Free Baby By Accident: International Billionaires III: The Italians by Caro LaFever Page B

fury.
    “Vico?”
    His sister’s voice tugged him back. “ Si ?”
    “What’s wrong?”
    What was it about women? Why did they immediately assume if a male went quiet, something was wrong? Why did they have the damn uncanny ability to know when there was something wrong?
    “Not a thing.”
    “Vico…”
    The way she dragged out his name told him the story. He’d have to give her something or she’d never stop coming at him. And he knew for certain it wouldn’t be exclusively his sister. His close, loving family would be informed; something was wrong with Vico. Which would result in a flurry of phone calls, appeals to come home to Italy, threats of visits.
    “I have an employee who is sick, that is all.”
    “Perhaps I can help.” Chiara was a trained nurse, but what if the only thing Lise Helton needed was emotional and psychological help? He might very well be blowing this all out of proportion and jumping to wild conclusions.
    His gut twisted.
    “Vico?”
    “It’s nothing, Chi.”
    “Don’t give me your usual brushoff. You’re always, always helping me.”
    “I’m not—”
    “First with my schooling. Then with my wedding. Now with the new house.”
    “Chi—”
    “Let me help you this one time.” Her voice filled with determination. “You owe me a chance to pay you back.”
    He owed her, the whole family, much, much more. He owed them for their forgiveness for something that really was unforgivable. He owed them for standing by him when no sane family would have. Giving his sister this information, he supposed, was nothing in the grand scheme of things.
    He sighed. “She’s been sick for weeks.”
    “She?”
    “My employee,” he said with sharp inflection. He wanted to stamp out the tiny hint of interest in his sister’s voice immediately. For the last several years, his whole family had been yapping at him to settle down, to find a wife, to give his momma what she most dearly wanted—his babies. In fact, at his last visit only months ago, his momma had assured him with a grave face she would never be fully happy until she held his child in her arms.
    His gut flipped completely over. He would be an abysmal failure as a father.
    “What are this employee’ssymptoms?”
    His brain began to pound with the possibility. Bam. Bam. Bam —his heart took on the beat. He tried to push the pounding, the bam-bam-bam , the clutch in his gut all away.
    This couldn’t be. No.
    He was only thirty-one and he was having too much fun. The tabloid tales were, of course, ridiculous, pure exaggeration. Sure, he enjoyed the ladies, why shouldn’t he? But the number of women in the photos ending up in his bed were few. He’d certainly had his share of relationships, but he’d never been promiscuous. In fact, he was fairly careful and thoughtful before embarking on a sexual relationship.
    Except for that one night.
    His gut twirled, his heart slammed, his head exploded.
    “Vico?”
    “She said it’s the flu,” he choked.
    “No flu goes on for weeks and weeks,” Chi said. “Has she gone to the doctor?”
    “ Si. She told me the diagnosis was the flu.”
    “You’ve discussed this with her? How interesting.”
    “She’s an important part of my staff. It was reasonable to discuss this with her.” Reasonable wasn’t what he felt right now. A slick line of sweat ran down his back.
    “Tell me her symptoms.”
    “White as a ghost. Trouble with her balance. I believe quite a bit of nausea, if all the rumors running around are true.” As soon as he rattled off the list, his gut roared, the clutch of concern turning into ripe reality.
    “I’ll bet she’s pregnant.”
    The final words, words already forming in his brain, sent a blast of adrenaline up his spine. He shot out of his chair and his hand tightened on the phone. Grasping for anything, any excuse, he instinctively rejected the new realization hardening like a stone in his stomach. “Not a chance.”
    “Are you sure?” Chi’s voice became