She’d been too young, too foolish and much too selfish to ever have been good for him back then. But what about now? While a part of her argued she should never have come back, logic also made a solid case that she’d needed to come home. Needed to finish healing. Needed to make amends for not being the daughter her father had wanted, for not being the woman Wade had needed. Maybe, just maybe, being that woman for him now.
Months ago as she’d cradled an undernourished toddler on a continent half a world away, she’d acknowledged how precious life was, how important the relationships within that life, and she’d promised herself she’d make it up to Rex and Wade, if they’d let her. That she could now never reconcile with her father was a cross she was going to have to bear the rest of her life. But Wade was another story.
Could she do what he’d asked of her in an attempt to make amends? The very thought sat uncomfortably with her. She’d be using a child, their child, as a tool to salve her own conscience. Everything inside her rebelled at the idea of being so manipulative—it was wrong on so many levels she couldn’t even begin to count. Her arms still ached for the baby she’d never gotten to hold. Until that moment when she knew the tiny life inside her had died, she’d have entered into an agreement like Wade was suggesting without so much as blinking, if it got her financial freedom. She’d learned not to be that kind of person anymore. The past few years had taught her so very much about life, loss and even love.
Love. What if they stood a chance of reigniting their old relationship? Of building something worth saving and, this time, getting it right? The idea was both daunting and exhilarating at the same time and, for the first time since she’d arrived home and heard the news about her father, she felt as if she genuinely had a purpose again. It was a complete shot in the dark but she had no other alternatives to consider.
She glanced at her clock and noted she had better get ready for dinner. He expected her response and she didn’t want to keep him waiting.
She got up off the bed and opened wide her wardrobe doors, seeking a dress that she knew had to still be here. It felt a little weird to know that her things had been maintained the whole time she’d been away but she pushed the thought aside. Her father had believed he’d been doing the right thing by her. Loving her in his way. It was a pity that she hadn’t understood that at the time. She’d only been able to see that he hadn’t loved her the way she’d wanted. For Piper, once she’d closed the front door behind her, all she’d wanted was distance. Her father had refused, yet again, to allow her to work within Mitchell Exports, in any capacity—telling her instead to do what she was good at, being beautiful and dressing well. In short, being a symbol of his success.
The response had been so typical of him. He had simply refused to believe she could be anything but ornamental. So she’d left home in defiance. Swearing she’d never come back until he’d see she was as strong and capable as any woman and asked her to return. She should have known better. Rex Mitchell asked nothing of anyone. If he couldn’t make it happen by himself, it wasn’t going to happen in his world. Wade was that way now, trapping her in a situation where he could force her to do what he wanted. Would she give in to his demand? She still wasn’t entirely sure. She was scared at the thought of getting pregnant again, especially considering what had happened last time. But maybe this was her chance, as twisted as it seemed, to finally make things right. For her. For Wade. And for their baby.
Her hand finally settled on the dress she sought. Made of dark blue and silver patterned silk, its lines were soft and flowing and would accommodate her more slender figure without looking too big on her.
If anything, she thought as she examined herself in the mirror a few minutes later, the dress looked even better on her now than it had the last time she’d worn it. The three-quarter sleeves showed off the tan she still bore on her arms, while the soft flowing lines of the skirt lent her a femininity she hadn’t indulged in for far too long. She slid her feet into a pair of dangerously high-heeled silver pumps that picked out the threads of silver in the fabric of her gown and tied her dreadlocks back with a silver scarf.
She had no makeup with her, hadn’t even worn any for several years now, so she was pretty much ready to join Wade downstairs. She hesitated at her bedroom door, her hand on the old-fashioned brass knob, her teeth worrying at her lower lip. What would she say to him? She couldn’t simply capitulate to his wishes, no matter what. She certainly wasn’t about to turn into a baby factory to salve his need to be a father. There had to be some ground rules. Some guidelines. What about custody? He’d said he would be reasonable about access but what was his idea of reasonable? And where would she and the baby live?
She tightened her fingers around the doorknob. She wouldn’t be a pushover, even though he had her back against the wall over the money. There was no way she’d set up a child of hers to be a bargaining chip for the rest of its life. If he wanted them to have a baby together, there would be some conditions he’d have to agree to. Ultimately she had the power to say no. She could walk out that door tonight and find shelter somewhere until she could get back on her feet. Sure, things would be tough, but if he wasn’t prepared to acquiesce on certain points then this plan of his was not happening. At least not with her.
Wade stared out over the subtly lit expansive emerald green lawn and tried to convince himself he wasn’t nervous. He knew Piper was still upstairs, he’d heard her moving about in her room when he’d arrived home. She’d had ample time to come to her decision. But what would it be? She’d always been such a mercurial creature and he’d seen nothing in her that changed his mind on that score since her arrival home yesterday.
