“Yeah, she came in just before you did, I’m guessing. I just saw her get on the elevator about 10 minutes ago. I suppose Baron told her you were coming back today, and she wants to impress you,” Tom’s grin broadens, and I lean against my desk lightly to cross my arms over my chest. “She did well. I gave her that list you gave me, and she managed pretty well. I told her all she had to do was submit the report to you, but she insisted on doing some legwork as well. This luncheon and she mentioned sticking around for the wedding reception scheduled for later.”
“Do you have the report?” I ask, and Tom nods toward my desk knowingly. I turn, moving the bags to find a thin file sitting underneath. Flipping it open, I hum softly in satisfaction. “It’s organized. Everything looks like it’s in order. What about her personality?”
“I think you’d work well with her. She’s a good assistant. Kinda quiet, but then again . . . I’ve put up with Granby for a year, so my speaking out became a bit of a bad habit,” Tom chuckles lightly. I’ll take his assessment at face value. “Hard worker, though. Overall, I’d give her a B minus.”
“That’s higher than I expected,” I slap the folder closed and set it down before taking a deep breath. Rolling my shoulders, I stretch my arms above my head and sigh heavily. “Okay. I’ll go meet her and let her know she’s got the job. They’re in the smaller ballroom, right?”
“Should be,” Tom answers quickly before disappearing from my door, and I clip my badge onto my shirt before leaving my office. Shutting the door behind me, I walk down the hall with a pep in my step. Talking to Bran, getting this weight off my chest, made me more confident.
I had defended myself. And I was successful.
Taking the elevator to the second floor, I thrum with anxiety . . . but for the first time in a long time, it’s not dreadful and heavy. It’s almost excitement. Almost. It’s drive, it’s determination.
“I can do this,” I whisper to myself and throw back my shoulders. The elevator jostles to a halt, and I step off into a wide, grand hallway. Faintly, I can hear the shuffle from the small ballroom at the end of the corridor, and my nerves tingle the bridge of my nose. My lungs shrivel, and I gulp down the dense lump in my throat as I force my knees to bend. Apprehension grows, wrapping around my ribs with each step I take.
Reaching the ballroom, I glance around and am impressed with how nicely everything’s wrapping together. The only woman I don’t recognize is standing in the middle of the room, checking on things and pointing out directions. That must be Jessica. I lean against the wall and cross my arms, content to just watch her for a moment.
Tom wasn’t exaggerating. Jessica must’ve earned that B minus. The fact that she can stand there and proficiently order the setup staff around gently but sternly . . . even I can see from my distance that Jessica is concentrated on doing as many things as well as she can, not just one thing to perfection. It’s good because I lean toward the opposite.
“Delaney.” Tearing my eyes off Jessica, I smile at Baron as he sets down a short stack of chairs. His own smile is lackluster as he closes the distance between us to hold out his hand for me. I take it without hesitation, and his eyes flash as they bore into mine. “I hope you had a good time with your brother and sister-in-law last night.”
“I did,” I agree simply, my smile widening while nervousness gnaws at my gut. “I made lasagna.”
My words dry on my tongue when Baron’s stare starts to become overwhelming. I lick my lips heavily, wariness nibbling at the edges of my consciousness. “Why’re you looking at me like that?”
“While you were in Switzerland,” Baron starts before glancing around suddenly. He gestures out of the ballroom, and curiosity wars with worry in my chest. Clearing his throat roughly, he casts me a shadowy look. “While you were in Switzerland, I . . . came upon some pretty alarming information.”
“O-oh? Did I accidentally leave out that prescription receipt from my doctor?” I tense, my gaze flying to Baron as he sucks in a sharp breath in surprise. “I didn’t mean for you to find out that way. I wanted to tell you in person! I mean, how crappy is it to find out from a big bottle of pills. Oh, shite, I’m so sorry, Baron.”
My mouth dries at the confusion rampaging across Baron’s expression. Biting my bottom lip, fire engulfs my cheeks. “That . . . isn’t what you meant?”
“What? Find out what, Delaney? Why were you prescribed new medication?” Oh, shite. I cover my face with my palms as Baron flings questions at me. “Are they for your nightmares?”
“Um, they’re . . . connected,” I mutter between clammy palms. This is my chance. This is the moment. Aw, shite, God help me. I peek out between my fingers at Baron’s quizzical, concerned expression. “They’re . . . p-prenatal medication.”
“The Hell is that for? Did the stress mess with your stomach?” Baron balks, and I can barely believe my ears. My stomach? “Or, wait, that’s for your kidneys, right? For renal problems?”
“What? No, Baron, they’re pre-nat-al medication, not,” I pronounce it slowly, and Baron cups his jaw thoughtfully. Sighing wryly, I can’t help but smile. “I’m not sick, and my kidneys aren’t failing. I’m . . . I’m pregnant.”
Personal pride busts in my chest like sparkles in the night. I fucking said it! The words came out of my mouth and went into Baron’s ears. I did it! Woohoo!
But my little pat on the back ends when I notice Baron staring at me intensely under tightly knit brows. Sluggishly, his lips part in surprise, and color floods his face to his hairline and up to his ears. His hand falls to his side lamely.
“You are?” Baron whispers hoarsely, his gaze clouding and drifting downwards. “I’m gonna be a dad?”
“Aye.” Relief sends a sharp shudder down my spine, and my knees almost give out under me. Knowing Baron wouldn’t even consider it wasn’t his was one thing, but now . . . Iknow,now. He licks his lips, gulping harshly as his eyes drift back up to my own. “I thought, if I told you early enough in the morning, it’d give us both time.”
“That’s why you went to Switzerland? Why you rearranged your office and were acting all strange?” Baron asks, and I nod again. If he heard what I said, it doesn’t show on his face as he grunts lowly. Swiping his hand down his face, he heaves a massive inhale through flared nostrils. “I thought . . . something happened . . . but not this. You’re really pregnant, Delaney?”
“Yes, I am. I’m telling you now because I have to do these two events, and you have a few not-so-important meetings . . . it’s a good time to be distracted, being stuck in stupid meetings all day, aye?” I reiterate, and Baron blinks at me before nodding dumbly. “We probably won’t see each other until late, aye? Gives us plenty of time to think?”
“Y-yeah, that’s a good idea, love,” Baron mumbles before shaking his head viciously. Raking his hand through his hair, he holds up a finger hastily. Seeing him all frazzled is . . . cute. A new side to him that I hadn’t seen yet, and I like it. A lot. “I-I think I need to sit down. I need a moment. O-oh, I’m a little dizzy.”
Leaning on his arse against the wall, Baron slides down to cradle his head in his hands. I glance around. Our relationship isn’t necessarily a secret, but it’s’ taboo enough without every employee knowing. Especially the ones that work under me. I’ve worked hard to gain their respect, and I don’t want to lose it because they think I slept my way to my position.
A little whimper sounds next to me, and I look down as Baron wipes a few tears from his eyes with the butts of his palms. He stands up sharply, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. Taking a deep breath of his wonderful scent, I savor his warmth.
“Oh, God. Oh, God, okay,” he breathes hotly, sniffling harshly in my ear before pulling back. Grinning at me, Baron cups my face in hot, clammy hands to kiss me hard on the mouth. “Ah!”
