Chapter 95

Sunlight assaulted Will’s eyes, setting a jackhammer off in his head. His mouth was dry and fuzzy, and his limbs were lead. It took a few moments before he realized he was nude and that there was someone in the bed with him.
“What the…?” he mumbled. He hadn’t remembered getting into bed with anyone. He shouldn’t have gotten into bed with anyone. He pulled the covers back and to his shock, Grace was sprawled out, nude in his bed. At the loss of warmth, she stretched. Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at Will.
“Well, good morning,” she purred.
“What happened last night?” Will was panicking. The answer was pretty clear, but he hoped with every fiber in his soul that there was some other explanation.
“We made love,” she simpered. She sat up and pressed herself against him. “Too bad you don’t remember because it was amazing. I don’t recall you being so dominant, but I liked it. Maybe… I can jog your memory.”
Will leaned away and fell off the bed.
“We didn’t,” he rattled, scrambling up from the floor.
“Oh, we did. You said something about how you wanted to do things the right way. I didn’t know what that meant until you ripped my clothes off.” She gestured around the room and Will was shocked at the sight. Their clothes were strewn about the room in varying degrees of destruction.
“I… I’m sorry,” he said. “Did I hurt you?”
“I’m not. It was the best I’ve ever had. How about a round two? I bet it’s even better in the morning,” Grace moved like a predator stalking her prey, ready to pounce at any moment.
“No,” Will took a few steps back. “Last night was a mistake. We shouldn’t have done that. I was drunk; I wasn’t thinking.”
“Then don’t think some more.”
“No,” he repeated. “This shouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry.” He dashed into his bathroom and into the shower. He blasted the hot water and let it cascade all around him.
“Fuck!” he pounded his fist onto the wall. Rivulets of water trickling his body. His body that had betrayed him. He asked each drop of scalding water to erase every trace of Grace off of him. “Fuck!” he said again, this time allowing his disgust with himself to seep through. How had he allowed this to happen? When Grace left him, he had used sex as way to fend off all of his emotions. He refused to give in to them and used his body as a way to turn off his mind. He was known as the billionaire playboy, and it got him into scandal after scandal. He thought those days were behind him, but it seemed that when his emotions were too much, his mind turned off, and his body turned on.
“You’re the worst,” he said under the water. “The fucking worst.”
Grace wasn’t surprised by his reaction in the slightest. It was exactly what she expected. It was the conformation she needed to know that he was still hung up on Emma. Typical Will. Once she was the keeper of his hopes and dreams, but now he had given that position to someone else. Not that it mattered anymore. She had the perfect way to trap him now. It was unfortunate that it had to resort to this, but she had no choice.
Will hadn’t touched her at all last night. She orchestrated the event, knowing he was so black out drunk, that he wouldn’t remember a thing. It was the perfect plan. Regardless of that he thought, she still knew him better than anyone else. Will was who he was because of her. Even when she had left him, every decision he made was influenced by Grace. She was his puppet master, and he had no idea.
Grace left the room, knowing that Will wouldn’t come out if she was still in there. She’d give him his space for now. Her plan was already in motion.
When Grace left, Will emerged from the bathroom. His skin was red from the searing hot water and raw from scrubbing. He swathed himself in a fluffy robe, clambered for his phone and called the only person he thought might listen to him.
“This had better be good,” Alex chided.
“I fucked up,” Will sank to his bed.
“What? More than usual?” Alex laughed.
“No, I’m serious. I got drunk last night and had sex with Grace.”
“She is your wife. Aren’t you supposed to?”
“Shut up. You know I don’t want to be in this marriage. I talked yesterday about ending it, and then this happens?”
“You don’t think she tried to drug you again, do you?” Alex sounded more serious.
“I don’t think so. I know I drank a shit ton last night. But that’s all I remember.”
“You can’t run from this. You’ve got to her know that was a one-time thing.”
“Everything is so messed up.” Will ran his hands through his wet hair.
“Listen, you’re my best friend so I can say this to you. You messed everything up. You had a good thing going with Emma and you sabotaged it the best you could. You need to suck it up and make a decision.”
“What choices do I even have?”
“You can forget her, let her live her life wherever she is, and do stay married to Grace. Get her pregnant and start a family. Or you can divorce Grace and go find Emma. I mean really look for her. And then hope and pray she takes you back.”
“What if she doesn’t? What is she’s happy and wants nothing to do with me?”
“I’m sorry to say this, bro. It would be what you deserve.” A baby’s cry could be heard in the background. “I’ve got to go. I’m on diaper duty so Sabrina can get some sleep.”
They hung up and Will pondered Alex’s words. He was right. If Emma wanted nothing to do with him, he would deserve that. Part of him hoped that despite all the pain he put her through, that she was happy wherever she was. But a more selfish part of him hoped that she missed him and was waiting for him. Maybe there was a chance that this time apart was what they needed. He knew now she was who he wanted, and he was ready to do things the right way. He hoped he wasn’t too late.
Over the next few weeks, Will stayed away from Grace as much as possible. His private investigators were still searching for Emma but had no solid leads. It seemed that whenever they got close, something happened to derail their search. One night, he returned home, weary from working himself to the bone.
“Will?” Grace called out for him. “Is that you?” Her voice was bright, and excited.
“Yeah,” he answered back.
“Come here,” she ran up to him and grabbed his hands. “I have something to show you.” She dragged towards her bedroom and gestured at her dresser. There was a small box with multicolored ribbon tied around it. “Open it.”
He opened the box and there was a small card it read, “Can’t wait to meet you, Daddy” and there was a positive pregnancy test. Will felt all of the blood drain from his body. Ice ran in his veins.
“You’re…”
“Pregnant!” she squealed and threw arms around his neck. “Isn’t this exciting?”
“But… how…”
“It must have been that drunken night you had. Something amazing came from that! We’re having a baby!”
Will was stunned. There wasn’t any joy coming from him. Only fear and shock. But Grace anticipated this, and she knew exactly what to say.
“I know this wasn’t the way either one of us would have wanted this. But we created a life. A life that both of us are responsible for. You can’t abandon us now,” she grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly. “We need you.”
Grace called Will’s parents and they soon came over with gifts.
“A grandbaby! Julia shouted as she scooped up Grace in a giant hug. “I hope it’s a little princess! If it’s all right with you, I’d prefer if she didn’t call me Grandma or Nana. She can call me Gigi or Glamma. And I expect you’ll use my name as a part of hers. Middle name is fine. Everything sounds good with Julia,” she blabbered.
“Congratulations,” Franklin shook Will’s hand. “I’ve already informed the board and they every pleased.”
“Please, Franklin, no business today.”
“Right.”
“Grace, you won’t have to worry about a thing. We’ll hire a nanny to help you during the pregnancy and for after the baby comes.”
“Thank you. We’re so happy, aren’t we Will?”
“Yeah,” he said in a monotone. “So happy. Excuse me for a moment.”
Will went into his room. He wanted to explode, to disappear. But he didn’t have the luxury of giving into his feelings anymore. His life wasn’t his anymore. There was a baby on the way. His baby. And while the situation wasn’t ideal, he couldn’t help but smile.