Twins For My Bestie’s Brother (Billionaire Daddies)

23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Lily

I stand with my back against the bathroom door until I’m sure Jackson is gone. The bathroom is so steamy it’s starting to be suffocating and the bath is already filled to the brim.

The pregnancy test sits on the sink which is only feet away but may as well be miles since I can’t see the little test window.

Just my luck. I waited hours to take it after Carina grabbed one for me from her personal stash. She had to hype me up for hours to get me to a point where I was willing to accept there’s a possibility I’m pregnant.

And now . . . I’m going to find out.

I push myself away from the door and tiptoe toward the test as if it might run away if it sees me coming. I hold tight to the towel wrapped around my chest, my knuckles aching as I peer down at it.

Carina has the nice test, the expensive ones where you don’t have to rely on reading lines. So, after I wipe the steam away from the window, it’s not hard for me to learn the truth.

Eight letters in a black, blocky font.

Pregnant .

My body recognizes the gravity of the message before my brain. My cheeks grow hot, my mouth numb, my stomach fluttery. I can’t tell if the feelings are bad or good. I think I’m just in shock. I grab the test and realize in the process my hands are shaking.

Pregnant. I’m pregnant.

Thoughts don’t do the message justice.

“I’m pregnant,” I say out loud, a mere whisper on my lips. Then, an indefinable sound jumps out of my mouth. It’s a type of gasp that is both full of grief and wonderment. Grief at the life I had planned out for myself for the next nine months. And wonderment at how it will change. Tears burst from my eyes. It takes me off guard.

It’s been fast from the beginning, Jackson and me. I accepted it was the natural order of things when you have known someone so well for so many years. You say “I love you” on the first date, and you’re already looking at building a future together.

It may sound crazy, but this just makes sense. A baby to join us even closer together.

If this had happened with Will, it would have been a tragedy. This is . . . it’s everything.

I drop the test, the truth, into the sink and clap a hand to my belly, smiling through the tears. It’s unchanged. At least as far as I know. There’s always been a little pooch of softness there that fluctuates depending on the time of the month. I wonder when it will start to change.

I need to talk to someone. Need to tell them. But the only person who deserves to know is Jackson. I can’t tell Kayla before him. Or anyone. I need to tell him .

I have to bide my time. I know he’s got business to take care of and this will throw everything off balance. I’ll take my time getting down there and then . . . who knows how it will come out.

I climb into the tub and let the hot water swallow me. For just another hour, I’m going to pretend like nothing has changed. Because everything is about to.

I take my time getting ready. I do my makeup as pristinely as possible and let my curls drip dry. I don a dress Jackson had bought me for the trip, a beautiful burgundy wool number that’d had me bowled over by the price tag. But it fits perfectly and shows off the curves of my body. Curves that are going to change sooner rather than later.

When I get to The Nexus, it’s already dark out and the vibe has gone from daytime nibbles and bites to a supper club with dark lighting and swooning music. Hopefully, they’re still eating because I’m starving. Thank God I haven’t experienced any of the nausea and vomiting yet and can still enjoy food.

The host leads me all the way to the back where there are private tables set back into the recesses of the walls. I first see Danforth and Carina entangled beside one another at the round table. And then there’s Jackson. When I see him, my heart leaps into my mouth. That’s the father of my child .

He’s smiling, talking animatedly about something, his hands moving as he does so. His golden hair is windswept from the day of skiing and his thermal turtleneck sticks tight to his chest, showing him off in all the right ways. Perfect place for a baby to curl up and take a nap.

He must feel my eyes on him because he’s the first to look up from the table, and when he does, he smiles even bigger, if that’s possible.

God, he doesn’t even know yet. I have the pregnancy test in my purse. A promise to myself that I have to tell him.

Jackson stands up from the table to greet me. “You clean up nice,” he says, pulling me into an embrace and kissing me.

His mouth tastes like red wine. A kiss from someone who’s been drinking can’t hurt the baby, right?

I can’t believe I’m thinking like that now.

“I love this dress,” he murmurs against my mouth.

I smile. “You picked it out.”

