“I’m so sorry. They’re never this crazy. Especially not in the States.”
“That must’ve been one real juicy story if they want more pictures.” I was glad his suit muffled my words and the shame behind them.
No doubt by now, everyone in the office knew I had slept with Declan. I could only guess how badly the media twisted our story. I could only guess what Nicolas, Louisa, and everyone else thought of me. Jesus, today wasmy first day back. I’d hoped no one would find out about us for a long while.
“Wait.” I lifted my head to meet Declan’s gaze. I was one hundred percent sure he was thinking what I was thinking. “What if they have photos of us having sex on the rooftop? I mean, it’s not impossible.”
He opened his mouth then closed it. “Let’s wait until we get a full report before we panic.”
18
BABY MOMMA ON BOARD
Isla
“What’s the headline?” He barged into his own office.
“Baby Momma on Board? Casey and I tried hard to find that photographer.” Lisa shot to her feet and followed him in. “I’m sorry.” She met my gaze, silently apologizing to me.
She understood Declan was used to the paparazzi. If he was pissed now, it was because his son and I were involved now.
“Baby Momma on Board isn’t so bad.” I fished my phone out of the front pocket of my skirt and scrolled the Twitter feed. “This isn’t bad.” I looked up at him. “You can’t really tell that’s Joey.”
“They think he’s yours. And because of where we are, they’re surmising I don’t trust you enough to believe he’s mine. They crossed the line.” He raked a hand through his hair, cheeks flushed.
“What matters is that Joey is safe.”
“If I may.” Lisa stepped in, meeting my gaze with zerojudgement in her eyes. “Should I schedule a meeting with Nicolas? At a glance, the optics don’t look good for you.”
She was looking at Declan, not me. And she was right. The article insinuated that I got a promotion because of the baby. In one paragraph, they made it sound like Declan was trying to wiggle out of his responsibilities as a father. In the next, he was paying for sex. And then of course, they had to end it with a jab in my direction. Was this the first baby I had with a billionaire? Really? That didn’t even make sense.
“Yes, do.” He nodded. “It’s really none of his business what I do outside of the office, but he deserves the truth. My truth. In case the board gets weird about things.”
“Right away.” She nodded and returned to her desk.
“Lisa,” he called after her. “Get Casey on the line.”
“On it.”
As soon as Casey’s face appeared on Declan’s wide screen, my nerves settled. If anyone could help us out of this mess, it was her. But first, we had to come clean. I felt I owed her an explanation after all the sound advice she gave me my first day of training.Mainly: don’t sleep with the boss.I opened my mouth to apologize, but she cut me off.
“Save it. Since the first time I spoke with Declan, I got the sense this might happen. Let’s focus on what we have to work with. Shall we?” She tapped on her iPad screen. “So far, the only photos making the rounds are the ones from the clinic where Joey’s face isn’t recognizable.”
“Thank God.” I pressed a cold hand to my forehead.
“Oh dear.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Anything I should be watching out for?”
“Yes.” Declan cleared his throat. “At the restaurant.”
“Got it.” Casey raised her hand as if saying, “No explanation needed.”
“I really don’t give a shit what people think of me or how I choose to handle my private life.”
“I know.” She sat back in her chair. “But too many scandals like this one could negatively impact the company.”
“You need Harper.” I squeezed his arm, wishing I could do more to comfort him.
“Yeah.” He took my hand and kissed it.
