by Dani Collins
“You could have had this baby alone and never told me. You didn’t.”
“Because—”
“Because you were doing what you thought was right for all of us,” he said over her. “Which makes you a woman with integrity. If I’m going to marry, surely that’s a quality I should want in a wife? You’re also intelligent and funny and self-sufficient. I’m sorry that other man made you feel undervalued. I won’t do that.”
His promise shook things in her. Made cracks and fissures open up for hope to leak out and begin to drug her into believing this would work.
“I won’t know if that’s true until eight years have passed, though. Will I?” And then, because his sincerity was making emotion gather in her throat and well in her eyes, she waved at her face and said, “See? Everything is exaggerated.”
“Including your fears?” he asked gently, cupping her cheek and using his thumb to catch a tear and whisk it away before it rolled down her cheek.
She sniffled, admitting, “Maybe.”
He turned away, hesitated, then said, “Incoming,” as he presented the tray again.
“Tsk.” She looked away, refusing to let him see he was making her smile as he offered the soggy tray of rings. When she looked down at them, the refraction of rainbows dazzled her. “These just make me realize how different we are.”
“I’m not trying to buy you, Ivy. I’m saying this is the life our baby is entitled to. That’s not a criticism of the life you can offer, but I can offer more. Can we agree that we both want to give our child every possible advantage?”
That was not what he was asking her to agree to. He was asking her to marry a stranger, one who had already upended her life. Now he wanted her to believe he was offering everything she longed for in one go.
Did he realize she wanted a husband who loved her?
Maybe in time they would fall in love, a little voice said inside her.
Oh, Ivy, don’t do that to yourself again!
She had a baby to think of, though. A baby entitled to...this. A baby entitled to form relationships with both its parents. Jun Li was a man worth knowing, wasn’t he? Smart and ambitious. Certainly not unkind.
I’m sorry that other man made you feel undervalued. I won’t do that.
“This one is by a Vancouver designer.” He drew out a true-blue diamond in a triangular cut. It was surrounded by white diamonds that poured down the split band in a swishy curve. “Inspired by the snowy mountains on Vancouver’s North Shore, or so I was told. Perhaps it would help you feel less homesick?”
Eight years with a man she had believed she loved, and he had never once said anything so thoughtful or personal. Or offered a ring.
Before she realized what she was doing, she lifted her hand to see if it fit.
It did. Perfectly. If it had been red, it would have matched the fire that spontaneously ignited in her heart, surrounded by an incandescent glow of hope.
“You’ll marry me?”
She made herself look beyond the giddy euphoria of sitting in paradise wearing a priceless piece of art on her finger while a gorgeous, sexy man asked her to spend her life with him.
There was no real debate, though. She had made the choice the moment she’d realized she was pregnant. Her first thought had been that she would have to tell him, and there’d been all those underlying yearnings. Let him want this baby as much as I do. Let him want us.
She had been confident she could raise the baby alone, but she didn’t want to. She wanted her baby to know its father. She wanted to know him.
And there was something bigger at play, too. She didn’t believe in destiny in the way of a god preordaining a meeting of souls, but this baby had come about through ridiculously impossible odds. That had to mean her life was supposed to entwine with Jun Li’s, didn’t it? Was there any sense in resisting the inevitable?
“I will.” Her voice was barely a whisper, overwhelmed by the scope and gravity of her promise.
“Good.” He gathered her into his lap and kissed her. Once to seal the deal, then a little longer, until the spark of last night’s passion began to flare between them. He hardened against her bottom, and she curled her arm around his neck.
She felt his muscles gather. He was going to rise and carry her into his office to—
He leaped into the pool with her in his arms.
As they plunged into the water, her scream of outrage was caught by his laughing mouth.
CHAPTER SEVEN
JUN LI HAD GOTTEN what he wanted. They were getting married in ten days.
He ought to be pleased. He was pleased, but his thoughts were racing with everything that needed to be done. He had worked out in the gym first thing, trying to exercise this restless agitation in him, but his muscles were still tense and he hadn’t outrun the nameless thing chasing him.
It had a name, he reminded himself scathingly. He just didn’t want to acknowledge it.
He wanted to call it sexual frustration because Ivy had gone to bed before him and he’d made himself sleep elsewhere. He’d woken early and hard, thoughts swirling with how her sexual responses were “amplified.”
He ached for her, had done for months. It was all the more acute now that she was under his roof, but he had gone without sex before and hadn’t suffered this sensation of dogs snapping at his heels.
He knew what the real problem was, but he wanted to be strong and capable and reliable. Fully in control of everything around him and within him. Admitting he was prone to depression when things got too big for him to handle was demoralizing. This shouldn’t be too big. Ivy was doing the real work. All he had to do was keep her warm, dry and fed.
He’d been fine for years without medication. He resented even having to think about taking it again, but of course this massive life change had the power to knock him off balance. He was as prone to self-delusion as anyone else, but he wasn’t stupid. This was the sort of thing that should make a man pause and take stock. That’s what his body was telling him.
