Page 48 of Secret Babies For My Brother's Best Friend

We both stared at the quiet phone, half expecting the woman to climb out of it and have a go at him in person. When that didn’t happen, Luca sighed, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

“There’s no reasoning with that woman,” he said. “She’s crazy if she thinks I’m going to that party. I don’t care how many tickets your brother buys… And don’t look at me like that.”

I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my laughter, but it only upset him more. “I’m sorry,” I said, no longer hiding my amusement. “I just had no idea you were this terrified of your mom.”

He glared at me, the muscle in his jaw twitching in agitation. “I’m not afraid of my mother.”

“Yes, yes you are.” I laughed loudly that time. “You should’ve seen your face when you threw the phone at me.”

His irritation melted a little, and a small smile broke onto his face. “Well, you heard her. Wouldn’t you be a little scared if you had to deal with that?”

“I just did,” I replied proudly. “Handled it like a pro, if I do say so myself.”

“Because you haven’t been beaten down by it your whole life,” Luca said, sitting down beside me again.

“The trick is to just agree with everything she says.” I turned to face him. “By the way, she said you’re dead to her if you don’t go.”

I bit back another laugh as Luca covered his face in his hands, groaning loudly as he cursed in Italian. It was the first time in so long that I felt something close to normal. Content, almost. Sitting there with him and sharing that moment made it feel like we were a couple. People who shared each other’s lives.

“Thank you for doing that,” he said, a soft smile on his face. “I just don’t have the energy to fight with her anymore.”

My hand went to my stomach, and another wave of nausea overwhelmed me out of nowhere. It was the worst one yet, and when my mouth filled with saliva and a harsh metallic taste, I knew it wasn’t one I’d be able to swallow back.

Luca’s smile turned back into a deep frown, and he gripped my knee. “Scarlett, are you okay?”

I shook my head violently as I sprang up from the couch and made a run for it. Hopefully, the staff bathroom would be empty because I could only imagine the gossip that would be making the rounds if anyone overhead me spewing my guts in there.

And even as I heaved over the bowl, shaking with every wretch that ripped through me, I made a mental note to stop by the drug store on my way home. Not that I needed a test to tell me what was going on…

Chapter 19

Luca

Myownbusiness,myown building, but all day I’ve felt like I’ve been walking on tiptoe around Scarlett. She never answered my calls after fleeing from my office, and hours later she sent me a vague “I’m okay” text message. I didn’t press her for more because she’s shown me that when I push, she retreats.

Angelique’s line buzzed, and I answered.

“Sir, your meeting request has been declined. Miss James has a prior commitment,” she said plainly and then went silent.

I knew she was waiting for my response, but I was having trouble finding it. Blocking out time on Scarlett’s calendar was a last resort. I figured there was no way she’d refuse an official meeting, as much as she was avoiding me around the office.

“Sir?” Angelique’s voice came again. “Would you like me to try another time?”

“No,” was my plain response, and I ended the call.

I gathered my resolve and packed up my desk. I was Luca Moretti, for heaven’s sake. I wasn’t going to let stupid feelings turn me into some unrecognizable lovesick puppy. It was a mistake—all of it. And if Scarlett wanted to play things that way then I wasn’t going to stop her.

On my way out, I caught a glimpse of fiery red hair disappearing into one of the smaller boardrooms. All of my logic told me to ignore it, that it was going to end the way every other one of my attempts to talk to Scarlett had gone.

But there was no room for logic in my heart, and before I knew it, I had closed the door and was busy drawing the blinds.

“What are you doing?” she asked, the power cable to the projector in her hand.

Nothing was said, but she was immediately pissed off for whatever reason.

“We need to talk.” I pulled out a chair at the boardroom table and motioned for her to sit.

Scarlett stubbornly stuck out her chin and folded her arms across her chest. “I’m setting up for a meeting, Luca. In about ten minutes the rest of my team is going to be walking through that door.”

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