Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

Ivy Sherwood finished her examination quickly and waited for the results to come back.

She sat outside for a little while, and before long, both sets of results were ready.

Her stomach was fine, but...

"Congratulations, Miss Sherwood — you’re eight weeks along."

Eight weeks... Ivy was completely stunned.

She was pregnant.

She was carrying Quentin Blackwood’s child.

She couldn’t tell if this was a wonderful surprise or a terrifying shock — her mind simply couldn’t catch up. She’d been so careful, and yet somehow it had still happened.

Her hand drifted gently to her stomach. There was actually a tiny life growing inside her — a child that belonged to her and Quentin.

Would it be a boy or a girl? Would Quentin even want this baby?

Ivy honestly wasn’t ready for any of this. She was still young, and she had no idea what to do.

The doctor noticed Ivy’s expression and the fact that she’d come alone. "The pregnancy is still early," she said gently. "If you’re not sure you’re ready for a baby, you’ll want to make a decision sooner rather than later. If you do want to keep the child, it’s time to start prenatal care — and next time, it would be best to bring the father with you."

"I’ll prescribe some prenatal supplements for now. And now that you’re pregnant, you really should avoid cosmetics and anything like that."

"Of course. Thank you, Doctor." Ivy took her results and left.

Walking out of the maternity ward, she still couldn’t quite believe it. She was going to be a mother. She was actually going to be a mother.

Her career was still taking off and the future was full of unknowns, but Ivy already knew — she wanted to keep this baby.

She wanted Quentin to be the first to know. She just had no idea how he would take it.

Xavier Mercer and Miles were still waiting downstairs, so Ivy decided she’d call Quentin tonight to tell him.

She headed back down and found them in the testing area. The moment she walked over, both Xavier and Miles looked at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I’m fine," Ivy said, shaking her head. "Just ate something that didn’t agree with me."

She still wasn’t sure what she and the Mercer brothers were to each other — the odds of them being family felt even more far-fetched than winning the lottery. And as for the pregnancy, even the baby’s own father didn’t know yet. There was no reason to go telling anyone else.

"Nothing serious?" Xavier asked.

Ivy shook her head. "Are the results back yet?"

"Not yet," Miles said.

The two brothers were both on edge, their eyes fixed on Ivy’s face.

They weren’t far apart in age, and they’d both known their Aunt Winter when they were young. She had been breathtakingly beautiful — the kind of beauty that stayed with you. Even now, the memory of her face was still vivid, the most beautiful person either of them had ever seen.

It was those eyes especially — whenever she looked at you, it sent a shiver through your whole body. Aunt Winter had been both stunning and incredibly gentle.

"Your eyes really do look like hers," Xavier said.

Ivy was genuinely curious — just how strong was the resemblance, if an entire family could look at her and think of Winter Mercer?

Well, it didn’t matter either way. They’d have an answer soon enough.

"Honestly, I’m dying to know — how beautiful was your aunt?"

In Ivy’s mind, the woman had already taken on an almost mythical quality.

"Let’s just say she was perfect in every way," Miles said proudly.

Truthfully, Ivy was pretty enough — just not quite on that level. It was really only the eyes that made the resemblance so striking.

The three of them chatted while they waited, and then the DNA results arrived. When Xavier took hold of the report, his hand gave a faint tremble.

None of them dared breathe as they stared at it.

Finally, Xavier turned to the last page.

The result was clear: no DNA match. No familial relationship confirmed.

So that was that. It was almost what they’d expected.

And yet, inexplicably, something twisted inside Ivy — a strange, hollow ache she couldn’t quite name.

It wasn’t that she’d been trying to marry into a wealthy family. It was just that from the moment she’d met Xavier and Miles, and even the old grandfather, she’d felt this odd, inexplicable warmth toward them — like she already knew them somehow.

She had Timothy Sherwood as family, and that was worse than having no family at all. She’d been hoping to uncover the secrets her mother had left behind, had thought maybe her mother had some connection to the Mercer Family. But it seemed she’d been wrong about that.

Which meant the mystery surrounding her mother was back to square one.

"I’m sorry," Ivy said quietly, looking down. "I’m not who you were looking for."

Xavier felt the weight of it too. He’d let himself hope this time — and once again, it wasn’t her.

Over the years they’d ruled out so many people. Ivy had been the closest match they’d ever found.

"We’re the ones who took up your time. Let us drive you home." Xavier said.

Just then, his phone rang — something urgent, by the sound of it. He stepped away to take the call and told Miles to take Ivy back.

"You really don’t have to," Ivy said. "I can get home on my own."

"It’s no trouble at all. I’ll drive you — and besides, I promised my brother. You might not be our aunt’s daughter, but you’re not as unbearable as most women I’ve met. So I’m taking you home."

Earning Miles Mercer’s approval was no small thing. He had what could only be described as a deep-seated aversion to women — a wariness that had calcified into something close to dread. He found most women irritating, convinced they all had some ulterior motive for getting close to him.

It had started when he was little, with women constantly scooping him up and smothering him with kisses, leaving his face slick with their lipstick and saliva.

Then, at fourteen, someone had drugged him and stuffed several naked women into his bedroom — women who had been sent specifically to seduce him. The way they’d pawed at him had left a scar on him that never fully healed. He’d escaped by jumping out the window. Lucky for him it was only the second floor; he’d gotten away with nothing worse than a broken bone.

And it hadn’t stopped there. More women had tried to crawl into his bed over the years, more had tried to ingratiate themselves with him — all of it turned his stomach.

So whenever he came across a woman with an agenda, Miles felt a deep, visceral discomfort.

When he’d first laid eyes on Ivy — when she’d bumped into his brother — he’d assumed she was just another one of those women. But he’d been watching since then, and he’d changed his mind.

"Then thank you." Ivy didn’t argue. She’d ridden here with the Mercer Brothers, after all — her only other option was to call a cab.

All the Mercer Family cars were high-end, and since they hadn’t brought a driver, Miles was behind the wheel.

It didn’t take long before they pulled up outside Ivy’s building. She got out and, out of politeness, turned to Miles. "Thanks for the ride, Miles. Do you want to come up for some tea?"

"No thanks. Go on up."

Ivy stepped into the elevator, and Miles began reversing out of the spot to leave.

He’d barely made it a few feet back when — bang.

He hit something. A car that had pulled up behind him, seemingly out of nowhere.

Miles got out. The driver of the other car stepped out at the same moment. He took one look at her, and his eyes narrowed. "You."

Nina Scott had been ready to lay into whoever the idiot was who’d reversed without looking — but when she saw it was Miles, she didn’t even blink. "If you can’t drive, stay off the road, okay?"

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