Luca strode unseeing to the parking lot then remembered he’d arrived by ambulance with Jacey. He whipped out his phone and called his chauffeur.

Don picked up right away. “Yes, sir?”

“Pick me up at the medical center, in front of the emergency entrance.”

“On my way, sir.”

He shoved his phone back in his pocket and crossed his arms, too agitated to remain still. He paced the sidewalk while the twilight deepened to night.

How dare Jacey try to pin Easton’s death on him! Or anyone else in his family. That was low, even for her. Rage simmered in his chest and mingled with the pain at the unfairness of her accusations. He’d always loved his brothers. He’d looked out for every one of them his entire life. Maybe he hadn’t been as attentive to the wayward Easton right after their parents’ deaths, but he’d staggered around a few months — they all had — trying to come to terms with their loss while still running a mega corporation. Who on earth could blame him for a bit of inattention in a time like that?

Apparently Jacey did. The thought infuriated him further. He normally paid no attention to criticism. It was part of being a CEO. Part of being in the constant crosshairs of the media, their competition, and anyone else who wanted to voice a dissenting opinion or took exception to his corporate decisions. But Jacey’s criticism was personal. A direct attack on his character, it rankled deeply and heavily.

The fact that her disapproval mattered to him at all at this point bothered him too. He’d never met a more maddening woman. He’d never met anyone who’d crawled so thoroughly beneath this skin and stayed there. To desire her good opinion after all she’d done was inexplicable.

He hoped she wasn’t serious about her resignation tonight. If she was, Waverly was going to shoot him in the knees when she found out about the baby. Her first great-grandchild. It had nearly killed her to lose Easton. He didn’t want to think of how she would react when she learned he’d personally and single-handedly alienated the mother of her first great-grandchild from their family. Forever.

Don cruised up to the curb in Luca’s sleek back limousine and leaped out to open the door. He was a hulk of a man, tall and broad with silvery blonde hair and a slightly darker goatee. He’d served in the Special Forces until a near-fatal helicopter crash had broken his back, crushed his legs, and left him with a permanent limp.

“Thanks, Don.” Luca slid his long frame into the passenger seat.

“Where to, sir?”

“Home.” I suppose.

Don firmly shut the door. He’d come highly recommended a few years earlier, and Luca found his loyalty and commitment to his work irreplaceable. Don was more than a driver. He also served as his co-pilot during their semi-frequent helicopter trips, bodyguard, and whatever else Luca needed him for. In his spare time, which wasn’t often, he pulled guard shifts at celebrity events.

Luca buckled himself in but couldn’t relax. He was still too shocked about Jacey’s pregnancy. He had experienced a moment of unholy thrill when Greyson had assumed the baby was his. Man! A crazy part of him wished it was. He wished Jacey had never eloped with this brother, that she’d married him instead.

But when Greyson had left the hospital with Alora, all his previous suspicions about Jacey had come crashing back. It simply wasn’t logical to assume she hadn’t known about the pregnancy. There would have been signs. More than a missed monthly cycle or two. There would have been any number of other symptoms. Morning sickness, exhaustion, swollen breasts, raging hormones, edginess.

He leaned forward to grip the edges of his seat as guilt slammed into him. How could I have missed so many clues? Jacey had been showing every one of those symptoms for the past week and only for the past week. His mind weighed and dissected each detail. He recalled how she had gone home sick the previous Saturday, claiming a flu bug. She hadn’t known. She couldn’t have. God, forgive me! What have I done?

“Everything okay there, sir?” Don asked.

“No! Not even close.” Luca whipped out his phone and dialed Jacey. He was drowning in guilt, choking and gagging on it, suffocating in it. He’d driven her mercilessly at work, acted like a world-class jerk every time they were in the room together, punished her for a thousand things outside her control, and all the time he was pregnant. He hated himself for what he’d done to her. Absolutely hated who he’d become ever since she’d sauntered back into his life. He was capable of being a much better man than this. Instead, he’d allowed his grief and anger to spill all over an innocent woman like poison.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered under his breath. “God forgive me. I know I don’t deserve it, but…” The phone continued to ring.

