His Billion Dollar Baby

by Lea Nolan

  Emerson slapped the magazine on the dinette table in disgust. “I don’t know what’s gotten into those gossip photographers but I’m going to write a letter of complaint. Someone’s got to intervene.”

  Oh, God. Her imagination worked overtime. It was the volleyball team. Or worse, the volleyball team and the Washington Redskins cheerleaders. At the same time.

  Why should she be surprised? They were talking about Carter Anderson, Mr. Casual Relationship. Clearly she wasn’t his type so why would he bother? After wrenching himself out of her arms, Carter had probably sought refuge with a bevy of women.

  Gwen groaned and took a seat across from him. “How bad is it? Seriously, I can take it. Who’s he with now?” Eyeing the magazine, she was afraid to pick it up and see for herself.

  Emerson huffed. “That’s the problem. I have no idea. There aren’t any pictures of him.”

  A wave of relief washed over her. “Seriously? Not one?” she asked, a little too hopefully, and reached for the glossy monthly.

  “Nope. Not even in a business suit. You know how much I love the tuxedo shots, but at this point, I’d settle for a polo shirt at a Wizards game.” He crossed his muscular, physical therapist arms. “This is the second Carter-free edition in a row. How are we supposed to stalk him from afar if we can’t view him in his natural habitat? I need to see who’s taken your place.”

  Emerson might as well have twisted a knife in her increasingly pregnant gut. After all her protestations to the contrary over the past couple months, she’d stupidly made the mistake of telling him about her weekends with Carter, the work sessions and dinner, their passionate kiss, and the awful way it ended. Emerson was her best friend, but that hadn’t made it easier to swallow her pride and admit she’d fallen for Carter. She hadn’t meant to, of course, but Emerson had sensed something was up the moment she walked into work two Mondays ago. After being needled for nearly an entire day, she caved, spilling every last detail. Like the true, supportive friend he was, Emerson glazed over all the wonderful parts—the way Carter’s dark blue eyes shone in the light, his sense of humor, and artistic soul—and commiserated on the horrible way their evening had ended.

  “I don’t know why he’s not in here.” She flipped the pages and said a silent prayer of thanks that his gorgeous face wasn’t among them. Although it had only been a few weeks, she still wasn’t ready to see him with someone else, especially now that she realized how much she wanted him herself. “Maybe he’s gotten good at avoiding the paparazzi.”

  Emerson scoffed. “No way. They cover every major event in D.C. They couldn’t have missed him.” He rubbed his chin for a moment. Then his eyes lit up. “Maybe there’s another reason there aren’t any pictures.”

  Looking up from a splashy article on the latest Kennedy Center gala, a benefit to raise money for cancer prevention, her brow creased. “What would that be?”

  “Maybe he hasn’t gone out. Maybe he’s too broken up by your little tiff to see anyone else right now.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. He ran screaming for the door after we kissed.”

  “Actually, I thought you said that was you.” He smirked.

  Gwen narrowed her gaze. “It doesn’t matter who it was. The bottom line is, he’s the one who pulled away and then disappeared. He’s been avoiding me like I’m Kryptonite, only visiting his dad occasionally in the morning after I’ve gone to work.”

  At that moment, Kelley, the new receptionist, buzzed the break room intercom loudspeaker. “Gwen, there’s someone to see you at the front desk.”

  “I thought your patients were gone for the morning,” Emerson said.

  “They are. I don’t have another appointment until two o’clock.”

  Emerson sighed as he stood to press the intercom button. “Kelley, can you deal with whatever it is they want? Gwen and I are in the middle of a very important consultation.”

  “Okay,” Kelley’s voice came back shaky and uncertain. She still hadn’t learned the ropes of the office. Intimidated by Emerson, she still thought she had to do whatever he asked.

  Gwen’s jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you. Nice customer service.”

  He shrugged. “What? I’m starving and I don’t want to eat without you.”

  A second later, Kelley was back on the line. “Um, Gwen, I’m supposed to say it’s a Mr. Anderson and it’s important.”

