“None,” said Max.
“Any questions?” asked Cole.
“Not yet.” Max paused. “Anything else you need right now?”
Cole looked to Amber, and she shook her head.
“We’re good,” said Cole.
Max rose to leave, closing the door behind him and leaving them alone.
“You did it,” said Cole.
“I sure hope it works.”
“It will. And so will the others. This one was a good idea, a solid business decision. As the first airline to adopt the guidelines, you’re going to get some really positive buzz. The policy change will garner loyalty—maybe not all of your passengers, but enough. And those passengers will be the frequent fliers. That’s huge. It was a smart move you made.”
“We made.”
“It was a smart move, Amber. Don’t sell yourself short. They know who’s in charge now, and it’ll spread around the building like wildfire.”
“You think?” She seemed to ponder. “Sidney might tell someone. But Roth will never admit it. And Bartholomew doesn’t strike me as a gossip.”
“I’m willing to bet Bartholomew knows exactly when and how much to gossip.”
“Phase three underway?” she asked.
“Phase three well underway.” He jokingly held out his hand.
She accepted it and shook.
The contact made him instantly recall what it was like to hold her close. He wished he could pull her in for a hug. He longed to kiss her. He longed to stroke her hair and feel the length of her body pressed up against his.
“Destiny will be here in an hour,” she said, retrieving her hand once again.
Cole accepted her withdrawal, shaking off his wayward feelings. “Destiny’s been looking up precedents for blood relatives being given preference in custody cases. Do you know if Roth spent any amount of time with Zachary?”
“Not that I heard about, but Coco didn’t tell me everything.”
“I’ve been trying to predict his thinking,” said Cole. “With you, his best ammunition was that you were too inexperienced to run Coast Eagle. With me, he’ll go after my capability as Zachary’s guardian. I’m vulnerable there.”
“Not if they ask Zachary.”
Cole chuckled at that. “It is too bad that Zachary can’t talk.”
“It’s too bad Zachary’s not a puppy.”
“Excuse me?”
“With a puppy, you put him down between the two people and both call him. Whoever the dog runs to wins.”
Cole grinned. “I do like my chances with that.”
“Sometimes the simplest solutions work best.”
“Can we suggest it to the judge?”
“Only if you want him to order a psychological evaluation.”
Ten
Christmas Eve, Amber and Destiny had settled down in a corner of the penthouse living room in front of the twinkling tree and the gas fireplace, cups of eggnog in their hands. Zachary was bathed and wearing red-and-white snowflake pajamas. They’d already snapped a few pictures of him looking so adorable, and now he was busy pulling himself up on pieces of furniture, trying to toddle from one handhold to the next, falling down on his diapered bottom with each attempt.
“At least he’s tenacious,” said Destiny.
“Stubborn,” said Amber. “And not always in a good way.”
But she had to admire him in this. He picked himself up again, gripped the coffee table, made it to standing, then set his sights on the ottoman.
“Is it just me,” asked Amber, “or does he seem extraordinarily intelligent?”
“He seems extraordinarily intelligent.”
“I thought so. I only had to tell him once to leave the tree alone.”
“And here I thought the pine needles prickled his hands.”
“Maybe,” Amber allowed. “Do you mind very much that we’re staying in tonight?”
Over the past few years, she and Destiny had always travelled somewhere fun for Christmas. Last December they’d gone snowboarding at a great resort in Switzerland. This year, travelling would have been a lot more complicated with Zachary along. Amber knew it would be better relaxing at home. She also wanted to keep him in his routine, since tomorrow would be such an exciting day.
She knew he had no concept of Santa and wouldn’t even realize the presents had appeared overnight. Still, she found herself looking forward to the morning. She was certain he’d take to unwrapping just fine. And she hoped he’d like playing with the toys she’d picked out.
“Not at all. This is fun, too,” said Destiny. “The eggnog’s fantastic. And the view from here is great.”
“What about Luca?” Amber asked. She’d been curious about their budding relationship for days now. But whenever she and Destiny were together, the court case had taken all of their attention.
“He’s still in town,” said Destiny.
“I know he’s still in town. I see Cole every day at the office. What I’m asking is if anything has happened between you two?”
“Define happened.”
“Have you kissed him?”
“A few times.” Destiny covered a smile with a sip of eggnog.
“And?”
“And what?”
“And anything more than kissing?”
“Not yet.”
“But soon?”
“I don’t know. Something’s holding me back. I guess I’m not the flinging kind. Who knew?”
“Turned out I was,” said Amber. “Who knew?”
Destiny’s attention perked up. “Again?”
“No, not again. The once. I haven’t slept with him since I found out the truth.”
“But you want to.”
“Who wouldn’t? But he deceived me, and he’s trying to take Zachary away.”
“He’s trying to keep Zachary away from Roth. That’s not quite the same thing.”
“It’s not,” Amber agreed. “I suppose I should be grateful.”
“Are you grateful?”
“He’s a fascinating guy, Dest. He’s incredibly strategic, and unbelievably bold. In less than a week, he’s got the entire company in awe of him.”
“Controlling the company will do that to people.”
