I was almost afraid to approach such a distinguished man, but he wrapped his arm around my shoulders as soon as I drew close, reminding me we were a unit. I didn’t wait to be addressed or to hear how the negotiations were going before I blurted out my plan. “I won’t cooperate.”
Three sets of eyes turned to me. Ethan’s arm stiffened on my shoulder. “If I’m not pregnant, I won’t spread my legs for the next candidate. I want to stay with Ethan.”
“Jane, I have this,” Ethan said in a low voice. “We’re coming to an agreement.” He gave his chin a jerk toward the two middle-aged representatives from the government. One was a tall male, dressed in a dark suit with a black leather briefcase at his feet. The other was a petite woman with caked on makeup in an obvious attempt to appear like a mature woman.
“She won’t have to cooperate with candidate number two,” announced a voice from the back of the room, where the doctors had retreated to set up their mini laboratory. “She’s pregnant,” Doctor Brown said.
My entire body froze as if an invisible seatbelt had clicked into place. I was pregnant. My body carried Ethan’s baby. Tears started streaming down my cheeks, but I barely noticed as I threw my arms around Ethan.
The two government officials had stood and were grinning and shaking hands as though they were personally responsible for solving the human reproduction problem. I couldn’t speak. I clung to Ethan and sobbed with relief. My shoulders shook as I wiped my entire face against the pale blue material of his dress shirt.
“An escort will be sent tomorrow morning to transport you to Mr. Green’s farm,” the government man said, but I barely heard him. I let him and Ethan work out the details while I cried and grinned madly, unleashing my strong reaction against his poor shirt, which would likely never recover from the salty tears and snot.
It seemed to take forever before everyone left and Ethan and I were finally alone, standing in front of the low boxy sofa. “We did it,” I said, my words bouncing off the walls like a cheerleader’s. I beamed at him but was startled when he didn’t smile back. “Ethan, why aren’t you happy? I’m pregnant, we’re free to go live on your farm.”
My happiness melted like the top of a child’s ice cream cone on a hot summer day as I took in his serious, uncompromising face. He shook his head at me and led me to the bathroom, where he turned the shower on so we could talk privately. Some drops of cold water splashed onto my arm and caused me to feel icy with dread.
“You’re not pregnant,” he said.
I blinked. Surely I misheard him. Why was he denying the doctor’s claim?
“I paid off Doctor Brown.”
“What?”What?
His arms reached for me, but I slapped at him.
“I paid Doctor Brown to lie and falsify the test,” he said, his words as calm as the shallow canal that ran behind my school.
“I’m not pregnant,” I said, testing out the words.
“No.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I couldn’t take it in. A glance in the mirror showed my face was red with tracks of tears intersecting. Ethan’s lie and betrayal hit me with the force of a truck.
“I wanted your reaction to be more authentic,” he said.
“Oh it was, all right. It was so authentic, I believed it myself.” A fresh round of tears started. “What are we going to do now?”
He grabbed me by my upper arms and bent until our faces were inches apart. “We’re going to do what we planned. We’re going to live on my farm and make a baby. We needed more time, and that’s what I got us. I bought us more time.”
I swallowed over the egg-size lump in my throat. “What if we fail? What if I don’t get pregnant?”
His fingers dug into my skin. “Don’t talk like that. Wewillget pregnant. But if not, Doctor Brown will return to claim you miscarried. You’ll get time to recover while I come up with another plan to keep you.”
The back of my thighs found the bathroom counter and I used it to prop me up since my own legs weren’t handling the job. I tried to process everything Ethan had told me and landed on the most minor of details. “So what were you discussing so hot and heavy with the government officials when I came into the living room?” I asked.
“I was putting up a good fake front,” he said. “I threw around my money and position to get them thinking I was trying to negotiate another month with you.” He gave a laugh like a dog trying to rid his throat of grass. “Surprisingly, it was working. I was actually making headway.”
“You were?”
He nodded and smiled, tipping his head to look at me closely. “I’m sorry I lied, Jane, but I couldn’t think of another way. Now we have time. Now we can stay together.” He stepped closer for a hug, and I clung to him, my mind spinning with the implications of what Ethan had done. For me.
I wrapped my arms around his lean waist and squeezed, trusting him to keep me safe. Tomorrow we’d leave for his farm and the real world where I’d share him. No more long days naked in our private apartment, free to enjoy each other’s bodies whenever the mood struck. He’d have work responsibilities, and I’d have a huge one of my own. To get pregnant.
At that moment the door buzzed again. “Who could that be?” I asked.
“Stay here,” he said and went to go answer the door. I ignored Ethan’s order and followed him to the living room.