The Billionaire's Carnival Baby (A BWWM Romance)

by Tiana Cole

  Her supervisor began to walk away before she suddenly stopped, turned around, and then came back. “Oh, I forgot why I was calling you in the first place. There's someone here to see you at the main reception.”

  “Who is it?” Madison asked curiously. She never got guests at the hospital. All of her small family lived in different states, and she had been so focused on work lately that she barely had time to keep up with her friends.

  Amanda just shrugged before saying that he hadn’t left a name, but just had been asking for Madison personally.

  “Your boyfriend, I think. Well, I assumed he was – the way he was asking for you. Get your things and go join him. Maybe he's the reason you're miles away today.”

  “Thanks Amanda, that's really nice of you.”

  Madison put a light jacket over her uniform and headed to the main maternity ward reception. She knew full well she didn't have a boyfriend, and she also had a sneaking suspicion she knew who might actually be there. Her stomach sank at the thought, but the other part, the secret part, filled with joy at the thought of seeing him. She paused to take a deep breath before continuing through the doors into the lobby.

  Upon entering the main reception, she saw him standing there. His back was to her and Madison took in another deep breath trying to keep herself calm. She took advantage of the moment to sweep her gaze over his dark, wavy hair, and broad shoulders. Her eyes moved down the long curve of his back and even further down until she forced herself to look away, heat tinging her cheeks a dark scarlet. Be calm, just be professional, she told herself, but nothing to stop the way her heartbeat elevated as she walked up to the desk where he'd been hovering.

  “Christopher?” she said, trying to maintaining the polite smile she had frozen on her face.

  He swung around, his cologne creating a sensual haze, and she blinked several times as the scent enveloped her, momentarily frying her brain and any capacity for thought. Finally, she shook her head, trying to clear it, and took a small, covert step backwards so she could speak with drooling like a complete idiot.

  “Why are you here? Why did you come here?”

  Christopher looked around before wrapping a gentle hand around her arm. She felt the touch rocket through her and was helpless to resist as he pulled her by her elbow and led her to a quiet corner. He just stared at her for a moment with unreadable eyes before finally speaking

  “Ailsa had a scan,” he said. Madison’s heart lurched at the words.

  “And everything is all right?”

  “No, everything isn't all right, Madison. I missed you.”

  “I meant…I meant with the baby, were the scans all right?” she said softly, trying to work up an ounce of frustration at him, but with him standing there, so close she could just reach out and touch him, it was impossible.

  “Oh, yes, the baby is fine. He's fine. It's a boy, by the way.” The way he said it had her arching one delicate eyebrow at him in question.

  “I would say congratulations, but you don't look too happy about it.” Madison looked around, hoping no one would notice them there, before pulling them a little deeper into the hidden alcove.

  “I'm happy for Ailsa,” Christopher said distractedly as he stared down at her, his dark eyes warming at their sudden closeness. “She always wanted a little boy.”

  “And what about you? What did you want?” Madison asked softly, aware of the sweet intimacy that was wrapping around them in the close confines of the dimly lit space. Suddenly, she was finding it hard to draw a deep enough breath, as if her were taking up all the oxygen and leaving her panting and lightheaded.

  “It doesn't really matter what I wanted. This is all about Ailsa.” He shook his head, but his words made no sense to Madison. Christopher continued before she could form the right words to tell him so. “But that's not why I'm here.”

  Finally, Madison spoke. “I'm really confused now. Just why are you here, Christopher?”

  He did not answer at first. He just stared at her as if he'd come back from a long journey at sea and hadn't seen her in years. His eyes took in every inch of her body, and his lips were slightly parted. They were standing so close that she felt the warmth of his breath as he exhaled. It sent a burst of chills travelling down her spine. As if realizing that they were only partially hidden in the hospital lobby, Christopher straightened a cast a quick glance around before opening his mouth to speak again.

  “I don't want to get you into trouble, Madison, but I needed to see you.”

