“Nothing,” she said.
“Come on. He didn’t try to make another move?”
She shook her head. “We interviewed the nanny, started babyproofing the house, and went to bed.”
Diane opened her mouth but Clara was faster.
“Separate beds. Where we spent the night. Alone.”
Her boss sighed. “What I was thinking would have been a better twist.”
“My life is not your personal video game.”
“Too bad. I’d help you level up way faster.”
“About that Barlow article…” she tried.
“Did you want him to make a move?”
She leaned back in her chair, grabbing a few more almonds. “He’s my best friend.”
“And you don’t want to jeopardize what you have. Blah, blah, boring blah. Did you want to jump his bones, or didn’t you?”
That was the question. Had she wanted him to cross the platonic line they’d agreed to? Did she want everything to change?
I can’t lose him, too.
Without Walker, she’d be alone. Really, well and truly, no emergency contact on medical forms, alone. Was she ready to risk that?
Being by myself nearly destroyed me last time.
But she’d been a child, barely a few days over eighteen, when she’d walked away from the house she’d spent her childhood in.
House. Not a home. Not for years.
Her mom had ended up with the family homestead in the divorce, but it had come with a price. Her. The mistake neither parent had wanted to claim.
Just like Hunter.
She shook her head to clear the dark thought. Walker wanted him. Or at least, wouldn’t turn him away. That was more than she’d had.
“Hey,” Diane said, breaking into her bleak thoughts. “I’m sorry. I won’t tease you anymore.”
She blinked, banishing whatever expression had put the concern she read in Diane’s eyes.
“Sorry. Just thinking too much.”
“That’s a good trait for a reporter,” she said. “But it can make things tricky in a relationship this complicated.”
“I’m not sure this can get any worse.”
“Maybe not worse, but it can become different. If you wanted it to.”
She ran her fingers through her hair. “If Walker was a stranger on the street, of course I’d fantasize about things I have no business thinking about. He’s a drop-dead gorgeous billionaire for God’s sake. I’d have to be dead not to find him attractive.”
“I sense there’s a but coming.”
“But things are changing so fast right now. Do I really want to throw my attraction into the mix? There’s a child involved, for God’s sake. I need to think with my head and not other parts of my anatomy.”
Diane let out a long sigh. “You’ve got a point.”
I was half hoping you’d talk me out of being noble.
But once again, it was her cross to bear. She always put others first. Even to her own detriment. And missing out on a chance to see what she might have had with Walker was definitely a decision that would haunt her. But if she made a move and things became awkward between them, she’d have to leave and then Walker would be all alone with Hunter. No, it was better to think of the baby. Creating a safe, stable environment for him was the most important factor at play here.
“Well, if you’re determined to be a mature adult and not hop into bed with your ridiculously attractive roommate, then might I ask if you’re still on for Thursday?”
“What’s Thursday?” she asked before it hit her. “Hell, I forgot about Tall Todd.”
“You really need to stop calling him that.”
“It completely slipped my mind.”
“What? That he existed or that you agreed to go out with him this week?”
She shook her head sheepishly. “Am I a terrible person if I say both?”
“Sounds like the start of a promising relationship. I can hear the wedding bells now.”
“You’re right. I should cancel. We made these plans two weeks ago before his trip down South. Then everything happened with the baby and well…”
“You forgot about the lovely giant you begged me to set you up with. You know women are vying for him?”
“Really? He always seemed a little awkward to me.”
“Okay, maybe vying was too strong a word.”
“In fact, wasn’t it you asking me to do you a favor and go out with your friend?”
“That’s one version of the story.”
“It’s the truth.”
“We’re reporters. You know the truth can be spun in many ways.”
“Not this different.”
“All right, the point is, are you seeing him or not?”
Clara chewed on her lower lip. “I’m not sure. With everything going on it’s probably not a good time.”
“Counterpoint, it will give Walker a chance to look after his kid solo for an evening. Isn’t that the goal? To make him confident in his magical fatherhood abilities?”
“It would be a good test,” Clara admitted.
“You know what else it would do.”
She arched a brow. “I have a feeling you’re about to tell me.”
“It’d show Walker your little moment had no effect on you. Or drive him mad with jealousy. Either way, win-win for you.”
“Walker wouldn’t be jealous of me dating. This might be news to you, but I haven’t been celibate and doodling his name in my journal for the past ten years. I have a life that doesn’t include him.”
“Honey, neither of you have that. The only two people who don’t think you should be together are you guys.”
“My point is he won’t care. I’m not the sort of woman he dates. Trust me on that. He’d run in the opposite direction from anything serious.”
“Then go for yourself. You need a night of normalcy, and you have a few days to get Walker’s parenting skills up to snuff. I’m making an executive decision. You should keep your date.”
Where’s the harm? One night away won’t make much of a difference, and it might do us all some good.
