SAFEHOUSE (A BWWM BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE) (12 page)

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Chapter 29

"Miss
Jackson, it's been a while. Are you alone?"
I rolled my eyes, from the sheer irony of what he just said. "I'm all by
my lonesome, what's up?"
His heavy sigh chilled me. This didn't sound good.
"Well, I don't really like to give people news like this, but there's an
issue. You might want to sit down."
I knitted my brows together, already my fingers going to the bridge of my nose.
"Well, I don't have a seat to take, so just go ahead with it."
There was no delaying the inevitable.
"The Verdicci family is on the hunt for you. There's a price on your head
underground, but they want you alive. I think they're looking to get
information...”

“I
don’t have any information! I don’t know any of those people…”

“It
doesn’t matter. You might have seen faces or heard names. Don’t worry, we wont
let them find you… Of course I'm sure you already knew some of this…"

“What
are you talking about? You haven’t called me once!” I shouted into the phone.
“Why would I know about this?”

The
answer dawned on me and I was filled with the kind of anger I’d only seen in my
momma growing up…
He couldn't…
could he? He couldn’t have known this whole time that I might be in danger?
That our baby might be in danger? I couldn't even entertain the thought. There
was no way he would keep something like that from me.
And what Agent Wilson said… that was going to be hard to compress, too. I
steadied my breaths, counting backwards from five, before rejoining our
conversation.
"Are you saying that I'm in danger?" It was all I could do not to
cry.
I heard the hesitation in his voice before he answered me. "I wouldn't
exactly say you're in certain danger, no. But I would definitely be more aware
of your surroundings."
I scoffed at this. "More aware? Do you have any idea how terrified I’ve
been?”
"Listen, I know this can be tough to hear, but even under our protection
things can't always be one-hundred percent safe. And that's not something I try
to tell people when they first go into the program, understand. But you've been
under our wing for a while now, so you know the drill. I will keep in touch
with you as much as I can from now on, at least until we know what's going on
with the families. There's been a lot of talk about this trust between the five
of them, and that's saying something. They fight a lot as it is. I just want
you to be aware of what's going on over here, so that it doesn't affect you
over there."
My chest rattled as I drew in a breath, still having trouble concentrating one
what he was saying. "So I'm to be on my best guard, even though we don't
really know why, and I'm just supposed be okay with it? I'm having a baby, for
Christ's sake. This isn't some game I can play, like hide and seek. What do you
suggest I do, exactly?"
"That's something that I've been speaking with Mr. Malveaux about,
actually. So maybe that's something you guys should be talking about as well.
As for my thoughts, personally, I feel like you'd be safer staying on grounds
there at the château. I'll keep you up-to-date, like I said. That's all we can
do, and that's all you can do," he replied.

I
shook my head, cursing under my breath so that he couldn’t hear me.
"Got it. Is there anything else I need to know?"
"No, I guess not. It was nice getting to talk to you again, Miss Jackson.”

After
I hung up with him, I silently put the phone back in my small pocket, pushing
the blowing strands of hair out of my face. I thought about what he had said
about Julien talking with him about this very thing. I held back when I was
speaking to Agent Wilson, but I wasn't going to hold back with Julien. No way
in hell.
I wanted to be happy about everything in my life, because that would make it so
much easier on me. But I couldn't. Not knowing that I was now bringing in
another life to this crazy drama of my own. Even with Agent Wilson's words I
couldn't help but feel like I was doing my child a disfavor. I had very
dangerous men looking for me now, and who knows if they would ever really stop.
Once my baby was born, they would be wrapped up in all of that as well. And
that was not something I could be happy about.
I stormed back up to the château, taking the paved path this time. I passed
Trudy, one of the part-timers on the weekends, and even she knew to stay the
hell on my way. I was on a mission, and I wouldn't stop until I found Julien.
Luckily it didn't take too long to find him. He was talking with Marie and
Desmond, another part-timer, down the main hall. My shoes clicked heavily along
the floor, signaling my presence to everyone, and as everyone turned around
they all seemed to give me a wary look. Especially Julien.
I pointed at him as I got closer, my finger jabbing accusations already.
"I just talked to Agent Wilson… You knew! You knew this whole freaking
time, and you didn't even have the decency to tell me what was going on? How
could you even think like that Julien, after everything I've been through? Does
my opinion mean nothing to you anymore?"
My cheeks reddened as I realized I was throwing down with him in the middle of
everyone, but I didn't care. He was going to hear what I had to say, and there
was no way around it this time. His gaze dropped from mine down to the floor
below, and I could already tell he was feeling guilty and sheepish. Oh well. He
slowly walked over to me, as if he was trying to soothe a raging bull. He would
only be so lucky.
"Sweetheart —"