Please pick up the phone, Jacey. He didn’t know what he was going to say to her, but he would start with an apology. A whole string of apologies. Plus he needed to hear her voice and needed to make sure she was okay. He would offer her a ride home if she’d let him. Promise her she didn’t have to look at him or speak to him if she didn’t want to. It would serve him right if she never spoke to him again.

The call went to voicemail.

Growing more frantic by the second, he dialed Dr. Shu’s office number next. Thankfully someone picked up right away, but he was put on hold for several minutes. Each minute felt like a year. A woman’s voice finally sounded across the line. “Dr. Shu’s nurse speaking.”

“Hi. This is Luca Calcagni. I’m the one who rode to the hospital in the ambulance with Jacey Maddox. I had to take off in a hurry, but I’m calling to check on her. I can’t seem to reach her on the phone.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but she’s gone.”

“Gone?”

“She checked out against doctor’s orders a few minutes ago.”

“Thank you for letting me know.” He disconnected the line and turned to Don, sick with worry.

“Yes, sir?”

“Pull over somewhere. Anywhere.”

“Roger that, sir.” Don pulled into the nearest parking lot and awaited his next order.

Luca dialed Alora Maddox.

“Well, well,” she drawled. “To what do I owe the honor of receiving calls from not one but two Calcagni brothers in the same evening?”

“Where is Jacey?”

She drew a rapid breath. “Isn’t she at the hospital? I just took Greyson home. I’m on my way back there now.”

“I just called Dr. Shu’s nurse. She checked herself out. I’m not proud to admit this, but we exchanged a few words. I owe her an apology as soon as we find her.”

Alora screamed something into the mouthpiece. He had to hold the phone away from his ear.

“Men! Who needs any of you?” she finally snapped. “Hang on. I’ll call her.” She put him on hold.

He anxiously watched the seconds tick away on his watch.

Alora abruptly clicked back to their call. “I don’t know what you said or what you did, because she’s not telling me. All I know is she’s leaving town. Asked me to clear out her rat hole of an apartment and put her things in storage.”

His ears twitched as her description of Jacey’s living arrangements. “What’s this about a rat hole?”

“Wow! You don’t seem to know much about your personal assistant, Luca Calcagni.” Alora’s voice was brittle and impatient. “She lives in one of the seediest sections of the city.”

“No!” His blood congealed in his veins. “Why would she do a fool thing like that?”

“Because she’s broke and too proud to accept any help. Believe me, I offered. She takes the bus morning to the gym to change into her office clothes. Says it’s too risky to ride all the way to her apartment in a skirt and makeup.”

Especially for a centerfold beauty like her. His blood chilled a few degrees further, icing around the edges of his heart. At least Jacey had the sense to take a few precautions though it wasn’t enough — not near enough. Every organ in his body shuddered at what he’d just learned about her.

He’d long suspected she was hiding things from him, but this was far from what he expected. Every detail he was finding out about her pointed to one thing and one thing only; Jacey Maddox was a good person.

“Please, Alora. Just tell me where she is.” He wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight until he laid eyes on her and saw for himself she was okay.

“She’ll never forgive me if I do.”

“Neither of us will ever forgive ourselves if something bad happens to her. Or her baby.” He was ill to the deepest pits of his stomach just thinking about it.

“Fine. She wouldn’t tell me when I asked, but I’m pretty sure I heard her asking her cab driver to drop her off at Terminal One. I might have heard an airplane taking off in the background.”

Luca rapped on the window again to get Don’s attention. “Take me to airport. Terminal One.”

“Roger that, sir.” Don nosed the long black car back on the freeway and picked up speed.

“I’ll meet you there.” Alora’s voice was terse.

Tires squealed in the background, and her voice grew muffled. She didn’t return to the line for a full minute. “Looks like I’ll be running late. There’s a five-car pileup in front of me.”

There was more screeching of tires and a crashing sound. “Make that six.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I whipped off the road and onto the shoulder in time to avoid it. Just get to my sister before she does anything stupid. Anything else stupid,” she corrected. “And call me as soon as you find her.”

