Page 24 of The Baby His Secretary Carries

That wasn’t true, though. Maybe she didn’t want to reveal the father of her baby, but that unnamed man was still a part of her life. A big part, if she was willing to draw such firm boundaries around that incredibly intimate connection.

What the hell were they even doing?

Gio dropped his head back, breaking their kiss.

They were both breathing heavily. She licked her lips and looked at him with such dazed longing he wanted to bottle it. Her hands were still cradling his jaw, but she self-consciously dropped them to her thighs. Remorse crept in around her mouth and eyes.

He fished for the phone, where it had fallen to the cushions.

“Don’t you dare!” She stole the phone and clambered off him. “You’re kind of a monster, do you know that?”

“I just wanted to see if we got anything we can use.” He didn’t usually ignore elephants or unwise kisses, but he was trying to break the mood so he wouldn’t touch her again. His palms were burning with the imprint of her curves.

He watched as she swiped through the photos he’d taken before they kissed.

“That one,” he said.

It was candid and tender. The ring was visible and they were looking into each other’s eyes. The naked hunger she had revealed was already coloring her expression.

“That’s too... This one,” she insisted. Her eyes were closed and it was poorly framed.

As she flicked between the two, her phone pinged with a text.

Mom: I have some difficult news. Call me as soon as you can.

That was a douse of cold water. Gio swore with concern.

“That’s—” She lurched to her feet.

“Stop getting up so fast,” he ordered, still not over the way she’d crumpled to the floor this morning.

“I think I know what this is about, but I need to call her.”

“She’s a midwife, isn’t she? Tell her you fainted. I want her number in case anything else happens to you.”

Molly sighed with tested patience.

“I’m sending the announcement and the photo you like to Nelo, asking him to release it. All right?” She tapped and he heard the whoosh. “You and I are officially engaged. Happy? Now keep your nose out of my personal life.”

She walked into the adjacent office that had been Valentina’s and shut the door.

CHAPTER FIVE

HERMOTHERWASas upset about Sasha’s crash as Molly was.

Along with her busy midwife practice, Patricia Brooks had always done volunteer hours in a teen clinic. That’s where she had met a troubled, pregnant sixteen-year-old. Sasha wanted to have the baby and place it for adoption, but she was hiding her pregnancy from her parents and the much older, married father. She needed somewhere safe to stay.

Patricia had a duty to report abuse, but Sasha had threatened to run away if Patricia involved the authorities. Talking to the teen, all Patricia could see was her own daughter, about to turn that age. She couldn’t ignore Sasha’s plight so she had brought her home. She gave her the care she needed through her pregnancy, hired lawyers and a counsellor who specialized in adoption, and personally caught Libby the day she was born.

Sasha stayed to nurse her daughter for almost two weeks, but as much as she seemed bonded to her baby, she insisted she had to leave without her.

By then, none of them could imagine Libby going to strangers. Patricia had adopted her. She made it clear to Sasha that she considered it an open adoption. Sasha could come at any time to see her daughter and be part of her life, but Sasha was adamant they never reveal she was Libby’s mother.This never happened.

Given their close ties to Sasha, Patricia had understood Molly’s willingness to surrogate for her. She was being as supportive as possible, but she worried, especially now that Sasha had been hurt.

“What does this mean for you?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” Molly replied. “The news reports say her parents are with her so I can’t go see for myself. It sounds like she has a concussion, but they expect her and Rafael to make a full recovery. I’m sure Sasha will reach out to me as soon as she’s able. In the meantime, I’ve been promoted and I’m in Italy right now.”

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