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“Good?” I asked.

“Great,” she said breathlessly.

“Valentina gave me sole custody of the kids.”

Emma’s eyes whipped open as the tea paused at her lips.

“What?” she asked.

“I signed the papers yesterday. Apparently, the hospital transferred her to a rehab facility, and she ducked out. Again.”

“Where is she? Is she okay?”

“She’s back home. Still running the pharmaceutical company. But she left a note and formal paperwork behind with our family lawyer about how she knew she couldn't raise those kids on her own. She admitted she was trying to get sober for them and it wasn’t working because… she didn’t want to be sober.”

“Ryan, are you okay?” she asked.

“Actually, I’m kind of relieved. I’ve had those kids for two and a half months now, and I was very nervous about handing them back over to Valentina. Now, I don’t have to.”

I watched shock roll over Emma’s features and I furrowed my brow.

“What’s wrong?”

“You have three kids.”

“I do.”

“You’re… going to have…”

I leaned forward and reached my hand out for hers. She took a long pull of her tea before she settled her hand within mine. I curled my fingers around her soft skin and brought it to my lips, kissing the top of her hand. My eyes rose to hers and she looked shell-shocked. Her face was paling, and I could see the hesitancy rising back up into her stare.

“I want his with you,” I said. “That woman you saw me with at lunch? Her name’s Layla Patterson. She’s a prominent journalist looking for a story, but I was scouting her for a position with my company. She’s ruthless, but she’s good at spinning stories. And with the way I’ve positioned my company, I’m going to need the public on my side with the rebranding of my hotels.”

“Rebranding?” she asked.

“Yes. I had her in a while back for an interview, but I didn’t get to finish it because all of this stuff kicked up with my sister. I hadn’t had a chance to get back with her on finishing the interview, and I took her to lunch to see if she was still interested in the job I was offering. That hand gesture? She wasn’t holding my hand, Emma. She was slipping me a note. With the media always out to photograph me with people, we had to keep thing discreet. It was simply a note telling me she was taking the job. Nothing else.”

Emma slipped her hand from mine as she took another sip of her tea. Our food was set in front of us and I gave her the space she needed to process. To eat. To fill her stomach with something she could keep down. But I knew she was still hesitant. Guarded. Processing all the information I’d thrown her way. And all I could do was hope she believed me.

Because it was the truth.

Twenty-Two

Emma

I needed some time to breathe. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe Ryan, but what he was offering was, well, not what I expected. Not only would we be taking on a child we created, but I would be taking on three other children he’d signed on to raise and protect. Could I do that. Raise that big of a family? His penthouse apartment was a good size, but it wouldn't fit all of us. If he asked me to move in.

I was getting ahead of myself.

“One step at a time,” I said breathlessly.

I slept through the majority of the weekend, but Monday morning came around and I had a lunch date with Natasha and Catherine. I knew they would want to know how things went with Ryan, and I was preparing myself for an onslaught of questions.

But the second Natasha came around the corner with the twins in their stroller, I was derailed.

“Oh, hello there,” I said as I picked one of them up. “You look so big. You're growing up so fast!”

I held the child close to me, cradling the tired two-year old in my arms.


Tags: Nicole Elliot Romance