Page 47 of Secret Baby for a Damaged Billionaire

“Really?” she asks, her eyes shining with relief. She smiles through her tears, leaning in to rest her head on my shoulder. “Thank you. For being here, for always being my rock.”

“Always,” I promise, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “No matter what.”

Chapter Twenty-One (Emily)

I sit cross-legged on the floor of my apartment, surrounded by an explosion of paper, pens, and half-empty coffee cups. My laptop screen flickers as I try to focus on contract negotiations with the high-end sponsor whose logo will be plastered all over our uniforms. It’s a mess in here, and if anyone were to walk in, they’d think a tornado had ripped through the place.

“Okay,” I mutter to myself, trying to make sense of the legal jargon swimming across the screen. “Section 4.1… Sponsorship obligations….” My eyes scan back and forth as I attempt to digest the information.

With a sigh, I grab my phone and send Lucas a text message.

Hey, have you seen these new stipulations from the sponsor? They’re asking for a lot. What do you think?

Minutes tick by, and there’s no response. I nibble on my lower lip, hand on my belly, as worry sets in. This isn’t like him, he’s always been quick to respond, especially when it comes to business matters. I tap out another message.

Lucas, is everything okay? Haven’t heard from you today.

As I wait for a reply, I glance around the chaos of my apartment—the piles of laundry on the couch, dishes overflowing in the sink, and stacks of dog food bags waiting to be delivered to the shelter. It feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day, and with Lucas being unresponsive, my concern only grows.

“Come on, Lucas, where are you?” I mumble under my breath, tapping my fingers against the screen of my phone. A flash of guilt creeps in, making me wonder if I’ve been too demanding lately with everything going on. My pregnancy caught both of us off guard and I know I have to give us time to fully grasp the idea.

Shaking off the feeling, I send one more text.

Please let me know what’s going on. I’m getting worried.

My thumb hovers over the Send button for a moment before pressing it.

I stare at my phone, willing it to buzz with a response. As the minutes pass, my mind begins to race with possibilities—is he suffering from a panic attack? Is he having second thoughts about us? Have I pushed him away?

“Damn it, Lucas,” I whisper, frustration and worry battling in my chest. “Please just answer me.”

As I sit there, surrounded by the chaos of my life, all I can do is hope that whatever is keeping him silent can be resolved. And soon.

The joy of having a little baby inside of me is beyond words. I have to admit when I found out, I immediately considered the scenario of raising him or her by myself. It was wrong of me to jump to the conclusion that Lucas wouldn’t want to be involved. I feel guilty about it, but now that he has fallen silent, I’m wondering if my initial thought was correct.

Pacing my cluttered apartment, I know it must be about the pregnancy. Maybe it’s triggering his PTSD. I remember how he reacted to the news, knowing it was a tidal wave of emotions.

I know it’s a lot for us to face all of a sudden, but in my heart, I believe we can do this. It’s not what I had planned for us but having a family with Lucas feels so right. We’re meant to do this together, I know it. And I have no doubt he will be an amazing father. I just pray he sees it that way too.

“Enough is enough,” I tell myself, grabbing my keys and shoving them into my purse. “I’m going to find out what’s going on with him.” I make my way down the stairs, determination fueling each step.

The drive is a blur as my emotions take over my rational thought. Reaching the entrance to Lucas’s apartment building, my nerves start to get the better of me. What if this just makes things worse? I hesitate in front of the door, but I know I can’t live with the uncertainty any longer.

#

I arrive at Lucas’s apartment to find him pacing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, hands clasped behind his back. He turns at the sound of the door opening, eyes widening briefly before his usual cocky grin slides into place. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Charlie bounds over to me, tail wagging, and I pet him lovingly behind his ears.

“Em. Wasn’t expecting you.” His tone is casual, but the tension in his shoulders betrays him.

I cross my arms. “Obviously. Since when do you ignore my texts and calls?”

He winces, scrubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah, I deserved that. I’m sorry, babe, things have been… complicated.”

“How so?” I demand, suspicion flaring as I glance around the open space. There’s no sign of another woman, not that I actually believed Lucas would cheat. But his behavior is so out of character, I don’t know what else to think. “If this is about the baby, we should—”

“It’s not about that,” he interrupts, expression softening as he steps forward to take my hands. His are warm and rough, the familiarity instantly soothing my frayed nerves. “The baby is the one good thing I have to look forward to. This is… other stuff. Business complications.”

I frown, searching his gaze. Lucas isn’t usually this evasive. He’s a man who faces problems head-on, as directly and efficiently as he does everything else in life.

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