Margot is flushed. I tilt my head, staring at my sister. She doesn’t meet my gaze.
“What’s going on with you?”
Margot arches an eyebrow and shrugs. “Nothing. Why?”
“You seem different. Flustered.”
“I’m fine.”
My sister grabs a piece of banana bread that I’ve brought back from the bakery and takes a big bite out of it. I try not to let the surprise register on my face. I’m still not used to seeing her eat a regular amount of food.
Maybe it’s the pregnancy that’s making her look like this.
“How have you been feeling?” I nod to her abdomen.
Margot slides her hand over her stomach and lets out a sigh. “Stressed.”
“It’ll be okay.”
“Easy for you to say, with your royal boyfriend who loves you more than anything.” Margot chuckles bitterly. “What have I got? A flagging career and an unplanned baby.”
“The same was true for me a couple of weeks ago, Margot. Now look!”
My sister smiles sadly. I know she doesn’t believe that things will work out. She’s worried about what the media will say about her pregnancy, since people will surely do the math and find out she either got pregnant at her retreat or shortly before. News of her overdose was highly publicized, and things have only gotten more dramatic since then.
I reach for a piece of banana bread of my own, taking a bite as I think.
“You still don’t want to tell me who the father is?”
Margot shakes her head.
“But…you know who it is?”
My sister’s eyes snap up to mine. They flash as she swallows the bite of banana bread in her mouth. “Yes, I know who the father is.”
“Why don’t you want to tell me? I can help you, Margot.”
She smiles sadly, shaking her head. “You can’t. It doesn’t matter, anyway. It’s better if you don’t know.”
“But, why?”
Instead of answering, Margot just wraps her arms around me. She squeezes me tight, and then pulls away to look in my eyes. “I’m just glad we’re on good terms again.”
“You’re my sister. We’re always going to be close. Until we’re old biddies wearing matching pantsuits and pearls, complaining about kids these days.”
A shadow crosses Margot’s face, and she nods. “Yeah. I hope so.”
“We have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning. You still good to go?”
We’ve been scheduling our OB-GYN appointments at the same time to help cover up her pregnancy from the media. My pregnancy is public, so if anyone sees us, it looks like she’s just accompanying me to my appointments.
“I’ll be ready.” Margot gives me a sad smile and then walks out of the kitchen. I hear her soft footsteps walking up the stairs, and I let my shoulders drop.
I’m worried about her. She’s isolating herself from everyone she knows except for me, Luca, and her hair stylist. She barely talks to her publicist anymore, and she used to be fully involved in her public image and her career. Ever since Hunter revealed that he was behind the E. coli contamination, I think Margot has felt like she can’t trust anyone.
I can’t blame her.
Lifting my eyes when Luca walks into the kitchen, I let a smile drift over my lips. He wraps his arms around me and nuzzles his nose against mine. Melting into his arms, I let myself be comforted by his touch.
I love this man more than life itself. When he runs his hand over my stomach, I know I’m the luckiest woman in the world.
Luca presses his lips to mine. “I love you, Ivy.”
“Love you too, Your Highness.”
He grins at the formal title, kissing the tip of my nose.
“What did Dante want?” I ask.
“He put together a security plan. He doesn’t want you alone at the bakery anymore—thinks it’s a weak spot for someone to get to me through you.”
I frown. “Okay. Makes sense.”
“He’s bringing a few trusted security personnel over from Argyle. We’ll beef up security here and at the bakery, and make sure that you and Margot are never alone.”
“And what about you?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I stare into Luca’s eyes, trying to find the meaning behind his words. His face looks shuttered, as if he’s trying to hide something from me. “Tell me,” I say.
Luca exhales, shaking his head. “The less you know, the better.”
“Incorrect,” I snap. “My sister won’t tell me who the father of her child is, I’m being followed by bodyguards everywhere, and now you’re telling me that you won’t even tell me what you’re planning? Someone tried to kill you, Luca. Another man tried to sabotage my bakery