“I’m intrigued. I’ll be there.”
As he hung up the phone, he was confident his legal team could get him out of anything he was doing. However, they wouldn’t help him with Ashley.
How deep was her bond with Jennifer?
Jennifer trusted her son to Ashley, which meant they were more than just cousins who never spoke to one another.
But if Matt was denied fatherhood, he’d want a chance to see his son, a chance he was offering to Anthony.
He turned off the car in front of Jennifer’s front door and lifted his head.
He was doing the right thing.
Hopefully.
He rang the bell and said a small prayer that she might understand, and that he wasn’t ruining their relationship.
Ashley answered and he saw that she had two bags near the front door for the baby as well as a Pack ‘n Play and box of diapers. He picked up a bag and a box as Ashley beamed at him.
Holding the baby somehow made her skin glow. Ashley was already beautiful but she had a special aura around her now.
He hoped that meant she’d gotten over her fear of babies. He didn’t say anything but she held the door and he asked, “Ashley, did you talk to Jennifer?”
He turned around and he saw how she held the boy to her shoulder, all bundled in a blue blanket as she said, “No, but I called the hospital. She’s checked in and the surgery is scheduled to start in like ten minutes. Did you call the studio?”
Texting counted and he’d been a dutiful deputy for the producer. “Yes. Brandon is sending flowers from the crew today and we’re all to report at 4 AM for blocking some of my scenes with Eva as Jennifer is now off the schedule for a few days.”
He patted her arm and she smiled at him like they were a team.
Inside he flinched but he knew how to hold his reactions in check. Matt picked up the Pack ‘n Play thing and the second bag as she said, “I’m sure Jennifer will bounce back. She loves working.”
This was his second movie with Jennifer and he’d agreed, despite the push-back of his family, because of her professionalism.
Otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten near her. He put everything in the trunk and picked up the car seat.
This had no directions. He studied the back as he lifted it.
Perhaps he put the seat belt through the loop? He struggled as it wasn’t easy, but a few minutes later he’d won and the car seat was in.
He turned around and nodded at Ashley, who left the porch and placed the baby in the seat. He walked around and opened the passenger door. His skin singed as she passed him.
Matt, raised to be a gentleman, closed her door and got behind the wheel. He checked his seatbelt and then asked as they drove off the property, “And how did you get the little guy to sleep?”
She relaxed into the soft leather seat. “I have no idea. I fed him. Do all people in Hollywood have gold-encrusted glass bottles?”
Jennifer had the baby sleeping in a throne-like crib in her living room, which he’d never seen before but he didn’t comment. He glanced at her. Ashley seemed relaxed so he figured the drive wasn’t the best time for confessions. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
She laughed and said, “And I thought Miami rich people were strange.”
“You mean my family,” he replied without thinking. She’d worked for his family and most of them were bankers who drove in black cars made to be sleek and stylish and boring.
Ashley chuckled, but then nodded as she said, “Whoops. Well, yeah.”
He drove them back to his house and said, “No one in my family went with gold-encrusted.”
She raised her eyebrow. “And no one I worked with before ever drove a fire truck to their job unless he was a firefighter.”
He tapped on the wheel as they turned onto his property. “My family is rather reserved for all that wealth.”
She pointed to his two-story mansion. “You call the marble floors and original statues and art, reserved?”
Ashley’s humor made him smile as he turned the car off in front of the fountains on the driveway and said, “No Bat Mobile, so yeah.”
She opened her own door and got out as she shook her head. He followed and she immediately went to the car seat as he retrieved the bags. “Do you know who drives that?”
Now that he thought about it, yes, that car was a bit much. He nodded. “My friend Ben-”
“Don’t tell me the last name!” she interrupted and lifted the baby out of the seat as she bounced him. “I don’t want to lose the mystic aura around my movie heroes.”
He moved the bags onto the porch and then went for the rest as he said, “You probably shouldn’t work on sets then—no more illusions.”
She stayed on his heels until he opened the front door and then she passed to be inside. “Well, if all stars are like you then I’m working in heaven.”
He took out the Pack ‘n Play as her arms might get tired from carrying the baby and headed into the living room to put it together. She sat on the edge of the couch while he went to work figuring this new puzzle out. “I’m not an angel,” he assured her. “And I like being part of my family. It’s so different than when I grew up and had no one.”
The metal bottom didn’t want to straighten out. He pushed down in the center but it wasn’t working. She said, “I used to wish I had brothers and sisters. So I get how that feels.”
The baby began to cry and she rose to her feet. “Cosimo might be hungry.” He continued to push on the center bar but it didn’t snap into place. Once she left the room, he used his phone and searched for the directions online. Ah, that was it. He pushed two sides down and then the bottom did as he wanted. She returned and said, “I hope I brought enough bottles.”
Matt walked over and intended to kiss the baby’s forehead, but the baby’s small hands reached out like he wanted to be held.
So, Ashley handed him the baby.
His sister had also expected him to hold her little boy and he liked being an uncle so didn’t mind. Still, babies were fragile so he sat down on the couch and said, “I’m sure you did. It’s just for a night.”
