Chapter 21: Chapter 21

CHRISTIAN

Francesca rushes into Leo’s arms after a moment of hesitation.

“Really? What brings you here?”

“Can’t I just drop by?” Leo retorts, pretending to be offended.

“You can, but you usually don’t.” Francesca chuckles. I can’t stand seeing them so close, especially knowing how he talks about her when she’s not around.

“Beth and I are over,” Leo admits quietly, and both of us are taken aback.

“Why?” I ask, and I can see Leo stiffen a bit.

“It wasn’t working out. She couldn’t handle my long hours anymore.”

Francesca and I exchange a look, and I wonder if she senses there’s more to it.

“So Beth left?” Francesca wants to confirm.

“Last week.”

“I’m sorry, QB.”

Leo just shrugs as Mrs. Godfrey walks in. “Will Miss Barton and Mr. Chambers be joining us for dinner, Mr. De Luca?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent.”

“I’m starving!” Leo follows Mrs. Godfrey into the dining room, and Francesca grabs my hand.

“I don’t think we should tell Leo,” she whispers hurriedly.

“About what?”

“You know...about us. And don’t bring up the club.” Her eyes are filled with worry as she looks at me, and I can feel my brow furrowing.

“Why can’t I tell him about us?”

“His relationship just ended, Christian. We don’t need to rub it in his face.”

“But I want to, kitten.”

“Christian.” Her tone and her look are both reprimanding, and I can’t help but smirk.

“What are you two waiting for?” Leo calls out.

Francesca gives me a quick kiss before rushing into the dining room.

The kiss should have comforted me, but the smile she gives Leo as she sits across from him stirs up my jealousy.

“So, where are you staying?” Francesca asks.

“Got a spare room?” Leo grins.

“Says the guy who owns a bunch of hotels,” I scoff, and they both look at me. “Francesca’s apartment doesn’t have a spare room.”

“How do you know?” Leo squints at me.

“Because he’s my neighbor. And I guess my landlord too.” Francesca laughs nervously, quickly taking a sip of her wine.

“Funny, neither of you mentioned that.”

“It didn’t seem important,” Francesca murmurs.

“Well then, Chris, mind if I crash at your place? Just until the media frenzy in London dies down.”

“Sure.”

“I’ll prepare the guest room, sir,” Mrs. Godfrey says before quickly exiting the room.

I spend the rest of the evening on edge, watching Francesca and Leo chat.

All I want is to claim Francesca as mine, to touch her, to kiss her, hell, to just sit next to her.

It’s getting late when she yawns loudly, blushing at the sound.

“I guess that’s my cue. Goodnight, boys. Enjoy your sleepover.” She pecks Leo’s cheek and then mine, and it takes all my self-control not to pull her in and kiss her deeply.

“Night, Cheer.”

“I’ll walk you,” I insist, despite the look on her face telling me not to. We stop outside her door. I push her against her door, and her eyes go wide.

“Christian.”

“Yes, kitten?” I whisper, planting soft kisses on her neck.

“Leo, what if he…” Her words trail off as she starts to melt into me. I shush her between kisses, and she lets out a moan.

“Can I come to the club tomorrow night?”

“Club?”

“I want to see you.”

“I don’t think my boyfriend would appreciate that,” she says, and I stiffen at the word boyfriend.

She looks me in the eyes before kissing my lips. “He’s incredibly possessive.”

“Boyfriend?” I can’t hide my smirk when I realize she’s talking about me.

“Good night, Christian.” Before I know it, she’s gone, and I’m left staring at her closed door.

“Is Cheer okay?” Leo asks as I walk back into my apartment.

“She’s fine.”

“Big week for her. How was she? Cleaning out the house?”

“Sentimental.”

“I don’t think she’s been near that place since she moved here for college. Not even after Brad died,” Leo remarks.

He gets up from the couch and heads toward the guest room. “Did you ever find out if she’s seeing someone?”

His question catches me off guard.

“She mentioned a boyfriend.”

“Did she say his name?”

“No.”

Leo shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll convince her he’s not worth it.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s my Cheer. The pact.”

“You told me that pact was meaningless.”

“Come on, man, we all need a backup plan.”

I have to use all my self-control not to punch Leo as he smirks and walks away. I barely hear him say good night.

He doesn’t deserve her. He never did.

***

“Can we go to the office today? Get a head start on things,” Leo suggests as he digs into the breakfast Mrs. Godfrey has prepared.

“Sure.”

“Great. I wonder what Cheer is doing today. Think she’d want to come?”

“She’s busy.”

“How do you know?”

“She goes shopping on Sundays.”

“Shopping?”

“Yes, with one of her friends. She told me last night.”

“Right.”

“So, what’s on the agenda tonight? Yankees game?”

“I’ve got plans.”

“Doing what?”

“Just checking out some investments I’ve made recently.”

Leo doesn’t push any further, and I’m grateful for that.

When we get to QB, Bridget is still out. Rachel, the receptionist, looks surprised to see us both walk in on a Sunday.

“Mr. Chambers. Mr. De Luca. What a surprise. Were we expecting you?”

“No.” Leo gives her a playful wink, and I can’t help but roll my eyes.

“Rachel, don’t worry about us. We know our way around. Your shift is almost over, right?” I ask, glancing at my watch.

“Yes, Mr. De Luca.”

“Why don’t you head out early? Enjoy your Sunday.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Leo chuckles as Rachel grins, quickly gathering her things.

We head to my office in the private elevator.

We spend the day discussing new projects, working together just like we did when Leo first brought me the idea for QB, fresh out of college.

“Just like old times,” Leo says, and I can’t help but smile.

“It really is.”

Toby picks us up and takes us back to my apartment.

“You sure you don’t want to catch the Yankees game?”

“I told you, I’ve got plans.”

“Whatever.” Leo grabs a beer from the fridge and plops down on the couch just as the doorbell rings. “If that’s your old personality at the door, make sure you let it in.”

“Shut up.”

“Love you too, bro.”

With Mrs. Godfrey off for a few days, I have no choice but to answer the door myself.

I’m hoping it’s Francesca, but given the time, I know she’s probably on her way to the club, where I should be heading soon.

I open the door, and my body tenses.

“Hey, sexy.”

I can practically taste the bile rising in my throat at her greeting.

“Well, aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“What are you doing here, Evelyn?”

Evelyn Walker, Leo’s annoying sister-in-law, is standing outside my apartment, batting her eyelashes at me.

“Not happy to see me?”

“Why would I be?” I snap, and she sighs.

“Okay, look, I know things didn’t end well in London—”

“Things never started, Evelyn. I told you I wasn’t interested.”

“And then you got wasted, started crying about Leo’s best friend, and fucked me senseless.”

“That never happened.”

“Oh, it did, baby. Look, you were drunk, I was horny. It happens.”

“Get to the point and leave,” I growl.

“I’m pregnant.”

My jaw drops.

“Are you saying... ?

“It’s yours, Christian.”

“My what?”

“The baby. We’re having a baby.” Evelyn looks at me with wide, innocent eyes, and I fight the urge to throw up on her expensive red-soled heels.

“You’re lying.”

“I had a paternity test done. Your DNA was on your employee record at QB.”

“You...what?”

“Here.” She shoves a manila folder into my arms and slips past me into the apartment.

“What the hell is this?”

“All the documents. I knew you’d want proof.”

I open the folder and look down at a piece of paper that makes my stomach churn.

There it is in stark black ink.

I never believed her when she said we slept together, but there it is.

One moment, one decision, one mistake, and everything changed, everything ruined.

My voice is barely a whisper.

“You’re pregnant.”