"Sweetheart
nothing! Stop trying to bullshit me, Julien. It's not going to work. I want to
know what is going on, and I want to hear it from your mouth, not someone
else's."

I
put my hand on my hip for good emphasis. I was not having any of this. He was
going to be straight with me if he wanted me to stick around. And judging by
the horrified looks both Desmond and Marie were getting me, I was making my
point clear enough.
Julien finally put his hand around my waist, as if to pull me from my spot. I
stood stock- still, not letting him.
"Why don't we have this conversation elsewhere? We should talk about this
in private, don't you think?" he mumbled to me. I looked at him like he
had lost his mind.
"Oh no you don't. We’re having this conversation right here, right now. I
don't care who is watching. Does not matter to me one bit. I want the
answer."
He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb.
Must have been a thing that I had picked up from him, I guess.
"If you insist,
Bree
,” he
emphasized my newly-given name, as if to make a point himself. He turned to
Desmond and Marie.

“I’m
afraid I’m going to have to ask you both to leave us for a few moments.”

He
waited for the two of them to leave earshot before continuing.

“I
was worried about your stress level. I was only thinking of you and the baby,
truly. After I received that phone call from Agent Wilson I knew that if you
found out it would only worry you more... And that's really the last thing you
need, right? We have so much going on right now, so much to prepare for. And
believe me when I say I'm worrying enough for the both of us. I’ve taken extra
precautions."

"I
don't need any more stress on me, but you still need to talk to me. There are
no secrets between us, and I know you feel the same way. You wouldn’t want me
to keep something like this from
you
…"
His teeth gritted together and he was clearly agitated with me and my
stubbornness. "No, I wouldn't want you keeping something for me. But this
isn't just something, this is something dangerous. And while I can see why you
are angry with me for not having said something about it to begin with, let me
assure you that I had planned on bringing it up with you once I had a clear
plan of action. For now, the best I can do is try to keep you out of the public
eye, and you’re doing a poor job of that by shouting about any of this in front
of my staff."
The attitude in his voice astounded me but I knew he was right… Maybe I wanted
a scene, but I didn't want
all
of our
business out there. All I knew was that Julien and I had a lot to talk about.
Even more than just things regarding the baby. And that was plenty enough on
our plate, as it was.
"There is much to discuss, I'm afraid. And some of it you're probably not
going to agree with, or enjoy. But it's not about that anymore, it's about
keeping you and the baby safe. Can we agree to have this talk another time?
Very soon, but not right this minute? I'd rather just spend some time with you
without having all these things rotating through my mind constantly,"
Julien asked.
The look in his eyes told me he was downright exhausted, and I could feel the
heat of my rage simmering down. He had a good point. We had plenty of time to
talk about this while we were not standing in the middle the hallway for all to
hear. And I was feeling a little tired as it was, myself.
I sighed, nodding in agreement. "Fine. But you're not allowed to keep
anything from me like that, ever again. Period.
Bien
?" I added, using his favorite turn of phrase on him. He
was always ending his questions or statements with it. With all the French-speaking
that was going on around me constantly, it made sense that I was finally
starting to pick some of it up. About time, too.
He laughed at this, cupping my face with his warm hand. "
Oui, bien note
. I will not make the same
mistake again."
I had been pouting at him but in the end, smiled anyway. "And don't you
forget it."
I was willing to put on the happy housewife attitude for now. But I wouldn't
forget him keeping things for me, for a long, long time. I trusted him with all
my heart but I needed to know when I was in danger… For the sake of our child.

