“Josh wanted to break in.”
Kerry chuckled. “You talked him out of it?”
“I had to pout.”
“Always a good strategy.” Kerry unlocked the back door. “Tests are in the washroom halfway down the hall. Grab a couple in case you want to test a few times.”
Monica nodded and headed in.
Kerry paused and looked at Josh. “That was quick.”
He choked, then nodded. “Making up for lost time.”
“If it’s negative, she might just need a few more days.” Her lips curled up in a soft smile. “And I can order a dating ultrasound in a few weeks, to be sure.”
“Thanks.” He dragged in a rough breath. Wow, that just got real.
Monica returned, a few pH dip sticks clutched in her hand. Her face was a little paler than before, like maybe this had just hit her, too.
Very, very real.
Kerry repeated her good luck to Monica and promised nobody would ever know about the midnight raid. “Keep me posted if you need any support.”
He took Monica’s hand and led her back to the truck. Opened her door.
And then, being careful of those pH sticks, he caught her in his arms and kissed her. A good, bruising, claiming kiss. To make sure she knew his possessive thoughts about her only increased with this potential change to their life.
If she was having his baby, he was going to be so fucking happy. And if she wasn’t, he was still going to be so fucking happy.
“Love you,” he whispered. “Every day. Every night. No matter what.”
EPILOGUE
Three months later
Monica triedto keep the fact she was pregnant under wraps, but somehow her father found out, and suddenly the board meeting was moved months down the road—to a point where she wouldn’t be able to fly.
Or she would have to go to California well in advance and stay there.
Which she couldn’t do, because her husband owned a garage on the other side of the continent, and she wasn’t prepared to be apart from him for months on end.
Fucking. Bullshit.
But Bianca went to work, getting the other ex-wives on board with demanding the original board meeting date be stuck to. After that, it was only two other board members who needed to be convinced, and Monica made those phone calls herself.
Now the date had arrived. They arrived at the Fischer Racing campus with their attorneys in tow, just in case. Bianca flanked Monica on one side, and Josh strode in on the other.
When her father saw them, he tried a joke. “My daughter has returned for another attempt to learn racing,” he said with a chuckle.
A terrible, not funny joke.
Josh curved his hand around her elbow, slowing her down. He stepped between them and leaned in, giving her a reassuringly warm look. “You don’t need to talk to him.”
“I know that. You know that. But he doesn’t know that, so let’s show him.” She swallowed hard, kissed her husband, and then stepped around him. “I’m not interested in your opinion on anything, Dad. Not my business knowledge, my level of experience in the racing world, or my marriage. None of it is relevant to the fact that I’m the granddaughter of the man who founded this company, and on the day of my birth, I was granted the right to be here. Because this is a family business. You seem to have forgotten that.”
“I would go to the ends of the earth to protect this empire. My empire. And it could have been your empire, too, if you weren’t such a foolish girl.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t believe it was ever going to be mine. You always wanted to take it public. Because it isn’tyours, but the money could be if you got to sell your shares. Which is not what Grandpa wanted. Not whathebuilt the business for.”
