Chapter 33

Numb.

Piper was numb from head to toe. They all were, if the lack of conversation on the way to the airport was any indication.

Once on the plane, the shock had worn off Alex and Chase.

Piper, on the other hand, was still swimming in thick water.

If she gave her baby girl up for adoption, would she feel abandoned? And what if the adoptive parents divorced and gave up custody . . . could they do that? How could a mother do this to a two-year-old? How?

“Our father had a son, confirmed it was his, then sent a check to this woman for eighteen years but never bothered to check on his child.” Alex looked up. “I hope you’re burning in hell, Dad.”

“Then the baby mama cashes the checks and abandons Max. It’s so messed up.”

Piper placed her hand on Chase’s.

“It all makes sense now. Why he didn’t come forward, why she didn’t. It’s illegal to abandon your child, right?” Alex asked.

“At two years old . . . yes.”

“But who pursues that? A grandparent? The other parent? Without anyone driving that train, cases get lost. I’m sure she’s changed her name. Looking for her is obviously a waste of our time, so we’ll concentrate on him. Then, once we find him, we’ll hire whoever we need to find her.” Chase’s angry tone matched Piper’s mood.

“If Max was adopted, his last name might not be Smith,” Piper pointed out.

Alex moved from her seat in the plane to a server station and filled the wine she’d started drinking the minute they were on board. Piper hadn’t craved alcohol much at all since she found out she was pregnant, but man, she wanted something now.

She placed a hand on her belly. Don’t worry. I wouldn’t do that to you.

“It might be time to hire a team to find Max.”

Chase started to nod. “It’s risky. He owns twenty-one percent of this company. That word gets out before we find him, and someone else finds him first . . . there’s no telling where his shares will fall. We considered selling, what are the chances that Max will want that, too?”

Piper looked at Chase. “You wanted to sell?”

“It was a brief conversation. I can’t speak for Alex, but it’s not what I want now.”

Alex shook her head. “Me either.”

That made Piper feel better.

“With forty-two percent of the company, there is no telling if another shareholder will buy out enough to obtain controlling interest. If that happens, we get booted out of the CEO position and have no choice but to sit back and watch.”

“Is that the end of the world?” Piper asked.

“It could be the fall of the company. Not to sound dramatic, but I know a company at risk of a takeover, and we’re awfully close. A couple of board members were pushing for expansion, but according to what I’m seeing, we need to cut some of that fat until the economy turns around.”

“Layoffs?” Piper asked Alex.

“I’m not saying that right now . . . but yeah.”

“Let’s not jump,” Chase said.

“I’m not jumping, brother. Things aren’t good. We need to try and keep it together for Max. I thought it was shitty to have an absentee father that I knew. I can’t imagine what he’s thinking.” Alex sipped her wine.

Chase ran a hand over his face. “Clearly, Stuart isn’t as efficient at finding Max as we are.”

“Don’t executors of wills get some kind of stipend for the work they need to do while the will is being settled?” Piper asked.

“They do. It’s paid off the top from the estate,” Alex told her.

“That’s his motivation for moving slowly . . . if at all,” Piper said.

“Or Dad told him to move slow,” Alex said, lifting her glass in the air.

Chase cussed under his breath. “I’m calling Jack Morrison tomorrow. Going to tell him everything. See if he’ll head up a team to find our brother. It’ll be hard to link to us if it’s done by someone else entirely. Jack has the resources, and we can settle up once we find Max.” He looked up. “Unless you disagree.”

Alex shook her head. “I think it’s good.”

Chase turned his attention to Piper. “You?”

“It’s not my decision.”

“I want your opinion.”

“I like it.” Not that hiring an investigative group was going to stop her from searching for Max herself. Knowing what happened to him was becoming a palpable need for her. As if agreeing with her, the baby started moving around.

Piper smiled and pressed her palm to her belly.

Chase reached over, as he often did, and snuck his fingers under Piper’s.

He pulled in a breath. “Wait . . . is that her?”

Piper smiled when the baby moved again.

Chase twisted in his seat. “That’s her.”

“You feel that?”

He nodded, leaned over, and pressed his lips to Piper’s.

“If you two are done, I need to get in there and feel.”

