Over the Edge (Bridge #3)(71)

“Darren’s so ready.”

The Darren I’d once known had seemed about as interested in parenthood as he had been in marriage. Then everything changed. He was nearly unrecognizable now. Some people really could change. Then I thought about Ian, and my heart broke a little more.

“I know he’ll be a great dad when the time comes.” I rose and sat beside her to admire the baby too.

Vanessa took the hint and passed him to me. My heart did a little happy dance having him in my arms again.

She leaned back with a sigh. “We won’t have to wait too much longer to find out.”

I turned and caught the glimmer of excitement in her green-eyed gaze. She lifted her shoulders slightly.

“We’re expecting,” she whispered with a smile.

“You’re kidding me.”

She shook her head. “I just found out this week. I was trying to wait, but of course Darren wasn’t. We weren’t being super careful about not getting pregnant, so I guess that meant it was time.”

“Does Maya know?”

“I haven’t told her. I don’t want to distract her right now. She’s got another nine months to be excited for me.”

“That’s so amazing.” I stared back down into Aidan’s perfect little face with a smile. “You’re going to have some good company soon, little man.”

The quick succession of sucks on his pacifier seemed acknowledgement enough. I couldn’t help the happiness I felt for Vanessa and my brother. This was incredible news.

Vanessa’s reasons for not sharing her news right now made sense. But when would I find the courage to tell my family? Then I remembered that I’d made a vow not so long ago. No hiding, no regrets.

Maybe Vanessa would be a good person to hear it first.

“This is probably going to sound crazy, but I am too.”

Her hand went to her mouth. “Oh my God, you’re pregnant?”

I nodded with a tentative smile. “I guess we weren’t being too careful either. I just found out.”

Then her lips moved, but no words came, and somehow I knew what she was trying to ask.

“It’s Will’s.”

“Oh.” She blinked a few times and clipped her bottom lip between her teeth. “How’s Ian taking it?”

I sighed as a new wave of sadness settled over me like a dark cloud. “Not very well. He left. I haven’t heard from him since.”

I smoothed my hand over Aidan’s fuzzy head and kissed him lightly on the nose. Because he brightened everything up. And when I held my own baby in my arms, hopefully he or she would chase away the sorrow that was heavy in my heart now.

“I’m sure he’ll come around,” Vanessa offered, touching my arm gently.

I didn’t reply because I didn’t really believe he would. I’d keep trying, but the way he’d said good-bye, the pain in his eyes… I was certain we were over.





Chapter Nineteen





WILL



I hunched over my desk, sifting through papers that Adriana had left for me to review. Trying to work ahead had me feeling like I was falling behind. I had a trip to London coming up soon to discuss a promising investment, but leaving Olivia alone right now seemed impossible. Fucking Ian.

I tried to temper my anger, but I found it harder to do as the days went on. Olivia put on a strong front, but I could see right through it. Ian had left her reeling. She was wrapped in a kind of sadness that I felt powerless to lift away. She was in love with him, and no matter how hard I tried to fill that empty place in her heart, I knew I couldn’t.

I had argued with her about whether it was the right time to get her involved with a new building I’d purchased a few blocks from the office. She was tired and edgy, and the last thing I wanted to do was tax her more with work. In the end, of course, she’d won.

With my blessing, she’d launched herself into the early details of another remodel. In the space of a week, she’d met with the interior architect and was sketching out plans for the commercial and residential spaces that would ultimately transform the outdated structure.

With Ian out of the picture, I couldn’t deny the extra help was needed, but I worried constantly that she was overexerting herself.

A knock on my office door interrupted my troubled thoughts.

“Have a minute?” Jia sauntered in before I could invite her.

She was dressed head to toe in white. The sleek and smart blouse and skirt combo radiated against her naturally olive skin. The way she carried herself, it was no wonder she’d had new investors eating out of her palm.

As Reilly had promised, Jia more than pulled her weight. While I worried about keeping the investors we already had, she’d hustled up several new accounts. She was killing it, and for the first time since I inherited this billion-dollar problem, I actually felt like we had a fighting chance to turn it into an opportunity that could pay off.

She took a seat across from my desk and crossed her legs. “I wanted to chat about our fees.”

I leaned back in my chair and stared at her over my desk. “What about them?”

“Waiving the management fee to attract new investors was a bold move, and I get why you did it. We’re trying to extricate ourselves from all the controversy, and we’re doing it. But I think you should reconsider waiving the fee.”