LITMIR.BIZ

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so funny?” she demanded.

      Willow pressed her lips together, but it didn’t help since her amusement was evident to everyone. Their middle sister had always marched to her own drum. “Well, all I can imagine is you running down the hall, pushing people out of the way, like one of those victims in a thriller movie. In heels, no less.” She giggled again. “Not your normal modus operandi.”

      Auntie started to chuckle, then Jasmine. In less than sixty seconds, they were all giggling until the tears started. Even Ivy. She drew in a deep breath. Man, that felt good. No one could make her laugh when she needed it like her sisters.

      “Maybe he won’t care?” Willow asked, sober once more. How could she sound skeptical and hopeful at the same time?

      Ivy forced herself to wipe away the last of her tears. She’d been reliving that awful moment when she’d looked up to see Paxton staring at her from across the little office for hours now. She’d finally realized his sister had been with him. At least his being there made some sort of sense now.

      Even though it was still disastrous.

      Auntie cut into her thoughts, offering the same steady wisdom she’d handed out to the girls since she’d taken them in as orphaned teenagers. “Oh, he will care. The question is, what will he do about it? Men like him never quit.”

      As Ivy felt her stomach tighten in protest, Jasmine admonished, “Auntie, that’s not helping.”

      “Doesn’t make it less true,” Auntie insisted.

      How could she have gotten herself into this mess? With Paxton McLemore, of all people? “Why did I wear that ring?” She moaned, letting her head drop into her hands. “Why did I think it would bring anything but bad luck?”

      “Because it produced miracles for Jasmine and me?” Willow asked.

      This was really not a good moment for both of her sisters to remind Ivy that they’d found their happily-ever-afters while wearing the ring. She hadn’t been so lucky.

      Ivy glared at Willow. “Too bad I didn’t get the same treatment.”

      But she couldn’t truly blame the ring. She’d let fantasies overtake her since the first day she’d started working for Paxton McLemore, at the expense of her true mission. Keep her head down, work hard and get ahead—all without him discovering who she really was. Playing with fire had gotten her burned. Now her family could be in as much trouble as she was...if Paxton pursued her too closely and discovered who they really were.

      “He hasn’t called, even though he has your personal cell number,” Jasmine said, obviously trying to change the subject. “Even though it’s only been a few hours, that’s a good sign, right?”

      “I don’t know,” Ivy said and then moaned.

      “Will he realize the baby is his?” Auntie asked.

      “There’s no way Paxton McLemore won’t put two and two together.” They’d used a condom, but mistakes happen.

      Ivy worried the inside of her bottom lip with her teeth. She didn’t doubt Paxton would contact her at some point. He might not care anything about her—he’d made that clear over the last two months. But a baby... Paxton was a family man through and through. She doubted he would ignore her pregnancy, no matter how much of an inconvenience it was to him. “I have no idea what to say to him.”

      A banging on the front door startled them all. “Geesh,” Willow exclaimed. “Take it easy.”

      She headed down the hallway. Jasmine’s hand covered Ivy’s, warming her chilled skin. “Everything’s gonna be okay,” she murmured.

      Why didn’t Ivy feel the same way?

      They heard Willow open the door and say something, followed by a deep, smooth male voice.

      “Where is she?”

      Ivy’s eyes widened, her gaze locking with Jasmine’s. There was no mistaking Paxton’s voice or the forceful tone that she’d heard time and again in business meetings. The panic from earlier returned full force, drumming in her chest. She and Jasmine scrambled from their seats.

      Together, they peeked around the door frame of the dining room, straight down the hall. Paxton stood in the front doorway with an angry expression on his face. In that moment he glanced over Willow’s shoulder and saw Ivy.

      He didn’t bother asking for permission. Instead he shouldered past Ivy’s sister and stomped down the hallway, causing the wooden floors to creak in protest.

      “Paxton,” Ivy exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

      “Hunting down what’s mine.”

      A small part of her was thrilled at his words, but the anger in his expression told her in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t here for her. At least, not the way she wanted.

      “Get out!” The words escaped her mouth just as Auntie murmured, “I told you so.”

      A hint of amusement passed over Paxton’s face before he turned grim again. “If I’m understanding this situation correctly, you turned in your resignation and walked away, knowing you were pregnant with my child?”

      A chorus of feminine “oh dears” filled the air and guilt struck Ivy hard. Yes, that’s exactly what she’d done. But his blunt recitation of the facts didn’t truly represent the whole picture: her loneliness and fear and anger over the past two months.

      “Ivy,” Paxton said, his timbre low and menacing. He stopped directly in front of her, looming just enough to inspire a touch of fear. “It seems we have a problem.”

       Three

      “Do I get any kind of explanation?”

      “Do you deserve one?” Under other circumstances, Ivy had plenty of reserves to pull from to keep herself diplomatic. But Paxton’s appearance here had her off guard and on edge.

      She needed her sisters. A glance toward the doorway from the kitchen showed that it was empty. Ivy licked her dry lips. When Paxton had asked to speak with her alone, they’d reluctantly left for the front parlor. Not that they wouldn’t come running if she yelled, but still...she couldn’t stop herself from wrapping her arms around her middle.

      Facing him alone made her stomach hurt even more than when she’d just been worrying over him showing up.

      “How’d you find me?” she asked.

      “Human resources was nice enough to help with an address.”

      She licked her lips again. “Why?”

      “Seriously?”

      Ivy was genuinely surprised as Paxton’s eyes widened and his tone deepened with more anger. She wasn’t sure why. Paxton was passionate about kids. But the knowledge that he was here for that reason alone made her own anger surge.

      “I could have been at the doctor’s office for any number of reasons...” she insisted.

      “Like getting a prescription of prenatal vitamins?”

      “That was none of your business, Paxton.”

      “Don’t even go there...” he growled.

      He leaned closer, his height giving him the advantage. His intention might not be intimidation, but it sure felt that way. Even in her heels, she’d never come close to his height. In her current flip-flops, she didn’t stand a chance. But at least she was still on her feet. Sitting down felt like giving him too much of an advantage, so she continued to stand, even though her body swayed under the continuous onslaught of pregnancy hormones, nausea and exhaustion.

      Paxton wasn’t through throwing his weight around. “If you simply wanted to walk away from your job, that’s your prerogative.

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