Chapter 141

#Chapter 141 – Baby Mama Delio’s eyes go wide os she reolizes thot Victor ond Evelyn hove obsolutely no ideo whot she’s tolking obout. “Um,” she soys, her eyes dorting between them. “Not thot I believe the rumors, of course – it’s just fringe celebrity blogs ond twitter occounts posting stupid theories –“

“Whot. Theories.” Victor growls, holding her goze.

Delio shrinks under the full force of him.

“Um,” Delio hums, her eyes dorting between the two of them. “Seriously, it’s just o bunch of fon theories –“

“Show them to me,” Victor demonds, putting his hond out.

“Sure,” Delio murmurs, grobbing her phone from her pocket ond flicking through o couple of opps ond webpoges. When she finds the one with the most hits, she honds it to Victor.

He growls os he reods the heodline. Amelio Jones – Pregnont ond Abondoned?!

“Boys,” he soys, flicking his eyes to Ion ond Alvin, who try to moke themselves smoll ond unnoticeoble so thot they con stoy ond heor the dromo. “Upstoirs. Now.”

Sighing, they troop upstoirs.

Evelyn wotches them go. “They’re just going to eovesdrop,” she murmurs. Victor ignores her os he thumbs through the orticle.

“Is it reol?” Evelyn whispers to Delio, her voice o little breothless.

“I meon, I took it os o joke –“ Delio soys, shrugging ond feeling terribly owkword. “If I thought it wos reol, I wouldn’t hove brought it up like this –“

Her eyes dort to Victor, who is reoding corefully. Delio hesitotes before continuing to whisper to her friend. “I meon, but the woy he’s toking it…is it possible?”

“No,” Evelyn soys evenly, her voice colmer thon the rough seo currently churning in her stomoch.

“Victor, let me see,” she soys, putting out her hond.

Victor, his foce impossive, honds her Delio’s phone. Quickly, Evelyn flicks through the orticle.

It storts with severol photos of Amelio ot o locol lunch spot, terribly foshionoble in her Gucci boots ond her groy twill coot. But, despite the winter chill, Amelio left the coot cosuolly open os she left the restouront, offering glimpses ot the tight comisole covering her stomoch.

Evelyn studies the photos. There’s nothing here, reolly, thot’s domning – it’s not like Amelio is wolking oround woving o pregnoncy test in the oir. But still, her stomoch…it’s not the flot plone thot it olwoys wos.

“She probobly just hod o burrito for lunch,” Evelyn murmurs, moving on to the text portion of the orticle.

“Amelio’s never hod o burrito in her life,” Victor murmurs, frustroted.

“Her loss,” Evelyn soys, not reolly thinking obout whot she’s soying os she storts to reod.

Amelio Jones spotted ot Mui Mei for lunch on Tuesdoy – though this isn’t the surprise. It’s not uncommon for the totolly fobulous supermodel to be hoving o totolly fobulous lunch. However, this keen-eyed reporter did note thot she skipped her troditionol side of rosé with her solod. Is she even Amelio Jones without it!?

Upon leoving – breoking news – Amelio did not stop ot Storbucks for her ofternoon pick-me-up, ond we DID spot o certoin curvoceousness to her fontostic figure. Could it be possible? Did Victor Kensington reject his unborn child olong with our fovorite ice queen!?

Whot do you think, reoders? Are we in for onother set of twins?

“This is crop,” Evelyn growls, honding the phone bock to Delio. “Everyone knows thot twins ore motrilineol. Plus, they’re so my thing.”

Delia’s eyes go wide as she realizes that Victor and Evelyn have absolutely no idea what she’s talking about. “Um,” she says, her eyes darting between them. “Not that I believe the rumors, of course – it’s just fringe celebrity blogs and twitter accounts posting stupid theories –“

“What. Theories.” Victor growls, holding her gaze.

Delia shrinks under the full force of him.

“Um,” Delia hums, her eyes darting between the two of them. “Seriously, it’s just a bunch of fan theories –“

“Show them to me,” Victor demands, putting his hand out.

“Sure,” Delia murmurs, grabbing her phone from her pocket and flicking through a couple of apps and webpages. When she finds the one with the most hits, she hands it to Victor.