Easier said than done, and he would cut out his own tongue before he said aloud to Ivy that the prospect of marrying and having a child was threatening to depress him.
He glanced across at her. Apparently, he’d turned into one of those lechers who couldn’t take his eyes off a woman’s chest, because he noted again the way her top showcased her cleavage. That baby really was amplifying everything.
But they’d had a spat on the flight from Singapore and he wasn’t sure if she was speaking to him yet. He’d been busy taking calls and organizing things and said, “My mother needs a guest list from you as soon as possible.”
“For the banquet? It’s just my father’s fiancée and her daughters. The names I gave you.”
They had agreed the ceremony would be an intimate civil affair with only their parents in attendance, but the banquet would be more lavish.
“What about friends? What about your family in Hong Kong? No one wants to come?”
“Well, of course they’d love to come, but they can’t drop everything and book a flight to China at a moment’s notice. For a weekend. It’s something they have to save for.” She gave him a look that called him a wealthy, out-of-touch knot head. “They’ll visit me later, after the baby comes.”
“They don’t have to save. My travel office will make all their arrangements. I have a block of rooms set aside at the hotel. Once they’re on the list, you only need to give them the link. They’ll have three nights with all their meals and travel covered. Invite as many people as you want.”
She snorted. “That’s very generous, but I’m not going to hand out an all-expenses-paid trip to everyone I know. How many people are you inviting?”
“Mother’s list has three hundred.”
Ivy had glared at him for a full minute before she had pulled out a small tablet and plugged in some earbuds to shut hi
m out while she, presumably, curated a list of her closest two or three hundred friends and family.
“Are you feeling all right?” Jun Li asked. “You’ve been quiet.” Still angry?
She drew in a breath and sat straighter, seeming to become aware they were in the car winding through a neighborhood in Quinpu District.
“Just thinking. There’s a lot to process.”
“The wedding?” he guessed.
“Yes. I don’t know what I expected, but...” She sighed and waved it off. “Turning down that job bothers me more. I would have had to take maternity leave in a few months anyway, and I haven’t really burned a bridge. I’ll always be able to find work if I want it. Executive recruiters are still sending me leads,” she said with a flick of her hand to where her phone was tucked into her handbag. “I have savings. But it bothers me that I won’t have an income. It feels very retro to become dependent on my husband.”
She was reluctant to let a man govern her life again. He understood that and had a small desire to punch her old boyfriend in the throat for treating her so poorly, since it left her with very little faith in him.
“I’ll hire you when you’re ready to work again,” he promised.
“I don’t want a job by nepotism.”
“You just said headhunters are still after you. That suggests you have qualifications that would benefit my organization.”
“I guess.” Her mouth crinkled in a reluctant smile. She turned her attention out the window as the car slowed at a pair of gates. “This is where my family will stay?”
“If you approve, yes.” He scratched his upper lip. She was going to be mad again, but he would wait until she had seen inside before starting that fight.
Many of the houses in this area were Western-style mansions, but this one was very modern and sleek, almost looking as though colored children’s blocks had been assembled in a haphazard but pleasing way. A staff of eight greeted them as they entered.
The butler introduced each one, adding to Ivy, “Once your guests arrive, we’ll have four more.”
“Oh. Um, I’m sure my family will be very comfortable. Thank you.”
They dispersed, and Jun Li watched her as she moved from the spacious foyer to an airy lounge. It was decorated in a tasteful and elegant color palette of soothing grays with gentle pops of dusty blue and muted gold. The wall was a unique half circle that showcased as much of the serene river view as possible.
“What a beautiful home,” she said with awe.
“My mother has a talent for finding exceptional properties.”
“She certainly does.” She moved onto the veranda to admire the garden before they toured the rest. “It seems bigger than they need. Although, I guess your parents will be here for some dinners with them,” she mused as she took in the dining room that sat twenty-four. “But five bedrooms?”
Each had its own bath, and there was accommodation for four in the pool house, plus a small flat for the butler over the garage. Rooms were also set aside for a nanny next to a potential nursery. All of it was decorated in clean, uncluttered lines that still managed to look warm and elegant.
“It’s beautiful, but if it’s super expensive—”
“It’s not,” he assured her, waving her into the master bedroom. Like the rest of the house, it was a soothing space with recessed lighting and had a killer view of the river.
“Dad’s going to feel like a king in here.”
“Um...” Time to come clean, especially since a maid ducked out of the closet, bowed and said she would finish unpacking later.
“Unpacking?” Ivy frowned and moved into the closet. Her modest belongings from Vancouver hung alongside some of the outfits she’d chosen in Singapore yesterday. Now that her designer had her size and a sense of her taste, the selection had been filled out. Parcels and bags were stacked at the back, and the price tags still hung from many of the garments.
“I thought this was a rental for my family.” Exactly as he had expected, she sounded royally peeved.
“It’s for you. If you approve, I’ll tell Mother to finalize the paperwork.”
