Page 56 of The Billionaire's Secret Wife
“Already?” There was a pause. “Did she get pregnant before or after you married her?”
“I…don’t know. It happened so fast.”
“I suppose it doesn’t really matter.” She let out something that sounded suspiciously like a squeal. “Oh my stars, I’m going to be a grandmother!”
“Looks like it.”
“All right then. You bring her home soon. And let me know if she’s allergic to anything. I’m going to cook.”
Justin smiled at that. His mother rarely cooked these days, but when she did it was a treat. “All right. Will do. Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too. I hope you two make each other as happy as your father made me.”
Chapter Sixteen
By the time Vanessa arrived home a little after five, Justin was waiting for her. She gave him a hard look. “I can’t believe you did what you did.”
He put his hands up, palms out. “Hey, I didn’t tell anyone. Barron found out.”
“How? We were in a helicopter, and our witnesses were your lawyers. Did they talk?”
“No. It’s my fault. He noticed expenses related to my commute and decided to dig around.”
“Expenses? Since when does the world’s fifth richest man worry about expenses?”
“I know. But Barron’s suspicious. He didn’t grow up rich, so he checks everything. I should’ve anticipated that and done things differently.” Justin made a face. “Was he bad?”
“You would not believe! He forced two weeks’ vacation on me. He insisted I be welcomed ‘properly’ into the family without consulting me on the timing or anything. No, it’s what he wants, so that’s the way it’s going to happen.” Vanessa stopped to take a breath. “FYI, Mom knows about the baby. There was no way I could keep quiet about us once Barron visited the office. Then of course Mom wanted to know why we married, so I had to tell her.”
“That’s fine. Your mom has every right to worry.”
Vanessa nodded, not telling him about the rest of the conversation. Her mother had always wanted her to protect herself, and she knew that was the smart thing to do. She was comfortable, but didn’t have as much money as people assumed, since after having taken her inheritance to buy the condo and pay off her debts, she’d spent most of it setting up a nationwide non-profit organization, Just and Proper Help, to provide legal aid to the poor. The only person who knew she was behind it was Gavin Lloyd, and that was only because he managed its assets. She’d never had the time to really get involved in running the NPO, and she preferred to keep her connection to it quiet.
“We have a reservation at Éternité tonight,” Justin said. “Mark and Iain will be joining us, probably with their fiancées.”
Ah, okay. That explained why her brothers hadn’t called yet. They were probably saving all their questions for the face-to-face inquisition. At least Justin would be there to help her handle them. I should get my rings from the jewelry box for dinner. There was no reason to keep them hidden anymore.
“I’m not sure about Dane, though. I just left a message with his assistant. And I invited your parents as well.”
She looked up quickly. “Both of them?”
“Yes. I thought about doing it separately, but each asked me to invite the other.”
Vanessa frowned. She’d been certain they wouldn’t want to be anywhere near each other. Maybe they just didn’t want to be jerks in front of the new Sterling son-in-law. Getting Justin was a coup by anyone’s standards, and if her grandmother had been alive, she would’ve praised Vanessa to the skies. “By the way, Kerri called. I think we may have to do an obligatory dinner or something soon with your side of the family, too.”
“No, we don’t, not unless you want to.”
She shook her head. “The cat’s out of the bag, so we should do what’s expected of us. I don’t want any friction, especially right off the bat.” She knew what that was like at home with her family, all the tension and unspoken words on every holiday. It would be nice to avoid that, not just for her sake, but for the sake of their child. She didn’t particularly look forward to holidays, but she wanted her children to anticipate every one of them with joy.
“Okay. I’ll take care of it. And let Rita know when your next doctor’s appointment is so she can put that on my calendar.”
“Aren’t you going to be busy?” The accident from the day before must’ve screwed up his schedule for the next few weeks.
“I’m always busy.” He put a warm, strong hand over her belly. “But you and the baby matter more.”
She blinked away sudden tears. She didn’t know why she felt like crying just now when he was being so sweet. It had to be hormones.
Or maybe she was just scared he was becoming too irresistible for her own good. She could put up a shield against thoughtless gestures and harsh words, but what protection was there against such sweetness when all she wanted to do was sink into it? It spun seductive images of their future, each one a giant wave of warmth and happiness washing over the dark frissons of her doubts.
