Pregnant by the Rival CEO

by Karen Booth

  “I’m only pointing out that Adam is a smart guy. He’d have to be an idiot not to see how amazing you are.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Lay it on thick, much?”

  “Anna, come on. I’m just being honest. Can’t we be honest with each other? After everything we’ve been through and with everything we’re about to go through, I think it’s only wise that we’re truthful in everything.”

  Truthful? Was he really going to throw that at her now? “Ironic, coming from you.”

  He choked back the growl in his throat. “I was protecting you.”

  Protecting me. Really? “Tell yourself whatever you need to. That’s not how it felt.” The driver pulled up to the curb in front of Anna’s building, then got out of the car to open her door. She couldn’t even look back at Jacob to say goodbye. That would be too difficult when she was busy grappling with too many emotions. It would be so easy for him to look at her a certain way and she would be hopelessly drawn in, wanting to curl up into him and let him do exactly what he’d promised, the impossible—protect her. “I’ll call you when they schedule the ultrasound.”

  * * *

  Jacob was saddled with the most uneasy feeling he’d ever had. Anna and their baby were about to leave him. And she was upset. She shouldn’t go upstairs and stew for hours. “Let me come in for a minute. We should talk.”

  “I’m tired of talking. And don’t you need to get into the office?”

  He was thankful he’d left his phone on vibrate. It’d been going crazy all through the appointment and during the car ride, but she didn’t need to know that his business world might be falling apart while he was out of pocket. “You’re more important right now.”

  She shook her head, seeming even more annoyed. “Fine.”

  They walked into the building and took the elevator upstairs. He liked feeling like this, almost as if they were a couple again, even if she was mad at him. What would it take for her to want him back? A lot of things, most likely—an absolute guarantee that LangTel was safe from a corporate takeover, a reconciliation with her brother.

  “You really want to come in?” she asked once they arrived at her door. She had that icy tone in her voice, as if she were trying to freeze him out.

  “I do.” As they walked inside, he couldn’t escape the feeling that this was only half right. He might be clueless about the notion of becoming a father, but he knew that they should be doing this together. If at all possible, this child should arrive with two loving parents, not a mother and a father fighting to remain civil. He didn’t want to upset her, but perhaps it was time to just let her say her piece so they could finally more forward. “Anna, will you please tell me what I can do to make this better? Right now I feel like I’m stepping through a minefield.”

  She pursed her lips. “I’m supposed to stay calm.”

  “You’re supposed to avoid stress, and walking around with all of this anger welling up inside of you is not good. Just let it out. Let me have it.”

  “Right here? Right now?”

  “No time like the present.” He took off his coat and slung it over the back of a chair in the living room. He was ready for her to start yelling and he would sit there and take it until she got it all out. “Like I said, let me have it. Tell me every last thing.”

  “I don’t want to rehash our problems. It’s not like you don’t already know how I feel. What bothers me more than anything is what happened after I broke up with you.”

  He furrowed his brow. “The Sunny Side deal? Mark found a buyer he wanted to work with. I never meant for that to hurt you.”

  “It’s not that. It’s that I never heard from you. You didn’t fight it, you just accepted it and moved on. You didn’t fight for me. That hurt more than anything.”

  Good God, if only she knew how much he had not moved on after she ended their relationship. He wasn’t sure he could even own up to that. He’d never been so miserable, a shell of a man. He didn’t want to think of himself like that, the hopeless sap ruminating over his litany of mistakes, staring at the engagement ring he wasn’t sure he’d ever have the chance to give her without her throwing it back in his face. “I did fight for you, it was just behind the scenes. I’ve been busting my hump to figure out who the secret LangTel investor is.”

  “See? That would have been good information to have, to at least know that you were trying.”

  “What kind of man would it make me if I came to you with half-filled promises? Trying and doing are two different things. After everything I did, you deserve better than that.”

  Anna sat down on the sofa, seeming deep in thought, but not saying a thing. Was he finally getting somewhere? He had to keep going.

  “Anna, darling, I want you back. I think you know that. My feelings for you didn’t go away when you said you were done with me. I still love you.” He drew in a deep breath as he sensed his voice was about to break. Just thinking about today, about the baby, made his heart ache. “Now more than ever.”

  She raised her head slowly, her forehead creased with worry. “Because of the baby.”

  He took the seat beside her. “Some of it is, of course. There’s no separating the two. But my love for you was there before you got pregnant, and it will be there tomorrow. It’s not going anywhere. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “You’re on a high right now from hearing the baby’s heartbeat, from the excitement of what’s new. How are you going to feel when we’re forced to deal with my family? How are you going to feel if we lose the baby?”

  Indeed, the road ahead was not getting any easier. He simply needed to know one thing. “Do you have feelings for me?”

  She looked at him, scanning his face for what felt like a lifetime. “Part of me does. Part of me wants to punch you for what you did. It’s hard for me to trust you. When I look back at our time together, all I can think about is everything you were keeping from me. That’s hard to get past.”