  She immediately shook her head in denial “It's really not a good idea, Christopher. Or a good time. You can’t come to my work like this, not…like this. I know your wife is a patient here, but that’s different. It’s professional. But now my supervisor thinks you’re my...” Madison trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

  “Your what?” Christopher asked with a raised brow of his own.

  “It’s nothing. Just forget I said anything okay? But you can’t ask for me again, not like that.”

  “I tried to page you–.”

  “I lost it.” Madison said hastily, cutting him off and looking away, unable to meet his gaze. “I lost my old pager. Had to get a new one.”

  “Right. You lost it.” His look told her that he knew she was lying through her teeth, but she was grateful that he went along with it anyways. At least, she was until he continued talking.

  “Look, I know I'm married. And I know you're not the kind of girl who...well, not the type to… but if I could see you. Just once. Just to explain how things are for me. You'd understand a lot more and maybe you might see me differently and think differently about me. Could I just have one more chance?”

  “The problem is, Christopher, I really don't want to know. I already told you. You’re married, that’s the end of it for me. It has to be, okay? Please?” The last ended on a rough whisper and she had to look away for a moment, this time overwhelmed by some unnamable emotion before she could face him again. “I'm glad the baby is fine and I hope Ailsa is too.”

  She quickly turned and headed back toward the lobby and the exit doors. Madison was trying to leave, but Christopher followed her towards the exit. She almost made it out into the main set of doors before he caught up to her.

  “What are you doing tonight?” he asked her back as she continued through the exit, not stopping as she continued walking away from him.

  “Working,” she lied.

  “What about tomorrow?” There was a pleading tone to his voice that caught at her heartstrings, begged her to turn around and look at him just to reassure herself that he was all right. She was answering his question before she had even thought about it.

  “I'm going to a birthday party at Coco's with a group of nurses. Not that it's any of your business...” She was outside now, taking quick steps across the hospital car parking lot, but he easily kept up with her, his long legs eating up any distance she managed to put between them. It was a lot like their actual relationship, she thought, she was always pushing him away and he kept pulling her back no matter what. It was getting harder and harder to maintain that distance. Then it occurred to her that she had been thinking in terms of their relationship. Hah! Madison scoffed. As if what they had could ever be called a relationship.

  “Christopher!”

  His name being called from across the parking lot almost made Madison jump out of her skin. She looked up and saw Ailsa approaching with a big smile on her face, her hand just under the tiny bump on her stomach. Madison’s heart stopped as the beaming woman kept walking closer and closer.

  “Wait a minute, I recognize you,” Ailsa said to Madison, putting her thumb and forefinger to her chin as if trying to think of something, and then pointed as it hit her as she stopped in front of Madison and Christopher.

  “You were the nurse that showed us around that first day we were here, won’t you?” There was a curious twinkle in her glimmering grey eyes as she looked first at Christopher, and then back to Madison.

&n
bsp; “Yes,” Madison replied cautiously. “I was. I did the hospital tour with you and your husband.”

  “Yes, that's right.” She nodded firmly, and Madison got the feeling there was an undercurrent to the conversation that she was missing. Ailsa smiled up at her husband, and the feeling fled as if it had never been. “Well as you can see, we chose to have the baby here. We just had a scan, and I popped up to visit a friend over on the other side – gallstones,” she said pulling a face. “I see you found your way back to maternity, Christopher?”

  “Yes,” he said quickly. He turned to Madison with a strained smile. “I was killing time just walking around the hospital before I bumped into you. I don't like going on the wards and visiting sick people unless I absolutely have to.”

  “Silly Christopher,” Ailsa said sweetly before she reached out to stroke his cheek. Madison watched, feeling as if she had just been punched in the stomach. It was a visceral reminder of exactly what she could never have. “Afraid of blood, and doesn't like the smell of hospitals. I don't know how he'll cope when I'm giving birth to Junior.” She ran a loving hand over her stomach, and the warm look in her eyes at the mention of their unborn baby had Madison wishing she could just sink into the cracks in the pavement beneath her feet and disappear. They had a family, and here she was just a hairsbreadth from giving in and breaking it all apart. She couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t let herself do that.

