Reluctant Billionaire (Billionaire Knights)

by Cheryl Phipps

  “Sarah, the father has a right to know, even if you don’t think much of him.”

  “Oh, I see. I’m afraid Marcus isn’t the father.”

  Her mother, who usually took everything in her stride, was shocked. “Are you sure?”

  “One hundred per cent sure.”

  “Will you tell me who it is?”

  Could this be any more awkward? Sarah got up from the table and paced the room. “I wish I could tell you. I met him briefly in Rarotonga and I only know his first name.”

  “Sarah!”

  Sarah put her head in her hands. “I know. This is terrible. People will think I’m little better than a common—”

  “Don’t finish that. Yes, it’s surprising. You, of all my children, have shown the most common sense. Usually.”

  Sarah sat back, slightly relieved to have it out in the open and her mother hadn’t had a heart attack. “I don’t know what came over me.”

  Her mother was still for a moment, then she shrugged. “You were upset about the wedding, needing reassurance about the decisions you’d made. He was a smooth operator, happy to oblige a beautiful woman. You met him in a different place and it was easy.”

  Sarah gasped at the accuracy of it. “How did you know that?”

  “It’s how I met your father. Except for the part about the wedding. He sweet-talked the pants right off me when I was holidaying with my friends.”

  “Mom!” Why was she the only one blushing?

  “Don’t ‘Mom’ me. I’m no saint, and neither was your father.

  “I get it, but let’s not talk about it. Please.”

  Eloise laughed. “You kids are such prudes when it comes to your parents. Anyway, do you want to find this man?”

  “I want to say no, but maybe I should if I’m going to have his baby.” Her hand went automatically to her flat stomach and she rubbed absently.

  “So, that’s the first step. Decide what you want, then we’ll make it happen. You have a family that loves you, and we’ll love any child of yours. If we find the father and he’s not interested, so be it.”

  Sarah hugged her mother. “Thanks, Mom. I needed to hear that.”

  Eloise patted her head. “Let me call Andy.”

  “No!” Andy was Ben’s best friend. Her eldest brother and he had been tight since Andy had moved to San Francisco from Texas. He was a huge man with a quiet presence, who ran a security company. It made sense, but Andy was like family, and she wasn’t ready to tell them all what an idiot she’d been.

  “Sarah, it’s the best option. He’ll find this man faster than you or I could and he’ll be discrete. You’ll need to give him as many details as you can.”

  Sarah hung her head. “I’m so embarrassed.”

  “Which is natural given the circumstances, but you’re going to have to deal with that if you’re keeping this child.”

  Sarah sighed. Her mother was right, but it was awkward telling Andy, even though he was a friend to all the family. She’d have to ask him not to tell Ben. As far as she knew, they had no secrets, but she couldn’t bear it if Ben thought any less of her. She would tell him herself when she had everything sorted. It was lame, but all she had right now.

  Together, she and Ben had formed a tight team and in the years immediately following their father’s death with their mother by their side, they had made Knight Industries so much more than it had been. The others had helped, but it was she and Ben who’d made the company their lives.

  Having a child without a father might impact her contribution, and potentially destroy the respect she held in the company, and she may lose the equality she shared with her eldest brother. The twins and Caris would take things in their stride, although the boys would no doubt have fun at her expense. That, she could handle. Ben’s disapproval, not so much.

  Eloise Knight picked up her phone and called Andy, who must have answered on the first ring. He would do anything for the family. For her mom, he would walk on broken glass.

  “Andy, would you be a dear and pop around today? Oh, you were coming anyway? Good, then I won’t be taking you out of your way. No, I’m fine. It is delicate situation, and I’d appreciate you not mentioning anything to the rest of the family. See you then.” She put the phone on the table. “He’s on his way.”

  Sarah nodded. She wasn’t pleased about it, but now it was out of her hands until Andy found Christian. If that was even his real first name.

  Chapter Eight

  The door to Christian’s office burst open, and in walked Sarah. Her tan had faded and she had dark circles under her eyes, but she still beautiful. Hot on her heels was his secretary, Lilith.

  “I’m so sorry, Doctor Grayson. She insisted.”

  He could see how flustered Lilith was, and took pity on her because he was as shocked if not more so, to see the woman he hadn’t been able to forget standing in front of him. Even if she didn’t look at all happy to be here.

  He stood up and came around his desk. “Thanks, Lilith. I’m sure you did your best. Sarah. How are you?”

  “You do know her, then?”

  “Yes, Lilith. That will be all, thank you.”

  The door closed behind her, but not before he’d noted that her indignation had morphed into curiosity.

  He and Sarah stood facing each other in a lengthy silence. He coughed, which startled her.

  “I asked how you were?”

  “Oh. Yes. I’m well thank you.”

  “Please, have a seat.” He waited until she sat at a setting of two comfortable chairs and a round, low table. His desk was reserved for patients who needed that division, and Sarah looked so uncomfortable that he knew if he put the desk between them, this would be much harder. Whatever this was, he was glad to see her again. If only she didn’t look like she was visiting a hangman.

