“Hey, old friend.”
Alex winced at that. They were old friends. David had been there for him when he’d found out about the death of a daughter he’d never known, had helped him out when Alex wanted to do something for her mother. She was Alex’s one and only former girlfriend. He didn’t intend to let Kellie go.
“Hi. Listen, we need to talk. This isn’t going to be good news for you.”
Diane gave him a curious half-smile. “I’ll just let you boys get to work, then.”
“What’s up?” David asked.
Alex crossed the room and sat down in an easy-chair across from David. “I have to tell you something.”
“You said,” David smirked at him. “Just get to the point.”
“I’ve fallen in love with someone. I just want you to know that I love her, I’d do anything for her. I want to marry her.”
“How is that not good news? I couldn’t be happier for you. I’d offer you a drink but it’s early and the doctors have told me to lay off the alcohol.”
Alex held up a hand. “Because I’m not finished yet.”
“Well don’t keep me in suspense. Who is she?”
Alex let out a slow breath, preparing for hell to break loose. Once David calmed down and realized Alex wanted to marry Kellie, it would be okay. He hoped. “It’s Kellie.”
“Kellie?”
“Your daughter, Kellie.”
Grabbing at his shirt, David ripped open the top button. “You son-of-a-bitch. You’re the one?”
David jumped up but Alex remained in his seat. He didn’t want to have a fight with David—he wanted his blessing.
“She told you?”
“You got her pregnant, left her to face it alone, and then you come here and give me flowery words about how you’ve fallen in love with her? If you loved her, she wouldn’t have had to call her mother to hold her hand yesterday.” David’s voice rose until it cracked. He grabbed at his chest and shouted, “Diane!”
Alex scanned the room, trying to make sense of what David had said. Kellie was pregnant? Why didn’t she tell him? He knew he was the father. Kellie would never, ever screw around with anyone else.
He hopped up and went to David. His face was a mottled red, and he was having trouble catching his breath. “Are you all right?”
Diane came in, took one look at David, and said, “Go start your car. We’ve got to get him to the hospital.”
“He’s… the one.” David said.
“The one what?” Diane looked between the two men. Alex hated to say it again, to hurt this family any more than he already had. And he needed to get to Kellie.
“The one… who got Kellie… pregnant and left her.”
Diane turned on Alex, her face thunderous, but then she faced David. “We have to get you to the hospital, baby.”
This was a disaster of epic proportions. How would he tell Kellie he’d caused her father to have another heart attack? What if David didn’t make it? That got him moving. He put a hand on David’s shoulder to lead him to the car, but David shrugged it off.
Once they got him seated in the back, Alex gunned the engine to life and peeled out. Diane turned to him. “If he doesn’t make it, I will cut off your balls myself, Alex Leblanc.”
Alex shook his head. He couldn’t even blame them for hating him. He kind of hated himself, for pushing Kellie away so hard she’d thought she’d have to go through this alone.
***
Kellie got the call at 8:36 in the morning that her father was being rushed to the hospital. Her mother called from her cell. “We’re in the car now, sweetie. Meet us at the hospital. Try not to worry, you don’t want to send stress hormones to the baby.”
Kellie closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. Please let my dad live to be a grandfather to this child. “I’m on my way.”
“And, Kellie… we know about Alex.”
“How could you?” She didn’t understand what could’ve happened. She certainly hadn’t told anyone, not even her best friend. Had someone at the office overheard something, the fight between Alex and Chase Valentine, maybe?
“Alex came by this morning.”
“And that’s why Daddy’s having another heart attack? Oh, my God. This is all my fault.”
“No, this is all Alex’s fault.” Her voice was hard as a stone. “We don’t know that he’s having a heart attack. We’re just being safe. Just… get to the hospital.”
“I will. I’m leaving right now.” Kellie hung up the phone and ran to the bathroom. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt from college, ran a comb through her blonde locks, then pulled them up with a hair tie. In a rush, she brushed her teeth before running out the door. When she realized she’d forgotten her keys and purse, she had to come back.
She drove quick as possible to the hospital nearest her parents, where her father had gone for his last heart attack. Why would Alex have gone to her father? Some misplaced sense of guilt, a need to ease his conscience for breaking her heart?
What if they'd told him about the baby? Surely not—she'd begged them not to tell anyone. She couldn't think about all this right now. She just had to think positive, healing thoughts for her father.
In the emergency department lobby, Alex sat not far from where she'd sat and waited to find out more about her father just… what? Seven weeks ago. Please, not another heart attack.
If Alex had told her father, then that would've been quite a shock. Their knocked up daughter had an affair with her dad’s business partner. She stalked up to him. “What did you do?”
