Bound by Their Love

by Nicole Flockton

  ‘I know what you’re thinking. We used protection, how could it possibly be true?’ she said quietly, leaning forward to rest her hands on the table. ‘I don’t know what happened. All I know is I now have a baby growing inside of me. This is not what I had planned for my life.’

  His blood cooled as his mind took in what she said. She couldn’t possibly mean... ‘Are you telling me you’re going to get rid of the baby?’

  She reared back as if he’d slapped her across the face. ‘No. I could never do that! You obviously don’t know me at all.’

  ‘Well, that’s the problem, isn’t it? I don’t know what sort of person you are. We haven’t spent a whole lot of time together. Now you’re telling me we’re going to have a baby.’ He stood. ‘I need time to think this over. I need to go.’

  ‘Really? You need to go? Without letting me know how we’re going to deal with—’ she stood as well and placed her hand on her stomach. The gesture an instinctive protective manner; he ached to placed his hand over hers, ‘this situation?’

  ‘Greta, please, this has come as a shock to me. I need some time to process it.’

  ‘And you think it’s not a shock to me? I was flying high this morning over how great my career was going after I landed my biggest account so far. By the end of the day I find myself pregnant to a man I’ve slept with twice. I’m just as shocked as you.’

  Jeffrey was floundering. He didn’t know what to make of the whole situation. He’d seen Greta sitting at the bar. The first thing he’d wanted to do was stride over and kiss her. Tell her he was glad she’d come to see him. But then he remembered her short message to him, her brush-off. He felt foolish, rejected, unsure if his text to her was a step too far, considering they’d be working together, and he’d put up his guard. He knew she felt the connection between them. It was there in the way she touched him. The way her body responded to his every caress. The way she moaned his name as she orgasmed.

  Hell, he’d spent a month dreaming about her. Creating the best jewellery collection of his career with her front and centre in his mind. He’d wanted to talk to her tonight about exploring the possibility of a short-term relationship. He thought the arrangement would suit them both.

  ‘Would you have come to the bar tonight if you hadn’t found out you were pregnant?’

  Her shoulders slumped and she deflated before his eyes. ‘No. No I wouldn’t have come to see you.’

  ‘Well, then we have a problem, don’t we?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Every instinct in him wanted to reach out to her. To hold her. Tell her everything would be all right between them. That they would sort through the situation they now found themselves in, together.

  ‘It’s more my problem than yours, Jeff.’

  ‘Why do you say that? We were both in that bed when the baby was conceived. It wasn’t like you deliberately set out to fall pregnant.’

  ‘Yes, but it’s my life that changes, isn’t it. I’m the one who will have the most upheaval. And my career, oh God, what is my father going to say.’ She sat back down. ‘This is hopeless, I can’t do this. I can’t be a mother.’

  Jeffrey squatted in front of her. His scarred flesh protested the movement. He took her hands in his. ‘It’s not the end of the world, Angel. We will work something out.’

  ‘It’s so easy for you to say those things. You’re career won’t be affected. Mine will.’

  ‘I think you’re making too much of this right now. I mean, things happen. We don’t know ... how things will go.’

  The moment she snatched her hands away he knew he’d said the wrong thing. ‘Are you wishing for me to have a miscarriage?’

  ‘No! Hell, that’s not what I meant at all. I was just say—’

  ‘Forget it, Jeff. Forget we even met. Forget I even told you that I’m pregnant. My child and I don’t need you. Goodbye, Mr Court. Have a nice life.’

  Greta stood and walked away from him, her spine rigid with anger. He looked around the room, positive everyone had been watching them. But everyone was lost in their own conversations.

  Jeffrey went to go after her. Tell her she’d misunderstood what he’d been trying to say. He knew she wouldn’t listen to him.

  Instead he went to the concierge to arrange for a car to take him to the airport. He would catch his flight and return to his isolated hideaway among the bush of Broome. He knew the isolation wouldn’t be as calming as it used to be. He needed to think everything through. Make some decisions. Work out what he was going to do with the news Greta had just told him. In a matter of a few days his life had changed. He couldn’t go back to the way he’d lived before. He had no choice now. He had to come out of the shadows of his life and into the sunshine of an uncertain future.

