The Baby Arrangement

by Samantha Chase

  When she walked back in to the room, Derek was seated on one of the sofas with Emery in his arms as he spoke softly to her. Taking one of her tiny hands, he examined it as if seeing it for the first time. Then he did the same with her feet. Kayleigh’s heart nearly broke as she watched this big, strong man gently caress the infant’s cheek in wonder.

  Sensing her presence he looked up. “She’s so small,” he said, his voice laced with sadness.

  Dropping her portfolio next to the sofa, she went to him. “She won’t stay that way for long. In the last week I can see a difference in the way some of her clothes fit. Jared said she’s fine; we’ll get her weight and measurements tomorrow and you can see for yourself that she’s growing.”

  He merely nodded.

  Rising, Kayleigh went to the kitchen and prepared a bottle for him to feed to Emery. Within minutes she was back and sitting beside him and there was something oddly comforting in the silence. There wasn’t a need for conversation, they just sat and merely enjoyed watching the baby take her evening meal. Soon it was time to change her and get her ready for bed, which they did together, and Derek was the one who placed her down to sleep for the night. Standing in the doorway, Kayleigh could sense his inner turmoil.

  When they were back in the living room, she knew they should go back to talking business, but she was unwilling to do so without addressing the elephant in the room. “What’s going to happen to Emery when your brother gets back?”

  Derek turned to her, stunned by her question. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I realize that I don’t know him personally, but I know enough about him to make me wonder what’s going to happen when he finally gets back and finds out that he has an infant daughter. Aren’t you the least bit concerned?”

  He wanted to yell and scream that he was; to rail at the unfairness of it, but that wasn’t his style. He didn’t want anyone to know how much the thought of Brian coming and claiming Emery was bothering him. “I’m sure he’s going to be fine, Kayleigh. I mean, I adjusted to having her here; I’m sure Brian will need a little bit of time and then everything will work out.”

  “But what if it doesn’t?”

  Derek didn’t even want to think about the possibility. He knew his brother better than anyone and if he were honest with himself, he’d admit that there was a greater chance of Brian screwing this up than of there being success. “He’ll be fine.”

  With a huff of frustration, Kayleigh turned to grab up her portfolio and then stopped. “Look, I know that you’re his brother and you believe what you’re saying, but I have to be honest, I’m concerned for Emery.”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten before allowing himself to speak. “I appreciate your concern, Kayleigh, I truly do, but as you already stated, you don’t know Brian.”

  “I know enough about him,” she mumbled.

  “You know gossip; not everything you hear around the water cooler is true.” There was condescension in his tone that Kayleigh didn’t like or appreciate.

  “Believe me, I know that not everything is gospel truth, Derek, but can you honestly stand here and tell me that you think that your brother is responsible? I mean, where is he? No one knows! God forbid something happened to you or your grandparents, because no one can reach him! Are you telling me that he doesn’t date a different woman every week? Do you think that once he’s back he’s even going to remember half of the women that he’s slept with in the last year?”

  “Kayleigh…”

  “No, seriously, I can tell you as someone who’s worked for you for five years that I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve even seen Brian in the office. Why is it that you work fifteen hour days and he doesn’t even show up? Where is he while you’re planning this expansion of the business? Where does he stand on that? What is it exactly that he does because I have to be honest with you, Derek, as far as I can see, he’s a spoiled brat who is living off of your hard work!”

  Rage was building in Derek at each sentence she spoke, but what was the more powerful emotion was embarrassment. If Kayleigh had noticed this dynamic to his family, chances were that others within the company had noticed it to and probably looked at him like he was a fool.

  “It’s okay to love your brother, Derek,” she said with more calmness than she had felt just moments ago. “All I’m saying is that maybe it’s time for him to grow up and face the consequences of his actions. Maybe it’s time for you to not bail him out.”

