Carrying the Billionaire's Baby

by Susan Meier

  He was dressed in the same clothes he’d worn the day before, though the scruffy beard was gone...because it was Monday. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

  “I’m getting there. My driver will be here at nine.”

  Maybe he hadn’t come back for her, but because his car had broken down? “What happened to your car?”

  “Nothing. I was an hour into the drive home last night before I realized we’d left you here without transportation.” He shrugged. “You could have called one of our drivers, but I figured you’d rather have access to a car. So I’m leaving the Porsche.”

  He had come back because he’d recognized she was uncomfortable.

  Her heart warmed. Her pulse fluttered.

  “Anyway, when I realized we’d stranded you, I drove back. You were already asleep, and I didn’t bother you.” He shrugged again. “Or my driver. Nobody wants a Sunday night call, telling them to drive out to the beach to pick up their boss. Especially when it was just as easy for me to stay.”

  She stared at him. This was Paris Jake coming out and he didn’t even realize it. She wondered if he knew he was thinking about her, putting her first, then the baby kicked.

  She grabbed her stomach. “Oh, ouch! That was a good one.”

  His face lit up. “The baby?”

  “Yes.”

  He wanted to touch the baby. She could see it in his expression. But he wouldn’t ask.

  She laughed. “Come here. I know you want to feel him.”

  He eased out of his chair and walked over cautiously. When he reached her, he stooped down to be eye level with her belly and put his hands on either side of the baby bump the way she’d taught him in Paris.

  The baby didn’t kick this time. It did a full-on stretch and roll.

  His gaze jumped to hers. “He totally changed positions.”

  She should have been uncomfortable with his hands on her so intimately, but the shine in his eyes stopped that in its tracks. This was the guy she wanted to be her baby’s father. The unguarded man who simply reacted, didn’t think everything through.

  “He probably gets tired of being in one spot all the time.”

  The baby tumbled again and Jake laughed. “Cramped quarters.”

  The happiness in his voice made her heart swell. He loved this baby. It was weird to think she’d ever believed he’d be happier not knowing he was a father. But her fears from the day before weren’t unfounded. This guy would make a great dad. The stuffy guy? Not so much. And come hell or high water, she had to teach him to be himself with their baby.

  She tried a joke. “Too bad I can’t give him one of the ten bedrooms upstairs.”

  He winced. “You took a tour?”

  “No. I just counted doors in the hall and figured there had to be at least two more bedrooms on the third floor.”

  “We usually have a lot of guests here. Especially after our Christmas ball.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ll bet it’s a blast.”

  “It is.” His words weren’t sharp, but they were defensive.

  Hating the way she’d ruined what could have been a very nice moment, she batted her hand. “Don’t mind me. I’ve got to get studying today and I don’t really feel like it.”

  The baby stopped moving and Jake rose. “Then don’t study. Take a walk on the beach.”

  She gaped at him. “Have you seen the walk to the beach?”

  “It’s just beyond the yard.”

  “The yard is the size of a football field. Someday when I’m in the mood for serious exercise I’ll tackle that.”

  His phone pinged and Jake grabbed it from the table. “It’s my driver.” He glanced around uneasily. “Are you going to be okay here?”

  “Sure. Yes.” She smiled, forcing herself not to look ungrateful. She loved when he behaved informally, kind, ready to be a father. She wished she could figure out a way to have him act that way all the time.

  He tucked his phone in his pocket and turned to her. For thirty seconds, Avery thought he was going to kiss her. Not a heart-stirring, heart-stopping kiss like they’d shared in Paris, but a goodbye kiss. The way he once would have kissed her when she was racing out the door of his penthouse.

  Their gazes met before he quickly turned away.

  But that almost kiss cemented her feelings. Jake was changing. That guy she met in Paris? That was the real Jake. And not only would he make a great dad, but Avery wasn’t just crazy about him. She could trust him.

  And that was a problem.

  Was it smart to trust him when she wasn’t really sure the changes would last?

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  SHE HATED THE HOUSE.

  Jake wasn’t letting his mind go there to get his thoughts off the way he’d almost slipped and brushed a quick kiss across her lips before he left. The almost kiss had been an aberration. The way she didn’t like the house was a fact.

  If they were going to get along, he had to do something about the house.

  He arrived at the office, still antsy about Avery being unhappy, but when he bumped into Seth in the hall on his way to his office, the answer hit him.

  “Do you and your friends still have that little beach house in Montauk?”

  Seth said, “You mean the one down the road from the family house?”

  “Yes.”

  “We have it, but we don’t use it as much now that Clark married Harper and Oz and Tina live together.”

  “Good. I need it.”

  Seth laughed. “You need it?”

  “Avery’s condo sold. I invited her to live in the family house and she hates it.”

  Seth’s eyes narrowed. “Hates it? How can she hate it?”

  “It’s big and she’s alone. I know she’d be happier in your bungalow if you don’t mind.”

  “Sure. It’s better to have someone staying there than leaving the place empty.”

