Pregnant by the Rival CEO

by Karen Booth

  Anna narrowed her focus on Adam.

  “It’s the one thing we didn’t account for,” Adam said flatly. “We’re going to lose controlling interest in the company and I doubt there’s much we can do about it. He’s had a chip on his shoulder forever about LangTel, and you know how he feels about me in particular. Jacob and I were just strategizing on ways to raise the capital to fight this.”

  Anna sat down in the chair next to Jacob’s. This was not the time for panic. There had to be a solution. “No. Adam, you have to reach out to him. Don’t fight this with money. That’s going to make things far worse. Send him an email. Tell him we know about it. But do it kindly. We don’t want to scare him. Tell him that we want to talk, that we want to find out what would make him do this.”

  “How is that going to work?”

  “You have any other bright ideas? He’s our brother. If we do anything less than extend the olive branch, he’ll never forgive us. Put yourself in his shoes.”

  “Maybe you should do it. He actually likes you.” Adam’s voice had an uncharacteristic wobble. Their father had left an awful lot on Adam’s shoulders—the CEO position, now this. The root of the problem with Aiden was undoubtedly their father. He’d pitted the boys against each other from the very beginning.

  “I think it will mean more from you, especially if you use a softer touch,” she said. “He’ll expect you to be all bravado, so don’t do that. Be his brother.”

  “This is business. Do you really think that’s advised? It sounds awfully girly.”

  Anna sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. “Then ask Jacob what he thinks.”

  Adam cocked both eyebrows at Jacob. Anna was amazed they’d managed this much without taking pot shots at each other.

  “Anna’s right,” Jacob said, taking his seat next to her. “If your brother is feeling like he’s on the outs with your family, it’s going to take a softer approach. If you try to steamroller him, he’ll steamroller you right back. Except he can flatten you with this one, Adam. Completely.”

  Adam looked as befuddled as Anna had ever seen him. “That’s a surprising answer coming from you, Mr. Number Cruncher.”

  “I know exactly what it feels like to be on the outs with the Langford family. It’s not a fun place to be.”

  Anna swallowed, hard. She couldn’t argue that point. The good news was that as of now, Adam and Jacob had to be going on at least twenty minutes of being in the same room and everyone was still living and breathing.

  Adam visibly tensed. “Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll play the nice guy and reach out to him.” He went to his laptop and started typing. After a few keystrokes, he looked up at the two of them. “Are we done? I have work to do. I’ll let you know when I hear back from Aiden.”

  Jacob cleared his throat and stood up. “Actually, there’s one more thing.”

  “What?” Adam pushed back from his desk and crossed his arms.

  “I need you to know that I love your sister more than anyone or anything on this entire planet. And I’m hoping that she and I can find a way to work things out, but we have some obstacles to get past and I want to get rid of one of them right now. You and I need to drop the fighting. It’s stupid, and frankly, I have more important things to worry about.”

  “Do you really think it’s as simple as that?” Adam retorted. “We decide to forget it? I can’t believe that you, of all people, would think that you could just come in here and declare a truce and make it all go away. It’s far more complicated than that.”

  “Actually, Adam, it’s not. It’s really very simple. Do we love Anna more than we hate each other?”

  A puff of astonished air left Anna’s lips. Six years of feuding and Jacob had boiled it down to one question.

  “I know what my answer is,” Jacob continued. “I love her far more than I ever hated you, which should tell you just how much I love her. Because I really, really hated you.”

  Adam sat back in his chair, his jaw slack. He was clearly letting this tumble around in his head, and they had to let him process it. “Wow. I guess you really can make it that simple.” He looked at Anna, seeming to get a little choked up. “Anna Banana, I definitely love you more than I hate him. I don’t know what I would’ve done during the last year without you.”

  “Then let’s bury the hatchet, Adam. Please,” Jacob added.

  “If it will make Anna happy, I will give up the fight.”