  “What am I supposed to do?” he asked weakly, his arms dropping to his side hopelessly. “Do I really set out to teach him a lesson at Emery’s expense?” When Kayleigh didn’t immediately answer he went on. “When Brian gets back we’ll do whatever we have to do make Emery’s transition an easy one. We’ll find him a nanny and move furniture and…whatever it takes.”

  Sadness overwhelmed her. In her mind she knew that her time here in Derek’s home was temporary, hearing the words out loud made her heart ache. Tears began to well in her eyes and she knew if she tried to speak the dam would break. Turning away, she once again looked at her portfolio, but realized that her heart just wasn’t in it tonight.

  Taking a deep breath Kayleigh turned to Derek. “If it’s all right with you, we’ll look that the drawings tomorrow. I guess I’m a little more tired than I thought.”

  Derek knew it was a lie, but it was one that he understood. He wished her a good night and then turned to look out to the back yard until he heard her bedroom door close. Everything she said was right. He was concerned that Brian was going to screw this up and deep down, Derek was tired of his brother being so damn irresponsible. At the same time, unfortunately, he knew that he would do whatever it took this time to make sure that his brother didn’t fail.

  Teaching him nothing.

  Chapter Five

  After a restless night, Kayleigh was thankful that Emery had slept in and that by the time they went downstairs, Derek had left for work. A quick glance at the kitchen clock showed that she needed to leave soon in order to make her appointment with her brother.

  Packing up all of Emery’s essentials, she loaded the car and they were soon on their way. It didn’t take long for Jared to diagnose a mild ear infection and prescribe an antibiotic. “You should notice a difference by tomorrow,” he said with a smile. “How is she doing otherwise?”

  Kayleigh filled him in on a day-in-the-life of Emery and was relieved to hear that other than the ear infection, she was a healthy baby. “Derek will be glad to hear that. He was concerned that she was so small.”

  “Well, she’s very young,” Jared replied. “If he has any questions, tell him he can call me at any time.” He hesitated briefly. “Any word on whether or not he’s the father?”

  With an odd sense of déjà vu, she gave him the Reader’s Digest version of where they were at in the paternity department. Trying to mask her disappointment with the current turn of events, Kayleigh gathered up all of her things so that her brother could get on to his next patient. “It’s such a beautiful day out, Jared, would it be all right for us to go for a walk in the park or will that upset her ear too much?”

  With assurance that a walk in the park would indeed be fine, Kayleigh and Emery were on their way. The subdivision that Derek lived in boasted a beautiful park with a walking trail so Kayleigh drove back there, parked the car and then considered calling Derek and letting him know how the appointment went.

  Knowing that he would want to know, she dialed the office and stiffened at Eileen’s tone when Kayleigh greeted her. “He’s in a meeting right now, Miss Mitchell. I’ll have to take a message.” With no other choice, she relayed the diagnosis and wished the woman a good day.

  Refusing to let Derek’s assistant alter her mood, Kayleigh pulled the stroller out from the back of her car and got Emery situated in it and headed down the trail. The day was crisp and clear; there was a gentle breeze coming off of the lake and it didn’t take long for some of the tension she’d been fee
ling since the previous evening to wear off. Looking around she wished that Emery were older so that she could see the ducks in the water or the Cardinal that was on a tree branch near by. It was a perfectly serene moment.

  It changed in an instant.

  There was no warning, but suddenly there were heavy footsteps behind her and someone shoved Kayleigh aside. She refused to let go of her grip on the stroller for fear of it tipping over and hurting Emery.

  “What the…” she began to say.

  “What are you doing with my baby?” a woman screeched. It took Kayleigh a minute to focus on where the voice was coming from. She was circling Kayleigh, her eyes wild, her long blonde hair a mess. “I didn’t give her to you! You have no right to have her! Give her back to me now!”

