Page 27 of A Linton Scandal

“Maybe,” I said, slowly picking up Juliette. She mumbled something intangible before shifting in my arms. I was surprised at how light she was, and my eyes immediately zeroed in on the dark bruising under her eyes. “I’ll come in a few days to pick him up. He should be home when she moves in.”

“Then you’re really doing this?” Castor said with a brooding expression. “I always thought you weren’t interested in building a family and that everything for you was simply a duty.”

“Everything is to a certain extent,” I said soberly. “Someone has to fulfill father’s demands, as well as take on the responsibilities of the Linton name.”

I avoided Castor’s sympathetic gaze.

“Don’t look at me like that, I’ve only ever done what I wanted. The least my brothers can do is support me or live your lives to the fullest. Don’t spend time overthinking, or worse, pitying me.”

With that said, I quickly left the room holding Juliette. I’d taken on everything that made me who I am, who were they to pity me. I was feared by others and respected by the top business execs in the world.

I held Juliette tighter. I didn’t know what she was doing to me, but I couldn’t say I didn’t like it. Even having her in my arms, stirred up warm emotions inside of me. And now with the image of her with my son in her arms, I was slowly rethinking the terms of the contract I’d had her sign.

I’d lived my life within the boundaries that the Linton name enforced, but maybe a single night’s mistake would be the thing to free me from the leash that had bound me all this time.

TheJoieRestaurant

Juliette

When I woke up, I was shocked to find myself in my bed. For a second, I thought I’d dreamed up the meeting with Mihai’s parents.

I pulled aside my blanket and saw that I was still wearing the dress I’d picked yesterday. Getting out of bed, despite the small headache I had. I undressed and took a shower.

Midway through brushing my teeth, I went into my kitchen to my coffee machine and paused when I remembered what the doctor said about caffeine. Changing my focus, I went to my cabinet and pulled out some non-caffeinated lemon tea.

And picking up the tea pot I rarely used, I placed it on the stove top before going back into the bathroom to finish brushing my teeth.

Luckily for me, it looked like Mihai was taking a break from interrupting my life, therefore I decided to get some work done, and go down to the restaurant to drop off the new dessert menu.

The restaurant, known asJoie;that we owned wasn’t something big and fancy, it was an intimate little spot a few blocks away from my apartment. Originally it had been someone’s house, that had been out of place amongst the high-rise buildings and a fast-growing city. The owner had meant to sell it to one of the more well-known companies but had changed his mind when he heard that Sophie, who’d been friends with his daughter, was looking for a place and sold it to her.

We’d renovated it with our saved dollars but had kept the outside the same. Most of our customers said their curiosity was the biggest reason they came, but it was our food that made them stay.

Seeing that we weren’t open yet, I went around to the back and said hi to a few of the guys who were bringing in the food delivery for that week. Walking past them I avoided bumping into a waitress who was running past me. Finding the office door open I entered to find Sophie, squinting at her computer while chewing the edge of her pen.

“Every time I see you chewing on a pen, I can’t help but wonder if it actually tastes good.”

Glancing at me, Sophie laughed as she placed the well chewed pen on her desk. “Yeah right, you know it’s my stress tick. That’s why Noah always puts a bunch of lollipops and jolly ranchers in my drawer.” She proved this by opening said drawer but there were only wrappers left. “Unfortunately, he underestimated the stress of doing payroll. Anyway, what brings you here today or have I missed another appointment.”

“No, no,” I turned and closed the door before taking a seat. “I decided to drop off the menu early since I was free, and I also had something to tell you.”

She offered me a suspicious look before turning her chair to face me fully. “Oh, should I be nervous.”

“Well… depends on your point of view.” I said with a small smile. “But for me it’s not bad.”

Sophie gave me a look, before she released a sudden exhale and gathered her hands together in her lap. “Okay, go ahead and tell me. I’m ready.”

“I’m getting married to the father of my child,” I announced in a rush.

Despite my expectations, Sophie didn’t react right away. Instead, she stared down at her hands and remained quiet. I expected her to scream, shout, hell even laughing would have been welcomed but she sat there and after a moment she finally looked at me.

“Do you love him?” she asked me seriously.

For the first time in a long time, I had to lie to my friend. I didn’t bother giving a picture of fake joy and seriously met her gaze head on. “Yes, he’s a good guy.”

“When are we going to meet him?”

I bit my lip, “I’ll try to arrange something, but he’s been busy recently.”

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