Page 44 of Her Billionaire's Baby Secret

“You’re not convincing me to help you out financially. Why do you want it right now anyway?”

Orchid looked off to the side for a moment. “I have rights as the mother of your child.”

“Does this have something to do with the fancy honeymoon you want to book for your upcoming wedding? Or maybe it’s the designer dress you plan to wear? I know weddings can be pretty expensive.”

Orchid didn’t say anything for a moment.

“That’s what I thought. I’ve known you for a long time, Orchid. You wouldn’t have come all this way if you hadn’t been desperate for the money.”

Sariah stepped forward. “Why did you come all this way?”

Orchid looked at her with disdain. “I don’t owe you an explanation.”

“Then you’ve wasted your time,” Kane said. “Did you really think I was going to just hand you over money?”

“If you don’t, I’ll take you back to court.”

“And if the court decides I need to pay you during your pregnancy, then I’ll happily pay money.”

“Kane, babies are expensive. I have medical bills. That paternity test wasn’t cheap either.” Orchid had a point. But wasn’t Kane giving her enough to afford medical care just fine? She’d been married to a billionaire.

“You’re already getting the max amount in spousal support. I’m sure you can afford that paternity test just fine. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to what you’re getting from me. It’s not like you’re impoverished. You live in a brand new multi-million-dollar condo.”

“I’m talking about what’s fair and legal,” Orchid said.

“I’ll have to talk to my lawyer about what’s fair and legal. I don’t know New York family law well enough to give you an answer right on the spot.”

“Kane isn’t being unreasonable,” Sariah said. “You can’t manipulate him into paying for your wedding. That’s not his responsibility.”

Orchid crossed her arms defensively. “I never said I wanted him to pay for my wedding.”

“But we both know you’re planning one, and you have expensive taste,” Kane pointed out.

The entire conversation was making the sick feeling in Sariah’s stomach worse. She still couldn’t get over the fact that Kane was having a kid and had kept it from her. How long had he known? Was that what he’d been talking to Orchid about at the funeral?

She didn’t understand the need for secrecy. It made her feel like he was trying to keep her out of his inner life, and that hurt her heart. He was okay with kissing her and taking her on dates, but he couldn’t share something huge like this with her?

She was fed up with guys being secretive with her. She should have known better than to trust him.

“I should go. I’ve intruded on this conversation long enough,” Sariah said.

Kane turned to look at her with sadness in his eyes. “We’ll talk later?”

She nodded. “Okay. I’ll just go out the side door. I’m sure the two of you have plenty to discuss.”

She turned without looking back and headed to the side door. She could hear Kane speaking to Orchid in a low voice. She couldn’t make out what he was saying anymore. She didn’t care. Her heart was breaking. She had to get away before her tears began to fall. She made it out to her car and backed out before the first sob broke from her throat.

She drove home with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Sariah hadto work the next day. It was a Saturday, andTate’s Jewelerswas busy. She had a few couples come in looking for engagement rings. How were so many people in their small town getting married? It hurt her to see them happy and together. Would she ever find that? She’d thought for a moment that maybe Kane was considering something more serious with her, but now she wasn’t so sure she wanted that.

He’d lied to her. She wasn’t sure that was something she could get over.

She took inventory and put out some new rings she’d just gotten in. She helped a few more customers, and then checked the clock. It was almost lunch time. She had plans to meet up with Carrington to grab lunch at the sandwich shop a few streets over.

She’d called her the night before after she’d had a good cry. She told Carrington all about how Kane had been keeping such a huge secret from her. Kane had tried to call her, but she hadn’t wanted to talk to him. The last thing she wanted to hear was a bunch of excuses from a man she’d thought she could trust. She’d thought he was different, but she realized now how wrong she was about that.

How was he that different from Elliot? He’d kept his drug usage a secret, and Kane had kept his ex-wife’s pregnancy a secret. Both were huge pieces of information she felt like she needed to know. Kane had acted like he wanted to pursue something with her. He couldn’t have been that serious if he’d been hiding something this big from her.

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