Page 55 of Her Billion Dollar Groom

“Jason. You don’t have to keep saying that. I don’t mind that it’s not what you want.”

“It’s not what I…” I stammer, confused.

But she doesn’t seem to notice. “I’m glad you’re here, though. It’s nice to have company I can rely on.”

“I’m always here for you,” I say, reaching out to take her hand, slowly stretching toward her.

I hesitate, but she makes the decision for me, taking hold of my outstretched fingers and twining her own through them. “It’s good to see you.”

My tongue is stuck in my mouth. What I want to say now isI missed you. I wanted to see you. Why did we ever split up?

But that’s not something I want to do while she’s here, vulnerable, trapped. If we’re going to have a conversation like that, it needs to be somewhere where she can escape if she’s uncomfortable, somewhere where I can excuse myself when she rejects me.

“You fainted, didn’t you?”

She nods. “I suddenly felt really dizzy. I’ve never fainted before. It’s the stress, I guess.”

“What do you have to be stressed about?” I ask.

She opens her mouth, then closes it again. “How’s your work?” she asks, changing the subject.

“It’s good, but right now, I’m worried about you.”

“You didn’t miss a meeting to come and see me, did you?” she jokes, but when my face stays serious, she realizes the truth. “Jason, you didn’t. Did you? Why would you do that? Handshake means everything to you.”

“Yes, but…” I start, not sure how to say,but you mean more.

“I’m nowhere near as important as Handshake,” she says with a tremble in her voice.

My mouth drops open. Where is the wonderful, confident girl I’ve grown used to? “You don’t believe that, do you?”

She leans back on her pillow, squeezing her eyes shut. “I don’t know what I believe anymore,” she says, and I get the feeling that’s the first truthful thing either of us has said since I arrived.

“Eliza,” I say softly. “I have something to tell you.”

“Me too,” she says. “But you go first.”

I take a deep breath, stealing myself for the confession I have to make. Now is not the right time, but if I don’t get it out now, I’m never going to get it out at all.

But before I can even begin to form the words I want to say, the nurse knocks on the door and comes back in. “Excuse me,” shesays. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Eliza’s test results have come in.”

Eliza sits up at that. “Am I okay? Am I going to die?”

“No,” the nurse says, clearly trying not to chuckle. “You’re perfectly well and definitely not going to die. In fact, I have some good news for you both.”

We both tilt our heads to one side, waiting for the nurse to reveal whatever her news is.

“Eliza, you’re pregnant.”

CHAPTER 30

ELIZA

“Pregnant?!” We both shout in unison. Reflexively, my hand goes to my stomach, my whole world flipping upside down as I try to comprehend that there’s a life growing inside me.

The nurse’s face falls as she realizes that maybe this isn’t quite the joyous news she thought it would be. “I’ll give you a moment to yourselves,” she says before rushing out of the room as quickly as she can. I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to stand near the fallout of this either.

“Jason,” I start, my throat tight. Jason turns to me, his face pale. “It is yours, you know,” I say, the comments of the journalists running around my head.

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