26. Clara

26

CLARA

T he world came back in snatches. A bright light pierced my eyes. I tried to raise an arm to block it, a sound of distress on my lips. The light dimmed, then faded to black. A heaviness assaulted my limbs next. I kicked at the blanket pinning me down but nothing moved. Voices infiltrated my dreams, Alexander’s low grumble and the velvet softness of Ethan drifting in and out, along with Liam’s quick wit that seemed subdued.

“What happened?” My own voice came out in a croak. My lips stuck together, my tongue three times too big for my mouth. I peeled one eyelid open and squinted. Low light struck the sides of all three men’s faces. Relief cascaded over their expressions, which tightened my stomach. The babies! I grabbed my belly, a whoosh of air leaving me when one of them flipped around, causing my stomach to undulate.

Liam took my hand and stroked his thumb around the IV line. “It’s okay, Clara. You’re okay, and so are the babies.”

I tried to raise my head, but everything felt so heavy and off-balance. My vision swam, and right before I closed my eyes, I caught the flash of uncertainty on Alexander and Ethan’s faces. “What else?” My free hand braced against the bed, I tried again to scoot into a sitting position.

“Lay still. I’ll raise the bed.” Liam patted my hand, then the bed jerked.

I stiffened as it creaked slowly upward but there was no pain, only a slight swimming sensation in my head. Once that settled, I forced my eyes open again and held them wide. “You’re all worried. Tell me why.”

“You fainted.” Alexander stood at the foot of my bed, his hands in his pockets, his forearms pushing his jacket aside in that pose I loved. His words sank in and dredged up a hint of a memory. “At the office party.”

“Everyone saw.” I shuddered and gripped the sheets.

A look passed between Ethan and Alexander.

“Oh for fuck’s sake. Tell me all of it.” I motioned at them with a flick of my fingers. “You’re looking at each other like the sky’s falling. How bad is it?”

“Bad.” Ethan sank into a chair upholstered in an obscene green color. “Alexander might lose his position as CEO. Everyone knows we’ve been together, that you’re pregnant, and that the babies are ours. We’ve been called in for a board meeting.”

“How?” I shook my head. The how could wait. Alexander’s role as CEO was the most powerful in the company. The board meant business if his job was at stake.

Ethan’s hand covered mine, the heat of his skin pushing back the chill blanketing me. “Allan recorded me and Alexander talking. He sent the video to everyone. There’s no going back, and there’s nothing we can do to him in light of the scrutiny we’re facing.”

“Damn it.” My head burrowed into the pillow. Thoughts whirled too fast for me to capture. We were sunk for good this time. Nothing would convince the board to let them keep their jobs. We’d broken too many rules.

The door opened and a short man entered. “Well, now that’s good to see.” He stopped beside Alexander. “Clara, I’m Dr. Branson. I’ve been monitoring you since you arrived.”

“How am I?” Other than a hint of a headache and some heaviness in my limbs, I felt perfectly normal.

“I’d say you’re overworked and that is not a good thing for a woman this late in a high-risk pregnancy. You should have been at home resting a month ago.” A sharp look from the doctor pinned each of my men in place. “I understand you knew about your situation and chose to continue working.” Disapproval colored his voice. “While I can’t make you rest, I do highly encourage it.”

Home. Rest. Both sounded wonderful, but Harrington needed me. The company…the company was prepared to toss all four of us out on the streets without a job. No one had said as much, but I read it in the harshness in Alexander’s face, the tight lines narrowing Ethan’s eyes, and the fact that Liam had not smiled once this whole time.

“When can I go home?” I picked at the blanket to keep from looking at anyone.

Dr. Branson squeezed my foot beneath the covers. “Now that you’re awake, I need to get one more set of vitals. You’re stable now, so I’ll let you leave if you promise me you will go home and rest.”

“I promise.” I sounded as certain as a toddler at naptime, but it appeased the doctor enough to turn and leave the room.

After a flurry of nurses paraded through the room, I was allowed to change back into my dress and take a wheelchair ride out to the parking lot, where Alexander’s car sat with him waiting behind the wheel.

Ethan pushed my wheelchair, and Liam fixed the footrests when Ethan stopped at the car’s open passenger side door. They helped me into the car despite my protests that I could manage by myself. Their concern and care silenced me long enough to get buckled in and for Alexander to pull out onto the road.

“Take me to Mom’s.” I needed her. I’d hidden all of this from her, and it was time to come clean, then ask for advice.

We rode in absolute silence, the men no doubt lost in their thoughts. I certainly was. We pulled into Mom’s drive, and Ethan and Liam once again came around to help me out of the car. Alexander joined them, and they enclosed me in a protective circle. “Do you want us to come in with you?” Alexander asked.

I shook my head, the movement slow but certain. “This is something I have to do alone.”

Whether they agreed or not, they walked me to the side door, waited for Mom to answer my knock when I found the door locked, and walked back to the car once I stepped into the kitchen.

Mom took one look at me and pulled me into a hug. “Come on. Have a seat. We’ll drink some tea, and you can tell me all about it.”

It was easy to sink into the worn chair, breathe in the cinnamon scent from the nearby candle, sip tea Mom poured for us, and tell her everything. Once I started, it came out of me in a torrent. I held nothing back, and even though I kept my gaze locked on my teacup to avoid seeing her shock and worry, I felt it in the heavy air that tightened around us.

By the time I’d finished talking, we’d drank the whole pot of tea and worked through a layer of cookies from the tin I’d brought her a few weeks ago.

