The Tycoon's Triplet Baby Surprise Page 5

  Katrina exhaled sharply through her nose in what could almost be described as a snort, but Lyle carried on like he hadn’t heard.

  “What if we give the client what he wants—which is Charlotte as his attorney. And then bring you, Katrina, onto the team, as well? We know your expertise will really drive this case home.” He gave her his best winning smile.

  Charlotte’s heart sank. She had yearned to work on this case without Katrina; when the pair of them worked together on a case, Charlotte was often left with the brunt of the work.

  But alas, company politics would ruin her yet again.

  “That doesn’t sound too bad,” Katrina said, her eyes darting toward Charlotte, knowing this was a knife in the heart. “I guess I can work under you. For just one project. What could it hurt?” She winked at her, making Charlotte feel nauseous with dread. She felt the morning’s coffee churning in her stomach.

  But Charlotte knew she needed to remain professional. She gave Katrina a politician’s smile and leaned forward in her chair, placing her hands over her extensive notes.

  “Then let’s arrange a meeting as soon as possible after my return from Lawson Technologies this afternoon. I can update you on all the intricate details of the case. Since you’ve already read the documents he’s sent over, you’ll be caught up in no time. And you can give me some insight on that ‘billionaire’ mentality you were talking about.”

  Katrina’s face turned beet red. Lyle smacked his hands together once more, happy it was all settled. “All right, then. Charlotte, it seems you have some work to do. Katrina and I will remain here and handpick the rest of the team. If we put our heads together, we can win this case. Evan Greene doesn’t stand a chance.”

  As Charlotte lifted herself from her seat, she caught a slight twitch in Katrina’s face at the mention of Evan Greene’s name. If possible, she’d grown even sourer. She bit her lip, looking at her hands.

  “All right, team,” Charlotte said, her voice warm. “Good luck.”

  She strutted from the office, head high, her mind reeling. She couldn’t believe she’d bested Katrina—at least, until Lyle had pulled the stopper out and allowed Katrina on her team. But she couldn’t be bothered. Rather, she needed to stay focused and keep her eyes on the prize that was Sean Lawson, the key to her career’s success, and her major crush.

  She gazed at her reflection in the office window, the glittering ocean in the distance. She needed to halt the romantic feelings she had for Sean. She knew they were fantastical, that they were rooted in some eighteen-year-old dreamscape she’d carried with her across the country and into adulthood. But, just like many women she knew, she clung to her emotions, even while presenting a strong, calm and collected individual on the outside. It was how she survived law school. It was how she’d clambered to the top at Ellis and Associates, despite watching many men fall behind.

  She grabbed her paperwork, her many folders, and stuffed them into her briefcase, remembering, suddenly, and with a little guilt, that this day was her father’s birthday. She walked toward the door, bringing her phone to her ear, and halted thoughts of Sean Lawson for a moment.

  As she stepped into the blissful, summer day, she heard her father’s voice answer on the other end.

  “Hey, Dad. I wanted to wish you a happy birthday. What is it, now? Sixty-one?”

  “I can’t believe it either,” her dad said, all the way across the country. “How’s your day, pumpkin? You working hard?”

  “Sure am, Dad,” she said, smiling as she crossed the crosswalk, scurrying to the other side. “I just picked up a pretty big client. I’m moving up in the ranks.”

  “That’s great, honey. Your mother and I are so proud. Do you think you’ll ever find time to come home?”

  This question always punched Charlotte directly in the gut. She remembered her mad dash to Seattle after graduation, during which she’d told herself, over and over again, that she wasn’t chasing after Sean Lawson.

  With the possibility of a raise and time for vacation waiting just beyond the horizon, she toyed with the thought. “I’ll probably make it home soonish,” she said, shrugging. “I think I can make it work after this case.”

  “Good, honey. Well. I hear traffic all around you. I’ll let you be on your way.”

  “Happy birthday, Pop, I love you” she whispered, feeling a sudden wave of sadness wash over her. “I’ll call soon.”

