The Expectant Executive

When he wiped a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, her skin tingled from the contact and a warmth began to fill her chest. “Thank you for having her,” he said, his voice sounding a little gruff. “I know that putting her up for adoption was the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do, but raising Jess and watching her grow up was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I wouldn’t have had that if not for you.”

“That’s why having this baby is so important to me,” she said, nodding. “I’m going to get to be a part of this baby’s life the way I never was with Jessie.”

She could tell by the look in his sky-blue eyes that he understood, but she noticed an underlying shadow of concern there as well. Anticipating what bothered him, she rushed to alleviate his fears. “I want you to be part of his or her life, too. You’re the baby’s father and I would never deny you your child.”

The doubt disappeared immediately and she could tell he was relieved to hear that she wasn’t going to cut him out of the picture. “How are we going to handle this? With you living here in New York and me living in Colorado, it’s going to take some work.”

“I’m not sure,” she said honestly. “But we have eight months to discuss it and make plans.”

“With Jessie and Cade’s wedding coming up, the next couple of weeks are going to be pretty busy.” He drew her into his arms, then leaned back against the couch.

“What do you say we postpone any serious discussion until after the ceremony? That will give us a little time to think about it and see what we can come up with.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea. And in the meantime, I’ll find a way to break the news to Jessie.” Snuggling against his shoulder, she hid a yawn behind her hand. “How do you think she’ll react?”

His wide chest rose and fell a moment before he tightened his arms around her.

“Your guess is as good as mine, sweetheart.”

Chapter 5

Fin stared at the young woman seated across from her at the dining room table and wondered how on earth she was going to broach the subject of her pregnancy.

To say she was a nervous wreck was an understatement.

She and Travis had hoped she’d have the chance to talk to Jessie before he left to go back to Colorado. Unfortunately, with the approaching wedding and all the last-minute details to pull together, there hadn’t been enough time.

But when she learned that Cade was flying to the west coast for a few days to wrap up a lucrative advertising deal for Charisma the week before the wedding, Fin seized the opportunity and asked Jessie to have dinner with her.

“Fin, our relationship means a lot to me and I want it to continue to grow,”

Jessie said without preamble. Fin watched her lay her fork down and catch her lower lip between her teeth as if trying to gather her courage. Then, taking a deep breath, she asked, “Have I upset or offended you in any way?”

Her daughter’s question was the last thing Fin expected and she hurried to put Jessie’s mind at ease. “No, honey. You haven’t done anything.” She covered Jessie’s hand with hers. “I know we’ve missed out on so much over the years, but you’re still my daughter. I love you. You could never do anything that would change that.”

“Thank God.”

The relief on Jessie’s face tore at Fin’s heart. She hated that she’d caused her daughter any undue worry. But she wasn’t sure how long the euphoria would last once Jessie learned about Fin’s pregnancy and who the father was.

“You haven’t been yourself since I canceled dinner with you and Dad last week.”

Jessie gave her a guilty smile. “I thought you might have been angry with me for trying to set you up with Dad.”

Fin’s heart beat double-time. This was her opening. She just hoped her announcement didn’t cause irreparable damage to Jessie’s feelings for her.

“I need to talk to you about that.” Fin folded her napkin and placed it on the table, then rose to her feet and motioned toward the living room. “Let’s get comfortable.”

Jessie suddenly looked apprehensive. “You’re beginning to frighten me, Fin.”

As she led the way over to the sofa, Fin shook her head. “There’s absolutely no reason for you to be afraid, honey.” I, on the other hand, have every reason to be scared to death, she thought, dreading what she was about to tell her daughter.

Once they were curled into opposite corners of the plush sofa, facing each other, Fin took a deep breath. “If I’ve been a bit distracted lately, it’s because something has happened—”