Page 54 of Pursued By My Grumpy Fiancé
“Right, that makes sense. Go on,” I concede.
“Thank you. Well, it may come as no shock to you that I’m here because I’m pregnant. She’s Landon’s. I don’t want to have to tell you this, but it only seems fair. Woman to woman, I’d want to know.” She leans forward, a smug look on her face.
The strong urge to hit her washes over me before I shake it away. Assaulting a pregnant woman is definitely not something I want on a criminal record.
“I’m sorry, what are you saying? That you and Landon slept together like, eight months ago? And now you’re pregnant?” I ask, trying to make sense of it all.
“Well, not just eight months ago. We’ve been sleeping together ever since then, too,” she says.
My jaw drops at this revelation.
“So, Landon knows you’re pregnant.” I say simply. There’s something in my bones telling me that this situation isn’t right, but I need to keep fishing for information.
“Yes, he’s known for a while,” she confirms.
“Okay, so why are you coming here now? Why are you telling me?” The confusion is dizzying, and I take a deep breath in hopes that it clears the nausea welling up in my stomach.
“I think you deserve to know. I want to tell Eleanor this week. I didn’t think it would be fair to surprise you with this news. And aside from that, I want you to step away from your relationship with Landon.” Her tone is even, calm.
I can tell that she’s used to getting what she wants from people.
“Step away from it?” I ask, dazed. Our relationship has just started, and the end is already looming. Not that she knows that. No, to the world, we’ve been in a relationship for much longer.
“Yes. After I tell Eleanor, it will be announced publicly. It wouldn’t be very becoming of you to insert yourself in between a family.” Her voice is syrupy sweet, and I can feel my nose twitching.
“Um, I need to talk to Landon about this. You should go.” I shoot to my feet.
I wipe my hands on my pants as I resist the urge to strangle the woman sitting before me. She gives me a wry smile and rises to her feet slowly.
She waddles toward the front door, walking excruciatingly slowly. As we approach the front door, she stops and turns back towards me.
“Please consider what I said. I’d hate for you to get hurt when Landon inevitably chooses his growing family over his relationship with you.” Her lips curl into a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes, revealing her sinister nature.
I close the door behind her and sink to the floor. This has all become quite a mess.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Landon
Istepinthedoor and put my nose in the air. Whatever Hailey has made smells absolutely divine, which shouldn’t surprise me, because one of the things that I’ve learned about Hailey as we’ve spent more time together is that she’s an absolutely incredible cook.
I peek into the kitchen and find it empty and dark. The roast is sitting on the stove, uncarved. I wave my hand over it. There’s warmth coming from it, but by how little of it there is, it’s clear that it’s been sitting there for a while. An uneasy feeling twists in my stomach. Tension is thick in the air, and I immediately know that something is wrong.
“Hailey?” I call out in a panicked tone.
My biggest worry is that someone has broken in and hurt her, despite there being no evidence to suggest that. The front door was locked, and nothing is broken.
“In here.” I hear her call from somewhere within the penthouse.
Her voice is off. It’s flat, and tinged with sadness. I slowly walk into the bedroom. It’s empty. My attention is turned towards the bathroom, as I see light pouring out from the slightly cracked door. I push the door open gently and walk in to see Hailey laying in a steamy, overfilled bubble bath. A bottle of wine sits beside the tub, half full. A nearly drained wine glass rests in Hailey’s hand.
“Hailey? Are you okay?” I ask as I walk in. I kneel in front of her and examine her face. Upset colors her features, and a small frown pulls her delicate, heart-shaped lips downward.
“You want the truth?” she asks.
She stands up and drains the tub. She wraps a terry cloth robe around her as she steps out. I nod slowly, unsure of what has caused this sudden change in behavior.
“Yes, please tell me. I’m really worried about you,” I say.
