Tempting His Brother's Wife

Lara "It's just a birth certificate, Lara," My husband snapped, irritation slicing through his voice. "Just a birth certificate?" I laughed, bitter and hollow. "Tell me Liam, should I also ask my best friend to be on our child's birth certificate too?" He scoffed, eyes flicking to my stomach like my entire reasoning was ridiculous. "Maybe don't get ahead of yourself. Let's have this conversation when that, no, if that happens. Get a best friend while you are at it too." That was low. Even for him. I had no one. Not by choice. And he'd been my best friend. Until she showed up. But before I could remind him that, his phone rang and I saw the moment his eyes lit up with happiness. More happiness than I'd seen on him in years. "Hey Champ, is it time yet?" Champ... His nickname for his childhood best friend used to sound harmless. Now, it made my stomach twist. "I'm not having this baby without you, Liam," Ashley whined, loud enough for me to hear even when the phone wasn't on speaker, which Liam gladly switched to as he frantically searched for his car keys. "Get your daddy butt over here." She added before the line went dead. Daddy? I froze. The way she said it, warm, certain, full of love made something inside me crack. I felt the walls curve in on me. This wasn't just about having his name on the bloody certificate. Was he? I whirled, and stared at him. He had only mentioned she'd requested to have him on her child's birth certificate, but— Had he made his best friend pregnant? Bile filled my mouth, even as my world tilted. From the moment Ashley found out she was pregnant, she'd practically lived here. Despite my own inability to have children, I'd been happy for her. Cared for her as both my friend and my husband's childhood best friend. We were happy to be included in her journey as a mother. I was excited for her. "Liam wait," I called. He stopped, staring at me impatiently. "Is she yours?" I choked out. I even knew the baby's s*x. "I've got to go, Lara. We can talk about this when I come back." It wasn't an outright no. It punched me in the gut. "What time?" I sounded pathetic. "Geez, I don't know, La. It's a first time pregnancy, anything is possible. Don't wait up." He walked out the door, a spring in his step. I wasn't a bad person, but I wished something could go wrong. Just for a moment there, I wished something would go wrong with the birth. But I shook my head. I knew the pain of that kind of loss. I'd never wish it on anyone. Not even a backstabbing witch like Ashley. "Mrs Cole, I need to find Liam, is he here?" I stopped, bag in hand. Yes, I was leaving. It had taken me realising that Liam would bring Ashley and their baby right back to our home to make the decision. "He's having a baby— they're having a baby," I answered, not bothering to look at whoever was asking. "So, yeah, he's probably at the hospital. Mary General hospital. Her doctor's name is Dr. Gillian. The baby is due in a few days, but I guess it's early." Tears streamed down my face the more I spoke. I had taken interest in knowing all the details about Ashley's pregnancy, except the most important one, apparently. I was such a fool. "I'm sorry, what was that?" The person asked, making me realise I'd spoken out loud. "Nothing," I said, waving them away. "Give him a call. You might have better luck." All my calls had gone unanswered. I swiped at my tears. This was so not how my birthday should have ended. I pulled tight on the coat that covered the lace I'd worn for him. He hadn't even noticed. A car door opened and banged shut. I was vaguely aware of the mountain of a man approaching, his steps loud, until he spoke, the sound enveloping me. "What the hell is going on, Lara?!" Lucian demanded. There was anger, rage in that one sentence, but it comforted me in a way I did not understand, or I did, because the person had been the only one to always know when something was wrong. I turned away, furiously wiping at my tears. I couldn't let him see me like this. "Uh...hi Lucian. What are you doing here?" Catching his eyes, the fury that morphed into the most tender look I had seen on him yet, reopened the stream of tears. "What the hell did that bastard do?" Liam's older brother, growled. I flinched. All tenderness from a moment ago was gone. "It's nothing," I said, mustering a smile. His brows furrowed. "I think not," he gritted out, gaze dropping on my bag. "I just need some air," I said lamely. His nose flared as he stepped into me. "Don't lie to me, Lara." "He's having a baby, Lucian," I finally said, voice cracking as I fisted his shirt. He went completely still. Then pulled me into his arms. "Damn it," he cursed, pulling me in tighter. "I'm so sorry, Lara." Wait. He was sorry? Not surprised, but sorry. It was my turn to go still. "Did you know?" His body went rigid. He didn't answer. He didn't have to. "Does everyone know?" I whispered. Silence. A hollow laugh slipped out of me. "It's not what you think," he said when I tried to pull back. "Let me go, you bastard!" I hit his chest, not caring that I looked like a brat. "No," he ground out, before scooping me up and walking towards his car. He gently placed me inside and slipped in right next to me. "I don't want to go anywhere with you!" I spat, glaring at him. "Let me take care of you Lara, just for tonight," he said calmly. "Tomorrow, you can do whatever the hell you want." I couldn't go with him. Not tonight. Not ever. But— "I hate you," I said, because it was easier than saying anything else. Something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone before I could make sense of it. "I know baby," he muttered quietly as the car started moving. He'd never called me that before. Liam had never called me that. I closed my eyes and leaned on the window. I didn't want to think. Not about babies I could never have, or husbands that had given our dream to another woman. I stirred to cold air sweeping over my body and grabbed hold to strong arms. What the— "Relax, I'm not going to drop you," Lucian said, smiling down at me. "Where are you taking me?" I squeaked. Looking around, my jaw dropped. "Where are we?" "My place. You said you needed air," Lucian said easily, glancing down at me. I did. I do. At a hotel or something. Not his billionaire mansion in the middle of nowhere. Not in his world. Not with him.