As We Lay — Darlene Johnson

Breck's mind went to Boston and eased into Eric's office. She saw him sitting at his desk with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles....A killer smile stretched wide across his face, revealing perfect white teeth. She heard his laugh and her body began to quiver.
-- from As We Lay

Indianapolis architect Breck Lawson has just received the call of her career: Eric Warren, a prominent property manager, has said that he is considering her to design a multicultural center in Boston. A contract with his firm would immediately put Breck in the who's who of the architectural world. It's just the break she's been waiting for. But it soon seems as though Eric Warren offers more than just a lucky business deal.

From the moment they first speak on the phone, Breck and Eric feel a connection. Breck learns all about Eric's devotion to his wife and son, as well as to his community. And she is able to open up to him about her personal life and romantic problems in a way she would normally never dare to in her competitive, male-dominated professional world. A friendship develops, and eventually turns into something deeper. Believing that her independence is intact, Breck is content to remain “the other woman,” but she still moves to Boston to be closer to Eric. There they form a parallel family, and Breck secretly has his child.

A tragic accident abruptly cuts Breck off from Eric, and she soon learns that the survival of his first child, Darius, and the well-being of Eric's wife, Gaby, depend entirely on her -- and her willingness to reveal the secrets of the life she shares with him. But the truth could destroy her reputation, her business, and the lives of the two families. Breck must decide if she has what it takes to put it all on the line.