Baby Surprises 7 Book Box Set

by Layla Valentine

“She can be my baby model,” I said. “Hopefully all the moms that see her out and about will be dying to know where she got her clothes from.”

  “Everyone wins,” Heather said lightly.

  We sipped our wine. And as we did, I found myself wondering what this meant, what Heather and I being with each other said about our relationship. We were just friends, of course, but she didn’t seem to still be upset about what I’d done, as much of a right as she had to be.

  As if reading my mind, she spoke.

  “If…you want to come to visit Faye sometime, that’d be cool,” she said. “I don’t know how busy you are with work and everything.”

  “I’d love that,” I said.

  “Great,” said Heather, now beaming. “Because I can tell she really likes you. And even if she only sees you now and then, I think having a halfway-decent man in her life would do her a lot of good.”

  “Does that mean you consider me halfway-decent?” I asked.

  She narrowed her eyes a bit, a small smile on her face.

  “I think we can upgrade your status to ‘halfway-decent,’” she said. “For now.”

  “Works for me,” I said.

  The food soon arrived, and we dug in. And as we ate, I couldn’t think about anything else other than what the future held in store for this wonderful woman and me.

  Chapter 17

  Heather

  A Week Later

  I pulled up to my parents’ townhome in Sunnyside, Faye strapped into her baby seat in the back.

  “You excited to see grandma and grandpa?” I asked in a sing-song voice as I got out and opened the rear passenger door.

  Faye smiled and clapped her hands together.

  “I think that’s a yes,” I said, giving her round little belly a playful tickle. “Yes, I do.”

  I unstrapped the car seat and carried it up the steps to the townhome. Truth be told, I felt guilty as hell leaving Faye alone with my parents for the weekend. But Justin had invited me up to Long Island with him, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a vacation.

  I rang my parents’ doorbell, and they soon answered.

  “There she is!” said my mom, a spritely, gray-haired woman. She squatted down to Faye, doting on her instantly.

  My dad, a stout man with an open, friendly face, a shining bald head, and a small paunch stepped forward and pulled me into a tight hug. “How you doing, sweetie?” he asked as my mom continued to fawn over Faye.

  “Good, good,” I said. “I think.”

  “You think?” he asked. Then he checked himself and gestured to the inside of the house. “Come on in,” he said. “We can talk inside.”

  I entered my childhood home, feelings of nostalgia washing over me as soon as I crossed the threshold. I made my way to one of the big comfy chairs in the living room, my parents entering with Faye in tow. We all got comfortable, Mom bringing in some snacks.

  “You look tense for someone about to go on a weekend getaway,” said Dad, cracking open a diet soda and taking a sip.

  “Guilty is more like it,” I said. “This is the first time I’ll have been away from Faye for so long. Doesn’t feel right.”

  Mom took Faye out of her car seat and plopped her on her lap. Once Faye was settled in, Mom waved her hand through the air. “It’ll be fine,” she said. “Trust me—you don’t want to be one of those parents who think their kid’s going to fall apart the second they take their eyes off them.”

  “And you’re not leaving her with some stranger,” said Dad. “You’re leaving her with her grandparents. The worst that’s going to happen this weekend is we might spoil her a little too much.”

  Dad was right. But despite that, I still felt like I was doing something wrong.

  “And Heather, you’ve been such a good mother to Faye. You’ve earned some time off.”

  “I know, I know,” I said. “And I’m so fried from the reality show that I’m worried my brain might melt into a puddle if I don’t relax.”

  “Oh, that’s right!” said Mom. “I forgot our little angel’s going to be a star.”

  She picked up Faye and held her in front of her face.

  “Yes, you are, little cutie. Yes, you are.”

  I laughed. “No way,” I said. “The last thing I want is for Faye to be some kind of weird celebrity baby. I was happy to get extra money in my savings for this show, but that’s the end of that.”

  Dad chuckled. “Right, the last thing we want is a little diva baby.”

