Page 44 of The Baby Contract With My Hot Billionaire Boss

She shakes her head but sets the sheets and blankets to the side while Leann reaches into the bag.

“Ooh, this is nice.” The sweater she’s holding is cashmere. Which I only know because I looked at the tag on the inside when I saw how soft and warm it was.

“Yeah, I thought you would like it.”

“Where did you get this?” Mom asks, reaching over to run her hands over it as well.

“It was a gift. Same as the rest. But I don’t need it and I thought Leann would like it. There’s some other clothes in here, too.”

By the time we’re done going through everything in the bag it’s getting late. At least, it’s nearly afternoon and I realize that I’m supposed to be on tonight. And I’ve left my outfit at home.

“I’ve got to get going. I’ve got work tonight. But take whatever you’d like to keep and the rest just sell, all right? The money for that stuff will help you get some other things you could use.”

I’m rushing out the door so Mom can’t protest like she normally does. But I can tell she’s not thrilled. She never likes when I bring them a lot of things. A few extra groceries now and then or a couple little gifts for Leann she never really says anything about. But this much stuff … ever since I started with Chris she hasn’t been really happy about the quantity of items that I bring along with me when I come.

But then the next day I get a call.

Leann isn’t doing well. She’s been feeling sick. The new meds make her tired and she hasn’t been eating. And I drop everything to spend as much time with her as possible.

Chapter Twenty-One ~ Chris

Three days now.

Three days in a row Emma has been late for work.

And with no explanation about it. In fact, the last time I asked, she insisted that she got caught in traffic, but none of the other girls said anything about traffic.

Something is going on.

But I can’t quite put my finger on what.

She can’t be seeing someone else, right? I can’t imagine Emma as that type. But she’s definitely hiding something and I’m determined to get to the bottom of it.

If I ask her outright, however, she’s likely to clam up again and that’s definitely not what I want. So I’ll have to try something different.

“Hey, Emma!” When she walks through the door I catch her immediately. But I can’t help noticing the guilty look on her face. The way she’s glancing around like she doesn’t want to be here with me right now. And I wonder if it’s just about her being late again, or if there’s something else going on.

“What’s up?”

“Tomorrow, you’re off, right?”

“Um, yeah.” She seems startled by the topic, like that wasn’t what she was expecting.

“I want to get the furniture for the baby’s room.”

“You want … tomorrow … we can …” Now she’s flustered but she gets herself back under control quickly enough, giving me a quick nod. “All right. Sure.”

Maybe that way I can figure out what’s going on. And we can get past whatever has suddenly made her so insecure.

But the next morning, when she comes to the kitchen in some cute shorts and a top that covers her belly, she looks confident. Comfortable. More like the Emma I know.

By the time we’re ready to leave I’m wondering if maybe I was just imagining things. Because now she seems back to normal.

“Where to first?” she asks, climbing into the passenger seat of the car.

“We’ll head to Olsen’s.”

“Olsen’s?” She looks confused and I’m sure she’s never heard of the place. Neither had I until I started looking up baby stores in the area. And this one seems to be the best of the best.

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