"No," Ryker answers.

  Then how does he know?

  "I told her," he confesses. "When were in Zurich, after you came back from Uetliberg, she was waiting outside your room and I realized how much she cared for you. But I knew you didn't care for her, so..."

  "How did you know?"

  "Because you said so yourself. You said you weren't in love with her. But she seemed to be in love with you, so I thought it was better for her to stay away from you."

  "And you told her that?"

  "Yes."

  I bite my lower lip and give him a disapproving look. "I should have punched you instead of Asher."

  "Ooh. I would have liked to see that," Asher says.

  He offers me a glass of Scotch. I'm confused.

  "I thought you didn't want me to drink."

  "I think one more glass is fine," he says. "You seem like you need it."

  I take the glass. Does this mean he forgives me for punching him?

  He sits beside me and gulps down his own. Ryker sits across from me.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how much she meant to you."

  "I didn't realize it either," I admit. "And now it's too late."

  "No, it's not," Asher says. "You realize you love her now, right?"

  I suppose I do. Maybe I always have. I just thought it wasn't right because I was her boss, so I pushed it away and concealed it under so many emotions that I ended up getting confused. I tried to dilute it and pass it off as other things - friendship, pity, lust, trying to do what was best for her. But all that is part of love. I know that now.

  That doesn't mean it's easy for me to say it out loud.

  "Just go and tell her that," Asher says. "Tell her you're sorry for being a jerk and tell her you love her."

  "And if she doesn't believe you, tell her to give you a chance to prove it," Ryker says. "And then do that."

  I look at both of them with furrowed eyebrows. "Have either of you been in love before?"

  Because they're suddenly talking like they're experts.

  "Who cares?" Asher says. "We both just want the best for our brother."

  That's one of the nicest things he's ever said to me.

  "So you think it's alright for me to be with her even though I'm her boss?"

  "Well, technically, you're not her boss anymore," Ryker says.

  True.

  "Who cares what you are or what she is?" Asher says. "What matters is how the two of you feel about each other."

  I guess that's true. In the end, it doesn't matter whether we're rich or poor or what the color of our skin is or what we do for a living. We're all humans who need and deserve love. I know Stella and I do.

  Asher pats my back. "Go get her."

  I put my glass down without taking a sip. I don't need the alcohol anymore. I have all the courage I need, thanks to these two who have always been by my side and who are clearly no longer kids for me to look after. In the future, maybe I'll confide in them just a little more.

  I look at them both and nod. "I will."

  I'm going to take Stella back no matter what the cost.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Stella

  "That will be fifty-eight dollars and forty-nine cents," the pharmacist behind the counter tells me.

  My eyes grow wide. Nearly sixty bucks for a bottle of pain relievers, a tiny tube of pimple cream and a few bottles of water?

  I only have a fifty-dollar bill in my hand, so I quickly search my purse for a ten. I know I have one somewhere. Where is it again?

  I was hoping my headaches and dizzy spells would just go away. I thought that time I nearly fainted on the front porch of my old house would be the last episode. The person who helped me - she lived across the street - was a nurse who just told me to take iron supplements. I did, and for a day, I was fine. But last night, I felt dizzy again, nauseous even. This morning, I woke up with a headache. It's not that painful but it's literally at the back of my head, nagging at me. Also, I had no appetite this morning, and to make matters worse, when I looked in the mirror, I realized I had a pimple on my forehead. What the hell?

  The pharmacist clears her throat. I give up on finding that ten-dollar bill, though I'm sure I have one, and hand her my credit card. As she processes my payment, my gaze falls on the pregnancy test just beneath the glass on the counter.

  The question pops into my head: What if I'm pregnant?

  Ethan and I didn't use any protection. And yes, I was the one who decided that the first time we had sex because I thought I'd just finished my period and I was safe. Now that I'm making a quick calculation, though, I'm realizing that my period had already been over five days before that.

  I've always been healthy, but now I'm nearly fainting. And I'm always tired. And crying easily.

  Ethan's words echo inside my head. What if I got you pregnant?

  "Ms. Quinn?" The pharmacist catches my attention.

  "Yes?"

  "Your card and your purchase." She hands them over to me. "Will there be anything else?"

  Again, I look at the pregnancy test kit. Do I buy one? It's possible I'm not pregnant, but there's no harm in making sure, right?

  I point to the test. "Give me two of those."

  ~

  As I walk back to my hotel, my heart and my mind are both racing. I can't get the question of whether or not I'm pregnant out of my mind.

  What if I am pregnant? I contemplate my possible future.

  First, the bad news. The biggest headline is that I don't have a husband or a partner. Or a family. I'll be doing this alone. Well, I can tell Ethan, but after what he tried to accuse me of before - using a baby to get money or whatever out of him - I'm hesitant. Besides, if I tell him about the baby, I'll be giving him the key to my life. He'll be in it, but he won't be mine. It will be just like that stupid contract, except without the Swiss chalet.

  No, I'm not going to tell him. I'm going to do this alone. It will be doubly hard but I'll be fine. Right?