  Emerson’s eyes popped. “Oh my God, get your ass out there and introduce me!”

  Gwen shook her head as she rose to her feet. “Relax, lover boy. I’m sure it’s his dad. I told Rocky’s nurse to bring him by if he was feeling up to it.” She wanted to see how he would manage with a small ankle weight.

  Waving her off, Emerson punched the intercom button. “Is he an old Mr. Anderson or a young Mr. Anderson?”

  “Uh…well.” Kelley was nineteen and fresh out of high school. Evidently “old” was a relative term.

  Gwen laughed. “Enjoy your lunch.” She left the break room and headed down the hall.

  Rounding the corner, she stopped short.

  Carter Anderson stood waiting for her, a shoebox in hand.

  “H-hi,” she stammered, trying to make her brain understand the image that was before her. Her eyes saw him, but it was difficult to believe he was actually here.

  “Hi.” His voice was breathy. A sheepish grin turned up the corner of his mouth.

  Ugh, she hated how sexy it made him. And how much it made her want to dash into his arms and kiss the rest of his mouth. Fat chance she’d get to do that again. He’d made it all too clear he wasn’t interested.

  He looked apprehensive, as if he worried she might turn her back on him and walk away. “I brought you something.” He extended the box toward her. “I hope you don’t mind. I was so excited, I drove over the minute it arrived.”

  Whatever it was, she didn’t want to do this out in the open, in front of Kelley and Emerson, who was probably looming nearby, trying to look inconspicuous. She hadn’t spoken with Carter for more than two weeks. There was no telling how this might end.

  She cleared her throat. “Why don’t we go somewhere more private, like one of the treatment rooms?”

  He nodded. “Okay.”

  They headed down the hall from the reception area. Rounding the corner, they bumped into Emerson. What a surprise.

  Gwen hitched her brow. “Fancy meeting you here. I thought you were at lunch.”

  Star struck, Emerson shook his head. “Oh no, not me. I never eat lunch. Just breakfast and dinner. Can’t eat too much,” he babbled as his gaze wandered the length of Carter’s perfect, athletic frame. “It’s important to keep in shape. And toned. Fit. Hard—”

  She jumped in to save him further humiliation. And before he licked his lips. “Carter, this is my friend, Emerson Cordry. He’s one of the physical therapists here.”

  Carter smiled as he extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Your job must be very rewarding.”

  Emerson beamed. “It is. Definitely. Especially today.”

  “Oh really?” Carter asked. “Did you have a big breakthrough with one of your patients?”

  Gwen didn’t want to hear Emerson’s response. Given how much he was blathering, there was no telling what he might characterize as “big” to try and impress Carter. “Uh, we’ve got to go. Carter’s got something to show me.” She looped her arm through his and maneuvered him down the hall.

  “Just holler if you want me to see it, too,” Emerson called.

  Gwen couldn’t help but laugh. “No thanks,” she called over her shoulder.

  They walked to the traction room where she shut the door. “Believe me, this is as much for your protection as mine. Emerson has a tendency to loom.”

  “I understand. Though, he seems nice.” He couldn’t look more attractive if he tried. Damn.

  She smiled. “He is. He’s my best friend.”

  Carter’s lips turned up in a sad smile. “I’m glad. It’s important to h
ave people you can rely on.” He placed the box on the treatment table and ran his hand over the top. “So.”

  Glancing at it, she turned her gaze on him instead. “So.” She hitched one eyebrow. “It’s been a while. I wasn’t even sure you were still living at River View.” She leaned her hip against the table. As much as she wanted to know what was inside, she wasn’t going to make this easy on him. He couldn’t just kiss her, then disappear and expect everything to go back to normal.

  Nodding, he avoided her gaze. “Yes, I’ve been quite busy. There’s a lot of work to do to launch the Walk It—that’s what we’re calling the shoe, by the way. I’ve been swamped getting approval for the test trials, preparing the patent applications, that sort of thing. It’s kept me out late.”

  Ah, so that explained why he hadn’t been gracing the Washingtonian’s society pages. Crossing her arms, she said, “That must be difficult. I’m sure you’ve missed out on a lot of parties.”