  “I’m sorry to barge in like this. If there was any other way, I would have taken it. When I tracked you down, I rang several times, but your secretary was unwilling to put me through.”

  Christian could feel the doubt claw at him. This scenario was all too familiar.

  “That is unfortunate, but Lilith has a brief she takes seriously. If you’d have told her your name and what you wanted, she would have been more helpful.”

  “I couldn’t. It’s private.”

  “I see. Well, you’re here now. Did you say you tracked me down?”

  “Yes.”

  The silence and her agitation caused alarm bells to ring.

  “Are you going to tell me why you’re here, or do I have to guess?”

  “I’m pregnant.” The words came out in such a rush, and she looked as horrified as he felt.

  “Pardon?”

  Sarah clasped her hands together in her lap, but kept her eyes on him. “I’m pregnant.”

  “Are you saying that you’re having my baby?”

  She nodded, blushing profusely, and as attractive as she was, his dislike of being taken for a chump for a second time galvanized him into action. He jumped up, giving her a fright as he came around his desk.

  “I don’t know why you think I’m such a fool, Sarah. It’s been months since we spent a few pleasurable hours together. I was careful, even if you weren’t. There is no way you’re carrying my child.”

  She stood. “I’m telling you this is your baby. I don’t lie.”

  “Why would I believe you? You’re secretive and sneaky. You left me without so much as a goodbye.”

  “Can the melodrama. As I recall, it was a mutual thing.”

  “No, it wasn’t. Apart from the sex. You told me nothing about yourself, except your first name, and that you were on your honeymoon. Isn’t it convenient, when your wedding doesn’t happen, to hook up with a wealthy doctor for one night and then turn up pregnant. Shame on you for trying to palm this poor child off as mine.”

  She clasped her hands tighter. So tight, her knuckles turned white. Her voice turned to ice. “To be clear, I don’t need a cent from you. I don’t need anything fr
om you. This was a courtesy visit, so I could tell our child one day that I tried. Don’t give us another thought because when I leave, I won’t be back.”

  “Sure you won’t. The circumstances might be different, but I’ve been down this road before and blood tests always tell the truth.”

  “I’m sure you’ve treated other women as callously, and it goes to prove that my first impressions of you were correct. Which makes me glad you won’t be in this baby’s life.”

  Sarah stormed from his office and the door banged on its hinges. Lilith came running to check he was okay, but he waved her away.

  He’d been so angry, but he’d been right, hadn’t he? This baby, if there was one, couldn’t be his.

  Yet, he was a doctor before he was a surgeon. He knew that all the best precautions in the world sometimes failed. If that’s what had happened, and he had to admit it was a possibility, then his child would never know him. That filled him with dread.

  He had lived that life. A poor mother with two kids, trying to get by and make sure they had enough food and an education. He did not want any child of his to struggle.

  And he’d like a child. Maybe more than one. Someday.

  An idea surfaced. Perhaps if Sarah was so adamant, they could decide this with blood tests. He almost ran to the door, yanked it open, and scoured the hall. Lilith looked at him oddly.

  “Did that woman leave her name?”

  “No, sir.”

  He’d waited too long, and she was gone. Why hadn’t he thought to find out her last name?

  Still, if she’d managed to track him down, surely he could do the same?

  Chapter Nine

  Sarah wiped angrily at the tear that stole down her cheek as she negotiated the traffic to get out to the suburbs. “Damn you, Doctor Grayson. We don’t need you.”

  Her phone beeped. It would most certainly be her mother, wanting to know how the meeting had gone. Andy too. He’d been sworn to secrecy, and when he’d tried to pressure her into letting him come with her, she’d had to use all her powers of persuasion to talk him out of it. She was especially glad about that now. Digesting Christian’s reaction might take a bit of time. Sarah was glad she was alone.

  She ignored the insistent beep. She couldn’t go home yet. There would be more questions than she had answers for, so she decided to turn around and head to the park instead. Everyone would think she’d headed back to work which suited her right now.

  She was halfway through the turn, when out of nowhere a truck appeared. How had she not seen it? It was too late to do more than swerve hard and hope it missed her.

  The crunch of steel on steel was nothing compared to the impact when it came. Her whole body jerked up from the seat, then slammed back into it with tremendous force. Her hands moved protectively over her stomach.

  “I do want you, my baby. I do want you.” She repeated the mantra several times, before her car rolled onto its side, and her head hit the door frame.

  The squeak of rubber soled shoes on linoleum. The smell of disinfectant. Soft murmurs near and far. She was awake. But not.

  Her mother was talking to someone. A nurse? She sounded upset.

  She tried to move. Her left arm felt heavy, as did her right leg.

  “Sarah? Are you awake?”

  Was that Doctor Meredith? Slowly, Sarah opened her eyes, then shut them quickly against the glare of the hospital lights. She nodded, which made her wince.

  Her hand was lifted, fingers resting on her pulse.

  She opened her eyes again. Her mother sat beside the bed, pale and suddenly old. On the other side, Doctor Meredith was checking her watch. She smiled at Sarah.

  “Apart from a sprained ankle and wrist, plus a few cuts and bruises, you’re okay. We’ve put in an IV to boost your fluids and we need to keep an eye on you for a few hours in case the bump on your head has caused concussion.”

