Chapter 2 The Stolen Kiss

(From the novel Pregnant with the Senator's Son)

The glittering world of the elite had always seemed distant to Anna Leroy. But tonight, under the soft golden lights and the soft clinking of champagne flutes, she stepped into a universe she had only ever studied in her law textbooks and watched from afar. It was all too surreal-the velvet dresses, the rehearsed laughter, the perfumed air thick with ambition.

She shouldn't have come. But Nathan had insisted.

"It's just a party," he'd said casually, brushing off her concerns. "Just a harmless fundraiser. You'll be invisible."

Anna had laughed at that. Invisible? With her curly brown hair hastily pinned, and wearing the only black dress she owned, she certainly didn't feel invisible. She felt exposed.

Nathan Elridge, on the other hand, stood in his natural element. Tailored in a navy suit that hugged his broad shoulders and bearing the effortless charm of someone raised on applause and privilege, he was magnetic. Every room paused when he entered. Every eye followed. Including Anna's.

She had met him a few months earlier in one of their shared legal ethics seminars. Unlike the others, he'd spoken little during class, but his occasional comments had been sharp, insightful, laced with a quiet defiance toward institutional hypocrisy. They'd started talking after she'd challenged one of his points in class. Their debates had turned to coffees, and the coffees had slowly become something... more.

Tonight, however, they weren't equals. He was the senator's son. She was the outsider.

"You okay?" Nathan's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"I'm fine," she lied, clutching her glass of water with trembling fingers. "Just overwhelmed."

He smiled, brushing a lock of hair from her cheek. "You're doing great. My father hasn't even noticed you."

She gave him a look. "I'm not sure that's comforting."

He laughed softly, then looked around before leaning in. "Come with me. I need some air."

They slipped away from the main ballroom, weaving through corridors lined with oil portraits of past politicians-most of them white, all of them stern. Nathan led her to a private balcony overlooking the city skyline. The noise from the fundraiser became a distant hum. The silence between them, however, was loud.

"I know you didn't want to come," Nathan said, leaning on the railing. "But I wanted you to see it. The illusion. This is the world I was raised in. Controlled. Cold. Every move calculated."

"And you?" she asked. "Are you calculated too?"

He looked at her, serious now. "I try not to be."

There was something raw in his eyes-something that hinted at a deeper struggle. Anna reached for his hand, instinctively. "You don't have to prove anything to me, Nathan. I like who you are when you're not pretending."

Their hands lingered together, fingers slowly intertwining. The wind picked up slightly, tugging at her dress. For a moment, the noise of the world faded. And then, slowly, deliberately, he leaned down and kissed her.

It wasn't a reckless kiss. It was intentional, full of hesitation and longing-a kiss that had waited for the right moment. But in this world, even stolen moments had consequences.

They broke apart when the sound of a cough echoed from the doorway.

Senator Douglas Elridge stood there, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. The very air thickened with disapproval.

"Nathan," he said curtly.

"Dad," Nathan replied, his voice tensing.

"I thought I made it clear that this was a professional event."

Nathan stepped slightly in front of Anna. "She's a law student. Interested in justice and politics. This is educational."

The senator's eyes narrowed. "And I suppose kissing on the balcony is part of the syllabus?"

Anna flushed, but stayed quiet. She had grown up with pride, even if she didn't come from power.

"It's none of your business," Nathan said sharply.

"Everything is my business," the senator snapped. "Especially when it involves my name. And my campaign."

Anna opened her mouth to speak, but Nathan gently squeezed her hand behind him-his silent way of telling her to let it go. Not here. Not now.

"I invited her," Nathan continued. "She stays."

The senator gave them both a final look-a calculated sweep of contempt and suspicion-before disappearing back inside.

Anna exhaled deeply. "Well. That went well."

Nathan ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. He's just-"

"Powerful. Intimidating. And not thrilled his son is kissing a scholarship student from South End," she said with a wry smile. "I get it."

Nathan stepped closer, brushing his fingers against her cheek. "He doesn't get to choose who I care about."

"And do you?" she asked quietly.

"Every day," he whispered.

They didn't return to the ballroom. Instead, Nathan walked her outside, calling for his car. The ride was quiet, her hand resting gently in his, their minds spinning.

As they pulled up in front of her small student apartment, he kissed her forehead. "Text me when you're inside?"

"I will."

"Anna-" he paused. "Tonight wasn't supposed to happen like that. I just wanted a night where we didn't have to hide."

She smiled softly. "It's okay. It was real."

He watched her go inside before driving away.

**

Days passed.

They didn't talk about the kiss. Not directly. But everything between them changed after that night. Their conversations became more personal, the silences more comfortable, the laughter more intimate. Still, Anna kept herself guarded.

Then, one morning, she woke up feeling off. Nauseous. Lightheaded. She dismissed it. Too much studying, too little sleep.

But it didn't stop.

By the fourth morning, Anna stood in her bathroom, her hands shaking as she held the pregnancy test. The result appeared quickly. Two pink lines.

She sat down, stunned.

Her mind went blank, then raced. She was twenty-two. Still a student. Her scholarship didn't even cover medical costs. And Nathan... God, what would Nathan say?

She didn't cry. Not yet. The shock hadn't made room for tears.

The next day, she didn't go to class. She walked aimlessly through the park, past playgrounds and strollers, until she landed on a bench under a tree, holding her stomach without thinking.

She hadn't decided what to do. She hadn't told anyone. Not even her best friend.

Later that evening, Nathan called.

"Hey, you okay? I didn't see you in class."

Anna hesitated. "I've been feeling... a bit sick."

Concern laced his voice. "Want me to bring you something? Soup? Tea?"

"No," she said quickly. "No, I just... I need time."

There was silence. "Anna, is everything alright?"

She wanted to tell him. But how do you break a life-altering truth through a phone call?

"I'll talk to you soon," she said, then hung up.

**

Two days later, she stood in front of his apartment, heart pounding. She hadn't planned what to say. She hadn't even planned to come. But here she was.

He opened the door, surprised, then smiled. "Anna-"

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out.

The words hung in the air like smoke. Tangible. Irrevocable.

Nathan froze.

She saw it-every stage of shock crossing his face. Surprise. Confusion. Fear.

Then something else.

He stepped back, gesturing for her to come in. She did. Slowly.

"How long have you known?" he asked, closing the door gently.

"A few days."

Silence again. Then he sat down, his head in his hands.

"I didn't plan this," she said. "And I'm not asking for anything. I just-thought you should know."

Nathan looked up at her. "Are you... okay?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I'm scared. And angry. And... alone."

He stood and crossed to her, wrapping his arms around her. "You're not alone."

"I don't want to ruin your life," she whispered.

"You didn't," he replied. "This doesn't ruin anything."

But they both knew the truth-this changed everything.

Especially with a senator watching.

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