Call Her Mine

by Melissa Foster

  Bridgette sidled up to Aurelia again and said, “It’s a nice view, isn’t it?”

  “It’s like the Incredible Hulk holding a Cabbage Patch doll.”

  Bridgette rubbed her belly and said, “Soon I’ll be able to see that wife porn every day.” She sighed dreamily. “Gosh, Aurelia. I’m so in love with that man.”

  Aurelia’s gaze fell on Ben as he picked up a pile of plates, his eyes hitching to hers as he blew her a kiss, and she said, “Me too.”

  “You love my husband?” Bridgette looked at her like she was nuts.

  “What?” She felt her cheeks burn and said, “Oh gosh. No.”

  “I think she was talking about Supersperm over there,” Piper said as she picked up a platter from the table.

  Ben glared at Piper, who laughed and headed into the kitchen.

  Later, after everyone had loved up the baby and they were saying their goodbyes, Willow hugged Aurelia and said, “You three make a perfect little family.”

  “Shh. Don’t jinx it,” Aurelia whispered as Ben came to her side with the backpack over his shoulder, the Pack ’n Play in one hand, his other hand loaded up with the bags they’d brought. They really needed to learn how to pack for short visits. They’d been so worried about forgetting something, they’d brought practically Bea’s entire wardrobe, as well as bottles, blankets, and other paraphernalia.

  “Ready, babe?” Ben’s chest brushed the back of her shoulder, like he wanted any contact he could get since his hands were full.

  “You mean I have to give up my granddaughter?” Roxie asked, snuggling Bea one last time. As she put the baby in Aurelia’s arms, she gave her one last kiss and said, “Will we be hearing wedding bells soon?”

  Aurelia’s eyes shot to Ben.

  “Good night, Mom,” Ben said sternly. “Love you.”

  “I love you, too. All three of you,” Roxie said. “Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

  Relief swept through Aurelia. She and Ben had enough on their plates without his family pushing them to get married.

  “Thanks, Mom,” Ben said. “I think we’ve got it.”

  “We’ll see,” Roxie said, looking at Bridgette like she was in on a secret they weren’t privy to.

  “Thank you,” Aurelia said as they headed out to the truck. “I thought for sure your sisters were going to jump on that wedding-bells train.”

  He flashed an arrogant grin and said, “I know how to shut down a conversation that would have gone on forever with my sisters around.” He opened the back door for her to put Bea in her car seat and said, “Besides, the faster we got out of there, the quicker I can get you in my bed.”

  She snort-laughed, and he gave her a chaste kiss.

  “By the way, we’re staying at my place tonight, and if you want to know why?” he said with a sinful look in his eyes. “It’s because it’s closer.”

  Ben’s house felt colder than normal, too quiet, and too big, like it had been empty for too long. But Aurelia kept that to herself, because they had enough to deal with resituating Bea’s things. They carried everything into the living room, and as Ben began emptying the contents of the bags, Aurelia fed Bea. Bea. She couldn’t imagine calling her anything else.

  “I love her name,” she said as he carried the formula into the kitchen.

  “Me too,” Ben called out.

  She smiled down at the precious girl in her arms, who was making the sweetest sounds as she ate. Sweet baby Bea.

  When Ben returned to the living room he said, “She probably needs a middle name.”

  “Maybe when Mason finds her mother, you’ll want to use whatever name she’d given her,” she suggested.

  “What if she never gave her one? She didn’t put a name in the note.” He huffed out a breath. “Do you think he’ll find her?”

  She shrugged. “I hope so. Vic said he needs to know about what shots Bea’s had, and I’d hate to think that we’d never know the reasons her mother left her.”

  “Yeah.” He picked up the Pack ’n Play. “I’ll get this set up in the bedroom. Come with me?”

  She followed him up to his bedroom and sat on the bed to burp Bea while he set it up. She loved watching him do things for the baby. Who am I kidding? I like to watch him do everything.

  He checked each hinge to make sure it was locked in place, and then he shook the whole playpen. “Okay. She’s good to go.”