  The other bad news is that I don't know much about pregnancy. I never asked my mom about it - I sure wish she was here right now - but I guess I can Google that. Also, I currently have no job and no place to stay. Well, I guess I should start looking for an apartment here in Seattle more seriously.

  The good news? I have some savings. Sure, I've been saving to travel, but if I'm going to have a baby, I have no choice but to spend for it. Maybe I won't be working for a while before and after the baby is born, but when I eventually look for a job, I'm sure it won't be that hard to find one. I have an impressive resume, and I know I'm efficient.

  What else? I have an old friend here in Seattle who's a doctor. She can help me.

  One last thing. I'm pregnant. I'm having a baby. I'm finally no longer going to be alone. I'm going to have someone I can call my own, someone who will be my family. Just thinking about all the Christmases and birthdays we're going to spend together, all the places we'll travel to, all the fun things we're going to do together, makes me smile.

  I love my child already.

  Of course, that's only if I'm pregnant, which I'll find out for sure in a bit.

  Finally, I reach the hotel. I board an elevator up to my floor and hurry down the hallway. I'm going to go straight to the bathroom and take the test right away. At least, that's my plan, but the moment I open the door to my room, everything falls apart.

  Ethan is standing by the bed.

  Ethan. In the flesh. In one of his impeccable suits.

  I feel like pinching myself. I'm not dreaming, am I? I know I've been having dizzy spells. Am I having hallucinations too now?

  "Stella," Ethan says my name and my heart leaps.

  Okay. So he's not a hallucination. But that doesn't explain why he's here in front of me right now. Isn't he supposed to be in Chicago running his company?

  "How did you get here?" I finally find my voice, though I can't seem to keep it from trembling.

  How did he even know I was staying here at this hotel?

  "I went to your apartment but you weren't there. Your friend Jess said you went back to Seattle, so I came here. Miller helped me find out where you were staying and booked a room for me here. When I arrived, I asked the manager if I could kindly get a spare key to your room."

  "You mean you paid the manager?" I ask.

  "No. But I did promise him some tickets to a Seahawks game."

  Isn't that the same thing?

  "Fine. But why are you here?"

  "I thought I just told you the reason why," Ethan says.

  He did?

  He walks towards me. "I'm here because you're here, Stella."

  I take a step back and lift a finger. "Don't come any closer."

  He stops.

  "Now, tell me again why you're here, because the answer you gave me doesn't make sense. There's no reason you should follow me here. I'm no longer your employee."

  "You can come back to the company if you want."

  So he's here to ask me to take my old job back? Why? Because he can't find another assistant who can do it as well?

  "I don't want to."

  "Then don't. But I'm going to bring you back with me anyway."

  My eyebrows arch. What? That makes even less sense. Has he gone mad since I last saw him?

  "What do you mean?" I ask him. "Are you saying that the baby contract was your way of asking me nicely, and since I turned you down, now you're going to kidnap me and force yourself on me?"

  "No," Ethan answers as he takes another step forward. "I'm asking you to come back."

  No way.

  "And if I say no?"

  "I'll keep asking until you change your mind," Ethan answers. "I'll prove to you that I deserve you. I'll show you that you and I belong together."

  Cocky.

  "How?" I ask him.

  "I'll do whatever it takes."

  He takes another step forward. I take another back but find the door behind me. I'm cornered.

  Ethan looks into my eyes. "I've missed you, Stella."

  His words and his gaze send my pulse pounding, but I suppress my excitement. And my hopes. I promised myself I'd be smarter, stronger. Besides, he hasn't said the words I want to hear the most.

  I hold my chin high. "You just miss having sex with me, don't you? Isn't that why you wanted to have a baby with me? Just so you could have sex with me?"

  "I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the sex, but that's not why I want to be with you."

  I ignore him. "Or maybe you just don't want another man to have me?"

  "Of course not," Ethan admits. "Is that so bad?"

  "You just want to keep me on the bench."

  "Bench?"

  "You're greedy. And you're selfish. And you're..."

  I stop talking because he's so close to me now, so close I can smell his cologne. I can't breathe.

  "Why?" he asks. "Would you rather be with another man? Didn't you say you were in love with me?"

  I was hoping he wouldn't bring that up.

  "I did," I admit because I'm not a liar. "But I'm not anymore."

  "No?"

  Alright. Maybe I am a liar. And a bad one, I think, because Ethan doesn't look at all convinced.

  Who am I kidding? I'm not the kind of person who just falls in love with someone and stops loving him a few days later. I don't even know if that's possible.

  Ethan leans forward. His face is just inches from mine.

  "Look into my eyes and tell me you don't love me."

  His deep voice sends a shiver down my spine. His black eyes seem to peer into my soul. I swallow the lump in my throat.

  "I..."

  I can't. I can't tell him I don't love him.

  He keeps staring at me, waiting. My heart hammers inside my chest, which feels like it's being ripped apart and closing in around my heart at the same time.

  "I..."

  "Yes?"

  "I can't do this."

  I place my hands on Ethan's chest and push him away so I can get room to breathe. I succeed, but at the same time the paper bag from the pharmacy that I have tucked inside my arm falls to the floor. One of the blue pregnancy test kits spills out.

  My jaw drops. Shit.

