Baby For The Mountain Man

I was pregnant. And there was no doubt whatsoever who the father was. I’d only been with one man since leaving Zander…

Right that moment, I heard my phone buzzing. I didn’t need to look to know it was Anderson, but I sure as hell couldn’t talk to him at the moment. I needed time. I needed to think.

I need to wrap my mind around this extremely unexpected turn of events in my life and determine what it meant for me.

I needed to think about how I was going to go about telling Anderson…

And worst, I had to think about how Tobias was going to take the news.

I went to lie down on my bed, flat on my back with my hands resting on my stomach, feeling a mixture of awe, shock, and nervousness. When the nausea started to slowly creep up on me again, I didn’t know if it was my emotions running amok that caused it, or the little seed growing somewhere in my womb.

CHAPTER 23

Anderson

From day one, working at the firm with Tobias had been a demanding job. It was trying, and it took a lot of patience. Yet in all the time I’d worked there, nothing had ever felt as difficult as the past few days. Every time I stepped into the building, there was a chill in the air that practically froze my lungs with every breath I took. While it had absolutely nothing to do with the temperature, it had everything to do with the iciness of Tobias’s stare every time we happened to cross paths.

Time and time again, I tried to reach out to him, but he continued avoiding me. The days went by and he refused to speak to me. And to make matters worse, Joanna continued to avoid my calls.

By the end of the week, I was completely at my wits end. I entered the

office, confused and desperate. Suddenly, my eyes landed on Libby, remembering that she and Joanna were on friendly terms with each other.

Trying as best as I could to keep my composure, I trailed after her as she turned down the hall, likely heading to the supply closet Joanna and I had used for a make-out session.

“Hey, Libby,” I called out.

She jumped, startled. “Oh! Anderson…Hi…” she said, a deep flush spreading over her cheeks.

I mustered a smile, even though my jaw muscles didn’t want to support the gesture. “How’s it going?” I asked.

She stared back at me curiously. She’d been working at the firm for a while now, but she and I had never particularly been chit-chat buddies. “Fine,” she said. “You?”

I nodded, wanting to say that I was fine as well, but unable to force out the word. I stuffed my hands into my pockets to keep myself from fidgeting. “Um…I was just wondering, by any chance have you heard from Joanna lately?”

The second the question left my mouth though, I realized that I’d made a mistake. Everyone knew that Tobias and I were best friends, just like everyone knew Joanna was Tobias’s sister. It was unusual in itself for me to ask anyone else about Joanna’s whereabouts; if I had a question about Joanna, it would have only been logical for me to approach Tobias.

Libby’s eyes widened, and I was left wondering if she knew what was going on among the three of us. If not, I wondered if at the very least, she had noticed that Tobias and I hadn’t been on speaking terms.

I glanced around, paranoid and wondering if the whole office knew something was up. After all, our drama at the gala hadn’t exactly been subtle.

“Um… No, not really,” Libby answered, averting her gaze. “Why do you ask?”

I shook my head. “Never mind, Libby. Have a nice day,” I said, briefly patting her shoulder and hurrying off to my office.

* * *

It was just before my lunch break, but I had no appetite. So instead of heading to the break area or out for a bite to eat, I left my office and headed straight for Tobias’s.

That man was going to hear me out if it was the last thing I did, especially since I couldn’t even get in contact with Joanna. Plus, my encounter with Libby had left me thoroughly shaken. I needed answers, and was determined to get them before the end of the day.

I knocked on Tobias’s office door. From inside, I could hear him shuffling about. “One second,” his voice rang from the other side of the door.

I heard the doorknob jiggle, and shortly thereafter, I was staring into Tobias’s face—into those gray eyes that were so much like his sister’s. He swore and was about to slam the door right back in my face, but I held my arm out, stopping him.

“Anderson, I’m not in the mood,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Well that’s just too goddamned bad,” I said, forcing myself into the office. He and I got into a little tussle right there on the spot as he tried to keep me from entering, but I managed to push past him. I slammed the door behind me and locked it.