CEO'S Secret Baby: A Standalone Surprise Pregnancy Romance - Iona Rose (which ebook reader .txt) 📗

He was right. Only one other person would, and it made my heart ache even more. I felt overwhelmed, by everything and longed for him to be here with me. A simple hug or a stolen kiss and my feet would feel like they were on the ground.

I took my seat, needing to breathe.

Jeremy laid the massive bouquet on the desk. “I’ll get you a glass vase for that at lunch time,” he said. “That’ll be my congratulatory gift.”

“I’ll accept it,” I smiled as he took his seat opposite from me, and looked around in wonder. “The Godfather sure didn’t hold back with this bit of luxury for his girl,” he said, as he gazed at the wall to ceiling windows behind me. “I would be so freaking jealous of you right now but what’s the point? I’ll probably be in here more than you will.” Lifting his legs, he placed them on my table as he leaned into the chair with complete abandon. His laughter filled the space.

It and his presence that allowed me to breathe just a bit more easily.

His gaze on me also sparkled with fondness as he said once again, “Congratulations, Leah. You truly deserve this.”

“Do I?” I asked nervously.

“You do, and no one can contest that. The only thing contestable is how you landed the Godfather when the rest of us weren’t even given a chance. I still can’t believe he moved here because of you,”

My heart softened even further. “I have no idea why either. Fate, I guess.”

“Well, she’s a bitch because she’s still holding out on me.”

“Be a little bit more polite to her and maybe she’ll shower even better favors down on you.”

“I’m not holding my breath.” He rose. “Gotta get back to work. I’m going to have my lunch here by the way.”

“Hell no! The office’s gonna stink.”

“I’ll get you some scented candles. The overpriced kind.”

“No!” I refused.

He was already on his way out, shutting the door behind him.

Once again, leaving me alone and immediately, I reached for my phone to reread Carter’s texts from earlier that morning.

‘Boarding,’ was the last one he’d sent.

And then on his way to the airport. ‘Have a great first day love... you deserve this win. Don’t forget about me though.’

I smiled at his words. As if I could. A while without thinking about him would do me more good, than he could imagine.

I turned around to hide from the gaze of the floor beyond, and placed my hand on my stomach. I would begin to show in a few weeks, and no doubt, he would notice.

We still had a long way to go, to fully understand each other but I guess that’s what a lifetime was for. But would he be willing to go that distance with me? This was my grand concern.

He had already leaped over so many boulders for me, but would this one be too high? I wished I had the confidence to tell him now, but fear swarmed my heart, even as I strongly believed I didn’t have to worry.

But there was always that skeptic in the back of my mind, ever waiting, and expecting people to fail me. Nevertheless, and regardless of whatever happened from henceforth, this baby was now mine. He or she had turned from just my slip up with a fling, to a child I’d made with someone that... was in my heart. Someone whom I knew I was already in love with. And this made all the difference to me. Someone whom I had now found was truly worthy of being the father to my child.

No matter what happened from here on out, he or she would be loved from the depths of my soul.

Two weeks later, I took a sick day off so I could get a long weekend.

Guilt pricked me as I drove home that Thursday evening, especially given my promotion and all the new responsibilities that came with it. But I needed a very long weekend, and Friday night was just too late a start with Carter.

I drove straight to the airport from the office and boarded the 7 pm flight headed to Minnesota.

My hands trembled as I secured the seatbelt across my waist, in my preparation for takeoff, and as we did, I couldn’t help but realize this would be the turning point. This weekend, I was going to tell him about the baby, and it worried me that perhaps there would be too many surprises for him to deal with. Nonetheless, he needed to know and it was the right thing to do.

He wasn’t even aware I was coming to Minnesota, but a few nights earlier, I had managed to extract the information that I would be welcomed.

I also knew his home address, so the plan was to take a taxi from the airport, straight to his home. Then I would call him to find out where he was. The main goal was to have him open his door at the sudden knock, and find me in front of it, hopefully without a nervous smile on my face.

The plane took off, so with my hands resting over my stomach, I shut my eyes, and tried to get some sleep.

Carter

I was losing focus.

The day had been too long, with countless meetings and fires to put out, but I needed to finish with the restructuring proposal for our Chicago office. I turned yet another page, and the words blurred in front of me.

I had worked at the same mad pace ever since I’d returned here, jam packing as much as I could into my days because the sooner things were sorted out, the sooner I would be able to get back to Leah.

Putting the report down, I picked up my phone and dialed her number.

It didn’t go through.

This seemed odd. I checked the time and saw it was just a little past 9 pm.

She would be at home right now, or perhaps she was still at the office... she had