by Sara Orwig
He pulled up the picture and smiled. “Thanks, Claire. That looks good.”
“He’ll want to see what you look like.”
“That hasn’t ever come up? He hasn’t asked about a dad?”
“No. We don’t talk about you and he isn’t in school yet, so he isn’t with other kids a lot.”
“Doesn’t he have any little friends?”
“Oh, sure, but they play. There isn’t a lot of discussion. He’s three, Nick. Besides, kids take things as they come.”
Nick continued looking at pictures of Cody, of Claire or her family with Cody as he went from being a baby to a toddler.
“I can’t wait to meet him,” he said. “I can fly to Houston Friday, so can we spend time together this weekend?”
She ran her hand across her forehead. “I didn’t even think this through when I told you tonight. I was so shocked today to learn about your loss that right then and there I decided I had to tell you about Cody. But I—I need time. I’ll have to break the news to Cody.”
“A child accepts life as it comes. You just said that. So he’ll accept meeting me. Would you prefer to bring him to Dallas? I just want to meet him as soon as possible.”
“It’s a complete upheaval in all of our lives, including yours,” she whispered, wringing her hands.
He nodded. “Not just meeting him.”
She looked stricken and he tried to hang on to his patience. His request wasn’t unreasonable in his opinion. Why couldn’t she see that?
“All right. Do you want to come Friday night?”
He opened his phone, checked his calendar and nodded. “Yes. After we meet, would he like it if I take everyone to dinner? This includes your grandmother, of course.”
“That’s nice, Nick.” But as much as her words were gracious, he could hear her trepidation in her voice and see it in her eyes. She gazed up at him solemnly, with a touch of fear in their depths. He knew she was worried that she would have to give up her child permanently, yet he couldn’t feel much sympathy for her since she had kept knowledge of his baby from him all this time.
Verifying his interpretation, she took a deep breath and said, “Nick, my grandma is elderly and frail now. Since Mom died, Cody and I and Grandpa are her whole world. She’s older and vulnerable. Please, think of her before you take any action. She doesn’t have that many years left.”
“I will, Claire. I won’t spring anything on you without discussing it.” He paused a few minutes and silence fell. Finally, he asked, “Does Cody have a favorite place to eat?”
“We really don’t get out a lot, but there’s one place he loves—a restaurant made to look like a rainforest. He thinks it’s very special and a lot of fun.”
“I’ll make reservations.”
“He’ll love it.” She smiled. She’d been so worried, so tearful in the last while that her smile caught him off guard. He took a moment to look at her. She really was a beautiful woman, with her smooth skin and big, dark eyes fringed with thick lashes.
“Does he resemble you at all?”
“Not in looks, as you saw. Actually, probably not much in temperament, either. He has a ready smile the way you used to, and he’s a little charmer and very social. If I take him to the office, he’s all over the place talking to everyone and they talk to him.”
Nick smiled. “I don’t know that I was all that charming as a kid. I remember Wyatt and Madison constantly telling me to be still. I don’t believe I charmed them.” His older brother and sister had avoided him at all costs, just the way he did his younger brother Tony.
She gave him a faint smile. “Siblings are different.”
He glanced at his watch. “You’re not going to have much time to sleep before leaving for the airport.”
“I wouldn’t have slept anyway.”
He nodded, suspecting he wasn’t going to sleep in the hours he had left, either. “Claire, cancel your flight. I have a family plane and a pilot. I’ll get him to fly you to Houston whenever you want. This way you won’t have to wait for the commercial flight and maybe you’ll have a little more time to yourself before going to the office.”
She stared at him a moment and then nodded. “Thanks, Nick. I can’t wait to see Cody.”
“Neither can I, Claire,” he said. She looked startled and drew a deep breath as if he had suggested something dreadful. There was no doubt that she regretted telling him. If his client hadn’t asked him to the closing, would he ever have known about his son? That question persisted and each time stirred his anger because he wondered how old Cody would have been before she told him.
“I’ll make arrangements for you to fly home. What time do you want to leave?”
“As soon as I can get to the airport,” she replied.
He nodded. “I’ll call my pilot while you cancel your flight.”
By the time she returned he had made all the arrangements. “I have a limo picking us up in an hour,” he told her. “If you need to pack, go ahead. In the meantime I’ll look at Cody’s pictures and send copies to myself. I can’t seem to look enough. I just want to sit and stare at some of these pictures. He looks like the most adorable child I have ever seen in my entire life.”
She gave him a fleeting smile. “I know exactly how you feel. He is a very handsome little boy, Nick.”
“What does he like? He’s too little to read.”
“He knows his alphabet. My grandmother plays all kinds of letter games with him. He’s a smart little boy. You’ll be proud of him.”
“I already love him with all my heart and I haven’t even seen him,” Nick said, looking up at her and seeing a wistful expression on her face that startled him. Was she wondering what it might have been like if they had been together? When she met his gaze, her expression changed, a shuttered look coming across her eyes that locked him out.
