Read Online Billionaire's Baby Surprise, Part Three by Mia Caldwell - Free Book Online Page B

brave as him. Sondra started to rise, but he held her firmly on his lap.
    “Eleanor called me, completely distraught. You have to…” She trailed off as the screen flickered.
    Sondra’s eyes darted to the screen, and she held her breath as Whitney looked that direction. She wasn’t ashamed of their baby, but she wasn’t dumb enough to think the other woman would be happy. Jake had been reluctantly agreeable to waiting until she was out of the first trimester before telling anyone, so the picture of the baby on the screen was a complete shock to the older woman.
    Her expression was full of horror before morphing to rage. “Is she pregnant?”
    Jake nodded. “Yes, we’re expecting.”
    Whitney’s mouth dropped open for a second, and then she seemed to make an effort to regain her composure. “I see. Why didn’t you tell me sooner, darling?” Her eyes narrowed when she briefly glanced at Sondra. “Unless there was some doubt about—”
    Anger swelled in Sondra, but she strove to match the other woman’s falsely polite tone. “We were concerned about miscarriage, but the chances of me losing the baby are less than five percent now.”
    “Oh, I see.” Her expression indicated she would be thrilled about a miscarriage, but all traces of any emotion were gone when she looked back at Jake. “Congratulations, Wallace. You have always been an independent thinker, and I applaud you for making the brave choice to become a single parent.”
    He frowned. “I won’t be a single parent.”
    Her laugh was as patently false as her congratulations, and Sondra marveled that her lover could remain so oblivious. “You know what I mean, darling. Unmarried, I suppose, is the word I’m looking for. No Jacobi or Whitcomb has been so modern until you, but I’m sure there will be clients who will applaud your progressive stance on procreation outside of marriage. The company will be fine without those clients and investors who expect a more traditional lifestyle from their CEO.”
    Sondra rolled her eyes, but before either of them could reply, Whitney changed the subject. “Now what has happened with poor Eleanor? I assured her there had to be a mistake, and you would certainly welcome her back.”
    “You assured wrong.” Jake spoke with firm authority. “Eleanor crossed a line today, Mother, and she will no longer be welcome at my company or in my social circles.”
    Her mouth dropped open, and she darted a gaze at Sondra. “Darling, I hope you aren’t making the decision to destroy a family friend because of jealousy.”
    Sondra’s chest puffed with outrage, but Jake spoke before she could refute the accusation.
    “If you’re implying Sondra asked me to get rid of her, that isn’t true. Eleanor brought this dismissal upon herself, and I won’t be changing my mind.”
    Whitney gave a tight nod. “I see. I’ll have to relay that to the poor dear. Perhaps, when things have changed…” She trailed off. “When you have calmed down and can discuss the matter rationally, you might be amenable to her return?”
    “No.” He spoke firmly, but with no heat. Clearly, he had decided and wouldn’t change his mind and had already moved on.
    If only his mother knew him as well as she did, thought Sondra, then the other woman might back off. Her machinations would cease, as would her attempts to select a proper wife for Jake, instead of the black floozy bearing his child.
    She stilled at the thought. They hadn’t discussed marriage or anything permanent. She had sensed Jake was on the verge of bringing up the subject, but she had diverted him each time. Sondra wasn’t ready to face that topic yet, or make any further life-changing decisions. She was content with what they had at the moment.
    Whitney left a few moments later, no doubt heading back to her lair to conspire with Eleanor. Sondra wasn’t sorry to see her leave, but she did wonder what next scheme they would plot.
    Jake distracted her from that thought, and all