by Nadia Lee
After putting on a coat, Justin placed a hand at the small of London’s back. She smelled heavily of a pricey perfume, nothing at all like Vanessa, who rarely wore any. “Shall we go?”
Five weeks and two days of not seeing Vanessa Pryce. After a year or two, he might stop thinking about her.
* * *
Taking a deep breath, Vanessa parked her rental in front of Justin’s condo. She needed to get out of the car, but fear and apprehension kept her stuck in her seat. She didn’t know how to start the conversation. Amazing really, when you thought about it—as a lawyer she wasn’t exactly the tongue-tied type. But Justin wasn’t an opposing counsel or a hostile witness.
The clouds sat dark and heavy, their bodies swollen with impending rain. Vanessa hoped the rain would hold off until she returned to the airport for her flight later.
What if Justin refused to see her?
Every kid needed a father. Vanessa had seen what the absence of one could do from the pro-bono work she did. Even Salazar had always been there for her and her brothers, while preoccupied with chasing every pretty face he saw. And she knew Justin would love his child.
She’d been so cowardly the last time they’d met. Sneaking out like a juvenile had been foolish, but she’d panicked when she’d woken in the pre-dawn light and realized she didn’t want to leave.
Rumor had it that Justin was dating London Bickham now. For the first time since Vanessa had broken up with him in Vegas, he’d been with someone for over a month. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what Justin saw in her. As pretty as the heiress was, she could make a Valley Girl seem like Marie Curie by comparison.
Maybe I should’ve texted first to set up an appointment. They’d never socialized in public or barged in on each other’s lives unannounced. Well, that wasn’t technically true. She’d shown up five weeks ago. And they’d interacted briefly when he’d visited her office last November. How her coworkers had talked!
Vanessa’s going to be a partner no matter what. Did you see how Justin Sterling looked at and talked to her? You don’t think the partners noticed?
Her jaw tightened. When she made partner it would be on her own merit, not because of who her family and friends were.
She pulled her hat lower, then made sure the face net covered her properly. Her red hair was pulled tightly and most of it was hidden under the hat. The black dress was something her mother might wear, but she didn’t care. She wanted to make sure she was difficult to recognize…and unapproachable.
Feeling like a stalker, she stepped out of her rental. The March Chicago wind nipped at her. She shivered, pulling her long, black coat closer. No matter how she prepared herself, the chill of the Chicago winter never failed to surprise her. She wished she had Justin’s coat around her again, then shook herself. This was why she shouldn’t be with him. This pathetic needy side of her was unwelcome, appalling.
As she locked her car, a couple of familiar figures emerged out of the condo. She stopped and looked. It was Justin and London.
They made a handsome couple. Justin’s dark head was lowered, and he whispered something in London’s ear. The blonde’s laughter rang out, bright and merry. Justin placed a hand on her shoulder, and she leaned into him.
Vanessa’s hands shook as another image superimposed itself over the view in front of her.
Her father Salazar’s head dipping, a blonde in his arms laughing at something he’d said… They’d left a downtown hotel together as Vanessa watched. She’d been six at the time, but she’d understood what the woman meant—a betrayal of her mother. By the time she’d been born, nobody was bothering to hide what her dad was up to. And when she was a few years older, she’d realized what they’d been doing in the hotel room.
Uncertainty bled into misery. She should just leave, before anybody noticed her. She should—
“Vanessa!”
She flinched at the high-pitched squeal. London rushed over to her. “Oh my gosh, look at you! What are you doing in Chicago?”
“Meeting some friends,” Vanessa said smoothly.
Justin followed London over. His eyes had gone as cold as the wind.
Ignoring him, Vanessa cleared her throat. “You look great, London.”
“Thanks. Justin and I were about to go to lunch. Wanna join us?” She turned to Justin. “Wouldn’t that be great?”
He didn’t look at Vanessa. “I’m sure she’s busy, dear.”
Vanessa pasted on a smile. “Very.” She made a show of looking at her watch. “In fact, my flight’s leaving in less than two hours.”
“Oh, darn. You know what? We’ll do lunch next time I’m in L.A.,” London said.
“Of course,” Vanessa said. “Well, gotta go.” She slipped into her car before she lost her composure completely and told Justin why she was in Chicago in front of his girlfriend. Then with more force than necessary, she yanked on her seatbelt and stomped on the gas.
* * *
Justin watched Vanessa’s maroon Taurus disappear into the Chicago traffic. What the hell. London seemed to have bought Vanessa’s story about work in the city, but he didn’t. Why was she back in Chicago?
If it was for another night of sex, she could forget it. He was doing quite well on his detox program.
Still…
There had been dark half-circles under the layers of careful eye makeup. And her face had seemed paler than usual, her cheekbones more prominent. Probably working herself to death.
She’d been unusually tense as she’d spoken with London, and if it had been any other woman he might have considered it jealousy. But Vanessa Pryce never felt jealousy over a man. The only thing she cared about was her career, “making partner.” It’d become an obsession during her law school years, although he didn’t understand why. It wasn’t like she needed the money. If she wanted to be a law firm partner, she could’ve just created her own. That would be the easiest way, given her background and financial situation. It didn’t have to be at her current law firm.