She shrugged and backed up. “Since you’re feeding him, I’ll get lunch started. The day is going fast.”
Right. And by dinner, his brother would be here to see his son.
Ashley needed to know.
They wouldn’t be alone tonight. He didn’t want to be without her, so he followed her into the kitchen and took a seat at the small table by the counter to feed the baby. “I get to spend the day with you, and Cosimo.”
She pulled bags of vegetables from the fridge that he had no idea where they came from. Until Ashley’s arrival, he usually ate out, except for breakfast—he managed his own bread, cheese and fruit.
The Morgans in Miami had chefs.
Maybe if he was going to be home more he should hire one too.
Ashley buttered a pan and set it aside while she took the vegetables to the sink and washed them. “You look comfortable holding the baby. Did you ever want your own children?”
While the rest of the House of Morgan was now procreating, he never imagined he’d join their number. His past flashed in his mind but he glanced down at this baby. Cosimo had a sweet coo to him that just made him want to hold him tighter.
The smaller the cuter it seemed. “I guess, but I never put concrete thoughts into a must have and they weren’t on the five-year plan.”
She washed the vegetables and then ran them through the food processor. The baby jumped in his arms and Matt rocked him to keep him calm as she asked, “You have a five-year plan?”
He waited till the noise of the machine ended. “Movie careers for leading men don’t last unless he’s shown versatility and staying power at the box office. It’s pretty rare in this town, so I’ve been going between romance to action to drama to show my capabilities, but it’s no guarantee.”
“And hopefully this new series?” The baby cooed as he held him, and she added, “Maybe you can
play a dad as you’re clearly good with little ones.”
Matt was paying her to help him land the role that could make his career.
She added the vegetables into the pan and then took out chicken from his refrigerator.
Seriously his maid needed a raise if she was now stocking his fridge. Ashley washed the chicken too as she asked, “And do you ever think about retiring?”
His skin buzzed. It was getting late for dinner and he should tell her what he’d done. He checked that the bottle was almost finished. “I think I’d be bored and I hate being bored.”
She mixed spices in a bowl and added chicken into the pan. “Why? What do you see when you look at yourself in the mirror, and imagine being older?”
“Nothing.” He kept his hold on the baby gentle. “That’s what scares me.”
The more roles he played, the more he became characters of other people and wasn’t himself. Except when he was with his siblings and he was then a Morgan with family, and they all knew that family mattered above all else.
“You have time to figure out what you want next. Or you can turn into one of the dashing older actors that are still relevant.”
Now was the time, but he watched her with fascination as she took paste she’d made with pureed tomatoes and gently mixed it into the melted butter of the pan like she was trying to change the butter’s color from golden yellow to rose.
He’d never watched a chef in the kitchen but found himself enthralled by Ashley—simple ingredients that she created amazing scents and flavors with. Cosimo fell asleep in his arms.
The doorbell rang and he flinched. Silence had been the wrong course to take.
Hopefully Ashley understood that family came first. He rose, the babe snug in his arm. She flipped the chicken and said, “Someone’s at the door.”
Great. He adjusted Cosimo and lowered his head. “He’s early. I told him dinner.”
“Huh?” Ashley asked with wide, trusting eyes. “Who?”
Letting his brother see his son was the right thing, so his cheeks shouldn’t burn as he headed toward the door and said, “I thought I had more time to tell you.”
She followed behind him. “Tell me what?”
No beating around this. She needed to know. Once they were in the hallway, he stared at a spot on the floor in front of him. “I invited my brother Anthony over to meet his son.”
“You what?” Ashley’s face turned red and she raced to his side.
He held the baby, though if she grabbed the boy and ran, he couldn’t stop her, exactly.
After his brother left, he’d explain his actions. Ashley was reasonable, right? His heart raced as he waved off Rosita, in case there was a scene, as he took the last few steps. “I’m getting the door.”
Rosita disappeared into her room.
Ashley’s voice went higher as she asked, “Is that why you brought us here?”
Reason wasn’t a bad thing. He wasn’t going to kidnap the baby, but this was a means to help family.
And family lasted.
That sounded like his father’s voice he’d repeated in his head, not his brothers or sisters.
The banker wasn’t someone he’d thought had influenced him.
Until now.
No wonder he didn’t want that role.
He held the handle of the door and met Ashley’s betrayed gaze. His gut was tight, but he said, “You, no. I want you to live with me, but Cosimo… yeah.” Her eyes were huge and he swore he saw steam escape her ears, but he opened the door and waved for his brother to enter his home. “Anthony, come in.” The door shut with a bang and Matt rocked the baby to keep him calm as he showed Cosimo to Anthony. “This is your son with Jennifer.”
“You have him.” Anthony held his hands out to hold him.
Matt glanced at Ashley. Her arms were crossed and her leg was out like she was gearing up for a fight. He should have said something to her. He turned to Anthony. “You can’t keep him.”
Anthony gently held Cosimo, rocking the baby in one arm as he slipped the bottle with the boy’s saliva into his pocket. “He’s sweet. I just need DNA evidence to prove he’s mine.”
