Page 36 of The Billionaire's One-Night Baby

She yawned and nodded. ‘Mmm, I have to start eating better. This baby saps me of all my energy.’

‘That’s one reason. The other is that I intend on taking you upstairs and doing this, and more, again. Are you up for that?’

She lifted her head to look at him, her eyes soft and sweet. Then her smile turned wicked. ‘Oh, I’m up for anything, Le Roux.’

The next morning, Dodi agreed to accompany Jago to an upscale farmers’ market north of the city, where he was meeting his twin, and Thadie and her kids, for breakfast. It was family time, he explained, something they did every month or so.

Dodi knew of their monthly breakfast date and was honoured to be invited to join them. She just didn’t know how she was going to explain why she was with Jago, how she was going to answer Thadie’s curious questions.

She wasn’t ready to tell Thadie that she was sleeping with her brother and was definitely not ready to tell her that she was carrying his baby. Partly because Thadie was stressed out of her mind and partly because she didn’t know how her relationship with Jago—could it even be called a relationship?—would affect the most important relationship in her life.

She couldn’t lose Thadie. It would kill her.

Walking alongside Thadie, who was dressed in a short, pretty, lime-green sundress, enormous sunglasses and flat sandals, Dodi waited for the interrogation to start. Any minute now Thadie would ask her why she and Jago were together so early on a Sunday morning.

I was in the shower with him just a couple of hours ago and he had his hands...

No, she couldn’t tell her that. There were some things her best friend didn’t need to know, especially when it came to her older brother.

Thadie stopped to look at leather handbags and Dodi looked around, her eyes immediately going to Jago’s broad back. They’d briefly stopped at his house so that he could change into a loose, linen shirt and tan cargo pants. He wore expensive leather flips-flops on his feet and a pair of dark sunglasses covered his eyes. Micah wore board shorts and a green T-shirt, and he was pushing the double pram holding the chattering twins, who were dressed in cute matching outfits of denim shorts and patterned T-shirts.

Thadie’s bodyguard hovered a few steps behind her, dressed casually but on high alert.

‘I need coffee,’ Thadie declared, gesturing to a stall selling upmarket coffee. ‘Do you want a cup?’

Dodi just managed to stop herself from shuddering. The smell of coffee made her want to hurl. ‘I think I’ll have fruit juice instead.’

Knowing that Thadie would ask her what was wrong with her—up until she’d fallen pregnant, coffee was her favourite food group—Dodi attempted to distract her. ‘Where’s Clyde?’

Thadie pulled her towards the cart selling coffee. ‘He plays golf every Sunday.’

Dodi didn’t think the world would stop turning if Clyde skipped golf once in a while.

‘Besides, I told him I needed to spend some time with my brothers before the wedding, as a family. I haven’t seen much of them, or you, lately. It’ssonice to see you.’

Dodi pushed her hand into the crook of Thadie’s elbow. ‘I know, I’m so sorry. It’s been mad. Are you okay?’

Thadie joined the line for coffee and stared down at the dusty floor, her shoulders lifting. ‘I don’t know. I’m getting married in a month and it’s starting to get real, you know?’

A bit too real? Real enough and scary enough for her to call it off? She was debating whether she should verbalise her concerns about Thadie’s marriage when she saw a very familiar person, walking hand in hand with a dark-haired woman. She sucked in her breath, feeling a little lightheaded.

She’d hadn’t seen him since the day she broke up with him, a couple of days after Lily’s death and before her funeral, and Dan looked just the way she remembered him, with his thick hair and his glasses falling halfway down his nose. He was dressed in his usual summer uniform of shorts and a boldly patterned printed shirt, this one in bright yellows and greens.

As if feeling her eyes on him, Dan looked around and he jerked, just a little, when he recognised her.

He lifted his hand, sort of waved and sent a swift smile. God, Johannesburg had a population of six million people and she had to run into Dan at a farmers’ market outside of the city. What were the chances and why was life punishing her like this?

Dan mouthed some words and she wished she could pretend that she couldn’t understand him. Are you okay?

No, I’m not okay, she wanted to scream.You cheated on and lied to me, played mind games with me!

Dodi closed her eyes and shook her head, instinctively wrapping her hands around her middle, feeling as if she was about to fall apart. Losing his friendship, that closeness, still made her heart ache, dammit.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a woman tugging him away. He looked back, just once, his face filled with sadness and regret. But Dodi knew he wasn’t sorry. He’d loved making her life hell. Dan was an excellent actor.

‘Dan doesn’t look a day older,’ Thadie commented.

She nodded, unable to speak.

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