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Chapter 30

It
was hard not to pace as I waited in Julien’s carefully remodeled obstetrics
room. Dr. Thibodeau and Julien were due any minute now. I was nineteen weeks
along now, and so much had changed. I made sure no one was coming down the
hallway, before shoving another piece of Gervaise's cherry tart in my face. He
had been getting me into all things pastry-related and I loved him for it.
I wanted to keep checking my phone to see if Julien had pulled up yet. I knew
he wasn't going to miss this.
After treading the same floor space for the millionth time, I finally heard his
nice shoes clacking down the hallway coming towards me. It sounded like Dr.
Thibodeau was along with him.
Good, we
can hurry up and get this over with.
And maybe I could get back to
eating…okay, sneaking the rest of this tart.
He burst
into the room with the widest grin on his face. Julien had seemed to let go of
all reservations when it came to the baby ever since we had a big fight a few
weeks back. There was nothing false about his excitement—he was truly
overjoyed…

And
somehow, that made him even sexier than before.

I
gave Dr. Thibodeau a smile as she strolled in, her medical back in tote.

"Are
we ready for the big day, everyone?" she asked, a knowing smile on her
face.

I
glanced over at Julien, quickly nodding along with him. “I think so.”

It
seemed silly to be so nervous, considering what we were finding out. But that
didn’t stop me from being that way. Too much had been on my mind lately, and it
was hard to toss that aside, even when I was this anxious and excited.

Ever
since our last argument about the information Julien was keeping from me, my
attempts at bringing up possible safety measures had all been met with
resistance from him. He clearly did not want to talk about it, even though he
had promised that we would do so at some point. I was beginning to think that
‘some point’ was just a joke.

“All
right then. Let me just go ahead and set everything up, and then we can get
started,” Dr. Thibodeau said.

Julien
helped me over to the antique waiting screen, being patient with me as I tried
to shimmy out of my clothes and put on the dressing gown for Dr. Thibodeau to
examine me in. I hated wearing the thing, but if it made her job easier, then
so be it.