  Charlotte reached the Lawson Technologies building only minutes after leaving her office, catching a glimpse of her reflection in the window. The pencil skirt accentuated her toned glutes and calves, and her smile was dark, with maroon lipstick. She entered the office building and tapped confidently toward the secretary’s desk, with more spring in her step than the previous day.

  Denise, the secretary, looked at her with disdain, as if to say: “Why would you bother coming back here?” Still, she stretched a fake smile over her lips and asked Charlotte to sign in.

  “I have a meeting with Sean at twelve-thirty,” Charlotte said. “Could you show me to the meeting room?”

  “Absolutely,” Denise said, her voice sugary and false. “I hope your journey here was pleasant.”

  “Thank you, it was wonderful,” Charlotte said, perplexed that this woman had changed her tune so quickly in the previous 24 hours. Perhaps news of Charlotte’s new status in the case had spread. If Evan Greene were successful in suing Sean Lawson, perhaps some of these people would lose their jobs.

  The elevator halted at the top floor, and Denise showed Charlotte toward the door at the far end of the hallway, then knocked her fist against the mahogany wood.

  The pair of them heard the words, “Come in!” and Denise gestured for Charlotte to enter. “I’ll have your food delivered to you in a half hour or so,” she said, and quickly left the way they came.

  Charlotte spun the door handle and entered, blinking into the bright room, her voice catching as she said: “Hello.”

  In the center, toward the window, stood a large wooden desk. Sean was leaning against it, the afternoon sunlight glazing his cheeks. Another perfect suit graced his body, highlighting his strength, the build he’d accrued from countless pushups between coding (at least, this was what Charlotte had read in a magazine interview).

  Sean sat at the desk, then, turning toward her. He was gazing at something in his palm. It glinted in the sunlight, causing Charlotte’s heart to leap. “Is that…” she whispered, walking toward him.

  He gestured toward the seat on the opposite side, and Charlotte nearly collapsed into it, realizing she was living her dream. She swallowed, her eyes large as she looked toward him, worried about what he might say.

  “You know, I remember the day I lost this thing perfectly,” Sean said, his voice far away. “So much time has passed, and I’ve given a million speeches, and met many people all over the world. And yet, I remember this day so well, because it was the day when everything started.”

  Charlotte tilted her head, aching with curiosity. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, it was my first speech, I suppose,” he said, scratching at his black, tousled hair. “I prepared day and night for it, because I knew several important journalists were going to be there, just to hear me. I wasn’t so worried about the high school seniors, of course. They would maybe listen for a moment before flirting with whomever they stood next to. But I knew that if I put my idea in the right investor or journalist’s ear, then it might have the chance of getting picked up.” He shrugged, lost in thought.

  “And it did. After that, I did interview after interview. I was featured in magazines I had read obsessively as a child. It was this great cascade of events that I never could have foreseen.” He looked up at her, having an intense revelation. “And you know, before all of it happened, I had this very special moment that I never, ever forgot.”

  The air between them was tense. Charlotte could hardly breathe; she was losing oxygen, waiting for him to continue his story.

  “Rig
ht as the reporters first leaped on to me—at that moment when I saw the first glimpse into my future—I turned away from it all and saw a beautiful, shy blond girl staring at me. She blinked at me with these huge, blue eyes, and she seemed like she was ready to say something important. But we just grinned at each other like children, and then I was swept up into the mob.” He turned his face toward her once more. The sun lowered in the western sky, over the ocean. July was nearly over, and the feeling of lost time flashed through Charlotte’s mind.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you yesterday,” Sean finally said, his voice quiet. “You were the girl that I made a connection with. I saw you for a moment, probably the most important moment of my life so far, and then you were gone.”

  Charlotte didn’t move. She hoped this moment would go on forever. Her fantasy was coming true.

  And then, they were forced on.

  “Anyway,” Sean continued, shaking his head. “I knew, after you gave me this cufflink, that you were the lawyer I needed to represent me. You’ve been keeping this memento all these years, since the very moment when everything came together for me. This kind of dedication is exactly what I need on my team if I’m going to beat Evan Greene. Do you understand?”