“They’re going to lose their jobs because of me.” I cradled my stomach between both hands. “It’s not fair. We broke the company rules. I get that there should be repercussions, but it was all consensual.” Nothing about our relationship changed our work ethic or gave me a better position within the company. Rules were rules, though, and that was all the board would see when they looked at what we’d done.

Mom scooted her seat around until we were knee to knee. “It will be okay.” I scoffed, and she smacked my forearm lightly. “Don’t you take that tone with me, young lady.” She might look frail, but she was the strongest woman I knew. “There are worse things out there than a scandal and falling in love with three wonderful men.”

I risked a look at her face.

Her smile welcomed me. “Come on, sweet girl. You couldn’t have thought I would condemn you for love?” She tsked when I held my breath. “Good things are coming for you. That you’ve found love, though it’s unconventional by societal standards, is a great thing. You’re happy in your relationship. You have three healthy babies in there.” She patted my stomach. “You might lose your job. All of you might. But that is small-minded thinking. All four of you are better than that business. If they cannot see you for the value you bring, then you shouldn’t waste your time there.”

“But they’re the leading architecture firm in Silverbrook and the surrounding counties,” I protested on instinct.

“And they can go fuck themselves.” She sat back and folded her hands in her lap. “They might try to screw you over, but we Perrys are a hard bunch to grind under someone’s boot heel. We always end up back on top.” She winked and slapped the table. “Now, tell me about my grandbabies.”

I was glad to already be sitting, or her love and support might have knocked me right on my ass. We passed the rest of the afternoon and late into the night talking about babies and the possibilities in the future. I fell asleep on the couch and woke up to a delivery man knocking on the door. He held up a white box. “From Mr. Thorne.”

I took the box with a startled thanks and managed to close the door with my heel. A peek into the box and my jaw hit the floor. A sleek, black dress spilled out, the material like silk in my hands. A note fluttered out, and I grunted as I scooped it from the floor.

There’s no reason to hide anymore. Knock ‘em dead, sweetheart.

His heavy scrawl filled the little white card, covering the front and back. The sight of it and the support that it showed was better than a dozen shots of liquid courage.

Mom came out from her bedroom, took one look at the dress, and smiled maniacally. “Now that is a dress to break balls in.”

“Damned right.” I sucked air through my teeth, a decision locking in place. “You’re abso-fucking-lutely right, Mom.”

Three hours later, I strode into the boardroom and faced five dour-faced men. Each of them sat tense, their bodies hunched over the long table, looks of censure knotting their brows.

Alexander, Ethan, and Liam sat off to the side, the three of them wearing expressionless masks. Ethan saw me first, and his tight-lipped grimace loosened. Liam smacked the back of his hand into Alexander’s chest, drawing Alexander’s gaze over to me.

I was a goddess on the warpath. My steps hammered across the lacquered floor, each one precise and determined.

Mr. Billard—the oldest and most gnarled of the board members—started to stand. “Miss Perry.”

“Sir.” I raised my chin and stood proud, my spine straight, the delicate dress swirled around my ankles. “Before we begin this ridiculous inquisition, I have something to say.” I took a deep breath, met the eyes of each of my men, and spoke words I never thought would leave my mouth. “I resign my position on the single condition that those three men remain in the company, in the positions where they are now, and where they belong.”

I swiveled around to face Mr. Billard. “You would all be fools to let them go. And though I might not agree with your rulings, I suspect you are fair men who look after your own. After all, it’s because of the five of you that a man has been allowed to stalk and sexually harass multiple women within this company. Allowing me to take the fall so that they can remain is no less than the company would expect from the misogynistic patriarchy.” I turned on my heel, the stunned looks on five very annoyed faces bolstering my flagging courage. “My resignation is effective immediately. I’ve already cleaned out my desk.”

Not one of them called me back or said a damned fucking thing.

The door started to close, then snapped back with enough force that it rebounded against the wall. “Clara, wait.” Alexander caught up with me in the hallway, his grasp on my elbow slight enough to break but firm enough to tell me he meant business. “What the fuck was that?”

“I refuse to be the reason you lose your livelihood.” A soul-crushing rush of anguish ripped through me. “I can’t live knowing I’ve broken the lives and careers of the men I love.”

Ethan and Liam walked out in time to hear my statement. Liam rushed forward, Ethan hot on his heels.

“We can handle this.” Liam flapped a hand toward the closing door. “They’re a bunch of puffed-up suits who know nothing about us. You don’t have to sacrifice your career for ours.”

“But I do.” I rubbed my protruding stomach. “I’m going to be on maternity leave soon anyway. This is the least I can do to make sure you keep your jobs.”

“Why the hell would we want to stay here without you?” Ethan wore a look I’d never seen before. There was a fragileness in his expression, the stark pain in his eyes threatened to undo my resolve. “We love you, Clara. There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for you.”

“Then let me do this.” I cupped his cheek. “If you love me, you’ll give me some time to be alone. I need time with my thoughts.” With those parting words, I left them behind.

Raised voices followed me, the three of them arguing.

Liam’s light steps followed after me. “We’ll give you time, Clara, but we’re not finished. I love you enough to give you time, but I’m not giving you up.” His conviction was a balm to my soul. I would rather walk barefoot through hell than have any of them hurt because of me.

It took all my strength to climb into my car and drive away. I made it home and as far as my couch before I collapsed in a mess of tears.