Piper smiled under Chase’s kiss as he pulled away, and Alex took her turn feeling the baby move.

Chase told Jack everything.

He started with the mic drop of the will, continued to ending up in Miss Abigale’s living room and learning that his brother was abandoned by both of his parents. “It’s all kinds of fucked up, Jack,” he said over the phone. “We need to find him before any of the board members start questioning our place in the company.”

“Wow. My dad said Stone was an asshole, but I didn’t think it could get this bad.”

“Melissa was seen having lunch with Paul Yarros. He wants more shares of the company. I tried to book a dinner with him, but his secretary is stonewalling me.”

“What does Melissa know?”

“We’re not sure. But an investigation into our father’s will needs to be avoided. And if it can’t be, then it’s even more important that we find Max before anyone else does.”

“We need to work fast, then,” Jack said.

“You’ll help?” Chase stood, looking out the window at his backyard. He’d driven Piper home after flying in the day before and left late in the evening. Leaving her was a task that was getting harder and harder to do.

“Consider it done. Who knows about this?”

“It’s a small list. Alex and I, our mother, Piper . . . my friend Busa, and Alex’s friend Nick. And the attorney, of course.”

“Piper is your girl?”

That made Chase smile. “Yeah. She’s a big reason why I need help with this.”

“Oh?”

“She’s working way too many hours trying to find Max.”

“Oh, I get that. Jessie gets a bee in her bonnet, and nothing is stopping her from getting what she’s after.” Jack’s southernisms were a refreshing change.

“I can appreciate that, but she needs her rest. Especially now.”

“Why now?” Jack asked.

Chase didn’t hesitate. “She’s pregnant.”

“Well, hot damn, congratulations.”

Chase felt the swell of pride and stomped it down. “Thanks, but, uh . . . it’s not mine. Wish it was, if I’m honest. Piper was pregnant when we met.”

“Well, that does put a little burr in the saddle. Not that it matters much in the long run.”

“What do you mean?”

“When Jessie and I met, she was a single mom. I legally adopted Danny right after we got married. I couldn’t love my son more.”

“And the father?” Chase asked.

“Who knows. He didn’t stick around. I love Jessie more than roaches love sticky buns. I wouldn’t change her or Danny or any of it for the world.”

Chase laughed. “That’s funny.”

“Yeah, Jessie still giggles when I compare our love to a roach. I love that woman’s laugh.”

It gave Chase hope to hear a man gush about his wife the way Jack did.

“My point, though . . . it doesn’t matter that Piper’s baby isn’t from you. So long as you love her, it doesn’t make a difference.”

Chase blew out a breath. “How do you know when you’re that far in?”

“Oh, that’s easy. It isn’t about the time you’re with her, that part is always magical. It’s about the empty you feel when you’re not. The gaping hole in your soul you know would be there if she was gone forever. If she called you right now and said she wanted it to end, how would you take that? A shrug and delete her number? A bender in Vegas to get over her? Or with you sitting at her doorstep day and night with a guitar in your hands, singing off-key just to get her to talk things out with you?”

Chase instantly envisioned himself on Piper’s porch, singing . . . with Kitty howling behind the door. “Oh, damn.”

Jack laughed over the phone. “Hits ya like a ton of bricks when you figure it out, doesn’t it?”

Chase sat back on the armrest of his sofa and felt the air rush out of his lungs.

“Want my advice?” Jack asked.

“Isn’t that what you’ve been doing?”

Jack laughed. “Lock that in, buddy. If you know she’s it, lock her in. Equally, if she’s not the one, put space between that. You can’t maybe about a child. That’s not fair to the kid.”

“Thanks, Jack. I appreciate your candor.”

“Anytime. I’ll get on the private eyes and find this needle in the haystack.”

“Sounds good. Oh, and ah . . . you do know that my mother was with your father last weekend, right?”

Jack’s staccato laugh was contagious. “Yeah, wouldn’t that be something? Guess I’ll be seeing you at the wedding, brother. Whichever one comes first.”

Damn, Chase liked the sound of that. “Give your father a little grief for me. I need to know his intentions.”

They were both laughing. “I’ll be sure and pass that along.”

Chase stared out the window, his phone dangling from his hand. His life was about to change in ways a gazillion dollars couldn’t compare to.

