The Billionaire's Ultimatum (Book 1)

Chapter 18

'Don't marry a man unless you would be proud to have a son exactly like him'

Katy's POV.

It had been almost three agonizing days since Ethan had last spoken to me. He spent maybe four or five hours at home and that was to sleep. I heard him enter each night close to midnight trying my best to not think of whom he was with or what he had been doing. Although he had made it heart-achingly clear that he would see other women, I couldn't stop the rise of nausea that filled my throat from the mental image that appeared in my head. Lying back against the fluffy white pillow, I placed a hand onto my taunt stomach as I held the nursery rhyme book propped against my legs as I sang the familiar words. From the corner of my eyes, I saw the movement feeling rather than seeing Ethan at first as he stood with his back against the open doorway studying me intently. Self-consciously my face heated as embarrassment won out, I dropped the book onto the bed as I gazed into his honey brown eyes. His Adam's apple bobbed as his eyes flickered to the hand still resting on my stomach then to settle on the book as he returned his indecipherable eyes onto mine. The terse silence stretched out between us as he sauntered into the room impeccably dressed in a three piece charcoal suit indicating that he had returned home from the office surprisingly early for a change. Pausing at the foot of the bed, his dark eyes glanced at my stomach once more as he opened his mouth to say something before briefly shutting it as though he had changed his mind.

"Evelyn is coming over for dinner at 7." He suddenly stated and then walked right out the room leaving me staring at his retreating back.

Overjoyed at the prospect that Evelyn was coming and the chance of company in the now bitter apartment my mood improved a tenfold as I proceeded to make my way to the kitchen ignoring his abrupt change in attitude. Ethan was at his private gym on the ground floor so taking advantage of the time I made my specialty molten chocolate lava cake hoping Evelyn would have enjoyed it.

A while later dressed in a cotton stylish summer dress I had purchased at a yard sale, I re-entered the living space as Ethan paced the room glancing at his watch irritatingly. Upon seeing me entering he paused as he took in my form. Feeling my traitorous body respond to his heated stare I descended the staircase as the lingering tension returned consuming the space between us before he strolled of to the door.

"You're late as usual." He snapped at her as I imagined the scowl on his face as his back stood facing me. Dressed in a pair of dark grey jeans and a tight fitted black long sleeve t-shirt that emphasized his bulging muscles he was more than my pregnancy hormones could have handled in his casual attire as he ran a frustrated hand through his drying hair.

"And you're an asre as usual." She easily replied in that cool tone of hers, "I am delighted that nothing has changed between us Etty."

I couldn't have helped but laugh at her nickname for her brother and her accurate quote from The Princess Diaries, a movie I had recently seen for the first time much to Evelyn's dismay. After exchanging a brief hug, I led her towards the dining table as the sibling's banter continued throughout the evening.

"I'm getting married in two weeks." Ethan suddenly said emotionlessly as we both turned to face him. Ignoring my questioning gaze, he lifted his tumbler of scotch tentatively taking a sip.

"Pardon?" Evelyn questioned voicing my thought as I looked on at him speechlessly.

"Katy is pregnant and we are getting married." He repeated slowly causing Evelyn to choke as I rubbed her back gently. She seemed as though she went into shock just as I did with the clustered time limit.