by C. J. Thomas
“How can I ask her to do something that could hurt her or the baby?” I wiped my palms against my jeans. Just talking about all this made me sweat. “I have to leave for Switzerland in—” Dammit, I hadn’t let myself think of how little time I really had left. “I’ve got just over a week left in the US.”
“Exactly. Which is why you have to push for the paternity test. If she wants to force these things on you, it’s the only choice. And it may grant you an extension. Have her get one as soon as she medically can.”
I pressed my lips together.
“Paisley doesn’t know you’re leaving?”
“No.”
He nodded but the stiffness in his shoulders told me I was in for a world of hurt. Tessa didn’t know either, and keeping her in the dark hadn’t been one of my finer decisions.
“I can’t just use the possibility of a baby to stay in the States, can I?”
“Considering that the combination of you, your connections, and your money didn’t keep you here, do you really think the government would put everything on hold because some woman claims she’s pregnant with your baby?”
“If she refuses, or if a baby isn’t enough, what can I do to stay here?”
Bryan turned all the way toward me and looked me in the eyes. “Get married. As in, this week.”
“We just started dating. How the hell can I ask her to spend the rest of her life with me?”
“She’s carrying your baby.”
Even under the heat of the midday sun, I shivered with the thought. “Not Paisley. Baby or not, I could never be with her. The only one I could ever consider marrying is Tessa.”
“Who the hell’s Tessa?” He held up his hands. Clearly he wasn’t able to keep up with my life. Hell, I could barely keep up. “If this Tessa even considers staying with your ugly mug after all this, you hold onto that girl.”
“Don’t worry, I definitely plan to.”
CHAPTER 42
Tessa
Part of me wished I’d brought Dani along to Edward’s office this time. She should be here for these discussions. I knew I shouldn’t let her off the hook just because she was my little sister. Even though she swore off making any decisions herself and promised me she’d go along with whatever, it didn’t change the fact that this affected her as well.
Affected her whole life.
It had only been three days since I’d bailed her out of jail and she already seemed to have turned a corner. In no way had she ever been a bad person, just in a bad place.
And I got that. Without Liam, I didn’t know where my head would be.
Maybe I should have gone to Greenwich more over the past few weeks to see her, but that was all done now. Besides, with Dani, getting too close meant she’d lash out even more. Dani liked her space but that didn’t mean that she didn’t need me.
At least the last two days had been good with her. Raiding Dad’s vending machine for bags of popcorn and binge watching the last few seasons of Friends was exactly what we both needed.
At first, it was a little awkward thinking how I’d straddled Liam on that couch just a few days before. Feeling him slide inside me as I leaned over and kissed him deeply. Him grabbing my ass, guiding me to pump harder.
Thinking about that again now made my panties wet, which made me snap myself back to where I was. Getting flushed in a midday fantasy right before a major meeting with a semi-creepy older guy in the next room wasn’t ideal.
Leaving Dani back in Greenwich today also wasn’t ideal, but talking to Edward had to happen. He’d called me early this morning to let me know that all the numbers had been run and a decision needed to be made about the estate. His voice had remained neutral without any indication one way or the other. I would think that if things looked positive, he would have sounded a little upbeat.
But then, if Edward hadn’t gone into law, he could have made a decent poker player. He had that kind of stone-face. Although, he wasn’t exactly a betting man. Edward only liked to win—a trait I supposed any good lawyer had.
Over the last few weeks, every time I sat in this waiting room, the place seemed more torn up than before. It was as though he’d been going for more of a deconstruction than a remodeling.
The hole in his office had nearly doubled so that the plastic covering didn’t even reach the edges anymore. I had a clear view of his office—from his degrees hanging on the wall to his golf clubs leaning against the bookshelf, there wasn’t much left to the imagination.
When I’d come in fifteen minutes ago, he’d held up a finger and stepped into his personal restroom. There were only two things that he could possibly be doing in there, and I didn’t want to think of either of them.
As if on cue, he walked across the room, wiping his hands with a towel. Why he didn’t just leave it in the bathroom . . . something else I decided not to discover.
There really was only one thing I wanted to know today and that was, perhaps, the thing I wanted to know the least.
Tossing the towel onto his clubs, he waved me inside. The bracelet Liam gave me slid down my wrist as I picked up my purse. I knew I didn’t need to wear it today, but it gave me some comfort knowing that he was with me even when he wasn’t. Given its sleek design and flashy diamonds, it went more with Sadie’s dresses than my own suits, but whatever.
Working at my father’s company, I had clearly been on the corporate path. Everything had flipped since entering Sadie and Liam’s world.
Finding out today what my options were would solidify exactly which road I’d stay on. Part of me wished I had more of a choice, and maybe I would later on, but for now, I had to do whatever would keep Dani and me going.
Then there was Liam.
Completely unexpected, Liam.
Before him, I’d rarely made it past a handful of dates, but then, I’d always been too preoccupied with work and school. It just so happened that everything happened all right now, and I couldn’t ask for anyone better or more supportive. I could truly see something with him a few years down the road.
