A beeping sound from his room alerted him to a call coming in through the house intercom system. With one last glance at the view, he turned and went to answer it. “Yes, what is it?”
Ronin’s voice came through the speaker built into the wall. “Your lawyers are here. Do you want them in your office?”
“Yes. Have Mrs. Garth offer them refreshments, and I’ll join them soon.”
Warren hurried to shower, shave, and dress in slacks and a white dress shirt. Because he was home, he rolled the cuffs up and left the top few buttons undone. When he was ready, he walked down the long hallway to the room where Kara was sleeping. His house was built length-wise along the hillside so that all of the six bedrooms had views of the valley. Kara was in the corner room on the opposite end from his.
He knocked twice and got no answer. After last night when he’d intruded on her in her sleep, there was no way he was going in there uninvited. And she might be in the shower, which if he remembered correctly, was only partitioned from the room with glass walls. There was so much glass in this house, which had appealed to him architecturally, but now he realized how much it affected privacy. He hoped Kara didn’t hate it too much, especially since it might make her feel exposed or vulnerable, given what she was going through.
Deciding that he would meet with his lawyers alone, he began to turn away when the door opened. Kara peeked out with only one eye open. Her long red hair tumbled around her face in a tangled mess, but he was glad to see that the shadows under her eyes had lightened.
“Hey,” she murmured in a sleepy voice.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
She nodded and opened the door wide, inviting him in. “The best sleep I’ve gotten since Aiden was born.”
He looked around the room and saw that the blinds were still down over her windows, but the light was on in the bathroom, illuminating the room well enough that he could see it. The white bedding was ruffled and bunched, and the impression from her head still marked her pillow. “Where’s Aiden?”
“That’s the best part. Your housekeeper has had him all morning since he woke up at seven. She just showed up and offered to take him, like an angel.”
Warren chuckled. “Yes, Mrs. Garth is a frustrated woman since her own son has been a disappointment to her in the grandchild department. You’ll have to pry him away from her.”
Kara sat on the edge of the bed and leaned back, bracing herself with her hands behind her. “Oh, she’ll bring him back soon enough when he wants to nurse. He’ll be good for a while though. She was going to mash some bananas for him or something.”
Warren walked over to her bedside table, got the remote from her bedside, and raised the blinds.
“Hey,” Kara exclaimed, covering her eyes with her arm. But after a second, she dropped it and looked in awe at the windows in front of her. “Holy cannoli.” She stood up and went to stare at the view. “This place is crazy. I barely saw any of it last night, but I saw enough. I’ve always wondered how a billionaire spent his money.”
Grinning, Warren put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the glass. “However he wants.”
“Showoff.”
“Look, I don’t want to rush you, but my legal team is downstairs. Do you want to get dressed and come make a plan with us?”
She sighed and stretched. “In this place, it’s almost possible to forget about my problems. I’m tempted to just keep pretending the rest of the morning.”
He shrugged. “You can if you want, but maybe you’ll relax more if we figure this out.”
“You’re right. Okay, I’ll get dressed. Where do you want me to go?”
“Go downstairs and find the kitchen. Mrs. Garth should be there, and she’ll point you the right way.”
“Got it. If I don’t come soon, I’ve gotten lost in your mansion, and you should come looking for me.”
Warren shook his head at her teasing and left. As he walked back down the hall to the broad, metal staircase, a slight smile pulled at his lips. It had been nice seeing some of her spunk and humor back. As a girl, she’d spent a lot of time at his house with his sister. She’d never said so, but he suspected it was to escape the craziness of her parents’ house. They were both completely unstable. Her parents had always been having a party or were hungover or in the middle of some dramatic and public fight. Three years younger than him, for the longest time he’d never been interested in her as anything but his little sister’s friend. She’d been funny and lively and up for any adventure. Once she’d gotten old enough that he’d started to notice her other…attractions…she’d left home, and he saw her less and less. This morning, he’d seen just the smallest hint of the girl she’d once been.
When he walked into his office, he interrupted a buzz of conversation. The three men in executive suits stopped talking and turned to face him. He only knew two of them. “Good morning. Thanks for coming.”
“Of course, Mr. Drake,” Mr. Bradford said. He was the oldest in the room and the head of his family firm. Warren trusted his cool logic and vast experience in all business matters, but he’d never yet had to venture into any kind of family law like this.
“Why don’t you all have a seat. I’ll fill you in on as many details as I can, and Kara will be down soon to answer any further questions you have.”
“Thank you,” Mr. Bradford said. “I’ve brought my son, whom you know of course, and my associate, Clint Douglas. He specializes in this area of the law.”
“Glad to have you then,” Warren said, stepping forward to shake his hand. “Okay, let’s get started. I want to come up with a plan today, if possible. The quicker we act, the better.”
After he had related to them all of the details he knew, there was a moment’s silence while the three men thought things over. Finally, Mr. Douglas spoke. “I’m sorry to say that there is a lot working against Miss Dupree. Every court leans toward the interests of the child in any case, meaning ensuring that the child has both parents in their life. Considering they were married, Mr. Fenton will be successful in getting a court-ordered paternity test.”
