Have My Baby: Baby and Pregnancy Romance Collection

by Jamie Knight

  I didn’t know if a month would be enough with him.

  I didn’t even know if forever would.

  Chapter Ten - James

  After Pearl had blown me on Saturday, nothing else had happened between us. Not that I didn’t want it to, but both of us needed a cooling-off period, and both of us needed to use some restraint.

  I could have spent the entire weekend in bed fucking her, but if we wanted to serve Daniel and Sophia, we needed to return to reality.

  On Sunday, we shoveled snow, and on Monday, we left the trailer at dawn. When we reached the main road, my cell service kicked in. I had over a hundred texts and just as many missed calls. Most of the missed calls were from Lyla. I dreaded to think what my inbox was like.

  I put a call into the office and left a message telling the other associates to continue their discovery in case we needed it, and that Pearl and I would be back in the office Tuesday.

  I would go in tonight, but there was no need for Pearl to. I didn’t need to be alone with her at the office. The temptation of taking her across the conference desk would be one I’d be unable to resist.

  The closer we got to Daniel’s cabin, the more my anticipation grew.

  “What do you think the chances of them both being there are?” Pearl asked.

  “Who the fuck knows, but let’s hope. I need this to be over so I can get on with other stuff.”

  When we reached the edge of the driveway, snow blocked our way, but that wouldn’t deter me. I got out of the car. “Are you coming?”

  Her nose wrinkled, and she shivered. “The snow is going to be up to our knees. You’re wearing Italian leather shoes. I’m wearing Uggs. We’ll both catch pneumonia.”

  “I’ll buy you new boots and pay for your medical bills. Now come on.”

  “What if only one of them is there? What if it’s only Sophia?”

  “Then we serve Sophia, and we wait until Daniel shows up. I don’t care if my balls freeze off. We’re not leaving until that asshole gets these papers.”

  Her lips set in a grim line. “Let’s get this over with.”

  We trudged up the mile-long driveway, and by the time we reached the end, snow had soaked us to the bone.

  In danger of turning into an ice statue, Pearl hugged her arms around her body. “We might have to go back to the trailer and dry off. I’m sure I could find you some more of my uncle’s clothes.”

  “It’s an hour and a half away from here. We’ll be fine until we get back to New York.”

  She huffed out a breath. “I might hate you right now. If I get hypothermia and die, I’m coming back to haunt you.”

  We were both rosy-cheeked and shivering by the time we reached the grandiose cabin. I shrugged off my backpack and took out the papers.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “Ready,” she said with a nod.

  We trudged through the packed snow to the front door, which looked like it had remained firmly closed through the storm. Thanks to an overhang, the porch hadn’t gotten much of anything. We both moved from foot to foot and hunched our shoulders against the cold.

  Pearl’s teeth chattered. “I can’t feel my toes. They’re encased in mini ice cubes.”

  “You can soak them in a hot bath later.”

  I lifted my hand and hammered my knuckles against the door. Lights glowed from inside, and Bruce Springsteen blasted from speakers. I peered through the glass panels at the side of the door. “Hang back. It’s Sophia. I don’t want her to see you before I give her the papers.”

  Pearl hid, and a few seconds later, the door opened. The blonde from the photo stood with her eyes wide. “Can I help you?”

  I gave her my most charming grin. “I hope so. I’m lost. Yours is the first house I stumbled on. I’m looking for directions. Can you help? My phone died, which means no GPS, but luckily I printed out a map before I left.”

  “You’re not a serial killer, are you?” She laughed nervously. “I’ll try to help, but I don’t know the area all that well. Let me see your map.”

  I held up the papers, and Sophia took them. “Consider yourself served.”

  Confusion filled her face, and she pressed a hand against her stomach. “What? Wait? Daniel? Daniel, I need you.”

  Pearl stepped onto the porch, guilt filling her eyes and face.

  “Pearl? Why are you here? I don’t understand.”

