The Heiress's Pregnancy Surprise (Heirs to an Empire 2)

Alive.

“Wrap it up,” he said, before he could think twice.

“Yes, sir.” She smiled at him and he waited while she went through the process of boxing it, putting it in the distinctive Aurora bag and running his credit card.

He tucked the little bag into his coat pocket, where the weight of it reminded him of how foolish he was being. Why buy something that would simply sit in his house, tucked away in a drawer somewhere? He didn’t want to think about it too much. It had been an impulse and that was the end of it.

And then Charlotte came out of the office and down the hall, talking and laughing with another woman, and his body reacted before he had a chance to tamp down any response. Her lips were curved in a wide smile and her hair swung across her face a little. She had her coat on and her shopping bags were clutched in her hands.

When she saw him, her smile stayed in place and she made introductions. “Janet, this is Jacob Wolfe. Jacob, the New York general manager, Janet Walker-Barnes.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Janet said, holding out her hand, which he shook.

“Likewise,” he replied, and glanced over at Charlotte. Any other time she’d introduced him only as Jacob. Today she’d used his surname. Which meant all Janet Walker-Barnes had to do was go to Google and she’d know who he was.

Charlotte must trust her, then. And that intrigued him.

“It was so good to see you, Janet.” Charlotte leaned forward and bussed Janet’s cheek. “And I’ll see you in a few months at the GM summit, yes?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss Paris for the world.”

Charlotte beamed up at him. “I’m ready now. Thank you for waiting for me.”

“Of course.” He looked down at her and felt that confusion bubble in his chest again. “It was nice to meet you,” he said to Janet.

“You, as well.” She smiled widely, and then turned a knowing glance to Charlotte. “I’ll see you on Wednesday?”

“Of course. And what we discussed... That won’t be an issue?”

“I’ll handle everything, and check in with the team.”

“You’re a gem.”

They said their goodbyes and made their way to the escalator. “What was that about?” Jacob asked.

“Oh, work stuff,” she said lightly, and he got the sense there was more to the answer she wasn’t sharing.

“And you used my full name. You like this woman a lot, don’t you?”

“I do. I met her just before she took on the position. We flew her to Paris for her final interview and she and I really hit it off. She’s young enough to be so full of energy and fun but old enough to have significant experience. She was an assistant manager at one of our biggest competitors, and a real find.”

He guessed Janet to be late thirties, maybe forty. For some reason, Charlotte’s description niggled. Janet was more...his age. Did she assess him in the same way? With “significant experience”?

They headed back to the apartment, and Jacob said no more about it. And then, once inside, he went to his room, took the small bag out of his pocket and tucked it in the dresser, under his socks.

CHAPTER SIX

WHEN CHARLOTTE STEPPED out of her bedroom the next morning, she pressed a hand to her belly and let out a slow breath. It was just Jacob, after all, but he was the one who had brought up the black and white and her appearance. Yesterday’s trip to the Aurora store had been a success, and today she was trying out the first of her purchases—a turquoise dress in her usual style but the color so vivid that she felt utterly conspicuous.

She was a confident woman who was dedicated to the family company. But after Jacob’s comments the other night, she wondered if she’d sacrificed her own identity for it more than she realized. Aurora was the family business and where she worked... But it wasn’t who she was. Or maybe it was, and that unsettled her. Surely she was more than the company.

Maybe if she really wanted to stand on her own at Aurora, she first needed to stand out.

Jacob was in the kitchen, and she could smell eggs cooking and the yeasty scent of bread in the toaster. He’d made her go to the gym again this morning but she hadn’t minded as much. Last night they’d gotten in around ten. She’d gone to the dinner party and then another event where she put in a brief appearance and left. Charlotte had never been one to party into the wee ho

urs and run on three hours sleep and an energy drink.

“Good morning,” she said, stepping to the threshold.