they'd bring a child into the mess that is their relationship! Alex isn't even mature enough to sign our divorce papers. Sophie is off in fucking Wonderland or something. And in the middle of it all is a fucking innocent child that deserves more than either of them will give it. "

She'd hit the nail on the head.

Everything she said he agreed with. And the worst part of it all is that there was fuck all he could do about it. Fuck all anyone could do except the two people who were to become the babes' parents.

Erica sighed, chewing her lip as her eyes darted around the room. "I think it's time to put the pressure on for the divorce."

"More than we have?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah. Yes." She sighed again and turned to look at him. "If Alex dies tomorrow, everything he owns becomes mine. The house, car, business. It's all mine, and that really doesn't sit well with me. Not when there's a child involved."

"I love you for that," he said, kissing her lightly. "So, what do you suggest?"

"Well, we tried to do this the civil way," she said, meeting his gaze. "We tried blackmail. I think we have no choice now but to play dirty."