16. Nico

Chapter 16

Nico

When I walk into the office, I am consumed by rage. Furious with her for keeping my son from me. I want to blame her for everything that’s gone wrong and for the situation we’re in now.

But it’s not fair. It’s not her fault.

But I do deserve and want answers from her.

I stand in her office, staring at her, wondering where to start. I have so many questions - so many things I don’t understand and so many emotions that I don’t know what to do with.

Bella moves slowly as she takes a seat at her desk. She is pensive, quiet and waiting.

She’s had her chance to speak and right now she isn’t even trying to say anything - she’s leaving it up to me. I’m grateful for that, but still angry with her.

The more I watch her though, the more confused I get about how I feel.

It’s almost impossible to stay angry with her.

She’s too beautiful.

She’s too elegant and controlled and gentle and soft and kind.

She’s everything I want, but she lied to me.

She didn’t lie - but she kept secrets.

I clench my jaw.

I have plenty of secrets as well. So who am I to point fingers at her.

“Bella, I just need - I want to know - I just - fuck.” I mutter.

Starting again, I take a deep breath and think about the questions I want to ask. One at a time, controlled, I go through them.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I know you could have asked Lina for my contact details. You had ways. It’s not like it would have been impossible to track me down.”

“I wanted to tell you, Nico. But what good would it have done? I was supposed to be hiding. If you, or anyone found out I was pregnant with your baby - it was a risk. I was too scared to take that risk. Besides - we had a one-night stand. An accident in a lot of ways. You didn’t choose this. You didn’t choose to have a baby, and I didn’t want you to think you were obliged to be with me.”

She watches me while I listen to her answers.

“You made a lot of assumptions about me, Bella. That’s not fair of you.”

She bites at her lip and it sends shivers through me.

I’m struggling to stay angry with her.

Whenever I spend even the smallest amount of time around her, it interferes with my thoughts - affects my body and my mood.

She has a positive effect on me. She is magnetic. She fills me with energy.

I ask her a few more questions about our son, before I ask the most important one. “Were you ever going to tell me?”

She takes a deep breath.

“Yes. In all honesty, and you might not believe me, I was planning on telling you the day after I took that day off. I had every intention of telling you. Before I saw Marcus. Before all the drama. You had a right to know, and I was going to tell you either way.”

I’m listening to her, but more than her words - I’m feeling her aura. Her presence. It’s becoming more obvious to me I want her in my life - permanently. I want to be with her.

It seems crazy to be talking about a future with someone when there is such a massive imminent threat - but this is important.

If we know where we stand with each other, then making other decisions will be easier.

Finally, I step forward and pull the other chair out from her desk. I sit down, leaning across the desk towards her.

“Bella, I want to be a father. I want the chance to raise my son, to spend time with him, to take care of him. I want to be in his life. Not just a side feature - but a real father. Then - if you want it too - I want the chance to do things with you. To be together, to have a future. But - “ I sigh, running my hand through my hair. “But there are things about me you don’t know - I have secrets and they will stay secrets. Even if I wanted to - I can’t tell you certain things about myself. If you choose to be with me you have to accept that for what it is - and me for who I am.”

Bella is silent. Her brows are knotted, and her eyes are narrow while she thinks through what I’ve just said.

“Can you do that?” I ask, impatient for her to answer.

“It’s difficult to just answer you. I know how I feel about you - but the secrets - they could be anything. They could be things that put our son in danger - they could be things that would tear us apart if I knew - how can I make a choice without knowing everything?” She blurts out her answer, filled with frustration. Fearful to make the wrong choice.

I didn’t expect her to be so torn and hesitant. My assumption was that her feelings for me would outweigh the unknown.

“I need an answer.” I say, disappointed that she isn’t excited to be with me.

“Can I have some time? I just need to think it through. It’s not only my life I have to consider.”

I stand up, walking around the desk as Isabella stands up as well. I step right against her, our bodies pressing together and sharp currents of electricity shoot between us.

She licks her lips, her eyes on mine.

I don’t like to be told I have to wait for anything. Especially not something I want this badly. Bella is mine, me giving her choice was a curtesy. Possessive anger spikes through me. I wrap my hand around her jaw and pull her face upwards, towards mine, then I press my lips against hers and kiss her.

I’m forceful, passionate and intense with my kiss. I will leave no question in her mind about what I want.

But she also needs to understand that I always get what I want.

My heart is racing with the kiss.

My body firing in every direction.

I want to push her onto the desk and take her right here, right now.

But the office is too busy.

And there are bigger things to worry about.

When I step away I don’t, let go of her jaw.

I hold her and force her to look at me when I speak.

“You have forty-eight hours. Two days. Use that time to make your decision. If you don’t get back to me by the end of that time I will take what is mine. I don’t need your permission, Isabella. Next time I will not ask so nicely.” The threat is hardly veiled and the look in her eyes makes me feel like a monster. But she needs to understand.

No one will keep my son from me.

And her - I want her.

I hope she comes to her senses and makes the right choice.

I don’t like being pushed to be that man - the one who disregards others and handles business.

I don’t want her to see that side of me. But she will - if she chooses wrong.

I let go of her face and watch the red lines of my fingers, where they were gripped across her jaw, disappear from her skin. She says nothing as she stares at me with intense focus.

“Forty-eight hours, Bella.” I warn her.

Then I leave her alone in the office. She can have her time to think.

And in forty hours I will have what I want.