  The three of them stood looking at each other in an awkward silence for too long a moment until Ailsa finally took Christopher's hand. She looked up at him, and Madison was once again struck by what a beautiful couple they made, just like the first time she had seen them together on the hospital tour. Oh, if only they had decided to choose a different hospital to use.

  “We should go, honey.” Ailsa’s sweet voice washed over Madison and she jolted back to the present.

  “I have to go, too,” Madison said quickly, trying to hide the red spots now burning in like coals in each of her cheeks. “See you.” She hurried away. She exhaled a loud breath and thought to herself that this encounter had been a very close call. It had also been a revelation to Madison. It was clear to see that Ailsa cared very much for her husband, despite what Christopher had said. Maybe there was more going on there, but maybe not. Either way, she decided as she walked across the street, it was none of her business.

  Maybe now Christopher would realize what a dangerous game he was playing. Maybe now he would leave her alone.

  Chapter 5

  Rosario managed to get as many nurses and staff from the maternity wing at City Hospital to her birthday party as she possibly could. It wasn't easy. They all worked different shifts, and trying to co-ordinate going from a night shift to a morning shift and then to a day shift was difficult enough for the staff, so the turn out for her thirtieth birthday celebration was surprisingly good.

  Rosario's party at Coco's was in the back room – an archway separated it from the main bar area. When Madison arrived, the cake was just being brought around, and she was able to join in with the singing and cheering as she came in and took off her jacket, tossing it over the back of a nearby chair. She clapped along with everyone else as the birthday song finished and went up to Rosario wishing her a happy birthday.

  Madison was glad to have somewhere where she could finally let off steam. The pressures of the last couple of months with Christopher was getting to be too much for her to handle. She had been desperately needing a distraction and she was hoping that a night of drinking and laughing with friends would do the trick. Anything to clear her mind of its ever present dark-haired, too handsome ghost.

  “Here, Madison,” Rosario said, her words just the slightest bit slurred, handing her a plastic cup with cheap champagne in it. “You need to catch up with the rest of us.”

  Madison took the cup. “I bought you a little something,” she said, handing Rosario a small package wrapped in red tissue paper with a yellow bow.

  “Oh, you didn't have to do that,” Rosario said, ripping off the paper. She opened the little gift box which held a delicate silver brooch with an amber stone design. “Oh, Madison! Una mariposa!” she exclaimed in Spanish. “I love butterflies.”

  “I know. I saw that and I just knew you had to have it. Happy birthday, sweetie.”

  “I will.” Rosario kissed Madison sloppily on the cheek and guided her to a table of buffet food. “Here, you better eat something before it all goes.”

  Just then an upbeat salsa song came on the overhead music system and Rosario grinned up at Madison. Suddenly the music was turned up quite loud and the other woman had to yell over the song for Madison to understand her at all.

  “Oh, great! I love this song!” Rosario whooped, and danced her way around the room with a half-empty bottle of champagne in one hand and Madison's present in the other. She just shook her head, battling a grin at the other woman’s obvious enjoyment. Yes, this is exactly what she needed.

  It didn’t take long to make a few selections from the already picked-over buffet, and grabbing a small plastic plate with a few slices of pizza and a side of salad, Madison made her way through the crowd of co-workers to a table with a few seats still vacant. It was slow going as many of the people at the party stopped her to say hello or give her a quick hug. There were even a few people who said they were glad she had come out, and hearing it, made her glad she had.

  There had been a time, early in the day, when she had still been on edge from the meeting the day before with Christopher, and then his wife. Memories of the awkward conversation tried to creep in but Madison ruthlessly shoved them down as she grabbed a piece of pizza from her plate. Not tonight. Tonight she was just going to have fun and forget all about the Knights.