  “I forgot to grab a diaper. Would you mind?”

  “Sure.” He headed back downstairs, returning a minute later with a diaper. “Got it.”

  She motioned for him to come closer and kissed him. “Wipes?”

  “Damn.”

  She heard him hurrying down the steps as she laid Bea on the bed. Bea opened her mouth and wiggled her arms, like she recognized Aurelia. Aurelia thought she might burst, she loved her so much. “Hi, baby girl,” she said, offering her finger, which Bea immediately grabbed hold of. “Even though I was right in the same room with you tonight, I missed you. But I’m glad you got to spend time with your grandma and grandpa, all your aunts and uncles, and your little cousin, Louie.” She thought of Flossie and knew she’d love to see Bea.

  “Got the wipes,” Ben said, and he set them on the bed. He ran his hand up Aurelia’s back and said, “I hate it here.”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked as she changed Bea. “You love your house.”

  “I thought I did. But I think I loved knowing it was mine. It’s never felt like a home except when you were in it.”

  She lifted Bea to her shoulder, patting her so she’d fall asleep, and thought about what he’d said. A few minutes later she felt Bea’s body go limp and whispered, “Well, now me and Bea are in it, so it should feel good.”

  “It just feels wrong.” He dipped his head to kiss Bea’s cheek. Then he took her from Aurelia and placed her gently in the playpen.

  Aurelia slid her fingers into the waist of Ben’s jeans, pulling him closer as she said, “Then let me make it feel right . . .”

  As she unzipped his pants, he said, “It’s just too big. Everything is too far apart.”

  She sat on the edge of the bed and yanked down his jeans and briefs, and the wickedness that rose in his eyes nearly made her lose her mind.

  “So big,” she said as she wrapped her hand around his cock, loving the way he watched her. She dragged her tongue from base to tip, and he groaned appreciatively. “So close,” she whispered, and slicked her tongue around the broad head.

  His chin fell to his chest with a hiss, and he buried his hands in her hair. She lowered her mouth over him, taking him to the back of her throat. His hips rocked as she loved him. His hands fisted tighter, causing scintillating stings along her scalp. She’d never enjoyed giving oral sex, but with Ben everything was different. Seeing the heat in his eyes, feeling the restraint in his body as desire mounted inside him, and hearing the sinful noises he futilely tried to silence made her want to make him lose control.

  She sucked harder, worked him faster. He ground out a curse and withdrew from her mouth, pulled her up to her feet, and took her in an urgent kiss.

  “Love kissing you,” he said hungrily as he made quick work of stripping them both naked and tossed her on the bed, following her down.

  He entered her in one hard thrust, and they both moaned—immediately silencing themselves. Their eyes shot to the playpen, where Bea was fast asleep.

  Ben’s gaze hit Aurelia’s with the ferocity of a lion who had just captured his prey, and that look drew a needy whimper from deep within her. His mouth covered hers hungrily, taking, loving, devouring her as they fell into a feverish rhythm. He pinned her hands to the mattress, and then his magical mouth claimed her neck.

  “Oh God, Ben,” she whisper-pleaded as he drove her to the brink—and held her there.

  He drove deeper, sucked harder, catapulting her into delirium as she shattered into a million little pieces.

  “I love you, baby,” he ground out against her che
ek as he surrendered to his own powerful release.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “TWO-STORY HOUSES ARE for the birds,” Ben said as they walked into Aurelia’s apartment the next morning. Bea had woken up twice last night, and he’d had to run downstairs to retrieve a bottle, and by the time he’d made it back upstairs, she’d been doing the wailing-stop-breathing thing that gave him a heart attack every damn time she did it.

  Aurelia yawned and flopped onto the couch with Bea in her arms. “At least you got a good leg workout. I know you hate missing your morning runs.”

  “I do, but what I hate more is leaving you guys to go see Mason today.” Ben dropped the playpen and bags, feeling guilty for having to leave her with Bea when she had her own work to do. But Mason liked to meet with his clients in person, to assess them, Ben guessed, though Mason had mentioned a contract and other paperwork. “Are you sure you’re okay with Bea?”

