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“They're going to ask anyway,” I sighed. “I'll take care of it. I want to keep you out of the family drama as much as possible. Trust me, it's the last thing you want or need. It tends to get a little messy.”
“And here, I thought you were afraid they wouldn't like me.”
“They'd be crazy not to like you,” I laughed. “No, I just wanted to protect you. My family is ruthless, and the farther you're away from it, the safer you'll be.”
“Pfft, they seemed pretty nice to me.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Did you hear Danielle and Adam going at it when you stepped out?”
She chuckled. “Still beats my family.”
“Maybe one day I'll get to meet them,” I said. “Or maybe, I'll have to find some way to sneak in and crash a dinner party.
Her smile wavered for a second, but then she nodded, and her smile grew wide.
“Yean,” she said. “Maybe so.”
Voices came from out in the hallway. Adam and Danielle were talking, their voices raised.
“Why did you bring her here? You're ruining everything!” Danielle shouted.
Casey and I shared a look, but I put my finger to my lips, telling her to remain quiet.
Adam's voice came next. “Sweetie, don't you understand? It's part of the plan.”
He lowered his voice, and I had to step closer to the door, practically pressing my ear to it, to hear him talking.
“I wanted her to see that you're still in his life,” he said. “And I'd hoped you'd play up the pregnancy angle, but –”
“So you're pretending to be dating her too?” Danielle shouted.
“To help you, yes,” he said. “Because she's a problem, Danielle. If she gets pregnant with his child, which I suspect might actually be her real purpose here, I've lost everything. And if I lose everything, so do you. I don't need to remind you of that small fact, do I?”
“Maybe I should just keep up the charade then,” she said.
“Go ahead,” he said. “When the DNA test is done, you'll be the one screwed here.”
“As will you, Adam,” she said.
There was a long pause in their conversation and I was sorely tempted to open the door. To see what they were doing out there. But, I resisted because I hoped they'd keep talking. Keep digging themselves an even deeper hole.
“We really shouldn't be talking about this here,” Adam finally said. “You never know who's listening.”
Huh. Now Adam thought about having that conversation in this house – go figure. A bit too late, though. I reached down for the doorknob, but Casey put her hand on mind, trying to stop me.
“Does this mean what I think it means?” she said softly.
“Yeah, sounds like it,” I said.
I should be hurt that Danielle had lied to me, that Adam had betrayed me, and that they were working together to fuck me over. To steal the company and my father's fortune from me. I should be hurt. But, as I stood there, staring at Casey, all I could do was smile.
She was carrying my baby. More than that, it was obvious we cared about each other, deeply. This wasn't the plan, I hadn't intended on settling down with anyone so soon, but the idea of being with Casey – actually being with her – pushed away any doubts from my head.
“I'm sorry, Malcolm,” she whispered. “That's just so heartless.”
“That's my family, Casey. That was why I wanted to shield you from them,” I said.
“I understand, Malcolm,” she said.
