I choked on a laugh. “Only you would figure out a way to make this more sexual than necessary.” But the laugh did its job. I relaxed from the fetal position and stretched my legs. “I need to get dressed.”
“Not before the IV is out.” Lila tapped the back of my hand. A thoughtful expression tightened her eyes. “Do you know who the father is?”
My vision blurred with a new onslaught of tears. “No. It could be any of them.” We’d been together so many times that it would be impossible to work out. My earlier laugh fizzled out as reality took hold. I was pregnant and I had no idea who the father was, except that no matter who it turned out to be, they were off limits. My already complicated situation grew worse by the minute.
A machine behind me beeped, and a different nurse walked in. She smiled at me, then Lila. “Well now. Let’s see about getting that IV out so you can head home. I hear you’re anxious to leave us.” She chuckled to herself. “I don’t blame you. If I didn’t work here, you wouldn’t catch me coming through those doors unless absolutely necessary.” She worked through removing the IV and covering the back of my hand with a small bandage. “Now, I have some papers for you. Sign here, and these are for you to take with you.” She handed Lila a stack of papers and retreated to the doorway. “We have wheelchairs available if you’re in need.”
“I’m fine.” I waved off her concern and swung my feet around to the edge of the bed.
Lila nudged my shoes over so I could reach them and shoved the papers into her bag. “I’ll call for an Uber.”
It took concentrated effort to bend and pull on my shoes without letting them see how the rush of dizziness returned in full force. My ears rang loud enough to block out whatever else Lila said.
I tied my shoes and stood, using the edge of the bed to brace myself.
Minutes later, we made our way down the empty hallway to the side door with bright red lettering that announced the ER exit.
The automatic doors whooshed open with a blast of cold air and the acrid odor of hospital and downtown New York. Both smelled awful, but the combination threatened to complicate the nausea rising.
Lights flashed in my peripheral vision.
“Harper. Harper Bloom.” A dozen people shouted my name. Questions came afterward, but they tangled up in so many voices that it was impossible to distinguish one from the other. Until one man stepped to the front of the line and shoved a microphone in my face. “Harper, I have it on good authority that you’re having sexual relations with the CEO at Elevate.”
A woman joined the man. “I’ve been told it’s more than one. Can you confirm that rumor, Harper?”
My jaw worked into a tight knot. Words failed me, which was a good thing because I had absolutely no idea how I would have answered if I could.
“Are the rumors true?”
“Are you sleeping with your bosses?”
“Why were you in the hospital?”
“Is it true you’re pregnant?”
“Do they know you’re here?”
The questions came faster and faster, with no end in sight.
I shut down. My brain simply refused to accept that this moment was real. It had to be a dream. They couldn’t possibly know about my relationship with Alex and the others. They were making assumptions…based on complete facts.
But how had they gotten those facts?
I hated that I had no answer.
Lila hooked her arm around mine and pulled me to the side. “Ignore them. They can’t hurt you. It’s just a bunch of stupid questions. Look straight ahead and ignore everything else.”
How? How could I ignore the truth staring me in the face?
Our secret had been busted wide open.
23
JULIAN
“There she is.” I gripped the back of the seats with one hand and pointed between Dante and Alexander. “She’s standing outside. Why is she standing outside?”
My stomach clenched at the sight of Harper’s pale cheeks and panicked expression. Paparazzi tried to surround her. They swarmed closer and closer to the hospital entrance. Much more and they’d cut her off from a retreat in any direction.