  “Then maybe you need to try harder. I’ll tell you I’m sorry until I’m blue in the face, but we had good times, too. Spectacular times. We had moments where I wasn’t sure another person existed on the planet. Don’t give up on our good memories. We can make more.” He took her hand, relieved that she didn’t fight the gesture. Body warmth traveled so easily between them—why couldn’t everything else between them be so simple? Why couldn’t things go back to the way they’d been at the beginning? So elemental. “I can’t change the past. All I can do is try to build a future, but you hold the key. I can’t do it without you.”

  She dropped her sights to their hands, joined. A tear fell onto her lap, darkening the fabric of her pants. “I need time to think. Today was a lot to deal with.”

  He nodded. Not that he had much choice, but he could accept that. He’d make do with a sliver of a chance. “I’ll wait, but let me know if there’s anything I can do to speed up the process.”

  “Right now, more than anything, I just need to know that you’re not only in my corner, but that you’re going to stay there.”

  “I am Anna. I am.”

  “I mean it, Jacob. For real.”

  He sucked in a deep breath of resolve. “I do, too. And I’ll find a way to show you. I won’t let you down.”

  Jacob rode the elevator to the lobby, deep in thought. So much had changed in the past few weeks. From the miserable depths of losing Anna, he had new hope. He couldn’t afford to doubt the future—she was the one questioning what tomorrow held. He hated seeing that from her. She was the optimist, the sunniest part of his life.

  He had to show her that there was more for them. It was the only way back into her heart. That meant showing her that he wasn’t going anywhere.

  When the doors slid open to the lobby, he was so immersed in his thoughts that he nearly flattened a man rushing on to the elevator.

  “
Sorry,” the man said, holding up a blue Tiffany shopping bag. “Forgot the wedding anniversary yesterday. I’m in a hurry to get out of the doghouse.”

  “No problem,” Jacob answered, turning and watching the elevator doors slide closed. That flash of Tiffany blue was still there in his head.

  If he wanted to show Anna that he wasn’t going anywhere, he needed to make his overture. The question was when he would find the right moment.

  Sixteen

  Disbelief choked Jacob as he read the email the next morning—the missing piece of the puzzle, the information he’d been waiting on, sent by one of his informants. The identity of the high roller joining the War Chest was now known. Aiden Langford. And to think he’d woken up wondering when the right time would come to propose to Anna. That would need to be put off for at least another day.

  He slumped back in the chair in his home office, sucking in a deep breath through his nose. His brain needed oxygen and fast. This was a huge problem and it had to be solved before it was too late. He knew that each Langford sibling owned 5 percent of the company. With that amount of stock in the mix, it would absolutely be feasible for Aiden to take down LangTel. And with everything Anna had once told him, Aiden had an axe to grind.

  He wandered into his bedroom. Fixing the situation with Aiden wasn’t a one-person job, and he couldn’t go to Anna for help. It would expose her to far too much stress. He had to protect her and the baby. That left one person, the person he’d vowed to never trust again, especially when it came to business. He had to go to Adam.

  He hopped in the shower and dressed quickly. It was time to find Adam, pronto, and there was no time for second-guessing what the outcome might be. The sooner they devised a plan to get Aiden under wraps, the better. Luckily, Adam was notorious for getting into the office absurdly early. Jacob asked his driver to take him to LangTel headquarters, sending Adam a text along the way.

  We need to talk. Important. On my way to your office. Don’t ask questions.

  Adam’s response came quickly. I’ll tell security.

  Jacob could only hope that Adam meant he was instructing security to let him into the building, not escort him out of it. He arrived at LangTel in ten minutes and rushed into the lobby. A guard was indeed waiting for him, but only to issue a security badge and instruct him on which elevator to take for the executive floors.

  Jacob’s head was grinding, mulling over options, devising plans. Short of amassing a huge amount of money to buy Aiden out, how would they stop this? His heart pounded fiercely in his chest as he made his way down the hall to Adam’s office.

  Adam’s assistant was waiting. “Mr. Lin?” She stepped out from behind her desk. “May I take your coat? Can I get you a coffee?”

  Jacob mustered a polite smile and handed over his black wool coat. “No, thank you. I’m just fine.”

  “Mr. Langford is waiting for you.”

  “Actually, you can do one thing for me. Adam and I are discussing a surprise for his sister’s birthday. If she comes by, make sure you don’t let her in. Don’t even let her know that I’m here.” He raised his finger to his lips to encourage her compliance. He had to keep Anna away from this powder keg at any cost.

  “Of course, Mr. Lin. Your secret is safe with me.”

  Jacob stood straighter and took extra-long strides into Adam’s office. He tried to think of a time he’d had to swallow his pride any more than at this moment. He couldn’t think of one, not even with his dad. Could he keep it together, stop himself from getting sidetracked by old problems?

  Adam turned slowly in his massive leather executive chair like a villain in an action movie. “This is a surprise.”

  Jacob didn’t wait for an invitation to sit, taking a seat opposite Adam’s desk. “I’m as surprised as you are.”

  “Are you going to tell me why you’re here or are we going to play twenty questions?” Adam tapped a pen on the desk blotter.

  “It’s the War Chest.”

  “The gang of thugs you put together to take down the corporation my father built from the ground up? I know all about that.”

