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“Well, he has.”
Adam’s elbows dropped to his desk, and he pushed his hair back from his forehead. He twisted his lips. His stare narrowed. “Why didn’t you take this to Anna? Was your breakup really that awful? I know she’s not fun when she’s mad.”
Jacob had already covered up an awful lot with Anna, and the guilt from that might remain forever. He couldn’t take the lies any further. “No, Adam. Anna is pregnant and I’m the father. I didn’t want to tell her because stress could jeopardize the baby.”
* * *
Anna walked through the quiet reception area on the executive floor, making her way to her office. She didn’t normally get in so early, but she hadn’t been able to sleep much. Perhaps the distraction of work would help clear her head before she ultimately returned to her worries about the baby and whether or not Jacob was really going to stand by her, no matter what.
“Good morning, Ms. Langford. Will you be joining Mr. Langford and Mr. Lin in their meeting?” her assistant, Carrie, asked as she took Anna’s coat.
Anna froze in place. “Mr. Langford and Mr. Lin? Meeting? With each other? Here?”
“They’re in Mr. Langford’s office right now. I just assumed you knew.” Her voice trailed off.
What in the world? Confused, she composed herself. “Oh, uh, yes. Yes, I’m joining them.” Anna marched down the hall to her brother’s office as if this had been the plan all along. A flurry of thoughts was turning her mind into a snow globe of speculation. Was this Jacob’s way of fighting for her? Of showing her that he would take the worst of it? She could only hope that this meeting didn’t end up with fists flying.
Adam’s assistant bolted from her seat when Anna breezed past her and lunged for the doorknob to Adam’s office. “Ms. Langford, I’m sorry. Mr. Langford is in a very important meeting...”
“So I heard.” Anna marched into her brother’s office. She wasn’t about to wait to be invited in. Somebody could be dead.
She first saw Adam’s response—surprise and shock. Jacob turned and showed a similar horror.
“Well, you’re both still alive. So I guess that’s good. Anybody want to tell me what’s going on?” She planted her hand on her hip, assessing the situation. What are these two up to?
Jacob shifted in his seat. “We, uh, had a few things we needed to discuss.”
“Right,” Adam said, unconvincingly.
“You two can’t stand to be in the same zip code. How about we try again?” She glanced over at Jacob, eager to glean from his facial expressions what was going on.
“Maybe it’s time to finally change that,” Adam interjected.
Now she had to make eye contact with Jacob. She tapped her foot on the floor. Something about this was off and she could see it on Jacob’s face.
Adam blew out an exasperated breath. “This is stupid. Nobody’s going to believe that you and I can actually talk to each other. Especially not Anna.” He pointed at her. “Look. I know everything. I can’t believe you’re pregnant and you didn’t tell me? Your own brother? And Jacob’s the dad? I don’t even know where to start with all of this. It’s like a bad dream.”
Jacob stood and grasped Anna’s elbow. “I had to tell him. I’m sorry.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head, drawing in a deep breath through her nose. The fact that he’d had the guts to come out with it certainly earned him a few points. “We had to tell him eventually. I just can’t believe you came here to do this and that you didn’t want me here at the same time.”
“Well, that’s not the only thing we’re talking about,” Adam said.
Jacob turned to Adam quickly, and even though Anna couldn’t see either of their faces head-on, she could tell they were having a conversation without words.
“Will somebody please just tell me what you’re doing?” Anna asked. “I’m not leaving until one of you spills it.”
“Well?” Adam asked, staring down Jacob. “Do you want to tell her, or should I?”
“Please. We have to stay calm. For the baby’s sake,” Jacob said, turning to her. “I found out who the War Chest brought in as their big investor. It’s Aiden.”
“What?” Anna asked. “Aiden? I don’t understand.”
Jacob looked at her thoughtfully, showing her his miraculous eyes. They were the only thing that calmed her in this unimaginable situation. He explained everything with Aiden as she struggled to keep up with the details. “It’s very important that you don’t get worked up about this. My first and only concern is for you and the baby.”
