by Heidi Betts
He’d crossed the line in contacting Jessica’s parents behind her back and without her permission, but he hadn’t known how else to get all of their problems ironed out and taken care of in one fell swoop. And for some reason it was important to him to get everything out in the open and dealt with right now.
There had been too many secrets, too many lies already. Starting years ago with his cousin’s slimy, despicable actions toward her family on behalf of his, to as early as this morning when the doctor had called and announced that he was indeed Henry’s biological father.
That phone call had both elated and disgraced him.
Elated him because he couldn’t imagine anything that would make him happier than knowing Henry was his. Especially after last night when he’d pretty much decided he didn’t care one way or the other.
Being with Jessica again, in and out of bed, had reignited the same powerful feelings he’d felt for her a year ago, and he’d known he wanted to keep her in his life. Jessica and Henry both, regardless of DNA.
But the test results had shamed him, too, because they reminded him that he’d doubted Jessica to begin with. Doubted her word, doubted her integrity, let pride and suspicions cloud what his heart and gut had been trying to tell him.
Hadn’t he known as soon as he’d seen her again that he was in love with her? Hadn’t he known the minute she’d told him Henry was his son that she’d been telling the truth?
She’d made some bad decisions, but he had some making up to do, that was for sure. And today’s business was a step in that direction.
Still clutching Jessica’s hands in his lap, he stroked her long slim fingers distractedly.
“I told them everything. Explained how we met last year, how you tried to steal company secrets to avenge the wrong that had been done to your family. And I told them about Henry.”
With each word he uttered, Jessica’s eyes grew wider, her expression panicked while the color leeched from her skin. On his lap her hands started to quiver.
“I’m sorry,” he told her quickly. “I know it was probably your place to tell them about the baby and why you disappeared on them, but I didn’t want them to feel ambushed once they arrived. And I sort of hoped that having time to think during the flight—” he’d sent his own jet to pick them up “—would help them absorb the turn of events more easily.”
“Oh, God,” Jessica groaned, dropping her head to rest on their clasped hands. She was breathing fast and shallow…he hoped not on the verge of hyperventilating.
“Oh, God, oh, God. What did they say?” she asked in a muffled voice. “Were they angry? Do they hate me? Did my mother cry? I can’t handle it when my mother cries. Oh, they must be so upset and disappointed in me.”
Her hysterics were enough to make him chuckle, but he very wisely held back. Instead, he freed a hand to rub his wide palm up and down the line of her spine.
“Your mother did cry,” he said, remembering his meeting with them in his office before he’d crossed the hall to deal with his cousin and the board.
“But I’m pretty sure they were happy tears. She’s delighted to have a grandson, and can’t wait to see him. They’re eager to see you again, too, though your father did admit that if you’d shown up pregnant with my child, they probably would have been none too pleased. Realizing how they likely would have reacted to the news helped them to understand why you’ve stayed away these past months, I think.”
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Jessica raised her head and met his gaze. Her eyes were damp and worried.
“Do you really think so?”
He gave her a reassuring smile. “I do. Your parents are very nice people,” he added. “I liked them, and am looking forward to working with them if they agree to partner with Bajoran Designs again.”
The anxiety in her features seemed to fade as she reached up to stroke his cheek. “You’re something else, you know that?”
Alex quirked a brow. “In a good way or a bad way?”
“Oh, a very good way. I might even go so far as to say amazing, but I don’t want you to get an inflated opinion of yourself. Or more of one, at any rate,” she teased.
Then she sobered again. “I mean it, Alex. What you’ve done, all of it, it’s…wonderful. And you didn’t have to. You didn’t have to do any of it. I’d have told my parents everything eventually. And what happened between our families, with the company… It was so long ago, and you had nothing to do with it. You could have let it all go on just as it has been.”
“No,” he said with a sharp shake of his head and the beginning of a scowl, “I couldn’t. I don’t want either of us to go into this relationship with baggage.”
Jessica licked her lips, eyes darting to the side before returning to his.
“Relationship?” she asked in little more than a whisper.
“Yes.” His tone was low, serious. Because this was possibly the most serious, important conversation of his life.
“I meant what I said,” he continued, being sure to hold her gaze. “I want you to stay. Move in with me officially, as more than just a temporary guest. I’d really like to see if we can make this work. As a couple. As a family.”
For several tense seconds she didn’t respond. Except to blink, her thick lashes fluttering over wide eyes.
She was silent for so long, Alex nearly squirmed. Maybe this had been a bad idea. Maybe he was pushing for too much too soon.
As usual he’d forged ahead with his own plans, his own desires, expecting everyone and everything to fall into place just as he wanted it. After all, wasn’t that how it had been his entire life?
This was so much more important than anything else had ever been, though. And it wasn’t only about what he wanted—it was about what Jessica wanted, and what was best for both her and Henry.
His ideal would be for them to stay with him. He didn’t know if they were ready for forever just yet, but he certainly wouldn’t mind if they moved in that direction.
