Baby Surprises 7 Book Box Set

by Layla Valentine

  “It’s on the door shelf.”

  I couldn’t resist. I reached in and turned the can to see what the label was. And when I did, my eyes went wide.

  Baby formula.

  It hit me. That was it. That was why she was being so strange about her place, and why she wanted to make sure she tidied up before I came in—she was hiding any sign that she had a kid.

  I took the ingredients out of the fridge, all of it coming together in my mind. Now it made sense why a girl like her hadn’t gone out in so long—she was busy with a kid.

  Panic took hold of my gut as I set the ingredients on the counter. All I could think about was getting away. I liked Heather a lot, but being with a single mother was…too much for me to handle. I needed to make a quick break before I got even a moment more involved with her.

  So, I shot my hand to my pocket, pretending like I was getting a text. I slipped my phone out and made a surprised expression.

  “Shit,” I said, looking over the blank screen.

  “What is it?” asked Heather.

  “I just got a text from one of my business partners,” I lied. “One of my extra high-maintenance clients came into town without notice and wants me to show them around the city.”

  “Oh, really?” asked Heather. “Does that mean…”

  “Yeah,” I said, putting my phone back into my pocket. “I need to get going. Sorry to do this, but this is a major client and he’s kind of a pain in the ass.”

  A look that was unmistakably disappointment appeared on her face.

  “No, that’s fine,” she said. “I get it. But you don’t even have time for coffee?”

  I shook my head. “Sorry. He’s with my partner right now.”

  “Sure, sure,” she said, nodding and looking away.

  I rushed to the bedroom for the rest of my clothes and on the way there, I stopped in front of the door that Heather had hurriedly shut last night. Out of sight, my curiosity got the better of me, and I opened the door and peeked inside.

  Sure enough, it was a small, brightly colored room with a crib in the center. Heather was a mom, all right, and a recent one at that.

  I shut the door carefully before rushing to the bedroom to put on my shoes and get the rest of my things. Heather was still seated at the table when I came back in, that same look of disappointment on her face.

  I felt bad, but I knew what I had to do.

  “Okay,” I said. “I better be going.”

  I wasn’t sure what to do. Leaving without making some tentative plans seemed rude as hell, but at the same time, I didn’t want to give her the wrong impression.

  “I’ll...see you around,” I said, leaning in and giving her a quick peck on the forehead before starting toward the door.

  “Yeah. See you around,” she said. Her tone made it clear that she knew I wasn’t going to be seeing her around anytime soon.

  Closing the front door behind me, I rushed down the stairs and out of her apartment building, making a hurried walk down the street to a corner coffee shop. As soon as I was inside, I ordered a drink and thought the matter over as the barista prepared it.

  What I’d done wasn’t the most honorable thing in the world, sure. But what else could I do? Heather was a single mom, which meant that she was undoubtedly looking for something more serious than a one-night stand. And I had enough going on with my own life, too much to even have a girlfriend, let alone someone else’s kid to worry about.

  No, I did the right thing. It wasn’t easy, and Heather was probably going to be hurt, but it had to be done. And the quicker, the better—no leading her on.

  The barista called out my name and I took my drink. But as I sat down, I realized my heart was pounding in my chest. And there was something more—touching my fingertips to my forehead, I realized that I was sweating.

  What on earth was going on with me?

  Chapter 7

  Heather

  So, he found out. I wasn’t sure how he did it, but somehow Justin put it together that I was a mom. He didn’t say anything, sure, but there wasn’t any other reason why he’d turn on a dime like that, going from totally into me to all but jumping out of the window trying to make a getaway.

  I was angry and disappointed in equal measure, and I didn’t know whether I wanted to tell him off or try to talk him into giving me a chance. Then again he didn’t leave his number, so it’s not like I’d have the chance.

  Once I felt up to it, I got up and stepped over to the fridge and opened it up. I scanned the inside, my eyes landing on the culprit—a tin of baby formula.

  A frustrated sigh left my mouth as I snatched up the blue-and-white can and looked it over. There it had been, sitting in plain sight. Justin had taken one look at it, pieced together the implication, and begun planning his escape right away.

  Most annoying was the fact that I didn’t even use formula. I breastfed almost exclusively, and the formula was only there from a weekend a couple of months ago when I was feeling under the weather—which is why checking for it didn’t even occur to me.

  “Jerk,” I said as I slammed the refrigerator door.

  Fine. If that’s how he was going to be, then better I find out now then down the road. The jackass couldn’t even be bothered to have a cup of coffee with me. God forbid he spent a single second longer with a single mother than he absolutely had to.

  The coffee was done, and I poured myself a cup. I was so steamed that I’d entirely lost my appetite, and I began putting the ingredients for the breakfast we never had back in the fridge.

  “Asshole,” I said, tossing the cheese back in.

  But once everything had been put away, I thought back to last night. As much of a scumbag as he’d shown himself to be this morning, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a blast with Justin. The drinks and the dancing and the conversation—everything had been exactly what I’d needed. I loved being a mom, but a little break like that let me recharge my batteries. I felt refreshed and couldn’t wait to see my baby again.

