The Oilman s Baby Bargain

by Michelle Celmer

  Lexi had never been so humiliated in her life.

  Her father had been right all along. Mitch didn’t love her. He “cared” for her, which she was pretty sure translated into caring about her father’s senatorial support. Just as her father had warned her.

  She could be a bitch about it and see that her father did everything in his power to crush them, but she just wasn’t the vindictive type. After all, it wasn’t Mitch’s fault that Lexi had fallen in love with him. She had done that herself, creating her own fantasy world. Mitch had told her time and time again that their marriage was just business, but she hadn’t listened.

  “You have to tell him the truth,” Tara said, handing her a steaming cup of tea. She took a seat in the armchair across from the couch where Lexi sat. “It’s his baby. He deserves to be a part of its life.”

  “I will tell him. Eventually.”

  “When? After the kid is out of college?”

  “After I get back on my feet, when I don’t need his help.” Which might be a while considering she had no job skills, no driver’s license and all she’d had the will to do the past four days was sit curled up on the couch in Tara’s condo, feeling sorry for herself.

  The prospect of supporting herself and the baby was beyond overwhelming, but she was determined to figure out a way.

  “He’s going to have to pay child support,” Tara said.

  She knew that was inevitable. He would insist, because that’s the kind of man he was. But she wasn’t ready to accept his help. Not yet. Although at this point, there was no way he would be anything but furious with her when he found out the baby was his, and he would be completely justified. She should have told him the truth that day he assumed the baby was Lance’s, whether he believed her or not. At least then she could say that she’d been honest. But she had procrastinated and put it off and painted herself into a tiny little corner that she had no hope of getting out of unscathed.

  When all was said and done, everything was her fault. She had made this mess, done this to herself, and she was the only one who could fix it.

  But right now, she just wasn’t ready.

  Mitch sat in his office, staring out the window, finding it impossible to concentrate on his work. Since Lexi had left him, he hadn’t been able to think straight. Hell, he’d barely been able to function. He just couldn’t stop thinking about her, missing her. He’d stripped his bed and pillows, even sprayed air freshener, but he could still smell her, still feel her presence in the room. He couldn’t drive his car without picturing her behind the wheel, so adorably nervous, but determined to learn. He couldn’t walk into the kitchen without remembering the night they had made love there.

  He had lost all interest in buying the house. Part of what had drawn him to it was her excitement, the thought of them being a family. Now there didn’t seem much point in leaving his townhouse, even though he was miserable whenever he was there.

  She had been indelibly ingrained in every part of his life, and he couldn’t help wondering if this feeling he was having, the crushing ache, the longing he felt every time he thought of her—which was pretty much all the time—meant he loved her.

  “Why don’t you just call her?”

  Mitch turned to find Lance standing in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. He sighed and asked, “Is it that obvious?”

  Lance grinned. “You look just like I felt when Kate left me. And trust me when I say, if she loves you, she’ll forgive whatever you did.”

  Lance was a good brother. He had always been there to protect Mitch, had always taken care of him and supported him no matter what. He owed him the truth. He’d already waited too long. “Come in, and close the door.”

  Lance did as he asked. “What’s going on?”

  “Lexi is pregnant,” he said.

  Lance laughed. “Already? You two sure didn’t waste any time.”

  “It’s not what you think. The baby…it’s not mine.”

  He frowned. “What do you mean, it’s not yours?”

  “She’s more than three months.”

  “Three months? That would mean she got pregnant…” He trailed off, so Mitch finished the sentence for him.

  “Right around the time you two were engaged.”

  He shook his head in disbelief. “Son of a bitch. All that time I felt so guilty for going behind her back with Kate, and she was cheating on me?”

  His brother could not be that dense. “She wasn’t cheating on you, you idiot. The baby is yours.”

  Instead of looking shocked or humbled, or even angry, Lance laughed and said, “No, it isn’t.”

  He must have been in some serious denial. “Yes, Lance. It is. She told me herself.”

  “Then she was lying.”

  “How can you know that for sure?”

  “Easy. Because I never slept with her.”

  “What?”

  “I only kissed her once and believe me when I say that it wasn’t all that red hot for either of us.”

  “Then why, on my honeymoon, did you tell me that if I slept with her it wouldn’t be a disappointment?”

  He shrugged. “A guess. It wasn’t, was it?”