  For the first time in a long time, she felt as if she could breathe without worry. “It would make me insanely happy. There’s enough trouble going around for all of us.” She stood and walked over to her brother to give him a hug. Relief washed over her.

  “I can’t believe I’m going to be an uncle,” Adam muttered into her ear, holding her close, not letting go.

  It would’ve been so nice to agree that indeed he would, but they weren’t out of the woods. “Fingers crossed that everything goes okay.”

  “Anything you need at all,” Adam said, stepping back, but still holding on to her shoulders. “Just let me know.”

  “Of course. I will.”

  “As for you,” Adam said, reaching out his hand to shake Jacob’s. “I didn’t really think this day would come. It’ll be good to put it behind us.”

  Jacob smiled. “It’s long overdue.”

  Anna led the way out of Adam’s office. “That’s not quite how I expected to start my day,” Anna muttered to Jacob in the hall. One enormous problem had been resolved, even if another—Aiden—had cropped up.

  “Can we talk?” he asked.

  Her staff and coworkers were already milling about. The sight of Jacob Lin in the office was prompting hushed voices and sideways glances. “Of course, but not here. My office.” She marched ahead, Jacob in her wake. They passed Holly when they rounded the corner to Anna’s office. Holly bugged her eyes, but kept her mouth shut. Anna would have to fill her in later. She closed the door behind them, unsure where to start, only that she knew he deserved an awful lot of credit. “That must’ve been so hard for you to swallow your pride with Adam. I’m just floored that you would do that for me.”

  “It was for us, Anna. It had to end.”

  She found herself hopelessly drawn to him—his voice, his presence. When he stripped away her defenses, her reasons for being mad or doubtful, he could have whatever he wanted. She looked up at him, peering into his penetrating eyes, the ones that left her undone. She’d asked him to fight for her, and he’d done exactly that. Big time. “I really admire you for it. I don’t know what else to say, other than thank you. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”

  “It wasn’t, but I don’t care about what’s easy anymore. I care about getting you back.”

  Tingles raced over her skin, her breath caught in her chest. That rumble in his voice was there, the one that made her knees threaten to buckle. “Now what?”

  “Have dinner with me tonight. My place.”

  He’d convinced Adam to let bygones be bygones. Could she do the same? Was she ready for this? Because she was certain that if she wound up in his apartment again, she was going to end up in his bed. Was that the logical next step? If it was, she knew very well that it led to a place where it was nearly impossible to be angry with him. Maybe that was for the best—finally just give in to what she wanted, finally just trust that this was the way things were meant to be. “I’d love to.”

  His smile was warm and immediate. “Good.”

  He cupped her shoulder gently and leaned in for a kiss—Anna nearly had a heart attack, her pulse erratic and frantic. She closed her eyes, her lips waiting for the reward, and then it arrived, square on her cheek.

  She might’ve been disappointed if it wasn’t so sweet, so warm and comforting, telling her that he was still letting her dictate their speed, even after he’d just put on a commanding
performance. “Playing it safe?” She couldn’t hide her smile. The ways in which he’d figured her out were uncanny.

  “Baby steps. Literally.” He placed his hand on her stomach gingerly. She felt his hesitation radiate from his core—he was holding back, employing restraint. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  Seventeen

  Jacob hadn’t even made it down to the lobby before he had a text from Anna. He did a double take when he saw the message.

  Don’t leave. I’m spotting.

  Was this really happening? Just when everything was finally going well? On my way up. What happened?

  He stayed put on the elevator when it dropped people at the lobby, having to wait for what felt like an eternity as a new load of people boarded. It was just before nine, everyone on their way to work, which meant that nearly every button, for every floor, was pressed.

  He took a deep breath. Stay calm. His heart wasn’t cooperating at all, nor was his stomach. Everything in his body was on edge. Why now? Why this?

  Anna sent a reply. Went to the bathroom and saw the blood.

  Good God. Just when things were getting better. Don’t worry. Be there soon.