Warren frowned, not surprised. “What about voluntary termination of parental rights?”
Mr. Douglas shook his head. “Even if he were willing to sign one, which it sounds like he wouldn’t be…”
Warren clenched his jaw and folded his arms. “I could make it worth his while.”
“I wouldn’t advise that,” Mr. Bradford interjected.
“Even if her ex-husband signed the paperwork to terminate his rights, it would have to be approved by the court,” Mr. Douglas continued. “That’s only done if, again, it’s in the best interest of the child—such as in cases of parental abandonment or if they’re proven too unfit to have custody. In cases of adoption, it usually goes right on through.”
“Adoption?” Warren asked. His brain latched onto the idea. He looked at it from various angles. “For example, by a stepfather?”
Mr. Bradford nodded. “That would be easiest if we could produce evidence that the real father is unfit to have his parental rights.”
At that moment, a light knock sounded from the half-open door. Warren looked over and nodded to Kara. This was the most put together he’d seen her so far, with her makeup on and her still damp hair pulled up in a smooth bun. “Come in.”
She walked through the door, but even though her shoulders were straight and her head high, her hands were curled into fists and her lips were pulled down into a frown. “I heard some of what you were saying. There’s no way for me to keep Aiden from his father then?”
“They didn’t say that,” Warren said, coming toward her. He took her hand, hoping the connection would give her comfort, and led her over to his chair behind the desk. “There are a lot of dead ends, but we just have to find one back door. I think I’ve found one, but it isn’t a sure shot, and it would take a lot of work.”
Kara clenched the arms of her chair and looked up at him with desperation in her eyes. �
��What is it? I’m willing to do anything. Anything.”
Warren squatted down in front of her, resting his arm along the desk. As she turned the chair to face him better, he dropped his hand down on top of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Then, Kara Elizabeth Dupree, I suggest that you and I get married.”
Chapter Seven
Kara stared at him, sure that he couldn’t possibly have just said what she’d thought she’d heard. “Marry you? Are you crazy?”
Warren grinned up at her. “That’s not the response I expected to get to my first proposal, but no, I’m not crazy. It’s a good strategy. Legally, it would put me in a better position to help both you and Aiden. I could adopt him.”
“But…you can’t do that just to help us! It’s one thing to let us stay in your house or even to accept legal help. But that is carrying friendship too far. I can’t ask that.”
He shook his head. “You aren’t asking—I am. I admit there’s a lot to figure out, but it would be an ideal solution.”
“But you don’t love me.”
Warren cleared his throat. “This doesn’t have to be a marriage in anything but name. Once everything is squared away, we can decide what is best to do with the legal union. I’m not involved with anyone romantically, so I’m free to do this without hurting anyone. What’s the harm in it?”
Kara looked at him for a long time as her thoughts scattered and flew about like a flock of birds chasing wind currents. Finally, she spoke, almost in a whisper. “What about Aiden? Adoptions aren’t as easy to dissolve as marriages.”
Nodding his head as if he considered this a fair point, Warren turned to his lawyers. Mr. Bradford, who looked a little shocked at how things were progressing, cleared his throat. “It would be treated like any other custody case. If the divorce is amicable, it wouldn’t be difficult to arrange everything the way you want. The court would expect you to pay child support, Mr. Drake, whatever was decided about custody and visitation.”
“Ah,” Warren said, his voice bright with satisfaction. “There you go. And, of course I wouldn’t ask for custody or visitation, though I hope we’d remain friends afterwards and I could still be involved in his life. We bonded last night while he drooled on my shirt, you know.”
Kara gave a choked, surprised laugh. “I couldn’t ask you to pay child support when he isn’t even yours.”
“He would be after I adopted him, and I’m more than willing to undertake that to help you.”
She leaned toward him and searched his face. “Why? Why would you do that?”
He hesitated a moment as if he wasn’t sure what to say. “Kara, you’ve been like a sister to me. I take care of my own, no matter what. Can you accept that?”
Needing space to think, she pulled away and stood up, pacing around the room,
It was a crazy idea, so it surprised her how much she wanted to say yes. It scared her actually. Was she even thinking straight? This wasn’t the kind of thing you jumped into without careful consideration. There were probably dozens—hundreds—of women who would fight to the death for a chance to marry Warren. Not only was he wealthy beyond comprehension, he was… She looked over at him and then her gaze darted away again… He was unfairly gorgeous. But those weren’t the reasons she was tempted. The thought of being with someone, even just for the companionship, was so tempting, especially since he was so strong and protective. It would be such a relief to be able to lean on and depend on someone else for a while.
But for all of the reasons why it would be a no-brainer for her, she couldn’t think of a single reason why it would be good for him. It would be nothing but sacrifice and inconvenience for him. No, she would have to refuse him. There had to be another way to deal with this.
But the sick feeling in her gut told her there wasn’t.
A man came in, grabbing Kara’s attention easily since he was huge. It was one of Warren’s bodyguards. He held a piece of paper in his hand which he took to Warren. “This was delivered by messenger a few minutes ago,” he said before exiting as quickly as he’d come.