“Justin, are you all right?” London asked.
He blinked and looked down at the petite heiress. “Sorry. Thinking about a new project.” He forced a smile. “Let’s go.”
He was going to get through week five and day two of his Vanessa detox program.
Chapter Five
The rain poured down as though somebody had slit the clouds’ fat bellies. No matter what setting she used for the wipers, Vanessa couldn’t see anything in front of her. There was no way she was going to reach O’Hare in weather like this.
She pulled over and stared outside. Shudders went through her every time a car sped by, making her rental rock. It didn’t look like the rain would let up any time soon. There wasn’t even a sliver of blue on the dark horizon. She pulled out her phone to check the weather in Chicago. Rain for the rest of the day. Great.
Maybe she should just call Mark and ask him to arrange for a pickup. Her brother would do it, and unlike Iain he wouldn’t ask annoying questions. She didn’t want to discuss why she was in Chicago with anybody. Her business was strictly with Justin.
She pressed her head against the headrest and tapped the edge of her phone. Maybe she didn’t have to tell Justin. It wasn’t like she wanted him to get involved with her life. He seemed to have moved on, and it looked like London might be the one for him, given how long they’d been dating.
And the idea of him being with London—or any woman—twisted her heart. Vanessa rubbed her forehead. When had she turned into a dog in a manger? It wasn’t like she was going to start dating him if he just ditched everyone else.
She put a hand over her belly. Even if she wanted to keep it quiet, this wasn’t something she could hide…not to mention the child would want to know about its father.
Before she lost her nerve, she typed I’m pregnant and hit send. As soon as her phone showed “sent” confirmation, she cursed. What the hell had she been thinking? This was what happened when she was tired and sleep-deprived and stressed.
She check
ed the settings on her phone. There had to be a way to recall that text before Justin saw it.
Nobody needed to know whose baby she carried. She could just say she didn’t know, and it wasn’t like she needed anybody’s approval. She made her own money, and she had an amazing career. She could raise the baby on her own, and it would never lack for anything, even if it didn’t have the Sterling family’s level of wealth.
Money wasn’t everything in life.
She stared at the phone. No response from Justin. Maybe he didn’t see it. Maybe he’d lost his phone or changed his number.
Or he might just laugh it off. He’d probably think she’d sent it by error or something. They’d been so careful, always using birth control. He would think it was a prank, a bad one, but prank nonetheless.
Weren’t there dozens of reason why she shouldn’t be with him anyway, even if London hadn’t been in the picture? He was too handsome, too sexy, too good in bed, too popular, too rich and too likely to influence her career. But most importantly, he was too likely to break her heart. She knew herself. If she stayed with him for too long, she’d fall for him and nothing—not even love—was enough to make relationships last.
She looked at the water streaming down her windshield. The rain would let up at some point. When it was light enough for her to drive again, she’d either make her way to the airport or check into a nearby hotel.
Whichever was safer.
* * *
Justin smiled at London. She’d been chattering about shoes for the last half-hour. She had to be an alien whose mind and logic defied human understanding. What else could explain her obsessive desire to talk about leather used to make shoes in Italy?
The lobster bisque was unexpectedly excellent and provided great distraction from the monologue. Rain ran down the windows in rivulets, and he took a brief glance at the wet pavement. Was Vanessa going to be okay driving to the airport? She was a prototypical Californian—the most inclement weather she could stand was cloudy.
“So what do you think?” London asked, jerking his attention back.
He managed a smile. “I think it’s great.” A great non-answer, guilt needled him. He shouldn’t care about Vanessa’s driving in the rain. What she did wasn’t any of his concern. He was on a date with a woman who actually liked having a relationship with him, and she didn’t slice away a bit of his heart every time they met. But somehow his mind rebelled at being in the restaurant, and he controlled his breathing. Vanessa was like a bottle of booze to a recovering alcoholic. One sip and he was done for.
When his phone buzzed in his pocket, he excused himself to check it. Anything to delay London from launching into the merits of stilettos.
His mood grew as dark as the weather outside when he noticed a text from Vanessa. He should delete it. It was probably something that would upset him. Or tempt him.
But he recalled her pallor. She’d looked absolutely wretched and tired, and he’d never seen her like that. Was her parents’ divorce weighing her down? She was close to her mother, and he knew the situation with her parents had always bothered her. Even though their marriage had been a joke of cosmic proportions, everyone had assumed Salazar and Ceinlys Pryce would always stay married to each other.
Cursing himself, he thumbed the screen. Then blinked.
I’m pregnant.
His heart thumped, and the words jumbled in his mind. It couldn’t be…
He stared at the text again, willing it to make sense. But no. It was still the same two words.
His body went slack. Now he understood why she’d been at his place. She probably wanted to talk about the baby. He remembered how she’d smiled her lawyer smile at London and climbed into her car as soon as possible without appearing rude. What else could she have done with the other woman there?
Closing his eyes, he let out a soft sigh. So many thoughts tumbled through his mind, but one thing was clear. He couldn’t let her go now.
“London, I’m sorry, but it’s an emergency. Do you mind?”