  “She’ll be there until the baby’s born... If that’s okay.”

  “I told you. We don’t use it as much as when we could leave work early on Fridays, drive up and drink beer for three days.” He sighed. “I miss that.”

  Jake remembered having to drive to Montauk to bail him, Clark and Oz out of jail. “I don’t.”

  Seth only laughed. “I’ll get you the keys to the place when I go to lunch.”

  Seth started down the hall but Jake called after him, “It’s clean, isn’t it?”

  Without turning around Seth called, “We have a service come in after anyone uses it.”

  Jake’s spirits lifted. He pulled out his phone to call Avery but decided he liked surprising her. When Seth brought the keys to him after lunch, Jake told his administrative assistant he would be working in the car the rest of the day and took the limo back to his apartment to change into jeans and a T-shirt, then told Gerry to drive him to the Montauk house.

  He didn’t question why he’d changed clothes. Avery seemed to be more comfortable with him when he wasn’t in a suit. And he, well, he liked being comfortable. They were going to a bungalow beach house, something that virtually sat in the sand. Being in jeans and a T-shirt and tennis shoes was simply smarter.

  Opening the door of the family house, he called, “Anybody home?”

  “In the kitchen.”

  He followed the sound of Avery’s voice and found her making a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. “I hope that’s not your dinner.”

  She stared at him for a few seconds. Her gaze took a stroll down his T-shirt and jeans and she smiled. “Why? Peanut butter has lots of protein and raspberry jelly’s just plain good.”

  His body reacted the way it always did when she looked at him. His heart rate picked up. His muscles tightened. It took every ounce of discipline he could muster not to walk over and kiss her.

  “Because it’s almost four and you nee
d a vegetable.”

  She laughed. “I get plenty of those. This is a snack.” She took her sandwich from the counter and dropped it on a little plate. “So, what’s up? Why are you here?”

  “I have a surprise.”

  She smiled again, as if totally thrilled. “You do?”

  This smile washed through him like much-needed summer rain. The attraction was a complication but her liking things he did for her was right. Good.

  “Yes. My brother owns a beach house with two friends. It was something they bought to spend weekends out of the city when their investment firm took off. Anyway, they barely use it anymore since his two friends have settled down, and I asked if you could stay there a few months.”

  “You’re moving me?”

  He held out his hand. “Come with me to see it and if you don’t like it, you can stay here.”

  She displayed her plate with the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich on it. “Can I bring this?”

  He laughed. “Sure.”

  He snagged the Porsche keys from the center island and led her outside to his car. “I’ll tell Gerry to wait for us.”

  Her head tilted. “Won’t he be bored?”

  “He’s taking classes a few nights a week. When I’m gone for stretches like this he studies. Trust me, I’m not abusing him.”

  She winced. “Sorry.”

  “That’s okay. I’d rather you bring up things like this than hate me in silence.”

  She muttered, “I don’t hate you,” as she rounded the car hood to the passenger seat.

  Warm relief filled him, until he realized he knew that. It wasn’t him she disliked but his lifestyle. Moving her to a comfortable home fixed that. He was so proud of himself he tossed the keys in the air before he opened the Porsche door and slid inside.

  The drive to Seth’s beach house took ten minutes. The second Avery saw the bungalow, her eyes lit.

  “Oh, my gosh.”

  Aqua with white shutters and a white stone walkway to the navy blue front door, the little house all but said peace and tranquility.

  She shoved open her car door and raced up the walkway, Jake on her heels.

  She couldn’t get in fast enough after he opened the door. A tan sofa and two chairs sat on a fluffy beige rug that covered hardwood floors. Multicolored throw pillows and bright orange curtains broke up the monotony of all the browns. Beyond the living area was a white kitchen that had two sets of French doors that showcased the ocean that wasn’t even as far away as the walk across the backyard at the family house.

  “It’s perfect.”

  He bounced the keys in his hand, enjoying his pride at pleasing her. “There are three bedrooms and three baths.” He pointed out the French doors. “And as you can see, the deck is huge.”

  She nodded eagerly, motioning to the big white dining table beside the kitchen. “And I can study there.” She turned to him with a smile. “You didn’t have to do this.”

  “I know.” He drew in a quick breath. “I hated seeing you uncomfortable.”

  “Thanks.” She laughed and impulsively hugged him.

  He squeezed his eyes shut as happiness filled him. The kind he rarely felt. Their baby brushed his stomach and the rightness of the moment about swept him away.

  He did hate seeing her uneasy, but there was more to it than that. More to it than responsibility. He had this odd feeling that this was his place. With her. And the more she liked the things he did for her, the more he wanted to do.

  They were no longer enemies.

  But they were still opponents.

  His thoughts from Paris came tumbling back. That getting along meant losing control.

  You can’t be an equal. Always negotiate from a position of strength.

  His heart stilled as his dad’s words echoed in his brain. He’d always believed that was one of the things his father had gotten right. And he still believed negotiating from a position of strength was good for business. But what if it was the wrong thing for him personally?