“Count on it.”

Don cruised up to the long line of Terminal One entrance doors and idled the car against the curb. He hurried around the hood to open Luca’s door, but Luca was already flinging it wide. He sprinted across the long entranceway.

“I’ll circle around, sir,” Don called after his boss.

Luca waved two fingers without turning and dashed through the nearest set of entrance doors. He paused to survey the long lines of humanity snaking out from the endless stretch of ticket counters. Jacey could be anywhere in this crowd or behind security already.

Where are you, princesa?

He started at one end of the room and painstakingly scanned each of the zigzagging roped-off lines of people, praying to catch a glimpse of her.

He found her halfway down the enormous span of ticket counters. She was wearing her much-crumpled black sheath dress from work and those favorite red heels of hers. Not exactly appropriate footwear for a woman on a trip, certainly not for one in her delicate condition.

His kneecaps felt strange. Must be that whole weak-with-relief thing hitting him.

Her elbows were propped on the counter, and she appeared to be arguing with the attendant. As he drew closer, it sounded more like pleading. “I don’t know what happened to my driver’s license. It probably slipped between the couch cushions or something. But here’s my employee badge for Genesis & Sons and my gym card. Surely, you can accept some other form of I.D.”

“Jacey!” He cut across the front of the line and moved to stand beside her. “Don’t leave.” He spoke low in her ear. “All those things I said in the hospital were unpardonable. I wasn’t thinking straight, something that’s becoming a habit around you.”

“Luca?” She dropped the pen she was holding, spinning to face him. The movement put her off balance, and she reached wildly for the cabinet to regain it. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

“It wasn’t easy.” He caught her waist and steadied her. “Don’t go, carina,” he repeated softly, pleadingly. “We need to talk. We can still work this out.”

“There’s nothing to work out, Mr. Calcagni. I’m leaving town.” She turned back to the ticket counter, leaving him clenching and unclenching his hands helplessly.

He did the only thing he could think of to draw her attention back to him. He purposefully needled her. “It’s the one thing you’re good at, isn’t it, Jacey Maddox? Running away.” It pained him physically to use such a sarcastic tone of voice with her. He would have preferred to haul her into his arms and kiss her until she couldn’t think straight, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

“How dare you!” she gasped, spinning to face him.

That’s right, beautiful. Get mad at me. I deserve it. “To borrow your own words from a few days ago, I never pegged you for a quitter.”

“This isn’t quitting.” She jerked her gaze away from his to address the open-mouthed attendant once more. “Are you sure there isn’t a way you can sell me a ticket without a drivers license or passport?”

“Do you have a military ID or Permanent Resident Card?”

“No.”

“Then I’m sorry, ma’am.” The airline worker shook his head regretfully. “I’ll be glad to sell you a ticket when you find your driver’s license. In the meantime, if you’ll please step aside, so I can help the next passenger in line.”

She eased away from the counter and took a few swaying steps toward the exit. The lost look on her face and the exhaustion pinching her eyes shifted something heavy in Luca’s heart.

He followed, remaining within reaching distance should she require his assistance. “At least allow me to give you a ride home.”

She glanced up at him, frowning as if surprised he was still there. “No, thank you,” she said firmly.

“Please?”

“Did you just say please? What’s the world coming to?” There was a glazed cast to her blue eyes that spiked a new layer of worry deep in his gut. Something was wrong.

“Jacey, are you okay?”

She shook her head slowly. “I don’t feel so well.”

Call him a cad for taking advantage of the moment, but he stepped in her path and settled his hands on her waist again, blocking her progress. “Then don’t wait for a taxi.” Or try walking all the way to the bus terminal, which was apparently her preferred method of travel. How had he failed to notice she’d not once driven a personal vehicle to work? “My driver is waiting at the curb.”

“You have a personal driver?” There was no mistaking the envy in her voice. “But of course, you do.”

His main goal at the moment was to keep her talking. “His name is Don. Wounded warrior, veteran, really great guy. You’ll like him.”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Fine. I’ll accept your ride.”

