I blinked down at him in surprise. It took a while for his word to fully penetrate my lust-filled brain and when it did, the colour drained from my face. I tried to even my breathing but it was hard to do when the thought of getting pregnant and being left alone flashed through my mind. What were the chances of Silas sticking around if I got pregnant?

He said he wanted to marry me but we've never talked about having kids. It was too soon to even think about starting a family.

"Lara, breathe for me baby."

I instantly flinched. Silas's hands on my hips kept me in place. I couldn't run from him like I wanted to.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "Please calm down, breathe for me sweetness."

"Sweetness?" My eyes snapped open but my mind quickly trailed back to our scenario. "I can't get pregnant, Silas."

Pain flashed through his eyes. "Would it be so bad to have my baby?"

I swallowed the sudden lump that filled my throat. I wanted to do anything just to get that look out of his eyes. My eyes dropped to his chest. The moment our eye contact was broken, I could think a little clearer. I loved him and I would do anything to make him happy, but having a baby so soon was just not an option at the moment.

Silas cupped my cheek and tilted my head towards his. He stroked my cheek with his thumb softly. His eyes darted over my face before locking with mine. Silas still looked sad, but there were a few other emotions I couldn't make out.

"I'm scared," I admitted softly. "I've never had a real parental figure. My father took off the moment he found out my mother got knocked up. My mother is a drunk and a gambling addict. Do you know that she planned the pregnancy? She was so in love with him that she thought a baby would get him to marry her. He was a married man. A billionaire like you and in the end, money bought her."

"Lara—"

"What if I turn out like her? What if we have a baby and I later decide that I can't handle—"

"Stop!" Silas exclaimed. "There is no guarantee that one slip up will cause a pregnancy, and if it happens then I'll be with you every step of the way. I know, deep down in my heart that you will make a wonderful mother. I haven't met your mother yet, but I can already tell that you're nothing like her."

"Silas."

"We do this together."

"Promise?"

He held up his hand with his pinkie finger pointing at me. "Pinkie promise."

A laugh fell from my lips. I instantly slipped my finger around his. Silas gave me a smile and then leaned forward to capture my lips. The kiss was short and sweet but it made me crave a lot more. I slipped my arms around his neck but Silas pulled away.

"I know shit about raising kids, but if it gets to that then we'll learn together as we go along." His smile widened. "Besides, this is actually a perfect excuse to get you to agree to marry me."

"You don't need to knock me up to get me to marry you," I told him as I held up my hand. "My decision has already been made."

A smile broke out over his face and his eyes filled with happiness. I knew that I had surprised him but Silas said nothing. He gripped my hand and raised it to his lips to press a kiss against the ring on my finger. He turned my hand around and pressed another kiss to my palm. I was surprised by the sudden tears that filled his eyes. Silas squeezed his eyes closed and dropped his forehead against mine.

"I love you Lara."

"I love you too."

***

"This is the only time you'll be getting married. I want you to have your dream wedding."

My dream wedding included my family, friends and a white ball gown wedding dress. I had it all planned out from the moment I read my first romance novel, but reality couldn't compare to my dreams. Silas was willing to give me anything I wanted. He made it clear that money wasn't an issue. The thing was that I had no clue who my father really was so he wouldn't be able to walk me down the aisle. As for my mother, the last thing I wanted to do was invite her to my wedding.

If she ever found out who I married, she'd be demanding money on a daily basis just to gamble it all out in the next game. She needed help but I had given up trying to help. It was why I left as soon as I could. It was the reason I've been moving around—so she wouldn't be able to tear me down and demand money.

Then there were the friends. Andrea was the only friend I've ever had. A friend that was away on her honeymoon. A friend that was currently ignoring me.

I called her the moment Silas and I started talking about the wedding. She didn't answer the phone. Neither did she answer the next day nor the day after that. I gave it two days time before I called again only for Brian to answer. Of course he made an excuse for her, but I knew Andrea was there hearing every single word that was spoken between us.

I had no one to invite to my wedding. Silas had a few business colleagues he wanted to invite. A small wedding was out of the question but then so were a lot of things it seemed. I wasn't going to get my dream wedding, but I could at least make it possible for Silas. He was a well-known business man in London and he was respected by a lot of people. It was important to impress all the colleagues he wanted to invite.