If Jessica wanted something different, however, if her ideal was something else entirely, then he would have to accept that. He would still be in Henry’s life, there was no doubt about that. And he didn’t think Jessica would ever try to keep him out of it.
When the near-static buzz of intense silence became oddly uncomfortable, Alex cleared his throat and made a concerted effort to loosen his grip on Jessica’s fingers. As romantic and sweeping as he’d hoped his actions and this gesture would be, it was a lot to digest. He couldn’t blame her for being wary and needing time to consider her options.
“It’s all right if you’re not ready for something like that,” he told her. He kept his tone even, devoid of the disappointment churning in his gut. “I shouldn’t have sprung everything on you quite so quickly. I understand if you need time to think it through. And maybe last night was just one of those things. It didn’t have to mean anything—”
The pads of two fingers pressed to his lips stopped him midsentence.
“It meant something,” she said, barely above a whisper. “And I don’t need time to decide anything. Yes—Henry and I would love to move in with you. Your house—mausoleum that it is—” she added with a grin “—is starting to feel like home already. I’m just…surprised you’re asking. I’m shocked by all of this,” she admitted, leaning slightly away from him and sweeping her arms out to encompass the waiting area and beyond.
Turning back to him, her eyes were warm, her expression open and inviting. It made his heart swell and his own blood heat to a healthy temperature as it pumped through his veins.
“But, Alex,” she began, her voice quietly controlled, “are you sure about this? You were so unconvinced of Henry’s paternity, so suspicious of me. I didn’t think you felt…that way about me.”
She wasn’t trying to make him feel like a heel, but he did. And if he’d ever needed confirmation that she was one of the most honest, genuine women he’d ever met—not a gold digger after his or his family’s fortune—her cautious pr
otests would have done it.
With a grin he felt straight to his bones, he brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed them gently. “Maybe I wasn’t convincing enough last night.”
“Oh, you were plenty convincing. But that’s just sex, Alex. What you’re talking about is…more. At least if you’re saying what I think you’re saying.”
“I am,” he told her. No hesitation, no mincing words. “It was definitely more than just sex between us. Last night and a year ago—I think you know that. From the moment we met,” he murmured, alternately brushing the tops of her fingers and the underside of her wrists, “there was something between us. I’m just asking now for a chance to make it work. To see if we have a future together.”
A short, shaky laugh rolled up from her throat. “I’d like that. More than you can imagine.”
Yanking her to her feet, he held her close and kissed her until they were both gasping for breath.
“I’d like to take you home right now and celebrate properly,” he told her, hands tangled in the hair at either side of her head while he cradled her face. “But your parents are still waiting in my office, no doubt growing more agitated by the minute. I know they’re eager to see you…not to mention meet their grandson for the first time.”
She inhaled deeply, then let the air slip from her lungs in a quavering sigh. “Will you come with us? I don’t want to do this alone.”
Rubbing his thumb along the full swell of her lower lip, he smiled gently. “You don’t ever have to be alone again.”
Epilogue
One Year Later…
The ballroom was brimming with guests dressed in tuxedos and designer gowns. Their voices were a loud din, interspersed by laughter and the clinking of glasses.
Beside her, Alex smiled and nodded as an associate droned on about his recent vacation in Milan, while the butterflies in Jessica’s stomach fluttered violently enough to break through and fly away.
She tried to pay attention, really she did. And her cheeks hurt from trying to keep such a pleasant smile on her face. Inside, though, she was shaking, her fingers cold and stiff around her flute of champagne.
Apparently noticing her silent distress, Alex wrapped up his conversation with the couple before them and took her elbow to lead her several feet away. There weren’t many quiet corners in the overflowing ballroom, but he managed to find one.
“You look like you’re going to pass out,” he remarked, clearly amused. His hands moved up and down her bare arms, rubbing warmth back into them along with a semblance of normalcy.
“Take a deep breath,” he commanded. “Now slow and easy. Relax. You’re the guest of honor tonight…you should be walking on air.”
She followed his instructions, tried to relax and was relieved to feel her pulse slow by at least a couple of beats per minute.
“What if they hate it? What if you lose money? What if they hate me and start hating Bajoran Designs? You know the rumor is that I trapped you for revenge, and blackmailed you into bringing my family back into the company.”
He had the nerve to chuckle, which earned him a less-than-ladylike scowl.
“Only a few very shallow, catty and jealous people think that. Everyone else—everyone who counts, at any rate—thinks you’re delightful and knows how lucky I am that you and your family gave me a second chance.”
Continuing in her downward spiral of unladylike behavior, she snorted with disbelief.
Alex lifted a hand to her face, brushing his knuckles lightly along one cheek and into her hair, which was currently loose around her shoulders, streaks of cotton-candy-pink spiraling through the otherwise blond curls.
Another bit of ammunition the gossips relished using against her, but she liked it and Alex claimed it was “hot.”
“It’s true,” he told her. “Just as it’s true that you’re magnificently talented, and your True Love Line is going to be hugely successful.”