He growls as he reads the headline. Amelia Jones – Pregnant and Abandoned?!

“Boys,” he says, flicking his eyes to Ian and Alvin, who try to make themselves small and unnoticeable so that they can stay and hear the drama. “Upstairs. Now.”

Sighing, they troop upstairs.

Evelyn watches them go. “They’re just going to eavesdrop,” she murmurs. Victor ignores her as he thumbs through the article.

“Is it real?” Evelyn whispers to Delia, her voice a little breathless.

“I mean, I took it as a joke –“ Delia says, shrugging and feeling terribly awkward. “If I thought it was real, I wouldn’t have brought it up like this –“

Her eyes dart to Victor, who is reading carefully. Delia hesitates before continuing to whisper to her friend. “I mean, but the way he’s taking it…is it possible?”

“No,” Evelyn says evenly, her voice calmer than the rough sea currently churning in her stomach.

“Victor, let me see,” she says, putting out her hand.

Victor, his face impassive, hands her Delia’s phone. Quickly, Evelyn flicks through the article.

It starts with several photos of Amelia at a local lunch spot, terribly fashionable in her Gucci boots and her gray twill coat. But, despite the winter chill, Amelia left the coat casually open as she left the restaurant, offering glimpses at the tight camisole covering her stomach.

Evelyn studies the photos. There’s nothing here, really, that’s damning – it’s not like Amelia is walking around waving a pregnancy test in the air. But still, her stomach…it’s not the flat plane that it always was.

“She probably just had a burrito for lunch,” Evelyn murmurs, moving on to the text portion of the article.

“Amelia’s never had a burrito in her life,” Victor murmurs, frustrated.

“Her loss,” Evelyn says, not really thinking about what she’s saying as she starts to read.

Amelia Jones spotted at Mui Mei for lunch on Tuesday – though this isn’t the surprise. It’s not uncommon for the totally fabulous supermodel to be having a totally fabulous lunch. However, this keen-eyed reporter did note that she skipped her traditional side of rosé with her salad. Is she even Amelia Jones without it!?

Upon leaving – breaking news – Amelia did not stop at Starbucks for her afternoon pick-me-up, and we DID spot a certain curvaceousness to her fantastic figure. Could it be possible? Did Victor Kensington reject his unborn child along with our favorite ice queen!?

What do you think, readers? Are we in for another set of twins?

“This is crap,” Evelyn growls, handing the phone back to Delia. “Everyone knows that twins are matrilineal. Plus, they’re so my thing.”

“Seriously, Evelyn?” Victor says, raising an eyebrow at her. “This is what you’re focusing on at this moment?”

Evelyn shrugs defensively but doesn’t respond. If Amelia really were to be pregnant, though…

Evelyn stares off into space, considering how this kind of news would wreck this new life she’d been working so hard to build.

“Um,” Delia says, awkwardly unfolding herself from her place on the couch. “I think that…I’m going to head back to my place,” she says, giving a little grimace.

“No, Delia,” Evelyn says, blinking back to the present moment and putting a hand out to her friend.

“Please stay – we barely got a chance to catch up –“

“No,” Delia says, smiling and giving the offered hand a squeeze. “I’ll come back again soon; we’ll really dig in.” She looks at Victor. “And I’m sorry that we got off to such an awkward start,” she offers him a small smile. “I’m so sorry – I really did think it was just a joke –“

“No apologies,” Victor says, falling back on his childhood etiquette lessons and working hard to put his own emotions aside so he can be a good host. “Please come back anytime, I’ll look forward to getting to know you.” He waves a hand toward the door. “The Beta team will be happy to take you home whenever you’re ready.”

Delia blows a kiss to Evelyn as she heads out the door, closing it softly behind her.

“Well,” Evelyn says, leaning her head back onto the couch. “That didn’t go as well as I thought it would.”

“I hope she doesn’t feel too badly,” Victor murmurs, sitting next to Evelyn and taking out his own phone so he can google the subject some more. “It’s really not her fault – just bad luck that she was the first to tell us.”

“Thank you,” Evelyn says softly, putting her hand on his arm. She’s grateful, really, to be with someone who has no interest in taking his anger out on her friend just because she was the bearer of bad news.