  With a deep breath, Kayleigh cataloged the woman’s features and then tried to reason with her. “Look, Miss…?” she waited, hoping the woman would supply her name. When she didn’t, Kayleigh continued to talk to her calmly. “I know we haven’t met before, but are you sure…”

  “Don’t you think I know my own damn daughter, you bitch? Brian is supposed to have her! Why do you have her? Where’s Brian?” With every question, the woman’s voice grew louder and more irate. “I want my daughter back now!” she screamed as she rushed at Kayleigh, knocking her to the ground.

  Kayleigh screamed and Emery began to cry and soon there were more footsteps rushing toward them. “Help!” Kayleigh screamed. “Somebody, please!” She felt her head bang against the concrete path and out of the corner of her eye saw the stroller fall on its side. “Emery!”

  ****

  Derek was mentally exhausted. Having slept very little the night before after his argument with Kayleigh, he’d come in early to the office only to hit one brick wall after another with his design team. Why couldn’t they see what he was seeing? If he was going to move this company forward, he was going to have to seriously reconsider the team of designers that he currently had on staff.

  Loosening his tie, he stepped from his office and asked Eileen for his messages. “Miss Mitchell called,” she said flatly. “That baby has an ear infection.”

  “Is she okay?” he asked anxiously. “Do I need to do anything? Are they at home or still at the doctor?”

  She eyed him over the rim of her glasses. “I have no idea.”

  Annoyed, Derek went back into his office and dialed Kayleigh’s cell phone. He was mildly confused when a male voice answered. “Who is this?” Derek demanded. Panic seized him as he listened. He was out the office door and running for the elevator’s before the call was completed.

  ****

  Racing into the emergency room, it didn’t take long to find her. “Kayleigh?” he cried out as he shoved the examining room door open. She was sitting up on the exam room table, a bandage on her head and a doctor sitting beside her on a stool.

  “Derek! You need to go and check on Emery!” Tears streamed down her face as she spoke. “They haven’t let me see her yet. I got Jared to come, but I haven’t been able to leave this room yet!”

  He went to her and wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. “Sshh…it’s all right. I’ll go find her right now. Are you okay?”

  The doctor answered for her. “A couple of scrapes and bruises and five stitched on her head. She’s going to be fine.”

  Thanking the man, Derek gripped Kayleigh’s hands tightly in his own larger ones. “I’m going to get Emery and then we’re all going home.”

  Feeling as if she could finally breathe, Kayleigh let herself relax. Within minutes, Derek was back in the room with Emery in his arms and Jared walking in behind him. She jumped down from the table and carefully took the baby from his arms. “Is she okay?” she asked nervously, scanning the infant for any signs of harm.

  “She’s fine, Kayleigh,” James answered. She was well protected in her stroller; you had her strapped in perfectly.”

  “What happened?” Derek asked.

  Kayleigh relayed the events to him. “She claimed to be Emery’s mother. I’ve already talked to a police man and gave a description, but she wouldn’t tell me her name.”

  “Would you recognize her if you saw her again?”

  “Derek, I could sketch her for you perfectly right now! I knew that it would be important to be able to physically describe her, especially for when Brian got back.”

  It took more than an hour to get them both released and Derek could honestly say that he was just as shaken up as Kayleigh was and he wasn’t the one that had been attacked. When they arrived back at the house and had Emery settled, he sat Kayleigh down and asked, “Can you really draw this woman? It could help the private investigators in finding her.”

  Within minutes Kayleigh had a very detailed sketch of the woman’s face. “Do you recognize her?” she asked, thinking that if Brian dated her, chances were that Derek had met her. A shake of his head told her she was wrong.

  “I’m so sorry, Derek,” she said quietly.

  “For what?”

  “I should have just come straight home. The day was so beautiful and Emery had been so fussy that I though being outside for a bit would be good for her.”

  Gathering Kayleigh in his arms, he quieted her. “There was no way for you to know that this woman was out there, Kayleigh. It’s not your fault.”