  He sent a text to his driver, instructing him to be ready to get them to the hospital as quickly as possible. Jacob would have to wait until he got somewhere private to call Dr. Wright’s office. He couldn’t announce in a crowded elevator that Anna Langford was in danger of losing a pregnancy. Nobody but Adam even knew that she was pregnant.

  On Anna’s floor, he stormed past the receptionist and down the hall, rushing inside her office. “I’m here. Let’s go. The car is downstairs.” His heart was still pounding—seeing Anna and the panic on her face turned everything into an even harsher reality. They could lose the baby.

  Anna nodded, putting on her coat. He put his arm around her shoulders, ushering her out of the office. They didn’t stop to say a thing to anyone. There was no time for explanations.

  “I called Dr. Wright,” she whispered as they waited for the elevator. “They’re expecting us. She told us to come up to her office. Not the emergency room.”

  “Good. Okay. It’s going to be okay.” He had no business guaranteeing anything, but he had to believe it. They were so close to putting things back together. He rubbed her shoulder—anything to calm her, let her know that he was there for her.

  Jacob got Anna down to the car and they were quickly whisked through the city, his driver breaking a few traffic laws while dodging taxis, cyclists and buses. Jacob put his arm around Anna’s shoulder, pulling her close. She sank against him, turned into his chest, wrapped her arm around his waist. It was the only comfort he could take in that moment. They had each other. Whatever the future held for the two of them as a couple, or the three of them as a family, they would get through it. They had to.

  When they arrived at the hospital, Jacob wasted no time getting Anna through the lobby and up to the sixth floor. The nurse was waiting for them and quickly showed them back to an exam room. Anna changed into a gown. Dr. Wright was in moments later.

  “Ms. Langford. Mr. Lin. Before I say anything, I want to tell you both to take a deep breath.” She motioned with both hands for them to calm down. “I know you’re worried, but this isn’t always a bad thing. Let’s see what’s going on.”

  Anna leaned back on the exam table and Jacob took her hand. She tilted her head, looking up at him as if he held all of the answers. He’d never felt so helpless in his entire life—the two things he cherished most in the world were right here, Anna and the baby—and there was very little he could do to truly keep them safe. How he longed to tell Anna that everything was going to be okay and to be certain of it.

  Dr. Wright wheeled back on her rolling stool. “The good news is that your cervix is closed up tight. Let’s listen to the heartbeat and make sure there’s no sign of fetal distress.”

  Fetal distress. Those two words felt like a death sentence. The thought of their child in distress brought the most sickening feeling up from the depths of his gut. He hoped to hear that beautiful whoosh. Please God, let us hear the whoosh.

  “Before we do this,” Dr. Wright started. “I want you both to understand that this is very early days. If the baby is in trouble, there’s not much we can do. I want to remind you that you’re both so young. You have your entire lives ahead of you. Today doesn’t have to be the end.”

  Jacob’s gaze dropped to meet Anna’s. Tears streamed down her cheeks. They welled in his as well. He couldn’t even remember another time when he’d cried, but he couldn’t have stopped it if he’d wanted to. His dream of a life with Anna could still happen, but it would be different if they lost the baby. Neither of them would ever be the same. He would still want her if the worst happened, but would she still want him? She’d worried that he might not be around for the long haul, but the reality was that the same could be wondered about her. Without this child binding them together, and with every mistake he’d made, would she want to walk away? He couldn’t fathom how empty his life would be if that happened.

  “We understand. Go ahead,” Anna said to Dr. Wright.

  Jacob nodded reluctantly. “Yes. Please. Go ahead.”

  The static and pops had a distinctly different tone to them this time—it was hope at odds with itself, a moment born of desperation while clinging to what you already have, not focused on what might be. He’d never piled so many wishes on a single moment before. Jacob looked right into Anna’s eyes. If they were going to receive the worst of news, they would experience the pain of that instant together. She would not be alone. Anna clung to his hand, squeezing tight. Static buzzed. The speaker popped. Frantic crackles echoed.