  The mental image of Faye all glammed out with big sunglasses appeared in my mind, and I had to suppress a smile at the thought.

  “When does this show come on, anyway?” asked Mom.

  “Not for a little while,” I said. “They have all the footage, but now they need to edit it and make the commercials and all that.”

  “Well,” said Dad. “We’ll be right in front of that TV the first night it’s on.”

  “Now,” said Mom. “What I want to know is who is this man that you’re going out for the weekend with? Is he someone we should be meeting?”

  The implication of what Mom asked was as clear as the day outside. I rubbed my hands together, not sure of how to answer. No way I’d tell her exactly what was going on between Justin and me.

  Not that I knew the answer to that myself.

  “He’s the other lead in the show,” I said.

  “You mean the billionaire?” Mom asked, not missing a beat.

  “That’s the one.”

  With her free hand, Mom waved in front of her face. “And he’s taking you out for a weekend up Long Island?”

  Dad raised his eyebrows, clearly curious for my answer.

  “It’s not like that,” I said. “It’s a professional thing. Just a ‘thank-you’ for the hard work.”

  “A very romantic-sounding ‘thank-you,’” said Mom.

  Right at that moment, my phone buzzed in my purse. I took it out and saw that it was a text from Justin.

  Faye with the grandparents yet? Just give me the word, and I’ll send your ride over.

  I typed up a quick reply.

  Yep, ready when you are.

  I fired off my parents’ address and stuck my phone back into my bag.

  “That him?” asked Mom.

  “That’s him. Told me he’s sending a ride over for me.”

  “Wow,” said Dad. “That’s pretty impressive.”

  Truth be told, I was doing my best not to think about Justin’s money. “Billion” was such a huge sum that it made my head spin to think about. How could someone like me, happy for the little boost to my savings that the show would bring, even begin to identify with a guy like that?

  My folks and I played with Faye and got her room set up while I waited for my ride. Before too long, I received another text.

  Check outside.

  Impossibly curious, I stepped over to the window looking out over the street, gasping at what I saw. It was a sleek, black half-limo, a chauffeur standing outside waiting for me.

  “Wow!” said Mom, running up to my side, Faye in her arms. “Now that’s a nice car.”

  “You sure this is just a professional thing?” Dad asked with a wink.

  I had no idea how to respond.

  Everything was set up for Faye, and Mom and Dad came downstairs with me, Dad grabbing my bag and bringing it out front.

  “Bye, angel,” I said, kissing Faye on the cheeks over and over again. “Mommy’s going to miss you so much.”

  I turned to my parents.

  “Let me know if anything happens,” I said. “And send lots of pictures.”

  “We will, we will,” said Mom. “Now go out and have fun!”

  Hugs abounded, and the chauffeur came up to take my bag and lead me to the car. He opened the back door, revealing a breathtaking interior of dark leather and soft lighting. I slid onto the seat and rolled down the window, waving to the family as the car pulled away from the house.

  Then I was alone. The moment I was a
part from Faye, I felt like a piece of me had been taken away. But I tried to remember what Mom and Dad had told me, that I was leaving my daughter with two people who loved her like crazy. She couldn’t be in better hands.

  After a few minutes of driving, I started to feel a bit better. The driver rolled down the partition and half-turned his head toward me.

  “We’ll be at the airport soon,” he said. “Mr. Donovan says to help yourself to the bar, but not to get too full on wine.”

  “The airport?” I asked, surprised to hear that this was our destination. I’d gotten settled in and ready for a several-hour drive up the length of Long Island.

  “That’s right,” said the driver. “Shouldn’t be more than twenty minutes or so.”

  The partition went back up, and I turned my attention to the bar he’d mentioned. It was a small compartment between the side doors, and with the touch of a button, it opened up. Bottles of booze were revealed to me, and my mouth watered as I looked them over.