  “It’s easier than you might think.” His voice was soft as his eyes lifted to hers.

  “Maybe for you, but what about those poor Washington socialites? I bet they’re in serious withdrawal.”

  For a split second Carter almost looked hurt, but then he recovered, affixing his typical mask of calm control. “I’m sure they’ve gotten over it. I’m afraid I’m not the best company these days.”

  The admission hung in the air, reverberating like a bell. She could pounce, agree with his assessment, then dredge up their encounter and how miserable it had left her. Or, she could let it lay, knowing his self-condemnation spoke for itself. In the end she went with a peace offering of sorts, determined to prove she was the bigger person. “Well, for what it’s worth, the house has been too quiet without you around. Your mother misses you.”

  “Is she the only one?”

  “Your dad does, too,” she answered, deliberately omitting how anxious she’d been for his return. Not that he actually cared about her feelings, or how much his absence from River View and her life had impacted her. “You should see how far he’s come. It’s remarkable.”

  Drawing a deep breath, he nodded. “I’ll see what I can do, then. I wouldn’t want to let them down.”

  Of course not. His parents were one thing. She on the other hand, was another. A surprising emptiness filled Gwen’s chest. Their kiss was obviously as meaningless to him as she’d feared. She’d been so stupid to believe the amorous look in his eyes was anything more than misplaced lust. Squelching the sick sensation rumbling in her gut, she forced her attention toward the box. “So what’s in it? It’s smaller than a bread box so I’m guessing it’s not a loaf of pumpernickel.” She forced a laugh.

  “Ah, yes the box.” He looked relieved at the new subject. “I thought you’d want to see this right away.” Carter lifted the lid and pulled away the white tissue paper to reveal a brand new pair of shoes.

  She gasped. “Oh my gosh, is that what I think it is?” His face broke out into a large grin. A thick layer of hurt and anger slipped off her shoulders. Funny how something as simple as a shoe and Carter’s smile could do that.

  Gwen grabbed the Walk Its and examined them from all sides. They were exactly as she’d imagined, but now they were real. And even better, they didn’t look like Frankenstein orthopedic shoes. Carter had added black and red leather accents to the white shoes, along with the Work It Gear barbell logo to make them sporty.

  “The factory churned out the prototypes in record time. I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out.”

  “Me, either.” She marveled as she turned them over and inspected the unique base. If these worked as well as the biometric computer tests suggested, they’d change wounded veterans’ lives.

  “The rest of the prototypes will be delivered by tomorrow morning,” Carter said. “We’ve got fifty pairs in varying sizes. It should be enough to begin the tests.”

  “But I thought the hospital’s Institutional Review Board hadn’t met to evaluate the proposal. I figured it would take months to get it approved.”

  He smiled. “It helps to have friends in high places. And money to fund research grants. Rear Admiral Johnson and I go way back,” he said, referring to the head of the Joint Task Force that oversaw Walter Reed’s operations. “We’ve shared more rubber chicken dinners than I can count, many of them at his wife’s charity events. Let’s just say he owed me. The Board completed an expedited review yesterday. You’ve got the green light to start taking baseline measurements with regular sneakers, then with the soldiers wearing our Walk Its.”

  The word “our” sounded nice. It felt good to be included in his thoughts, even if they were only about shoes.

  “Great. I’ll start asking for volunteers tomorrow.” Gwen smiled as she placed the shoe next to its mate in the box. “This is so exciting.”

  “There’s something else.” His voice was serious, and maybe even a little solemn.

  Ugh, now what? Bracing for the worse, she winced as she looked into his ocean blue eyes. “What?”

  “That patent application I mentioned? You’ll need to sign it.”

  That wasn’t what she expected. Her brow crinkled. “Why?”

  Grinning, he answered, “You’re the co-inventor. It’s required.”

  Her jaw opened then shut. “Really? Are you sure?”

  He chuckled. “Of course, I am. It was your idea in the first place.”

  “But I didn’t do this myself, you were just as much a part of the design process.”

