This chapter is dedicated to K-rianne for being so amazing ♥️

Elise Collins POV

"Beautiful girl, who's baby is it?"

"Yours" I said in a whisper not sure he heard it.

"You were running from me... you knew you were pregnant and you just disappeared"

He spoke in a soft voice and slowly turned to look at me "Are you fucking kidding me Elise? I have a daughter and I don't fucking know?" his voice was higher and his tone was harsh.

"Language young boy!" I heard my mama say sternly "Now are you two seriously going to fight here in front of my porch? I'm sorry but no, I can't allow that. I don't need my neighbors to know my daughter is hiding from her fake boyfriend who impregnated her. And you, Zachary Hunter Walton, you better behave and watch your temper or I'll give your mama a call"

Zach and I both looked at her as if she had grown a second head. What the hell was going on with my mother? I had never heard her speak like that, all threatening and menacing. She was cute though. I hid my smile as she pointed to the house.

"Get in. You'll both sit down and talk as grownups. Not as kids who made a stupid decision on pretending to the whole world they were in love. I'm going to take this baby girl to her bedroom so she can sleep peacefully. So you better not raise your voices." She was getting inside when she paused and turned to look at Zach. She seemed hesitant a little but then sighed.

"Zachary, when you two finish your conversation and you are ready to meet this little angel, you can go up to her room. But you need to leave all that anger behind her door. I don't want bad energy around her."

With that said she walked inside and showed him the living room. I stayed outside for a few minutes but it actually felt like hours. I always knew this moment would come. This moment, when my little secret would be discovered. And I wanted to avoid it at all cost knowing the damage it would cause, so I had decided I would contact Zach in about seven months and tell him everything. By then our daughter would be a year old. I just never imagined how it would happen and what exactly I would say. I've never given it many thoughts thinking I had a lot of time ahead of me before I had to tell him. Thinking I'll let him know when the right moment came. But I was so wrong.

We never have enough time ahead of us, and if we sit around waiting for the perfect moment, we'll wait forever. There isn't a perfect moment, not always. So we need to create it.

Now I didn't even have the chance to create my perfect moment. I was caught red handed like a thief stealing some artifact at a museum. I sighed running a hand through my hair and glaring at the house as if it would disappear and I wouldn't have to face a very angry Zachary.

Saying he was angry was an understatement. Earlier, I swear I would have melt under his killer gaze, and I was glad my mother was there to calm him down a little. I took in a deep breath and released it as I got to the door. I had to go inside, now or later. Today or tomorrow, I was bound to face him. I wasn't ready to do it, but I just wanted to get over with it. I watched him from the door as he paced our living room back and forth. The room was spacious but he was so big and muscular that it seemed smaller. I approached him slowly as if I was approaching a lion that was let out of his cage and hadn't been fed for days. I was so scared that once I was at a fair distance from him I supported myself on my mother's grey sofa, waiting him to acknowledge my presence. He did but didn't say anything. Instead, he glared at me so hard that I felt my knees would give in. I held the back of the sofa and stayed rooted pretending to be strong and in control when I was actually having battles going on inside my head.

"I have a daughter"

"We have a daughter" I spoke as softly as he did "And she's beautiful, she has your eyes, only their color is lighter".

He chewed on his lower lip while his hands went into fists "I just can't comprehend why you would hide this from me Elise. I was always good to you, I've never hurt you so why?"

I wanted to explain myself but looking at him like that I just felt weak and insecure. Maybe it was all a bad idea, maybe I had to be honest with him since the beginning. And he was right; he never intentionally hurt me so...

"Elise"

He pulled me out of my thoughts and I realized how close to me he was now. If I leaned just a little my lips would be touching his. I felt a warm feeling in my stomach remembering our love making from earlier. I took a step back putting some distance between us. He was too much. I just couldn't focus with him so close, with his cologne hitting my nostrils, oh how I missed burying my face in his neck to just smell him.

"Elise please... I need to know why you left, why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

I looked up at him glaring "Because of your stupid attitude, for one, and because men in your family have a tendency on leaving their kid behind. So I didn't want to force you into something you weren't ready for."

"What do you mean we leave our kid behind?"

"I mean first Andy, who killed his own baby, and then your brother who didn't believe Serena is his daughter even though Veronica sent him a DNA test. So why would you be any different?"

"How can you compare me to Andy? Elise are hearing what you're saying? I've always protected you from Andy before I even knew what happened between you two. You can't compare me to that dick! And as for my brother..."

I didn't let him finish, I didn't care what his brother did it was none of my business.