Edward popped out from behind his desk the moment I sat down in the waiting chair. “Can I get you anything? Tea, coffee?”
I wasn’t sure why it hadn’t struck me before that he didn’t have anyone helping him. I’d never known a law firm—especially one of his reputation—to not have someone else in the office.
“Just out of curiosity, why don’t you have an assistant or something?” Not something I would usually ask, but I didn’t want to get to the topic of the day, and considering he asked me my beverage choice, he didn’t either.
He waved me away as he poured two cups of coffee. “A pure nuisance. They always want a mug on Secretary’s Day.”
“Pretty sure it’s called Administrative Pro—never mind.” I twisted the bracelet around my wrist. Maybe a new nervous habit, maybe to give me a boost to ask what I needed to. “So, you said you had new information about the estate.”
Edward handed me a cup without asking if I wanted cream or sugar. Then I realized there wasn’t any steam rising from it.
Unsure what to do with my hands, I decided to hold onto the mug and I watched Edward take laps around his small office. For his shorter legs, it probably was far enough.
“Where are we with the estate?” Might as well ask the hard question. Even though I didn’t need to worry about my drink getting cold after staying here too long, I just wanted to know. To have some direction of what to do next. I couldn’t take this state of limbo any longer, and Dani sure as hell couldn’t either.
Edward pointed his cup of cold coffee at me. “That’s a very good question.”
When he didn’t continue, I said, “Yes, that’s why you called me to come in today.”
He brought the cup to his lips but nodded instead of taking a drink. “So it is.” He set the coffee down. “Here’s the way things turned out: We have all the information, and the figures have been double checked.”
I crossed my legs and did my best not to push h
im to continue. This man would make a dying man wait for CPR.
“We already decided to sell the company to the partners. That’s in the works. There is still a matter of the debt. Though not substantial, selling the estate will cover it, along with some food money.”
“Food money?” I sat forward to make sure I understood him. “You are saying that once we sell the house and everything in it that we would have enough for a pizza?”
Edward reminded me of a gerbil going nowhere on its wheel as he continued to walk around his office. I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and tell him to give me his full focus, even for one minute. “It’s not as good as we had hoped.”
“Can you at least give me details?”
He nodded. “Everything has to go.”
“The house?”
“You will need to downsize.”
“Is that a recommendation or something we definitely have to do?”
His lips twisted as though in momentary thought but he didn’t stop moving. I began to wonder why he had a desk at all. “I’ll put it this way: You can keep your car free and clear.”
“That’s all?” I choked on the words and took a drink. Numb, thanks to the news, the temperature of the coffee barely registered. “How can that be the case? Dad owned a company, the house, cars . . .” Based on his earlier apprehension on the subject, there had been no doubt that the outcome wasn’t favorable, but I never imagined this.
“You’ve been through the documents and I know you understand them.”
I had and I did. “I guess I was hoping for some cash. Something to keep us going.”
“You are a very resourceful woman. Your dad had planned for you to take his company over one day and I have no doubt that it would have been the right call.” Edward took a sip of the coffee, then spit it back out. His mouth twisted as he said, “Good god. This is—” He wiped his chin. “Maybe I should consider that secretary.”
“Administrative—”
“Professional. Yes. I know, I know.” Edward sighed. “You’re going to be okay. I know you don’t know how yet, but this isn’t the worst this could have turned out. If the company had been in a down year, you could owe a lot of money. Bankruptcy at your age isn’t exactly glamorous. You’ll figure something out.”
As I walked from Edward’s office minutes later, I knew I should call Dani. But what the hell would I tell her? This wasn’t the kind of news to spring over the phone and it was clear that we couldn’t afford another round of fast food binging.
I stepped from the office building and didn’t feel like taking a cab just yet. After everything I’d just learned, I was pretty sure I’d suffocate sitting in a car right about now. Never mind that I couldn’t afford it.
The late afternoon sun wasn’t too hot and the gentle breeze made it the perfect walking weather. Too bad I wasn’t in the mood to enjoy it. I took out my phone and called the person I wanted to talk to the most.
“Hey, Tessa.” Liam’s voice came out gruff, like he was just waking up.
“Everything okay?”
“I could ask you the same.”
I shrugged even though he couldn’t see it. Maybe it was better he couldn’t see my drooping shoulders. “It’s not . . . I just don’t know what to do.” I turned the corner. I definitely wanted to walk so I may as well go in the right direction.
“Go on.”
I let out a breath. “I’m inheriting nothing except the car that is already mine. I know a lot of people end up worse off, it’s just . . . my life was all planned out, you know?”
Liam made agreeing sounds and I could picture him nodding his head on the other end.
“I could maybe look into internships after I’ve saved enough money modeling for you. I mean, it might take me six months to a year of posing for you, but I’m sure you won’t mind so much.” Liam didn’t answer so I continued. “I can’t tell you how much of a godsend you’ve been. I really need to talk things through and figure out what to do. But not over the phone.” After another silence I asked, “Liam, you there?”