  “Of course not, but…” This didn’t make any sense. “Why would she tell me it was you if…?” Realization hit him with a force that knocked the breath from his lungs. “Oh, shit.”

  He must have gone white as death, because Lance asked, “Jesus, Mitch, what’s wrong?”

  How could he have been so stupid? “I’m an ass, that’s what’s wrong.”

  “I’m sorry, but you’ve completely lost me.”

  Despite what he’d believed at first, he knew without a doubt that Lexi hadn’t been capable of hopping from Mitch’s bed to Lance’s. And that could only mean one thing.

  “It’s mine,” he said, and at his brother’s confused look added, “The baby. Lexi is having my baby.”

  “Then why did she tell you it was mine?”

  “She didn’t. When she told me she was pregnant, I just assumed it was yours.”

  Lance looked more confused than ever. “I thought you said she was three months. How could it be yours?”

  Mitch dropped his head in his hands. He had no choice but to tell Lance the truth. He looked up at his big brother. His protector. “There’s something I have to tell you. Something I should have told you months ago.”

  “What?” Lance asked.

  “Remember that week I spent with Lexi on your behalf?”

  Lance nodded. “Of course.”

  “That last night, before you proposed, we…I slept with her.” Mitch waited for the impending explosion.

  “I’m not an idiot,” Lance said calmly. “I saw the way you two acted after the D.C. trip. I kind of figured something happened.”

  Mitch couldn’t believe that Lance knew, or at least suspected, this entire time. “You’re not mad?”

  “It wasn’t a real engagement.”

  “But you’re my brother. You were going to marry her.”

  “But I didn’t. If it would make you feel better, I could punch you again. Although it looks like you’re doing a pretty fair job of beating yourself up.”

  “I deserve worse, believe me.”

  “Let me get this straight. She told you she was pregnant, and you just automatically assumed it was mine?”

  He nodded.

  “So, what you were saying to her was that you believed she slept with you, then turned around and hopped in the sack with your brother?”

  Mitch pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, pretty much.” Lexi must have been furious. Not to mention humiliated.

  “Why didn’t she just tell you the truth?”

  “She probably thought I wouldn’t believe her.”

  “Would you have believed her?”

  “Probably not.”

  “I hate to say this, Mitch, but you are an ass.”

  He wanted to be furious with Lexi for not telling him the truth, for lying by omission, but the on
ly person he could muster any anger for was himself. All of this, this entire jumbled-up mess, was his fault. Yes, Lexi had lied about using him, but he had spent a week wining and dining her, and yes, seducing her, only to turn around and say it was a mistake. Could he really blame her for being hurt and lashing out? If he had known her better then, he would have realized she wasn’t capable of what she’d claimed. She would never use anyone.

  Ironically, if he had been honest with his brother from the start, he would have learned the truth and they could have avoided this entire mess.

  “What I still don’t get is how she got pregnant,” Mitch said.

  His brother smirked. “You don’t really need me to explain that to you, do you, Mitch?”

  Mitch sighed. “I know how, I’m just not sure when it could have happened. We were careful.”

  Lance shrugged. “Birth control has been known to fail.”

  “I think…I think I love her.”

  “You think?”

  No. He knew he loved her. It was the only explanation for how miserable he was without her. He rose from his chair. “I have to go see her.”

  “It’s about time.”

  Mitch grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. Then he remembered there was a slight hitch to his plan. He had no idea where she was.

  Lance must have read his mind because he said, “She’s staying at her assistant’s condo.” Mitch looked confused. “Wives are an excellent source of information.”

  Hopefully, Mitch would be finding that out for himself. He was going to ask Lexi to marry him, and this time they were going to do it right.

  Fourteen

  T he doorbell rang, and since Lexi was home alone and not expecting anyone, she peered out the front window to see who was standing on the porch. Her breath caught and her heart started to hammer a million miles an hour when she saw that it was Mitch.

  What could he possibly want?

  He must have come right from work because he was wearing a suit. He glanced her way and though she dropped the curtain, she wasn’t fast enough. He saw her.

  Damn it!

  He knocked on the door and called, “Come on, Lexi, I need to talk to you.”

  She was going to shout back that everything they needed to say had been said, but it was a lie. Instead, she unlocked the door and pulled it open. “What?”

  “I finally figured it out.”

  “Figured what out?” she asked, stepping aside so he could come in.

  “When it happened.”

  She shut the door and turned to him. “When what happened?”