Jackson’s hand slides from my back down to my ass. I nearly squeal in surprise. We’re not strangers to PDA, but that’s a line we tend not to cross. Certainly not in a place like this. “I did good,” he goes on, then steps aside as if presenting me. “Doesn’t she look amazing?”

“Amazing!” Carina echoes. Her eyes are vibrating with unasked questions. Amazing how strangers can become confidants when you’re in a time of need. “Are you feeling better, Lily?”

Jackson pulls out my chair for me and I sit. “Much. Just needed a bath and some rest,” I reply, giving her a pointed look to shut down any leading questions.

“You’re probably starving,” Carina says.

Dammit, Carina .

Danforth flags down the waiter and orders a bunch of things without consulting me which is just fine with me at this point. I’ll eat whatever. Except . . . God, I should have looked at the list of stuff you’re not supposed to have while pregnant, so I don’t do something stupid.

“And another bottle for the table,” Danforth says, gesturing toward an empty bottle of red wine that sits at the center of the table. He gives me a smile. “You have to try it.”

I bite my lower lip, looking to Carina for help.

“And a bottle of sparkling water!” Carina shouts out to the waiter before he gets away. “Need our sparkling water.”

Jackson puts his arm over the back of my chair and looks down at my chest. “You really look amazing.”

I tip his chin back up. “How much have you had to drink?” I ask, trying not to sound annoyed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jackson quite like this. At least not while I’m sober. And I can’t say I like it.

“Don’t worry, you’ll catch up,” he says with a grin before kissing me again.

Yeah, about that . . .

“Your timing couldn’t have been more perfect,” Danforth says. “We were just discussing logistics.”

I look between Danforth and Jackson. “Logistics?”

Jackson squeezes my arm. “We’re putting together an adventure expedition business.”

“That’s perfect for you,” I say with a smile. “You’ve got the right man for the job.”

Danforth grins. “I know I do.”

Carina leans on her husband’s shoulder and looks my way. “You and I will be seeing a lot more of each other.”

“I’m sure,” I say. I don’t know how business partners work, but I’m sure there’s going to be lots of visits and traveling and . . . well, the timing isn’t ideal, but we can work through it. Businesses take a long time anyway, right? I’m sure things can be structured around a baby and my business and—

“We’re going to start here in Banff and develop winter sports excursions here at the hotel, graduate to long-term trips,” Danforth explains. “And, of course, we’ll have a place for you to stay here on the residential floor.”

“Residential? Why would you need—”

Jackson interrupts. “To get the business off the ground, Danforth’s asked me to stay up here for a while. Obviously, I wasn’t going to do it if you couldn’t be with me,” he says. Just says it. No concessions or sheepishness about telling me the plan. His plan.

“How long is a while?” I ask him.

Jackson shrugs and shakes his head. “It won’t be too long.”

“At least a year,” Danforth follows up.

My breath catches in my throat. “Those are two . . . very different answers.”

Jackson laughs. “We’ll get it off the ground in no time.”

“A year isn’t no time,” I huff through a smile.

He glances at me. “In business, that’s no time, baby.”

The condescension is palpable.

There are so many thoughts swirling through my head. First: Jackson has made a decision. Not for him. But for us . We are apparently a package deal with him and his business. And being a part of that package means not consulting me whatsoever. That’s news to me.

Second: If I agree to his plan, which would probably require a lobotomy to get me to agree, my plans for the tattoo parlor to open by the summer are completely scrapped. I could go freelance and travel with my equipment, but I would have to build a following, and how many people in Banff are looking to get tattooed on vacation?

Third, and probably most important: A year here means that this baby, our baby, would be born here. Away from my loved ones. Away from my home. I’m sure there would be ways to work around that, but I don’t want to be doing gymnastics to accommodate Jackson’s work and schedule when I’ll be literally carrying his child.

Why? He doesn’t need more money. We’re comfortable. We’re happy. I thought . . .

I thought I came first. I thought we’d come first.

Now I don’t even recognize the man beside me.

The image of red wine sloshing into my wine glass breaks my concentration.