Page 3 of A Linton Scandal

He shrugged, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “I can’t help that we looked good together.”

I found myself laughing at that. Back then I’d been as round as the chocolate bon-bons I’d been learning to make. With warm chocolate skin, and a head of thick hair I only knew how to oil and twist back. Compared to Noah, who reminded me of a cheerful Viking, I hadn’t been on his level. Not that I had any negative thoughts about myself. I’d been much more focused on reaching my goal and finishing school to get a good internship in Belgium, the chocolate paradise of the world. Even now, my hips were still round. If it weren’t for my other friend Sophie insisting I join her in her effort to get healthy for her upcoming wedding, I would probably have still been a jolly bon-bon.

I gave Noah a long look. “I guess we did make a cute picture back then. You had a lot less muscle in the past.”

He offered me a wide grin. “This is all for my lovely fiancée, whom you introduced me to. My goddess,” he added on with a sigh.

“Ugh, could you not flaunt your love at me,” I grumbled. “I warned you last time, if you do it again, I’ll cut you and Sophie off.”

He pouted, fluttering his lashes at me. “No, who’s going to watch our kids in the future if you do that?”

“Well, there’s always your brother,” I teased.

The look of horror he gave me made me choke on my water. It quickly changed to one of betrayal. “And here I thought you loved me and Sophie. If Rock got his hands on my kids, they’d be ruined.” Rock being Noah’s very flamboyant older brother, who liked to make major life decisions by flipping a coin.

Setting my cup down, I watched him continue to complain about his brother and after a few more minutes I said aloud. “ Maybe I should have a kid first.”

Noah cut his tirade short and shot me an amused side-eye. “You? Are you joking, aren’t you the same person who turned down every guy Sophie ever tried to set you up with?”

I avoided his eyes, “It wasn’t every guy and maybe I just wasn’t ready to settle down yet.”

“Right, or maybe it was because you couldn’t forget that ass, Daniel.”

Barely holding back from snapping at him, I instead gritted my teeth and only glared at him.

“Don’t glare at me, I’m only spitting facts. You spent two years longing after him, but that dick acted like he didn’t know. And to add insult to injury, he invited you to his wedding so you could make him a chocolate statue,” Noah sneered.

I always found it funny how we’d become friends because of Daniel but the only one who stayed in touch with him was me. Well, I’d stayed in touch until the wedding.

“That’s enough,” I said softly. “I’m no longer that girl, there are no worries in that direction. Since you wanted to know why it took me awhile to get here from the hospital, I’ll tell you.”

As if surprised by the seriousness of my expression. Noah’s entire body tensed.

“I’m pregnant.”

For a second, he didn’t seem to hear me, his eyes seemed to glaze over as he sighed, giving me a pitiful look. “I get it, Jul you don’t have to try to shake me up with such a lie. I won’t bring him up again.”

“I’m not lying.” I glared at him, damn and this is supposed to be a friend of mine. “I’m serious, I’m pregnant.”

“What?” he shouted as he abruptly stood, staring down at me like I was an Alien. “W… what, how?”

I could immediately feel the eyes of the other customers. I felt a headache building at the back of my head. And I reached out, grabbed the edge of his sleeve and pulled it down. He plopped down and stared at me. “Jul’s, tell me?” He demanded in a harsh whisper.

I shot him a sarcastic look. “Are you sure you don’t know how?”

He frowned. “You know what I mean. Is he someone I know? Does Sophie know him? Did you both decide not to tell me, how dare you?” He gasped in betrayal. “Did you meet a man and not tell big brother, for shame.”

“No, no and we wouldn’t do that about something like this,” I answered easily, used to Noah’s moments of rapid questioning. “And who is my brother? I don’t think my mother had another child?”

Frowning, he leaned forward glancing around as if to ensure the audience he’d drawn had gone back to focusing on their meals. “So, who’s the father?”

That was the most important thing wasn’t it. Who was the father of the child that had taken residence in my stomach? The biggest question also caused me to draw the biggest blank. Not because I couldn’t pinpoint when I’d slept with the person and where, but because the morning I woke up they were gone and the only thing I’d felt after was solace that I had no idea who they were and luck that I was faithful when it came to taking my pill.

Yet, that didn’t mean I didn’t suffer from a moment of embarrassment. I averted my eyes from Noah’s eager gaze. “I don’t know,” I finished lamely.

“You.” He paused covering his mouth, his eyes widened. “You didn’t… Not with Daniel?”

“No, it’s not his,” I nearly shouted, but I caught myself at the last minute. “I… I know when. It was the night of his wedding. Remember we went to the bar of the venue, after you and Sophie left, I went with Monica to drink some more at the Sky lounge. We’d booked a room because we knew we weren’t leaving anytime soon. At some point she left me to my own devices at the bar, and the next thing I know I’m waking up in a random room.”

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