the facts, Cameron. Facts are how we make good business decisions for the company. You’re making decisions based on past guilt and anger that Knight didn’t tell you he’s your father. Go home. Make Shelly take that test. Fix your problems.”
He didn’t know what to do. Everything swirled around in his head and nothing was settled. He thought about what he knew for sure. Marti was pregnant and she loved him. He loved Marti. Emma loved Marti. Shelly may or may not be pregnant. He didn’t know for sure. She hadn’t handed him a pregnancy test she’d taken in front of him.
No other choice, he certainly wasn’t getting any work done, he needed to go home and find out if Shelly was pregnant and put an end to all the chaos in his life.
Chapter Forty-One
* * *
MARTI WALKED IN the front door and heard the commotion upstairs.
“Give it back,” Emma screamed.
“You have to share,” Shelly yelled back.
Marti took the stairs two at a time, topped them, and wondered if she was at some warped elementary school fight. Shelly sidestepped in circles with Emma jumping up trying to grab the ruby and diamond necklace out of her upraised hand.
“That doesn’t belong to you,” Marti snapped.
Marti took a menacing step forward and Shelly started explaining quickly, “I want to wear it for my wedding, and the little brat won’t even let me borrow it, so I can try it on with my dress.”
“I’ll only tell you once, give it back to her. The necklace was her inheritance from her grandfather.”
“She got millions. It’s just a necklace. She needs to learn how to share.”
“Give it back to her,” Marti said emphatically.
“No. I’m going to be her stepmother and she needs to learn to respect me and do as I say.”
Marti refused to listen to another childish word. She grabbed the necklace and held her hand out to give it to Emma. With a frustrated growl, Shelly lunged for her, planted her hands on her shoulders, and shoved her backwards down the stairs.
She hit her shoulder, tumbled, and wrenched her knee. The pain from her shoulder shot up her neck, and her knee felt like it exploded with a pop.
Emma screamed. Shelly dragged her away from the stairs, pushed her into her room, and bent over her.
“If you say one word about what happened, I’ll make sure you never see your father again. Not one word,” she said and pointed her finger in Emma’s face.
Emma ran and hid under her bed. She held the necklace clutched in her fist and cried, thinking only one thing: Marti was dead and it was all her fault.
Shelly needed to do some damage control. She hadn’t meant to push Marti down the stairs. She just wanted her to butt out. It was worth a fortune and would look so great around her neck in all the wedding pictures.
She grabbed the phone and called Cameron. “Cameron,” she said breathlessly. “You have to come home quick.”
“What’s the matter? I’m almost there. Are you okay? Is it Emma?”
“No. Marti’s gone crazy. She tried to shove me down the stairs. She said she didn’t want me to have your baby and she was going to make sure I didn’t. You have to come home,” she sobbed out.
“Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”
“Yes, I managed to fight her off, but I’m not feeling well. Help me, Cameron.”
“I’m not far from the house. I’ll be there in a minute.”
He shouted to Jimmy, even though he’d probably overheard everything. “Jimmy, you have to hurry. Marti tried to throw Shelly down the stairs.”
“That doesn’t sound like something Marti would do.” Jimmy put his foot on the gas and hurried to the house.
A fight between Marti and Shelly couldn’t be good, no matter what the circumstances.
“Hurry. Shelly said she isn’t feeling well. I hope nothing happened to the baby.”
They pulled into the driveway and Cameron flew out of the car. He ran into the house. Marti sat on the stairs, leaning against the wall.
“Cameron.” Marti barely got that much out, she was in so much pain.
“What the hell did you do?”
“I . . .”
“I have to check on Shelly. She called me and told me what you did,” he accused. “How could you?” He ran up the stairs past her.
“Cameron, please,” she called after him.
“I don’t have time for you, Marti.” He cleared the last of the stairs and raced to Shelly’s room.
Jimmy came in and heard and saw everything. Cameron left Marti sitting there on