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from all of the associates, including her. “I won’t say a word.”

      Griffin thanked her and was gone without another word.

      Marissa turned her attention back to her computer monitor.

      It was not easy working in the same office as Griffin. Her feelings for him made it a daily challenge. Then there was the fact that she was carrying his baby.

      She couldn’t keep her mind off the baby for the rest of the day. She was still thinking about it when she walked into Integrity shortly after six o’clock that evening.

      “Marissa, I’m glad you’re here,” her mother said as soon as she opened the door.

      She glanced up at her sister and then her mother. “Why, what’s going on?”

      “I thought we’d have dinner out,” Jeanette announced cheerfully. “Just us girls.”

      “You two go ahead,” Marissa suggested. “I’m going to have a hot bath and then watch some TV. I’m in the mood to do absolutely nothing.”

      Her mother seemed disappointed. “Honey, you have to eat. We haven’t spent any time together in weeks.”

      “I’ll eat something if I get hungry,” Marissa told her. “You and Jillian have fun.”

      “You’re sure you don’t want to join us? We hardly see you these days and we all live in the same house.”

      “We’ll do it another time,” Marissa promised.

      She was very angry with her mother. At some point, they would have to sit down and have a discussion, but Marissa was not ready for that. Some of the shock had worn off, but it was still too soon.

      * * *

      “Marissa, have you been sleeping?” her doctor asked.

      “More than usual,” she responded. “I’ve been trying to clear my caseload so that when the baby comes…”

      He nodded in understanding. “You look tired. Are you taking your vitamins?”

      “I am,” Marissa said. “Dr. Benton, I haven’t been able to really keep any food down. I thought the morning sickness would be gone by now.”

      “It should ease up and you’ll begin to feel a whole lot better.”

      She had read up on what to expect in her pregnancy. She knew her baby was about the size of an avocado, that the eyes were closer to the front of the head and the ears in close to their final position. Marissa felt a surge of excitement every time she heard her baby’s heartbeat, and she yearned to be able to share this with someone. Even her best friend had no idea that she was pregnant.

      Marissa held her secret close to her because she did not want to admit that she had made a huge mistake by having sex with Griffin. In fact, she had no right to judge her mother so harshly, but Jeanette was a married woman, whereas she and Griffin were both single.

      She left the doctor’s office and drove straight to work. Marissa would have to say something soon because she’d be showing shortly. Meantime, she did not want any rumors spoiling her secret before she had a chance to prepare her family.

      At the office she saw Griffin, Jake and Harper in a conference room discussing some case. From the looks of it, her brother and cousin were on opposite ends. Nothing new there.

      Poor Griff, she thought. He was caught in the middle and trying to play peacemaker.

      Marissa hoped that her baby shared Griffin’s handsome features, especially his long lashes and perfectly shaped lips.

      He glanced up and saw her in the hallway.

      Embarrassed at being caught staring at him, Marissa gave a tiny wave and headed to her office.

      * * *

      The next morning, all of the associates gathered for the weekly staff meeting.

      Marissa grabbed a bottle of water and sat down beside her brother Marcus. She had some saltines in the pocket of her jacket, in case she needed to eat something to settle her stomach. Marissa hoped to make it through the meeting without experiencing a bout of nausea. She did not want her family or Griffin becoming suspicious.

      Griffin walked in a few minutes later and sat down at the conference table in the empty chair across from her.

      “Victor Ewing was arrested last night at the airport,” Jacob announced. “The federal authorities spent three years looking for this guy. He’s wanted on tax-evasion charges.”

      “He wants us to represent him?” Jake inquired. “What happened with his last attorney?”

      “Is he the guy who left the country before they could arrest him?” Jillian asked. “He owned several hair salons.”

      “I remember reading something about this,” Marissa interjected. “He went to Nigeria and the authorities were not able to extradite him. Why did he come back to the U.S.?”

      “His mother is gravely ill and Victor mistakenly believed that the statute of limitations had expired. It is one of the reasons he fired his last attorney. Victor believes that the feds were tipped off. He says that the only person who knew he had come back was his attorney.”

      “I’d like to meet with Mr. Ewing,” Marcus stated. “This is the type of challenging case I’ve been looking for.”

      “Do we even want to represent a man like Victor Ewing?” Jillian asked. “The cost to try a case like this is going to cost at least a million dollars. Does he even have any money?”

      “He’s facing four counts of filing false tax returns and two counts of structuring financial transactions to avoid reporting requirements,” Jacob said. “The feds say that he also used business proceeds to buy a million-dollar home in New Jersey, and to transfer funds to Nigeria.”

      Marissa could feel the heat of Griffin’s gaze as he silently observed her. She kept her expression blank. She was afraid that he might see the truth that she was keeping something from him.

      After the meeting, Harper followed Marissa into her office.

      “How are you doing?” he asked.

      “As well as can be expected,” she said. “How about you?”

      “Same here.”

      Marissa gave him a sidelong glance. “How are things going between you and Uncle Frank?”

      “I don’t have a whole lot to say to him,” Harper said. “We don’t talk unless we have to, and that’s mostly here in the office. By the way, your mom invited all of us over for one of the Hamilton family dinners on Sunday.”

      Marissa groaned. “I don’t want to do this.”

      Harper nodded in agreement. “Neither do I. In fact, Azure and I won’t be in attendance.”

      “You should rethink your decision,” Marissa said. “I think we should both attend—if we don’t, then the rest of the family may get suspicious. That’s the last thing we need.”

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