“He’s not a fan of abortions. It’s a personal thing.” Finn took off his tux coat and laid it across the chair. Then he sat on the footstool and untied his shoes, kicking them off.
“What are you doing?” Carina asked, crossing her arms.
“Getting comfortable.” He took off his tie and began to unbutton his shirt, exposing a well-muscled chest. “I’m spending the night on that couch.”
“We don’t need you anymore,” she argued. “Bran is fine. I’ll stay with him while he sleeps it off.”
Finn’s answering glare was fierce. “After what you did tonight, there’s no way I’m leaving my friend alone with you. So you might as well go to your room and get your beauty sleep.”
Stephanie’s tense muscles uncoiled. With Finn on guard, Branson wouldn’t reveal their secret—at least not to Carina. As the adrenaline faded from her system, she remembered she’d come next door with wet hair and no makeup. In contrast, Carina appeared as fresh as when she first emerged from her room for the evening.
Steph’s hands snaked up to smooth her damp tresses, and she tucked her chin toward her chest. Pushing up on her crutches, she hobbled toward the bedroom door. “Guess I’ll head back to bed, since the crisis is averted.”
“Don’t leave yet. I want to speak to you alone.” Finn sent a pointed look toward Carina.
“You can’t make me leave,” Carina sputtered, her cool composure cracking.
Finn’s expression hardened to granite, and Steph caught a glimpse of the formidable man who’d built a multi-billion-dollar empire, along with his friends. She shuddered, glad his fury was aimed at Carina instead of her. “Try me,” he growled.
Carina’s nostrils flared. “Fine. I’ll go. But I’ll be back first thing in the morning. You can’t keep us apart.”
As the door clicked shut behind her, Finn’s countenance softened. He pointed with a jerk of his chin. “Let’s sit out here on the couch for a minute. How’re you holding up?”
“Exhausted. Stressed.” She limped after him and crumpled onto the sofa, fatigue settling deep into her bones. “But I’ll be fine.” I have to be.
Finn closed his eyes tight, like he was fighting a headache. “I hope you won’t desert Bran. I think you’ve been good for him.” He folded his hands in his lap and stared at his fingers. “But… this pregnancy—if Carina’s not lying again—really throws a wrench in my plans. I thought he’d finally come to his senses. He was ready to back out of the relationship, but now…”
“He’s going to marry her, isn’t he?”
The muscles contracted along his jaw. “If he thinks it’s the right thing to do, he’ll do it. Even if it makes him miserable.”
“You think it’s the right thing to do?”
Both of Finn’s shoulders lifted. “I don’t know what I think. You might be able to influence him. Honestly, he could support this baby without marrying Carina.”
“But that’s not the only factor. He’ll want to be in the baby’s life, right?”
“For sure.” Finn pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know what this means for you… for your job. If he marries her, I’m afraid Carina will make your life a living hell.”
“It’s okay,” she said, as if she was blowing it all off. “I’d already planned to quit. Carina hates me, so I don’t see how I could stay.”
“Why not try to talk him out of the marriage, instead of leaving? He trusts you. He’ll listen to you. And Monday morning, you’ll have him all to yourself.”
“I don’t know. I’ll think about it. I have to be able to sleep at night.”
“By that reasoning, I guess Carina’s a vampire.” Finn chuckled. “You’re the innocent one in all this… you and Ellie.”
“And Laurie,” Steph added. “I can only afford to pay her because of what Branson pays me.”
He sat forward, resting his arms on his legs. “I was teasing, before, when I offered you a job. But this time, I’m not. If you have to quit, I’ll match whatever Branson’s paying you.”
Steph was already shaking her head no. “I can’t let you do that. You can’t hire me because you feel sorry for me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He held up a silencing palm. “I may seem like a teddy bear, but I didn’t get where I am making decisions based on sentiment. I’m certain you’d be an asset.”
“We’ll see.” She refused to commit, though at least the job offer soothed her financial worries. And maybe Finn would have an “in” to get the new CF medicine cheaper. “Are you going to report this to the police?”
“I don’t know. We’ll see when Bran wakes up.” He pushed his hair off his forehead. “For now, I want to protect him in case he ends up in a custody battle. We should keep that marriage certificate out of Carina’s hands. I think she could use that as an argument against him in court. Last night, I thought it would be a funny joke, but now…” He twisted his mouth in a grimace. “Now, not so much.”
“She won’t find it. I’ve got it.”
“Maybe you should give it to me and let me destroy it.”
No way that’s happening. She pursed her lips. “It’s safe with me.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Okay. I get it. You don’t trust me because of the whole marriage license trick.”
She tried to laugh, but it came out as an irritated cough. “It wasn’t a pleasant surprise to discover both our names on there.”
“Mad at me?”
She squinted at him from the corner of her eye. “Let’s just say, you might want to hire a food-taster until I cool off a bit.”
His familiar grin was back. “Yeah, Branson was steamed, too. It wasn’t intentional, though. I couldn’t follow my original plan. With Carina staring daggers at you, I thought the clerk might wonder why you two were getting married.”
A huge yawn escaped before she could cover her mouth. Maybe I’m already asleep, and I’ll wake up and find out this was only a nightmare. “I think I better go to bed before I pass out right here on this couch.” She struggled to her feet.
“I plan to tell Branson the news when he wakes up, before Carina can spring it on him. I’ll personally guarantee they won’t be getting married here in Las Vegas.”
