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She looked even better than she had in the photos. Trim, healthy, glowing. A slender waist, curving down into perfectly-formed child-bearing hips.
And she was beautiful, too. Luxurious-looking dark hair. Desirable lips. Her strong Roman nose was centered beneath a pair of piercing green eyes. They were the type of eyes that spoke of a deep intelligence. Of wit and wisdom, too.
But then again, none of that really mattered.
“I’m afraid I’m a bit of a control freak,” I smiled, striding into the kitchen to greet her. “So the live-in part was my idea.”
“You’re Elliot Chase,” she smiled back.
“Yes.”
“Great to meet you.”
She extended her hand, and I shook it warmly.
“It’s fantastic to meet you too, Ms. Shields.”
Almost immediately she broke into laughter. Her whole face lit up with it.
“Did I miss something?”
“Ms. Shields?” she eyed me skeptically. “Seriously?”
“Well—”
“There’s a chance I’m going to carry yourchild, right?” she went on. “And you want to call meMissShields, instead of simply Jordyn?”
She struck me as overly comfortable — much more comfortable than the people who usually met me for the first time. It was both puzzling and refreshing.
“So you’re the mastermind behind Triad Realty,” she said abruptly.
I shook my head. “I wouldn’t say mastermind.”
“Yeah, and neither would we,” Connor added quickly. “We’re equal partners, the three of us. Always have been.”
“And always will be,” I smiled.
Jordyn was staring out the bank of kitchen windows now, straight into the beauty of the giant back yard. Out past the private dock, the lake stretched on for what seemed like forever. It was dotted with a few fishing boats anchored in place, with a couple more cruising around.
“I wanted you to live here for a few reasons,” I started in. “Yes, I’m a control freak. And yes, some of what they’ve probably told you about me is true.”
“Some of?” Aiden scoffed.
“Probably?” Connor piled on.
Ignoring them completely, I diverted all my attention to our potential surrogate. “First, we wanted to make sure you had everything you needed. Having you here with us, we can be certain you’re a hundred percent comfortable and make sure you want for nothing. After all, this is your first pregnancy too. Why should you go through it alone?”
I saw her expression go a little softer as she considered my words. Eventually she nodded.
“That’s actually a damned good reason,” she said at last.
“A better reason than you expected?” I chuckled.
“Honestly, yes.”
I stared down at her and she didn’t once flinch or look away. If anything, her eyes flared with a bit of challenge.
“But there’s a bigger truth,” I went on. “One that’s a little more on the selfish side.”
