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“About what—?”
“You can’t seriously think Blair’s after your money.”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “No. I don’t. I mean, obviously—otherwise she wouldn’t be pushing me away like this, right? She’d want memoreinvolved. Hooked. I don’t know, but you’re right. Something’s definitely off.”
Vanessa sits back down, confusion still on her face. “I don’t get it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the girls, but I don’t think many women would choose to be a single parent. Not if they have—”
Her face crumples the way it does sometimes when she thinks of Greg. Even after all these years, her grief is still there. We don’t talk about him often, but I know she misses him, and that eats away at me. If I hadn’t shirked my duties back then, it wouldn’t have been Greg on that jet. It wouldn’t have been him who died.
The two of us sit in silence for a while, stuck in the past, and unsure of the future.
I wish talking to Vanessa about this could solve the problem. She’s always been the person I go to for advice or suggestions when tough things come up.
But this… neither of us is willing to cross the line Blair set.
Even if weknowthere’s something wrong. Even if I know in my heart that she doesn’t want to be alone.
Chapter 19
Blair
Asifthingscouldn’tget any worse…
Just this morning I broke the news to Ben. I told him that I was a few months along and would need to be out on maternity leave, eventually. He’d reassured me right away that I’d still get the promotion, but Ethan, who was also in the meeting, looked disgusted. When I do go on maternity leave, I’m sure he’ll do everything to talk Ben out of giving me the promotion.
It felt like a weight off my chest to talk to Ben about my situation, but now that weight is back.
The entire Weaver family is gathered around a modest-sized table in one of our smaller, private conference rooms. The three of them—Nick, Vanessa, and Collin—are each looking at me with very different expressions.
Nick looks resigned and sad. Aside from a text a few times a week asking if I’m okay, which I simply have been answering with “yes” and nothing else, he’s respected my wishes and stayed away. It’s killing me to stare across the table at him. Those gorgeous eyes, the way he locks his jaw, holding himself back. I can feel the thread of connection between us, taut, and I want nothing more than to go to him.
But his father’s eyes—those are burning into me. Collin Weaver looks at me with outright contempt. It takes everything in me to sit up straight and maintain a polite and professional smile.
Vanessa is frowning and looks like she’d rather not be here. Maybe she can tell something in the room isn’t right. Maybe she’s wondering why I have both men’s eyes glued to me.
She knows I’m pregnant, that much is obvious. I’d stuttered out a ‘hello’ in the baby store, and Vanessa recovered from her surprise smoothly. But then looked at my middle. She’s a mother herself, so Iknewshe knew. I hadn’t bothered to explain, but excused myself, saying I needed to get home. With a plastered-on smile, she let me go without asking any questions.
Now I’m dealing with all three of them and the room is full of secrets.
Nick has looked over the drafts and approved them, with the support of a lawyer from his own company due to my unexpected “illness.” I’m sure Vanessa has set eyes on the documents, too, although Collin Weaver seems to be removed from the project. If I had to guess, Nick doesn’t want him to see his part of the will and discover that Vanessa and her children will inherit everything from him if something happens or when he eventually passes.
It's gruesome work and part of the reason I stepped away from estate law. No one wants to think about their family member dying, but Nick’s realistic take on planning for the future is something I can’t help but admire.
“So,” I continue where I left off, “if everything is up to par, we can move on to finalizing the documents. In about two weeks my team can have them to you for signatures, and then we’ll wrap up.”
Mr. Weaver’s eyes flash. “Two weeks? That’s the best you can do?”
The words take me, and everyone else, by surprise. Standing in the back of the room, Ben frowns—his eyes flick to mine. Wondering what the hell is going on. He’s been checking in regularly, but I haven’t reported any issues with Collin Weaver because… there haven’t been any. At least not professionally.
Nick is still watching me, but I see his jaw tick in annoyance. He ignores his father’s snide comment and says, “That sounds fine. Vanessa looked over the numbers for the company accounts and said it’s all accurate, so we’ll just be reviewing our individual wills.”
“Yes.” I feel my face heat as Collin continues to stare me down.
“You’ll send me a copy of Nicholas’ documents,” Collin demands.
It’s not a request. I stare at Collin in surprise. Up until now, he hasn’t asked to see his son’s will—and there’s no need for him to. Desperately, I try not to look at Nick and give it all away. I know that his father has no idea what he’s planning. I know that if Collin gets his hands on those documents it will cause all kinds of problems between the two of them…
“I’m sorry, we can’t allow that. Each individual is responsible for their own documents. It’s against our policy to share private infor—”
