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.Found out accidentally.Nothing else was listed beneath, which meant the mother had miscarried.Jeremy gripped the journal, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe.Only one name, one he didn’t recognize, but initials that he did.L-M-D.Lexie Marin Darnell.Pregnant with someone else’s baby.Another lie of omission.Another lie.His thoughts started racing with the realization.Lexie had lied about this, just as she’d lied to him about spending time with Rodney.Just as she’d once lied about where she went after seeing Doris.and before that, lied about knowing the truth about the mysterious lights in the cemetery.Lies and hidden truths.A pattern?His lips tightened into a grim line.Who was she? Why was she doing this? And why on earth wouldn’t she have told him? This he would have understood.He didn’t know whether to be angry or hurt.Or both.He needed time to think things through, but that was the thing: There was no time.Soon he and Lexie would own a house; in a week they’d be married.But Alvin had been right all along.He didn’t know her, had never known her.Nor, he suddenly realized, did he completely trust her.Yes, she’d explained her deceptions, and taken in isolation, each had been explained.But was this going to be a regular occurrence? Would he have to live with twisting of the truth? Could he live that way?And who had sent the e-mail? Again, it came back to that, didn’t it? The acquaintance he had looking into the routing information for the mysterious e-mails had called earlier in the week to let Jeremy know that the e-mail most likely came from out of town and that soon he hoped to have an answer.Which meant.what?He didn’t know, and he didn’t have time to figure it out.The meeting with the lawyer to close on the house was scheduled in twenty minutes.Should he postpone the closing? Could he, even if he wanted?Too much to think about; too much to do.Moving on autopilot, he left his room at Greenleaf; ten minutes later, with his thoughts in disarray, he pulled to a stop in front of Lexie’s house.Through the window, he saw movement, and she stepped onto the porch.Idly, he noticed she’d dressed for the occasion.Wearing tan pants and a matching jacket over a light blue blouse, she smiled and waved as she skipped down the porch steps.For an instant, it was easy to forget she was pregnant.Pregnant.Just like before.The realization brought his feelings of anger to the surface once more, but she didn’t seem to notice as she slid into the car.“Hey, hon, how are you? For a minute there, I wasn’t sure we would make it on time.”He couldn’t bring himself to respond.Couldn’t bring himself to look at her.He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to confront her now or wait until he had more time to process what all this meant.She put a hand on his shoulder.“You okay?” she ventured.“You seem distracted.”He squeezed the steering wheel, trying to keep control.“Just thinking.”She watched him.“Do you want to talk about it?”“No,” he said.She continued to stare, unsure whether to be concerned.After a moment, she settled back and buckled her seat belt.“Isn’t this exciting?” she said, trying simultaneously to change the subject and lighten the mood.“Our first house.We should celebrate after this.Maybe have lunch before you head off to the airport.Besides, I’m not going to see you for a couple of days.”He slipped the car into drive, and it lurched forward.“Whatever.”“Don’t sound so enthusiastic about it.”He pretended to be absorbed in the road as he pulled away, his hands tight on the wheel.“I said I’d go.”She shook her head and turned toward the window.“Thanks a lot,” she muttered.“What? Now you’re mad?”“I just don’t understand why you’re in such a bad mood.This is supposed to be exciting.We’re buying a house; you’re heading off to the bachelor party.You’re supposed to be happy.Meanwhile, you’re acting like we’re heading to a funeral.”Jeremy opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it.If they had an argument now, there was no way it would end before they got to the attorney’s office.He knew that.He didn’t want to make this public, nor was he even sure how to begin.But they would talk about this later.No doubt about it.Instead, they drove the rest of the way in silence, the mood inside the car growing heavier with every passing minute.By the time they reached the office and saw Mrs.Reynolds waiting out front for them, Lexie was unwilling to look his way.As soon as the car stopped, Lexie opened the door and got out; she headed toward Mrs.Reynolds without waiting.Fine, he thought.She was angry? Welcome to the club, my dear.He shut the door and trailed slowly behind her, showing no desire to catch up.“Today’s the big day,” Mrs.Reynolds said, smiling as Lexie approached.“You two ready?”Lexie nodded; Jeremy said nothing.Mrs.Reynolds looked from Lexie to Jeremy and back again.Her smile faded.She’d been around long enough to recognize a spat when she saw one.Buying a house was stressful, and people reacted in different ways.But it wasn’t her business.What was her business was getting them both inside to sign the papers before the spat evolved into something that might cancel the deal.“I know they’re already waiting for us,” she prompted, pretending not to notice their sullen expressions.“We’ll be in the conference room.” She took a step toward the door.“It’s this way.You two are getting one heck of a deal.Once the house is finished, you’re going to own a real showplace.”She held the door open, waiting for a response.“Down the corridor,” she urged again.“The second door on your left.”Once inside, she hurried past them, almost forcing them to follow.They did, but as fate would have it, the lawyer wasn’t in the room.“Take a seat.I’m sure he just stepped out for a minute.Let me check on him, okay?”Lexie and Jeremy sat kitty-corner to each other as Mrs.Reynolds disappeared from view.Jeremy reached for a pencil and began tapping it absently on the table.“What’s wrong with you today?” Lexie finally asked.Jeremy could hear the challenge in her tone but said nothing.“You’re not going to speak to me?”Slowly he lifted his gaze to meet hers.“Tell me what happened with Trevor Newland,” he said, his voice quiet
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