  “We’re fine. Everly’s starting the mural, and we have a delivery of books coming, so I’ll be doing a lot of inventory. I’ll bring Bea with me and work while she sleeps. I have two interviews lined up, but I can hold her while I do them if she’s awake.” She kicked her feet up on the coffee table and bent her knees, repositioning Bea on her legs. “Right, sweet pea? Daddy needs to go to his meeting and stop worrying.”

  “I have that meeting with Aiden Wednesday.”

  “I know. We’re fine, Ben, today and Wednesday. You’ll have her when you don’t have meetings, and that’ll give me time to give my undivided attention to the bookstore.”

  He sat down beside her, and she dragged her eyes appreciatively down his chest and said, “I love you in Armani.” Turning her attention back to the baby, she said, “But we love Daddy in anything, don’t we? Mostly naked, though.” She’d whispered naked. “One day I won’t be able to say that in front of her.”

  “But I hope you’ll never stop thinking it.” He turned her face and kissed her deeply. “Rels, I’ve been thinking. Let’s stay here during the week. You need to be able to go up and down to your shop, and I can work from your apartment just as easily as I can work from my office.”

  “Fine with me.”

  Bea took hold of Aurelia’s finger, and Aurelia made kissing noises. Bea’s eyes widened, and her mouth opened in a smile. An honest-to-goodness smile!

  “Did you see that, Rels? She smiled!”

  Aurelia laughed. “That’s because she’s the smartest, cutest baby girl on earth.”

  “Make her do it again,” Ben urged.

  They spent the next fifteen minutes making kissy faces and soaking in all of Bea’s adorable smiles.

  “Remember what the books said? She might be too young to smile,” Aurelia said between kissy faces. “These are probably reflex smiles, but you know what that means?”

  Ben hugged her against his side, overflowing with love. “That she has the best reflexes on earth?”

  “Exactly!”

  “There’s no way her smiles are caused by reflexes. Not when her little arms flap like an excited bird. I can’t leave you guys,” he said, feeling too torn to walk out the door. “How can I go all the way into the city, focus on my meeting with Mason, and then drive all the way back? I’ll be gone all day. I’ll miss so much with Bea, and I’ll miss both of you like crazy.”

  “You have to find her mother, Ben. Bea will be doing all of this when you get back.”

  He groaned. “If you’re wrong, there’ll be hell to pay.” He gave her a chaste kiss, and then he kissed Bea and said, “Be good for Relsy.” He pushed to his feet. “She’ll probably be crawling around by the time I get back.”

  Aurelia laughed. “Don’t forget to take the letter that we found with her. I put it by your keys this morning. Did you grab it?”

  “Yeah, I did. Thank you again for being with me in this.”

  “I think you should thank me for the years I was with you before this. Bea’s an adorable incentive, and you know I love her, but never forget it was always you first, Benny boy.”

  Ben carried her words with him on the long drive into the city. He’d expected to experience at least a modicum of relief at having an ounce of freedom from his new, ever-present responsibilities, but as he drove, he longed to be with Aurelia and Bea. He cranked the music, driving faster than he should, reaching for the feelings of invincibility and adventure that had propelled him through thirty-plus years of life. But as he flew down the highway, what went through his mind wasn’t excitement at having breathing room. Nope. He couldn’t shake the knowledge that he was being foolish and irresponsible. What if he got into an accident? His attorney was still drawing up the papers to have him declared as Bea’s father. What would happen to her if something happened to him? Would she be taken away from Aurelia? Would Aurelia want her without Ben?

  His chest knotted at the thought.

  He knew she would want Bea, but the idea of Aurelia shouldering that responsibility alone was too much to bear. He eased his foot from the gas pedal and felt the knots in his chest loosen. Pushing away the notion that he should grab the stars of freedom, which he no longer wanted, he focused on the road and his upcoming meeting with Mason.

  By the time he arrived, he was more determined than ever to find Bea’s mother.

