Page 122 of Goal Line
“Thanks, Morgan. You have no idea how much I appreciate that.” Everything about our marriage story and Eva’s transition to living in Boston is better because of her. And I’m not quite sure how I’ll repay her . . . but I know I’ll find a way, eventually.
Chapter Forty-Eight
LUKE
Isay Eva’s name for a second time, just to make sure she’s still asleep. She doesn’t stir, so I pull out my phone and call Preston. I don’t want any of this in writing, even in a text message.
I’ve spent the past hour since she first fell asleep figuring out who this Hans guy is. I started with the major sponsors of the international figure skating organization, and from there, it wasn’t hard to find the company owned by Hans and Adele Becker.
What I wasnotexpecting, however, was to stumble upon several pictures of him that looked eerily similar to me. Could it be that she turned to this guy Hans, in her moment of need, because he reminded her of me?
As much as it drives me crazy that I wasn’t there to comfort her that night in Italy, as much as it pains me that she slept with him and that his DNA is a part of our baby, I feel a tiny sense of relief too. Because while I’ve never voicedit, I’ve definitely worried that our baby might look nothing like me.
“Luke?” Preston’s voice comes through my phone, and he sounds worried.
“Yeah.”
“Why are you calling so late?”
Shit...I hadn’t even considered the fact that it was almost midnight.
“Sorry, man, but I might need your help with something.”
“Where are you?”
“At the hospital with Eva.”
“She okay?”
“No. She has really high blood pressure, which I guess can happen during pregnancy, so they’ve admitted her, and we may need to deliver the baby early. That’s not why I’m calling through.”
“Oh?”
I swallow. “There’s this guy, and I need some information on his business. It looks like the company is publicly traded, and I want to know what I’d have to do to procure fifty-one percent of the stock.”
“You want to buy his business out from under him?”
“I want to know whether that’s an option.”
“Who is it, and what’s the name of his company? I’ll see what I can find out and get back to you shortly.”
“Thanks, man.” I give him Hans’s information and hang up, appreciating that Preston didn’t press me for more details. And then I continue researching everything I can find out about him and his wife.
Thirty minutes later, I’m wondering what “shortly” meant to Preston. I know it’s late at night, and I’m asking him togather intel on a person he doesn’t know, but even this short wait is killing me. I should have clarified that Ireallyneeded to hear back from him tonight. The sooner the better.
There’s a light knock as the door is pushed open, and I glance over, expecting to see a nurse. In the doorway stand my brothers.
As shocked and confused as I am at their appearance, I motion them in, holding my finger to my lips so they don’t wake Eva. The nurse who was here before Eva dozed off said she’d be in every three hours to get her vitals, so I want to make sure she at least gets those few hours of sleep in between visits.
“What are you guys doing here?” I whisper as I give each of them the classic Hartmann one-arm hug. I don’t want my confusion to stop them from understanding how grateful I am to see them.
“Seemed like you needed some backup,” Preston says with a shrug.
“How the hell did you guys get in here after visiting hours?”
“You’re asking the wrong questions,” Tristan says.
“Oh yeah? What are the right questions in this situation?”
