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“Now, Mr. Varney, as you can imagine running an empire as large as Simon Energy, I’m a very busy woman. So, heed my warning now. Do not find your way back to Simon Energy property. Continue to make your idle threats and just remember, I’m Carolina Jo Simon—I have connections, and my pull is a hell of a lot stronger than yours. You may wanna tread lightly where my family is concerned. Because I will tell you this … you didn’t truly know my daddy, but he was one fierce, gutless son of a bitch. And he raised me to be just like him, which is why I’m the CEO of Simon Energy, not some pathetic illegitimate bastard son. You’d do yourself well to keep our little secret. Now see yourself out, and have a lovely day.” I glare at him, not willing to back down. I can’t back down. There’s too much at stake here. The shit storm he could unleash revealing Daddy’s secret could be epic, and I have to do what I can to protect our family. He stands, reaching a tall six-foot-six, and peers down at me with a piercing sneer.
“You have a great day, sis. I’ll be seein’ ya,” he says as he turns on his heels.
I can’t fight back the bile that’s rising up my throat. Drew is a venomous snake. After this confrontation with him, I can see that he has more of my daddy’s dark side than Savannah or I either one have. As his words replay through my mind, I realize he wasn’t making threats to attack my family, stripping me of what Daddy left me. He was promising to do just that. And in this instant, I know that we are at war, and Drew will stop at nothing to get what he feels he deserves.
I race to the toilet and make it just in time before the vomit flies from my mouth. My knees are weak, and my body is trembling. I slowly pull myself up to the sink and rinse my mouth. When I walk back into my office, Colton is standing in front of the door with his hand braced against the wall. He looks pissed, but I don’t really care.
“What was Drew Varney doin’ here?”
“Not now, Colton. I ain’t got time for your shit today,” I mumble, grabbing my purse and keys.
“Baby, are you sick?” he asks, walking toward me. He braces his hands on my elbows, searching my face before checking my head for a fever.
“Yeah, been vomiting all morning. I’m going home.”
“Do you need me to take you home, darlin’?” he asks, concerned.
“No, I’ll be fine,” I say, brushing past him to leave.
When I get home, I crawl into bed and pull the covers over my face. I sleep for a few hours before the nausea wakes me again. I try to drink some Sprite, but it makes me queasy. I try to eat toast, but that comes right back up.
Tired of racing to the toilet, I put a small trash can beside my bed and fall back to sleep. A while later, I wake up to the feel of my hair being brushed behind my ear. I look up to see Colton sitting on the side of the bed, worry filling his eyes.
“What are you doing here?”
“Worried about you, darlin’? Been callin’ ya all damn evenin’, and you didn’t answer your phone, so I came to check on ya.”
“How’d you get in?”
“You left the door unlocked. Momma made you some chicken noodle soup. Do you feel like tryin’ to eat?” he asks, unlocking the lid from the Tupperware container. As soon as the smell hits my senses, I bolt from the bed and run to the bathroom with my hand locked over my mouth so the vomit doesn’t escape my lips. I make it to the toilet just in time. My stomach rolls in pain as I spew the contents of stomach acid into the commode. I don’t have a fever, no chills, just terrible nausea and weakness. The lights make my head spin, and I feel off balance. Then it hits me.
I count backwards in my head to the last time I had sex. When was my period? SHIT! I search through the bathroom cabinet for the pregnancy test I had bought after Colton and I started having sex … just for an emergency like this. My hands tremble as I open it. Then I remember, I don’t think Luke used a damn condom! Holy friggin’ shit!
“Baby, are you okay in there?” Colton calls from the bedroom.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just give me a few minutes,” I grumble, trying to hide the tremors in my voice. I pull the stick from the package and read over the directions quickly. I pee on the stick and set it on the edge of the counter, and wait.
Visions of a happy little family flash through my mind. Me, holding a sweet baby and a faceless man. If I’m pregnant, please let this baby be Colton’s, I silently whisper. Taking a deep breath, I grab the stick from the counter, and my legs betray me. I drop to the floor, my mouth wide open as tears fall down my face. I don’t know if I’m crying happy tears that I’m having Colton’s baby, or if I’m crying because this baby just may be Luke’s.
Colton hears my fall and jerks the bathroom door open to check on me. “Darlin’, are you okay.”
I can’t speak, my words are caught in my throat as I grip the pregnancy test in my hand, crying softly. Colton drops to his knees in front of me, brushing my hair away from my tearstained face.
“You’re scarin’ me, sweetheart. What’s the matter?”
I shrug and continue to cry, my breath hitching in my throat. He pulls me into his lap and whispers against my ear, trying to calm me down. He doesn’t even know the pain I’m feeling, but he’s still comforting me.
He reaches for my hand, but I pull away and try to hide the pregnancy test behind my back. He grabs my hand and rips the pregnancy test from my fingers. I gasp, wrack-sobbing tears falling freely as his eyes widen and his mouth drops open.
“What the hell?”