  I settled on a small bottle of champagne, popping it open and pouring myself a glass. As I sipped my wine and watched the city pass me by, the sky clear and blue above, I finally found myself relaxing.

  It wasn’t long before we arrived at La Guardia. The driver took a private road away from the traffic that led to the main entrances of the airport, and after going through a few security checkpoints, we came to a stop on the airfield.

  “Here we are,” said the driver. “Mr. Donovan is waiting for you. I’ll get your things.”

  Outside of the window on the airfield was a coal-black helicopter, Justin leaning against it. He was dressed in a light blue shirt, slim-fitting gray slacks, and a pair of black dress shoes without socks, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses.

  He looked good—damn good.

  “You ready for this weekend?” he asked, stepping toward me as I got out of the car.

  “We’re taking a helicopter?” I asked, still in disbelief.

  “Of course, we are,” he said, grinning. “You think we’re going to waste time in traffic?”

  It was a good point—taking a helicopter would cut the trip from hours to maybe thirty minutes.

  “You don’t have to talk me into it,” I said. “But you haven’t told me where we’re going.”

  He gestured toward the helicopter. “Hop in, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  The chauffeur loaded my things into the copter’s storage compartment, and Justin helped me up into the passenger’s seat. I settled in, strapping the belts secure. Once Justin was inside and behind the controls, he handed me a headset.

  I took a deep breath as he started up the engine, the blades whirring to life. Seconds later we lifted off, rising higher and higher above the airfield. I took in the amazing view, my hands pressed against the glass.

  “You mind if we take a little detour?” he asked. “The city looks amazing from this high up.”

  I nodded eagerly. With a smile, Justin turned the helicopter back toward Manhattan. It wasn’t long before the city was in view, New York looking like an amazingly detailed miniature from this height. My eyes swept over the scene, tracking from Queens to Brooklyn to the Empire State Building to One World Trade Center. Boats in the East River cut through the water, leaving long white wakes behind them.

  My heart raced—it was like nothing I’d ever seen before. We took in the sights before Justin turned the helicopter back toward Long Island and took us closer to our destination, whatever it was.

  “So,” I said. “Where are we going?”

  “You know our duck wine?” he asked. “The one that brought your lives together when we almost fought over it at that wine shop?”

  I smiled.

  “Sure do.”

  “Turns out they’re a Long Island vineyard. I figured a weekend in wine country would be just the thing to unwind after our television exploits.”

  I wanted to scream I was so excited.

  “I love it!” I said.

  “Then let’s go.”

  He took us over the length of Long Island, the blue of Long Island Sound giving way to the green of Connecticut beyond. Soon, the dense urban areas turned into vast tracts of estate land, large houses dotting the landscape.

  We eventually arrived at the vineyard, Justin lowering the helicopter until we were back on the ground. He cut the engine, got out, and helped me back onto terra firma.

  “How was that?” he asked.

  “Still catching my breath,” I said.

  He gestured toward the large, sweeping vineyard in front of us, lines of wine-bearing grapes going off into the distance.

  “We’re just getting started,” he said.

  Chapter 18

  Heather

  Justin and I stepped into the lobby of the rustic main building of the vineyard. It was an open space, three stories high, a large ornate rug spread out on the ground in front of us and a massive chandelier hanging from above. A huge fireplace lay dormant in front of a cozy-looking living room-style area.

  “Damn,” I said, taking in the scene. “The duck wine vineyard doesn’t mess around.”

  “Nice, huh?” Justin asked as we stepped further into the place. “I looked it up on a whim a few days ago after our burger-and-wine date.”

  He quickly corrected himself.

  “Our burger-and-wine outing,” he said, clearing his throat after. “When I saw how gorgeous the vineyard was, I was interested. And when I saw that it was a hotel too, I was sold.”

  I couldn’t help but notice how briefly flustered he became when he said the word “date.” As far as I knew, we were just friends. But there was still something between us, something unmistakable. Justin appeared to be trying to keep it out of his thoughts like I was.