  So, it wasn’t all bad. Sure, Justin wasn’t going to be anything serious. But I’d accomplished what I’d needed last night.

  And the sex…that was the cherry on top. Justin was a good-looking man, no doubt about that. Those blue eyes, that dark hair, that absolutely delicious body—he was something else. It made sense that he’d feel so comfortable ditching me like that. A man like him probably had a line of girls waiting to get with him. No problems finding someone new for his next night out.

  But there was something between us. It was a connection that seemed like something more than simply two people being into each other physically for one night.

  The more I thought about it, however, the more I convinced myself it was only wishful thinking. What would a guy like him—impossibly handsome, obviously wealthy, and surely successful—want with a single mom like me?

  No—it was a fun night, but a night was all it was. I told myself that the sooner I figured that out, the better.

  I wrapped my hands around my cup of coffee, taking a long, slow sip. Right as I swallowed it down, I heard my phone from the other room. Setting down my mug, I went to the bedroom and plucked my phone off the bed.

  It was a text from Julia.

  Hey! You mind if we move lunch up a bit? I’m freaking starving!

  I smiled and sent a reply.

  Sure, but you’re picking out the place ; )

  A few seconds later, another text came through, one with directions to a nearby café.

  Done. See you there in an hour and a half?

  Works for me!

  I was glad for the change in plans. Last night was fun, but now I was ready to get back to being a mommy. I still had the rest of the weekend ahead of me, and if I played my cards right, I could still get in some errand-running and even some relaxing. Spending the night at home with Faye, curled up on the couch with my little lady while we watched a movie, sounded perfect. I drank the rest of my coffee and tidied up the place until the ti
me for meeting Julia arrived.

  I took a quick shower and threw on some shorts and a T-shirt, ready for the warm July day outside. Sure enough, it was still summer when I stepped out. The last week had been pretty mild, but today actually felt like the season. I didn’t mind—I’d take the heat over the snow any day.

  The little café where we’d agreed to meet was a few blocks south near Williamsburg, and the walk in the fresh air—at least, as fresh as it gets in New York—was exactly what I needed. By the time I arrived, the last traces of my little hangover were gone, and I was ready for some food.

  “Hey!” called out Julia as I entered the place.

  She was seated at a half-booth, Melanie and Faye in separate high chairs across from her. Both of the girls turned around to see me, Faye’s face lighting up when she realized her mommy had arrived.

  “Hey!” I said, approaching the table.

  I scooped Faye out of her chair and brought her close. She gurgled and cooed with happiness, and my heart felt like it was about to burst. It’d only been a night since I’d seen her, but it felt like forever.

  “How was my little angel?” I asked, covering Faye’s chubby face in kisses.

  “She was awesome,” said Julia. “She and Melanie had tons of fun.”

  “Good, good,” I said, setting Faye back down in her chair and giving her one more kiss on the top of her head.

  I took a seat next to Julia and poured myself a cup of coffee from the pot on the table.

  “But now I’m curious what you got up to last night,” she said. “How was the party?”

  “I...kind of didn’t go.”

  Julia’s face took on an expression of “are you freaking kidding me?”

  “Lady,” she said. “I know you’re a big girl and can spend your evening off however you want, but please don’t tell me you stayed home and drank wine on the couch and watched some cheesy romance movie.”

  “Nope,” I said. “You’ll be happy to know that I went out with a real life, actual guy.”

  Julia raised her eyebrows. “This is an unexpected turn of events,” she said. “Now—tell me all about it. And I want all the details, especially the scandalous ones.”

  “Well, it started when I went down to buy a bottle of wine for the night…”

  I told her the full story—meeting Justin at the wine store, going out for drinks at some celebrity-packed place, then dancing at one of the coolest clubs in the city. And sure, I let her know that we got up to some more fun afterward, but I made sure to keep that good and PG.

  “And then what happened?” she asked. “I mean, I would’ve kept Faye a little longer if you wanted to, you know…”

  The disappointment that I’d felt before returned, with a dash of the anger. “No-go,” I said. “I didn’t want him to know I was a mom, but he found a can of formula in the fridge this morning. Once he saw that, he was out so fast I could’ve sworn he left one of those cartoon smoke outlines of his body in my apartment.”

  “Are you freaking kidding me? What an ass!” Julia’s hands shot to her mouth as she realized what she’d said in front of the girls. “I mean, what a stinker!”

  I shook my head. “It sucks,” I said. “I know that not every guy’s going to be crazy about dating a single mom, but do they have to be so obvious about it?”

  “To be fair,” said Julia, “this was only one guy.”

  “True, true,” I said. “But I’ve got a feeling that this is what I’m going to have to get used to, you know?”

  “Put that crap out of your head right now,” said Julia. “There are plenty of men out there who aren’t scared of stepping up. Sure, you might have to work a little harder to sift through the losers and users, but in the end, it’ll be worth it. I’ll bet you anything.”

  I wanted to be hopeful, but it was hard. I felt hopeless, totally unlovable.

  The waitress came and took our orders. I was eager to get off the subject of Justin, so I spent the rest of the lunch asking Julia about all the details of her night with the girls. I didn’t want to miss a minute of Faye growing up, even if I had to hear about it second-hand.

