*****

I don't know if i like you or love you, want you or need you. All i know is i love the feeling i get when i am with you."

*****

Nicole opened the door to Sharleen's room but froze the moment her mind registered what her eyes were seeing. She blinked once, blinked twice, blinked thrice, but the picture still remained the same. Unknown to her, her mouth was wide opened and her face read confusion as if she had seen a tortoise win against a deer in a marathon!

"What the hell!" Nicole voiced out her thoughts.

What the hell indeed.

Sharleen was sitting on the bed in front of her with a smile. Not just a small sad smile, no, a full blown smile that had her eyes sparkle and her face shine.

"Why are you looking at me like i have grown a pair of butt on my forehead?" Sharleen asked her friend chuckling.

Nicole could not even laugh at the joke that her friend made. Her mind was picturing the Sharleen that she left early in the morning when she went to work at the flower shop and the Sharleen that she has come back to right now.

Totally different.

That Sharleen had been sulking in bed, looking withdrawn from the world and seemed having lost hope. She did not even say a word or even move an inch as Nicole said her goodbyes and left to go work.

Nicole looked at this Sharleen right now and could not stop the question popping from her mouth. "What is going on with you?"

Sharleen laughed a little and looked at her friend. "When i was not well you were praying for me to get well and now that i am well you don't look happy. We humans are really confusing."

"Well, i did not expect the change to be this sudden. Or do you have a switch on you that allows you to change emotions with just a click?" Nicole asked, raising a brow at her friend.

"Whatever. This is how i feel right now, so deal with it." Sharleen shrugged.

"I think i need a drink with how my heart is literally at my throat right now." Nicole left her friend to go and fixed herself a drink.

A minute later she was back with a drink in hand and a bunch of questions in mind. "So, what happened when i was not around?"

"I went to the graveyard." Sharleen answered simply.

"And..." Nicole inquired sipping her drink.

"And i met with Devlin there."

"Come on, give me something here, these short short answers are not helping." Nicole groaned.

"Okay. I met with Devlin, he was there to be with his friend i guess. We talked, about their childhood and i learnt a lot about Kevin. It was really fun. He cheered my moods greatly." Sharleen said happily.

"I can see." Nicole commented. "And here i thought you had a switch."

"By the way, i think i am pregnant." Sharleen said out of the blue.

"What the hell!" Nicole cursed while coughing. She was so shocked that she almost chocked on her drink. "Sharleen, a little warning would have been great! You made me chock on my drink!"

"What did you want me to say? Like 'Hey Nicole, just a heads up, i want to inform you about my pregnancy.'" Sharleen said sarcastically making Nicole roll her eyes.

"That explains your mood swings." Nicole exclaims loudly as though she had solved the biggest quiz on earth. "And the loss of appetite. Oh, and the vomiting too!"

Sharleen just looked at her friend uninterestedly.

"What are we going to do now?" Nicole asked her friend after some seconds.

"We are going to the clinic tomorrow morning. I have booked an appointment to confirm the pregnancy." Sharleen answered.

"And if you are?" Nicole asked again.

"Then my baby will be my first priority." Sharleen answered simply while her right hand went to her belly and without even knowing she started rubbing her belly up and down.

"Well, you better name her after me or i will happily tell her all your dirty secrets." Nicole said grinning.

"We'll see about that. How do you even know that it's a she?" Sharleen asked.

"Let's call it an aunt's feelings." Nicole said wiggling her eyebrows.

"Let's sleep. We have a long day tomorrow." Sharleen suggested after shaking her head to her friends behaviour.

Ever since Kevin's death, Nicole had been sleeping with her friend on the same bed, comforting her whenever the pain of grief was unbearable. Today was just another day.

"Nicole?" Sharleen called, when the two had settled in bed. When Nicole responded Sharleen continued, "You will make a good aunt."

"You will make a good mother too."

And with that comment the two friends drifted to sleep.

***

Morning arrived. Sharleen was standing next to the bed debating on what to wear when Nicole arrived with breakfast.

"We are going to clinic, not some fancy grand ball." Nicole commented after seeing her friend taking forever to choose what to wear.

Sharleen rolled her eyes at her friend but replied anyways. "I am going to visit Kevin after this, so sue me for wanting to look perfect."

"And here i thought you were getting cold feet about going to the clinic." Nicole grinned at her friend, earning herself a glare.

It a took a lot of convincing from Nicole for Sharleen to choose one of the six clothes she had spread on the bed and could not choose from.

"You look really beautiful in that. Don't even change it!" Nicole commented once Sharleen had on the dress.

"Really?" Sharleen asked, looking at herself.

