was the family accountant, Martin Goldborough. That must have been who Mary called in order to fire our staff.
"I'll get the security company out in the morning to change all the locks and alarm codes, too," Mary continued as she set about making hot cocoa. "Too many of Blake's slimy associates had access to the property for my liking." She shook her head in disgust, and I couldn't help the smile creeping over my lips.
I wanted my independence. I needed it. But I was also perfectly okay with Mary making these decisions because they genuinely were in my best interest. Besides, self-discovery would be a slow process, and I'd be an idiot to shun all help.
"Thank you, Mary," I whispered when she set a steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of me. "What would I do without you?"
She gave me a warm smile, leaning on the counter opposite me. "You'd survive, Brooklyn. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, just in a different way than most people expect."
That brought tears to my eyes, so I took a sip of my drink to try and compose myself. I needed to stop crying so much.
"Now, why don't you tell me why you're really upset," Mary suggested with a knowing look. "I don't believe for a second it's Blake's death that has you all in knots. Is this about that boy you were seeing?"
My eyes widened in shock. "How did you—”
"You don't risk Blake's ire to sneak out for a coffee date with girlfriends," she replied with a wry laugh. "It was obvious—to me—that you'd met someone. So, will you tell me about him, and what he's done to get you so worked up?"
I groaned and rubbed a hand over my face. But I wanted to talk to Mary about this. All of this. If not her, then who?
"Fine." I sighed. "His name is Dylan. Dylan Grant."
Mary stiffened opposite me, probably because she knew exactly who I was talking about, seeing as she’d obsessively collected magazines featuring the Delta Heirs. She was practically a fangirl for the five of them.
It had always made me chuckle, what with my own obsession, and I never judged.
She blinked a couple of times, shocked, then pulled a bottle of wine out of the cupboard and poured herself a glass. Then she paused and gave me a small frown.
"Would you like one too?" Her offer was hesitant, like she wasn't totally sure if I drank or not.
I shook my head, my face flaming. "Um, no. Thanks. I can't drink." I paused, nerves fluttering through my chest. "I'm pregnant."
She dropped the glass, and while I watched it descend to the ground and smash, throwing glass shards everywhere, Mary gaped at me, her mouth just slightly parted, those pretty hazel eyes of hers wide and glassy.
"Mary!" I said, hoping I hadn't broken her with my confession. "What is it? What's wrong? I'm not unhappy about the baby, if that's what you're worried about. I might be young, but I will be the best version of myself for my baby. I can do it."
"You're having Dylan Grant's baby?" she whispered.
I nodded, still having no idea what had her so stunned. This was more than a fangirl finding out about my close proximity to the Delta Five. This was something much more.
"Mary, do you know the Delta heirs?"
She swallowed hard, and my heart clenched in my chest when her eyes went misty, a single tear escaping.
"You're starting to scare me." Why wasn't she talking? What the hell was going on here?
"Sorry,” she shook her head and cleared her throat. “I do have history with them. I used to be a nanny for one of their families, and it brought back some memories."
The word nanny triggered me, and now I was the one opening and closing my mouth in shock. I hadn't forgotten the story Ben told me. Dylan's birth mom had been a nanny, and now Mary was telling me she’d been a damn nanny for Delta. And as I stared at her gorgeous dark skin and hazel eyes with the exact same green in them that Dylan had, I almost freaked out. Was Dylan's bio-mom the same woman who had been a surrogate mom to me as well...?
Was there a chance that Dylan and I had been connected all along? Long before we’d ever met?
Just as I started to ask, she shook her head again, like she wasn’t ready to talk. Instead, she grabbed some cleaning supplies and spent