Sasha tapped her foot. I hated it when she did that. “Well?” she snapped. “What are you going to do? Victor is talking to Stepp again. Everyone knows. Stepp has made it public knowledge.”

“Call our attorney. He needs to send a reminder of our contract, but in legalese.”

I looked at my watch. I wanted to talk strategy, but I had an appointment with Evie. If I didn’t meet her at Dr. Simon’s office, they’d both kill me.

“Where are you going?”

I closed my laptop. “Appointment,” I explained. “We can discuss it when I get back.”

“Unless you are having a root canal, there is nothing more important than this.”

“It’s Evie’s six-month exam. Twenty-six weeks,” I corrected. I was still trying to convince her to let Dr. Simons tell us the baby’s gender. Everyone in the OB office knew but us. “I have to be there. This is not negotiable.”

“In Russia, women handle these things with other women. Strong women don’t need men to hold their hands.” It was a dig about Evie, but I wouldn’t take the bait. There weren’t many women stronger than Evie. Sasha hadn’t done much to soften her jealousy.

“We’re not in Russia, Sasha. American women want their husbands involved.” I reached for my phone. I had no idea if she was telling the truth. “Besides that, I want to be there. I want to see the ultrasound. It’s my baby.”

She sighed. “Three months until the inheritance?”

I nodded. “That’s right.”

She might not care anything else for my child, but she knew it was our final ticket to purchasing the team. If we could hold Scout’s investors together for a few more months, the deal would be done and the fucking games with Stepp could end. I’d have my team. I’d have everything.

I had tried like hell to work less and spend more time with Evie at home. I didn’t miss TV binge night. I didn’t miss doctor appointments. We flew to Newton Hills for her father’s sixtieth birthday.

I was there when she asked me to be, but I saw the look in her eyes every time I left. I couldn’t be in two places at once.

I raced out of the office building.

I looked down when my phone rang. Shit.

“Yeah?”

I pushed past a couple of guys talking about last night’s game. I could jog to Dr. Simon’s.

“Jeremy, it’s Byron Lancaster.”

“What do you need, Byron?” I wasn’t in the mood for his shit.

“Seems there’s a complication of the execution of funds.”

“What in the hell are you talking about?” I paused at the crosswalk and waited for the signal. “The paperwork is rock solid. You have copies of our marriage certificate. You have Evie’s bloodwork and a signed affidavit from her doctor. You had the due date before her parents. The day our baby is born, I expect a deposit in full.”

“I’ve been made aware of new information.”

“What kind of information?”

“I need the results of a paternity test before I’ll move anything on the Hartwell estate end.”

“Paternity test? Damn it, Byron, stop being a fucking moron.”

He cleared his throat. “Are you aware that only weeks before your marriage, Evelyn Rossi had a medical procedure to conceive at the Atlanta Center for Hopes and Dreams Conception?”

“Yes. So what’s your point?”

“My point is that she could be carrying another man’s child. It might not be a Hartwell. No Hartwell. No money. Your father’s will was explicit.”

“You bastard,” I threatened. “She is having my baby. It’s my baby.”

“You’ll need to prove it. I’ve filed a court order.”

I stood outside the doctor’s office. I could see Evie in the lobby. Her belly was round now. There was no way to conceal her pregnancy. She waved me inside. I held up a finger.

“Byron, you will hear from my attorney. Tell my mother if she wants to disavow her own grandchild, fine. But making Evie go through this is cruel. She’s my wife. I won’t let you upset her.”

“My obligation is to inform you of the legal aspect of the estate. Mrs. Hartwell is your concern.”

I hung up before I blasted him again. I had to cool down before I walked inside. Evie could always read me. She knew when I was frustrated or distracted.

I took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked inside.

* * *

I waited until after the ultrasound was over and Evie was getting dressed before I followed Dr. Simons into the hall.

“Did you need something, Jeremy?”

I waited for a nurse to leave the station. “I have a question. A personal question.”

Dr. Simon laughed. “Is this another sex question? You two should have that covered by now.”

I shook my head. “I wish it was a sex question.” I shoved my hands in my pockets. “At this point in the pregnancy, what are the options for a paternity test?”

She frowned. “I’m sorry, did you mean paternity or something else?”

“Believe me, I know that’s my baby.” I tried to reassure her. “This is a legal matter. I don’t want to tell Evie until I have the information. Is it possible? Tell me what we’d need to do.”

Dr. Simons placed her clipboard on the nurses’ station. “Unless there is an emergency, or a dire situation involving the mother’s health or care, I can’t advise you to try a paternity test. Evie has had a healthy pregnancy with no risk factors. The baby is doing well. I don’t want to introduce any complications. My opinion is that if you need a paternity test you wait until your child is born.”

I hung my head. “Of course. I wouldn’t…I’d never put either of them at risk. Forget that I asked.”

She patted my wrist. “I won’t say anything. I’ll see you in four weeks for the thirty-week?”

“Yes. I’ll be here.”

The door opened and Evie walked into the hall. “What’s going on?”

“Following up,” I lied. “Can I take you to lunch?”

She grinned. “I’m starving.”

“Good. I made reservations.”

She blushed. “A date-date?”

“Am I going to get lucky?” I taunted.

“Maybe.” She laughed. “Only if I get dessert.”

“Come on.” I tugged on her hand.