Planning a wedding was easy, right? I thought it was easy but I had no clue just how difficult it would be. Where does one start when planning a wedding? What was the first thing that needed to be done?

I clutched the pen tighter as I stared down at the blank page. I've been sitting in the same spot with a blank page for an hour already. Silas had left for work early this morning after receiving a phone call from his office. I stayed in bed for another hour after he left before I got up. After a cup of coffee, and a light breakfast, I grabbed a pen and some paper from his desk and made myself comfortable in the living room.

I haven't left the apartment since we arrived here. Leaving without Silas by my side just didn't feel right. Fear kept me locked inside with just his housekeeper and maid keeping me company from time to time. However, they both had the day off so it was just me today and that was the reason I freaked out when there was a knock on the door.

My head snapped up and my heartbeat increased. There were a few seconds of silence before the person knocked again. I bit my lip as I hesitated. Dropping the pen and papers on the couch next to me, I stood and grabbed my phone from the coffee table. I quickly unlocked it and brought up Silas's number before locking the screen again. With my phone clutched tightly in my hand, I made my way towards the front door.

My hand shook as I unlocked the door. I sucked in a deep breath and blew it out before opening it.

A man stood with his back towards me but he spun around the moment I had opened the door. Golden brown eyes locked with mine for a few seconds before darting down my body. They almost instantly snapped back up to mine. His nostril flared and then his brows dipped into a deep frown.

"C-can I help you?"

"Is my son home?"

"Your son?" It was my turn to frown up at him. "I'm sorry; I think you have the wrong apartment."

The man sucked in a deep breath and then shook his head. He took a step forward, making me tense. My fingers tightened around the phone. I was preparing myself for when he decided to push the door open and force himself into the apartment, but he didn't.

He held out his hand and gave me a small smile. "I'm David, Silas's father. Judging by the look on your face I take it that my son hasn't told you about his family."

"He hasn't," I muttered. "Silas should be home around five. You can come back then."

His face darkened. Anger flashed through his eyes. My legs started to shake as he continued to stare down at me. After a few minutes, he gave a stiff nod and turned. A sigh of relief fell from my lips but it was short lived. He moved too fast for me to comprehend. One minute he was turning to walk away and the next he had a hand clamped over my mouth and an arm wrapped around my waist. My eyes widened and a scream built up in my throat.

"Easy, I'm not going to hurt you, Lara."

How does he know my name? My fear increased by a hundred when he forced me backwards so he could enter the apartment. The door was kicked shut behind him.

My fingers curled and then straightened. I had dropped the phone when he grabbed me. My eyes darted to the floor, searching for it. It lay a few feet away. If I could just get free, grab the phone and then head to the bedroom and lock the door. I could call for help then.

"Look at me," the man—David—ordered softly. "I'm going to let you go but you need to stay calm. Okay?"

I nodded. Now was the perfect opportunity to make a run for it. He kept his eyes locked with mine as he lowered his hand from my mouth. The moment it dropped I sucked in a deep breath. I held in the scream that wanted to escape and waited for his arm to drop from my waist. As soon as he took a step away, I spun around and ran for the bedroom.

He cursed and a few seconds later his arm wrapped around my waist again. A scream fell from my lips when he lifted me. His arm tightened painfully. I started trashing in his hold when he walked towards the couch. Horrifying images flashed through my mind.

"I told you to stay calm." His breath fanned my ear and neck. "Let's try this again. I'm going to let you go and you're going to take a seat on the couch and stay there. You might not like the consequences if you try to run again. Understand?"

I allowed my body to go limp in his hold. The man slowly loosened his arm. His heat burned through my thin shirt, making me aware of the fact that he was still standing close enough to grab me if I tried to make a run for it. After a second's hesitation, I took a step back and sunk down on the couch. My eyes instantly snapped up to his.

He pursed his lips. After a grim glance in my direction, he turned and made his way back to the door. I watched as he picked up my phone and glanced down at the screen. David muttered something under his breath as he turned.

Surprise flashed through me when he stopped in front of me and held it out towards me. I stared at the cracked screen for a few seconds before glancing up at him.

"Call my son and ask him to come home. I need to talk to him immediately."