  We approached the front desk and the staff member working it gave us the keys to our rooms.

  “Separate, but adjoining,” he said, handing us two key cards.

  Separate rooms—that was something for the “just friends” category.

  The bellhop took our bags and led us up the grand, wood staircase that went up to our floor.

  “There’s a really charming town nearby,” Justin said. “Lots of restaurants and places to go shopping.”

  “Sounds amazing,” I said.

  “I figure tonight we can have a night out on the town, then tour the vineyard tomorrow.”

  “And drink lots of duck wine,” I said.

  “Naturally,” Justin said with a smile.

  We arrived at the doors to our rooms. The bellhop nodded after setting the bags down and heading off, Justin slipping him a twenty as he did.

  “Now,” said Justin as he raised the keycard to the lock of one of our rooms. “There’s only one rule for this weekend, and I’m going to be strict about it.”

  I nodded, waiting for his answer. I wondered if he was going to say something like “no hanky-panky.”

  “This is my treat,” he said. “You did an amazing job with the show, and it’s not hard to see that you’ve been busting your butt raising Faye. So, the rule is this: I pay, and you enjoy. Got it?”

  This was a tough one, and I bit my lip in indecision.

  “Believe me,” he continued when I said nothing. “I’ve been around plenty of bratty princess-types who would be expecting me to pay, and you’re not one of them. Which makes it all the more important that you relax and let me worry about all of that.”

  I took a deep breath.

  “Okay,” I said with a smile. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Exactly what I wanted to hear,” he said.

  With that, he opened up the door to the first room.

  I loved it from first sight. The room was rustic, like the rest of the place, but somehow even cozier. A deerskin rug was on the ground in front of a small fireplace, the bed looked soft and inviting, and the window looked out over the gorgeous landscape. It was like a little Wyoming cabin right in the middle of Long Island.

  “This is your room,” he said, lifting my bags a
nd bringing them inside. “That door over there leads to my room.”

  “Perfect,” I said.

  Justin checked his watch.

  “I made reservations for an hour and a half from now, which should give you some time to chill out and take a shower—whatever you need. Give me a knock whenever you’re ready to head out.”

  “Are we taking the helicopter downtown, too?” I asked with a smirk.

  Justin chuckled. “I don’t know—they might frown on us landing in the middle of Main Street,” he said. “But we could give it a shot.”

  I laughed. “Okay, let me get ready,” I said. “I’ll be ready to go before too long.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Justin stepped back into the hallway, shutting the door behind him as he did.

  Once I was alone, I fell back-first onto the bed. It was as soft and warm and exactly as comfortable as it looked. Part of me wanted to curl up with one of the oversized pillows and take a nice, long restful nap. But I remembered that I had the whole weekend ahead of me to rest and relax. Tonight, Justin and I were going to hit the town.

  Another thought occurred to me as I lay there, comfortably snug: I wanted Justin there next to me.

  My eyes went wide at the thought. I knew I shouldn’t be thinking that way about him, but I couldn’t help it. My mind went back to that night when he and I laid together in Faye’s nursery, when my head was tucked tightly against his chest. He was so comfortable and warm and…perfect.

  I jolted up as I thought about it. I knew that was never going to happen, and that I needed to get those thoughts out of my mind as quickly as possible. This weekend needed to be about fun and relaxing and good wine. Not about…those other things.

  As nice as they sounded.

  I decided to take a quick shower, hoping the hot water would jolt me out of my thoughts. It didn’t work. As soon as I was soaped-up and warm, all I could think about was Justin stepping into the shower, his body looking glorious as hell under the cascade of water. He’d wrap his arms around me, then…

  I turned off the water and got out, wrapping a towel around me as quickly as I could and trying my best to put all those naughty thoughts out of my head. I was soon dressed and ready to go, wearing a pair of slim jeans and a light pink blouse, a pair of sneakers completing the look.