It's been a few days since I was snatched away from my home. Ryder found me, and he got rid of them; how, I don't know, and I don't care; I'm just relieved to be back home where I belong. However, things are not quite back to normal.
After being by my side for majority of the time, making sure that I'm okay, and still apologizing every chance he gets, Ryder's now been busy trying to get things sorted with other things over the phone, trying to get answers to everything no doubt.
He believes that Vito had betrayed him, and ended up using everything against him from the past year. He doesn't know why, blackmail perhaps, but it doesn't matter. He still did it.
Everything was a set-up. The guy at Finn's party, was there to deliberately tick Ryder off, knowing that he'd react, and managed to get a photo from the side, which was the last piece of proof they needed for the arrest.
Which then allowed the people to take me without needing to go through Ryder, but they should've known better. He's Ryder Forbes.
I still don't know what plans they had for me, or who else was involved, and it makes me sick to think about. But I'm happy nothing ever happened, even though it was close.
He's been under a lot of stress and hasn't been sleeping well, and while I've been stressed too, I've had the added burden of keeping the pregnancy a secret.
I don't know how far along I am, but I think I'm starting to show, so that means I'm further than I thought. I know I need to tell Ryder, but I'm nervous about his reaction. With everything that's happening, I don't want to add to his stress.
But Wren has convinced me that the truth has to come out, no matter how difficult it is. Which I agree with, but it's hard. I don't want him to be unhappy or upset about this, especially when I want it.
I watch as he paces back and forth to the living room, his brows furrowed in concentration as he spoke in hushed tones to whoever was on the other end of the line.
I swallow the knot in my throat, continuing to put away the dishes in the kitchen, doing anything to keep myself occupied when suddenly, I accidentally knock over a wine glass, shattering it all over the floor.
The sudden loud noise made me flinch, my hand instinctively covering my mouth with a slightly shaken gasp. Without thinking, I dropped to my knees, wincing as the sharp edges of broken glass stick into my skin as I began to pick up the scattered shards,
"Vivienne." Within seconds, Ryder's ended the phone call and rushed to my side. "What's the matter?" his voice full of concern, gently moving my hands away from the glass, holding them in his hands.
He examined them closely, searching for any signs of blood before turning his back attention to my face, studying me with worry.
I shake my head, feeling the tears welling up in my eyes. I quickly sniffle my nose with the back of my hand, trying to hold back the flood of emotions but it's overwhelming. I let out a deep sigh, leaning against the kitchen island, my eyes fixed on my hands as I tried to find the right words.
I had found the pregnancy test still in the wardrobe, tucked in between clothes, where I had left it before I was taken. And I've been keeping it on me ever since, making sure that Ryder doesn't find it and freak out when he finds a positive test with no explanation.
I decide to just show him instead, my hand reaches into the pocket of my baggy sweater that I put on to hide the tiny bump, before pulling out the test. I don't look at him as I hold it in my trembling palms, my head turned to the side, the tears stinging my eyes. I don't want to see the disappointment in his eyes, I can't.
The room was quiet, as we sat in silence. I couldn't help but turn my head to steal a glance at him, wondering what was going through his mind.
He stared down at the test, the slightest smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, his brows still furrowed. "You're pregnant?" I can't really tell what he's feeling, so I just stare back at him.
It's quiet again, the test enough to answer his rhetorical question. "Okay, okay." he breathes out, processing the information before suddenly, he hesitantly pulls me towards him, planting a reassuring kiss on my forehead with a smile.
He's back quiet again, deafening silence taking over, you could probably hear my heart pounding inside me. Before he finally mutters out, "I'm going to be a dad?"
He stares down at the test in disbelief, before flicking his eyes up to meet mine. I can tell he's happy, that familiar look in his eyes, which sends a wave of relief over me, a shaky sigh leaving my lips, feeling my body feeling slightly relaxed.
I nod, a smile slowly creeping onto my face. "you're carrying my baby?" he repeats as if he can't believe it, his enthusiasm growing as he looks back down at my stomach. "I'm carrying your baby." I admit, nodding as slight tears start rolling down my cheeks.
As I looked up at him, a wide smile spread across his face. He pulled me closer to him, and began to plant kisses all over, before finally, his lips found mine and he left several soft kisses, still smiling against my lips.
Finally, all weight has been lifted from my shoulders at once. He's happy, I'm happy. Everything will be okay.
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A few days ago after everything had happened, we had made plans with Wren and Finn in the hopes of finding some solace and returning to our normal lives.
However, our plans have taken an unexpected turn as we've decided to secretly share the pregnancy announcement with them tonight.
It may be a bit early to tell them, but they're the ones who bought the test and have been worrying nonstop about me for the past week. They have the right to know.
As Ryder and Finn had initially organised tonight's plans, I don't exactly know where we're going. However, I assume it'll be a simple dinner at a restaurant. Ryder won't give me much information, he's actually been acting weird tonight, quiet and a little distant, but I just assume he's still trying to process and adapt.
I adjust my strapless fishtail dress in the mirror, the sound of my Saint Laurent heels clicking against the bathroom floor as I took a step back to take in my reflection.
I turned to the side, my hand instinctively running over my growing bump. It's not really that big, hardly showing a bump at barely five weeks, but in my eyes, I'm huge.
As I stepped out of the bathroom, I ran my fingers through my hair, making sure it was neat and tidy. Ryder was already waiting for me, dressed in a sharp Dolce & Gabbana suit, sat on the edge of the bed patiently.
