Billionaire's Baby Surprise, Part Three Read Free Page B

for Jake’s sake?” Sondra sighed, shaking her head. “No, I didn’t think that would be your solution.” She watched impassively as his mother wrote something and wasn’t surprised when she held out a check a moment later.
    Her eyes widened at the number of zeroes. “Wow, you must really hate me if you want to give me this much to get out of his life.”
    “There’s more required than you just disappearing.” Whitney cleared her throat. “You have an appointment in an hour with a discreet service.”
    Her stomach twisted with dread, and she had an inkling of what the other woman meant, but refused to believe anyone could be so horrible. “An appointment for what?”
    “An abortion. You have to get rid of that thing inside you before you get to keep that check. I shall accompany you to ensure the task is done, and then you’ll fly on my private jet anywhere you wish to recover. Anywhere far away from here and Jake, of course. Not that he’ll want to see you again once he learns you aborted his baby and left him.”
    The door slammed against the wall, making both of them jump. Sondra was the first to recover, and her heart stuttered at the sight of Jake. He looked angry, but she wasn’t completely confident she wouldn’t be the target of his wrath. “I wasn’t going to do it,” she said softly.
    He barely glanced at her, but nodded quickly. “I know that, Sondra, and I had no need to lurk to confirm your reply. You want our baby as much as I do.”
    She exhaled with relief at the confirmation his displeasure was all for his mother.
    “Now, Wallace—”
    “Get out, Mother.”
    Whitney’s complexion paled. “Please, son, listen to reason.”
    “There is no reason. You just offered the woman I love money to kill our child. Why would you do that?”
    Whitney lifted her hand. “Please, darling, you have no idea about her background. She’s not worthy of you.”
    “I know everything about Sondra’s background. She told me at the beginning of our relationship. I know her better than anyone. I clearly know her better than I know you. The woman I thought you were would never be so dishonest or despicable.” Jake looked more disappointed than angry all of a sudden, and his shoulders slumped with apparent weariness.
    “I’m trying to protect you.”
    “You’re trying to control me,” snapped Jake. “Eleanor called and confessed to me this morning that you’ve been helping her plot to get my attention so I would leave Sondra. She apologized and begged me to take her back, but I refused. I can’t trust her, and I can’t trust you.”
    Sondra put a comforting hand on his forearm. His revelations were earth-shattering to him, and though she had already known, she could still sympathize with his position. After his full support and complete faith in her, she could be generous. “Why don’t you both take a break from each other for a bit to calm down and reassess? You don’t want to say anything you’ll regret to each other.”
    Jake scoffed. “I won’t regret telling her to go away and not come back.”
    She put her finger on his lips before he could say anything else. “Wait until you aren’t so raw, love.”
    After a moment, he nodded. Jake didn’t quite look at his mother when he spoke to her again. “You need to leave now, Mother. I can’t promise I’ll get over this, or that I’ll even try, but every second I have to look at you makes it that more certain I won’t.”
    With a small sob, Whitney reached for her son. “Please, Wallace, you have to understand my position.”
    “I understand you’re a narrow-minded bigot with a small definition of who is good enough for your family name. You don’t respect the woman I love, and you don’t give a damn about our child. I know everything I need to right now. Get out.” He barked the last two words so harshly she jumped and scrambled for the front door.
    Sondra gasped when Whitney slapped her as she stormed by. Cradling her stinging