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Alexandre name.
    Megan’s pregnancy jeopardized everything. She carried his child, putting him in the same foolish and precarious position his father had been in thirty-five years ago.
    Xavier could blame no one but himself for repeating his father’s mistake of impregnating the wrong woman. But he would not replicate the mistakes his father had madeafterward by abandoning his bride-to-be at the altar and destroying the strong business alliance his marriage would forge.
    But he, unlike his mother, could never abandon his child.
    He stared at the small, blurry image in the photograph, barely discernable as human. Arms, legs, hands, fingers, toes. His child. His son or daughter. His heir. The weight of generations of Alexandres settled on his shoulders.
    He had to find a solution to this dilemma or this bébé could cost him everything.

Four
    â€œH ow could you not have known about your condition sooner? When we could have dealt with this appropriately?”
    Xavier’s angry questions hit Megan like a sharp kick. His meaning couldn’t be clearer. He would have asked her to terminate the pregnancy. “ Appropriately meaning you would have pressured me to get rid of it.”
    â€œI did not say that.”
    â€œBut that’s what you meant. You don’t want me having your child.” The realization shattered what was left of her dream that he might suddenly declare his love, marry her and raise a family with her. Not just because of the baby, but because he loved her and couldn’t live without her. “The bébé is a complication.”
    His words landed another blow. Hugging her middle did nothing to soothe the bone-deep pain radiating through her.
    â€œAnswer my question, Megan. How could you not have suspected something was amiss sooner?”
    â€œI’ve never been regular. And when I’m under a lot of pressure, I sometimes skip—” She bit her tongue, damming the words. It didn’t feel right to discuss such personal issues with him. Not anymore.
    â€œDid you not give a thought to what this will do to your career? How damaging it will be to your ranking and your business to take time off?”
    â€œI’ve thought of little else. But I can live with the consequences.”
    â€œYour focus and your determination to accomplish your goals—traits I thought we shared—are what I admired most about you. And now you are willing to walk away from years of sacrifice for an unplanned baby?”
    Unable to look at his condemnation, she averted her eyes. Her gaze landed on the full pot of coffee, and suddenly the aroma of the fresh brew penetrated her misery. Then the rest of her senses clamored to life. Did she smell butter and almonds?
    She scanned the kitchen and spotted a platter in the center of her table piled high with flaky golden pastries. Her mouth watered. “What’s that?”
    But she—and every one of her taste buds—knew the answer.
    Xavier glanced over his shoulder, as if he’d forgotten the delicacies he’d piled on the table behind him. “I had your favorite pastries flown in. You always claimed you would expire without your croissant amande fix.”
    Megan bit her lip and pressed a hand to the ache in her chest. Ridiculously over-the-top romantic gestures like this were only one of the reasons she’d fallen in love with him. “I was exaggerating. Slightly.”
    As bizarre as it seemed, though her heart was breaking,her stomach demanded attention. It growled audibly, assuring her she could easily devour the mountain of croissants in one sitting. She had never experienced that kind of appetite in her prepregnancy life, but in the past couple of weeks she’d eaten like a three-hundred-pound football player. If Xavier ever saw her eat like that he’d be appalled.
    She had to get rid of him before she made a pig of herself. “Xavier, it’s very thoughtful of you to go to all this