"Of course. Let's hope the sick horny men at the hospital won't die of heart attack when they see you." Nicole said earning a smile from her friend.

The breakfast was quickly devoured and the two walked to the door ready to head for the clinic when a voice halted their steps.

"Sharleen. Do you have a minute? I would love to talk to you." Kevin's mother, Naomi, asked in a serious tone.

"Can't we talk later mom, we are going somewhere for a little bit but we will be back soon." Sharleen pleaded.

Sharleen and Naomi did not have the best mother in law and daughter relationship, but there was respect between them. Naomi was a hard woman to get into since she lost her husband, but she was civil enough and that was fine with Sharleen.

"No. This is important. Besides, it won't take long, so please follow me. Your friend can come too." Naomi said and turned, heading to the sitting room.

Sharleen looked at her friend who shrugged and decided to follow Naomi with her, curiosity at its peak.

The three reached the sitting room, only to find a man, an old man at that, sitting comfortably, with a cup of tea in hand.

Looking at how comfortable and composed the old man was, Sharleen concluded that the man was also a part of the discussion crew.

Sharleen and Nicole sat down on one sofa as Naomi sat on the other one, just near to where the man sat. Sharleen had seen that man before, maybe once or twice at family reunions but that was just it.

"Sharleen honey, you are now part of the family and its my duty to protect family, most of all my son's wife." Naomi started.

Sharleen just looked at Naomi then at the old man and lastly at Nicole, not knowing where this was going.

"You knew that your husband was wealthy, but you just don't know how wealthy he was. My son made enough money for himself and his father also left him enough money that he did not even touch. All that now belongs to you." Naomi continued.

Sharleen started to slightly shake, not liking at all the direction where this discussion was taking. Nicole saw this and took her left hand to Sharleen's back to calm her down.

"Our family just like every family has the greedy men and women. Those who are not at all satisfied with what they have and want more. You, my daughter, are now like a sheep in the presence of hungry hyenas." Naomi continued sadly.

"Can you get to the main point, please? You are freaking her out?" Nicole begged while looking at a very silent Sharleen.

"What i am saying is that you need someone with you. Someone who will make the greedy ones to take a step back." Naomi continued carefully.

"The country has laws. The police are there, they can keep me safe." Sharleen argued with a shaky voice.

"Greedy people only know how to play dirty. They don't care about the laws. Hell, they can pay a whole damn police station just to silence them." Naomi informed sternly.

"So, what are we going to do?" Sharleen asked completely confused.

That is when the man cleared his throat. "I am Matthew, Kevin's uncle and a good friend to your mother in law here. She came to me with the concern and we discussed it and found only one solution out of it."

Sharleen felt her stomach turn uncomfortably. Whatever the decision was, she knew it won't sit well with her. Her heart beat increased as she waited to hear whatever the solution was from the so called Matthew.

"The only solution is to get you married. Only marriage into the family will make the greedy ones leave you alone. They might be greedy but they won't harm or kill family. Doing that will tarnish their name, something no one wants." Matthew said simply.

Sharleen listened to the man silently while her inside was boiling with anger. She did not choose to be married into wealth and neither did she choose for her husband to die!

I am not a puppet for everyone to choose me a marriage partner! I have feelings too damn it! Sharleen screamed in her head.

On the outside, the other three saw a very spaced out Sharleen, not knowing the internal battle that she was having. The wound of loosing a husband still fresh but fate was still stabbing the same wound by forcing her into another marriage.

"And who do you suggest to be that man?" Sharleen found herself asking out of curiosity.

"My son has agreed to be your husband. We explained to him the situation and he vowed to be with you and let no harm come to you or your property." Matthew answered.

I am not a damsel in distress! Sharleen wanted to shout.

"And where is your son right now?" Sharleen asked again, her shaky voice betraying her calm demeanor.

"He's around. He was just waiting for us to explain to you the situation so that he can show himself." Matthew answered.

"Sam! Come here and introduce yourself." Naomi shouted. "This boy and his dramatic show off entrance!" She murmured.

All the four pair of eyes were glued to the door as a man with a corky grin entered gracefully as though he owned the place, his body perfectly covered in an expensive black suit.

"Mr. Creepy?" Sharleen gasped.

"Fancy meeting you again, feisty girl. I am glad i made an impression and you still remember me." The man winked.

"Do you two know each other." Nicole asked, pointing between Sharleen and the man.

"Unfortunately." Sharleen answered with gritted teeth.

Looking at the proud and cocky man in front of her, Sharleen knew never in hell would this said arrangement happed.

Especially not between her and this creepy man so called Sam.

*****