Page 50 of The Acquisition

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Nope, not going there. How are the two of you getting along? You're both still breathing, so at least there's that."

"He's bossy, but I couldn't do this without him. His lawyer has been a lot of help." She did arrange our wedding after all.

"Any news about your trust fund?" she asked.

I shook my head. "We're looking for my grandfather's will. There's a docket number, but the paperwork is missing. His lawyer, Caroline, is confident it'll turn up. Until then I wait until I'm thirty or get married."

Her nose wrinkled. "That's so 1950’s. You could do it, though."

"Turn thirty? I mean, yeah, eventually."

She bumped me with her shoulder. "Get married. There's got to be someone willing to marry you on paper."

I raised my eyebrow. "I don't have any guy friends."

"That's not true. I know you and Colt bicker, but I always thought it was a friendly thing."

"Are you suggesting I marry your dad?"

Her nose wrinkled. "Hmm, I guess that wouldn't work. We'll just have to figure out something else."

Evie pulled the blanket up over her growing belly. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what brings you here so early in the morning? I'm sure you didn't come here to hash out these issues. You probably already have a plan, and I know you don't like to dwell on things."

I grabbed the leather portfolio holding the artwork for the advertising campaign we've been working on. "I wanted to show you the mock-ups the art department gave to me. We need to decide which one works best for Anderson Global's new corporate branding."

She flipped through the pages before settling on the same one I was partial to. "This one," she confirmed and handed me back the portfolio.

"Okay, I'll get the team on it. There are a few things to be finalized, then I'll start production on the commercial."

Evie took a deep breath. "I know you're done talking about all this, but I have to get this off my chest."

I steeled myself for whatever she was about to say. "Okay, let me have it."

"I'm sorry I wasn't around when all that shit went down with your dad. I feel like I pushed you into that confrontation and then left you to deal with the fall-out," Evie admitted.

I put my hand on hers. "Evie, no. What happened with my dad was going to happen whether I stood up to him or not. He had me locked out of my place before I even made it home. It had nothing to do with what happened at the launch party. He's into some shady shit, and I think he's trying to use my assets to save his ass."

A tear ran down her face, and she angrily swiped at it. "Stupid pregnancy hormones. I just don't want you to work yourself to death. I want you to meet someone and have what I have. That's why I suggested going ahead with an arrangement. Maybe it could be more, you know."

"Like with you and Beck?"

She laughed. "Hopefully you'll find someone you can have a less dramatic beginning with, but I'm happy now. Isn't there anyone you could see yourself settling down with?"

I needed to deflect her. Outright lying to her didn't sit right with me. "I don't want you sitting here worrying about me. Let me get my trust fund sorted out, and then I promise to keep an open mind about the future."

She opened her mouth to no doubt lecture me more, then gasped. "Oh my god! You have to feel this." Evie grabbed my hand and put it on her bump.

Within moments I felt a kick against my palm. A smile spread across my face. "You're going to be a mom."

She laid her head on my shoulder. "I can't do this without you."

"I'll be with you every step of the way," I promised her.

She grimaced and rubbed her belly again. "Only a few more weeks now."

"What did the doctor say?" I asked her.

"I'm thirty-five weeks. The baby would be fine if she was born now, but she'd have to stay in an incubator for a while. There are all kinds of complications possible if she were born now. I just want to give her the best start."

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