I looked at him with concern etched on my face. "You okay?" my voice soft and gentle as I leant down, my hand reaching for my purse that lay on the dresser. My eyes were fixed on his face, searching for any signs of answers.
He's been telling me that he's fine, and to stop worrying all afternoon, but he just seems so out of it and more nervous than usual.
His eyes met mine and a smile spread across his face as he rose from the bed and approached me, wrapping me in his warm arms. His hands encircled my waist, holding me close. "I'm fine," he reassured, yet again, his lips curling into a smile as he leant in to kiss me.
With a gentle smile, I pulled away from him, taking a moment to study his face, still not completely believing him. "I promise," he breathes out. Finally, our eyes locked, and I felt a sense of peace wash over me, I trust his promises.
As he leans in closer, his hand slowly makes its way back to my stomach, his thumb gently caressing the tiny bump. I can feel his warm breath on my neck as he looks down at his hand with a faint smile on his lips.
I let out a soft whisper, "Good," as I placed my hand on top of his, holding them both against my stomach. As happy as I am about this, I'm also terrified. We may be happily married and financially stable, but we're both were still young and inexperienced in many ways, neither of us had the benefit of good parenting.
It'll be a ton of learning curveballs, and it may be a hard, but it's a risk I'm willing to take, I won't make the same mistakes my parents did.
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The four of us are seated at a pristine white table in an elegant Italian restaurant. Ryder seated next to me, while Wren and Finn sat across from us.
They've made sure not to talk much about everything that had happened, the abduction, the police. No doubt they have questions though. We just want to move past it. We're safe, we're here, together.
As I sat there, listening to Finn's rambling, my fingers fidgeted restlessly in my lap, betraying the anxiety that churned within me, no matter how much I tried to hide it. I glanced over at Ryder, who seemed to be just as nervous as me, but still talking with Finn. He's way better at hiding emotions than me.
Wren may already know about the pregnancy, and Finn may already have some idea, but it's somehow still nerve-wracking to announce something like this. It's big news.
A mix of excitement and nerves surge through my body as I absentmindedly nibbled on my bottom lip. I hadn't even realised I was looking at Wren until she shot me a bright, reassuring smile.
She's wearing a pink Alexander Wang strapless dress, pink Jimmy Choo pumps on her feet, with her blonde curls pinned back, practically glowing under this ceiling light.
I shot her a nervous smile in return, before going back to pushing my pasta around my plate, when suddenly, a warm hand brushed over my thigh, grabbing my attention.
I turned to look at Ryder but he was still focused on the conversation with Finn so I waited patiently, trying to calm my nerves until they were finally done before deciding to make the announcement.
As I sat there, still nervously fidgeting with my hands, Ryder's warm hand suddenly squeezed my thigh, sending a wave of comfort through me. I looked up at him, and he gave me a reassuring smile before reaching down to my purse.
With a deft hand, he pulled out a small box, wrapped in pristine white paper and decorated with a shimmering gold bow on top.
No words are shared, instead, Wren's delicate fingers reached out to grasp the box, carefully placing it in front of them before they curiously and slowly lifted the lid.
Finn's eyes widened, almost spitting out his alcohol all over the table. "Shit, I'm an uncle?" he exclaimed, jumping up from his seat and hugging Ryder tightly, Ryder patting him on the back in return, a wide smile on his face.
Wren's eyes light up as she rises from her seat, her lips curving into a big, proud, sweet smile. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace from my chair. "Congratulations, Viv," she whispers, planting a kiss in my hair before walking over to Ryder.
Finn suddenly appears in front of me, pulling me into another gentle hug. "Congratulations, sis," he says softly, his smile spreading from ear to ear. He released me from the hug and planted a soft kiss on my forehead before returning to his chair.
I knew they'd be the happiest about this, they're just the people I want around our baby, they'll be the best aunty and uncle ever.
Ryder reaches over towards me, suddenly pressing his lips against mine, a smile playing on his face before he pulls away.
And I know he'll be the best father in the world, I don't doubt that for a second.
We don't plan on telling our parents about the baby, not yet anyways. We haven't spoken to them since Christmas dinner, not like they've haven't reached out either.
If anything, I'll just tell my mother, but I want my father to have nothing to do with my baby, he doesn't deserve to be around it. He can go to hell.
Ryder feels the same way about his father too. We're serious about protecting our baby, and those men are definitely not the type of people we want around it.
Once they've both settled back into our chairs, their faces lit up with big smiles, Finn lifts his glass and proposed a toast, "To the Forbes, and good luck!" he teases.
The sound of clinking glasses surrounding us, but just as I was about to take a sip, Ryder swiftly snatched the drink out of my hand.
As I looked at him, my face contorted into a frown. It was then that the realisation hit me. I can't drink alcohol anymore, at least not for the next nine months. I cover my mouth, stifling a laugh. I've got a ton to learn about this, and I already nearly failed.
"It's okay, drinking is bad," Finn reassures me, "it's very very bad and we're bad for doing it." as the drunken words are leaving his mouth, his accent slurring, he stands from his chair, before leaning over and plucking my glass from Ryder's hand, downing the last of the drink with a wide grin.
At least there's more alcohol for Finn now, I couldn't imagine him needing to give alcohol up.
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AN/word count - 2300
i'm sorry for not updating, i've had ZERO motivation, it's frustrating since there's only like two chapters left :,)