33.

Xander




The look on her face said it all, I fucked up, I seriously fucked up and Charles was right, it was not a clever idea.




"Ha! I told you." Charles says from behind me.




"Charles, not right now," Damien warns.




"Xander, you better start explaining yourself."




Oh boy, here we go.




"Well, with you being my fiancée and with everything going on, I just thought that it would be a good idea for us to move to the US after the trial was over."




She lets out a sigh, "I thought you meant we were moving straight away, I was going to kill you."




I chuckled nervously, "Oh, of course not, baby."




I look over at Charles, and he's on his phone, pretty sure he's cancelling the flights I booked for tonight. She walks over to her mother, who hugs her and kisses her on the cheek.




"How are you feeling, baby?"




Nikki sighs, "I'm tired."




"I mean, who wouldn't be with all these things happening around us," Charles says, it's something about the way he said that that made me believe that something is going on.




Nikki looks at Charles, "Yeah, a lot is going on. Chantel was just giving me feedback on Damien's case, and we seem to have hit a snag, but Chantel is working on it."




"That's good baby, but if Chantel needs any help, you should let me know, I can help her," I say, kissing her forehead.




"Why? Do you like her?"




"Excuse me?"




I look at Nikki, and she looks serious; she can't be serious.




"You heard me; do you like her?"




"Babe, where the hell is this coming from, Chantel is a shareholder at your company, your best friend, why would I even think of cheating on you with her."




She rolls her eyes, "Men are trash these days."




"Look, I know Aiden hurt you with someone you thought you could trust, but I would never do that to you, there is no other woman that is made for me but you."




Charles coos, "That was really sweet."




Nikki has a pout on her lips, and I kiss those plump lips, "I love you, not her."




"Fine," she says and huffs.




"Are you okay, Nikiwe?" her mother asks, "It's not like you to have outbursts like that."




Nikki looks at Charles and then back at her mother, she seemed edgy, nervous. Something was wrong with her, I closely examined her, and I noticed a change in her clothes, she was wearing a lot of oversized clothes and the colour black.




Nikki gets up and rushes upstairs in tears, I want to run after her, but her mother stops me and tells me that she'll talk to her. I let her go, and I watch her as she goes up the stairs to our room.




Charles and Damien are whispering to each other in the kitchen, and when I look at them, they stop.




"What's going on, guys?"




Charles shakes his head, "Nothing, just whispering between lovers."




"Bullshit."




Damien sighs, "It's not our place to say, Xander."




I sigh, "Why? Is there something wrong with Nikki?"




"Well," Charles drags.




"Well, what Dante?"




"As Damien said, it is not our place to say. You have to ask her."




Before I could answer, Charles and Damien excuse themselves and go to their cottage in the backyard.




I sit down on the chair and sigh. What could be wrong? Is she terminally ill? Is the business in trouble? Is it the case? I sit in the kitchen for what felt like an eternity and Nikki's mother comes down the stairs, I rush to meet her at the foot of the steps, and she sighs.




"You need to go speak to her," she says to me, "I need you to be open with her and be the husband that she deserves."




"Of course, mama, is everything okay?"




She smiles, "Everything is wonderful, Xander, it's you I'm a little worried about."




I'm confused by her statement, she tells me to go upstairs, and I do, I open our bedroom door and Nikki is sitting on the bed, with a blanket over her lower body. I walk over to our bed, I sit on the bed and lean forward and kiss her forehead, I feel her relax under my touch, and she sniffs.




"Are you okay, baby?"




She nods, "Yeah, just hormones."




I coo, "Is it that time of the month, baby?"




She shakes her head.




"Oh, then what's going on, baby?"




"Xander, please don't be mad at me. I love you and I didn't think this would happen so soon, and I feel like a complete bitch for not telling you and I don't know how we are going to do it, and -




"Nikki, whatever it is baby, we can get through it, I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to marry you. I love you and want to be with you, baby. So, please tell me what's got you so worked up and stressed?"




"I'm pregnant Xander."