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Three dots immediately appeared.Yes, Mrs. Windsor.That was all she wrote, but I’d take what I could get.
I called Dale. God bless him, he picked up after one ring. “Dale, are you with Noah?”
“He’s playing X-box in his room.” Dale sounded worried. “What’s the matter, Chloe?”
“I need you to stay with him. Make sure that no one… Make sure that no one takes him anywhere. I don’t want him alone!” I wailed.
“Hold up. What the hell’s going on?”
It was too risky to tell him the truth, so I made up a story about my father wanting custody. “I’m worried he might have reached out to Gene to ask for help—you know I’m not Gene’s favorite. So don’t leave him alone with any of the guys, okay? And get him a phone, tell him to keep it on him!”
“Okay, Chloe.” But Dale didn’t sound like he thought any of this was okay. “Does Bryce know what’s going on?”
“Not yet. He’s been with the board all day again.”
“We’ve got him, Chloe. I won’t let anything happen to your brother,” Dale said.
“Hazel knows I’m worried. She’s going to talk to you.”
“You calledHazel?Okay, now I know you’re serious. I’m going to call Bryce—”
“Let me do it first,” I interrupted. “Let me talk to him when he gets home, okay? Now is not the time to bust him out of a meeting.”
We hung up, and I paced the room, Gene’s words rattling around in my head like a creepy skeleton.
I am in charge. I am in control.
… You are going to be a very sorry young lady.
Fuck!Why did Gene Windsor have to be so scary AND so rich? He was the puppet master from hell. Gene could hurt my brother. He could hurt Bryce. What the hell was I going to do?
My mind was going a million miles a minute when I got a call from Olivia Jensen. “What?” I snapped.
“Woah! Easy, Chloe.” She laughed, a carefree sound, and I longed to leap through the phone and smack the public relations executive. “I’m just calling because I need more pictures. Can you meet Bryce downtown by the office? It would be good to have a shot of you two together in front of the building. My photographer’s going to meet you there in an hour. Do your hair and makeup! Bryce already knows he needs to come down for a photo. Thanks, byeee!” She hung up without giving me a moment to protest.
Olivia Jensen and her PR initiative were so beside the point it was laughable. If only I could laugh. Instead, I dragged myself to the closet and dug out another insanely expensive outfit. I chose a deep-blue strapless dress and matching kitten heels, sexy but playful. If I got busted for being an escort, I should at least have some decent pictures on the internet! At least something better than the ones of me pummeling Felicia Jones…
I sat down in front of the enormous, well-lit mirror in the bathroom and started on my makeup. Was I imagining it, or did my complexion look good? Why did I look good if I kept throwing up? I stared at my reflection. Maybe it was because I knew I was pregnant, but I looked different.
Pregnant. I was carrying Bryce’s baby…I rubbed my hand over my stomach, unable to even begin to process what this meant. Outside of all the drama swirling around me at the moment, what did I even think about the news? Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. I’d gone from being a clueless virgin to being…
A clueless pregnant lady.
I should’ve known that having All The Sex with my husband—without birth control—would lead to this, but I hadn’t even considered it! What on earth would my mother think? What wouldNoahthink? I moved my hand up and placed it over my heart, which began thudding.My brother has to be okay, please God, don’t let anything happen to him! Mom, please watch over him…
I was going to have to tell Bryce what was happening. But what would happen with Gene if I did that? Would he come after Bryce? Would he really try to take Noah from me—or even worse, hurt him?
Was Gene capable of something like that?
I didn’t know the answer to that. I didn’t want to find out.
I somehow managed to focus long enough to finish my makeup. I hustled downstairs, asked security to take me to the Financial District, and sent a quick message to Bryce.Coming for the photo shoot. See you soon.
I stared out the window, unseeing, as the lovely Beacon Hill townhomes flew by, then the bustling restaurants and high-rises of Back Bay. The driver took Massachusetts Avenue to the Financial District, and we sat in traffic for a few minutes. We passed through Downtown Crossing, still busy with shoppers, and I almost didn’t recognize the city I’d grown up in.
Everything was different now. My whole life had changed that summer. It hadn’t been that long ago that I’d met Elena for the first time in the North End. Starving, I’d shamelessly wolfed down the sandwich she’d bought for me. Desperate for money, I’d married a stranger.
Little had I known that he would be the key that unlocked me, opened me up, and brought meaning to my life.
