Page 13 of Last Minute Fiancé

Addison

Living in a state of denial seemed to be subtly working. That, or I had lost my mind enough that it didn’t matter.

My stomach was still slightly achy, but I had gone over twenty-four hours without emptying it. I had to count that for a win, considering the past week I had been throwing up more often than I was keeping things down.

I still couldn’t believe that I was pregnant.

A doctor’s test had confirmed it, and I couldn’t change that fact. Not that I was sure I wanted to.

I told Luca the truth. I had always wanted to be a mom. It was on my five- to ten-year plan. Getting pregnant with my best friend’s baby? Not the plan. But it wasn’t as if we had done this on purpose. It had just happened. It was fate.

And my life was stressing me out to the point that I wasn’t making much sense.

I had gone right back to work too, ignoring the fact that my life was going to change forever. That was fine, because it felt as if my life was constantly changing. After coming back home from grad school, I knew that finding my place within the company was going to be challenging. Not because I wasn’t talented, but because it was a very complicated and cutthroat business. Not all companies were like that, but this one had a reputation for it, and it also had the reputation for being the best.

And I wanted to be the best.

My parents had raised me like that. I was their only child, and my parents were amazing. They worked hard, they took care of each other, and loved me. They helped me through school, and we made sure that I wouldn’t be in student loan debt for the rest of my life. I was in finance for a reason. I was good at what I did, but sometimes it felt like it was all I did.

Things were going to change, I knew that, but I was going to live in this state of denial for a little bit longer.

I was at my desk frowning over paperwork when someone knocked on the doorframe. I looked up to see one of the junior partners and smiled.

Nathan was a good guy, he didn’t kick anyone’s feet out from under them and he didn’t talk shit about people behind their backs. They couldn’t get him fired or take his clients. He was at the top of the food chain and had gotten there ethically and with honor.

He was exactly what I was trying to emulate. The moral high ground while still being damn good at your job.

Because I refused to be my ex.

“Hey, I was just on my way to get lunch if you want to join?”

I raised a brow. Nathan didn’t ask me to lunch, and I didn’t usually go out with just one of them. In fact, I was very good about making sure that I went out with the guys only in a group—I had even learned to golf though I hated it. We were getting into a pickleball era, and I was much better at that. The fact that I had kicked Travis’s ass one day was the icing on the cake on an already beautiful day.

“Oh. That’s nice of you to ask, but I’m working.”

Nathan shook his head. “Sorry. I meant would you like to talk about our next client over lunch and get out of here while a certain group decides to have a shouting fest in the conference room next door?”

I frowned, looking down at my watch.

“Who is having a fighting fest?”

“The man currently vying for the promotion you should get.”

I stood up quickly, ignoring the dizziness, and grabbed my purse.

“Are you kidding me?”

“I’m not. We both know that either of you could handle that position, but only one of you would thrive in it. You know my stance on it, now we need to get the big boss’s stance.”

The big boss, as in Harrington-Wells III.

I wanted that promotion. Ineededit. It was part of my plan. And I could work from home more and set my own hours better. This would be great for the baby.

The baby I was currently denying, but that was neither here nor there.

I needed this, and I was perfect for it.

And if Travis and his goons were going to be working towards getting him the promotion, I needed someone on my side.

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