Rachel Bailey - Return of the Secret Heir

“I’m sorry, princess,” he said tightly.

Her eyes flared wide and her arms dropped to her sides. “Why are you sorry?”

“Your career is in tatters, everything is a mess.” He’d made it into a mess. “And it was all for nothing.”

“It wasn’t for nothing,” she said, her delicate hand reaching to cup his cheek. “You finally know who your father was. You’d always wanted to know that.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, unwilling to give in to the rage now that he had some control over it. “I preferred not knowing to finding out it was this monster.”

“There’s something else I should tell you,” she said tentatively.

His shoulders stiffened. What else could there possibly be? “Go on.”

She took a small step back and folded her arms under her breasts. “It wasn’t a coincidence I had this account.”

“Warner gave it to you?” He eyed her sharply. “Did he know of our involvement?” He wouldn’t put it past that twisted man to try and manipulate people from beyond the grave.

“I don’t think he knew.” Her forehead creased as she considered. “At least there was nothing in the reports about me.”

“So why do you have it?” he asked warily.

“I asked for it,” she said, and drew in a shaky breath. “Lobbied for it, actually.”

His jaw slackened as he put the pieces of the puzzle together. The betrayal slugged him right in the solar plexus. “You knew?”

“I suspected,” she said, wincing. “You mother slipped once over lunch and mentioned the name Warner. It’s not a common name and the first Warner who came to mind was powerful enough to keep Theresa on the run over the years. So I did a little digging.”

He shoved his fingers through his hair and forced himself to relax. Pia hadn’t known, merely suspected. Not a betrayal. “Did she know you were doing that?”

“I never said a word. But I found out she worked in the Bramson Holdings’ secretarial pool about the time you were conceived. It wasn’t much, and purely circumstantial, but enough to convince me I could be right.”

He sank his hands into his pockets. He had to be missing something here. “But still, why take on the case?”

“I thought…hoped, I could do something. For Theresa, and for you.” She drifted over to a framed photo of his mother on a shelf and picked it up, touching the glass with a finger.

He moved behind her and looked down at the photo she held. It was one of his favorite snapshots-his mother laughing at something he’d said. Even with everything she’d had to cope with, she always made sure he’d never felt the strain she’d been under. The woman deserved a medal.

He looked back at Pia-she’d also tried to help, but taking on his father’s will and estate was at best misguided. “What could you have done?”

Shrugging one shoulder, she replaced the photo but didn’t meet his eyes. “I nudged a few times on the question of heirs. Asked if there was the possibility of other children we needed to allow for when we drew up the will.”

He choked out a laugh. “He denied it, of course. Point-blank denied my existence.”

She nodded. Didn’t need to say the words. “I’m sorry,” she said, then chewed down on her bottom lip. “I know this seems like I was sticking my nose into your family business, but-”

“But you were trying to help my mother,” he finished for her. A week ago he might have been more upset about the interference. But between the media stalking them and discovering his father was a monster who’d tracked him through years of childhood and never lifted a finger to help, he couldn’t work up too much steam for this as well.

“Yes,” she said weakly.

He rubbed a hand across his chin, looking for his equilibrium. “I can’t fault your motives, but I wish you’d come to me instead of setting off on your own.”

“We weren’t on friendly terms, JT.”

She was right-would he have even spoken with her a year ago? His cell rang in his pocket. His gut clenched. Could it be worse timing? He’d turn the damn thing off and let it take messages. But as he fished it out, he saw his office’s private line and his heart sank.

“I have to take this,” he said, glancing up at Pia. “It’s my secretary and I told her to only call if it was urgent.”

Pia smiled her understanding and walked over to Winston who was perched on a vacant shelf in the bookcase. JT watched her draw the cat to her chest and felt a stab of jealousy over the easy way she cuddled him. He rolled his eyes-things were sad if he was jealous of a feline.

Bracing an arm against the wall, he thumbed the talk button. “Hello, Mandy.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Mr. Hartley, but there’s something new on the internet news that I thought you’d want to know.”

Still watching Pia and Winston, he shook his head. Probably his half brothers crowing over their win. “It’s okay, Mandy, I know about the loss of standing-”

“Mr. Hartley, they’re saying Ms. Baxter is pregnant. By you.”

He swore and covered his eyes with a hand as the world crowded in on him.

Pia grabbed her ringing cell from her bag, just as she heard JT let loose an oath. Her screen showed Seth Kentrell. In her rush to leave the office, she’d forgotten to tell him and Ryder Bramson that she wouldn’t be around. At least this should be a quick call.

She answered, plastering a professional smile on her face so it would come through in her voice. “Mr. Kentrell, I should have told you before, but I’m on leave as of today. All issues need to go through Linda Adams now.”

“Maternity leave?” he asked, his tone giving nothing away.

She gasped, and Winston, always sensitive to changes, jumped down. How had Seth found out? And more important, how much did he know?