“No, not at all,” she said. “Business?”
“Something like that. I’ll call you a car.”
“You’re so sweet.” She smiled at him, her eyes semi-vacant now that they were no longer talking about shoes. “Thanks.”
Her simple understanding made him feel lower than dirt. She might not be the most brilliant or interesting woman he knew, but she was one of the sweetest. He couldn’t continue to sit with her and fake-laugh and fake-talk his way through the lunch. She deserved better.
And he and Vanessa were having a baby.
He took care of the meal and climbed into his Bentley. He dialed Vanessa’s number, but she didn’t pick up. Damn it.
Grinding his teeth, he texted Vanessa. Where are you?
A little bit later, he got a response. Did you see the text I sent you earlier?
Yes.
That was a mistake. I meant to send it to somebody else.
He snorted. Who? I wanna send onesies. When she didn’t respond, he scowled. Vanessa, if you don’t tell me where you are, I’m going to get the cops out looking for you.
You wouldn’t.
I can and I will. Guess who’s on my speed dial? Not to mention the tons of money he’d donated to the memorial funds and others for Chicago’s finest.
I’m pulled over on I-90. Other than that, no idea where I am.
Stay right there. Justin instructed his driver to take I-90 toward O’Hare and look for a maroon Taurus on the shoulder.
It didn’t take that long to find Vanessa’s rental. It had the emergency blinkers on. Thank god she couldn’t drive in the rain. Otherwise she would’ve left the city by now. In Los Angeles she was a speed demon.
Justin jumped out of his car and ran to it before his driver could bring out the umbrella. The icy rain soaked him instantly, and he pounded on the passenger door. Vanessa unlocked it.
“You’re going to ruin the seat,” she said, staring straight out the windshield. Her voice was tight.
“I don’t give a damn.”
She sniffled. The obvious signs of fatigue and her loss of weight hit him again, but this time they took on another dimension.
“Are you eating and sleeping well?” he asked, trying not to show his exasperation. “You know, all those things pregnant women should do.”
“Of course.”
She was lying through her teeth. Knowing her, she probably did billable work in her dreams too. “The baby’s the reason why you came to see me,” Justin said.
“I didn’t. I don’t even know what made me text that.”
“Really.”
“You aren’t even going to question whether it’s really yours?”
“Who else’s could it be?” She wouldn’t have texted him if it wasn’t his.
Her throat worked. “It doesn’t change anything.”
“How can you say that?”
“Justin, go back to the restaurant. It’s not nice to ditch your girlfriend in the middle of lunch. If you want”—she finally turned to face him—“I’ll draw up some papers releasing you from parental responsibilities.”
He reined in his temper. “What kind of man do you think I am? You think I’m worried about paying child support?”
“It’s not about you.” Her shoulders slumped for a moment, but she squared them, her mouth tight now. “Unscrupulous women generally demand more.”
Except Vanessa wasn’t unscrupulous. She probably wished she’d never come to Chicago or told him she was pregnant. She obviously didn’t want him involved, as though he had nothing to do with the baby they’d created.
“No,” he said. “It’s my baby. I’ll be a father to it.”
“Justin, you don’t have to. Whoever you end up marrying won’t like it that you have a child with somebody else.”
“Remarkable, that you know so much about this woman,” he said sarcastically. It was either that or blow up on her as she spoke of him marrying another woman while she was carrying his
baby.
“I’m a lawyer, remember? When you have the kind of money you do, people always think way, way ahead. To the estate. It’s not cynicism, it’s reality.”
“You’re right.”
“Thank you.”
“There’s only one thing left for us to do.” He smiled, watching her eyes narrow. “Get married.”
* * *
Vanessa sucked in a breath. “Definitely not. I didn’t tell you so you’d marry me.”
“So it’s something else then?”
“Look, I just…didn’t want this to be a surprise later on. I know what something like that can do to a family.”
“You’re referring to your stepbrother?”
She nodded. Her father had a son with another woman and had brought him into the fold. Vanessa didn’t have any hard feelings against Blaine, since it wasn’t his fault Salazar was a womanizer. Ceinlys had been absolutely furious, of course, and Vanessa suspected it had added another dimension to her mother’s sudden desire to divorce.
“Salazar didn’t do the right thing because he was already married. I’m not.”
“Justin—”
“Don’t make me fight you over this. If it goes public, it won’t be just me after you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Barron has been after me to marry and ‘produce an heir.’ Well, this baby is it. Heir to the Sterling & Wilson fortune.”
Vanessa bit her lower lip. “I want to keep our marriage quiet.”
“Quiet?”
“Quiet. Undercover, on the sly, in secret. Get it done outside the country or something.”
The muscles in his jaw flexed. “I’m not going to continue what we’ve been doing the last ten years. We’re talking about marriage here.”
“It’s important.”
“Why?”
Because it’s going to end soon…and badly, she thought. Justin couldn’t even pretend he felt anything that was strong enough to compel him to suggest matrimony to her. Her parents had loved each other to pieces, and their marriage had eventually become a train wreck. The divorce was going to be just as bad with a bunch of over-priced lawyers squabbling over every penny.
