Page 43 of The Billionaire's Accidental Legacy

“I don’t want to hurt you,” she said. “But I’m afraid. I don’t know how to be a mother. I don’t know how to be anything but a con artist. I was never taught anything different or better. Your aunt Maren and I were taught nothing about how to love. About how to be a family. We were only ever taught how to use people. But I want you to learn better. She and I have learned how to care for each other. To put each other first. We’ll do the same with you. She’ll help me. And anyway, she’s a princess. Which is pretty cool.”

And just then, she saw a white plane descending.

There was no doubt what that meant.

“No,”she said.

He was here.

She couldn’t bear it. She couldn’t bear to be confronted by him, not at this moment. Except...

Maren.

This was Maren’s doing.

“I take back everything that I just said. Your aunt Maren is a turncoat. She’s... She’s not to be trusted.”

She grabbed her phone and called her sister. “Maren, what have youdone?”

“I’m making you safe,” said Maren.

She could hear commotion through the phone. Likely the opening of the plane door.

“I told you not to involve him. He doesn’t want anything to do with me or the baby.”

“That isn’t what he told me.”

“Hey.”

“Jessie,” and she would know that voice anywhere. “You have no choice. This is exactly the kind of thing that you said you would tell me about.”

“I have assessed the risk and determined that it does not require you or your intervention.”

“It requires me.”

“It doesn’t.”

She heard a car door close. “I will not watch you bleed out and die, do you understand me? I will not lose you or this child. I will brook no argument on the topic.”

“You have no authority over me,” she said.

“I am the Duke of Kilmorack. And I will exercise the authority in my blood.”

Fury filled her. “Technically, you gave the title to me.”

“Technically, you can’t do that.” And then he hung up.

She growled in frustration and flung her phone down onto the couch.

She knew they would be here in only a couple of minutes.

Now she was afraid, and angry and she didn’t know which was worse.

She paced back and forth, the length of the room. And didn’t stop moving until she saw a black town car pull up in front of the estate. She could see her sister and his Royal Dukeness sitting in the back.

They got out of the car, and she was struck by the way Ewan towered over Maren. He was such a tall man. And he looked good walking next to her sister.

She fought back a wave of jealousy. What a ridiculous thing.

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