Page 27 of His Unexpected Heir

Instead, she worked on the details for the end of summer carnival. There would be lots of games and entertainers, plus competitions. She knew more about the villagers now and thought that a pig, cow, and chicken beauty contest would be hilarious. Or maybe, instead of prettiest cow, she’d have the prettiest pig, the ugliest cow, and the….? Biting her lip, she tried to figure out a good competition for chickens.

A knock at her door interrupted her thought and she called out, assuming that it would be Macie. They usually chatted at the end of the day about the progress she’d made in organizing the vendors.

But instead of Macie, Astra’s eyes widened when Antonio stepped into the bedroom.

“I came to apologize for Eldora’s cooking. Normally, the food is excellent. I don’t know what is bothering her lately.”

Astra pulled a pillow to cover her rounded stomach, trying to smile at him. “That’s okay. Macie and I won’t starve.”

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks and shook his head. “That’s not the point. The contract with your company and mine stipulated that I would provide room and board. The boarding part includes adequate meals, so I’ll speak with Eldora and find out why she’s decided to offer substandard food lately. Normally, she’s a wonderful cook, although I admit, I haven’t been around much recently.”

Astra smiled, then shook her head. “Macie and I head down to the pub once a day for a good meal.” He started to say something, but she lifted her hand. “I…need to talk to you about something else,” she interrupted.

He looked as if he wanted to argue, but after a moment’s hesitation, he nodded slowly. “What do you need to talk to me about? I read through the list of events you are planning and I completely agree that they are good. Brilliant even.”

She stood up and shook her head, then looked around. They were in her bedroom which felt like the worst possible place to discuss what she needed to tell him.

“Can we go to your office?”

Antonio looked around, then clenched his jaw and nodded. “Of course,” he replied, then turned and led the way down the stone stairs, turning right to go into his office.

The room was made of solid stone with a window behind a massive desk. Other than a bureau along the side of the room, there was no other decoration. No pictures, no tapestries like the ones that hung throughout the rest of the castle to soften the stone walls. It was stark and…she couldn’t say it was entirely uninviting. Just…not a place that she would consider conducive to concentration. There were several computer monitors that were currently showing a screen saver that rotated through all four of the screens.

“Please don’t tell me you are quitting,” he snapped, turning around as he leaned against the ornately carved desk and crossing his arms over his chest. “Because we have a contract and I will hold you to it.”

She shook her head, not sure how to start. “No, this has nothing to do with business. This is…personal.” She paced along the edge of the room, biting her lip as she tried to find the right words. In the end, she paused, then turned to face him.

“I’m pregnant,” she blurted out, then froze, waiting for his reaction.

It was a long time coming. For several moments, he simply stared at her. Then he nodded. “Congratulations.” He turned, shoving his hands into the pockets. “Are you going to marry the father?”

She sighed heavily, sensing that Antonio’s anger had suddenly ramped up several notches even though his voice remained even.

“You’re the father,” she replied, resting her hands on her belly.

He swung around, staring at her for a long moment. “Excuse me?” he finally snapped.

“I’m almost five months along, Antonio. That night in Sidrina. After the wedding. When we–”

“I’m fully aware of the night we spent together,” he interrupted stiffly. But his eyes moved lower and, with her hands on her belly, the sweater that had previously hidden her pregnancy now showcased the bump. “You’re five months along?”

“Almost,” she said with a nod. “Actually, I’m nineteen weeks along.” She watched him do the math in his head. “I haven’t been with any other man before or after that night.” It irritated her that she had to explain it to him, although she doubted that he’d been as celibate.

“How…?” he asked, then stopped, his eyes returning to her stomach. “Why…?”

She almost laughed, but understood that he was just as confused as she’d been after taking the pregnancy test that confirmed her suspicions. So she took pity on him.

“I’m not going to bother answering the how,” she teased gently. “The why I’m guessing you’re trying to ask is why I didn’t tell you before now?”

“Yes,” he growled. “Why the hell did you hide this from me?” He started to move closer, then stopped himself, abruptly running a frustrated hand through his hair. “You should have called me immediately.”

Astra sighed, then walked over to one of the tall backed chairs and lowered herself onto the hard wood. Were all of the chairs in the castle this uncomfortable?

Ignoring the discomfort, she focused on Antonio, understanding that he had a right to his questions. “Well, first of all, I didn’t realize that I was pregnant until I was sixteen weeks along,” she explained, rubbing her belly. “I was…” she considered her words, “upset after leaving Sidrina. And busy. Very busy. Word got out about Zahir’s wedding and I was so busy, I had to turn possible clients away.” She looked around at the room, chuckling slightly. “Macie accepted this job without me knowing that you were the client. She manages the business side of things and she’s incredible at her job. But when she’d accepted this contract, she didn’t know about you or our connection.”

“She knows now?”

“Not exactly,” Astra replied, shaking her head. She tucked her hair behind her ears, wishing she had a band to put it up. “She accepted this contract because she knew that we needed a bit of a break from traveling and the long hours required to set up a party or event.”

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