Chapter 55 An Unexpected Gift
It had been Chloe who aggressively insisted on seducing him in the middle of the night. And the next morning, it had been Chloe who brazenly locked the hotel room door, pulling him right back under the sheets and wasting the entire day.
Having just tasted the absolute, intoxicating high of sex with her for the very first time, how the hell was a twenty-year-old boy supposed to control himself?
"Well, tell me what we are supposed to do now!" Chloe had demanded fiercely, pacing the grass, her voice cracking with helpless panic.
"If you're pregnant, we'll get married right now, and we'll have the baby," Nathan had declared instantly, without a single microsecond of hesitation.
"You just say 'have it' like it's easy! Who is going to take care of it? How are we going to raise a kid?!" Chloe had cried, genuinely terrified.
Nathan had quickly stepped forward, gripping her shoulders to ground her. "I will. If you're pregnant, I'll drop my applications for medical school and graduate programs immediately. I'm finishing my bachelor's this year anyway. I'll get a full-time job. With my chemistry degree, landing a lucrative position at a pharmaceutical company won't be hard. Hell, the department head already offered me a paid position assisting with his research."
He had spoken rapidly, his brilliant mind already running the calculations. "The starting pay might not be luxury, but it will be more than enough to support our family and cover all the formula and diapers. My mother can watch the baby during the day while I work, and I'll take the night shifts so you can sleep."
Seeing how flawlessly and completely Nathan had mapped out their entire survival plan in under ten seconds, the blinding panic in Chloe’s chest had slowly begun to subside.
It was true. They were both graduating soon. They were smart. They wouldn't starve.
"But I don't want to be a mother this soon!" Chloe had wailed, burying her face in her hands.
She had only pursued Nathan because he was devastatingly handsome and utterly brilliant! Why did the price of her teenage hormones have to be so terrifyingly high?
"Hey. Don't cry," Nathan had sighed, his voice softening into an unbearable tenderness. "If you genuinely don't want to go through with it... we have other medical options. I will support whatever you choose."
Chloe had snapped her head up, glaring at him through her fingers. "Oh, really? Were you just desperately waiting for me to say that so you could avoid responsibility?"
"No, I wasn't," Nathan had quickly pulled her completely into his chest, wrapping his arms tight around her. "How could I not want a child with you? I will love any baby you give me beyond measure."
"Really?" Chloe had sniffled against his shirt.
"Yes," Nathan had smiled reassuringly into her hair. "Even though it's a terrifying accident, maybe it's a gift."
"That makes sense," Chloe had murmured, slowly dropping her hand to touch her flat stomach. "Will it be a boy? God, I hope it's a boy, just like you."
"I'd rather it be a girl," Nathan had whispered. "A vicious little angel with sparkling eyes, exactly like you."
"Boy."
"Girl."
"Fine. We'll do it your way. First a boy, then a girl."
"No way! One is absolutely enough!" Chloe had protested.
"Shouldn't we get officially married first, then?" Nathan had teased gently.
"You aren't even legally old enough to drink yet."
"Then how about an engagement party? Just a small ceremony with your parents?"
"Fine. If the line turns pink, we'll do it."
The two of them had stood in the dark yard discussing their entire hypothetical future for over an hour. Eventually, Nathan had sprinted three blocks to the all-night pharmacy, bought six different brands of pregnancy tests, and shoved the plastic bag into Chloe's hands so she could test first thing in the morning.
When she had taken the bag, she couldn't help but laugh at the sight of his ears, which were glowing a violent, terrified red under the streetlights.
Early the next morning, Nathan had bought a massive spread of hot breakfast and delivered it directly to her parents' house.
When he knocked, Alvin was already dressed for his shift at the plant. "Chloe's still dead asleep," Alvin had chuckled, grabbing a coffee. "Go up and wake her yourself."
"Alright. Have a good shift, Alvin," Nathan had greeted him with flawless politeness.
Alvin had always deeply liked Nathan. He completely approved of the boy practically living at their house.
Nathan had walked inside, set the breakfast bags on the kitchen counter, and quietly climbed the stairs, pushing open Chloe's bedroom door.
Chloe was deeply asleep. The window AC unit was blasting freezing air, and she had entirely cocooned herself in a thin quilt, curled into a tight ball with only the top of her messy hair exposed.
Nathan had smiled, walking over to sit on the edge of the mattress. He gently nudged her shoulder through the blankets. "Time to get up."
Chloe completely ignored him.
He leaned down, his lips brushing her covered ear. "Baby..."
She stubbornly rolled over, keeping her eyes squeezed shut, refusing to acknowledge him.
Nathan let out a soft laugh. He pinched her earlobe and lightly tugged a strand of her hair. "You are clearly awake. What exactly are you plotting?"
