My Stand-In Groom Is A Secret Tycoon (Audrey)

Alistair's eyes widened as he locked onto her intense gaze, and he almost pressed the gas like it was the brake. The car shook unexpectedly, throwing Audrey off balance and yanking her back into her seatbelt.

Audrey took a moment to steady herself, patting her chest, and turned to glance at Alistair again. The look on his face told her everything she needed to know: something was definitely up.

With all that tension in the air, she wouldn't believe him if he said he wasn't dealing with some serious issues.

Even if he did have some problems in the bedroom, she honestly didn't care. Deep down, it made her a little bit happy. It was a relief because she didn't have to bother with the whole husband-and-wife duties. She would rather die than sleep with a stranger. Alistair could tell what was going through her mind. He lowered his gaze and said, "Go ahead and open the storage box in front of you."

Audrey wondered how their conversation had shifted so suddenly from the hidden illness to the storage box. 'Did I really manage to guess what he's being hiding?' she wondered.

Feeling a bit confused, Audrey bent down and opened the storage box anyway.

Alistair urged her, "Go on, open the file bag." Fortunately, he had just had a full body checkup after arriving in Riverdale, and the report was still in the car.

When Audrey pulled out the file, her eyes widened in surprise. It was a medical report. Every single test result was thorough and showed that he was completely healthy.

'How can there be no issues?' Audrey thought, feeling a bit lost.

Just then, the red light flickered, and Alistair glanced back at her, a smirk forming on his lips. "If you're still unsure, you could always check it yourself."

'Check it myself?' she thought, feeling her cheeks flush as some inappropriate images crossed her mind. Quickly covering her face with her hands, she pushed herself to respond calmly, "No, it's fine. I believe you."

Glancing at the Audrey's flushed ears, Alistair felt a wave of his earlier gloom wash away. He stifled a laugh and admitted, "There isn't anything wrong with me. It's mostly because my family is pushing me into it. And then there's another reason." He paused, drumming his fingers lightly on the steering wheel. "I have a son who needs some care."

'Wait, what? A son?' Audrey's mind went blank. She snapped back to reality just as the traffic light turned green and the world outside the car sped by. She was suddenly on the verge of being a mom without even realizing it.

Alistair continued, "I didn't mean to keep it from you, but if this isn't something you can handle, you can always back out."

Audrey bit her lip, feeling a mix of embarrassment and confusion. 'Backing out? Is that still a choice now?' she wondered.

Fiona hadn't even gotten the paternity report back yet, but Eliza was already living with the Rhodes and being treated like one of their own. The Harper family seemed to have completely forgotten about Audrey, never bothering to reach out. And there was still Dominic, whom she was done with.

Audrey glanced at Alistair, taking in how handsome he was. Surely, his kid would be adorable too. She'd heard giving birth could be rough and that it might change her shape, so being a stepmom didn't sound so bad after all.

Once she got over the initial shock, it felt lighter, almost exciting. She smiled. "I'm going to do my best to be a great stepmother." That was her promise.

Alistair raised an eyebrow, clearly in a better mood now. He said with warmth, "Great! Let's grab you an outfit first, then we'll head to city hall."noveldrama

Audrey was still in her wedding dress, but it had gotten torn when she hopped off the car, so it definitely wasn't ideal for getting a marriage license. With time running short, they quickly found a mall nearby.

After changing out of her wedding dress and washing off her makeup, Audrey settled on a casual look-a pair of black wide-legged pants and a simple white shirt that she tucked in the pants. The outfit framed her features nicely, especially with Alistair in his matching white shirt.

As they were leaving the mall, Audrey overheard a couple of shoppers say, "They look amazing together."

Hearing that made her feel more at ease. Getting a license with Alistair wasn't turning out to be as daunting as she'd thought.