“I’m in,” she decided. “It’s just one date, after all. The world won’t end if I take a few hours off.”
“I’m thrilled by your enthusiasm.”
Clara waved away the words. “I’ll confirm with him this afternoon.”
“Great. Though you might want to push telling him that you are currently living with a hunky, fabulously wealthy man and helping to raise his illegitimate child to the second date.”
“Ha ha. You need a mic and a brick wall behind you when you do that.”
“Who’s joking? I’m totally serious here.”
“Maybe I’ll just avoid all deeply personal topics in general on our first meeting. Does that work for you?”
“What does that leave you to talk about? The weather?”
“I’m sure I can get at least an hour out of commiserating about you.”
Diane tossed an almond at her. “So cruel to the woman keeping a roof over your head.”
“As if you’d fire one of your best reporters.”
“I’d be lost without you. Looks like something Walker and I have in common”
Clara looked away. “Just for a few weeks. This is all very temporary.”
“Sure, it is. And I bet it will all end well, too.”
There was no hiding from the disbelief in Diane’s words, and Clara couldn’t blame her. Anyone outside their situation would think it was crazy.
But that didn’t stop her from believing that maybe crazy could work for them. Just this once.
Chapter Six
“Eight hours and I’m already longing for adult contact,” Walker said to the baby staring up at him with bright blue eyes. “Did you catch the game last night? Care to comment on the defense?”
Hunter gurgled.
“Yeah, I thought so, too. What a waste.” He bounced the baby on his knee. “Seen any good movies lately?”
“You might be waiting a long time for him to reply,” Emily said, striding into the room with her purse in her arms. “Are you two doing okay?”
“He’s fine,” he said.
“Want me to take him to give you a break?”
“No, thank you. I’ve got him.” He stared down at the infant, again feeling that curious urge to keep him close. Keep him safe. Emily had been great all day, but he still didn’t want to hand Hunter over to her anymore than he had to.
The nanny smiled gently, not taking offense. “They pull us in quickly, don’t they?”
“I don’t know what I’m doing yet.”
She shrugged. “No parent does. I’ve worked with many families over the years. No one is ever as ready as they think they are.”
“I’m sure those parents had at least a little head’s up before they wound up with a baby.”
She grinned, coming closer. “True. That also gave them time to worry, though. You got to skip that part.”
“I’m not sure I did,” he replied, bouncing the baby the way Clara had taught him. The action felt ridiculous. Completely at odds with the person he was, or would have been, had Hunter not crashed into his life. But it seemed to calm Hunter and he’d quickly learned a calm baby was far better than the alternative.
Emily reached out to stroke Hunter’s cheek. “It will grow a little more natural each day. There’s no magic wand for being a dad.”
“No,” he agreed. “There’s not.”
The baby gurgled in his arms restlessly.
“He might need another bottle before he settles for the night.”
“Eat, sleep, repeat. What a hard life.”
“Just wait until he gets older and starts toddling around. You’ll miss the days he just nestled easily in your arms.”
I can’t imagine chasing a toddler around the penthouse.
His stomach churned at the thought. He’d been focused on getting through a single day, but he had eighteen more years of single days ahead of him. This wasn’t a task he could grit his teeth and get through.
This is my life now.
But staring down at the innocent face, it didn’t seem quite as terrifying a future as it had mere days ago.
How did you do that? he wondered to the baby.
“If you don’t need me, I’m going to head out for the night,” Emily said, oblivious to his thoughts.
“Thank you for your help today.”
“He’s a charmer,” she said, smiling down at the baby. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay till Clara gets back? I don’t mind.”
“No,” he said. “Go enjoy your evening. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With a last smile, she nodded and headed out.
He watched her go with a hint of relief, needing the space to process everything. He might not know exactly what to do with the child in his arms, but it was his child. His responsibility. He needed to find his rhythm and come to terms with being a single parent.
Except you’re not really.
Hunter’s mother was out there somewhere in the world. But that’s not who he thought of when he pictured raising this child with someone.
Clara would be home soon and a strange sense of excitement filled him. He was always happy to see her, of course, but this time was different.
“It’s because of the kitchen,” he told Hunter. “For a moment, there…”
She’d looked like a woman waiting to be kissed.
Electricity spiked through him. She’d been so close. All it would have taken was the slightest bend and his mouth would have met hers.
And what then?
He needed her here and not hating him. He screwed his relationships up. Always made the wrong choice. And this would certainly be the wrong choice.
Wouldn’t it?
What he needed to do was think like Clara. She always knew the right thing to do. And she hadn’t mentioned that moment nor tried to re-create it.
Keep your hands to yourself. What is wrong with you? You know you can’t give her what she wants. Do you really think you could make a relationship like the one she’d need work right now with everything else going on?
A little accidental baby and all aspects of his life went haywire.
“I’ll be good,” he promised Hunter. Probably.
