Chapter 4: Heir

"Who was that?" Landon asked again.

"Someone from the foundation," I said. "I returned his scarf."

"You returned his scarf."

"He left it at a dinner."

Landon walked down the corridor, slowly, with his program rolled in his fist.

He stopped a careful arm's length from me.

He looked tired, and he hadn't shaved well, and for one stupid second my body leaned toward him out of habit.

I made it stop.

"My mother called me last night," he said.

My stomach dropped.

"She said you were at the hospital for more than a stomach bug."

"Your mother told you."

"She said twins."

He let the word sit between us.

"Is it true, Jessa?"

I thought about lying.

I thought about the garnet in my pocket, and Kerry's hand on mine, and the scarf folded into a stranger's coat.

"Yes," I said. "It's true."

The corridor went very quiet.

Landon pressed the heel of his hand against his eyes, and when he lowered it his face was wet.

I had not seen him cry since his father's funeral.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he said. "In that room, with the papers. You could have said something."

"You had your lawyer's assistant holding the folder for me."

"I would have stopped it."

"You wouldn't have stopped it for me," I said. "You'd have stopped it for them."

He flinched.

"I was an idiot," he said. "Jessa, I was a coward and an idiot. Come home."

"Home."

"I'll fix it. I'll talk to Kendra. I'll take care of her too, but you and the babies come first. Mine come first."

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