The Baby Contract

She wouldn’t keep me from my child.

I checked in with Dax who told me another person was on duty right now, but that he just checked in and everything was fine with Anne

I went straight to bed and continued to be tormented by the memory of Anne telling me that I was nothing to her. After a sleepless night, I woke up and went through a typical day.

Focused on complex projects was the best medicine for a broken heart. I worked through the morning and lunch.

At two in the afternoon, I drove out to the project I was working on with MacLeod Capital Investment to meet with Dane and Ethan. Archer would be meeting us as well to discuss any security issues we needed to consider on the property.

I tagged along with Dane and Ethan as the contractor, Troy Manion, walked us through the property, pointing out what was nearly complete and what was left to do. To be honest, none of what Troy said was sinking in. Thoughts of Anne haunted me. It killed me that Anne chose Harper. Anne hadn’t been able to see how much I cared for her.

And whose fault is that dummy?

I scraped my hands over my face, hating that I had to accept some complicity in my current situation.

"Are you all right, Bran?" Dane asked.

I jerked my attention to him. "Yeah, sure."

I looked at both men and I could see curiosity and concern in their eyes.

I wasn’t going to tell them I was suffering heartbreak, so I said, “I was up in Northern California looking at a winery yesterday." I couldn't very well say I had jet lag, but still, out-of-town business trips with a quick turnaround were tiring.

“Winery. Cool,” Ethan said.

We continued on the tour, but again, Anne tortured me.

Why couldn’t I have both my sister and Anne in my life?

It felt like I would never be happy until they were in my life. I had to fix things with both of them. But how?

My track record on fixing things was pretty bad.

We made it back to the front of the building right when Archer pulled up. He exited his SUV and walked over to us. Noel St. Martin got out on the passenger side and also greeted us.

We started on a second tour of the property, this time with Archer assessing all the areas we needed to consider for security. I followed along with Noel walking beside me. I wondered why he was there, considering he'd handed the reins over to Archer.

But it wouldn't hurt to have a second set of eyes, especially eyes like Noel’s to ensure that the property was safe.

"We will have fences and alert systems set up in the common area, playground, and pool. It’s primarily for children, but anyone who feels in danger will be able to use it,” Ethan explained to Archer.

"What about the areas that are still under construction. Along with equipment and supplies, there are a lot of things around here that would be dangerous to children if they happened onto the site." Archer said.

"Children aren't allowed on construction sites," I mumbled, only half paying attention to what was being discussed.

"You’d be surprised at how children can crop up out of nowhere." The tone of Noel’s voice made me think he’d had an experience involving kids. I turned to him, noting a haunted look in his eyes. I wondered what that was about.

The rest of the group continued, but I pulled Noel aside thinking it could take my mind off my own troubles if I helped him with his.

"You seem like a man who’s seen a lot, experienced a lot."

"I've seen my fair share." He tilted his head to the side. "You look like a man who has had his heart stomped on. Did Anne not accept your heart?"

I looked down. "I didn't have a chance to tell her." That wasn't exactly true. "But it's clear now that she doesn't want my heart."

"How do you know?"

I explained to him how things seem to be going well and how I was working up the nerve to tell her the truth. Then my sister barged in and got pissed at seeing us together. When push came to shove, Anne chose to salvage her friendship with Harper instead of having a relationship with me.