“I’m pregnant.” Piper stood across from Julia in the break room with a cup of tea in her hands.

A slow smile spread over Julia’s face. “I knew something was up. Holy shit.” She looked down at Piper’s stomach.

For the first time ever, Piper wore a dress to work that didn’t exactly hide her condition. She was still small enough for people to question if she was gaining weight or if she was pregnant.

“How far along are you?”

“Far enough that I can’t hide it anymore.”

“How is Chase taking it?”

“He’s been great, but—”

Julia moved closer and lowered her voice. “Are you guys getting married?”

“What?” For some reason, Piper hadn’t expected that jump. “Julia, he’s . . .” Piper looked toward the door. “I was pregnant when Aaron fired me.”

Julia looked puzzled. “You met Chase before you were fired? Is that why you were canned?”

“No.”

Two members of the accounting team walked into the room, ending their conversation. “We’ll talk at lunch.”

Julia kept smiling. “It’s so exciting.”

Piper put a finger over pursed lips as if asking Julia to keep quiet.

Not that Piper thought her friend would keep anything a secret.

Back at her desk, a catalog with office equipment stared at her. Two pages were flagged.

Office chairs and a note. I looked it up, these two are recommended for pregnant women. Pick one. It was signed with a C.

This was special treatment.

Special treatment from sleeping with her boss.

Special treatment that Gatlin would call out if she was the only one in the office being offered a new chair.

Piper put the catalog in the bottom of a desk drawer.

Construction had started on the third floor, where Chase was with his office manager of CMS, combing out a few details.

Piper shot him a quick text to let him know what Julia had said, and completely ignoring the new-chair idea.

The last thing Piper wanted was a rumor to get around about Chase being the father and anyone else jumping to the matrimony question.

I told Julia. She assumed the baby is yours and then asked when we’re getting married. Crazy, right? I didn’t expect that.

A few seconds later, her phone buzzed.

Are you proposing over a text message? He ended with a bride and groom emoji and a heart.

You’re both crazy. I just thought you should know that was the second question out of her mouth.

Dots flashed on her screen for a minute. No comment.

Piper didn’t get it. What do you mean?

More dots. When people ask the questions, answer “No Comment.” We don’t owe anyone an explanation.

And let everyone assume? Was he serious?

Lots of time with her screen flashing tiny dots. Then her phone rang. The sound of a hammer hitting something pounded behind Chase’s voice. He didn’t bother with hello or even a pause in their conversation. “The alternative would be for you to answer all the questions every time someone asks you about the baby and us. That sounds exhausting to me, and I’m not the one eating for two.”

“But—”

“Babe, I don’t care. I told Jack about the baby this morning. First thing he did was congratulate me. And you know what I did?”

Oh, God . . . “What?”

“I thanked him. Like, damn, that felt good to hear. I did set him straight, but after, I thought . . . shit. I don’t want to spend my time answering questions that are going to come from people I don’t care about. I like Jack, don’t get me wrong. He’s fine, but Julia or Floyd or Phillis in the mail room . . . No. I’m going to say thank you and smile and no comment to any of the detail questions that come up.”

Piper felt the back of her throat choke up. “We can do that?”

Chase laughed. “Let’s practice.” He lifted his voice up an octave. “You’re pregnant? Congratulations . . .”

Was he actually standing next to construction workers, role-playing over the phone with her?

“Chase—”

“No, I’m Julia, and you say ‘thank you.’”

“Thank you,” Piper said reluctantly.

“Is Chase happy about this?” Again, with the fake female voice.

“He seems more excited than me,” Piper answered honestly.

“Are you getting married?”

Piper looked around to see if anyone could hear her. “We haven’t talked about it.”

“Perfect. Was that hard?”

A little. “No comment.”

Chase laughed. “Now that we have that out of the way . . . I want you to take the furniture catalog out of the trash and pick out a chair.”

Piper looked up at the ceiling and around the room. “Are you watching me?”

“No, I know you. Pick one or I’m buying both. Babe, I gotta go.”

She wanted to cry. How was this man so amazing? “Chase?”

“Yeah?”

“There isn’t a Phillis in the mail room.”

He was laughing when he hung up the phone.