  The sound of a familiar voice had her turning in her seat only to see one of the last people she wanted to. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Cassie, it just made her feel like a total hypocrite after the things she had said to her about being involved with a married man. And then what had she done? Turned around and done the exact thing she had just condemned Cassie for.

  It took a few tries for Madison to hear her over the loud music blasting over the speakers.

  “You made it,” Cassie shouted to her, as Madison tried to help herself to another piece of the now cold pizza in front of her.

  “You didn't think I would come?” Madison said loudly against the music. She basically had to scream over the jangly guitar and pounding bass.

  “Well, you've been working extra shifts lately, I was beginning to think you didn't have a life outside City Hospital.”

  “Oh, I do, all right,” Madison lied. The truth was that she had thrown herself into her work hoping that it would help keep her out of trouble. The only problem was that trouble knew exactly where she worked and might be there at any time because his wife was a patient. The thought made Madison sigh. Maybe she was destined to be worked up by Christopher Knight no matter what she did. It felt like an impossible task to keep him off of her mind and out of her thoughts. She looked back at the other woman and for the first time noticed a pale looking man sitting down next to Cassie.

  “Oh,” Cassie said close to Madison's ear. “This, by the way, is Michael. You remember? The married guy?”

  Madison nodded slowly. “I remember.”

  “Well, you of all people won't believe it, but he actually left his wife.” Cassie pulled a face of surprise and happiness. “He moved in with me last week.”

  “Really?” Madison said, studying the long talked about Michael. She caught the easy way they held hands, and the warm, affection filled looks he cast her way. He seemed to be very enamored with Cassie. It was like he couldn’t even see anyone else but her.

  “Yes, really. So, you see, it can happen.”

  With that, Cassie bounced out of her chair, pulling the besotted Michael up with her and leading him to the dance floor with a silly grin. It filled Madison with a bittersweet feeling. She was happy for Cassie, she really was. But that would n
ever be here. Stop that right now, she berated herself as she slowly chewed on the last piece. She took another large sip of the champagne as her gaze was drawn back to the couple again.

  Cassie and Michael had gone over to where a group of people had surrounded Rosario and they were all dancing in a giggling group. Madison drained the champagne in the plastic cup. It was cheap but fairly potent. Someone gave her a refill. She took a sip before looking up and seeing who it had been. It was Spence, an orderly who was always coming on to her. He was still standing there with the now empty bottle of champagne, grinning at her expectantly. She took another hasty gulp, hoping her would just keep walking, but he stayed exactly where he was, still smiling at her.

  Madison looked into the plastic cup and then hopefully at the bar where she could get herself a glass of red wine. Spence leaned closer to her, close enough that she could smell the garlic and booze on his breath. It was not an appetizing combination and she just barely stopped herself from leaning back. Surreptitiously, she tried to scoot her chair a little further away, but he followed.

  “What do you think of the music?” Spence shouted in her ear. “Would you like to dance?”

  Madison looked up at him, her mind whirling for some excuse, any excuse to get away. “Uh...I'll be right back,” she said, jumping out of her chair and dashing through the crowd toward the bar. She looked back to see him still standing there with a blank look on his face, but she hoped to lose him in the crowd. The last thing she wanted was to have to fend off some drunk guy, especially one she would have to see at work the next morning. Besides, it’s not Christopher. The thought echoed like a beacon through her thoughts, cutting through everything else. Madison gave a resigned sigh, knowing that it was useless to try and exorcise him from her mind.

  Up at the bar, the main part of Coco's seemed just as busy. It took several minutes to make it through the slew of people, but she finally made it up to the front and waved to get the bartender’s attention. Madison ordered her drink and looked back at the hospital crowd chatting loudly and dancing, and she wondered how many of them had to be at work the next day. She certainly did. She decided to just have the one glass of wine at the bar, to say good night to Rosario, and slip away.