Just One Night, Carly Phillips [read me like a book txt] 📗

her eyes again, and she used a napkin to dab at the moisture, not wanting her heavy makeup all over her face.

“Oh, honey.” Her mother’s expression crumbled, her pain for her daughter obvious and so needed. “I feel terrible. I was looking out for you. I thought I could protect you, but I never meant to make it so you couldn’t come to me when you needed me most.” She curled her fingers tighter around Jordan’s hand.

“I get it now, Mom. I know why you tried so hard to protect me.” Jordan went on to explain how Collin had tried to pay her to get rid of the baby, and her mom cursed loudly.

“Now tell me what happened when you told Linc,” her mother said.

“First you need to know about his father.” Jordan revealed how Kenneth Kingston had gotten his secretary pregnant and paid her monthly for years instead of being a parent.

Her mom shook her head. “That man was always a selfish son of a bitch. Mrs. Kingston put up with too much from him if you ask me. Now what about Linc?”

Jordan pulled in a breath. “He overheard Aurora, his new sister, say something to me about being pregnant. I get he was in shock. But he repeated it twice and he sounded so angry.” She’d wanted to curl into herself, but she refused to let him see how badly he was hurting her.

And then he’d asked how, which was the ultimate in stupid questions. But Collin had asked her the same thing, and that time she’d been at fault. All the memories had come crashing back, especially because she’d just run into him and his pregnant wife.

“So we stood there in silence except for the other voices in the room. And his face might as well have been carved in stone. And in my head, I heard your voice, telling me I wasn’t part of their family, and I needed to know my place. And that one day he’d marry someone else.”

She wiped at her eyes again, her mascara all over the napkin. “Then Linc cursed. And I lost it. I told him not to worry, that the baby wasn’t his problem. That I wasn’t his problem.”

Her mother patted her hand. “That’s my brave girl, standing up for herself. But–”

Jordan pushed the mug aside. “Wait. There’s more. I topped it off and told him if he wrote me a check like Collin or his father, I wouldn’t take it. Then I walked out … and here I am.”

A few silent seconds ticked by as her mother clearly gathered her thoughts. “Has he tried to reach you?”

She nodded. “When I first left. Then I silenced my phone. And now it’s turned off.”

“Okay, good. Because you need time to think. How about I give you some clothes to change into, you wash up and get a good night’s sleep? We can talk again in the morning. Sound good?”

“Yeah. It does.” Jordan didn’t think she’d get much shut-eye, but she needed to be alone and process everything that had happened tonight.

Her mom rose from her seat and Jordan did the same. Walking around, her mother wrapped her arms around Jordan and pulled her close. Her scent was familiar and comforting, and she knew she’d done the right thing by coming home.

*     *     *

Linc didn’t sleep. Not well, at least. The only good news he’d had since Jordan walked out on him was a one-line text letting him know she was fine. That was all she’d said. I’m fine. She’d ignored everything he’d texted after, asking where she was and if they could talk, and his calls still went to voicemail. But he took comfort in the knowledge she’d thought to let him know she was safe. That meant no matter how big an ass he’d been, deep down she knew he’d worry about her.

Although he had no intention of letting a day pass without seeing her, whether she was at her parents’ house or not, he had one stop to make first.

He felt like driving himself and headed to his mother’s house for a serious conversation. After opening the gate and parking, he rang the bell, and since she’d been expecting him, his mother answered. They’d been out late last night, and she wasn’t dressed up nor did she have on a full face of makeup, but she was still beautiful.

They settled in the large kitchen, which had recently been remodeled, with stainless steel appliances, white granite counters, and state-of-the-art … everything.

She offered him something to eat but he declined. He’d eaten at home.

They sat on barstools at the center island, and he leaned an elbow on the granite. He wasn’t sure how to approach the subject. Until he and Jordan talked, he had no intention of telling his mother she was pregnant. He hoped his sisters had kept the news to themselves.

“So you told me last night we needed to talk. What is it?” his mother asked.

“How do you feel about Jordan?” he asked, diving right in.

She tipped her head, confusion in her expression. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

He let out a groan. “Okay, there’s no easy way to ask this. Chloe mentioned to me that Jordan isn’t one of us. That people in our so-called social circle consider her the maid’s daughter and … they look down on her.”

He wasn’t asking his mother these questions because he needed her approval before making things right with Jordan. Rather, he was asking because he wanted to counter any argument Jordan herself might have about them being together and having a future.

He knew he was getting ahead of himself. First he needed her to forgive him for his reaction to their big news. But Linc was a man who prepared for all situations before taking a leap. Another reason her pregnancy had been such a shock. He’d never considered the possibility.

He glanced at his mother, who looked like a woman trying to formulate her answer, and his stomach churned. Not for himself but because he