  Sarah only had one thing on her mind. “The baby?”

  “Both of you are fine.”

  Sarah felt a huge relief, but the guilt was still there. She knew, when she thought she would die, that all she’d wanted was to save her child. She should have been more careful. She might have killed them both, and maybe others.

  “How’s the truck driver?” she asked her mother. A vision of the horror on his face came back to haunt her.

  “Andy located him in the emergency department. He walked away with a few bruises. Apparently, he wasn’t going too fast and managed to swerve enough to minimize the damage. You were both incredibly lucky.”

  “It was my fault. I wasn’t concentrating.”

  “Sarah, don’t fret. The main thing is everyone is okay. We have insurance to take care of the rest and if the driver needs more than that, I would gladly pay it to have you safe.”

  Her mother looked like she might cry, and Sarah hated that she was the cause. “I’m so sorry, Mom. I seem to be saying that a lot lately.”

  “Darling, I want you to relax and take care of my grandchild.” She checked to make sure the doctor was out of hearing. “Did it go so badly with the father?”

  Sarah took a deep breath, wincing at the pain in her rib area. “He’s not interested, and I’m fine with his decision. Especially now. We can move on.”

  “That’s a shame, but like I said before, you’ll have the family to look after you both. This baby will be blessed with so much love.”

  Sarah smiled, but inside she had a picture of everyone fussing over her and the poor baby. The comfort of having her family around to help her warred with her natural independence.

  Then there was the thought of having to tell their extended family and friends. The Knights were well known in San Francisco, even if they didn’t live right in the city. This would be juicy gossip for the tabloids and the idle rich. She needed time to come to terms with having her private life made public, and the fact that she would be a single mom.

  “I think I’ll sleep now, but could you not tell anyone I’m here for a few hours?”

  “Darling, I’ll do my best, but the family already knows. Ben’s on his way with the twins, and Caris is bringing you a bag of clothes and toiletries since we had no idea how long you’d be here for.”

  “Of course, but nobody else.” Sarah closed her eyes, dreading the descending deluge and hoped it wouldn’t be too soon.

  Chapter Ten

  Lilith brought Christian’s mail and laid it on the corner of his desk. He was planning a complex surgery and his mind was totally involved in that the procedure. “Thank you,” he said, automatically.

  She hovered beside him. “Did you hear the news? I was watching the TV at lunch time?”

  Absently, he pulled his file closer, in no mood for gossip, but Lilith had proved not only that she was good at her job over the last few years, but that she was also loyal. When he’d been going through the rough patch last year she’d protected him from calls that he didn’t need and had looked after him like his sister would have if she’d been near.

  “No, was it important?”

  “I’m not sure, but I thought you’d be interested since she was just here.”

  Christian was trying not to lose his patience. “What are you talking about?”

  “The woman who barged in on you this morning. Sarah Knight.”

  So that was her full name. At least he had a place to start, and he hadn’t had to do a thing. “What about her?”

  “She was in a terrible car accident. It must have been not long after she left here.”

  “What? Wait a minute, did you say, Sarah Knight?”

  “Yes. She’s one of the Billionaire Knights, isn’t she?”

  Christian, flicked on the TV in the corner of the room. He surfed through the channels, until Sarah’s face jumped out at him.

  Sarah Knight. No wonder her face had been familiar. He might not have ever met her, but he’d seen her face attached to all sorts of promotions and charities.

  She had way more money than him, therefore it made sense th
at she wasn’t trying to take advantage of him financially. Did it mean that if she was pregnant, the baby was his? Why would she lie? Unless she had another ulterior motive.

  “Cancel all my appointments this afternoon, Lilith.” He raced past her, snatching up his jacket as he left.

  The news item had said she was at San Francisco City hospital. He worked there often, so turning up unannounced wouldn’t arouse suspicion. He had to know if Sarah and the baby were okay. He had to know if he was going to be a father. For real this time.

  As soon as he arrived at the hospital, he went through the emergency ward and on to the holding bays. He searched each room but Sarah wasn’t there. Chatting with a couple of staff members who were excited at the near celebrity they’d had in their midst, he found out that she had been there until an hour ago. He wandered away to a quiet corner which held a computer. Accessing the hospital records, Christian located her on the private ward.

  Wearing a doctor’s coat he’d picked up from the office he used when he was here, plus the lanyard with his ID, he looked legit. Hell, he was legit. Even though he was a surgeon and this was not his case. It wasn’t even a surgical ward.

  As he arrived at her room, a tall, gray-haired woman was leaving. She gave him a quick look, but since he pretended to be studying a piece of paper, he apparently posed no threat, so she continued down the hall.

  The door was ajar, and it felt like it was meant to be when after checking, he found the room empty apart from Sarah. He crossed to the bed and looked down at her pale face. The bruises and swelling made her look so vulnerable. Something he wouldn’t have thought to categorize her as—until now.

  “Sarah,” he said, softly, not wanting to disturb her rest, but desperate to speak to her.

  Her eyes flew open. “You!”

  “Shhh. I’m here to apologize.”