  Charlotte said she did. She nodded absently, bringing her notebook to the table without looking away, hoping they’d begin the meeting before she said something ridiculously unprofessional like “Let’s go for a drink sometime.” Because the glare of his passionate, soulful eyes wooed her. And she felt she would fall to her knees at any moment.

  “But there’s one thing I can’t get out of my mind,” Sean continued, bringing his finger into the air, addressing his point. “Why did you keep this cufflink all these years? I mean. That was all the way across the country, at Yale, and we’re both in Seattle now, and it’s been like…a decade. And you didn’t even know I would come to Ellis and Associates for a case. I have my own in-house attorneys, after all.”

  Charlotte felt the words hit her like a bomb. But she chose to answer with honesty. “I was a kid, Sean,” she said, almost brushing it off. “I was eighteen years old, and all I wanted in the world was to go to Yale. When I saw you deliver that speech, it felt like everything I had ever wanted could be possible. It felt like college wouldn’t be a waste, even after growing up in such a small town, with parents who didn’t really believe that there was a need to pursue education past high school.” She swallowed, her brain swimming. “And afterwards, I just wanted to go up and speak to you. I wanted to see you for who you really were.”

  “And what would you have asked me, I wonder?” Sean asked her, his eyes twinkling with intrigue.

  Again, Charlotte turned bright red. “I wanted to ask you out,” she said, shrugging. “I know. I was such a teenager. It sounds insane now. But maybe that’s the reason I kept the cufflink. You were a boy I crushed on and respected, and I wanted to remember that moment for eternity.”

  Sean gazed at her for a long time. Charlotte couldn’t quite keep the eye contact and kept sweeping her glance away, out the window. Such intensity formed between them in those moments, her heart was about to leap out of her chest.

  And then, Sean said the unthinkable: “I don’t suppose you want to go out now, if ten years isn’t too long to wait?” He gave her that sly grin, so similar to the one he’d given her a decade before.

  Charlotte opened her mouth, a thousand things coming to her mind. Number one, she needed to explain that she hadn’t actually asked him out—she was just explaining to him the musings of her eighteen-year-old self. And number two, she needed to explain that she absolutely couldn’t date him, not now that she was going to represent him in court.

  She paused far too long between breaths, trying to articulate the right words. All the while, Sean gazed at her with the kind of attraction and genuine absorption she’d always hoped for from someone. Nobody had ever looked at her like that.

  But suddenly, someone was rapping loudly at the door, disturbing the moment. A panicked voice called out to them. “Sean?”

  “Yeah? Come in!” Sean responded, standing. He left his cufflink on the desk.

  Denise, the secretary, appeared at the entrance, breathless. She huffed and stuttered for a few seconds, her eyes nervous. “Mr. Lawson. There’s a situation in the lab downstairs. They need your assistance immediately.” She coughed, shaking her head. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

  Charlotte frowned, noting that Sean had unplugged his office phone, allowing them complete privacy. But Sean didn’t respond. Instead, he leaped from behind his desk and followed Denise from the room, giving a final, meaningful look to Charlotte. The look seemed to say so much—it seemed to tell her he would remember their conversation, and that he was glad she was back in his life.

  She was that shy, beautiful blond girl who’d been there just before the world had exploded open for him. And he had remembered her, after all those years.

  Charlotte felt like she was floating. She stood from the chair, realizing that the meeting was, most assuredly, over. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it, walking in a trance toward the door. She couldn’t date him, she reminded herself sternly; she would tell him as much the next time she saw him.

  Even so, as the elevator rushed down toward the first floor and she walked back into the sunshine of a near-perfect Seattle summer day, Charlotte couldn’t help but feel as if she were walking on clouds. She couldn’t help but feel like every decision she’d made, every opportunity she had taken in her life, had brought her to this stunning moment.

