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One
Jenna Carver stoodin the bathroom, her eyes glued to the small white stick in her hand. The plus sign was dark pink and very clear. There was no room fordoubt.
She waspregnant.
She wasn’t surprised; she’d been stuffing positive pregnancy tests under the trash in the bathroom for the last twoweeks.
But the timing wasn’t great. They were getting ready to leave for Rome where they would celebrate Christmas with Nico and Angel, Christophe and Charlotte. Luca and Isabel would make an appearance, and maybe even Leo andDiana.
The conditions were hardly ideal for life-alteringnews.
She drew in a deep breath and turned away from the mirror to lean against the marble counter. She didn’t want to look at her reflection. Didn’t want to see her face, more angular since she’d been having morning sickness, or the dark circles under her eyes, courtesy of more than one sleeplessnight.
Most of all, she didn’t want to wonder how much longer she could hide her pregnancy fromFarrell.
They’d been apart when she’d been pregnant with Lily in New York. He’d missed the fatigue and nausea, the strange food aversions and the tenderness of herbreasts.
According to her estimation, she was nearly three months along. He wouldn’t recognize the symptoms right away, but she wouldn’t be able to hide itforever.
“Mummy!” Lily’s voice came from the other side of the bathroom door, followed by the rattle of the doorknob. “What are youdoing?”
“I’ll be right there, love,” Jennacalled.
“But what are youdoing?” Lilyasked.
She was six years old. Patience wasn’t herforte.
Jenna bent down and placed the pregnancy test under an assortment of tissue and cotton balls in the trash. Theresa would empty it while they were gone, and by the time they returned from the Christmas holiday, Farrell wouldknow.
He would have toknow.
The doorknob had begun a fresh round of rattling when she lifted her toiletry bag off the counter and opened thedoor.
“My goodness!” She looked down at the brown-haired angel that was her daughter. “Someone needs to practice theirpatience.”
“Daddy says patience is for wankers,” Lily said, blinking up at her with wide greeneyes.
“Daddy shouldn’t be saying that word in front of you,” Jenna said, trying to keep her expression stern. “And you definitely shouldn’t be sayingit.”
Lily looked chastised. “I forgot I wasn’t supposed to say it in front ofyou.”
Jenna shook her head, stifling a laugh. “You’re not supposed to say it atall.”
“Daddy says the heli isready.”
“Clearly the art of deflection is another one of the things you’re learning from your father,” Jenna said, guiding Lily into the hall. “Come on, my love. Let’s get yourrucksack.”
Farrell had already taken Jenna’s suitcase downstairs, along with the smaller suitcase Jenna had packed for Lily. All that was left was Jenna’s toiletry bag and the rucksack filled with Lily’s books, crayons, drawing pad, and of course, Bunny, the tattered stuffed animal that had been Lily’s favorite since their days in NewYork.
She followed Lily into her bedroom, marveling again at the perfection of it, the luxury Farrell showered on Lily — on both of them — even when Jenna told him it would spoil their daughterrotten.
It wasn’t an effective argument to use with Farrell Black. It was his goal in life to spoil them rotten — when he wasn’t beating everyone else senseless with his fists or hisintellect.
“Got it,” Lily said, looping the rucksack around her smallshoulders.
“All right,” Jenna said. “Let’s go before your father loses his patience, since as we all know, patience is forwankers.”
Lily covered her mouth to stifle her giggle. “Mummy!”