  Chapter 13

  The beeping of Greta’s phone signalling an incoming message echoed around the examination room. Her first instinct was to grab her phone, but lying on a hard bed with her belly exposed made it impossible to move. Work would have to wait. It was unusual for her to push business aside. However, it was becoming easier and easier and that scared her a little.

  ‘So are you ready to see your baby?’ the technician asked, oblivious to the turmoil Greta was going through.

  ‘Umm, yes. I guess so.’ Even Greta could hear the uncertainty in her response.

  The technician laughed as she spread cool gel over Greta’s belly. ‘First baby?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Nothing beats the first scan you have. The first time seeing your baby and hearing their heart beating is something you will always treasure. You’ll probably have one more scan. That scan will be able to tell you the sex of the baby, if you want to know.’

  Greta’s mind swirled with thoughts of did she want to know the sex of her baby or not? Would Jeff want to know?

  Taking a deep breath, she pushed those thoughts aside. There was plenty of time to before she had to make that decision.

  The technician didn’t say anymore as she fiddled with the machine and then started to move the sensor across her tummy.

  Greta watched the screen. All she could see was black and grey lines. It looked like an untuned television.

  ‘Are you sure there’s a baby there?’

  The technician laughed. ‘Yep. Let me show you.’ She pressed a button and the screen froze. Using her finger she traced the outline of the blob in the middle of it. ‘There’s your baby. Right here.’

  The longer Greta looked at the screen, the more the blob took a form she recognised. Her breath caught at the tiny being on the screen.

  Realisation hit her square in the stomach. That was her baby growing inside of her. A little soul she would be solely responsible for.

  ‘Oh my, he’s so tiny,’ she whispered, not really noticing the gender she’d placed on the baby.

  ‘Trust me, the baby will grow. Would you like a picture?’

  ‘Yes please.’ In that moment Greta wished Jeff was with her. ‘Actually, can I have two?’

  ‘Sure.’ She pressed a button and the machine started to print out two pictures. The screen then unfroze and a whoosh whoosh sounded around the room.

  ‘What’s that noise?’

  ‘Your baby’s heartbeat.’

  Tears trickled out of the corners of her eyes. The technician was right. It was a sound she’d never forget.

  Before it had seemed like a nightmare. Pregnant and alone. Now it was her reality. It wouldn’t just be her anymore. She was going to have a baby. She was never going to be alone again.

  Greta reread the email for a third time. Each time the words were the same. They didn’t change. No matter how much she wanted them to.

  Hi Greta,

  It’s Heather, Luciano Morelli’s assistant. Mr Morelli and Mr Courteux have some issues with the campaign from the preliminary ad mock-ups you’ve sent them. They’re concerned about the dramatic difference between what you presented and what you’re planning on doing now.

  It has been suggested that it w
ould be best for you to take a trip to Broome so that you can work closely with Mr Courteux to get the campaign back on track. We hope this is suitable to you and your schedule.

  On your response I will arrange for a Morelli Corporation jet to take you to Broome. Accommodation will be sorted out once you get there. The corporation has a standing suite at Orchard Hill.

  I look forward to hearing from you soon.

  Yours Sincerely,

  Heather O’Neill

  There was no changing the facts. She had to make a trip to the scene of the crime.

  God, she wanted to scream in frustration. Ever since she’d returned from the doctor’s office she’d been on a high. Then she opened her emails and everything had gone to hell in a handbasket.

  Her father had done it again. She knew he had to be responsible for the changes to her campaign. Even though she told him not to touch it, he must have been able to get to her layouts before the courier picked them up.

  There was only one way to find out.

  Greta walked out of her office and made her way to her father’s. Totally ignoring Joan, she opened the door and stopped.