He took a sip of the sauvignon blanc in his glass. Had it really only been yesterday that she’d come back? She still had the capacity to turn his world upside down and inside out. He felt as if they’d gone several rounds against one another in the past twenty-four hours. In fact, as he’d clutched at sleep toward dawn this morning, he’d had to acknowledge a hard truth. Despite everything, she still had the ability to inveigle her way past his defenses. He’d thought he was completely over her, over what she had done to him—but he’d been so very wrong. She still had the capacity to hurt him and there was no way on this earth he was going to hand that back to her on a platter. He doubted his mentor would have approved of his tough love attitude. The older man would have been only too happy to see her arrive on the doorstep, and would have bent over backward to make things easy for her. Time had softened Rex’s irritation with her for what he’d seen as nothing more than a temperamental spat.
“Look after her for me” had been Rex’s dying words and, fool that Wade was, he’d promised. But Rex had said nothing about Wade putting in a few conditions of his own when it came to providing for Rex’s prodigal daughter. She owed him far more than some trifling sum of money, and he would be repaid.
He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that she might flat out say no to him and leave him to his own devices in attempting to recover the financial debt. But he was counting on the fact that she was enough of Rex’s daughter to find an outstanding loan an anathema to her. There was also the slow burning spark of attraction that still simmered between them. She’d never been able to turn away from him before, he doubted she had the fortitude now. When Piper Mitchell wanted something, or someone, she’d usually do anything to get it. What she did after that was a little more obscure.
A sound at the door made him turn from the window. The sight of her was a visual punch to his solar plexus. He remembered the dress she was wearing in vivid detail. Remembered removing it from her body just as explicitly. Instantly his body grew rock hard at the memory of the indulgent and sybaritic night they’d spent together.
Piper’s blue eyes met his across the room and in that instant he knew she’d chosen this dress on purpose. He bowed his head in a small nod of acknowledgment. He’d give her this point but it would be the only one she’d score tonight. He wasn’t above conceding a strat
egic advantage here and there but it would be a brief concession, that much was certain.
“A glass of wine?” he offered, crossing the room to the sideboard.
“Thank you, that would be lovely.”
Wade lifted the bottle of wine from the frosted silver cooler on the sideboard and poured a measure of the wheat-colored wine into a crystal goblet. He lifted the glass and took it over to where Piper had settled in one of the chairs.
“Had a busy day?” he inquired as she took the glass from his hand, painstakingly avoiding touching his fingers, he noted with some degree of satisfaction.
He rattled her on a physical level if not on an emotional one. Knowing that gave him an immense sense of satisfaction.
“You can quit with the pleasantries, Wade. We both know you couldn’t care less what I did with my day.”
“Now, that’s not true. Not at all. I have it on good authority you were extremely busy this afternoon, making calls.”
Piper stiffened in her chair. “You know?”
Wade shook his head deprecatingly. “I have to admit, I admire your resourcefulness, and your ability to stow away every last ounce of pride you once had, to have made those requests. It can’t have been easy.”
She took his veiled insult with surprisingly good grace.
“I learned that pride comes before a fall a long time ago. Thing is, have you?”
He laughed in response. “I never did let my pride get in the way of my success.”
“Really? Maybe you should check yourself out again. Seems to me you have an inordinate amount of it now.”
The smile stayed plastered on his face. She had no idea what he’d sacrificed to get where he was now. Beginning with her, in fact. But that was about to change.
“So did your calls elicit the response you wanted, Piper?” he asked as he sat down on the chair opposite hers.
“You obviously know exactly what kind of response I got. You can’t tell me Dad’s old friends weren’t on the phone to you the instant they hung up with me.”
“Actually, some of them were on the phone to me before you rang them,” he conceded. “The rumor mill was busy this afternoon.”
“And I suppose you told them not to lend me the money I need?”
There was a thread of steel in her voice that spoke of her frustration, but looking at her he’d never have guessed how angry she must have been to be thwarted in her attempts. Her expression remained serene, her eyes clear and bright. Even her lips were full and soft, not drawn into a line of tension as he’d have expected.
He shifted in his seat and tore his gaze from her mouth. His body still hadn’t quite cooled down after that hit when she’d come into the room.
“Actually, I didn’t have to. Your reputation preceded you.”
His words scored a direct hit this time, he could see it in her eyes. He was suddenly sick of the game playing. He wanted to get right to the point of their meeting tonight.
“Have you reached a decision?” he asked.
“I thought you said I had until dinner,” she replied, looking at the mantel clock with exaggerated interest.
“Don’t beat around the bush, Piper. Will you or won’t you have my child?”
Five
She rose from her chair in a fluid graceful movement. She always had the poise of a dancer, he remembered. Her limbs were supple and lithe…and there he went again. Hard, hot and wanting her. She strolled over to the deep sash windows and looked outside for a moment before turning to face him.
Her face was composed but he could see the anxiety in her eyes. Feel the tension that rolled off her in waves.
“I’ve been giving the matter some thought and it seems to me that I do not have all the facts I need to make a decision one way or the other. I have some questions,” she said, lifting her chin ever so slightly in challenge.
“Ask away,” he replied, holding his ground.
“If I were to agree to your proposal, there would need to be a written agreement between us. I don’t trust you not to renege on your offer to expunge the debt you tricked me into.”