Keeping her eyes tightly closed, Chloe had spoken in that lazy, husky, sleep-drunk voice that always drove him insane. "The beautiful princess is currently under a dark sleeping curse... She requires her handsome prince to break the spell with true love's kiss."
Nathan chuckled, a deep rumble in his chest. "But Her Highness hasn't brushed her teeth yet."
Chloe blindly stuck her bottom lip out in a dramatic pout. "Just one kiss. It's literally in the magic rules."
"You are completely hopeless," Nathan had teased, completely failing to hide the overwhelming adoration in his voice. He leaned down, planting a rapid succession of soft, loud kisses all over her warm cheek. "Alright. Curse broken, with interest."
"I feel like my face just got aggressively washed by a golden retriever," Chloe laughed, finally opening her eyes.
"Alright, enough stalling. Get out of bed and go take the test," Nathan urged softly.
Through the morning light, Chloe noticed the heavy, bruised dark circles under his eyes. He clearly hadn't slept a single second last night. His brilliant mind had been violently racing with a million terrifying logistics: where they would hold the shotgun wedding, how to pare down the guest list, what to name the baby. He had even called his terrifying father at 2:00 AM to negotiate taking over one of the smaller properties in the Archer family portfolio to serve as their starter home.
Brandon Archer had actually agreed.
Nathan had spent the entire night analyzing their survival. The sheer realization that he was about to become a twenty-year-old father had filled him with absolute, suffocating terror—he was terrified he would fail them, terrified he wouldn't be able to provide enough. Yet, beneath the panic, he had been violently buzzing with an intoxicating anticipation. The thought of Chloe carrying his child had kept him staring at the ceiling until dawn.
Chloe remained completely motionless under the quilt.
Nathan lowered his voice, gently coaxing her. "Honey, please. Just go to the bathroom and take it so we know."
"No need," Chloe’s muffled voice echoed from beneath the covers.
"What's wrong?"
"I woke up at 4:00 AM. My period started."
Nathan completely froze.
He sat frozen on the edge of the bed for a long, heavy ten seconds. He let out a slow, complex exhale, staring at the floor as if trying to comfort his own violently disappointed heart. "It's okay. There will be other chances."
"Stop talking. Just take this bag and throw it in the trash," Chloe grumbled, her face burning with embarrassment as she blindly fumbled the plastic pharmacy bag out from under the covers and shoved it directly into his chest.
Nathan looked down at the expensive boxes of pregnancy tests in his lap. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking deeply flushed and awkward. "We can just put them in the drawer. Save them for next time."
"Absolutely not. If you don't wear protection next time, don't even think about getting in my bed," Chloe glared at him, finally pulling the quilt down.
As she did, she truly looked at him. He was wearing her absolute favorite outfit—a crisp, fitted white T-shirt and perfectly tailored black trousers, devoid of any pretentious accessories.
The short sleeves exposed his lean, corded forearms. His long legs were planted firmly on the floor. His elegantly long fingers awkwardly clutched the pharmacy bag, a beautiful, rare blush staining his sharp cheekbones. The dark, glossy strands of his hair fell perfectly across his forehead, framing his devastatingly handsome face.
Bathed in the golden morning sunlight, he looked so incredibly, breathtakingly beautiful that Chloe physically couldn't look away.
Her heart violently skipped a beat. She silently turned her face toward the wall to hide her flushed cheeks.
This man is entirely my type. Every single angle of his face radiates pure, unfiltered magnetism. I literally just want to throw myself at him.
No, Chloe mentally slapped herself. The temptation is lethal, but I have to maintain my boundaries before I actually end up pregnant.
"I know. I'm sorry. I promise I will be fully prepared next time," Nathan hurriedly apologized, completely misinterpreting her silence. He thought she had turned away because she was still furious about his reckless lack of control during the trip.
He genuinely hadn't meant to risk her future; he just hadn't expected her to be so intoxicatingly passionate and proactive. Once she had touched him, his brain had completely short-circuited.
Thinking back on the sheer panic of the last twenty-four hours gave him literal chills. While the secret thought of having a baby with her was deeply, terrifyingly wonderful, Nathan realistically wanted to savor at least a few more years of having Chloe entirely to himself.
He was only twenty. His master plan was to aggressively finish medical school, secure his Ph.D., and establish an untouchable financial empire before locking her down in marriage. He figured thirty was the optimal age to have a child. By then, his career would be bulletproof, and he would have the massive savings and time required to give their children a flawless life.
Back then, Nathan had been so incredibly, arrogantly certain. He fully believed he and Chloe had an entire, sprawling lifetime ahead of them, a golden timeline destined to be filled with success and beautiful children.
He had absolutely no idea that what actually followed was twenty-three years of agonizing, bloody isolation.
Now, decades later, forty-two-year-old Nathan sat rigidly on the expensive leather sofa in his living room, his head bowed, waiting in absolute, suffocating silence.