  It was so like Adam to bring up the most damning details. “The investment group I was kicked out of when I pushed them to stop because I didn’t want a takeover to ruin my chances at a relationship with Anna.”

  Adam cleared his throat. “Don’t get me started on Anna.”

  You have no idea. Adam was going to blow up when he found out that he and Anna were as involved as a man and woman could possibly be, even if the romantic side of things was fragile. “Please, Adam. I know I’ve done some things you aren’t happy about. You can’t say that you haven’t done the same to me.”

  “I have a busy day ahead of me. Can you get to the point?”

  “Your brother Aiden has joined the War Chest.”

  “What?” Fury blazed in Adam’s eyes.

  “With his percentage of stock in the mix, they can take over LangTel. Without much problem, I have to point out. You need to do something about this now.”

  “Oh, my God. Aiden.” Adam’s skin blanched, his eyes grew wide with disbelief. It was the first chink in Adam’s armor that Jacob had ever seen. “He’s been estranged from the family for years and it got worse when my dad got sick, but I never imagined he would go this far.”

  “Well, he has.”

  Adam’s elbows dropped to his desk, and he pushed his hair back from his forehead. He twisted his lips. His stare narrowed. “Why didn’t you take this to Anna? Was your breakup really that awful? I know she’s not fun when she’s mad.”

  Jacob had already covered up an awful lot with Anna, and the guilt from that might remain forever. He couldn’t take the lies any further. “No, Adam. Anna is pregnant and I’m the father. I didn’t want to tell her because stress could jeopardize the baby.”

  * * *

  Anna walked through the quiet reception area on the executive floor, making her way to her office. She didn’t normally get in so early, but she hadn’t been able to sleep much. Perhaps the distraction of work would help clear her head before she ultimately returned to her worries about the baby and whether or not Jacob was really going to stand by her, no matter what.

  “Good morning, Ms. Langford. Will you be joining Mr. Langford and Mr. Lin in their meeting?” her assistant, Carrie, asked as she took Anna’s coat.

  Anna froze in place. “Mr. Langford and Mr. Lin? Meeting? With each other? Here?”

  “They’re in Mr. Langford’s office right now. I just assumed you knew.” Her voice trailed off.

  What in the world? Confused, she composed herself. “Oh, uh, yes. Yes, I’m joining them.” Anna marched down the hall to her brother’s office as if this had been the plan all along. A flurry of thoughts was turning her mind into a snow globe of speculation. Was this Jacob’s way of fighting for her? Of showing her that he would take the worst of it? She could only hope that this meeting didn’t end up with fists flying.

  Adam’s assistant bolted from her seat when Anna breezed past her and lunged for the doorknob to Adam’s office. “Ms. Langford, I’m sorry. Mr. Langford is in a very important meeting...”

  “So I heard.” Anna marched into her brother’s office. She wasn’t about to wait to be invited in. Somebody could be dead.

  She first saw Adam’s response—surprise and shock. Jacob turned and showed a similar horror.

  “Well, you’re both still alive. So I guess that’s good. Anybody want to tell me what’s going on?” She planted her hand on her hip, assessing the situation. What are these two up to?

  Jacob shifted in his seat. “We, uh, had a few things we needed to discuss.”

  “Right,” Adam said, unconvincingly.

  “You two can’t stand to be in the same zip code. How about we try again?” She glanced over at Jacob, eager to glean from his
facial expressions what was going on.

  “Maybe it’s time to finally change that,” Adam interjected.

  Now she had to make eye contact with Jacob. She tapped her foot on the floor. Something about this was off and she could see it on Jacob’s face.

  Adam blew out an exasperated breath. “This is stupid. Nobody’s going to believe that you and I can actually talk to each other. Especially not Anna.” He pointed at her. “Look. I know everything. I can’t believe you’re pregnant and you didn’t tell me? Your own brother? And Jacob’s the dad? I don’t even know where to start with all of this. It’s like a bad dream.”

  Jacob stood and grasped Anna’s elbow. “I had to tell him. I’m sorry.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head, drawing in a deep breath through her nose. The fact that he’d had the guts to come out with it certainly earned him a few points. “We had to tell him eventually. I just can’t believe you came here to do this and that you didn’t want me here at the same time.”

  “Well, that’s not the only thing we’re talking about,” Adam said.

  Jacob turned to Adam quickly, and even though Anna couldn’t see either of their faces head-on, she could tell they were having a conversation without words.

  “Will somebody please just tell me what you’re doing?” Anna asked. “I’m not leaving until one of you spills it.”

  “Well?” Adam asked, staring down Jacob. “Do you want to tell her, or should I?”

  “Please. We have to stay calm. For the baby’s sake,” Jacob said, turning to her. “I found out who the War Chest brought in as their big investor. It’s Aiden.”

  “What?” Anna asked. “Aiden? I don’t understand.”

  Jacob looked at her thoughtfully, showing her his miraculous eyes. They were the only thing that calmed her in this unimaginable situation. He explained everything with Aiden as she struggled to keep up with the details. “It’s very important that you don’t get worked up about this. My first and only concern is for you and the baby.”