  “When you got pregnant.”

  His words nearly stopped her heart. She hoped he didn’t mean what she thought he meant. “W-when?”

  “The third time, in the middle of the night. For a few minutes we didn’t use a condom. Am I right?”

  Stunned, she asked, “How did you…?”

  “I figured it was time to tell my brother the truth. Imagine his surprise when he found out that he was having a child with a woman he never slept with.”

  She chewed her lip. “I never actually said—”

  “That you slept with him. I know.”

  “I was going to tell you—”

  “But you didn’t trust me,” he finished for her. “I get it. I was an ass.”

  Huh? What was he saying? “You’re not angry?” Lexi asked.

  “How can I be angry at you when this entire mess is my fault?”

  What? This was her fault. “This whole thing started because I lied and said I used you.”

  “Lexi, this whole thing started because I told you we made a mistake, because I didn’t want to admit that I was falling in love with you.”

  He loved her?

  No, of course he didn’t. She knew exactly what this was. Now that he knew about the baby, he wanted them to be together. Or maybe he was worried that he and Lance would lose the senator’s support. Either way, it was obvious he would say anything to get his way, even if that meant lying about loving her.

  “Aren’t you going to say anything?” he asked.

  “Like what?”

  “Hell, I don’t know, maybe something like, you love me, too?”

  “I won’t stay with you just for the baby’s sake.”

  “I don’t recall asking you to. This is entirely selfish. I want you to stay with me for my sake. Because I love you.”

  “If you’re worried about losing my father’s support, I’ll see to it that you don’t.”

  “This has nothing to do with that. As far as I’m concerned, he can take his support and shove it where the sun don’t shine.”

  “I don’t believe you. It’s the only reason you married me.”

  “Maybe it was,” he admitted. “But it’s not why I want to marry you now.”

  “We’re already married.”

  “I know, but I was thinking that it would be nice if we had a big wedding, did it right.”

  “No. What would be nice is a neat and tidy divorce.”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “You still honestly think I’m doing this for your father’s support?”

  “Among other things.”

  “You don’t believe I love you?”

  She shook her head.

  “Okay,” he said. “I guess I’m just going to have to prove it to you.”

  Good luck with that.

  He pulled out his cell phone, dialed a number and put it on speaker.

  “Who are you calling?” she asked. If she wouldn’t believe him, did he think she would believe someone else?

  “Senator Cavanaugh’s office,” she heard her father’s secretary say.

  “It’s Mitch Brody, could I speak with the senator? It’s urgent.”

  “One moment, Mr. Brody.” She put him on hold.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “They say actions speak louder than words.”

  Oh, no. He wouldn’t.

  Her father came on the line, his tone exasperated. “What do you want, Brody?”

  “Hello, Senator, I just wanted to tell you to take you support and sh—”

  “Mitch!” she screeched. She snatched the phone away from him and snapped it shut. “Are you crazy?”

  “No. I love you.”

  His phone immediately began to ring, but Lexi ignored it. “Why would you do that?”

  “How many times are you going to make me say it? It isn’t about the baby, and it’s not about the senator. You could be carrying the postman’s baby and I would still love you. And my business, my life, means nothing if you aren’t in it.”

  Would he say all that if he didn’t really mean it? If he didn’t love her?

  “You love me?” she asked.

  “Yes, you. You know, we really have to work on this self-esteem issue you have.”

  She bit her lip and nodded, afraid that if she said anything, she would burst into tears. Mitch must have realized, because he pulled her into his arms and held her. She could hardly believe it was real—that after everything they had been through, this was actually going to work out.

  “You know, you could say it, too,” he said.

  She smiled up at him. “I love you, Mitch. I’ve known since that week in D.C. that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  He gazed at her, his eyes so full of love and affection she had to swallow back a sob. He caressed her cheek and said, “I can hardly wait for us to be a family.”

  Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and he brushed them away with his thoughts.

  “Those better be happy tears,” he said.

  She grinned up at him. “Absolutely.”

  He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. “We had kind of a bumpy start, I guess.”

  “A little,” she said, but she knew that from now, it would only get better.

  Special thanks and acknowledgment to Michelle Celmer

  for her contribution to the Texas Cattleman’s Club:

  Mav
erick County Millionaires miniseries.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-4098-2

  THE OILMAN’S BABY BARGAIN

  Copyright © 2009 by Harlequin Books S.A.

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