She knows that other men – Joyce, for instance – would have been less gracious.

Victor continues to look through gossip websites that contain similar speculation and photographs for a few minutes, Evelyn waiting quietly. When he sighs and puts his phone down, she moves closer to him, putting her head on his shoulder.

“What do you think?” she asks quietly, suddenly nervous.

“I don’t know what I think,” he replies, his voice calm. He raises his hand, running it down over the length of his face from forehead to chin.

“It seems to me,” Evelyn says, her voice gentle and contemplative, “that Amelia wants people to think she’s pregnant. Do you think that this could just be part of her promised revenge?”

“I think that’s certainly possible,” Victor says, turning to look at her.

“But is it…also possible…” Evelyn’s voice fades off and she bites her lip.

In many ways it feels like she and Victor have been together for an eternity. She feels so solid in this relationship, in his arms – so much so that she has to remind herself that not too long ago he was standing at the end of the aisle, waiting for Amelia. And then days before that, Amelia had been in his bed…

Evelyn shakes her head, frowning, dismissing the thought.

Victor sighs, considering. “Annabeth Prath told me that Amelia had been secretly running a birth control prescription through my doctor and my health insurance.” Evelyn blinks at this, surprised. He continues.

“I don’t know why she’d do that if she wasn’t taking it. She certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be pregnant at the wedding.”

“Seriously, Evelyn?” Victor says, raising an eyebrow at her. “This is what you’re focusing on at this moment?”

Evelyn nods, considering this. “Sure. The dress.”

Evelyn nods, considering this. “Sure. The dress.”

Victor nods. How Amelia had looked in her wedding dress had been very important to her.

“So no,” he says, considering the facts. “I don’t think it’s real. I think it’s another move in her little game.”

He turns his eyes to Evelyn and holds her gaze now. “But…you do know, of course…”

She nods, finishing his sentence. “You have to go see her. To get the truth.”

He nods and closes his eyes, turning his face to the ceiling.

Evelyn snuggles up closer. “That’s going to suck,” she whispers.

“A lot,” he murmurs back, putting an arm around her shoulders.

The two sit quietly for a few minutes, contemplating the possibilities, warmed by each other’s nearness and affection. Evelyn considers, passively, what it means to send him back to his old lover for a long chat about whether or not she’s having his baby. That this might be, for Amelia, another ploy to get him back.

But when Evelyn searches her feelings about this, she’s surprised – and a little pleased – that she finds no real fear. No jealousy. Annoyance, certainly, at Amelia for butting into her life again, but no actual consideration that Victor would take her back.

Evelyn hears an old phrase ring in her mind: A cheater’s always a cheater. It’s something her old girlfriends had always said about their boyfriends, about whether or not you should date someone who didn’t break up with his last girlfriend before hooking up with you. She had always believed it before now.

But with Victor…it feels different. Was she just being naïve?

Evelyn shakes her head, thinking it over, knowing deep down that Victor cheated on Amelia with her the night of the Hunt because he couldn’t not do it. That he had perhaps been working hard not to for a very long time.

And perhaps she was excusing bad behavior in a man, behavior she wouldn’t accept from anyone else –

And for heaven’s sake, if she ever found out that one of her sons had treated a woman so abominably –

Evelyn purses her lips at the thought. But deep down, she knows that Victor’s case was, in fact, a special case. That Amelia certainly received the brunt end of it, but overall? Evelyn knows that Victor is meant to be with her.

She frowns, then, wondering. If she feels so strongly that she and Victor are somehow more strongly connected than him and Amelia…why had Amelia been his mate? Why not her?

“Are you okay?” Evelyn blinks out of her reverie and turns to see Victor looking closely at her. “You look upset.”

She gives him a small smile. “No, it’s nothing,” she lies. But then she realizes that perhaps there’s information he doesn’t yet know. “Can I tell you something which might add more stress to your plate?”

Victor huffs a little laugh of disbelief, but then nods to her with a warm smile.

“Well, actually,” Evelyn says, tucking her hair behind her ear. “A few weeks ago, I thought I was pregnant.”

She can’t help but laugh when, for the second time that night, his jaw falls open in disbelief.