“You’re sticking me in a house here? What about all that talk about raising our baby together? What about—”
“Oh, hell. No. Ivy.” He caught her flailing hand. “Until the wedding,” he stressed.
“Then you’ll move in here with me?” She tugged her hand free and folded her arms, looking very apprehensive.
“Okay, I thought this would be a fun surprise.” He rubbed his jaw, trying not to laugh.
“It’s not,” she assured him stridently. “Tell me exactly what is happening. I won’t spend a lifetime guessing what you’re thinking and being wrong. Been there. Hated it.”
He sobered and ran his tongue over his teeth. “This is too far from the city for us to live here full-time. Once we have the wedding out of the way, my mother will show you some properties in the city. That’s a bigger decision, so we’ll take our time. The penthouse will be perfectly comfortable until we’re ready to make that leap.”
That mollified her a little. “So this is just a rental for the wedding?”
“No.” He braced himself for another pithy reaction. “I can’t take you to Vancouver and collect you from your father’s home, so I’m buying you one here.”
“You’re buying this house as a staging area? You really do have too much money.” She shook her head.
“It’s not just for the wedding. I asked Mother to find something that would make a nice retreat when we have a free weekend. A place for you to put up your overseas friends when they visit.”
“Oh. Like a cottage at the lake.”
“Exactly.”
“I’m being sarcastic, Jun Li!” Her fists punched the air by her hips. “Any family cottage I’ve ever been to has had secondhand bunk beds in it, not original art and live-in staff.”
“If you don’t want them, fire them.” He had reached the limit of his patience and walked out of the closet. “This is yours to do with however you see fit.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She came flying out behind him and glared at the incomparable view. “It’s not really mine? Because I don’t know what the foreign ownership implications are. I don’t have the means to pay the staff. You realize that, don’t you?”
The way she flung that at him made him realize something far more important—how far apart they were in understanding one another.
“Ivy. When I said I wanted to take responsibility for you and our baby, I meant that I would ensure the safety and security of both of you. That I will use every possible tool at my disposal.”
She folded her arms defensively and let her weight fall onto her back foot. “Okay. What does that mean?”
“It means this house will be yours. Outright. The funds for upkeep will be spelled out in our marriage contract along with a budget for all your staff. It will specify your living allowance, your share in the corporation and the terms of settlement should we divorce. I’m going to discuss all that with my father after I leave here. You’ll have time to review and weigh in, but I suggest you hire a lawyer to review it as well.”
“That’s not going to endear me to your family, is it? How angry are they that I’ve turned up pregnant this way, forcing you to marry someone they’ve never even met?” She bit her lip and said in a smaller voice, “I’ve been terrified to ask that.”
“They’re so thrilled it makes me feel like a jerk that I was planning not to marry or give them a grandchild. You’ll see.” He moved to take her by the shoulders and dipped his chin to look her in the eye. “Now, so you won’t have any other surprises, I’ll also tell you I’ve asked my mother’s assistant to set up interviews for a mirror of her own team for you. Once I’m married, we’ll both be in demand as guests and hosts. You’ll need an assistant, a social secretary, you already have a styl
ist and you’ll probably want a personal shopper.”
“That’s not you?” she asked weakly.
He smiled. “You also need a midwife and nutritionist for the next while, and a nanny once the baby is born. Mother’s decorator can help with the nurseries and any other changes you wish to make to our homes.”
“That’s... I mean...” Her hands came to his forearms as if she felt dizzy.
He squeezed her shoulders and tore off the rest of the bandage.
“You’ll also have your own driver and bodyguards. Unfortunately, we all need them. It’s the price of our success. As for the household staff, we have an inter-family agent who manages all that. If you need to make changes, your assistant will set that up. And—”
“There’s more?” she squeaked. “Please stop.”
“You’ll have your own bank account once we’re married, but use this credit card if you need anything immediately.” He withdrew two from his shirt pocket, read them and replaced his own, then offered hers.
She swallowed as she looked at it. “This is one of those ‘invitation only’ kind. Limitless. I saw one in Hong Kong once. How did you get one with my name on it? So fast?”
She was so cute. “It has a concierge service. I made a call, and it was waiting when we landed. There’s a new phone around here, too. It should be programmed with my direct line. I’ll find it and check it before I go. If you don’t have any objections to this house, I’ll tell Mother to go ahead with the paperwork?”
“My objections are all of the ‘Are you of sound mind?’ variety,” she said faintly.
“Very sound. But you’re looking wan. Take the afternoon to rest before I bring my parents by later. Let the staff spoil you.”
“You really have to go?” She swayed slightly toward him. Her eyes were wide with uncertain invitation as she met his gaze.
It would be so easy to walk her back to the bed and lose himself in passion. So easy. Probably even healthy.
But with so much of his life fraying and peeling off in its own directions, he had to maintain a firm grip over everything, most especially himself. Just thinking about blowing off his afternoon caused the itch of angst and tension to rise in him.