Thank you, God! Relief coursed through his chest.

“But I still hate you.” She slurred the last few words, making them hard to understand, but he got the gist of them.

He could live with her hate for now. It was better than her indifference. A lot of medical professionals these days claimed there was a thin line between love and hate, anyway. As long as he could keep Jacey in town, he could work on nudging her over that line back in his direction.

Whoa! Love? Where had that thought come from?

He lifted her gently in his arms, and she burrowed her face against his neck like a broken doll. Her quick acquiescence on the issue of transportation alarmed him even more than her slurred speech. He wanted Jacey, but he wanted her whole. Not this beaten-down version of her. He’d nurse her around the clock, whatever it took, to get her sass back.

Because I’m falling in love with her. The realization staggered him. He could think of a thousand reasons why they weren’t right for each other starting with how they drove each other crazy! He could think of a thousand more reasons why things would never work between them, but as the old saying went, the heart wants what the heart wants.

His heart wanted Jacey. “Mi princesa,” he muttered huskily against her hairline.

She snuggled closer.

Don was pulling up to the curb as they exited the building. He looked surprised to see Jacey in Luca’s arms but didn’t ask any questions. He was too well trained. “Where to, sir?”

“Home.”

She revived somewhat at the sound of Don’s voice and tried to put some distance between them the moment he set her on the gray leather seat. She smoothed the skirt of her wrinkled dress, a hopeless task. “I prefer to be dropped off at my place, thank you,” she informed Don.

“Not a chance,” Luca growled and climbed in next to her, slamming the door shut behind him. “I’ll give you three choices, chica. The hospital, your sister’s place, or mine. No decent person would leave you alone tonight, especially not in that part of town.”

“You have no right,” she hissed.

“As a matter of fact, I do. You’re carrying my niece or nephew inside you,” he shot back. “Hate me all you want, but we’re family now, and family looks after family.” He couldn’t stand the thought that she’d been living in a rough section of the city the whole time she’d been working for him, but he was mostly furious at himself for not knowing.

“Family? Seriously?” she mocked. Her anger seemed to energize her. “That’s the line you’re going with? We both know you’ve been trying to get rid of me since the day I came to work for you.”

“That was before I knew you were about to make me an uncle.” An uncle. The title filled him with awe. A real, living part of Easton would live on through Jacey. It was a miracle.

Some of the rage mottling her cheeks dissipated as she took in his expression. “I think I have the right to raise my child far from the reaches of both our hateful families,” she returned coolly.

“Yes, I suppose you do.” He could understand why she felt that way. She’d been treated poorly by both their families. However, the thought of her leaving town twisted his heart into painful knots. “Do you really think that’s best for the baby, though?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I don’t know.” Her gaze was locked on the quickly disappearing airline terminal through the tinted limousine windows. The moment it winked from sight, she started to weep. Deep, jagged, heart wrenching sounds of misery.

If he’d ever thought he’d been in pain, and he had — deep, gaping-hole-in-your-heart-pain after the loss of his parents and youngest brother — this was far worse. Hearing her cry was like having his heart ripped from his chest and shredded into tiny strips.

He listened until he couldn’t stand it any longer. With a muttered exclamation, he hauled her into his lap. Burying a hand in her hair, he pressed her face to his shoulder.

“I’m going to find a way to make this right, carina. I swear it.” From now on, anyone in either of their families who tried to hurt Jacey would have to go through him first.

Thank God she didn’t protest or try to push him away. He wasn’t sure he had the will power to ever let her go again.

Don gave his boss a long, searching look when he opened the door. It softened to the consistency of melted better at the sight of Jacey’s limp form in his arms.

“Give MaryAnne a ring.” Luca carefully eased her from the car. “Tell her I need a hospital bed for the weekend and a home visit tonight, if at all possible. I’ll pay whatever price she names.”

He prayed it was possible. Otherwise, he’d have no choice but to take Lacey back to the hospital.

Don nodded and whipped out his phone.

