Page 344 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

He reached down and stroked her belly. “It would not be good for the little one to miss meals.”

Warmth spread through her body as she remembered that she was pregnant. She put her hand on his and grinned up at him. His eyes brimmed with emotion as he leaned down and kissed her.

“Kommen Sie, let’s get you some food.”

They dried off and dressed, then made their way down to the second floor sitting room where his mother was sitting and reading.

“Guten Morgen,” Ilsa said with a warm smile.

Alex walked over to his mother and kissed her cheek. “Guten Morgen, Mutti,” he said with a big grin. “Is lunch almost ready?”

Ilsa nodded and glanced at Anna. “How are you feeling, Anna?”

Anna smiled and bit her lip. “Good.” She gazed up at Alex with adoration. “Very good.”

Alex pulled her close and she rested her head on his chest. “I told her, Mutti,” he said quietly.

Ilsa beamed. “I thought so. She is glowing even more than she was yesterday.”

Anna buried her face in Alex’s soft black sweater.

“You should go tell your father. He was worried about you two last night.”

“Ja. We worked everything out.” He glanced at Anna. “At least I think we did.”

Anna nodded. She’d forgotten about the Gretchen issue, but right now she didn’t care about Alex’s sister-in-law. She was head over heels in love with Alex and knew he felt the same way.

“Schatzi, I need to tell Vati about Gretchen. Do you want to be in there with me when I do, or would you rather stay out here?”

Anna stuck out her lip. “I don’t want to leave you.”

Alex chuckled. “I don’t want to leave you either.” He took her hand and led her away to the end of the sitting area where a wooden door stood open a few inches.

Chapter 160

Alex’s stomach clenched as he walked toward his father’s study. He wasn’t sure how Vati would react to the news. Anna’s presence meant Vati would be less likely to yell at him. Not that he was afraid of his father. He just wasn’t in the mood to fight. The morning had been incredible so far and he didn’t want to ruin it. But the Gretchen situation needed to be dealt with. Especially her attitude toward Anna.

He knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

He pushed open the door and allowed Anna in first. She stopped mid-step and looked around at the oval-shaped room, eyes wide. “I’ve been here before...” She glanced back at Alex. “I saw you yelling at each other here.”

Alex raised his brows. “You did?”

Anna nodded. “You were very loud.”

Alex didn’t recall seeing Anna in his father’s office at any point and wondered which fight she had seen. There had been many. Had there been other times she’d seen him and he hadn’t known?

Wilhelm sat behind his large wooden desk, typing something into his computer. He smiled when he saw them. “Good Morning.”

“Good Morning, Vati.”

Wilhelm looked at them. “Everything okay with you two?” he asked in English.

Alex nodded and saw Anna’s cheeks turn pink. His father looked at Alex and raised his eyebrows, his eyes full of amusement.

“Vati... there’s something I need to tell you.”

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