  ‘Did you, Dad? Did you change my proposal, despite our conversation?’ Her voice was as calm as she could make it.

  Both men in the room looked up in shock. She stormed over to where they stood looking over some ad layouts. The closer she got to them she saw the layouts were for her campaign. The one she’d worked so hard to make perfect. The one they were now ruining.

  ‘Greta, hear me out.’

  ‘No, Dad, I’m not going to hear you out. I can’t believe you would be willing to risk the agency and bring the wrath of the Morelli Corporation down on us because you’re so pissed off your golden boy didn’t get the account.’ The anger was roiling through her now. Waves of it crashing through her and making her finally say what she’d always wanted to say. ‘Let me tell you about your little golden boy here, Dad. His presentation was boring. B-O-R-I-N-G. He didn’t even get to finish it. Luciano cut him off halfway through it.’

  ‘Did your boyfriend tell you that, Greta?’ Graham sneered the words at her.

  ‘Shut up, Graham. I had dinner with Jeffrey Courteux to celebrate me winning the account. Considering my own father couldn’t be bothered to take me out to celebrate, I said yes to his dinner invitation.’

  ‘You had dinner with a client?’

  ‘Yes, Dad, I had dinner with a client. It’s not unusual, is it? You and Graham do it all the time.’

  ‘She has a point, Graham. It’s not out of place for her to have had dinner with him.’

  Greta was speechless. Her father had defended her in front of his golden boy. But he still wanted to sabotage her campaign and she had to deal with that.

  ‘Thank you. Now, listen up both of you, and listen well. As I said to you the other day, this is my account. I won it fair and square. You and Graham aren’t going to interfere anymore.’ She paused and took a breath before continuing. ‘Because of your interference, I’ve been summonsed by Luciano Morelli and Jeffrey Courteux to meet with them up in Broome. I have to explain why my campaign is so different to what I presented. What do I tell them? My father had his nose out of joint because they chose me, his own daughter, over a person who has been with the agency for only six months?’

  It felt good to dress down her father. To finally break free from the constraints of trying to do the right thing all the time.

  ‘Nothing to say?’ Neither man spoke. She knew she’d made her point. ‘Just as I thought. I’ll be leaving as soon as I can finalise the arrangements.’

  ‘Greta, I’m sur—’

  ‘Stop, Dad. Nothing you can say will make this any better. I’ll get the account back on track. But from now on there will be no more interference from either of you. Do I make myself clear?’

  She transferred her scrutiny to Graham. ‘You’ve now lost your little blackmailing tool, haven’t you, Graham. You thought you were so clever threatening me about having dinner with a client.’

  ‘It looked way more than just a dinner,’ he interrupted belligerently.’

  ‘Well, you were wrong.’ Greta looked over to her father. ‘I’ll be in touch with you when I get to Broome. And if I find out that you plan to interfere again I will not be afraid to tell Luciano, even if that means losing the account.’

  Greta swept out the door and made her way to the ladies room. Her stomach was churning. She made it to the stall just in time to lose the contents of her stomach. She didn’t know if the reason she had thrown up was to do with her pregnancy or because she’d gone toe-to-toe with her father. Either way she couldn’t think about it now. She needed to email Heather and set the wheels in motion for a trip she really didn’t want to take.

  She hoped Luciano would be there and it wasn’t just her and Jeff. Alone. Visiting the place they’d first met. Reliving the few hours they’d spent in her hotel room. God, she hoped it wasn’t the same room.

  Whatever happened, she wouldn’t let Jeff touch her this time. Even though they were going to be parents, she had to keep the relationship between them strictly professional. She had a job to do and she was going to do the best damn job possible. Even if doing the job meant her heart got broken.

  Chapter 14

  Jeffrey waited at the back of the arrivals terminal. He could almost predict Greta’s reaction when she saw he was meeting her, and not a driver from the resort she was expecting. He didn’t care. He was annoyed at her and her agency about the mock-ups they’d sent through to Luc for him and Jeffrey to review.

