Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
She stepped back, her heart thudding against her chest.
Hooded eyes looked down at her. “Unlock your door,” he said in a gruff voice.
She shook her head to clear it and pulled her keys from her bag.
He took them from her and inserted the metal into the cylinder, then turned the key, opening her door. He stepped back to let her inside.
“Thanks for everything, Harrison. I’ll… be in touch.”
“And so will I.” He treated her to his heartbreaking smile, but she saw the deeper man beneath.
The one who’d been shocked when an unwanted pregnancy had sent him reeling, then pulled himself together and promised to be a father to their unborn baby.
Chapter Six
Winter woke up feeling slightly queasy, but she pushed through, doing a ten-minute meditation session before getting out of bed, doing her bathroom routine, then walking the dog. The fresh air felt cool against her skin, and she was in a good mood, both from yesterday’s doctor’s appointment and Harrison’s surprising insistence on a partnership of sorts.
Although she was wary, she was also grateful. She might have been willing to go through the experience alone, but she was glad she didn’t have to. And her baby would have both his or her parents, which in the end was all that mattered.
Leash in hand, she turned the corner back onto her street, her mind on the cup of tea she’d make herself when she returned to her apartment.
Instead of the empty sidewalk she’d passed when she’d started her walk, a large group of people now congregated by the entrance where her doorman would normally greet her.
She slowed, pulling on Panda’s leash to keep her close. “What in the world is going on?” she asked aloud. Before she could decide whether to push her way through the crowd, she heard her name and turned.
A familiar man in a leather jacket walked up to her. “Zach?” She’d met Harrison’s brother while spending time in the Hamptons this past summer, but she’d never run into him near her building.
He looked her over, giving her a chance to take in his appearance. His hair was mussed, his lips turned downward in a deep frown. “Come on. I need to get you out of here.” He grasped her arm and turned her away from the throng of people toward the way she’d come.
Panda began to bark and she bent down to soothe her before glancing back up at Zach.
“Wait, why?”
“I’ll explain on the way.” He began to walk and she rushed along with him but didn’t understand what was happening.
“The news just broke.” He stopped by a black SUV with tinted windows and hit the button on a key fob.
She wrinkled her nose in confusion. “What news?” She patted the phone in her sweatshirt pocket she’d grabbed out of habit. “I woke up, dressed, and went out to walk the dog without looking online or checking my cell. What’s going on?”
“Come on. Hop in, and I’ll explain.” He opened the passenger door, and though she was confused, she trusted Zach.
Scooping Panda into her arms, Winter climbed into the SUV.
Zach strode around the car and joined her, locking the doors and closing them in.
“What’s happening? Where’s Harrison? Why are you here?” She had so many questions.
He stretched his arm over the back of her seat, turning to meet her gaze. “He’s at his apartment. He didn’t come himself because he didn’t want the vultures to see him at your place. And the reason is that someone alerted the news about your situation.”
“What situation?” What was she missing in this conversation?
He swiped the screen on his phone, tapped a few times, and turned his cell to face her. He’d pulled up the Celebrity Gossip Central site for her to see.
Hollywood’s Hottest Baby Daddy.
Harrison Dare was spotted in an obstetrician’s office on Park Avenue yesterday. A source tells us he was looking for Winter Capwell, the newly revealed illegitimate daughter of ex-Senator Corbin Bettencourt. Stay tuned for more news as it comes in.
“Oh my God.” Winter buried her face in Panda’s soft fur. Her entire life had exploded, and she hadn’t even known about it.
“That’s one way to put it.” Zach rubbed her back with his big hand. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. Let’s get you to Harrison’s, and we can come up with a plan.”
He picked up his phone and typed out what seemed like a long message before starting the engine and pulling out of the parking spot.
Meanwhile, she sat in her seat, heart pounding hard in her chest. The queasiness had turned into full-fledged nausea, and she did her best to stay calm and hoped it would ease. The car sped through the city, and it wasn’t long before they drove past another building with reporters swarming the front entrance, just as they’d done at hers.