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

at the irritating slurping sounds that repeatedly struck the silence of the room.

“Hey!” He shot back. “Enough with the derogatory comments, okay? I had a tough day too. Also some woman came by and acted all crazy. It even pissed Natalia off… made her assume that I was cheating on her or something.”

“You brought Natalia here again? Aren’t you supposed to be focused on finding a job?”

“Carter, I don't ask you for anything besides the roof over my head right now, and you’re barely even here. Is that still too much for you to spare? Me not having to think about that while I’m trying to get my shit together, isn't that something you could do for me without the verbal abuse?”

I didn't have the energy to deal with his complaints, so I continued stripping, unable to wait for a much needed shower.

“The woman…” he went on. “Do you know her?”

“What woman?” I groaned.

“Curly red hair, kinda short, crazy eyes.” He shrugged. “She told me to never call her again when she saw me kissing Natalia in front of the door, and up till now I’m still wondering what the fuck she was talking about.”

Something instantly clicked in my head at his description, and I spun around to face him. “What? Leah came by?”

“Leah? Is that her name?”

My heart suddenly dropped into my stomach. I grabbed my phone from the pile of clothes on the bed and immediately dialed the front desk.

“Simon, were any new guests under my name admitted into the building tonight?”

“I’ll check that, sir,” he said. “Just a moment.”

I waited, my foot tapping anxiously against the plush carpet.

Soon enough, he returned with a response, “Yes, sir. A Miss Natalia Pool, and a Miss Leah Peters. They’re amongst your list of approved guests, so I admitted them up to your floor.”

I shut my eyes, as the misfortune that had just befallen me became apparent. “Thank you, Simon.” I ended the call, and immediately dialed Leah’s number. “Tell me what happened,” I said to Andrew. “Don’t leave any single detail out.”

“Well, nothing beyond what I’ve already said. She had luggage in hand, and looked like she was coming towards your door, but then she saw me and Natalia standing by it and stopped. She just glared at me, as if shocked and then she turned to hurry away. She couldn’t have gotten out of here fast enough, but she fell as she was running away. And she got right back up. Was she insane, or something? I still can’t figure it out.”

“Fucking pick up!” I yelled into the phone when it disconnected again.

My actions startled Andrew. “Dude, are you okay?” He asked.

I turned to him, my chest burning with so much rage. “That was my fucking girlfriend,” I said. “She fucking thought you were me, and that I was probably cheating on her or something.”

He stilled, as he tried to take in the information, while I dialed her number again.

“Oh…” he said. “Oh! That was why she ran away? But that’s hella dumb. She doesn’t know that you have a twin? An identical one for that matter?”

I didn’t bother responding, as I switched gears and began to dial Meredith’s number.

“Ah,” he said. “It makes sense now. She actually thought that I was you. How did I not come up though? You don’t talk about your family at all?”

With a shove to his shoulder, I pushed him out of my way as the line connected. “Meredith, sorry for calling so late, but can you get me on the next flight to Indianapolis? Any of them.”

“Sure. I’ll get on it, sir.”

I ended the call and began to dial Tracy, but then I stopped myself, completely exhausted from the day and from constantly chasing after Leah.

Sure, it had been a misunderstanding, but why had her first response, just like always, been to run? To run without giving me a chance? I understood how badly the situation must have seemed to her, but did she have absolutely no faith whatsoever in me? After what we had come to mean to each other?

I returned my gaze to the phone, and dialed Meredith again. “Meredith, there’s no need to look for the flight any longer. I’m sorry for the hassle.”

“Oh. It’s all right, sir. Are we still on schedule for tomorrow?”

I paused for a moment, my stomach churning with anxiety at the decision I was about to make. I took a deep breath and replied. “9 am with Chicago. Yes, we are.”

“Very well, sir, goodnight.”

I ended the call, and when I turned around, saw that Andrew had left. I headed straight to the bathroom.

The moment the warm shower cascaded down on me, and began to soothe the exhaustion from the day away, I could feel my stress and annoyance begin to dissipate. I knew deep down that I would be too conflicted to stay away from her for too long, so my only hope was that she would buckle, and show me that I was important enough for her to give me the benefit of the doubt.

But the fear lurked, that perhaps I was being too careless, and that what she had seen, compounded with my silence would push her too far away for me to reach.

Either way, I refused to give in, at least for tonight.

I would at least give myself the night to feel disappointed.

It had never been more difficult to fall asleep.

I tossed and turned, trying to find the peace of heart to get some iota of rest, but the pit of my stomach simmered with turmoil. Despite my annoyance at her hasty conclusion, what I really wanted, rather than keeping my distance from her, was to confront her about it. To pour out my annoyance, and then to have us make up afterwards. This distance was chipping away at my soul, and solving nothing.

Frustrated, I got up from bed and stepped out onto the balcony of my bedroom.

The feel of autumn was in the air, with its crisp