“Whatever we work out and whatever happens in the future, you’ve made me a very happy man tonight,” he said.
Her dark gaze was unfathomable as she nodded. “I’m glad, Nick. It’ll be good for Cody to know you. He has a very good man for a father.”
“I hope I’m a good dad. I’ve had a good dad, although one who liked to run everything and goes too far sometimes. I’m in politics because of him, yet at the same time, he’s been a big help to me. When the dust settles, they’ll all be happy about Cody.”
“Nick, take a moment to think before you announce that you have a son. You have such high political ambitions, and you have a career as a politician. Judge Milan is not going to be pleased. None of your close circle of supporters will be happy. An out-of-wedlock baby so close to your marriage isn’t going to be good news to any of them. Your political career means everything to you, so you should give some thought to what you’re about to do.”
He nodded. “I’m not shutting my son out of my life because of politics. Right now, I get sympathy because of being a widower. That will help cushion this announcement. I want this senate seat and I think I can win. I told you when we dated that I want to be President someday, Claire. There are people already working on that in the background.”
She stared at him. “A scandal could make that extremely difficult, unless we marry and that’s over between us.”
“If Cody kills my chances, so be it. At this point in my life I’m aeons away from the White House. I have to win the senate seat first.”
“Your dad is going to push you to marry me. The kind of political career he wants you to have takes a lot of background work. He’s already put a lot into your career.”
He put up a hand to stop her argument. “Claire, we’re not going to make any big decisions tonight. And right now I only want to talk about my son. What can I bring Cody that he would really like?”
“He likes his books. I’ll text you a list to choose from. And he lik
es to build things. He likes electronic gadgets and he knows how to find some of his games on the computer.” He could see how her eyes lit up again as she talked about her son. “I can’t wait to see him. I’ve got to go pack. Look at his pictures and I’ll get ready to go home.”
She left the room and he continued sending himself each picture of Cody. In a short time Claire appeared with her carry-on, a briefcase and her purse. She had changed and wore the tailored navy skirt and the matching silk blouse she had worn to the closing. Once again he thought how good-looking she was, even more than she had been years ago, and he thought of his earlier kiss, which had rocked him and stirred desire.
“You look nice. You also travel lightly.”
“It was just an overnight.”
“The limo is downstairs if you’re ready,” he said, handing her iPad back, which she slipped into her purse.
“Yes. I’m checked out and ready to go,” she said. Nick shouldered her carry-on and picked up her briefcase while she slid her purse strap over her shoulder. They were ready to leave her hotel room, and for one brief moment, he wished he could pull her into his arms and kiss her again. Controlling the urge, he held the door for her, catching a whiff of her perfume as she walked out. It was the same scent she’d worn years ago, and as he inhaled it he was transported back in time.
He remembered his third flight to Houston to see her for the weekend. She had moved back home to help with her family, and her grandmother had ushered him inside. As he’d walked in, Claire came down the stairs. She had taken his breath away that night in a bright-red crepe dress that ended above her knees. Her thick hair swung loosely across her shoulders as she descended the steps and he could only stare, not hearing what her grandmother said.
Nick was so caught up in the memory that he didn’t realize they had reached the airport until the limo slowed near the plane.
At the waiting private jet, the limo driver put her carry-on and briefcase on board the plane. Claire stood with a light wind whipping her skirt around her legs as she turned to Nick, who had just introduced her to the pilot and a flight attendant. As the two men walked toward the plane and left her with Nick, she turned to him. “I’ll see you Friday night in Houston about half-past six.”
Nick nodded. “I can’t wait. Claire, I know that any anger and hard feelings will pass. I’m thrilled beyond anything I can possibly say to you.”
“I’m glad, Nick. I think you’ll love Cody the moment you meet him.”
They gazed into each other’s eyes and he was suddenly swamped with gratitude that she had given him a son. On impulse, he stepped closer to wrap his arms around her and kiss her.
He caught her by surprise, but then she slipped her arms around him and returned his kiss, a kiss that made him remember old times with her, that made him want to be with her longer and take the kiss deeper. His reaction was even stronger than it had been to their earlier kiss. Because of Claire, his life was suddenly filled with uncertainties and one of the biggest ones was how he was going to deal with her. For just a moment, he forgot the past, the present, the problems they’d have in the future. He wanted her.
Hot with desire, he tightened his arm around her slender waist as he parted her lips and his tongue mated with hers. Running his hand down her back and over her bottom, he wanted nothing more than to peel away the barriers of clothing between them. His heart pounded in his chest, so hard he thought it would burst. He trailed kisses to her throat as she leaned back to give him access to the slender column of her neck.
From somewhere deep in his mind came the warning to stop. If he didn’t, he knew he’d take her right there on the tarmac.
Reluctantly he released her. He didn’t want to fall in love again because he would be hurt all over again. Perhaps a deeper hurt this time. The problems between them now were bigger than ever. Not only was she still tethered to Houston and her family, they had a bigger issue to deal with. Their son. Nick told himself he couldn’t get entangled again. As much as she tempted him, he had to resist kissing her when they were together. She was a huge threat to his happiness and his future in too many ways.