Besides,
I couldn't help but giggle as Julien kept sneaking glances around the screen.
Once I was finished I hopped up on the table, carefully positioning myself just
so. The table was a little narrower than I would've liked, especially with my
wide hips practically barreling over the sides. I didn't want seem like a
complete diva, so I never made a comment about it one way or the other.
Dr. Thibodeau rolled over the sonogram machine, prepping the sonogram Doppler
with the freezing cold goop I hated. She flipped on the screen, keying in a few
things here and there before she set to work, smearing the cold substance on my
belly. I always had to have a shower afterward. Something about that stuff made
me feel rather gross.
"It looks like I might need to do something real quick on machine, to get
it in full function for what we need today. If you will just excuse me for a
moment here…" Her voice trailed off, as she narrowed her eyes at the
blinking screen in front of her.
I looked up
at Julien, trying to read his expression. Yep, he was totally over the moon. I
wondered if now was a good time to bring it up, finally.
"So, sweetheart… I was thinking maybe we should discuss what exactly is
gonna happen once the baby’s born."
He raised his brow. "Haven't we already done that?"
I snorted. "Not exactly. You always seem to find some way to get out of
it. But not this time. I just want to go ahead and get it out of the way, that
way I will feel better, you'll feel better, and everything will be all
straight. Right?"
He eyed me warily, knowing that nothing was ever quite that easy when talking
with me about something. I shrugged my shoulders innocently at him.
"I suppose. I rather figured that we could have the baby sleep in our room
for the first few months, possibly in a bassinet. At least that's what I've
heard would be a good idea. Of course it's up to you –"
"That's
not exactly what I mean, Julien. Although that's actually a good idea, so I'll
remember that. What are we gonna do as far as safety goes? You know I've been
thinking about it lately, and I'm not really sure how you working will go. At
least once the baby’s born. You have a job that's very prevalent in the
business industry, you're a very well-known face. You’re really a celebrity of
sorts. How do the baby and I work into that? At some point someone is going to
end up finding out that you have a baby, and then from there people are only going
to connect the dots. Someone will find me, some way or another. It's only a
matter of time, especially if they're looking for me. What do you propose we do
about that?"
Julien's eyes widened. If I didn't know any better I would've guessed he hadn't
thought of this yet. And now the thought was settling deep within him, looking
as though it was causing him terrible anxiety. Well, that wasn't exactly what I
was setting out to do, but at least he was thinking about it now.
"Looks like I've got my work cut out for me," he replied, his voice
dropping to barely above a whisper.
"Julien, I don't want to worry you. But I'm of the firm belief that we
shouldn't keep each other's thoughts from one another, right? Isn’t that what
we agreed upon?" I reminded him, squeezing his hand gently.
He slowly nodded, but didn't say anything.
I hated that he was all of the sudden stressing out. And maybe this had not
been the best moment to bring up, but if not now, when? There really were a lot
of things that needed to be put in place after our baby was born, and I didn't
want to wait until the very last minute before we set a plan in action.
"Okay! I think we're ready to go, now that I've got everything fixed on
the screen. Let's go ahead and see what we can find, shall we?" Dr.
Thibodeau interrupted my thoughts, holding up her doppler in her hand.
"Sounds good, doctor. I'm ready when you are."
I nudged Julien to pay attention, hoping he wasn't too far lost in his
thoughts. His eyes darted around wildly as he tried to catch up with the
conversation, before they landed on mine. He was distressed—even more than I
thought he’d be. With everything he had to think about, I shouldn’t have been
surprised that he was having a hard time keeping everything straight.

The
idea of not thinking into the future of our baby’s life was a concept I just
couldn’t understand, but Julien may barely have had much time to think about
it. He was more concerned with the here and now. I squeezed his hand again,
trying to get him to focus. This was a big moment for us.
"Okay, so there's the baby’s spine, and there's the baby’s head," she
began, pointing out the parts of our child on the screen. This hadn't been the
first time we’d seen the baby in pretty good detail on the sonogram, but this
was the first time that Dr. Thibodeau had specifically pointed out everything
for us.
The smile on my face grew larger and larger with every part she pointed out.

Julien's
hand slowly stroked at the screen, tracing the outline of the baby’s head and
abdomen. "It's so hard to believe that this is our baby," he said in
awe. I studied his face, but the traces of hesitation and distress were now
gone, having been replaced by curiosity and wonder. I loved it when he got this
way.
"What's the baby's heartbeat?" I asked.
"It's 149 bpm," the doctor answered.
I sucked in a breath, trying to see if I could point out any other certain
parts of our baby, before she gave us a definite answer.
“Do you see that?” She asked me and Julien, pointing to a spot on the screen.
I strained my eyes, trying to make out something clear from the picture. Julien
gasped, obviously getting it before I did.
"Is that… is that what I think it is?" he asked her. His hand went up
to graze the side of my belly.
She beamed at him. “It’s a boy.”

"We're having a boy? Is he really a boy?" With each word my voice got
higher-pitched.
I had been right! This whole time I was referring to the baby as a he in my
head, but I didn't think to actually trust myself with that. The tears were
already falling down my cheeks, and Julien leaned over to squeeze me as hard as
he could.
"He's our son, sweetheart. We have a son now!" I held onto him for as
long as I could, sobbing into his shoulder like the biggest baby ever. Even
though we had seen the baby on the sonogram before, this was different. Dr.
Thibodeau gave me a big smile and started to pack up her gear.
One of the things people don't tell you about pregnancy is that every day your
sense of responsibility grows. My son’s fate was tied to mine, and I would do
anything to protect him.

I
couldn't have been more excited.