Page 28 of His Unexpected Heir

Antonio nodded, but there was a long pause as he processed that new bit of information. Finally, he sighed, crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the desk, glaring at her as his anger and confusion roiled inside of him. “Get back to the baby. Why didn’t you tell me before? You’ve been here for more than a week!”

She tried to control her temper. Astra knew that he was dealing with a great many emotions right now.

“Yes, you’re right. However, keep in mind that you were gone for most of that week,” she explained calmly.

He stepped closer, but stopped himself again. “That’s no excuse,” he snarled, slicing his hand through the air. “You should have made the time!”

“How?” she replied, tilting her head slightly. “How would I have ‘made the time’ when you weren’t even around for me to do so?”

He started to say something more, but stopped himself and simply glared at her for a long moment. Then he turned and stared out the window. “This…this is a lot to take in.”

She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “Tell me about it.”

That caused him to spin around, his eyes hard now. “We need to marry. Immediately.”

Astra’s jaw dropped with that statement and it took her several moments to react. “I don’t think that’s the right plan.”

“We must!” he replied, his eyes dropping to her stomach again. “That child might be my heir!”

“Might be?” she replied, her anger beginning to rise. “Are you challenging the paternity of this child?” Astra demanded, her fingers curling around her stomach protectively.

Shaking his head, he moved forward. “No. Absolutely not. I just…” he started, then stopped again. “Look, I don’t know what to say. I’m a bit flustered. You’re dumping this on me and I wasn’t…prepared for any of this.”

That infuriated Astra and she stood up. “You’re not ready for this?” she hissed, moving closer. “What do you need to do to prepare? You’re not the one that has to buy new clothes!” She stepped closer. “You’re not the one who has to deal with the wild hormones. I didn’t get any preparation for this either, Antonio!” She was yelling now and forcibly lowered her voice. “I appreciate that this is a shock, but please do NOT tell me that you’re not prepared when all you need to do is absolutely nothing to prepare for this child while I have to figure out career challenges, day care issues, adjust my entire life, my career, and my home in order to accommodate a baby!”

He had the decency to look abashed for a split second, but by the end of her tirade, he was shaking his head. “You will move in here,” he declared. “This child, if it’s a boy, is the future Marquesso. He will be my heir. I grew up with a younger half-brother who was never acknowledged by my father. I will not let that happen to my child!”

“Our child,” she interjected with an emphasis on the communal pronoun. “This is our child. Not just your heir.” She took a slow, deep breath, trying to calm her temper. “But you’re right. I know Matteo and…well, I don’t know his whole story, and I can’t imagine what he went through, growing up in this village as an illegitimate heir to a horrible monster of a father.”

He sighed, running both hands through his hair. She might not know the man as well as she should have before getting pregnant, but being around him now, Astra was starting to…sort of…understand this complicated man.

“Hello? Antonio?” a male voice called out.

Two very tall and attractive men stepped into Antonio’s office. Astra smiled in welcome at them, then jumped as Bailey appeared behind them and immediately screamed. “You’re pregnant!” Bailey threw her arms around her friend. “Congratulations!”

Astra smiled nervously over Bailey’s shoulder at the two men who looked just as stunned as Antonio had moments before.

Matteo, Antonio’s half-brother, glanced over at him, shocked, but then his handsome features morphed into a huge grin. “I’m going to be an uncle!” he declared with a laugh, then walked over to hug Antonio, pounding his back in celebration.

“I’m just–” Antonio started to say, but he was interrupted by another newcomer.

“Astra? Are you…?” Macie stepped into the room, then froze as she stared at the other man that was watching the scene unfold. Her jaw dropped and Astra was relieved that everyone’s attention finally moved away from her and her growing belly.

Astra stepped away from Bailey after squeezing her hand, deciding that this was a good time for introductions. “This is Macie, my assistant and one of the best computer gurus around. Some of you might remember her from Zahir and Mandy’s wedding?”

Smiles and nods went around the room. “Macie, do you remember His Grace, the Duke of Finehearst? He was at the wedding as well.”

Macie’s expression shifted from startled to blank in the blink of an eye. She flipped the file folder closed and extended her hand in a highly professional manner. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Finehearst,” she said, and Astra had the distinct impression that she was mauling the man’s title and last name on purpose. Finehearst was his title. His last name was Manhem. There really was no excuse for the faux pas since Edward Manhem was in the news constantly due to his business acumen. He’d inherited a defunct dukedom at the age of eighteen, and had managed to salvage some of the businesses that had come with the title, building them into a massive empire. His Grace now was a terrifying power within the international business scene.

Thankfully, His Grace ignored the error and took Macie’s extended hand graciously. But instead of shaking it, as she’d intended, he lifted her fingers to his lips. There was a sudden crackle of electricity in the air as he kissed her hand. She whipped her hand away, glaring up at the man. However, when she turned to face everyone, her bland, professional smile was back in place.

“Astra, I have some issues to discuss with you, but nothing urgent.” She looked around at the others in the office and smiled. “I apologize for the interruption.” Then she turned on her heel and left the office, leaving a stunned silence in her wake.

Bailey was the first to break the awkward silence. “Well, we didn’t mean to interrupt whatever conversation the two of you were having,” she announced. She glanced at her brother-in-law. “Antonio, we know where our rooms are. No need to–”

“I’ll show you the way,” another voice interrupted.

Everyone turned to find Eldora standing in the doorway, her expression as sour as if she was sucking on a lemon. Eldora glared at Astra as if the housekeeper had heard everything. Which was odd since Eldora would have had to be standing right outside the door in order to eavesdrop. Antonio’s office was at the end of a long, stone hallway.

---