  “This is my boss, James Matthews, Attorney at Law. He’s been searching for Daniel for a while. Michelle has filed for a divorce on the grounds of adultery.” She paused for a few seconds. “You’ve been named a party in the divorce case and have been served with a complaint.”

  “But they were separated. He said their marriage was irrevocably broken.”

  “They weren’t separated,” I said.

  “I don’t understand any of this.”

  “It’s simple. Michelle wants a divorce. Daniel has been avoiding her calls and mine. She’s serving him with divorce papers and naming you.”

  “Daniel,” she called out again. “Can you please come down here?” She massaged her stomach in self-soothing circles. I felt a twinge of sympathy for her. She obviously had no clue about the mess she’d stepped into.

  Perhaps she wasn’t the gold digger Michelle thought she was.

  She rubbed her fingers along her furrowed brow. “I need to sit down.”

  Daniel thundered downstairs, taking them two at the time, fury filling his face. “Get the fuck off my property, you blood-sucking vampire.”

  I held out the papers. “Take these, and I will.”

  “Enough.” He snatched them out of my fingers. “Fuck off before I call the cops.”

  Pearl crossed her arms. “Want to tell me why your wife thanks my friend is a stripper?”

  Sophia’s eyebrows shot to the sky. “Stripper? I’m a screenwriter. I work as a script doctor. I helped Daniel polish a screenplay. That’s how we met.”

  “I can explain, babe.”

  She turned on him, her lips an angry slash. “Don’t call me babe.”

  Pearl reached out and rubbed a hand up and down Sophia’s arm. “Sweetie, I’d say you could come home with us, but I don’t think you’d make it down the driveway in your condition. It’s none of my business. But—”

  “—you’re right. It’s not your business,” Daniel bit out. “I’m calling the cops and having you both charged with trespassing.”

  James held up his hands. “We’re leaving. Let’s go, Pearl. We did what we came here to do.”

  “But what about Sophia?” She took her friend’s hands in hers. “Sophia, do you want us to stay?”

  She shook her head and snatched her hands away. “I’ll be fine. Daniel and I have to have a serious conversation. And besides, I’m pissed at you. How could you do this to me, Pearl? I know we aren’t close, but this was shitty.”

  “I know,” Pearl said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

  Sophia slammed the door in our faces.

  “Do you think it’s safe to leave her?” she asked. “You don’t think he’ll hurt her, do you?”

  I shook my head. “Daniel is many things, but in all the years I’ve represented his ex-wives, he’s never raised a hand to them. His mouth is his weapon.”

  She didn’t seem convinced. “Let’s go home before we freeze to death. I’m ready for a hot shower and some sleep.”

  Chapter Eleven - Pearl

  At the office on Tuesday, James behaved as I thought he would—professionally and cold. It was as if nothing had happened between us. What had I expected him to do? Get down on his knee and propose in front of everyone. Take my hand and declare we were now a couple? A man like James would save his affection for private. PDA wasn’t his thing.

  The other associates and I worked on Michelle and Daniel’s case while James went to meetings with the other managing partners. If anyone wondered why we were together over the weekend, they didn’t ask any questions. No way
would it have crossed their minds that he and I got naked.

  On Wednesday, he emailed saying he would pick me up at six. That meant I had to take the afternoon off work to get ready.

  After trying everything in my wardrobe, and losing my mind a few times, I settled on a long, silky black dress, sparkly black heels and simple silver jewelry. The dress’s cut accentuated all the good bits of my body and hid all the bad bits. Everything I wore cost less than a hundred bucks, but, in the right light, I looked the part.

  I was sure the women at the party would take one look at me and know everything I wore came from TJ Maxx. I kept remining myself it was only one night, and I could do anything for one night.

  I wasn’t anything like the beautiful woman who threw themselves at him—the ones he wanted to avoid at these parties. I wasn’t Lyla, who was part of the New York elite, and I didn’t look like a stick-thin model. But some junk in the trunk wasn’t always such a bad thing.