If a court case happened, and a judge asked where the DNA came from, he and Ashley would be witnesses.
She went toward their bags from Jennifer’s house and zipped them closed. “You can’t just take what you want.”
Was she leaving?
Anthony, still holding his son, found the baby pacifier and pocketed it.
He must want a back-up.
He’d deal with his brother in a moment. Ashley moved the diaper bag closer to her and he followed her into the living area they’d set up together for the baby. “Ashley, be reasonable.”
She motioned with her hands for him to stay far away. Her body language was clearly defensive while she said, “Matt, you… you should have told me.”
Yes. She was right. His face was hot as he said, “I’m sorry.”
Her shoulders slumped as she looked from him, to Anthony, and back but she didn’t race out the door.
Hopefully Ashley would listen to his side and this wasn’t the end. Matt wasn’t ready for that.
Chapter 13
Ashley’s eyes stung with tears she wouldn’t shed as she stood in the living room of Matt’s house, and watched Matt and Anthony who had similar profiles, with Cosimo, in the foyer.
Maybe she should have let herself cry, but years of being ignored taught her that it didn’t change anything.
First one tear fell, then another. Since she wasn’t in the kitchen she couldn’t blame the onions.
Matthew Morgan, the sexiest man she’d ever seen, touched, loved… he didn’t care about her.
He loved his family, but could never love her—he’d chosen his family over his legal contract with Jennifer, or her feelings.
It was obvious that wouldn’t change.
She also needed to do the right thing for her family, such as it was, and that wasn’t rolling over for any man, even if he made her spine tingle. She crossed her arms as they moved into a side room Matt used as his office.
The palm trees visible from his window were there to ensure Matt’s environment was peaceful, but inside her heart, nothing was peaceful.
Nothing at all. He closed the office door, Anthony and Cosimo out of her sight, and he returned a moment later to speak to her. She lowered her hands. “Matt, why didn’t you tell me?”
His hands went into his pockets and he met her stare as he said, “You’d have said no.”
“True.” She absolutely would have.
Her heart thumped that Anthony might be running out the door with the baby right now, though she heard Anthony cooing to his son in the office.
Her stomach flipped as she’d been left in charge—her cousin trusted her. She widened her stance as Matt said, “I still meant to tell you before he arrived. I called him when I went for the Bentley.”
That had been hours ago. They hadn’t been separated. If he respected her, at all, and didn’t think she was the hired help, then he’d have told her. She sucked in her breath. “Then you had all afternoon.”
He reached for her hands. “I didn’t know spending time with you would feel like I had a family of my own. I knew I liked you. I didn’t realize how happy you make me feel.”
Wow. Her heart twisted. She’d loved him for a year. The past few days with him so far had been nothing but magical. But now… it was like he wanted to twist the knife he’d stuck into her back. She yanked her hands from his. “Not happy enough to tell me what you were thinking.”
He closed his eyes and stood so close she could feel his breath, which gave her goosebumps. “I should have. Will you listen now?”
She wanted to scream no, but then she’d never get a chance at love with him. She’d come all this way, she could listen.
The rational part of her brain said if she truly loved him, then they needed to work out better communication. She lowered her arms and asked, “Are you su
re Anthony won’t take the baby and run?”
“Yes. He’s my half-brother.” Matt spoke as if it wasn’t even a question in his mind.
The Morgans hadn’t grown up together. Matt had no idea about his half-brother’s character outside the door, but she heard Anthony talking to the baby with the words bambino and cara. She lifted her chin. “That doesn’t make him trustworthy.”
Matt stood back and seemed more at attention like he was a soldier when he pointed toward the office chairs near his desk and said, “A Morgan never publicly fights with another Morgan.”
He waited behind one and offered it to her with a pat on the wooden back.
A seat would be more comfortable and less confrontational. She sat where he asked. He pulled the second chair closer. “And that’s why you’re sure?”
“Yes,” he said, like the truth was obvious.
Trust was important, but she wasn’t sure how to move past being a former employee to love interest that he trusted. And she wasn’t sure she’d ever earn his trust as much as his family. “For a man who hated his father, you apparently trust his bloodlines.”
He leaned closer to her, with both hands between his knees. “I also trust you’ll hear me out.”
Love meant forgiveness. But she also needed to protect Cosimo, as her cousin had asked. Jennifer was many things, but she’d showed that she trusted Ashley. Ashley didn’t let people down. “Okay. Why didn’t you tell me? Besides the fact that you knew I would say no. Why did you do it in the first place?”
Matt’s blue eyes were clear as he said, “I’m in a hard position. My family wants to sue Jennifer and here I am, working with her.”
She knew that must be true. She’d delivered a baby she hadn’t seen and fixed Jennifer’s mistake, but she’d spent a lifetime doing exactly that for her cousin. That wasn’t the point here, not entirely. “Because of the baby lie?”
Matt scooted his chair closer as he said, “Yes. It’s difficult because Peter and Belle can’t prove true harm. The fertilized egg would have been trashed so the worst is theft. But they don’t want their son to ever think he wasn’t wanted.”
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