Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 341: Pregnant

After they all had dinner together, Dawn and Jamal took Josh to his room to get him ready for bed, while Callan and Emily cleared the dining and did the dishes.

As they did the dishes, they were both silent for a moment until Emily turned to face Callan. ”Cal?”

”Yeah?” He turned to her eager to hear what she had to say.

”You’re spending the night, right?” She asked, holding his gaze.

”Yeah. Unless you don’t want me to,” he said, and she sighed softly.

”I have no reason to not want you to.”

”That’s a relief,” Callan said with a nod.

A couple of minutes later Jamal and Dawn joined them again and they all settled in the living room.

Dawn sat cross-legged on the rug, already excited. Jamal sat behind her with his legs spread out so Dawn could lean on him while he leaned on a couch. Emily sat at one end of the opposite couch; Callan sat at the other.

Dawn clapped her hands. ”Let’s play truth or dare!”

Emily’s eyes widened and she quickly glanced at Callan and then Jamal.

”Why truth or dare?” Emily asked, wondering if Callan had put them up to it.

”I’ve always wanted to play it. But I’ve never had friends to play with,” Dawn explained.

Emily smiled a tiny smile. ”Oh. Sure then.”

Callan raised a brow, knowing that Emily didn’t like the idea but was too much of a nice girl to say no to Dawn. ”Can we maybe play the game some other time? I don’t think I’m in the frame of mind for it right now.”

”Yeah. Me too. Maybe we can just see a movie and chill or play other less intense games,” Emily suggested.

Jamal chuckled, but said nothing. He’d explained the situation between Callan and Emily to Dawn, so he knew she’d perfectly understand why they were refusing.

Dawn looked at both of them with a bright smile. ”Sure. Let’s see a romcom.”

Jamal stood up first. ”I’ll get popcorn and drinks,” he said as he stretched his arms.

”I’ll help,” Callan offered, happy to have a moment alone with Jamal to remind him that he needed them to go to bed early so he’d have some time alone with Emily.

They both walked toward the kitchen. As soon as they were gone, Dawn turned to Emily.

”How about we make the floor cozy?” Dawn said, thinking it’d be nice for Emily and Callan to have a romantic setting.

When Emily nodded, Dawn went in to get a fluffy blanket and two pillows. They both spread the blanket on the floor, smoothing out the edges.

”Why just two pillows?” Emily asked curiously.

”It’s for you and Cal. Jamal is my pillow,” she said with a wink and Emily giggled.

”And I guess Jamal doesn’t need a pillow,” Emily asked with amusement.

”I don’t want him too comfortable else he might doze off.” She winked again, and Emily laughed.

They pushed everything together until the space looked warm and comfortable like a tiny nest.

When the boys returned, Jamal carried a large bowl of popcorn, and Callan had four bottles of soda tucked against his chest.

”We’re ready,” Jamal said with a grin as he handed Dawn her soda.

They all settled down. Emily sat on the blanket, hugging a pillow. Callan sat beside her, but not too close. Dawn snuggled in front of Jamal, leaning her back against his chest while he wrapped his arms around her stomach.

They picked a movie, one with soft laughter and easy scenes, and for a while everything felt calm.

They watched the movie quietly at first. Then Dawn leaned her head back against Jamal’s chest when his hands began to wander over her body, and Jamal kissed her hair. A moment later, Dawn turned her face up and kissed him softly. Jamal chuckled and kissed her again, longer this time.

Emily tossed a popcorn kernel at them. ”Hey! Get a room.”

Dawn pulled back and laughed. ”Maybe we should.”

Jamal stretched his arms like he was tired. ”As a matter of fact, we should. I need to retire for the night.”

Dawn let out a real yawn as if on cue. ”Me too. I need to call it a night.”

Before Emily or Callan could say anything, Dawn stood and grabbed Jamal’s hand.

”Goodnight, guys!” she said quickly. ”Enjoy the movie. Emily you’ll tell me all about it over breakfast.”

”Sleep tight,” Jamal added with a teasing smile as they both disappeared down the hallway.

”Why do I feel like that was deliberate?” Emily muttered, seeing how the house felt quiet the moment they were gone.

”Those two have a hard time keeping their hands off each other, and you encouraged them to get a room. What did you think would happen?”

Emily rolled her eyes but kept them fixed on the movie, which she wasn’t watching anymore.

Callan stayed still beside her, his eyes glued to the screen too even though his mind was far away.

Neither spoke for a while as they waited for the other to speak first.

The movie played on, but the silence between them grew bigger and heavier until Emily finally whispered, ”Cal, I want us to talk.”

Callan’s head snapped toward her. He sat up right away, his face serious, his eyes soft. ”I want that too.”

Emily hugged her pillow closer. Her heart shook as she drew in a long, shaky breath. ”I’m not cut out for this indifferent act I’m putting up right now. And I don’t want to act in a way that’s not me just because I want to pass a message to you.”

”You talk. I’ll listen,” Callan whispered.

”You hurt me, Cal. You hurt me really deeply more than you can ever imagine, and no amount of apology would fix that,” she said quietly.

”Emily, I’m...”

”Not yet,” she whispered, shaking her head. ”Save your apology and listen. Let me say it.”

He nodded.

Her voice trembled but she kept going. ”I had only ever had eyes for you. Since the moment I met you. Since I was seven. You were all I saw. You were all I wanted.” Her lips trembled hard. ”And you kept hurting me. Again and again. And I let you. Because I was stupidly in love with you.”

Callan closed his eyes for a moment. ”I’m sorry.”

”I know you are,” she whispered. ”But saying sorry now after all these years doesn’t erase the scars. It doesn’t make it all disappear.”

”I know,” he said in a small voice. ”But I am sorry. Truly sorry.”

Emily let out a long breath and rubbed her hands together. ”There’s something I need to tell you before we talk about anything else.”

Callan frowned. ”What is it?”

She didn’t speak. She sat there for a long moment, trying to gather the courage, her heart beating fast and hard.

Then she whispered it.

”Cal, after I left you in your room and flew back to Ludus six years ago... weeks later I noticed something was wrong. I didn’t see it at first because I was broken. I wasn’t eating. I wasn’t sleeping either, so I assumed it was all because of my emotional state. But then, I realized I missed my period.”

Callan’s heart dropped. His face went pale. His eyes widened in fear. ”Emily...”

She nodded slowly as tears gathered in her eyes. ”I took a pregnancy test. It was positive. I was pregnant.”