“Yeah, but it’s more than just that. He’s got a certain presence. You should have seen him shut Roth down.” Amber remembered the expression on Roth’s face. “If Roth ever gets a chance, he’s going to annihilate Cole.”
“I don’t think he’ll get the chance,” said Destiny.
Amber looked closely at her expression. “Are you really that optimistic? Or are you trying to make me feel good on Christmas Eve.”
“Both. But I am optimistic. There are a lot of precedents out there for blood relatives winning custody.”
Amber’s gaze caught on Zachary. “Look!”
Zachary took a step, then another and another. He sort of toppled into the ottoman, but stayed upright. Then he turned to Amber with a massive, self-satisfied grin on his face.
“Good boy,” said Amber, beaming with pride.
“There’ll be no stopping him now,” said Destiny.
A knock sounded on the door.
Destiny rose. “I’ll get it. You keep watch in case he does something else amazing.”
Zachary slapped his hands against the leather ottoman. Amber guessed he was gearing up for the next excursion.
Then, suddenly, his face broke into another grin. “Gak baw!” He let go of the ottoman and toddled forward.
“Hey there, partner.”
Amber twisted to see Cole entering the room, a couple of brightly wrapped packages tucked under his arm.
Zachary made it three steps, then four, then his pace sped up. A split second later, things got entirely out of control.
Cole shot forward to grab him before he could go head over heels. Otis stayed a safe pace behind.
“Nice job,” Cole praised Zachary.
“He just started doing that,” said Amber. She fou
nd herself ridiculously happy to have Cole share the moment.
“Merry Christmas,” came Luca’s cheerful voice.
He and Destiny emerged from the foyer, Luca’s arm firmly planted around her waist, a sappy grin on his face. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her lips were slightly swollen. No need to guess who’d come up with the idea of dropping by tonight.
“I brought you a present,” Cole said to Amber.
Her glance went to the packages, instantly guilty because she hadn’t bought anything for him. “Oh, Cole, you shouldn’t have.”
“Oh. Uh...no.” He looked contrite. “These are for Zachary.”
In his arms, Zachary was already plucking at the ribbons.
“I’m your present.”
“Excuse me?” She couldn’t believe she’d heard him right, or that he’d made such an outrageous statement in front of Destiny and Luca.
“I’m here to make sure Zachary gets to sleep tonight.”
She felt relieved. Or maybe it was disappointed. Sure, it would be mortifying to have Cole show up and announce he wanted to sleep with her. Then again, it would be awfully exciting to have Cole show up and announce he wanted to sleep with her.
She realized everyone was staring at her.
She quickly reined in her wayward thoughts. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“No trouble. Can I put these under the tree?”
“Sure. Of course. But I can’t guarantee Zachary will stay away from them.”
Cole looked at the clock. It was coming up on eight.
“He can sit with me for a while,” he said. “That should keep him out of trouble.”
Otis selected a spot near the tree in front of an armchair and curled up to watch.
“Mind if I steal Destiny?” Luca asked. “We’ve got a car and a driver, and I want to take in the lights.”
“Ask Destiny,” said Amber.
“Do you mind?” Destiny asked her.
“Go, go. Have fun. I’ve got the baby whisperer here to make my life easy.”
Luca tugged Destiny against his side. “Your chariot awaits.”
Cole set the gifts under the tree while Destiny and Luca all but scampered out the front door.
“Did he drag you here?” asked Amber.
Cole rose, Zachary happily bopping him on the top of the head. “What? Who?”
“Luca. He was pretty single-minded about getting Destiny out the door. I’m assuming you’re the sacrificial lamb.”
Cole smiled as he lowered himself into an armchair. “I volunteered for the gig.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“I am,” he agreed. “Got any more eggnog?”
“I do.”
“I can get it myself.”
She scooped up Destiny’s empty cup. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’re on baby duty. Just sit tight.”
He lifted Zachary into a standing position on his lap. “Oh, I like this,” he said to the baby. “You and I hang out here. Your auntie does all the work.”
She poured a fresh glass of eggnog and added some spiced rum, stirring the concoction together.
When she returned to the living room, Zachary was sitting facing Cole, playing with the buttons on his denim shirt.
She handed Cole the glass. “Don’t let him taste it.”
Cole’s eyes squinted down. “I wouldn’t do that. I won’t give him anything without asking you.”
“There’s rum in it. That’s all I meant.” She hadn’t meant to sound picky and possessive.
Cole took a drink. “Good.” Then he set the glass out of reach of Zachary.
The awkward moment passed.
“Nice pajamas this guy’s got going on,” Cole said easily.
“I couldn’t resist them. They were so cute.”
“Did you take some pictures?”
“I did.”
“Will you take one of the two of us?”
The request surprised her, but she quickly recovered. “Sure.” Her phone was on a side table, and she reached to retrieve it.
“How about in front of the tree?” Cole asked Zachary, sitting down on the floor. “Any chance you’ll hold still and pose for the camera?”
“Gak baw.”
“As always, I’m going to take that as a yes.”
