by Lexi Wilson
Morgan
Daniel had bought the land for me. I stared off into the distance, spotting the hint of a ship. Several seagulls flew nearby, and tears welled up in my eyes as I started to understand the significance of what this land represented.
I glanced around, already able to picture the beautiful house we could build here. It didn’t have to be as large as his current house. If it were smaller, we’d be able to maintain it ourselves and not have to worry about a bunch of staff. Then again, I didn’t want to put his housekeeper and gardeners out of a job.
Again, the enormity of what Daniel had done blasted through my mind, and I shook my head, trying to clear it a little.
“For me?” I said. “Not just some investment?”
I rubbed my wrist. I don’t know why I was so obsessed with proving that he had some other motive. It was like my brain wouldn’t accept the obviously kind and loving thing he’d done, like I had to prove that I hadn’t tried to walk away from a man who would be so thoughtful.
“I definitely bought it for you,” he said. “It’s actually a terrible investment.” He laughed, “Especially given how inflated the local market is right now.”
“A terrible investment?”
“Look, real estate is a hard market to make decent money in,” he said, with a shrug. “I mostly stay out of it, but I didn’t buy this to make money, I bought this to make you happy. So, I only have one question that I need you to answer?”
“What?” I asked, my heart pounding.
“Does it make you happy?”
I thought that over and nodded. There was no trick, no angle. It was just about Daniel trying to please me.
I nodded. “Yes, it does make me happy. I can’t believe you actually did this.”
He laughed. “What good is having a lot of money if you can’t throw it around to make the woman you love happy?” His grin disappeared, and he shot me a smoldering gaze. “And let me make it clear. I do love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I meant it. No doubt remained in my heart, especially after Daniel had proven how considerate he was.
He had asked me where I wanted to live, and I’d told him. Not only had he remembered, but he’d gone out of his way to find a place that I’d like, and it wasn’t even going to benefit him financially. Not that he needed more money.
Daniel was right. Actions did mean more than words.
After a moment, I finally understood why I’d been so bothered. On some level, I had believed that Daniel would toss me aside after getting annoyed or bored with me. I didn’t really think there was anything special about living at his house. It wasn’t like I was naïve enough to believe that I was the only woman to have even been there with him.
It didn’t exactly cost him anything to invite a woman to stay over at his house, so it didn’t mean as much that he’d invited me to live with him.
On the other hand, buying a big tract of land was a commitment, and it meant something. First of all, it meant that he really did want a future with me. It was a bold and even extreme gesture. One that I totally appreciated.
I hadn’t given his question about where I’d want to live another thought, assuming it had been nothing but small talk or offhand curiosity. Nothing serious or worth consideration.
The truth is that Daniel had bought all this land with this gorgeous ocean view, not as some sort of business deal, but for me, just to make me happy. To try and build the kind of life that I wanted.
All the confusion that had been haunting me vanished. Daniel loved me, and he’d stand by me in a way Blaine never had.
That led me to wonder what I was so afraid of. I’d convinced myself I was going to lose my new baby, but when I’d had my first baby, the doctor had made it clear that I wasn’t the problem. I’d only let Blaine’s attitude convince me that I was somehow at fault.
The truth needed to come out.
Daniel was smiling, looking out at the ocean. The bright sun hung in the sky. It was a perfect, beautiful scene.
“I’m pregnant,” I blurted out.
Daniel blinked and spun to face me. “What?”
“I’m pregnant,” I repeated, more quietly. “My birth control didn’t work.” Before he could say anything else, I continued. “When I found out, I just freaked out.”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I noticed, but why?”
I sighed. “Everything about losing my son came flooding back, and I wasn’t sure if I’d waited long enough.”
“Waited long enough? I don’t understand.”
“I wasn’t sure if I’d mourned long enough. Maybe that sounds silly, but that’s how I felt.”
“I’m not going to say I understand everything you went through, but I can at least understand the idea behind it.”
I took a deep breath. “Then I started worrying about what would happen if I lost another baby.” I shook my head. “You know what happened with Blaine. I loved him, too, and he wasn’t there when I needed him. The thought that you might turn your back like he did terrified me. I’m not certain I could survive another loss.”
“I’m not Blaine,” Daniel growled. “No matter what happens, I will be there to support you.” He motioned around. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to show you this. I wanted to convince you that I’m in this for the long haul, that what we have is serious and important.”
I nodded quickly, my heart swelling at those words.
Daniel stepped toward me, and Sasha stared at me from his arms. “Are you sure, though? Maybe you’re just late. I like the idea of you being pregnant, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
Get his hopes up? I almost laughed.
I shook my head. “When Jacy came over to your house that day, she brought a pregnancy test. It was positive.”
Daniel snorted. “You told Jacy to bring a test?”
“No. Actually, when Hunter told her I was sick, she figured out I might be pregnant and brought it herself. Then I swore her to secrecy.”
