Page 68 of The Billionaire's Secret Wife
“Got it.”
* * *
When Vanessa awoke, she was alone in the bedroom. She lay there, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes felt gritty and painful, her throat numb and achy—fallout from her conversation with Salazar. Thank god Justin had been around to listen and help her deal with it.
Her stomach growled, and she finally got up. She’d lost her breakfast, and hadn’t eaten anything since. Despite occasional morning sickness, her appetite seemed to be stronger than ever, and she was doing her best to eat food rich in nutrients.
In the kitchen, Justin slapped five huge slices of roast beef on whole-wheat bread and topped the whole thing with horseradish sauce and another piece of bread. “Hey. Feeling better?” he asked.
“A little.” She went closer. “That looks good.”
“Want some? I can make another.”
“Mmm… Half would be about right.”
He nodded and cut it diagonally. He put it with a pickle spear and pushed the plate her way. “Anything to drink?”
“OJ if we have any.”
“We do.” He served it out of the fridge. She glimpsed tons of food inside and tilted her head.
“Did you go shopping?”
“Yup.”
“I didn’t know you could find your way around a supermarket.”
He gave her a strange look. “Where do you think I get my food? Mars?”
“I thought, I don’t know, that you had people who did that kind of work for you.”
“Yes and no. I may not be a gourmet cook, but I can fend for myself.” He pulled out the ingredients for another sandwich. “And yes, I know how to buy groceries.”
She nodded and started nibbling on the sandwich. It was surprisingly good. “I wonder how I’m going to tell my brothers about Peggy…and what Dad said.”
Justin’s hands went still for a moment. “Do you want to tell them?”
“I don’t know. There’s a part of me that says they have the right to know, but I’m also afraid that it’s going to change our relationship.” She bit her lower lip. “Even if Mom had an affair, we’re still siblings through shared experience. I mean, they’re the only brothers I know.” Even Dane—infuriating and insensitive as he was—meant something to her.
“Yeah, I understand.”
She eyed him warily. “Do you want to tell your family?”
He waved her concern away. “It’s none of their business who your real dad is. All that should matter to them is that I chose you.”
But had he? He always seemed to know exactly what to say to make her feel that honeyed warmth, but he was fudging the details of their marriage. There never had been any choice. It had been about her getting pregnant unexpectedly and him doing the right thing.
“You all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said, forcing a smile. The timing didn’t seem right to discuss the mess that had thrown them together. Maybe one day, when she didn’t feel as though something was coming to take back what had been given to her, she would be able to talk to him more openly. “I think… I think I should tell my brothers what Dad said.”
“Want me to be there with you?”
“Yes, that’d be great. And afterward we can decide what we can do about Peggy. I don’t want to ignore her.”
“Don’t worry about that. I already took care of it.”
“You did?”