MaryAnne was a Family Medicine doctor he’d dated a few years earlier. She’d wanted more, but that was impossible for him while running Genesis and Sons. They’d managed to remain friends after their mutual breakup. Last he heard she was dating a high school history teacher.

Luca crossed the portico and paused before the double front doors. His housekeeper, Merl, swept them open. She was a thin, middle-aged woman with salt and pepper hair pulled in a French twist. A single strand of saltwater pearls adorned her neck. Though he didn’t require it, she insisted on wearing a black dress and white apron as the uniform of her office, a look she pulled off as regally as the movies.

“Sir!” Merl hurried to his side. “How can I help?”

“Thank you for your concern, Merl.” He was ever grateful for her assistance. “As you can see, my guest is ill.” He hurried past her across the marbled entry tiles and headed for the elevator. He was more than capable of carrying Jacey up the long, winding flight of stairs to the catwalk, but he hated to jostle her any more than necessary. “Don is calling the doctor. Bring me anything you can think of to make her comfortable. A thermometer, hot tea, extra blankets…” His voice trailed off. He had no idea what Jacey needed and could only pray MaryAnne would be able to pay them a visit tonight.

He hadn’t put any thought into where she would stay in his 17,000 square foot home. It boasted nine bedrooms including six furnished as spare rooms, but his feet naturally led him to the one next to his master suite. He set her in the middle of the oversized queen bed, noting how fragile she looked against the navy silk duvet and creamy sheets.

He raised one of her fine-boned wrists to check her pulse. It sounded normal. He resisted the urge to lace his fingers through hers, knowing there would be no answering clasp.

He gently returned her arm to her side and perched on the edge of the bed to unbuckled her red sandals. He’d never understood why women liked to wear such torturous contraptions. He paused over a chip in the cherry nail polish in her otherwise perfect pedicure. He’d ask Merl fix it before she awoke.

He frowned at her rumpled black sheath dress. He didn’t know how a woman was expected to breath in such a constricting outfit. The darts slashed brutally inward against her tiny waist, yet the fabric appeared loose. She was too thin, way too thin to be carrying his brother’s baby. They were going to have to do something about her eating habits immediately.

Merl arrived with the blankets and busied herself at the task of making their patient comfortable.

Don, his miracle-working right hand, ushered MaryAnne inside the room within the hour. A stunning woman with long, curly, coffee-colored hair, she greeted him with a warm smile and a familiar peck on the cheek. Then she turned to their patient. “So this is your inner sanctum.” She glanced curiously around the large room.

“It’s one of my guest rooms, actually.”

They’d only gone on a few dates. She’d never been inside his home.

“Aha. Well, it’s a lovely room. Who’s the sleeping beauty?”

“My sister-in-law, Jacey Calcagni,” he supplied curtly. “She’s pregnant. I’d appreciate your discretion on the topic. The paparazzi hasn’t yet gotten wind of it.”

“Discretion is my middle name,” she breezed, her expression going blank. She bent over Jacey. “Yours, I presume?” She shot an enigmatic look over her shoulder. He chose to classify it as enigmatic; it was easier than dissecting the envy and confusion he saw there.

“No.” He was horrified at her assumption. Though it was none of her business, he gave her the bare minimum explanation. The truth was certainly better than the false conclusion she’d jumped to. “We just found out she’s expecting my late brother’s child.”

“I see. Tell me what I need to know.” At his scowl, she hastily added, “Medically speaking.”

“She hasn’t been taking care of herself.” His fault. He’d pushed her way too hard the past several weeks. “Going through a tough time personally.”

“I imagine she’s grieving.”

“Working long hours. Not eating enough. Not sleeping enough.” Again, his fault. ”I intend for that to change.”

“Hmm.” Looking intrigued, MaryAnne pressed her stethoscope to Jacey’s chest through the thin sheet. She took her vitals and pinched her arm to check her hydration levels. Then she raised one of Jacey’s eyelids and shone a small pencil light at her eye.

Jacey stirred and mumbled something.

Luca scowled and bent closer but was unable to make out what she was saying. “She collapsed earlier today during a board meeting. I took her to the E.R., and they put her on an I.V. They decided to keep her for observation a bit longer, but she left the facility against doctor’s orders.”

