Page 55 of The Playboy's Most Unexpected Baby

“It’s just… shocking that you don’t believe I could actually care about Charlie,” Olivia said. “I understand that you’ve had some bad experiences. That sucks, and I’m really sorry about that. But that doesn’t mean the same thing is always going to be true for everyone. Do you really think Charlie isn’t good enough for me?”

“That’s what you heard me say? That’s not what I said. I said you weren’t good enough forhim.”

“I mean, I know you think you said that, but you really didn’t. You said that the only reason I could have for being with Charlie was his money. That means that you don’t think there’s anything about him that’s worth more than what he has in the bank.” Olivia shook her head. “It’s a terrible thing to think about your own brother. Don’t you know him? Don’t you know how smart and funny he is? How endearing? Don’t you see how when there’s something he wants, he never gives up on it? You don’t see how any of those attributes might appeal to a woman? Or do you just think I’m so blinded by money that I never noticed what a great guy he is?”

Charlie was stunned. He’d had no idea that Olivia felt all those things for him, and it made him dizzy to realize it now. Guilt flooded him. He hadn’t just fallen for her. He had made her fall forhim.It felt as if he had tricked her somehow — he must have. There was no way she could have developed those feelings genuinely.

No one had ever said such kind things about him before.

Cait turned to Rogan. “Do we have any recourse here? Is there any way for us to protest this?” she asked. “These two could sign every document in the world and I still wouldn’t believe they’re taking this seriously.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Olivia said heavily.

“I’ll decide for myself what I need to do,” Cait told her. “Trust me, there has never been a moment since all this began that I’ve wanted advice from you.”

“I mean you don’t need to do that because this is all going to come out soon enough anyway,” Olivia said.

Charlie’s heart stopped. What was she doing? Was she really about to confess the truth here, in front of everyone? She couldn’t even wait until they were on their own to make a plan for what they would do next?

Olivia turned to Charlie. “I wanted to wait to talk to you about this when we were alone,” she said.

“Then I think youshould.” He hoped she would take the hint.

But Olivia shook her head. “I’m tired,” she told him. “I’m tired of your family fighting us at every turn. I’m tired of being made to feel as if I’m some villain who’s only here to disrupt things that are supposed to be good for the four of you. I’m sick to death of your sister suggesting that I’m after your money, when you and I both know that’s not quite the way things are.”

He wondered what she meant by that. Shehadmarried him for money. There wasn’t any getting around that. Did she really think she could convince Cait that there had been something noble about her motives? Cait wasn’t the type to understand that Olivia had needed the money to help her family. She wouldn’t sympathize with that.

“Is there something we should know?” Rogan asked. “Now is the time, if there is.”

“I don’t know aboutshould,” Olivia said. “But I can see that no one is going to leave us alone until they get every scrap of information they’re after, so all right.”

She looked around at all of them, and the expression on her face was so exhausted, so resigned, that Charlie’s heart ached. He wanted nothing more than to chase his siblings away from her so that she wouldn’t have to deal with them ever again.

And then she spoke. “I’m pregnant.”

CHAPTER22

OLIVIA

She couldn’t quite believe she’d said it, and as the words left her mouth, she lowered her head, unable to bring herself to look at any of the others.

Nobody spoke.

Charlie was the only one whose reaction really concerned her — everybody else could think what they liked. As a matter of fact, she wished the others would just go away.

They wouldn’t, of course. When had they ever?

“Is this true?” Rogan asked.

“I’ve got a note from my doctor if you need to see it.” She wouldn’t have put it past any of them to insist on that.

“Well, no, I don’t think we need to do that,” Rogan said. “Pregnant! Well, this certainly changes things, doesn’t it?”

“I guess it does,” Scott said, and for a wonder, he sounded as if he meant it. “I guess this was a real marriage after all.”

“Yeah, I guess it was,” John agreed. He hesitated. “We owe you an apology, I think, Olivia.”

“You don’t owe me anything.” Of course they did, but she didn’t know whether she was ready to accept their apology. She didn’t know if she wanted to speak to them at all. The only person she wanted to talk to right now was Charlie.

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