  And then the whoosh. Whoosh whoosh whoosh.

  Anna’s eyes sprang to life, quickly followed by her electric smile, jolting Jacob back to a state where he felt as if he could breathe again. Anna raised her head and looked down at her stomach. “The baby...”

  “The heartbeat sounds perfect,” Dr. Wright said.

  “Thank God.” The most profound relief Jacob had ever experienced threatened to knock him flat. He closed his eyes and his shoulders dropped from the solace of that perfect sound. He leaned down and cupped Anna’s cheek then pressed a kiss to her forehead. His lips wanted to stay there, keep contact with her warm and wonderful-smelling skin.

  Dr. Wright turned off the Doppler and sat back down on her stool. Jacob helped Anna back up to sitting.

  “I’d like you on bed rest for the next twenty-four hours. Take it easy. It’s very possible that this is just normal first trimester spotting and has nothing to do with any of your other issues.”

  “Normal?” Jacob asked.

  “Yes, Mr. Lin. Normal. Possibly.”

  He’d never quite imagined his glee at hearing that anything was normal, possibly, but there it was. He was ecstatic.

  “You aren’t out of the woods. There are never any guarantees. But I’d say that everything, for the moment, looks good. Go home. Relax. Together. Dad, no going into work. Stay with her and call me if anything goes wrong.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Eighteen

  Jacob and Anna arrived at Jacob’s apartment around one, after running to Anna’s place to get her a few things. He insisted they would be more comfortable at his place. She had to agree, and it was also much closer to the doctor’s office if they had to return. Although, as Dr. Wright had said, there wasn’t much they could do but wait for the bleeding to stop. At least they would be doing it together.

  Anna changed into pajama pants and a tank top, unfortunately finding a similar amount of blood when she used the bathroom.

  “Well?” Jacob asked, sounding hopeful when she walked into his bedroom.

  “Still spotting. But it’s not any worse than before, so that�
�s good.” It felt as though she was shouldering the weight of the moment. Intellectually, she knew she had no control over the bleeding, but it was hard not to feel responsible. Perhaps that was the burden of being the messenger. It was okay. She’d take it.

  “I don’t want you to worry about it.” He pulled back the comforter and patted the bed. “Your throne, m’lady.”

  She grinned and shook her head. He could be so silly if he wanted to be, but she knew for a fact that he wasn’t like that with anyone else. He reserved his most unguarded moments for her. “Are those your PJs?”

  “Of course. I’m not leaving you in this bed alone.” He’d put on a T-shirt and basketball shorts. How she loved those glorious, lanky legs of his. “I figure we’ll watch bad movies all afternoon. I haven’t played hooky from work in well, forever, I guess.”

  “You know, I think I just want to talk for now. Maybe take a nap.” She climbed into bed and he did the same, on his side. This was indeed an odd setup, not really knowing the state of things between them. She knew how she felt—he’d obliterated her doubts about whether he’d fight for her. And he’d been right there with her at the doctor’s office, holding her hand. He’d even cried with her, at that moment when they were waiting to hear if the baby was still okay. She knew then that her love for him had never gone away. There had just been other things in the way and she could see now that she’d put a few of those things there herself, or at least allowed them to remain.

  “This wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned when I was hoping to get you back into my bed,” he said, punching his pillow a few times.

  Anna laughed. “Right now, this is all the romance I can take.” She watched as his expression became decidedly less jovial. “I didn’t mean it like that, Jacob. Really. I didn’t.”

  He nodded. “It’s okay. I’m just trying to follow your cues. I’m waiting for the moment when you tell me that it’s okay for me to love you again.”

  She rolled to her side and took his hand. Of course he was waiting for her. She’d been the guardian of every roadblock between them, making sure he knew the reasons they shouldn’t be together. It felt as though the time had come for her to focus on the reasons they should. “Do you think you can? Love me again?”