At MaryAnne’s puzzled glance, he added, “It was after her sister and I left. The moment we realized she was missing, we went in search of her. I found her at the airport trying unsuccessfully to purchase a flight after misplacing her driver’s license. Long story short, she agreed to let me keep an eye on her for the weekend.” More or less. By default, she’d chosen to stay with him over returning to the hospital. “She’s been sleeping ever since.”

She stood, looking more puzzled than ever, and smoothed her white coat. “Please don’t take offense to what I am about to say, Luca, but you mentioned Ms. Calcagni was trying to leave town. Naturally, that prompts the question of her safety.” She trained a blandly professional gaze on him. “Do you have any reason to suspect she or her baby are in any danger? Emotionally or physically?”

“Good heavens, no!” he exploded. What an awful position to find himself in! Having to explain his intentions towards his sister-in-law to his ex-girlfriend. Drawing a sharp breath, he ran a hand over his face, trying to tamp down on his irritation and mortification. “Without going into unnecessary detail, things have been difficult between our two families for years. It is my opinion she hopes for a fresh start elsewhere. That is all.”

“Ah.” The wrinkle in the center of MaryAnne’s forehead smoothed. “Well, her vitals are normal. That’s a good sign. My professional opinion is she’s just run down and in need of rest. Not surprising, considering her condition and the fact she recently buried a husband. I imagine her new position at Genesis is no walk in the park, either.”

At Luca’s raised brows, she shrugged. “Hey, I follow the local news. Including the part about how you snapped her up ahead of the competition.” She winked. “After dating you myself, I know exactly what that means. Number one, she is very good at what she does. And number two, she’s putting in some insanely long hours if she’s keeping up with you.” She wagged a warning finger in his direction. “You’ll either lighten her work schedule, or the next doctor she sees will probably put her on bedrest.”

“Already done.” He clenched his jaw, incensed at the underlying accusation in her tone. “None of us knew she was pregnant. Not even her.”

She threw up her hands, palms out. “No need to go into attack mode. I’m just doing my job. Which means the fact that Ms. Calcagni is currently asleep in one of your guest beds, well, that’s where my utmost professional discretion kicks in when I leave your home.”

“Thank you.” Her curious expression was starting to grate on his nerves, making him anxious to end her visit. “Did Don ask you about how to secure a hospital bed for her?”

“I can have one here by tomorrow.” She made a face. “Are you sure it’s necessary, though? She needs rest, but I expect she’ll be back on her feet by the end of the weekend. Most pregnant women don’t wish to be treated like invalids. Or so I’ve heard,” she added wistfully, her hand straying unconsciously to her flat abdomen.

Luca studied Jacey bleakly. No, he certainly didn’t wish to make her feel like an invalid. He just wanted her well again. And in his life in some capacity, not bolting out of town to avoid him or their complicated family lives.

When he didn’t respond, MaryAnne shook her head, sending her dark waves dancing around her shoulders. “I’m glad you finally found the time,” she murmured.

“What?” He blinked, trying to focus on what she was saying. He was having difficulty tearing his gaze away from the still figure in his guest bed.

“To look after somebody.”

What was that supposed to mean? Luca bustled her to the front door as swiftly as good manners would allow, nodded a brief farewell, and hurried back to the guest room where Jacey was still sleeping. Come on, princess. Open your eyes and assure me you’re okay.

He stayed with her for another hour, silently begging her to awake. She shivered once, and he hastily covered her with a second blanket. He checked her vitals several more times and finally left the room satisfied she was sleeping peacefully as MaryAnne claimed. He took a few minutes to snag a shower and change out of his suit then he returned to the guest room to drag an overstuffed leather armchair to her bedside.

He kept vigil until midnight. He tried to catch up on his emails by scrolling through them on his cell phone, but his mind refused to focus on work. His gaze kept straying to his sleeping guest. He finally gave up and laid a hand over hers, so he would feel her movements when she awoke. Then he settled deeper in the chair and closed his eyes.