  “That’s why we’re listed at co-inventors. Trust me, this product will be far too profitable to cede my rights entirely. My fifty percent will be more than adequate.”

  A shiver shot up her spine. She hadn’t realized it before, but it was a lucrative idea. One that could make Work It Gear a lot of money, not to mention the goodwill it would engender among those who’d lost their lower limbs.

  Prickling suspicion crept across her skin. Was this a test? Was Carter looking to see if she’d jump at the bait to lay claim to a piece of the Anderson’s fortune?

  She shook her head. “You know what, I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think I’m comfortable with that.”

  His face fell. “Why? You deserve this more than anyone. If you hadn’t spoken up that night in my father’s study, this shoe wouldn’t exist.”

  “That might be true, but I didn’t do it for the money. I saw a potential to help people and said something.”

  He shut the lid on the box and was silent for a long moment. “This is about all those things I said when we first met, isn’t it?” His words were quiet and contrite.

  The memory of his sharp barbs sped back, piercing her once again. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Her throat was tight as she turned away, suddenly aware of how stifling it was in the small, windowless room.

  “Hey.” He reached out, grasping her shoulder. “Don’t go. This didn’t go the way I’d planned. I meant this to be something good. I wanted to make you happy.”

  Turning toward him, she set her jaw. “Really? How could dangling Anderson money make me happy? I’ve already made it clear I don’t want it.”

  He sighed. “It’s not about dangling anything, it’s about giving credit where it’s due.” He laid his hand on the shoebox. “You said you wanted to earn something of your own, for yourself and for the baby. If this isn’t an accomplishment, I don’t know what is.”

  He was right. She deserved to be listed as an inventor. And if the shoes were half as successful as Carter seemed to think, Gwen would be able to leave her baby a legacy of her own. Back at the Home for Girls, she never could have imagined such success. It was a dream come true.

  “So, we’d be partners?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Work It Gear would own the license, but yes, we’d split the royalties fifty-fifty.”

  She rubbed her chin, calculating the pros and cons. The pros were winning.

  “So what do you say? Can I draw up the papers?”

  “Yes.”
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br />   “Great. Now I’m hungry. Let’s go visit Ari the Falafel Guy.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  On Saturday morning, Judith set her coffee cup down on its saucer. “I think it’s time we do a little shopping.”

  Gwen looked up from her pancakes. “For what?” She knew her wardrobe was limited, but yoga pants were working fine so far.

  “Baby things, of course. You do realize you’re six months along and you don’t have a single item for my grandchild? It’s approaching critical.”

  She’d been so busy, first with work and treating Rocky, then designing and testing the Walk It shoe that she hadn’t had a second to think about shopping, much less go. Gwen rested her fork on her plate. “I guess you’re right. But do we really have to go shopping? Can’t I just order some stuff online and have it delivered?”

  Judith looked at her like she’d uttered the vilest of curse words. “Online shopping?”

  Gwen chuckled. “Well, yeah. It’s not like we need all that much. It would be so much easier.” As a former foster child she’d seen babies get along fine with little more than a dresser drawer for a bed, some diapers, and a few packages of onesies.

  Sighing, Judith laid her hand against her head. “This is exactly why I wanted to throw you a shower. Other mothers know what babies require. Please let me do this for you.”

  “I hate being the center of attention.” It was her standard excuse but it wasn’t the truth. The real reason she’d forbidden a baby shower was because she didn’t have any girlfriends or female family members to invite and would feel uncomfortable being gawked at by Judith’s relations and society friends. Having Ben’s baby without being his wife was one thing, rubbing it in the face of Washington, D.C.’s elite was quite another.

  “Very well, you’ve left me no choice but to hold an emergency intervention. Clear your schedule for today, we’re going out.”

  An hour later, the town car pulled up in front of Lambykins Boutique, Potomac’s ultimate source for chic baby couture. The shop was exquisitely decorated with large murals of famous children’s book characters, oversized tufted furniture, and the wide bay windows were framed with toile draperies. Baby oil and powder scents filled the air. This was probably the fanciest shop Gwen had ever been in.