On a cerebral level he knew that. All too well. But on a physical level...how was he going to cope with this intense attraction he had to her?
Four
While her heart pounded, Claire looked into his blue eyes that had darkened with passion. She felt it in his hard body pressed close to hers, in his tongue that tangled with hers, in the arms that held her tight. And she responded in kind. Desire surged through her and stirred old memories she didn’t want coming alive. Memories of making love to Nick long into the night, of waking in his arms the next day, only to repeat their heart-pounding performance. She tried to shut her mind to those remembrances, to his kisses, so that she could cool down and get her thoughts back where they needed to be. Back to thinking about the coming weekend.
It was going to be one of the most important weekends of her life. And certainly her son’s life.
When she stepped back and under the lights on the tarmac, she could see his face clearly. On the ride over she’d given it some thought and now she wanted to tell him her plan. “Nick,” she started, “you’re welcome to stay with us. I’ve got plenty of room in the house. I think it’d be best for Cody to get to know you with us around.”
“Thanks,” Nick said. “That sounds ideal, Claire. I’ll take you up on that offer because staying there would let him get more accustomed to me in surroundings that are familiar to him.”
“Actually, Nick, if all goes well, you might as well stay Saturday night, also. We can see how it goes on Friday. If I don’t think you should stay, I’ll tell you.”
He smiled. “Fair enough. You know your son.”
“Our son,” she corrected, but she couldn’t smile. She was hurt and she was frightened because Nick had had a bigger reaction than she had anticipated.
Glancing at the plane, she looked up at Nick. “I better board. They seem to be waiting.”
“They are,” he said, giving her a heavy-lidded look that stirred desire again. She stepped back, knowing she needed to avoid another kiss that would make her want things she couldn’t have. Nick’s kisses could always melt her. She had to keep a barrier around her heart because he was a heartbreaker.
“I’ll see you Friday night. C’mon. I’ll walk with you.” He took her arm and they walked to the foot of the steps to the plane.
“See you, Nick,” she said as she boarded. Taking a seat by a window she looked out at him and watched him as the plane taxied away. He stood there, the wind blowing locks of his dark brown hair. Hair so like Cody’s. Maybe it was seeing that resemblance, maybe it was everything she’d been through this night. But the reality hit her hard, knocking her back into her seat. Cody really had a dad—a dad who wanted to know him.
What kind of dad would he be? What kind of rapport would he have with Cody? Questions bombarded her, not only about his relationship with Cody but with her. What would their future hold? Was he going to push for marriage, a paper marriage to satisfy the public so he could win his political race and become a United States Senator?
His political ambitions were daunting. Nick wanted to run for President of the United States. His dad had pushed for it and laid the groundwork years earlier. Nick and his father, the judge, embodied power, clout, wealth and success, and had built a network of cronies of the same type. Nick had stayed with the prestigious DC law firm just long enough to make lasting ties with some powerful people and then he had returned to his roots in Texas to build a strong support base.
She had known him long enough to know how he made friends with influential people who could help him. Some of Nick’s socializing seemed to come as naturally to him as smiling. At the same time, there was the part of him that loved his ranch and cowboy life, who could soak that up as if it was necessary to restart his e
ngines. Nick had always claimed ranching as his first love. What would he have done if his family, particularly his dad, hadn’t pushed so hard for law and politics? If left to his own decisions as he had grown up, would Nick now be a rancher? She wondered how much of his current life was due to pleasing his family instead of doing what he wanted.
She recalled that he’d seemed the happiest when she had gone home with him to his ranch. He claimed he loved living and working on his ranch the most, but that wasn’t what dominated his life now. But Nick wasn’t the only one with contradictory aspects to his personality. She had them too. On the one hand she didn’t want to think about Nick’s kisses that still set her ablaze. She didn’t want a marriage of convenience that made the most sense for Nick and would aid his political pursuits. One in which love would not be part of the union.
Yet, on the other hand, she couldn’t let herself fall in love with Nick, or him with her. She knew that would only end up one way. With heartbreak. And she’d already lived through that agony once.
Life was truly complicated and had just gotten more so.
Because they had a child.
Nick was moving up politically, while she had a big business to run and her son and grandparents to care for. Whatever they did, she did not want to fall in love with Nick again. There had been no other man in her life because she had been busy with Cody, her family and running the business. Nick’s kisses set her on fire and it was exciting to be with him, to have his arms around her, but that was lust, purely physical. It was not love. She’d remind herself of that time and time again, until she remembered it.
Sighing, she laid her head back on the seat as the plane reached cruising altitude. While she was grateful for the private flight that would get her home earlier, there was a part of her that actually dreaded going home. She’d have to break the news to her grandmother and then tell Cody. Cody would be happy, but her grandmother... Claire could almost script that conversation, and it wouldn’t be good.