He had someone else in his life he needed to make good decisions for now. When his son looked up at him with the innocence and trust only a baby could have, it made him want to be better. To give Hunter the life of stability he’d never known. A life where his child never had to wonder where his father was or how he’d put food on the table from one day to the next.
He shook his head to banish the memories he’d tried his best to purge from his mind.
“Maybe we can learn together. How about that, little guy?”
A drooling coo was his only response.
“You’re cute but a lot of questionable liquids seem to leak from you,” he said, grabbing the blanket by his side to wipe the tiny face.
He’d no sooner cleaned up the baby when a knock sounded at the door. Unable to bite back his smile, he picked up Hunter and headed for the door.
Except it wasn’t Clara waiting for him.
“I need your signature on these contracts,” Andrew said, striding into the house. “We’ve also hit a snag with our production timeline for the new software.”
“Come on in,” he said dryly, closing the door.
“You’ve taken two days off.”
“Yes.”
“I can’t remember the last time you took any days off.”
He arched a brow. “Things change.”
“I hear you have a baby now.”
“That’s the word on the street.”
His assitant’s gaze zeroed in on Hunter. “That’s the child, I take it?”
“Looks like you’re as interested in children as I always thought I was.”
Shaking his head, Andrew headed for the living room and dropped onto the sofa, pulling files from his briefcase. “I appreciate there has been a…significant change in your life, but you still have a company to run.”
“I have a capable board and a strong VP. The company will be fine for a little while.”
“You are the creative heart of this organization. If you stop developing, everything else stalls.”
“It’s been two days.”
“I’m just trying to give you a heads up. How long do you think you will have to be away?”
“Caring for my newly abandoned baby, you mean?”
“Exactly. What’s the timeline for that? A week? Two?”
Walker rolled his eyes. “Just give me the papers.”
While sitting on the couch, he went to pass Hunter over but the curl of Andrew’s lip stopped him. With a sigh, he bounced the baby on his knee while he read through the documents.
“I can get you another nanny if this one isn’t doing the trick. How much care does the, uh, little guy need?”
He didn’t glance up from the papers. “Reading, Andrew.”
His assistant held his tongue for a moment before saying, “Do you need a lawyer? We’ve got the corporate ones on retainer, but I’m sure I can dig up a shark at family law if you need to get custody.”
“I will,” he agreed. “But not just yet. First comes learning how to care for Hunter. Then I’ll start the legal proceedings with his mother.”
“Who is…?”
Glancing up from the papers, he pinned Andrew with a clear look. “Not your business.”
“Right. Sorry. This is uncharted territory for me.”
“Join the club.” Turning back to the documents, he scrawled his name across two and handed back the third. “Those terms are too skewed in the drafter’s favor. Take out the copyright restrictions and I’ll sign.”
“I’ll take this back to them right away,” he said, stuffing the files back into his briefcase. “I don’t suppose you’ll be at the negotiating table on Friday? We’ve got the Asian
distribution deal to close.”
“It’s basically a done deal. You don’t need me there.”
Andrew sighed. “Everything always goes smoother when the power of the company is at the table.”
“Well, this time the power will be away changing diapers.”
“Urgh. I’ll keep that to myself.”
“You do that.” He stood, a clear signal that Andrew’s time was up. Without another comment, his assistant gathered his work and trailed him to the door.
“Please let me know when you have a firmer idea of how long you will be away and I’ll sort out your schedule accordingly.”
“Even CEOs procreate. I’m not the first one to ever take a temporary step back. Just plan on a light schedule for as long as you can work it.”
Andrew looked like he was about to argue before thinking better of it. “Of course. Good luck with…parenthood,” he said as he walked out the door.
Walker shook his head, closing the door behind him.
Looks like my assistant disapproves.
Lucky for Andrew, he was damned good at his job.
“You’re already making my life difficult and you can’t even talk,” he said to the baby who simply blinked up at him.
No doubt Andrew’s opinion was one many of his associates would share. He knew how this worked. CEOs didn’t raise their own children. They handed the babies over to a team of servants and checked in at birthdays.
Or relied on their spouse.
But he didn’t have a wife. And even if he did, he couldn’t imagine ignoring a child in favor of a business. He might never have wanted kids, but now that one was here, he couldn’t drop the ball. Hunter was helpless. It was time for the adults in his life to step up, not brush the baby off as a problem.
Didn’t you call him exactly that the first night?
He ran a hand down his face. “We’ll work this out,” he told his son. “Somehow.”
Clara would be proud of him for facing this head on.
Clara.
He glanced at the door, as if he could will her to walk through it. But his mental powers didn’t seem to be up to snuff, and he paced between the kitchen and living room for a good fifteen minutes before another knock on the door sounded.
This time when he pulled it open, Clara stood on the other side.
A Baby for the Billionaire Page 5