This Baby Business

by Heatherly Bell

  Showed maybe she’d grown up at last.

  She checked her email one last time for the day and answered a few customer questions about her latest blog post on the molded baby chair. Her mind went briefly to that place of fear and doubt whenever she contemplated what could have happened to Grace that day.

  The good news was that she’d accomplished her main goal today. Mrs. Lane had dropped Grace off the previous afternoon with nothing but compliments on what a great baby she’d been. Carly had phoned Mr. Lane to talk to him, only to find out that Mrs. Lane had beaten her to it. And, yes! They were going to try to make their marriage work. Poor Mr. Lane had agreed to get help for his depression, and Mrs. Lane was determined to hang in there now that he’d come to that realization.

  Now all I have to do is figure out what I’m going to do with the rest of my life.

  “I guess I’ll start by having dinner.”

  Baby steps, one at a time, and she’d figure it out sooner rather than later. She was already on her way with her new designs.

  She had her hand on the doorknob when her phone rang. Kirk again.

  “Hey, how’s Dad? Is everything okay?”

  “Great. PT efforts are looking up big-time since he talked to your friend.”

  “My friend?”

  “You know, Eric, the guy with the titanium hip. I don’t have to tell you how patriotic our father is. One word out of this guy is PT gold. The fact that he has the same titanium hip? I haven’t seen Dad this fired up in months.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “He said Levi asked him to call.”

  Levi. She’d told him about her father’s hip, and he’d mentioned someone who’d been through a difficult recovery. This had to be the guy. “Let me talk to Dad.”

  “Hang on.” She could hear sounds in the background as Kirk told their father she was on the line and handed him the phone.

  “Hello, sweetheart,” Dad said. “Listen, the doctor says I’m doing better. Finally manned up and I’m getting this hip in shape.”

  “Did Levi call you?”

  “His friend did, but thank Levi for me. Calls me every day, the persistent guy. It’s the shot to the ass that I needed. Eric was right. I’ve worked hard all my life for other people. I’m doing this one for me. As soon as I reach the next milestone, I’ll come back home to Fortune.”

  “That’s good news! I knew you could do this.”

  “I’m sorry I put you through it, honey. You shouldn’t have been worrying about me after your mother died. And trying to sell the baby business. Now that you sold the business, and I’m no longer a worry, there’s only one thing left for you to do.”

  Carly knew the next words were coming.

  “You need to go back to New York and finish. I want you to do it for me.”

  “Dad—”

  “Look, until you go back there and figure out what went wrong, you won’t be able to move on.”

  But I know what went wrong, and it wasn’t my fault.

  “Go try again. You were almost done, and it’s a crime not to finish. I don’t want you to give up. That’s what I did. Maybe we were both stuck for a while. But I’m coming out with my big guns today—your mother would have wanted this for you.”

  Too bad Carly had never told either of her parents the truth about why she’d come home with her tail between her legs, but it didn’t matter anymore. Alec couldn’t hurt, intimidate or stop her. Only her doubts could stop her now. And she was so ready to be done with her past determining her future.

  Dad continued, “I’m sorry you had to run the baby business for Mom, when it should have been me. You should have been doing your own thing. But now that you’re free, I think we both know where your heart is.”

  “I’ve already decided. I just haven’t officially told anyone yet. I’m going back.”

  Ironically, Levi had given her the strength to face her fears. Her body now thrummed with excitement and not anxiety about the future.

  But if she thought her life was complicated before, she’d now fallen head over heels for a man who had a big and open heart. He’d tried to help not only her, but her father, too. He cared more than he’d ever let on. More than he’d ever let her see. It might not have been spoken in words, but it was certainly in his actions. And he, of all people, would understand if she had to do this. She had to be honest with him, and soon.

  Carly swallowed hard. Her heart rate had kicked up, her legs felt numb and she bit at the quick of her fingernail. She’d tell Levi tonight, and he’d understand. They could work it out—it didn’t mean that this...thing between them had to end.

  She didn’t want it to end.

  She’d find Grace the best babysitter she could from the most reputable agency in the state. Just temporarily, of course. Levi could visit her in New York. He was a pilot and would probably love the idea. It would be hardest on her. She’d miss both of them, but she wouldn’t be gone forever. She’d be able to renew some of her contacts in the industry, work on her portfolio of baby clothing designs, meet with Jenny and the Cutting Edge in person, and figure out her next career moves.

  Carly hung up, then ran across her shared lawn with Levi. She let herself in the front door and found him standing in the kitchen.

  He held up two soup cans. “She’s asleep, but the bad news is that all I have is chicken noodle soup. I’m thinking we need options.”

  She didn’t speak, just stared at him in all his gorgeous male glory. He’d changed into jeans and a long-sleeved gray T-shirt. His hair was now officially on the wrong side of a haircut, his eyes deep and so blue. And she loved him so much her pulse kicked up just being in his presence.

  “What?” He set down the cans and slid her a slow grin.

  She launched her body into his arms, and he easily caught her, his hands dropping to grip her hips. Her legs wrapped around his back and pressed into the warm strength of him.