Amber lined up the camera, taking various poses from various angles. While she snapped the pictures, the family resemblance between the two became startlingly evident. She was half amazed, half afraid.
It was obvious they belonged together. It was just as obvious that she’d have little say in the matter. And a win for Cole still left her up in the air. Or maybe it was out in the cold.
“Did you get any good shots?” asked Cole, setting Zachary down on his feet.
Zachary clung to his fingers, teetering on his feet before letting go and taking a single step away.
Amber scooted toward Cole, settling beside him, scrolling her way through the pictures.
“Those are pretty good,” said Cole.
“I can see now why he thinks you’re familiar,” she admitted. “It’s absolutely there.”
He turned to look at her. “You think?”
“I do.”
Something clunked loudly on the floor, and they both looked up.
Zachary was clinging to the coffee table, slapping his palms against a puddle of eggnog while the glass rolled away.
“Oh, no,” Amber groaned, quickly rising to her feet.
Otis immediately seized on the opportunity, jumping up to lap at the spilled eggnog.
“Otis, no,” Cole commanded, following Amber. “This walking thing is going to take some getting used to.”
The dog looked disappointed, but obediently went back to lie down.
Zachary stuffed his fingers into his mouth, breaking into a grin at the taste.
Amber reached for him, pulling the fingers free. “No rum for you, young man.”
Cole gazed around. “You want me to take care of the baby or the mess?”
She felt a surge of gratitude for his offer. “Do you think you could give him a quick bath?”
“I’m on it.” He took Zachary carefully into his arms, facing the messy parts away from his shirt and pants as he carried him down the hall. Otis followed along behind.
Sighing in resignation, Amber went to the kitchen storage room for paper towels and the mini steam cleaner.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Cole’s shirt was soaked through. But Zachary was clean and happy, tossing little plastic ducks around the tub. The kid had an arm, so some of the ducks flew across the purple bathroom. Cole wasn’t about to leave Zachary’s side, so they were running out of ducks.
“About done there, partner?” Cole asked, reaching forward to lift him.
Zachary grinned and kicked happily, sending a few final splashes toward Cole, one of them hitting him in the face and dampening his hair. Cole quickly wrapped Zachary’s wiggly, wet body in a mauve towel, rubbing him dry before settling him on one hip. Then he leaned down to unplug the tub and used his free hand to gather up the errant ducks.
They made their way into the living room to find Amber on her hands and knees. The rumble and hiss of a steam-cleaning machine obscured the Christmas music. Her brow was sweaty, and her blouse was mussed as she pushed the appliance back and forth on the carpet.
She glanced up to see them. Then she rocked back, hitting the machine’s off switch and swiping a hand across her forehead.
“I think I got it clean,” she said.
Cole peeled his wet shirt away from his rib cage. “I’m not sure we’ve quite got the hang of this billionaire lifestyle.”
She grinned. “He looks happy.”
“He’s happy. I’m soaking wet.”
She came to her feet, dusting off her knees. “When it comes to babies, trust me, bathwater is the least of your problems.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You want to take on diaper and pajama duty? Or
do you want to put away the steamer?”
“Your choice. But after that, I want champagne and maybe some Belgium chocolate truffles sprinkled with gold flakes.”
She shook her head in obvious confusion.
“Something billionaires would eat.”
She moved to the wall to unplug the steamer. “That’s a thing? Gold flakes on chocolate?”
“Real gold, apparently.”
“And you eat it?”
“Well, I’ve never tried myself. But I hear tell it’s expensive.”
She coiled the cord. “Alright, Midas. You take diaper duty. I’ll check the wine rack and pantry for things that are expensive.”
“We can send out,” he offered.
He didn’t want her to go to any work. That was his whole point. Christmas Eve wasn’t the time for cooking and cleaning.
“You’re going to send out for gold chocolates?”
“For whatever you want.”
“Let me see what we have first. And you might want to get the kid into a diaper before too long.”
Cole glanced down at Zachary. “Right. Good advice.”
Realizing the risk, he wasted no time in getting to the nursery. His diapering job was awkward but adequate, and he easily found a new pair of soft, stretchy pajamas.
Soon, they were back in the living room, then into the kitchen in search of Amber.
She turned from the counter, obviously hearing them arrive. “This brand comes in a wooden box and a gold bottle.” She opened the lid of the champagne case to demonstrate. “It should be expensive enough to meet your standards.”
“I was only joking.”
She gave a shrug. “There’s nobody around to drink it but us. And I don’t think champagne keeps indefinitely.”
The microwave oven beeped three times.
Amber pointed to the sound. “Zachary’s Chateau Moo 2014 is in the microwave.”
“Got it,” said Cole, crossing the kitchen.
“We have fresh strawberries. And I found a few bars of dark chocolate. The label’s in French, so I’m guessing they’re imported. And this...”
Cole approached with the formula bottle in his hand.
“Gold-colored sugar sprinkles. Yellow, actually.”
“You take me way too literally.” But he couldn’t help but be impressed by her ingenuity.
He perched himself on a stool, used his best guess on how to position Zachary and offered him the bottle.
The Missing Heir Page 14