  At six exactly, the bell rang. Pressing a hand against my stomach to squash the dancing butterflies, I opened the door.

  Oh, wow! I snapped my mouth shut to stop from drooling over my dress. James wore the heck out of his tux. He was a breathtaking vision.

  His dark hair fell across his forehead, and salt and pepper stubble shadowed his jaw. Usually, James was clean-cut and freshly shaven, but tonight he was all tousled and enticingly sexy.

  He grinned, and my nipples perked up. “You look very fuckable, pet. Simply amazing.”

  The compliment left me simpering and blushing. Any second now, I would fall to the ground and kiss his feet.

  I nibbled my lower lip and glanced at him from beneath my eyelids. My gaze moved up and down his tuxedo and all over his face. “Why are we going to a party when we could stay here?”

  He laughed. “Unfortunately, I’m expected.”

  He placed a gentle and delicate kiss on my cheek, and his lips remained there for a few heart-stopping moments. “Not only do you look amazing, but you smell amazing too. I can’t wait to eat all of you up.”

  “And again, I’m going to ask why we’re going to a party?”

  “The anticipation of what is going to happen at the end of the night will make the evening better.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said, not hiding my disappointment. I stepped away from him and sighed. “I’ll grab my things then we can go.” I turned around, and his hand landed on my right butt cheek. The smack wasn’t enough to hurt or sting, but it was enough to dampen my thong. “What was that for?” I asked, laughing.

  “Because I wanted to, and because I couldn’t resist.”

  Smiling and tingling, I grabbed what I needed. “Let’s go.”

  “Every single man is going to be jealous when they see you, but remember you’re mine, pet.”

  I nodded. Always. He took my hand and led me to the elevator and then outside.

  A driver waited by a stretch limousine and smiled when he saw us. Once we were situated and settled, James said, “Depending on the weather, it’ll take about an hour.”

  “You said Connecticut, right?”

  He nodded and grinned. “Just on the outskirts of New York.”

  “As long as we don’t end up stranded during a raging snowstorm again, I don’t mind where we go.”

  “I don’t know about that. Getting stranded wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen.”

  I smiled. “You’re right, it wouldn’t.”

  “Drink?”

  “Sure. What have you got?”

  “Whatever you want.”

  “Champagne?”

  “Champagne it is.” He opened a small fridge and took out a bottle of Dom Pérignon and two flutes. He popped the cork and poured us both a generous glass.

  “Here’s to an unforgettable night.” He clinked his glass against mine.

  “Cheers.” I took a small sip, enjoying the bubbles popping on my tongue, then sighed happily when I swallowed.

  “I’ve never had champagne in the back of the limousine before. In fact, I’ve never been in the back of a limousine before. This is my first time.”

  “Have you ever had sex in the back of a limousine before, pet?”

  I spluttered, thankful I had no champagne left in my mouth.

  “You’re not serious? My dress will get all wrinkled. Do you know how long it took to get my curls to sit right and look natural?”

  He chuckled, mischief dancing in his eyes. I swatted him playfully.

  “Not funny. Besides, what would the driver think?”

  “When the divider is up, he doesn’t hear a thing.”

  I filed that piece of information away for later use. “Since we have an hour to kill, I want to know more about you.”

  “Like what?”

  I took a sip of champagne. He may not answer the question I wanted to ask, but I figured I would ask it anyway. “What happened between Daniel, your sister, and you?”

  He gave a raspy laugh, but there was no humor there. He sounded bitter.

  He leaned forward and gripped the stem of his champagne flute. “After Daniel’s first divorce, he said he would pay me back, and he did. I made sure his first ex-wife got half of his earnings and a percentage of any future earnings. I also got her spousal support. Daniel hadn’t wanted to give her a penny. He found out my sister Sylvie was an extra on one of his movies.