  Even though he, Luc and Nick had discussed the possibility of Greta’s father interfering, he’d never thought Derek would actually do it. Particularly not after Luc threatened to terminate the contract if he tried to interfere with Greta’s campaign.

  They’d come up with a contingency plan should it be necessary. To ensure the campaign’s success, Greta needed to be as far away as possible from her father and his influence. Which meant she would be staying at his place and not the resort. Something he predicted Greta wouldn’t appreciate when he passed on that piece of news.

  All thoughts of the campaign flew out of his mind as he saw Greta walk through the open sliding glass doors. She looked more beautiful than he remembered. His eyes immediately went to her feet. Disappointment filtered through him when he spied her flat, practical shoes.

  He could see her looking around, searching for the driver who was supposed to be holding up her name on a board.

  Jeffrey moved toward her. His steps slow and measured. What he wanted to do was stride over, sweep her up in his arms and devour her.

  He’d missed her. More than he wanted to admit to himself. Sleep had been elusive over the past few weeks. His concentration had been shot and working on his commissioned designs had not been as fulfilling as it once had.

  ‘Angel.’ He spoke the word softly as he stepped up beside her. She jumped at the sound of his voice.

  ‘Jeff? What are you doing here?’

  ‘I thought that would’ve been obvious. I’ve come to pick you up.’

  ‘Why? Do we have a meeting first up? I thought we weren’t meeting with anyone involved in the campaign until tomorrow?’

  Jeff closed his eyes behind his sunglasses for a moment. Opening them, he pushed up his lenses and looked directly at her. Wariness glowed in the depths of her hazel eyes. It ate at him. He didn’t want her to be cautious around him. Reaching out, he lightly brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. ‘Maybe I wanted to see you before tomorrow.’

  ‘Well, now you’ve seen me and you can take me to the resort and then tomorrow we’ll meet. Sort out this misunderstanding with the campaign. Hopefully I can catch a late flight tomorrow afternoon and get back to the office the next day.’

  ‘Not so fast, Angel. It’s going to take a bit longer than a couple of hours to clear up this misunderstanding.’

  ‘What do you mean by that?’

  They were standing in the middle o
f an airport terminal. ‘Now’s not the time to have this conversation.’ Jeff slipped an arm around her waist, feeling her tense beneath his touch.

  ‘Fine, let’s go then,’ she said, as she twisted out of his embrace.

  Jeff sighed. It was going to be a long couple of weeks with her.

  Greta kept her vision on the exit doors of the airport, hyper-aware of the man walking behind her. She laid a hand onto her stomach to subdue the nausea that had fired to life inside of her the second Jeff had whispered Angel in her ear. He’d been the last person she’d been expecting. She’d thought she might have had a bit longer to get her mind and body prepared to see him again.

  Seeing him had her wanting to wrap her arms around his hard chest and lay her head against it.

  Jeff led her to a four-wheel drive vehicle. She’d been expecting the sporty car he’d driven the first day they’d met.

  ‘Where’s your other car?’

  Jeff shrugged as he held open the door for her. ‘I didn’t know how much luggage you’d have. This one is bigger.’

  Her luggage. She’d completely forgotten about collecting it, so surprised at seeing Jeff again. ‘Shit, we need to go back and get it.’

  Jeff laughed. ‘No we don’t. Look.’

  She looked where his finger was pointing and saw airport staff wheeling a trolley with her luggage on it.

  Jeff helped her into the car. ‘One of the perks of flying on Luc’s private jet. The airport staff will unload the luggage and bring it to you.’

  He closed her door and went to the back of the car to make sure all her luggage was loaded. She gazed out the window and tried to take everything in. From a limousine picking her up to Luc’s private jet, which looked more like a small apartment than a jet. She’d grown up with luxuries, but not the type Luciano had at his fingertips.

  The sound of a door shutting pulled her from her thoughts as a warm hand landed on her knee. She clasped her own hands in her front of her to stop herself from picking his hand up and putting it against her cheek.

  ‘Do you need anything? Water? A snack?’