  I rush to grab it, but Ethan picks it up first. His eyebrows furrow.

  "A pregnancy test?" Then he looks at me with wide eyes. "You're pregnant?"

  "No." I take the box from his hand. "I mean, I don't know."

  "But you think you might be?"

  Isn't that obvious?

  "You should go," I tell him.

  "No," he says firmly.

  I look into his eyes and see the cold steel of determination there.

  "I'm not going anywhere until I know the result of that test."

  Of course. He wants a baby, after all. He was willing to pay me a quarter of a billion dollars for one.

  "Fine."

  I slip past him and go inside the bathroom. Once inside, I pause for a moment to take a few deep breaths.

  Now, I can breathe.

  But I still feel restless, more so since I know Ethan is just outside waiting to find out if I'm pregnant or not. As much as I'd like to keep him waiting, I don't think I can stand the suspense much longer myself.

  I open one of the kits and follow the instructions. Then I put it next to the sink and wait, using the timer on my phone as a guide. With each second that passes by, I feel my heart beating faster. My anxiety rises. I fidget with my hair and tap my foot on the floor.

  Please... please...

  Wait a second. Am I hoping for a positive result? But if I'm pregnant and Ethan finds out right now, doesn't that mean I'll be forced to have him in my life? I'll be bound to a man who doesn't love me.

  Just then, the timer beeps. I turn it off, draw a deep breath and look at the stick.

  I see two red lines forming a plus sign and the word Pregnant right next to it. I guess that's as clear as it gets.

  Just to be sure, I take the other test. The result is the same.

  My tears start to fall. I just can't tell if they're tears of joy or tears of sorrow.

  I'm pregnant.

  I take a few minutes to let that sink in and to dry my tears before stepping out of the bathroom.

  "Well?" Ethan asks as soon as I open the door.

  I can see the anxiety all over his face.

  I show him the sticks. His eyes grow wide and his jaw drops.

  "You're pregnant."

  He tries to take the sticks from me but I shove them into my pockets. I peed on them, after all. I don't want him touching them. Besides, I think I want to keep them.

  "Let's just be clear," I tell him. "I'm going to be raising this child and..."

  My voice falters as fresh tears sting my eyes. What the hell?

  Ethan places a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?"

  Am I alright?

  Just like that, my emotions burst.

  "Of course not!" I shout at him. "I'm only twenty-six and I'm having a baby. I don't even have a boyfriend. I've never had a boyfriend. I don't have my mother to guide me. I don't have my father. I don't have anyone."

  "You have me," Ethan says.

  "Right. All I have is a rich, handsome man who will someday marry a rich, beautiful woman because he doesn't love me or think - "

  "But I love you."

  The words stop my thoughts. And my heart.

  What did he just say?

  Ethan cups my face. "I love you, Stella. That's what I came here to tell you."

  I can't believe it. He just said the words I've been longing to hear. Twice. My heart leaps in my chest.

  He came all the way to Seattle to tell me he loves me?

  "Are you sure?" I ask him as fear and hope battle in my chest.

  He's not joking, is he?

  "I'm sure."

  He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear and strokes my cheek. Then he touches his forehead to mine and looks into my eyes.

  "I love you, Stella Quinn. That's what I've been trying to tell you."

  My heart flips. A tear escapes from the corner of my eye, this one of joy.

  Pure joy.

  I smile. "Then why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

  Ethan gives me a smile of his own, one that melts my fears away. Then he presses his lips tenderly against mine.

  After the kiss breaks, I stroke his cheek. "I love you, too."

  He kisses my hand, and then, to my surprise, he kneels down and kisses my stomach.

  "Are you really having a baby?" he asks.

  The childlike excitement in his eyes makes me even more ecstatic.

  "We're having a baby, silly."

  He gives me a triumphant smile as he gets back on his feet and pulls me into his arms. As I wrap my arms around him, I notice the box of Swiss chocolates on the table. Jess and Randy ate most of its contents but they insisted I keep the box.

  And a single piece that I still haven't touched.

  And now, my prayer has been answered.

  Ethan loves me. And we're having a baby.

  Our amazing journey is just beginning.

  Epilogue

  Ethan

  Two months later...

  "I take it everything is going well?" Ryker asks me as we stand outside my office.

  "Of course it is," Asher answers for me. "Look at Stella. She's glowing."

  I watch her as she talks to Dana, the woman she's been training to be my next assistant for the past two weeks.

  She does look radiant in the yellow dress she's wearing, which is just tight enough to show off the curve of her belly. Even though some people have started nasty rumors about her, she has no intention of hiding it, which I find admirable. And attractive.

  I still don't know how I found such an amazing woman. Or how I didn't realize I had one right next to me until I lost her. But I'm sure of one thing - I'm never letting her go.

  And I'm making that clear tonight.

  "What about you?" I ask Asher. "How are things going with Violet?"

  He makes a face.

  "Not good, huh?" Ryker asks.

  "She still hasn't forgiven me for leaving her at that party years ago," Asher says.

  He did tell me about that. I thought there was something between him and Violet. It turns out they had history before Zurich. The question is: Is that all they'll ever have?