  And what if that was his real problem? The way his dad had treated him had turned him into a crafty businessman. Someone even able to take down his father when the time was right. But it hadn’t taught him a damn thing about being a dad or having any sort of personal relationship at all.

  That’s what really had been troubling him since Avery told him she was pregnant. He didn’t know how to be a parent, let alone a good father, but the truth went deeper. He didn’t know how to have a personal life.

  The conclusion was so striking he almost needed to sit. She’d called him stuffy. But he wasn’t stuffy. He just always held himself at a distance. It made life easier. Less complicated.

  He’d learned that from dealing with his dad. Keep him at arm’s distance, while keeping the relationship equitable. Get comfortable and he’d snatch the rug out from under you.

  But Avery wasn’t his dad.

  She was smart, beautiful, the mother of his child and their encounters had gone from sexual to adversarial to...personal. She was picking her way along the same way he was. Adjusting to having him in her life. But she was doing it a hell of a lot more honestly than he was.

  All this time he’d thought he was protecting himself, when maybe he simply didn’t know how to let go.

  He pulled himself out of Avery’s hug. “We should go get your stuff.”

  She headed to the door. “Great.”

  He drove them back to the mansion and she bounced out of the car like an eager kid at Christmas.

  “I only took one suitcase of clothes upstairs to my room. Let me repack that and I’ll be good to go.”

  “You don’t want the other things?”

  “Not for right now. I’d like to leave most of the boxes stored in your back room, if you don’t mind.”

  “Okay. You’re the one who’ll be living with next to nothing.”

  “I’m fine with that. Jeans, a few shirts, some pajamas and I’m good.”

  They walked into the foyer and she raced up the stairs to pack. Ten minutes later, she arrived at the top of the steps with a duffel bag big enough to hold a body.

  “Don’t you carry that!”

  He ran up the stairs and caught the handle of the duffel, so he could take it down the stairs. “No wonder you said you only needed one suitcase.”

  “Hey, there’s a hair dryer and curling iron and cosmetics in there too.”

  “Oh, well, that explains it.”

  He managed to get the thing in the trunk of his Porsche, though just barely. They drove to Seth’s beach house and once again she hurried out. As they headed up the sidewalk, with him carrying her duffel bag, she took the keys from his hand and opened the door for him.

  She made a small production number out of choosing her room, then he tossed the duffel bag onto the bed. He expected her to dismiss him so she could unpack; instead she turned to him.

  “Let’s take a walk on the beach.”

  He hadn’t intended to—

  Or had he? He glanced down at his T-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes and wondered if his subconscious hadn’t planned this all along.

  If he was going to be fair and honest, the way she was, maybe it was time to go with his feelings.

  “A walk on the beach sounds great.”

  They stepped out onto the back deck and she locked the French doors then pocketed the keys.

  This time, he didn’t debate holding her hand and she didn’t fight it. They strolled down to the water. When they reached it, she took in a long drink of air and sighed.

  “Now, this is a beach house.”

  She turned them to the left and began walking along the shore, a few feet from the wet mark left by the last high wave. Warm sun beat down on them. The sound of the surf became background music.

  “My family and I used to go to Virginia B
each.”

  The stiffness of his chest loosened a bit. Now that he wasn’t fighting his feelings, he saw the comment for what it was. She was telling him things about her life again, continuing the process of getting to know each other.

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “I have a brother. He’s a year older than I am.” She peeked at him. “He’s a firefighter.”

  “No kidding.”

  “He’s not a thrill seeker. He likes helping people.”

  “Must run in the family.” He wanted to ask why her brother hadn’t been the one to go to school, to sacrifice his life to make up for the fact that there had been no one to help her dad, but he stayed quiet.

  “We’re not nuts.”

  “I know.”

  “In a way, we’re sort of like you. You give money to help people. We use our careers.”

  “Makes sense.” He supposed it did, except it rubbed him all the wrong ways that she’d had a dream of working and living in New York and she’d abandoned it.

  Still, when they returned to the bungalow an hour later and he stepped into the cozy house, he supposed there were different kinds of comforts in the world. This was a house a person could relax in. He could see himself cooking in the kitchen, watching a football game on the big screen in the living room, as Avery studied at the long dining table.

  And for the first time since he’d met her, he wondered if they didn’t actually belong together.

  * * *

  Avery had never had such a good time. Jake really was becoming a different person, and she and the baby were part of it.

  But they needed more time. God knew when he’d visit again. She had to make the best use of every minute she had with him.

  As she closed the door, she said, “I’d cook you supper, but we don’t have any food here.”

  He winced. “Sorry, I should have thought of that.”

  “There’s a market up the street.”

  “You’ve been there?”

  “I took a spin in your pretty black Porsche.” She grinned at him. “It’s not every day a girl gets a sports car left at her disposal.”

  He laughed and pulled the car keys from his pocket. “Let’s go.”

  Settling behind the steering wheel as she buckled her seat belt, he asked, “What do you want to eat?”