  Sean Lawson considered her a beautiful, tenacious woman from his past, and the perfect lawyer to ensure his successful future.

  As she marched back to her office, her head high, her back straight, she chose to memorize this feeling and store it in her heart, to keep it close. Life is a series of fleeting moments, she reminded herself. So many had escaped her. But this one wouldn’t. This singular afternoon, when everything she’d ever wanted had come together.

  Chapter 6

  It was a Friday, a day that generally stretched on forever, causing Charlotte to lose herself in all the work she needed to finish before she was free for the weekend. But because she’d seen Sean Lawson that morning, because he’d told her his straight-from-the-heart confessions, she felt as if she could live in that headspace forever. She hunched over her desk, hardly noticing as Katrina, Lyle and the interns all left the office in hurried strides, eager to enjoy their Friday nights.

  And then, suddenly, it was seven o’clock. Charlotte stretched her hands high over her head, feeling her back pop. Chelsea had called off their plans to go out for the evening due to a sudden headache, and while she was sad that she wouldn’t get to catch up with her friend, Charlotte was secretly looking forward to heading home, taking a relaxing bath, and getting into her pajamas. She closed her computer and swept her papers into her briefcase, allowing her brain some much-needed rest after a day of whirring, ravenous thoughts and innovative ideas.

  Charlotte switched off her office light and walked into the empty, unusually quiet hallway. A janitor stood vacuuming over by Lyle’s door, and she gave the man a small, friendly wave before heading into the elevator.

  She contemplated what she might do that evening. She considered watching a documentary she’d long been meaning to catch, but as her stomach growled with hunger, she knew she’d end up ordering Thai food and watching a chick flick. She thought she deserved some pampering after the chaotic, tumultuous week she’d had.

  The elevator halted at the first floor, and Charlotte took her time walking toward the front, gazing through the glass doors, admiring the scene before her. Beautiful Seattleites meandered through the downtown streets; some dressed up to go clubbing, while hipsters headed to local breweries, ready for a good beer and burger.

  She loved the dichotomy of the city. It was much more her style than anywhere on the East Coast. For a moment, she felt a tinge of pain at the thought of her father, all th
e way across the country, celebrating his birthday without her. But if life had taught her anything, it was that she was meant to follow her heart, and she knew this would make him proud and happy.

  She opened the door of the office building and was surprised to find a long, red carpet stretched out before the entrance, leading straight toward a limousine which was parked against the curb.

  Her mouth opened in shock. Charlotte’s heart began its reckless beating again, as she understood the conversation she’d had with Sean earlier that day hadn’t been lost to his other commitments. No, it had stuck with him. And now, he was making grand gestures. He was pursuing her.

  She stepped onto the carpet, smiling widely. She righted her posture, suddenly self-conscious. All thoughts of pajamas, takeout, and chick flicks immediately rushed from her mind.

  And of course, beyond anything, she felt a thrill about doing something she knew was completely out of bounds. She wasn’t meant to be fraternizing with a client—she could be taken off the case, and her career could be over, more or less, if word got around.

  These thoughts forced her head down. She stared at her shoes as she walked toward the limo, forcing herself to calm down. She had to tell Sean this couldn’t happen. She had to tell him to take the limousine back to his mansion—or wherever it was that he lived. They didn’t have to speak about this again. They didn’t have to talk about the cufflink or what they might feel for each other. Rather, they could continue on as friends and colleagues. And that would be the end of it.

  Just before leaping into the car, Charlotte turned her head left, then right, ensuring that not a single colleague was there to see her. Even getting into the limousine was reckless, she knew. She gave a final, longing look toward her bicycle, which seemed to beg: “Don’t go. You don’t know what you’re doing.”

  But she pulled open the door and nestled into the back of the limousine, directly next to Sean. The moment she saw that grin, his five o’clock shadow, and his dark, beautiful eyes, she lost all hope of listening to her educated, rational self. Rather, she leaned her head back, flashing her own, gorgeous smile, and she said a single word that would propel her into an incredible adventure—and maybe a huge mistake.