"You asked me to pretend to be your girlfriend and I agreed, but then being your wife? I mean I wasn't ready for that. And you can't propose like that on the phone! Even if it's fake you just can't. You took me by surprise and I didn't know what to say and then you did what? You just ignored me and the past months we lived together, I became a total stranger to you. It made me want to get away from you, as far as I could get. But I had to finish your designs first and I did."

"Did you know by then you were pregnant?"

"No I didn't. My feelings for you were real, and I was hurt. I felt sick and blamed it on my heartache at first but it was getting worse and I decided to see a doctor. When I learned I was pregnant, I knew the best thing to do was to get away. Now I know it wasn't the greatest Idea but at the time it felt like it. You were back to your old ways, always making first page in the news. You were always being seen with Jamie in night clubs, and more importantly never calling or texting me."

"You didn't call either Elise" the hurt in his voice was evident. "Nothing ever happened between Jamie and I, I told you before. Don't always believe what you see in the papers. Most of it is just bullshit!"

"It doesn't change the fact that you just pushed me out of your life. You can't blame me Zachary, I was scared you wouldn't want the baby and I couldn't go through another abortion. I just couldn't." I wiped the tears that were now sliding down my cheeks "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, and maybe I can't defend myself enough or can't give you a reason that would calm you or dissolve your anger, but all I can tell you is that I was scared. I was scared of losing my baby"

He still didn't say a word just watched me with cold eyes, he was distant again, the same way he was when I went to his office the day he asked me to marry him. I knew he would never forgive me, but he gave me no choice and I wanted him to understand that.

"You were so distant and made me feel like you didn't want me in your life. I only saw two scenarios in my head, you asking me to have an abortion, or you getting me back into your life just because you have to. Not because you want to. And to be honest? I didn't like either scenario. Not one bit. And that's when I thought I would hide my pregnancy from you and tell you once my baby girl was born."

He closed the distance between us again hovering over me making me feel claustrophobic all of a sudden. My heart skipped a beat as I saw him lick his lower lip.

"But even after she was born you didn't tell me." I could see a wildfire in his eyes as he accused me "You had no right Elise, no right to hide my daughter from me. I've looked for you everywhere, I was so mad when I learned you left the country. And I don't know how you did it but I couldn't track you. I even went to see your dad and he told me to give you space. I thought I'll have to wait for a couple months but nothing. I looked for you again and again but it was no use. I'm so mad at you right now, you stabbed me in the heart Elise. Twice. Leaving me, and hiding my daughter."

He walked away from me going to the window looking out and making me feel all alone again. I couldn't stand being in the same room as him yet be so far away from him.

"What hurt me the most is you could think so low of me. I would never ask you to abort our child. Never. I'm not that guy and you know it. Serena is proof of that. I take care of her as my own."

He ran a hand through his beautiful hair messing it up. That same hair I had ran my fingers through so many times. That same hair I longed to touch again but knew I had lost that privilege the second I climbed on that plane and left without a word.

"Why didn't you see a scenario in which I tell you want the baby and I want to be a part of her life? Why?"

He suddenly turned to face me with tears in his eyes "My feelings for you were real too Elise. The day you didn't give me an answer... I was devastated. And I wanted to punish you, I wanted you to realize how much I mean to you. I never planned on it to get that far or for you to pull away from me as well".

I gathered all the courage I had and walked to him taking his hand in mine. "I think it was all a stupid misunderstanding that lead us to an even more stupid situation. We have a daughter Zach, a beautiful daughter" I smiled hoping he would forgive me. Hoping he would be happy about it.

Something flickered in his eyes and they weren't cold as they were before. Slowly a smile started playing on his sexy lips and he grinned. Seeing him grin like that made me giggle, in that moment, I knew I shouldn't be worried. I knew I was forgiven.

"Yes we do have a daughter" he looked down at me and pulled me to him "We do have a daughter, and I will be part of her life. And yours. And this time, I'm not letting you out of my sight Elise Collins."

"I have always been yours Zachary Walton. Even when we first started pretending. You captured my heart and locked it in yours and I couldn't take it back even if I wanted to."

I stood on my top toes and kissed him gently, feeling the softness of his lips and the warmth of his mouth as my tongue made its way inside dancing with his. It wasn't a rough kiss, but it was a kiss full of need and passion.

"Are you ready to meet your daughter Mr Walton?"

He grinned excitedly as a little boy who was going to open his Christmas presents.

"Take me to her"

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AN: I hope it wasn't too long, they just had to argue a little to get all the frustration out.

Be a sweet heart and vote to make me smile <3

Until next time loves <3