  When lunch was over, I said goodbye to Julia and Melanie and headed off, Faye in my arms. When I got back to my apartment, I decided to make the most of the nice weather and take Faye out for a walk through the park. I loaded her up in her stroller, grabbed my tablet to get a little reading done, and headed out.

  The day was a bit warmer when we left, but still lovely. I strolled Faye down to McCarran Park, took a seat on an open bench, and plopped Faye onto my lap.

  I’d intended to do some reading, but once I was seated with my tablet in hands, I decided to do a little time-wasting on the internet. I went through a few gossip sites, skimming the articles and clicking random links here and there.

  An article about baby clothes caught my eye, and I clicked the link. As I read the first paragraph, a name caught my eye.

  Justin Donovan.

  The article was about a billionaire businessman whose clothing company had just released its first line of baby clothes.

  But it couldn’t be the same guy as last night. Justin Donovan was one of those names you hear every now and then in passing, like those guys in charge of those tech companies.

  My heart beat faster as I scanned the article. I swiped down and saw the picture that went with it.

  It was him, all right.

  Justin was dressed in a well-cut suit and seated in a high-backed leather chair in a sleek, modern office. His hands were clasped together as he leaned forward, an expression of focused intensity on his handsome face. The tall windows behind him looked out onto Manhattan at daytime, the city seeming to stretch out forever.

  The man I’d gone out with last night was none other than one of the wealthiest men in the city. Hell, the whole country. Hell, the entire world!

  It was beyond surreal. Faye cooed and plopped her hand down onto the screen, clicking Justin’s picture and making it bigger. She clapped her hands at the sight of him and turned back to look at me as if to make sure I’d seen him.

  I sat back, still processing everything. I’d slept with Justin Donovan.

  The more I thought about it, the more I felt…okay with everything that had happened. I was surprised by my reaction, but it made sense. Sure, it was rough that he’d left like that, but look who he was!

  There was simply no way a man who lived a life like his and a woman who lived a life like mine could ever be compatible. We came from two completely different worlds. Our evening last night was a total fluke, a chance intersection of the lives of who people who’d normally never be around one another.

  It was fine. We’d had fun, and that was that. I felt better about the whole thing instantly, now ready to think of it all as a fond memory.

  “You’re my life now, princess,” I said, bouncing Faye on my lap.

  But still, part of me couldn’t help but wonder…what if?

  Chapter 8

  Justin

  Cocktail in hand, I gazed out onto the sweep of the city. Mendel’s was by far one of my favorite lounges in New York, with its incredible view of the lower half of Manhattan, mellow atmosphere, and great drinks. Not to mention it tended to be frequented by some of the most beautiful women in the city.

  Sure, a few of them were likely here not for the ambiance, but for the wealthy elite who frequented the place, but that didn’t matter much to me. Typically, all it took was a wink and a nod in the direction of whatever beauty happened to catch my eye. Once they noticed that one of the wealthiest men in the city was giving them attention, the work was already half done. From there, it was usually only a matter of chatting them up and inviting them back to my West Village penthouse. We’d have our fun, and in the morning I’d send them on their way.

  That’s how it usually worked, anyway. And currently there was a gorgeous redhead in a skintight dress seated a little way down the bar, the look on her face making it very clear that she’d love if I came
to talk to her. And likely do more than talking a little later on.

  Today, however, as I sat with my Sazerac in front of me, the drink blood-red and delicious, I found myself not in the mood for anything like that.

  Days had passed since my night with Heather, but she was stuck in my head. I kept picturing her face and her smile, and hearing her lovely, chiming laugh—complete with the adorable snort. There was something about her, something different than the other girls with whom I tended to spend my time. And it was something that went beyond her obvious beauty.

  But whatever—I’d made my decision. Heather was a mom, and I couldn’t be with a woman with a kid. And that was that. Even if I changed my mind, she’d probably tell me to screw off.

  Besides, I wasn’t here at Mendel’s to pick up anyone. I was here to meet with Andrew, a good friend of mine back from business grad school who was in town from LA and wanted to catch up. Andrew was a producer for one of the larger production companies in the city, one that specialized in reality TV. And I wanted to bounce some ideas off him about my latest business venture—the line of baby clothes and accessories that I’d begun.

  I’d gone into my new line with high hopes. After all, babies were born every day—how hard could it be to sell to the fresh crop of new mothers eager to outfit their babies in the best stuff? But I was finding it a harder market to crack than I’d anticipated. Sales were down, and some of my execs were even beginning to suggest that I cut my losses and close down the line.

  Giving up that easily wasn’t my style, however. If my new line was failing, there was a reason why. I was going to find out what that reason was and solve it. Sure, it was stubborn. But being stubborn was how I’d gotten to where I was.

  “What’s up, big man?”

  Before I could turn in the direction of the voice, I felt the firm clap of a hand on my shoulder. Into the seat next to me slid Andrew Neely. He was dressed in a sharp outfit of dark blue slacks, a white button-down—the top three buttons undone—and light brown loafers without socks.