Tricked her into? It wasn’t worth arguing, so he let it go. “Okay, so you want a written agreement. What else?”
“How am I to support myself if I agree to have your baby?”
“By getting a job just like anyone else, I expect.”
“So you don’t think it would be your responsibility to provide for me?”
“You won’t go hungry, Piper. Mrs. Dexter will make sure of that.”
“You want me to stay here? Living under the same roof as you?”
“Until the baby’s born, at least. That way I’ll be sure you’re taking the proper steps to look after our child prior to its birth. What you decide to do after that really doesn’t interest me. If you choose to make your own home elsewhere, that’s your prerogative.”
“You’d let me take the baby and live away from here?” Incredulity made her voice rise.
“You misunderstand me. I said if you choose to make your home elsewhere. My child will stay here. He or she will be raised in this house, surrounded by their birthright.”
“But the baby’s care, feeding? What if I want to be a part of that?”
“You’re saying you do?”
“I’m not confirming anything just yet.”
“Piper, the baby will miss out on nothing. I will have nannies round-the-clock if necessary. Care will not be your responsibility.”
She averted her head from him momentarily, but when she turned back her eyes were blazing.
“If I have a baby with you, you can be damn sure that its care will be my responsibility.”
He shrugged, determined not to reveal his surprise at her latent maternal instinct coming to the fore. The prospect of her already being protective about a child who hadn’t even been conceived was contradictory to what he knew about her and he found it unsettling. He hadn’t expected her to be so…feral, about it, for want of a better word. Why now? Why this baby?
“Whatever you say. We can discuss that element further if you concede to my request.”
“Request.” She made a face, her mouth twisting in a line of disapproval. “As if you give me any real choice in the matter.”
“You can still say no, Piper,” he reminded her.
Her pride aside, he doubted she’d give up everything to live rough and fight her way in life starting from absolutely nothing.
“What if I want to stay here and be a part of my baby’s life?”
“We could come to some arrangement.”
“And what about payment?”
Ah, now we come to the truth, he thought. The real Piper Mitchell is in the building. “Money, to have our baby? Is wiping clean the sum you owe me not sufficient for you, Piper?”
“I’ll need to buy things, for myself and for the baby. And if I do go ahead with this, I’d like to be under the care of a specialist.”
“While you’re under my roof, I will cover your medical costs.”
“How generous of you,” she said bitterly. “What if I choose not to live under your roof?”
“Not an option. As I said, I need to be able to ensure the baby’s health and well-being until the point of delivery. After the baby is born, that would be your choice, of course. We would need to come to some arrangement regarding your visitation rights. Quite frankly, with your position, I don’t see myself having any difficulty in gaining full custody, do you?”
“You’re forcing me to stay here?”
“I didn’t say that,” he replied smoothly. “As I’ve said, once our baby is safely delivered you’ll be free to leave whenever you like.”
“How convenient for you. You expect me to walk away and never look back.”
“It’s what you do, isn’t it?” he challenged softly.
She paled in response, uncharacteristically lost for words. Wade felt a sharp wave of regret for what he’d said, a wave he swiftly quashed. He couldn’t afford to show any weaknes
s. Not when so much hinged on her agreement.
“Is there anything else?” he asked.
“Yes, I want my mother’s art collection back. It was her express wish that it be mine and it should have been mine all along.”
He stood silent for a while, the seconds stretching out interminably between them. Of course she’d want the collection. He was well aware of Rex’s concerns that she’d split it up to sell off individual paintings and then fritter the money away on her extravagant lifestyle. Still, it wasn’t his place to say what she did with it.
“So let’s get this right. Basically all you want from me is your mother’s art collection, along with your outstanding debt being forgiven?”
“There’s one more thing.”
Of course there was. “What is it?”
“I want a job at Mitchell Exports.”
A job? She was full of surprises today, wasn’t she? he thought. Despite her very weak position, she could still make the kind of outrageous demands that had characterized the Piper he’d once known. A man had to admire her for her tenacity, he reluctantly admitted to himself.
“What would be the point in that? You’re not trained in anything except spending money.”
“I don’t care what I get to do, but I deserve a place in that business. If you aren’t prepared to find me work there, the deal is off.”
“Minimum wage, then. I don’t see why you should be paid any more than that.” He doubted she’d even be worth that much. “Do we have a deal?”
“If you give me a job we’re certainly a step closer to coming to an agreement. I deserve a way to earn some money to support myself later on—why shouldn’t I trade in on the family connection to the business?”
Wade momentarily struggled to control the exhilaration that swelled through him. They might be closer to an agreement, but at what cost? Her demand for a role at Mitchell Exports had thrown him somewhat, especially coupled with her uncharacteristic protectiveness toward a child they had yet to conceive. He had her right where he wanted her, yet at the same time he felt as if he was being manipulated, and that feeling put him very much on the defensive. He quelled the sudden rapid thrum that had lifted his pulse several notches—reminding himself that he didn’t have her full agreement yet.
The Pregnancy Contract Page 6