Love Rents A Room
Chapter 197: To Keep A Secret

Chapter 197: To Keep A Secret

Joanne thought back... how many weeks had it been?

The timing lined up. The fatigue. The heightened emotions. The sudden distaste for her usual morning coffee and her nightly whiskey. She’d dismissed them all.

But now?

Now it felt real.

A shiver ran through her, not from the cold, but from the magnitude of what she was beginning to suspect.

There might be something growing inside her.

Not just flowers in the field.

But life.

Their life.

After sending off a worried Patrick with a weak smile, Joanne stepped back into the house. Her hands trembled slightly as she peeled off her coat. She needed to buy a test—soon.

Cling

Another message chimed.

Did you see the snowdrops? Send me a picture of you... tasteful... covered only by snowdrops...

Her jaw tightened.

Was he serious?

Here she was, overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty, her body betraying her in the most vulnerable moment—and that lecherous, ever-horny idiot wanted a nude photo?

Tasteful, he said. Tasteful!

She wanted to scream. Or throw her phone out the window. Or better yet, drive to wherever he was and strangle him with a snowdrop garland.

But before she could storm off or stew in her rage, Fiona’s familiar car rolled into the driveway.

Everything else fell away when Joanne saw the cherub on Fiona’s arms.

"Bobby!" she gasped, rushing down the steps. She scooped the baby into her arms, showering his chubby cheeks with noisy kisses, her heart thawing under his tiny giggles. Wrapping him in her arms, she carried him inside like he was made of gold.

Fiona came in after her, settling in as she usually did for their weekly catch-up. Joanne prepared her favorite pie for snacks, humming absently. But as the scent of butter and berries wafted up, her stomach turned again. A sickening roll of nausea swept over her.

She pressed a hand to her belly.

It was time. She couldn’t delay it any longer.

She needed to take that test.

Fiona narrowed her eyes, watching Joanne closely. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked, noticing how Joanne’s face had gone pale the moment the scent of the pie filled the kitchen.

It wasn’t just concern—it was suspicion.

Three weeks ago, just days after giving birth, Fiona had noticed Joanne disappear without explanation for nearly two full days. She came back with a faint glow, mussed hair... and more tellingly, a neck littered with faint hickeys. When pressed, Joanne brushed it off with a vague excuse about a stranger she met at a bar.

Fiona didn’t believe it for a second.

There was only one man Joanne would let close enough to leave marks like that. One man she would run away with, even for a couple of reckless days.

Jeffrey Winchester.

She hadn’t pushed then—Joanne had looked dazed, like she was still catching up with her own emotions—but now? Fiona wasn’t letting it slide. Not if there was a baby involved. Not when she knew how heavy Joanne’s silence could be, how easily she could retreat into herself and hide even the most life-changing truths.

"Fi..." Joanne’s voice broke her thoughts.

She leaned closer, whispering as if the walls could listen.

"I need a test," she said quietly. "Do you have a spare?"

Fiona blinked. "A test?"

Then it clicked.

Her expression softened, understanding dawning. Still, she exhaled through her nose in mild exasperation.

"Jo, I just gave birth. I’m on the best birth control known to womanhood. Why on earth would I have a spare pregnancy test lying around?"

Joanne flushed and looked away. For all her usual confidence—the tough-as-nails CEO of Shamrock Logistics and steward of the McDonald Farm—she looked small in that moment. Nervous. Embarrassed.

"I could grab one myself," Joanne murmured, "but I just... I don’t want to be seen. People will talk."

Fiona understood. Small towns didn’t keep secrets, and Joanne’s name was tied to far too much. A respected CEO caught buying a pregnancy test while unmarried—and tangled with a man who couldn’t even claim her publicly—was the kind of story that would burn through the grapevine like wildfire.

"I’ll get it for you," Fiona said gently. "Wait here."

Joanne’s shoulders sagged with relief. "Thank you."

That night, Fiona returned with the test.

Joanne couldn’t wait. She knew sleep wouldn’t come until she knew the truth.

Her hands trembled as she tore open the packaging, heart pounding against her ribs like it wanted to escape.

She had always been regular. She never missed a cycle—until now. The nausea, the fatigue, the strange tenderness in her body... it all added up.

Eighty percent sure, her brain told her.

But her heart knew. She already knew.

Still, nothing could prepare her for the moment she saw it.

Two lines.

Clear. Unmistakable.

Pregnant.

The first thing Joanne felt was happiness.

Sitting on the toilet lid, test still in hand, she pressed her palm gently to her belly. There was a life growing inside her—half her, half Jeffrey. The thought lit something warm and quiet inside her, a joy so pure it made her breath hitch.

But it didn’t last.

Reality crept in, unwelcome and sobering. Jeffrey had asked her to stay away, to pretend she wanted nothing to do with him—for the sake of a plan she didn’t fully understand, with no timeline, no reassurances.

And yet here she was, carrying his child.

Would he even be happy?

Her fingers tightened against her abdomen. The baby wouldn’t wait. Time wouldn’t pause until Jeffrey returned from the shadows. This child would grow and be born into a world that might not be ready.

She didn’t know what kind of life she could offer—alone, in hiding, in waiting.

The phone rang.

It was Fiona.

Joanne picked up. "Hey..."

"Did you test?" Fiona whispered, her voice muffled—probably calling from the nursery or tucked away from Liam’s ears.

Joanne didn’t delay. "It’s positive."

There was a moment of breathless silence before Fiona nearly squealed. "Honey, congrats!"

She quickly lowered her voice again. "It’s Jeffrey’s, isn’t it?"

Joanne let out a long sigh. "Yes."

It felt good to say it out loud. If anyone should know, it was Fiona.

"What are you going to do?"

"I’m keeping it," Joanne said, her voice steady. Her hand never once left her belly. There was no hesitation in her. That decision had already rooted deep in her heart.

"I knew that," Fiona said. "Have you told him?"

"No."

There was a pause.

"Are you planning to keep it a secret?"

Joanne hesitated.

"Is there any other way?"

She meant it. She wasn’t sure how or when to tell him, or if she even should right now. Jeffrey would know—one look at the child and he’d know. But was now the right time?

"Stupid, stupid Jo," Fiona muttered, gritting her teeth. "You think this is a joke?"

Joanne blinked, stunned by the sudden sharpness in her friend’s voice.

"Your baby isn’t going to hide itself. What are you protecting him from, Jo? Yourself? This child?" Fiona’s voice trembled with frustration. "You’re not just pregnant with a secret, you’re pregnant with his future too. Don’t you dare let him off easy this time."

Joanne opened her mouth, but Fiona didn’t let her speak.

"He needs to know. He needs to take responsibility. You’re not doing this alone—not again. And don’t you let him come sweeping in when everything’s nice and easy just to claim it all."

Joanne sat there in silence, Fiona’s words ringing in her ears. She had thought she was being careful, protecting everyone. But the more Fiona spoke, the more that carefulness felt like cowardice.

Anger began to stir in her chest.

Fiona was right.

She really couldn’t let Jeffrey have his way anymore.