Abigail Lacoste
It felt like a true dream. I wish I could say I kept my word, that I didn't let my feelings take over—but I couldn't. Not after hearing Órion’s declarations of love and finding out he hadn’t rejected us, that he was actually just scared of what might happen to me and our baby. I couldn't blame him. His wife had been murdered in front of him, and the killer was never found—they could come back and try something again. Holding his hand, we walked back into the living room after I had cleaned up in my bathroom, and the governor had done the same. We were smiling when Ítalo approached us, stepping between us and pushing us apart.
"You’re smiling?" he yelled, looking at me. "You’ve already forgiven him? Don’t be stupid, little sister."
"They took too long. Smell her, Ítalo," Sebastian said, crossing his arms. "See if she smells like sex."
"Sex has a smell?" Ítalo asked. I looked at my parents, feeling embarrassed, and when my brother sniffed me, my cheeks burned. "Shit, she smells like sex."
"I told you, you need to start hanging out with me, little brother. You're the oldest and still don’t know a damn thing about sex." My mom smiled from the couch. Sometimes I wished I were an only child. "I’ll write a manual for you."
"I don’t want a manual. Last time I followed your advice, I got into trouble. And the issue here isn’t my sex life, it’s our little princess being with this..."
"Governor," I said, smiling and taking Órion’s hand again. "We’re going to be together. My mom is right—our baby needs a family, and that’s what we’re going to be."
"Dad, are you going to allow this?" My youngest brother could really get on my nerves sometimes.
My dad walked up to us, looked Órion up and down before turning to me. He caressed my hair, tears in his eyes, and then rested his hand on my belly.
"Sweetheart, do you love him?" His question made me smile, and I looked at the governor, who smiled back.
"Very much." Smiling, I held his hand.
"Governor, do you love her?" This time, he looked directly at Órion before asking.
"More than I love myself."
I kissed him, smiling through the tears on my face. Pregnancy hormones were making me more emotional every day, and my heart had completely melted at the governor's words. My father shrugged, walked over to the couch where my mother was seated, and sat beside her, taking her hand in his.
"Be together. When there’s love, nothing and no one can destroy it." He kissed my mom. "But, Governor, take good care of my little girl. She’s one of my most precious treasures."
"You have my word, Mr. Lacoste. I’ll dedicate my whole life to making your daughter happy."
"Oh, seriously? Love and blah blah blah," I heard Ítalo complain behind us. "I need a drink after all this nonsense. You coming with me, Sebastian?"
"I’m picking the place. They’ve got my two favorite things in the world." The two walked off together. "Booze and women."
I laughed, feeling Órion’s arms wrap around me. My brothers didn’t believe in love, and I had a feeling fate had something strong in store for them—that one day they’d end up just like me and the governor. We stayed in Texas for two more days, and when I had to say goodbye to my family, I felt my heart break all over again. I had left an important part of me behind, but I knew it was time to return to my life, face whatever was coming, and take care of our baby’s health and well-being.
"Are you okay?" Órion had asked me that for the tenth time since we arrived at his flat. "I brought you a smoothie—sugar-free, of course. We can’t risk gestational diabetes."
I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms. He was controlling about everything in his life, even when he was just chasing after me. But now it was getting to be too much. Órion wouldn’t even let me go down the stairs alone and had already hired a nutritionist to plan what I could and couldn’t eat. I stood up from the couch quickly—I needed to get away from him before I lost it. Didn’t he have anything important to do? His meetings were behind schedule, and he didn’t even seem to care.
"Careful, curls. Get up slowly." He held my back, placing his hand gently on my still-flat belly. "There’s a life in there, and you can’t be making any sudden moves."
"I’m going to lose my mind." I looked at his assistant, who was standing nearby looking at something on her laptop. She smiled and looked at me. "Take him to his office, I’m begging you."
"Sorry, Abigail, but you’ll have to put up with him a bit longer." She stood, setting the laptop on the coffee table. "Melissa is almost here. You two need to talk."
I was about to protest when the girl walked through the front door. It was no secret that the two of us didn’t get along, and now, with the news that I was expecting her father’s child, she’d probably accuse me of trapping him and humiliate me all over again.
"Good to see you, sweetheart." Órion walked over to her, kissed her forehead. "Finally, we can have a civilized conversation."
"Well, I’ll leave you two alone." The assistant passed by me. "If anything happens, scream. The security guys are all outside."
I was nervous—a whirlwind of emotions inside me. I knew it wasn’t easy for Melissa to understand my relationship with her father, much less accept that a girl nearly her age would be her stepmother. It was almost funny to think about, but fate has a way of playing with us. And now the girl who used to humiliate me was sharing a life with the man she loved most in the world.
"Why did you call me here?" she asked, crossing her arms. "I don’t want to witness this madness."
"Sweetheart, as you already know, Abigail and I are together." I stayed standing, just watching the father and daughter talk. "But I called you here to say there’s more."
"More? What could possibly be worse than the two of you being together?" I knew she was going to explode, and maybe not even Órion’s best speeches would make her accept the baby.
"I’m going to be a father again—and you’ve been promoted to big sister."
The shock in her eyes was obvious. She froze, speechless. I was expecting yelling, crying, maybe even an attack, but nothing. The girl stood there like a statue, and that scared me even more. I placed a hand on my belly—a habit since I found out I was pregnant. Melissa followed the movement with her eyes, her attention now completely focused on my still-flat stomach.
"Pregnant." She laughed. "You’re smarter than I thought." She clapped. "That innocent little face never fooled me, but a pregnancy? That’s too much, even for you."
"Melissa, what are you talking about, sweetheart?"
"You don’t see it?" She looked at her father. "You’re so in love you can’t even tell—it’s all a setup. She’s probably not even pregnant. Is she a plant from the opposition? Tell me, Abigail, how much are they paying you to ruin my father’s reputation?"
"What are you talking about, girl?" I asked, walking over to her and stopping in front of her while Órion watched us. "I don’t want to hurt your father. I went away so he could win the election without anyone knowing about me or the baby."
"Really? I’m not that naive. But if you think I’m going to let you ruin his life, you’re wrong."
"You really think I’d use a baby—so innocent and defenseless—to hurt your father? I don’t want him to lose the election. I didn’t even drag his name through the mud because of us, and that’s why we’re not going public."
I felt Órion’s hand squeeze my arm.
"Curls, that wasn’t our agreement. I want to go public as soon as possible and make it clear that you’re going to be my first lady."
"No. We’ll stay as we are until you win the election."
We were talking just between the two of us when Melissa drew our attention again, throwing one of the vases from the center of the table to the floor. She walked away from us, wiping tears from her face. I could understand her pain. The two already didn’t get along, and now he was drifting even further. Still, I’d do everything I could to help Órion reconcile with her. They’re father and daughter, and that love is stronger than anything—it’s blood love, an unbreakable bond.