“It’s so quiet without Riley,” she said.
“I know. I miss her too. But I’m guessing she’s having a blast with Sophia.”
Lauren shook her head, brushing her hair away from her face. “I’m sure Sophia is spoiling her rotten.”
“Do you want some wine?” I asked, knowing I needed her to be relaxed for this conversation.
“I don’t know.” She yawned. “I’m pretty tired. I think I’m ready for bed.”
I went to the closet, removing my suit and tie before dropping my cuff links in the drawer. I let out a deep sigh, closing my eyes as I gripped the edges of the dresser.
I felt her hands on my back, caressing my skin over the shirt. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I lifted my head. “Yeah. Tonight went well.”
“I’ll say. Your dad seemed really proud of you.”
“He actually told me he was.”
She came to stand before me, her hands on my chest. “That’s great. Right?” she asked when I didn’t respond.
I nodded. This was it. The moment I’d been waiting for. The moment to come clean. I opened my mouth to tell her, blood whooshing through my ears.
“Lauren, I—”
Her phone rang from the other room, and I swallowed. Sweat beaded along my forehead, and I felt as if I might be sick.
“Hold that thought.” She gave me a quick peck before darting for her phone. “Sorry,” she called from the other room. “I’m waiting for a call.”
I waited a moment, holding my breath. Afraid that if I left the closet, I’d lose the courage to tell her. I’d lose my resolve and keep this secret bottled up. And I wasn’t sure I could hide the truth any longer. I didn’t want to. Because as much as I feared her reaction, I also knew that breaking her trust would be even worse.
“Oh my god,” she said from the other room.
I couldn’t get a read on her tone, and I rushed in to see her standing in the bedroom, staring at her phone.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, her lips spreading into a huge smile. “You’re never going to believe it.”
“Believe what?”
She held the phone out to me. On the screen, beneath theCasa Beautifullogo, was her name and our image. She’d done it. She’d won theCasa Beautifulcontest. She’d beat Luther. Even though the bet was no longer in effect, the fact that she’d beat him made winning even sweeter.
I pulled her into a hug, my earlier confession forgotten. “Congratulations, baby. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you.” She gazed up at me with adoration, with wonder. She caressed the side of my face. “Thank you for believing in me. And thank you for making this possible. Thank you for being my unicorn.”
I tried not to laugh and failed. “Your what?”
“My unicorn. You were the perfect client for this project, and I almost didn’t think you existed. Almost like I was convinced I’d never find a man I could trust—until you.”
She looked up at me with a look I hadn’t seen on her before. An expression of absolute trust and contentedness.
The ground fell out from under me. I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t deserve any of her praise, and I didn’t deserve her. But I was a selfish bastard, and I couldn’t let her go.
I could only hope that the baby wasn’t mine. And that Lauren would never find out about it. I told myself I was doing it to protect her, to protect what we had. But I knew it was just one more lie of many.