  “But if I’d just come home…”

  “Who’s to say that she wouldn’t have tried to get in here?” After saying the words out loud, Derek made a mental note to upgrade his home security system first thing in the morning. “You fought her off and you protected Emery. You heard your brother; she’s fine.” He kissed her forehead and noticed her wince.

  “Sorry,” she said softly, “it’s still a little sore.” Without hesitation, Kayleigh allowed herself to relax into Derek’s arms and realized that it felt good to be there. It wasn’t awkward or strange, it actually felt quite natural. They sat in companionable silence and it was almost frightening for her to realize that this was all really happening to her; she was here in Derek’s home, in his arms and that he seemed to really want her here.

  Turning her head slightly, she looked up at him and found him staring intently at her. “Derek…I…”

  He placed a finger over her lips to silence her, as if he didn’t want the moment to be lost. His finger stayed in place a moment longer before gently tracing her lips and moving to her cheek, her jaw, and carefully winding its way around to her nape. Slowly, as if giving her time to stop him, Derek drew her head up to his as he lowered his mouth to hers.

  The kiss was soft; gentle. He waited a heartbeat to see if she was going to pull back and didn’t fully relax until Kayleigh wrapped her arms around him as she shifted to get closer. He couldn’t say who took control of the kiss first; one minute it was a sweet exploration and the next it seemed to be that they were each intent on devouring one another.

  His hands carefully explored her; his brain still functioning enough that he was mindful of her injuries. But he found himself to be trembling. For all of the women he had been with, for all of his skill in the bedroom, this moment seemed to come out of nowhere and Derek wanted to savor every moment and make it perfect for Kayleigh.

  She had done something to him in these last two weeks; she not only saved him with Emery, but she seemed to show him how much he was missing in his life. Some would say that she saved him from himself. His mind was going to linger on that thought for a minute, but she sighed and pressed herself closer and Derek was lost. Two weeks suddenly lost all meaning; it seemed like he was waiting for her his whole life and he couldn’t wait any longer.

  Slowly he broke the kiss and raised his head, his breathing ragged. “Stay with me tonight.” There was a fear that she was going to say no; that she was suddenly going to remember her reasoning as to why she didn’t want to get involved. Derek silently prayed that she had been waiting for him as much as he’d been waiting for her.

  Wordlessly, Kayleigh rose to her feet. Standing before him, she he
ld out one shaky hand; her eyes never breaking contact with his. “Yes.”

  Derek wanted to whoop with delight, but figured that might break the spell. Silently, he, too, rose. He leaned in and cupped her face before kissing Kayleigh again. Hell, he could go on kissing her all night, but if he was going to do that, he wanted to do that in his bed. Scooping her up into his arms, he carried her to his bedroom. He was about to shut the door, but stopped.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked softly, sensing Derek’s hesitation.

  “I want us to be able to hear Emery. The monitor’s out there and I want to make sure we hear her incase she needs us.”

  If Kayleigh hadn’t been sure about wanting Derek before, that statement made her certain. There was so much more to him than she had ever imagined; so much more than what she thought she knew from their first meeting. Derek’s passion for his business was a given; it was his passion for the people that he cared about that was quickly becoming his most endearing quality.

  Laying her gently on his bed, Derek could only stop and stare. He didn’t bring women to his home; he certainly never brought one to this bed. Knowing that Kayleigh was the first had him suddenly feeling nervous. Would she read too much into this? Was she right in her declarations of a week ago that this would be a bad idea?

  “Derek,” she whispered, her eyes showing her own uncertainty. “Please.”

  Any thoughts of turning back vanished. He was destined for this moment and rather than focus on the reasons why this may not be a good idea, all he wanted to do was embrace the reasons that it was. With one knee on the bed, he pulled his shirt over his head. Earlier Kayleigh had changed into a pair of flannel pajama pants and another classic rock t-shirt. She shouldn’t have looked so damn sexy, but she did.

  One large hand trembled slightly as he reached out and skimmed a hand under the t-shirt. “Have I mentioned how much I enjoy your variety of pajamas?”