“That answers that, then,” he said, with a grin. “That woman certainly is good at keeping secrets. If she’d told Hunter, there was no way he wouldn’t have called me up.”
I smiled. “She’s always has been good at keeping secrets.”
He shrugged. “I wish I’d heard earlier. This is great news.”
“You’re not worried about something being wrong with the baby? Maybe the doctors were wrong before.”
Daniel shook his head. “No. I don’t think anything will be wrong with the baby, and if anything even looks like it’ll be remotely wrong, I’ll spend every last cent of my fortune to save that baby. I’ll fly in whatever specialist is needed from anywhere in the world.”
His confidence strengthened mine, and the remaining strands of fear I had about the pregnancy floated away.
I blinked away my tears. “And you’re not mad at me?”
“Why would I be mad?”
“Because when you had sex with me, you thought I wouldn’t get pregnant. I—can see how it might look from your perspective.”
“Birth control doesn’t always work. Why would I be mad?”
“And you want to keep the baby?”
“Of course I do.” Daniel kissed Sasha on the forehead, and she looked up at him. I couldn’t help but wonder if she had any clue what we were even discussing. “We’re giving you a sibling—or cousin, however you want to look at it,” he laughed.
I stared at him, almost not believing what I was hearing. All the negative emotion I’d wallowed in before now seemed ridiculous. I burst out laughing.
Daniel laughed, too. “What’s so funny?”
“I’d been so convinced that you would think I was trying some sort of scam or something, but instead you’re just so happy. It’s literally the opposite reaction of what I expected.”
“Sasha has shown me that babies can be a lot of work, but they also bring immeasurable joy.” He grimaced. “I did just think of a problem, and it’s something I’ll need
to find a solution for sooner rather than later.”
My stomach knotted. “What?”
“I’d prefer if my future wife was at home taking care of my babies rather than working as my assistant. So that means I’m going to have to find yet another.” Daniel groaned. “That will be the fourth this year. I am truly cursed.”
Future wife? I stared at him, open-mouthed. “Wait. What are you saying? Future wife?”
“Damn,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, you’re right. That was one weak proposal. I would have preferred to have some ridiculously huge diamond ring to offer you, but I think Hunter and Jacy have the right idea. I don’t just want a relationship with you, I want to marry you. If I’d had more time, I would have done something special.” He winked. “I’ll just make sure the wedding and the honeymoon are special.”
“I’m technically still married. The paperwork’s been filed, but it hasn’t been finalized yet.”
Daniel stepped forward to kiss me lightly on the lips. Sasha fussed over being pressed against me until he stepped back.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’m not Hunter. I don’t think we need to get married next weekend, and you should have a nice ceremony. That’s going to take some time to plan.
“I don’t need one, you know, a big and expensive ceremony or anything like that. Just being with you is enough.”
Daniel nodded. “No, you don’t need one, but you deserve one, and I’m going to see to it that you get one. Plus, I only intend to get married once, so we might as well go all-out.”
The warmth of love heated my face.
He shifted Sasha into one arm and gestured back in the direction of his car. “I want you to come home with. But I should warn you of something first.”
“What?”
Daniel took a deep breath and locked eyes with me. “I love you so much that I’m never letting you go again.”
Chapter 39
Daniel
“With the signed waiver already in place,” my lawyer said over phone. “That makes everything a lot simpler, but I can only expedite the process to a certain extent.”
“I understand,” I said over the phone, as I sat behind my desk. “It’s not something that has to be done tomorrow, but I want it done as soon as legally possible. If it’s a matter of throwing more staff at it, just do what you need and bill me.”
My lawyer laughed. “This is going to be a good year for my firm. A very good year.”
“Don’t expect this level of craziness next year,” I snickered. “Okay, triage it as you will. Get what you can done, when you can, then send it my way for signatures, and I’ll get it back to you same day.”
“Anything else for my best client?”
“Nope, I’ll let you know. Thanks for everything.”
I ended the call and looked at my door. Morgan had stood there the last few minutes, listening to my end of the conversation with my lawyer. She had a familiar nervous look in her eye.
I resisted a chuckle. I’d accepted that my future wife would always have a hint of nervousness about her. After a few years of living with me, I’d bet it would go away, but the best thing, for now, would be for me to address whatever concerns she had.
“What was that about?” Morgan said, her brow creasing in worry. “That was your personal lawyer wasn’t it?”
She eyed my cellphone. Very few people could call me directly. I imagined she liked having a little more control and knowledge about who I was dealing with on a daily basis. As my current assistant, she did screen most of my calls for me.
“I was just making sure some things were taken care of,” I said. “There are a lot of spinning plates going on in my personal life legally, and I figured it was just good to get them all taken care of as soon as possible. After everything I’ve gone through, and you’ve gone through, let’s just say I’m no longer interested in waiting.”
Morgan nodded, the look of concern still lingering on her face. “What sort of things?”
