Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
She stepped toward the entrance and shut the door, locking it behind him. Sitting down on the bed, she dug into her backpack carry-on and grabbed the inside zipper, pulling out the plastic bag holding the pregnancy test she’d taken this morning.
Luckily for her, Layla, her closest friend and confidante on this trip, had joined one of their guides and gone to the nearest town for personal supplies and necessities. She’d picked up the test and Charlie trusted her to keep her request private.
She glanced at the stick in her hand and the two vibrant pink lines staring back at her. If the news weren’t so serious she’d have to think it was a joke. Who got pregnant by one-night stands twice in one lifetime?
She’d had her IUD put in after giving birth to the girls, and though she planned on having it removed and a new one put in once she was home, she thought for certain hers was still good.
She sighed. Despite not having had much time to adjust to the news, she wasn’t as panicked as she’d been with Noah. Back then, she’d barely had a grasp on her life. Now she was turning thirty soon, had a degree and experience that would qualify her for a well-paying job, and she was even excited to have another baby.
As for Jared? Her stomach flipped at the thought of him. Since her return from the wedding, she’d thought of him almost daily. She’d also had the fleeting thought it hadn’t been smart to sleep with someone she’d surely see at family events when she came home.
Now, she wondered how he’d take the news.
* * *
As per usual, Jared worked past five. He was CFO and his father was CEO. Though Jared was used to the long hours, tonight he was damned tired. Deciding to pack it up early—for him—he gathered some paperwork and walked to his father’s office, planning to leave the information for him to see in the morning.
The lights were on beneath the door, taking Jared by surprise. Another example of his father ignoring the strict rules given to him by the doctor.
Jared shook his head in frustration. He wanted his dad around for a long time, not taking stupid risks with his health. Jared had already restructured both his life and the company to accommodate his father. He’d taken on the bulk of Alex’s work and had promoted Brooklyn Snyder, the daughter of their housekeeper and now his father’s girlfriend, not to mention his sister Fallon’s best friend, to an executive position. They worked closely together and made a good business team. The only one not cooperating was his dad.
Gritting his teeth, he knocked once and walked into the office. His father sat in his leather chair watching a finance channel on the wall-mounted television screen, a lit cigar sitting on an ashtray.
Pissed, Jared stormed over, picked up the cigar, and snubbed it out. “Do you have a death wish?” he asked his father. “Working late, smoking… let me guess. You’ll shower here?” He pointed at the full bathroom in his father’s office. “And Lizzie won’t know the difference?”
“She’s out with her friends,” he grumbled. “I’ll be home and showered before she even comes back from dinner. I was just getting ready to leave.”
Jared shook his head. “Not the point and you know it. Explain your behavior to me because I don’t understand. We’ve done everything we can to remove the stress from your life. All you need to do is work less hours, moderate your diet, and stop smoking those damned cigars.”
His father’s face turned from stoic to sad, his mouth turning downward in a frown. “You don’t know what it’s like getting older. Being told what I can and cannot do. Even Lizzie looks at me differently. What if I slow down and she wants a younger man? The kind of man I was before the heart attack?”
With a sigh, Jared lowered himself into the seat across from his dad’s mahogany desk. A photo of his yacht covered one wall and a family portrait was on another. If Alex wanted more time with either, he needed to behave.
“Dad, I can’t pretend to understand how you’re feeling, but there are a few things I know for a fact. One is that Lizzie loves you. It doesn’t matter to her what you can or can’t do. You’re still the same man she fell for. And two, your kids want you around for the foreseeable future.” He leaned forward in his seat, hands clasped in front of him. “We love you, Dad. Don’t you want to be there when Fallon has the baby?”
“Of course I do!” he said loudly, slamming a hand on the desk.
Tough love was all Jared had left. “Then get your act together!” Bracing his arms on the chair, Jared pushed himself to his feet. “Now, unlike you, I’m leaving early. I’m wiped out from getting in at seven a.m. You should do the same.”