Unprotected: A Secret Baby

So I snorted, getting a hold of myself.

“Well good luck with that,” I said frigidly. “Consider this my resignation.”

And with that, I strode out of the restaurant, mind swirling. What the fuck was wrong with my father? Why had he pulled this one eighty? Had he lost his mind?

If Henry had been honest from the beginning and told me he never wanted to leave the helm of Lincoln Conglomerate, it would have been cool. The company was his baby, and sometimes you can’t bear to let the baby go.

But my life would have been different for sure. I wouldn’t have worked sixty or seventy hour weeks. Instead, I would have put in my nine to five, and then developed something of my own on the side.

Because sure, I was hungry to make money. But I was even hungrier to be my own boss and to face new and unknown challenges. Years of putting my nose to the grindstone had sucked valuable time away that could have been used in a different direction. That made my dad’s betrayal burn even worse.

Stalking out of the restaurant, I picked up my phone and got Trevor on the line.

“Meet me at the front of the restaurant. Dinner’s done.”

“Yes, Mr. Lincoln,” came my driver’s clipped voice.

And sure enough, Trevor was waiting for me at the curb. And when he opened the black car’s, I climbed in, muscles clenched with fury.

All my plans, destroyed.

The work I’d put in over the years. For nothing.

And Maggie. I’d dragged a beautiful girl into this mess.

But no. That’s not true. She was the best thing about this fucked-up situation. If not for Henry, then I wouldn’t have her in my life. And one thing was crystal clear, even in the middle of this shitty situation. I wanted Maggie with me, no matter what. I wanted her, period.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Maggie

I knew exactly how many days it had been.

Twenty six days.

Twenty six days since Evan walked into DoggyMart.

Twenty five days since I started to fall for him.

Twenty four days since he took my virginity and turned me into a woman. His woman.

I swallowed the thick lump of nervousness in my throat and gripped the knife in my hand.

With the time ticking like a time bomb, I figured I might as well make pumpkin pie. Because this wasn’t going to last much longer, that was for sure. Any day now, Evan was going to announce that he was now the new CEO, and my services would be no longer needed.

My throat closed, making it hard to breathe.

The air wheezed in my nostrils, lungs tight.

But no, the show must go on. So I was making pumpkin pie.

The kitchen was a mess of orange guts, soft vegetable flesh, sugar, flour, and pie tins. I needed everything on the tabletop, but was too much of a wreck to put it together right.

Because Evan was out there somewhere. Was he on his way to see me? Was he already the CEO of the company?

My hands shook and I could barely hold the knife properly to cut the pumpkin into slices for the blender.

I don’t cook a lot because fresh ingredients are so expensive. And frankly, it’s easier to buy from the store sometimes. But the tools come out when I’m stressed, and I’m sure as hell stressed now.

Because my thirty days with Evan were just about over. I can barely believe it. The time flew by so quickly, nothing more than a flash in the pan. I want him to want me, but he doesn’t. Or maybe he wants me but I want him to too much?

Shit. This was so confusing and I shook my head miserably, looking at the half-gutted pumpkin.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I jumped and nearly sliced off my thumb, narrowly missing the soft pad. Who could that be?

Oh wait, the ring was supposed to come today. My heart jumped, pulse beating rapidly. The six carat pink diamond that we’d used so sinfully in the jewelry store was arriving today.

And sure enough, a special courier dressed in all black stood on the doorstep. When I opened the door, I could feel the scrape of his eyes on my oversized T-shirt, pumpkin clumps stuck to my cheek and clothes. But these people are all business, and a professional smile curved his lips.

“Margaret Lake?”

“Yes?”

He held a clipboard toward me.

“Sign here, please.”

I scribbled my name and then a small box was tucked in my hands.

“Have a good day, Miss,” the man said smoothly before getting into an unmarked van. Wow, James Bond for sure. But maybe that was the point. They wanted to move undetected through the city given the high value items in their charge.

Because this was the ring! My beautiful, six carat diamond was finally here.

Trembling fingers popped open the velvet box. And I stared at what was supposed to be the six carat princess cut diamond in a platinum setting.