Warren opened the folded sheet and scanned it. He glared at it for a few seconds before giving it to her. Kara’s hand shook a little as she held it up to read.
I know where you are.
Gasping, she crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it onto Warren’s desk. “Derrick.”
Warren didn’t answer, just moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders. “You’re safe.”
Mr. Douglas got up from his seat and went to the desk. He smoothed out the paper, studied it a moment, and then put it back down. “We need to hold onto that.”
Warren stepped away from her and put the paper into one of his desk drawers that had a combination lock keeping it secure.
Kara watched him, as if from a distance. “I can’t stay here forever, Warren. Sooner or later, I have to go out and face the world. Face him.”
His eyes met and held hers. “You don’t have to do it alone. Let me help.”
She shook her head and pressed her hands to her cheeks, unable to believe what she was about to say. “Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll marry you if you think that’s what we need to do.”
Warren’s shoulders relaxed. “I do.” Then his lips twisted in a half smirk. “Guess I need to practice saying those words, don’t I?”
Kara rolled her eyes, surprised he could joke at a time like this. “I can’t believe you’re so calm about this.”
“Once I decide something, I stop worrying about it and just do it. And I recommend we do this as soon as possible. It strikes me that we should get you and Aiden out of the country as soon as possible.”
“What? Why?”
“We need to stall Derrick as much as possible, and if you aren’t in the country, that will do the trick. I think a honeymoon should be just the thing.”
Kara’s head reeled at his words. Honeymoon? Were they really doing this?
Warren was still talking, but now he’d turned to the lawyers. “Do any of you see any problems with us leaving the country?”
Mr. Douglas looked thoughtful. “I’m assuming Derrick is the father in question. Is his name on the birth certificate?”
“No,” Kara said.
“I don’t see any problem then.”
Her head felt hot and light. The room began to spin in front of her.
“Hey, are you okay?” Warren was in front of her again, crouching down next to her.
“I’m dizzy.”
“When was the last time you ate something?”
Kara tried to remember, but time had lost its meaning for her. “I…I don’t know.”
She closed her eyes and leaned forward on the desk, cradling her head on her crossed arms. Distantly, she heard Warren saying “Mrs. Garth, bring a tray to my office please, with coffee, something sweet, and some protein.” His hand landed on Kara’s back, between her shoulder blades. “Hold on there. Gentlemen, draw up whatever paperwork you think we may need to get married as soon as possible. Hire an investigator to find dirt on Derrick.”
“Miss Dupree, do you have a passport?”
Kara looked up. Things were a bit steadier. “Yes, I do.”
“That will save some time then,” Mr. Bradford said. “We could have you married by tomorrow if you want. There are no waiting period, blood test, or residency requirements in California.”
Hearing this, Kara gasped. She felt like she’d been caught in a tidal wave and it was dragging her under. It felt like the right choice, but it was all happening so fast.
“That’s great,” Warren said, ushering them to the door. “We’ll let you know our plans.” When they were gone, Warren came back and sat on the desk next to her. “Breathe, Kara. This isn’t the time to freak out.”
She glared up at him. “I’m not freaking out. And even if I was, who wouldn’t be?”
“You want to know who’s going to freak out? Em, that’s who. The only question I have is how soon we can get your parents here. Even if this is
a business arrangement, I think it’s best if it looks real to the rest of the world. The publicity would be just the right touch, don’t you think?”
“I don’t want any mention or pictures of Aiden in the media.”
Warren smiled. He looked way too at ease. “Of course not. No, it will be all about our whirlwind romance. We’ll have the ceremony here, do a photo shoot that will drive your ex insane with anger, and be safely away on my yacht before the world hears anything about us, sailing off to our honeymoon in Cabo. Ever sailed the western coast of Mexico?”
Kara thought of the last year of her life, cooped up in an apartment, barely going out or talking to anyone because she had been so afraid for Derrick to find her. Spending time on a yacht with sun decks in the middle of paradise thousands of miles away from her ex would be paradise. “I’ve never sailed anywhere, you should know that. And I think that sounds amazing. Overwhelming, but amazing.”
Mrs. Garth came in then, carrying a tray. She sat it down on Warren’s desk, in front of Kara, and smiled. “That precious boy of yours has gone down for a nap. He’s eaten and been changed, so you take your time and eat. You need to get enough calories if you’re going to keep your milk supply up, you know.”
Kara did know, so she nodded, but refused to look at Warren. She supposed that since they would be spending so much time together in the future, he would hear more than he wanted to about such personal, albeit natural, things.
Looking over the tray, she found a steaming mug of coffee, sugar and cream, a scrumptious-looking cheese Danish, a bowl of diced fruit, and a cheese omelet. “I have never seen a more beautiful sight. Thank you, Mrs. Garth.”
The older woman laughed. “I’m sending out an order for supplies in a bit, so if there’s anything you need for yourself or the baby, just let me know.”
“Thank you. I’ll probably need more diapers soon. I don’t even know how many I got here with.”
“I’ve already added them to the list.” She started to go, but Warren called her back.
Saved by the Billionaire Page 4