“Yeah.” He grunted it in the way that made me think he really had just woken up or I’d pulled him out of some deep thought. “We have a shoot tomorrow evening. Let’s do dinner afterward. There are a few things I’ve needed to talk with you about as well.”
“Like what?”
He chuckled. “Definitely better to wait until in-person.”
I pursed my lips, trying to think of what exactly he could have going on that he wouldn’t even hint at. “Okay, we’ll talk at dinner tomorrow, but no touching until after we’re done eating.”
“Not even a little? A little taste—”
“Lips and tongues are off limits.”
“What about—”
“Those lips, too.”
Liam growled. “I have no worries. There’s always dessert.”
CHAPTER 43
Liam
“I’m really not comfortable having you in a corset.” I ran a hand through my hair as I watched Paisley thumb through my remaining inventory in the back of my studio.
“Come on, now.” She stuck out her hip and turned her gaze to me. “You’ve seen me in so much less.” A sentiment she reminded me of so often, I wasn’t sure if she thought it was seductive or if she enjoyed extending her torment beyond our legal issues.
“I don’t think it’s healthy for the baby. Even if we barely cinch it in. Having that pressure can’t be good for you or the baby.”
She placed a hand on my bicep and I mentally slapped myself for standing close enough for her to touch me. “The baby is barely the size of a pea . . . or is it a golf ball now?” She shrugged. “I can never remember.”
I thought back to what Bryan said about the 99.9% accurate paternity test. “Just how far along are you now?”
She looked up, deep in thought. “Two months. Maybe two and a half.”
I was pretty sure most women gave any and all baby info in weeks, but I sure as hell didn’t say so. The timing also seemed to line up with that night we got too drunk to put a wrapper on it. Given that she was at least eight weeks meant she could take the paternity test.
“Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?” Her eyes danced as she went on about the baby. “I haven’t picked names out yet. There’s still time for that.”
Talking about this—even listening to it—made it too real. “I’ll go find you something for the shoot.” I turned and made my way to the back area where I had a few racks of clothes still lined up from previous collections.
As I pushed hangers aside, I kicked myself for never photographing a parka scene where the girls were fully clothed. Apparently, my admiration for the female form also meant that I always captured its essence in the purest form.
I grabbed a wispy robe that the models usually used to cover up after a shoot, but today I’d make an exception.
“Why the hell didn’t I fire her when I had the chance?” I muttered to myself as I made my way back over to where Paisley held an ivory corset dress against her, sizing it up.
The same one I planned to have Tessa wear for her shoot only a few hours from now.
“What do you think?” Paisley asked as she turned side to side, showing it off for me and fishing for a compliment.
“Definitely not your color.”
Her lips curled. “I think white would look good on me.”
White looked amazing on Tessa, and hopefully it would again in wedding dress form.
“With your light skin, it would wash you out.” I handed her the deep blue robe—nearly as opposite to white as I could manage. “Put this on over what you’re wearing. I’ll prep for the shoot.”
“Sure.” She smiled. “Whatever you say.”
It stunned me a little that she just went with it, but then, she did have the baby to think about. With her threats of child support, I didn’t think I could do another session with her.
I rubbed my face then picked up my camera. I wasn’t sure what made me book a wh
ole day of models and I mentally ticked down the rest of my afternoon schedule.
I had a two hour break for editing before Tessa’s shoot. Then we had dinner planned. Something to look forward to, for sure.
Part of me wanted to cancel, to not talk about having to leave in less than a week. But if things went as planned, I wouldn’t have to.
Good thing I’d booked Sadie immediately after Paisley this afternoon. I had to know if Tessa would even consider taking the leap of faith in helping me stay in the States. It would be the leap of the century, but she had to feel as strongly as I did. And if that was the case—
“So, Liam.” Paisley’s words ripped me from my thoughts.
I grunted and wondered what the hell could be taking her so long.
“I know we didn’t meet eye to eye the last time we spoke about the whole baby thing.”
“You ambushed me with a lawyer. I’d say that qualifies for us not being in the same universe.”
She stepped out from behind the curtain, the robe tied across her waist, cinching it in, though not nearly as tight as a corset. “I was thinking how maybe I went about this all wrong.”
“Paisley, if you think that we can be together, you’re—”
She sighed. “As far as the lawyer thing and all. I’m sorry about that. I really shouldn’t have gone there.”
“You think?” I murmured and adjusted the settings of the camera. It had been a while since I’d photographed anyone fully clothed.
“I know you have some modeling connections here and in LA.”
I grunted again. “Don’t know anyone who shoots maternity. Including myself.” Maybe she’d get the message.
“I get that, but I won’t be pregnant forever. My body will bounce back in no time. I want you to recommend me to your connections.”
I snapped a few shots as we talked. Probably nothing I could use. But anything would do to make the time go by. “Like I said, I can’t recommend you right now.”
She stopped posing and dropped the robe, with nothing underneath. “See? I’m not showing yet.”