  “Thank you,” she whispered into the strong curve of his neck.

  He smelled so good. Ten percent soap, one percent baby powder and one hundred percent man. Okay, so she couldn’t do math when it came to him. Maybe because he was larger than the sum of his parts.

  “I don’t know what I did, but you’re welcome. Tell me what it was and I’ll do it again.” One hand tightened on her hip and the other wrapped around the nape of her neck.

  She kissed his neck, then moved to draw his earlobe into her mouth and felt his entire body tighten like a cord. “Your friend talked to my father because you asked him to.”

  “It was nothing. The least I could do.”

  “It isn’t,” she said fiercely. “It isn’t the least of anything.”

  His hand tugged on a handful of her hair and pulled her back enough for him to gaze into her eyes. “I’d do anything for you.”

  Those words filled her soul. She’d never had a man like him. Never had a man who had her back like Levi did, who looked out for her. Who selflessly cared for her needs. Her wants. Her desires.

  “Anything?” she teased him, her fingers circling his tight biceps.

  His piercing gaze never left hers. “You heard me.”

  “You don’t know. I could go crazy with that kind of power.”

  “Long as you go crazy on me.”

  His eyes softened from the earlier hot gaze and were smiling, too, and right there and then, she caught it. Something in his eyes other than pure and unbridled heat and lust. A tenderness that had her slipping and falling even deeper into him. It was going to be even tougher to leave him now, even for just a little while. And it wasn’t fair because she probably still felt a whole lot more than he did.

  But life wasn’t always fair. She’d learned to live with that.

  “I want you to kiss me. Hard. Did I ever me
ntion you’re the world’s best kisser?”

  “Don’t make it too easy for me. Make me prove it every night.”

  Her lips parted, and his tongue caressed hers, first tenderly, then not so tenderly. The kiss went hot and wild. Her fingers threaded through his hair, then her hands were everywhere she could manage to reach on him. He walked them to the couch and plopped down with her straddling his lap.

  “Levi.” She broke off the kiss, wondering whether or not this would be a good time to mention her other news.

  “Yeah.” His lips got busy teasing her earlobe; his talented hands were busy under her sweater, softly caressing her stomach and settling at the small of her back.

  No, she’d tell him tomorrow. Tomorrow she’d think of the perfect way to explain. And he’d understand. She knew he would. He’d have her back, no matter what.

  “We can eat dinner later.”

  “Much later.” His fingers drifted up and down her back and skimmed her skin. She shivered at his touch.

  She pulled off her top, enjoying the way his eyes took in her shiny new demi bra. A good investment, judging by the approving glint in his gaze.

  But there was one thing she would tell him tonight, and not hold back. He needed to know, and it might make it easier for him to understand all the rest. The strength she’d gained in the past few weeks had come partly from loving him. From allowing herself to fully open up her heart. From taking a risk simply because only he made that so...safe.

  Hands on her ass, he lifted her and settled her on the couch. He pulled his shirt off, never taking his eyes off her. Then he knelt beside her and kissed from the throbbing pulse at her throat down to her shoulders, pulling the bra strap off with his teeth. His warm, wet openmouthed kisses continued in a line down her chest to her belly button. He licked there, making her moan and grind against him.

  Words had never come easily for her. She’d fought for most of her life to understand the words on a page, to memorize them, to carry them in her heart. So when she wrote words down, when she said them out loud, they were particularly meaningful for her.

  “I love you, Levi,” she said, knowing she meant it for the first time in her life with a man.

  He glanced up at her with a smile that told her she’d just given him the world, then proceeded to drive her clear out of her ever-loving mind.

  It was hours before either one of them thought about dinner, and by then all the take-out places were closed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  WHEN LEVI WOKE early the next morning, it was with a hope for the future he hadn’t thought he’d ever have again. Next to him, Carly’s legs and arms were a tangled mess with his. He no longer had any feeling in his left arm, but he didn’t much care. Grace was awake in her crib but, by a small miracle, not crying. The monitor showed her simply babbling, grabbing on to the rails of her crib and attempting to pull herself to a standing position. Well, crap, that was going to happen any day now.

  This had happened, too. Love.

  He’d fallen stinking in love. Like a silly teenager. That was the way Carly made him feel, too, like he’d do anything to have her. Steal a car, rob a liquor store, drive a minivan. He gently removed his numb arm from under a sound-asleep Carly. With his other hand, he let his fingers glide down her bare back. She didn’t move.

  He let her sleep, knowing she’d get up when she smelled the coffee brewing and closer to the time he had to leave for the airport. Grace squealed in excitement when he opened the door to her bedroom and lifted her out of the crib.

  “Hey, baby girl.” He changed her diaper and dressed her.

  “Dada,” she said, and he felt sure this time she meant him.

  He carried Grace into the laundry room to say good morning to Digger. The dog was still stuck on the idea that this little spot was his home. Once, Levi had put Digger’s dog pillow in the living room, thinking he should join the family and stop being a hermit. With his small teeth, Digger had tugged it back into the laundry room.