“Lots of things. First of all, and most importantly, I want us to be true parents to Sasha.” I drummed my fingers on my desk. “I guess I should have asked you first. I’d apologize, but I suspect you’re not going to be mad about it.”
She chuckled. “I can’t be mad because I don’t even know what you’re talking about. What do you mean you want us to be true parents to Sasha?”
“Ah, you see, I don’t just want to be her legal guardian; I want to be her dad. So I’m going to adopt her. I was hoping you’d want to as well. That way she’ll grow up with a mother and father.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Morgan smiled warmly. “Of course I’ll adopt her.”
“See? That’s why I didn’t apologize. I knew you’d like it.”
Morgan smirked. “You should still not assume. I’m going to get annoyed with you always surprising with things I want.”
“Yeah, I know. So terrible, right?”
“You know what I mean.”
I waved a hand. “That solves that then. After talking with my lawyer, I figure the best thing to do is to wait until your divorce goes through, so things aren’t extra complicated, and then we’ll initiate the process. Throwing enough money at it will make things go easily enough, especially since I’m already her legal guardian.”
Morgan’s face fell. “That’s not necessarily true. I think there’s something you haven’t considered here.”
“Oh? What would that be? Trust me. If there’s a problem, I’m more than prepared to drop an entire law firm on it to make it go away.”
Morgan sighed. “What about the father? What if he comes sniffing around?” She rubbed a shoulder and shivered. “What if he suddenly decides that he wants Sasha back?”
“Yeah, that loser couldn’t even be bothered to stay with my sister.”
“That doesn’t mean he won’t change his mind later. You know how the courts are. Blood ties are everything. Just because you have a lot of money doesn’t mean he won’t be able to make up some story about why our little girl should be with him.”
I stared at Morgan a moment until understanding dawned. On some level, she’d never truly get over the fear of losing another child. She was probably thinking that she’d adopt this little girl she loved only to have her snatched away a few years from now.
It was a logical enough fear, and I could see where she was coming from. It just wasn’t relevant in this case.
Part of my responsibility as a man was providing strength to Morgan, but in this case, I’d gone above and beyond for my own reasons before we even started dating. I loved it when I could give her easy answers.
“That won’t be a problem,” I said. “I can guarantee that.”
“How can you be so sure? I’ve read so many stories about adopted families getting torn apart because both parents didn’t sign their rights away. This guy might be a loser, but he’s still the father.”
I snorted. “He’s a sperm donor, not a father.”
“The courts don’t necessarily agree.”
“Yeah, and I understand that. That’s why I’ve already taken steps.”
Morgan’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Steps?”
I leaned back, resting the back of my head against my hands. “This is another scenario where being rich helps, even if it wasn’t strictly necessary in this case.”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
I’ll admit that on some level, I enjoyed her confusion. I also liked being able to prove to Morgan just what it would mean to be with me. I was a powerful man, and even if Sasha had humbled me, now that life had settled down, I’d be able to provide Morgan and my kids with anything they needed and protect them from anyone who would dare even think about harming them.
So, yeah, I wanted to show off a little. I’d already earned her love and respect, but it wouldn’t hurt to impress her even more than I’d already had. It might help her go through the day without worrying quite as much.
“What I m
ean,” I began, “is that I had someone track down the father already. I then had my lawyer approach him and ask him if he was interested in custody at all. He said no, but I still sweetened the pot just to be sure. In exchange for him signing his parental rights away, he got a nice, big check.” My smile faded. “He was a damn loser anyway. There was no way I’d let my niece be raised by someone like him. But, like I said, he did not want to be saddled with a kid. So it was win-win. He gets money, and Sasha gets to be raised by loving parents who actually give a damn about her.”
Morgan let out a sigh of relief. “You really did think this all through.”
“Yeah, when I’m not running on zero sleep because of a gassy newborn, I actually can get things done.”
“That’s not what I was getting at.”
I grinned. “I know. Just messing with you. Besides my personal lawyer, I also have the company lawyers looking into some things.”
“What things?”
“Well, this whole experience with Sasha has also changed my perspective on some things, and I don’t take for granted certain aspects of family life anymore.”
“I know babies and marriage are some of those things. What else?”
“Well, you see, I’m going to need your input for a little project I’m setting up a few floors down. I think you could provide some useful outside feedback.”
“What sort of project?”
“A daycare center for company employees.”
“A daycare? Really?”
“Yes. Think about all the money people are having to spend.” I leaned forward. “You don’t have to be involved with it. I just want you to maybe offer some initial suggestions as part of the brainstorming process. I already have a couple of other people running down the details.”
“A daycare? That’s very generous. It might help you with recruitment, too.” She smiled, “And I’m more than happy to help.”
“Good, good.” I clucked my tongue a few times thinking of some of the other projects that had been set in motion. “Oh, yeah, there is definitely one thing you’ll need to be front and center on. This is something that I only trust you to do.”