“Ah, yes,” she stammered. “It is.”

“I saw a report on the web claiming you’re pregnant. It’s Hartley’s, isn’t it? I guess that’s what you meant by a conflict of interests.”

Panic swirled through her body and perspiration broke out on her forehead. Her eyes flicked to JT as he listened to his secretary, the same look of shell shock on his face that she felt inside. He’d heard it, too. It appeared there was no way to contain this. Only one course of action remained. “Mr. Kentrell, I am very sorry. I can explain-”

“No need,” he said, dismissing her apology. “I merely wanted to let you know I’m impressed with your integrity.”

There was no sarcasm in his tone, but there could be no other reason for this call than censure. “Again, I’m sorry.”

“You had a chance to destroy those PI reports, Pia. The father of your baby would still have a claim-one we were pretty sure he’d win.”

Her lips parted as she finally understood his meaning- he really had called to commend her ethics-but then she frowned. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“We always have choices. You could have protected him.”

“By destroying evidence? That’s a crime.” The very thought of it made her shudder.

“If he’d won, some of the money could have filtered down to your child,” Seth persisted.

Violate her ethics for money? Her spine straightened. “I’m simply not built that way.”

“I can see that,” Seth said, warm approval in his voice. “Previously, I had a good opinion of you, but you’ve just shot up in my estimation. If you ever need anything, you let me know.”

“I appreciate it,” she said, a little dazed, and hung up.

JT had already ended his call and watched her from his spot on the carpet, his back against the wall. “Seems the word is out,” he said mildly, belying the tension around his eyes.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a breath. The ramifications of this news breaking publicly were too far reaching to even comprehend, starting with Theresa Hartley-

Her heart swooped. “JT, your mother.”

His eyes closed and he swore again. Then he reached for his cell and dialed, and she tapped out her parents’ number on her own phone.

An hour later, Pia was reeling. She sank down onto the couch near JT and watched him stretch his arms over his head. The fabric of his cotton business shirt pulled taut against his torso and her breath caught. Resisting the urge to reach out and touch the muscular lines, she turned away.

“How did your calls go?” he asked.

Tiring, she thought, and sighed. “My parents were disapproving and self-righteous. So nothing unusual there. How was your mother?”

He grimaced. “Worried about the media coverage. Thrilled about the baby. Worried that you’ll break my heart again. Thrilled that you’re back on the scene.” A weary, crooked grin spread across his face. “She’s compared every girl I’ve ever had on my arm to you.”

Theresa was lovely. Pia smiled. One of the best things to come from this pregnancy was formalizing her relationship with Theresa for life.

You’ll love your Grandma Theresa, little one.

She looked back at JT, curiosity getting the best of her. “Have there been many girls on your arm?”

“None for more than three or four nights.” He said the words simply-no trace of shame or pride, merely stating the facts.

At the restaurant, he’d said he preferred to keep things uncomplicated with women, and she’d assumed from that he didn’t let them close. But this was something different again. She’d imagined two or three long-term girlfriends kept at an emotional arm’s length, not a string of women who weren’t even around long enough to call it a relationship.

“You haven’t had a relationship since we broke up?” she asked tentatively.

“I learned I’m not fond of relationships. Thanks for that insight, by the way.” His eyes weren’t bitter; in fact, they held wry amusement.

She didn’t smile back-how could she when the future held no chance of bonds forming with his half brothers, no wife and family apart from their baby? Everything inside her ached for JT to be happy in his life.

“Surely you’ll have a long-term relationship someday?”

“Never again,” he said with certainty, then changed the subject. “Who were your other calls?”

“One was Ted Howard, my boss.”

“Checking up on you?” he asked.

“Firing me.” She flinched as she said it, but was thankful for small mercies-having the same conversation in person would have been a hundred times harder. Seeing the disappointment in Ted’s eyes as he expressed his regrets on how things had turned out when he’d had such high hopes for her future. Having to walk away, then through the firm’s corridors instead of simply hanging up.

JT’s face darkened. “He fired you?”

“He’s in damage control.” She couldn’t blame Ted. Her actions had put him in a tight corner and he’d had to act. “Every person in the city knows I slept with you and that I’m pregnant. His clients were demanding he fire me or they’d walk.”

“I’m sorry, Pia,” he said, voice ragged.

She shrugged one shoulder, trying for nonchalance but likely failing. “He had no choice. He also pointed out that I’d probably have to go interstate to practice law when I’m ready to go back to work.”

He reached for her hand and held it firmly. “It’ll blow over. People will forget.” His tone was reassuring but his eyes held doubt.

“Lawyers have long memories. Partners at other firms will feel they can never trust me.” And if she started over somewhere else, then any gains she’d made on her professional reputation would be lost. She’d been so close to making partner, and now her legal career was back at square one. Law might not have been her first choice of a profession, but she’d thrown everything she had into it. And fallen short.