Dropping her head to his chest, she inhaled the spicy masculine scent of his cologne and fought not to cry. “I just don’t want to embarrass you or make anyone at your company mad for taking a chance on me.”
Thumbs beneath her jawline, he raised her gaze to his. “First, you could never embarrass me. And second, it’s not my company. Not anymore. It’s our company, which means you have just as much say in what takes place there as I do. Besides, everyone at Bajoran Designs knows incredible natural talent when they see it. Giving you your own line was, as they say, a no-brainer.”
That brought a smile to her face, the first honest one of the evening.
“Your family is here,” Alex continued. “My family is here. Even Henry is here.”
He cast a glance over his shoulder to where their fifteen-month-old son—the only child in attendance—was perched on his grandmother’s hip in his adorable miniature tuxedo. He was starting to pull himself up and toddle around now, eager to learn to walk so he could become even more independent and keep up with the adults in his life. Until he managed that, however, he spent his time alternately napping, charming the world or getting into trouble as only a rambunctious toddler could.
But she and Alex both adored him more each day. Even the days they fell into bed utterly exhausted from chasing him around Alex’s sprawling estate.
She’d been surprised, actually, when Alex had insisted they bring the baby along tonight, despite the fact that it was well past Henry’s bedtime and they were inviting public crankiness by keeping him awake. But Alex had wanted—in his words—his “entire family” there for the debut of Jessica’s True Love Line. A gesture that had both touched her and filled her with added anxiety.
“All to show how proud they are and how much they support you.”
Chest finally beginning to loosen, she gave a peaceful sigh. “You’re better than a full body massage, do you know that?”
Alex made a low, contented sound at the back of his throat. “I’ll remind you that you said that—later, when we get home.”
Leaning into him, she let his warmth and love surround her, calm her, remind her why she’d been inspired to name her debut jewelry line True Love to begin with. The wisdom of that decision was only underscored when he pressed a kiss to her brow.
“At the risk of sending you into a near faint again,” he murmured against her skin, “I have one more thing I need to discuss with you before we unveil your designs.”
A shimmer of tension rolled through her, but nowhere near the level of moments before.
Reaching into his pocket, Alex drew out a small velvet jewelry box with the Bajoran Designs logo stamped on the outside.
“We’ve been together a year now. Living together, raising Henry, loving each other like a real family. And I, at least, think it’s working.”
Popping open the lid of the box, he held it out to her. Inside was the most beautiful, sparkling diamond engagement ring she’d ever seen. Her heart lurched and the air stuck in her lungs.
“So how about we make it official?” he asked. “I love you, Jessica. I have almost since the moment we met, even if I didn’t quite realize it. You getting pregnant with Henry that first night together was the greatest miracle of my life, because it brought you back to me when I might have lost you otherwise.”
Moisture prickled Jessica’s eyes as emotion filled her with a wave of unadulterated joy, tightening her chest.
“Oh, Alex,” she breathed. “I love you, too. And I’m so glad you saw Henry and me as a blessing rather than a burden.”
He tugged her close once again, framing her face with both hands, placing a hard kiss on her lips this time. When he spoke, he had to clear his throat, and even then his voice was rough and deeper than normal.
“The only burden you or Henry could ever cause me is making me hold this ring much longer. Will you marry me, Jessica? Be my wife, my lover, my partner both at home and at the office, and the mother of not just the child we already have, but any others who might come along?”
It was the easiest question
she’d ever had to answer.
“Oh, yes.” A tear slipped down her cheek, and she couldn’t have cared less that it might mar her perfectly applied makeup.
He took the ring from its nest of velvet and slipped it on her left hand. The stone, roughly the size of a dime, glittered in the light of the room. She turned her hand one way, then another, taking pleasure in every facet and detail that caught her eye.
“It’s beautiful, Alex, thank you.”
It was also huge and quite heavy. She would need a little red wagon to cart it around with her all day, every day.
“I designed it myself,” he told her, chuckling when she shot him a surprised look. “I may not be as talented as you, but I knew what I wanted. I also know what you like.”
Taking her hand, he slid the ring back off her finger. “I know you think it’s too big, too ostentatious, even though secretly, you adore how large and showy it is.”
Well, he had her there. Didn’t every woman want an engagement ring the size of a compact car to show off and use to impress their friends?
“Which is why it’s actually two rings that come together to form one.”
He wiggled things around with a little click, and suddenly he held a piece in each hand. They were both gorgeous and still quite remarkable, while also being a bit more manageable.
“You can choose which to wear on a regular basis, or switch back and forth, if you like. And when you want to flaunt your wealth or show off just how much your husband adores you, you can put them together and cause temporary blind spells everywhere you go.”
She laughed, amazed at his ingenuity and how much thought he’d put into it when he could have pulled any ring from the Bajoran Designs collection instead, and she wouldn’t have known the difference.
“I’m very impressed,” she admitted as he clicked the two bands into place and slipped all umpteen carats back on her finger.