  He sat across from Mason Swift after giving him the details he could remember about Caroline, studying the man who was as stone-faced as Bodhi. He had military-short dark hair, manicured scruff, and a steady gaze that rode the fine line between intimidating and regal. He wore a crisp black dress shirt and expensive slacks. His stare told Ben he was not into bullshit, and his Movado watch revealed a penchant for quality. Ben just hoped that quality carried over to his job. He didn’t give a rat’s ass if the guy wore sweatpants and told time by the sun—which this guy could probably do—as long as he could find the woman who had abandoned Bea.

  “What are the chances of finding her?” Ben asked.

  “That depends on how solid your information is. If Caroline is her real name and if she works for the hotel, then we’ll find her. That’ll take a little time. Assuming we find a match, then we’ll see if she’s still working there, and—”

  “And if she’s not still working there? At least you’ll have her home address, right?”

  His brows lifted. “If she’s still living at the same address.” He sat back, the muscles in his jaw bunching. “Clearly this pregnancy came at a bad time. Maybe she’d lost her job or her home. Maybe she was sleeping with the boss and he fired her when she got pregnant. We won’t know until we get our first lead. If we find out her full name or an address—present or past—we can then track her down with credit card records, assuming she has one. We’ll also check with hospitals in the area to see if we can track her down that way, but that’s a stretch. A baby that’s abandoned has a higher chance of having been born at home.” He paused, and then he said, “Ben, you’re a businessman. You understand the complexities of human nature. This woman could be anywhere. We’re looking for the veritable needle in a haystack.”

  Ben leaned forward, worrying with his hands. “What can I do to help find her?”

  “Sounds to me like you and your girlfriend have already done all the right things. You’ve come to the best. If she can be found, I’ll find her. You’re sure there’s no one else it could be?”

  Ben shook his head. “Not that I remember.”

  Mason cocked his head curiously.

  “I know how that sounds, but seriously, I can’t remember anyone else.”

  “No judgment here, Ben. I work for you.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that,” he said, but he still felt like a dick. It didn’t matter that everyone had hookups. Everyone except Aurelia, apparently. “Do you get this kind of thing a lot?”

  “Babies left on a doorstep?” Mason almost cracked a smile, but it did nothing to soften his rigid exterior. “Not specifically, no. But tracking down someone a client has slept with? Sure, and a whole lot worse. I used to be a bodyguard. Let’s ju
st say there are reasons certain people need bodyguards. I spend a lot of time tracking down those reasons.”

  Aurelia had always believed there was nothing she couldn’t handle, but by midday Bea was beginning to make her question that. The day had started out calmly enough. She’d put the bouncy seat that Piper had given them to good use. Bea loved it, which gave Aurelia time to tackle emails, confirm the book signings for her grand opening, and get Everly set up to start painting. But as the day progressed, Bea got fussier, and nothing seemed to soothe her. Aurelia had practically worn a path in the hardwood floors trying to mollify her. She’d even gone up to the apartment, thinking the familiar sights and smells might help. But it seemed to make things even worse, and every time she’d put Bea down, she’d cried.

  It had started raining midday, so taking her for a walk in the stroller wasn’t an option. Eventually Bea had taken a short nap, and Aurelia had started working on inventory. When Bea woke up, she was still fussy even after being fed and changed. Aurelia tried to do inventory while holding her. It had taken twice as long to get through a box of books, but at least she’d gotten through a few. Now she was trying to interview Lazarus Parsons, a nice college kid with cocoa skin, short dreadlocks, and just about the friendliest smile Aurelia had ever seen. Aurelia had been pacing with Bea throughout the interview in a futile effort to keep Bea from fussing, and Lazarus paced alongside her, kindly answering her questions.

  “I worked in the library in high school. For the last few months I’ve been working at the pizza place because the hours are flexible, but books are my jam,” Lazarus said. “I want to be a writer one day, and I read just about everything—nonfiction, fiction, graphic novels. Professor Dalton said your hours were flexible.”

  “Yes,” she said, trying not to show how frazzled she felt as she bounced the crying baby on her shoulder. “I was hoping to get ten to fifteen hours a week. Is that doable?”