Page 27 of A Baby to Make Her His Bride

He sent her a pitying look over his shoulder. “I know your mother’s maiden name and the first concert you attended.”

Ugh. All those times when he’d actually seemed to be interested in her had just been a fishing expedition?

“I’ll tell my lawyer about this.” She was growing more revolted by the minute at how closely Neal had been monitoring her activities. She was also sickly aware of Jasper upstairs. What if he started rattling through drawers and Neal heard him?

Neal looked toward the kitchen and paused.

“That’s two coffee mugs.” He swiveled his gaze the other direction. “And a pair of really big shoes.” Slowly he lifted his gaze to the top of the stairs. And went very still.

Vienna’s insides congealed.

With horror, she watched Jasper’s bare feet appear through the peekaboo stairs, unhurried as he descended into the cesspool that was her dissolving marriage.

CHAPTER SEVEN

ASHESTEPPEDfrom the shower, Jasper heard the chime of the front door opening. Voices. Vienna sounded angry. Distressed.

He stepped into a pair of shorts and yanked up the fly, hearing her cry, “Youtrackedme? That is stalker level awful, Neal.”

Neal? A ball of hatred coalesced in his gut.

“I’ll tell my lawyer about this.” The shaken edge on Vienna’s voice took him to the top of the stairs in time to see a crisply dressed man halt below and take note that she wasn’t alone.

Jasper’s plans for Orlin Caulfield and REM-Ex, delicate as a house of cards, flashed in his mind’s eye as he met the affronted gaze of Vienna’s ex.

“Who the hell are you?” Neal asked as Jasperdescended the stairs, shirtless and shoeless and never breaking eye contact with this A-grade piece of garbage.

Was he infuriated that his plan for justice was suddenly in grave jeopardy? Oh, yes. But he wasn’t going to leave Vienna to face this jackass alone.

“Everything all right, Vi?” Jasper paused on the bottom step.

“You didn’t have to come down. Neal is leaving.” She was clinging to her elbows, cheekbones standing out like tent poles holding up the distressed hollows of her cheeks. Her pleading eyes said,I’m sorry.

“Wow.” Neal shoved his hands in his pockets, looking between them while wearing a calculating expression. “I genuinely didn’t think you had it in you, sweetheart. You do recall there’s an adultery clause in our prenup? Big brother put that in.”

“I remember.” Vienna’s chin came up. “I remember why, too.”

“Ihave stayed faithful since our wedding.” He set a hand on his chest as though insulted she would suggest otherwise. “You can take that to the bank. Actually,Iwill, since you haven’t.”

“You can’t claim adultery when we’re separated,” she said crossly.

“We’ll see if the courts agree.”

“Oh, go ahead. Run up the lawyer bills!” She flung her hand in the air. “I don’t care.”

“But what will thepaperssay?” He was enjoying toying with her. Jasper could see it and wanted to punch that smug glee right off his face.

“She didn’t leave you for me,” Jasper said flatly. “She simply left.You.”

Neal didn’t know what to make of that. His jaw worked as he held Jasper’s stare, then his eyes narrowed. “I know you.”

And there it was. Vienna had said he was in sales. People successful in that field tended to remember faces and names.

“You’re Amelia’s missing brother.”

The pyramid of cards began to topple.

“That’s going to playreallywell with the shareholders,” Neal said to Vienna. “You left your husband for an affair with your brother-in-law? The one who’s on the run for...what the hell is it you’ve done?”

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