  “She had stars in her eyes. He wined and dined her, and they fell in love. Or I should say she fell in love with him. He introduced her to pain meds as a way to get high. When they stopped giving her a buzz, he provided her with harder drugs. She got pregnant, and he demanded she have a termination. She refused. She miscarried a few weeks into the pregnancy.”

  My fingers flew to my lips. “He sounds like an animal. Did your family try to help her get away from him?”

  “Every second of every day, but she was in love, and she accused us of trying to ruin her life. She’s still in therapy, but she’s getting better. She’ll never trust another man.” Rage colored his cheeks. “If I could kill him, I would.”

  I sucked in a breath and pressed a hand against my heart. “I’m sorry, James. I had no idea, but now I understand.”

  His lips turned down. “I feel for your friend Sophia. I’m surprised he allowed her to carry the baby. A leopard never changes its spots.” He shrugged his shoulders and downed the rest of his champagne. “So now you know.”

  I kind of wished I didn’t.

  He sighed and gave me a weak smile. “Enough about my drama. Anything you want to tell me? Any skeletons buried in your closet?”

  “Apart from my vibrators, you’ll find nothing there,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

  He didn’t react. A brooding darkness seemed to come over him, and a frown line creased his forehead. I wished I’d never asked him about his sister. The abuse she’d received sounded like a heartbreaking time in his life.

  “More champagne?” he asked.

  I finished what I had left. “Why not? It might drown some of the butterflies in my belly.” I handed him my glass. When he took it from me, I placed my hand on the back of his. “I really am sorry about your sister, James.”

  “I know, pet.”

  He leaned close. His lips were a breath away from mine. “Thank you for coming with me tonight. I’m the luckiest man alive to have you on my arm.”

  Sincerity filled his eyes, and that made me think that maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe he did think of himself as the luckiest man alive.

  ***

  The house wasn’t a house. It was more like a fairytale castle in the middle of a sprawling forest.

  I stared out of the car window. “I half expect to see deer and bears running in front of us. Maybe some fairies and imps.”

  “I’m not sure about the fairies and imps, but deer roam freely. Bears sometimes show their faces looking for food.”

  I glanced at him expecting to see a smile on his face, but
he was dead serious. After we got through the forest, we came upon bright green lawns big enough to play pro ball on and no snow. Were we in some made-up kingdom like Belgravia or Madelvia?

  “How is it possible that there’s no snow here? Did we go through a portal?”

  He chuckled. “Not quite. Money can make anything happen.”

  “You’re not kidding.” I knew people lived this way, but it didn’t seem real, and I hadn’t even been inside the house yet.

  “I can’t believe we’re in Connecticut. Nothing about this feels real.”

  “Believe me, it’s very real.”

  What kind of world had I entered into by agreeing to be his pet and his party date? Flight or fight kicked in, and even though we hadn’t stepped through the door yet, waves of anxiety washed over me. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I’m almost nauseous.”

  He reached out and laid a hand on top of mine, which was now clenched around my stomach.

  “Breathe, pet. Don’t let anyone scare or intimidate you. I’m not going to lie. Some of the women may try. You’re worth a million of anyone here, and I know you can hold your own.”

  “Is there anything I need to be aware of before we go in? Who I should talk to? Who I should avoid?”

  He reached up and straightened his already straight bow tie. “Lyla will be there.”

  It took a few seconds for my brain to process what he’d said, and then my mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding?” The high-pitched tone of my voice shocked me. “Your ex will be there, and you didn’t think to tell me?”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t think it would be important.”

  “Not important?” I did some deep yogic breathing. Now wasn’t the time to go all Tasmanian Devil on him. “You thought wrong.”

  “Remember, you’re on equal footing here. Don’t pay any attention to her or anyone else for that matter.”

  I felt a surge of annoyance towards him, but I swallowed it down. Once we had some time alone, I would let him know exactly how pissed I was. Then he would discover how sharp his pet’s claws were.