  “Arf!” Digger rolled over, showing off his soft underbelly, shameless when he wanted to be fed.

  Levi fed Digger, let him outside to do his business, then headed to the kitchen with Grace. He was due at the airport a little later than normal this morning, so he planned to make Carly a big breakfast. After settling Grace in her high chair, he started the coffee brewing and found the bacon and eggs in the fridge. Once the bacon starting sizzling in the pan, he knew Carly would come staggering out of his bedroom seconds later, hair sticking up in four directions.

  Personally, he’d grown to love that look on her.

  His phone buzzed with a text, and he reached for it. It didn’t take him long to realize he’d reached for Carly’s phone. Or maybe it took too long, because the text message from her father scrolled across the screen before he recognized his mistake.

  Let me know the exact date you’re heading back to New York City. I’ll buy your airline ticket. I’m excited for you.

  Levi stared at the words, not computing. When had she decided to leave for New York? Why hadn’t she told him? One more thing she’d kept from him, just as good as a lie. Last night she’d said she loved him, and unless she liked to throw that phrase around, she’d lied to his face. She couldn’t love him if she planned to leave.

  She walked into the kitchen then, and he handed her the phone without a word. He went back to breakfast.

  “Oh,” Carly said. “Did you read this? Because I can explain...”

  He let her voice trail off and didn’t fill the silence with words. He cracked an egg instead. Two eggs. Three eggs.

  “I was going to tell you this morning.”

  “No need.” Four eggs. Should he crack a fifth? Oh, to hell with it. Crack. Five eggs. Six eggs.

  “Babe, really. Please look at me.”

  He should probably go for an even dozen. Seven eggs. Eight eggs. Well, he was better off cracking eggs than cracking heads. Anyone in their right mind could see that. Nine eggs. Ten.

  “You do what you have to do.”

  “Levi,” she pleaded with him. “Don’t do this. Don’t freeze me out.”

  “Seems like you’re the one who did that. You’re leaving. And you didn’t tell me.” Good. He was talking. That meant he wasn’t too pissed for words. But he was pretty damned close, and yeah, it had been a long-ass time since he’d felt so much of...freaking everything.

  How great for him.

  “Only for a little while.”

  “How long? A week? Two?” He knew the answer.

  She ran her hand along the counter edge. “No. A few months. That’s it.”

  “Yeah. Long distance doesn’t work, babe. You’re looking at someone who knows this like I know the back of my hand. It doesn’t. Work.”

  “But you and I—”

  “It’s fine. You should go back and finish school. Makes sense. I get it.” He looked at the dozen eggs in the mixing bowl and remembered he had to take a shower. Get to work.

  “You’re a pilot! I’m sure you can visit me.” She followed him out of the kitchen. “Are you saying I don’t even mean that much to you? You won’t take a plane ride to see me? I’m the one who said I love you first. Don’t think this is going to be easy for me.”

  “Listen, you probably said you love me in the heat of the moment. You didn’t mean it.”

  “But I do mean it!”

  “Too bad, then. Relationships are hard enough without putting distance into the equation.”

  “Are we talking physical distance or emotional distance?” She put her hands on her hips. “Because I know how I feel. I know I will be faithful to you no matter how far away I am. Is that what you’re worried about? I’ll hook up with someone else?”

  He didn’t answer, because damned if he’d let her know she’d hit the nail
on the head. It had happened before, time and again. Even his parents had left him for the greater good. Which meant that he was still apparently not enough for the people he loved to stick around. No, he wasn’t going to go there and open up his stupid heart any more than he already had so she could throw her poison-tipped darts at it.

  When her eyes filled with pain, he almost knew what she’d say before she did. “Oh, I get it. You’re the one who will find someone else.”

  “I need to get to work. I’ll be late.”

  Forget the damn shower. He’d shower at the freaking gym he’d joined but never went to. He dressed in his uniform, shoving pants, socks and boots on viciously. He’d just stepped out into the cold October morning when Carly called out to him. He turned back, and she stood in the doorway holding Grace in one arm. She held up his white Mcallister Charters shirt in the other.

  He glanced down, shocked to find he was outside with no shirt on. No wonder he was so damned cold. He walked a few steps back and took the shirt from her, tugging his arms through the sleeves quickly.

  “Thanks.”

  “I want to talk.” The words squeaked out. The misery in her eyes reflected the feeling in his heart and kicked him in the gut hard enough to make him wince.

  “Later,” he said. “I need a minute.”

  Or two.

  Twenty minutes later he arrived at the gym, bench-pressed until his eyes crossed, and ran a mile in six minutes. He hit the shower, still angry, and hoped that by the time he arrived at the airport he would have cooled off. Carly had already texted him once, which he’d ignored. She didn’t text him again, which was wise. Maybe she’d come to her senses and give him some time.

  He dropped by the Drip for a coffee to go and on his way out saw Lily.

  She grabbed on to his elbow. “I’m glad I ran into you. I’ve decided to forgive you. I know the engagement with you and your nanny is just a ruse for the sake of the grandparents. So if you’re still thinking you want to revisit that second date...”