“Me, really? You're fucking pregnant, Kellie. Were you even going to tell me?” Alex stood up, his voice rising.
She pulled her ponytail over her shoulder, running her fingers through the strands. “No. I don't know. You were pretty clear about not wanting to be trapped.”
“This is different—you’re different.” He pulled a box from his pocket and flipped it open. A big, clear diamond sparkled at her. “Marry me, Kellie.”
“Stop it, Alex. People are staring.” Kellie glared at the people looking at them until they turned away, one-by-one. “This is the last thing I want, you marrying me because I’m pregnant.”
“It’s not because you’re pregnant.” He grasped her by the elbow and tugged her to a corner of the lobby. “I’d planned to do this so different. I was going to have that music we picked out at the bookstore playing and make you dinner with candles.”
“You’re not making any sense. You couldn’t have known I was pregnant before this morning. I didn’t know myself until yesterday.”
He took her other arm and pulled her closer, into his embrace. “Think about it, Kellie. Why do you think I went to see your dad today?”
“I don’t know what you were thinking. I just hope he’s okay.” Tears brimmed her eyes.
He squeezed her tight. “He will be—he has to be.”
“Let’s just wait until we hear something about my dad before we talk about anything else. I can’t think while he’s in danger. I can’t—”
“Shh.” He kissed the top of her head. “You don’t have to.”
Together, they sat. Alex was perfect. He went to fetch her coffee and made her eat a breakfast sandwich, he held her hand, he asked the nurse for status updates. It was a shame he was only offering to marry her because of the pregnancy because she loved him and he was a good man.
She sighed, worried she was going to cry again. This was all too much—the pregnancy, her dad, her broken heart. She couldn’t take much more.
The doors whooshed open and her mom walked out, arms crossed over her middle. She looked shaken but not broken, but what if it was shock?
Kellie jumped up and ran to Diane. “Mom? Is he okay?”
Her mother took her hand and nodded. “He’s fine. It wasn’t a heart attack. The stress just… overworked his heart a bit.”
Diane gave a pointed look in Alex’s direction. He stood a respectable distance away. Far enough that he wasn’
t eavesdropping but close enough if Kellie should need him. “Did you work things out yet?” her mother asked her.
“Mom, these are not the times when a man and woman have to get married because they made a baby. I won’t do that.” The nurse at the reception desk near them jerked her head up, openly listening to their conversation now.
“But, Kellie… he came this morning to ask your father for his blessing. He wanted to marry you before he found out about the baby.” Diane shrugged. “Do what makes you happy, sweetie. I don’t approve of him getting involved with you, but the man doesn’t want you because you’re pregnant.”
Her hands flew to her mouth as it all clicked into place. She’d been too upset to realize it earlier, but Alex already had a ring. He couldn’t have gotten one this morning, after he found out. He’d been planning to propose to her when he went to her parents’ house today.
Kellie flew into Alex’s arms, holding him tight. She’d never let him go again.
“Kellie? What is it, honey? Is your dad okay?”
She blinked back tears of happiness this time. “He’s fine. I just… I need to hear what you want.”
“I want to marry you.” He took her by the shoulders and held her, gazing into her eyes.
“One question, I need to know one thing. Why? If it’s not the baby, then why?”
He tucked a finger under her chin and used the other to pull her close. “Because I love you. I’m so in love with you, I can’t bear the thought of being away from you.”
Releasing her, he got down on one knee and opened the box. “Will you?”
Kellie looked around. Everyone in the room was actively watching them now. And that was okay because she wanted to remember this moment, when Alex proposed and they became one sweet little family forever. “Yes.”
*****
THE END
The Boss's Secret Baby
Description
Money and chicks – that’s all I’m interested in.
And my f-list competition with my buddy.
I always win. Of course I do.
I’m the CEO. And sexy as sin. Who could ever say no to me?
The next target at the top of my list? The new PA I’m gonna hire tomorrow.
She’ll come on a business trip with me.
Oh, and pretend to be my wife.
I’ll show off my fantastic abs and instruct her how to please me.
Her panties will be on the floor before she knows it.
And she’ll want only more.
Did I mention we’ll be sharing a room?
Piece of cake.
Until I see who she is.
Until I find out she has a son.
With green eyes.
My grandmother’s eyes.
Could it be?
Chapter 1 - Vivian
I pulled my blonde curls into a low ponytail, cursing the fact that I didn’t have time to take a shower again. I always tried to clean up when Mason was at school. I lived just far enough from the school to send him on the bus, though I’d rather drive him. I felt safer seeing him walk into the building but we’d moved to New York from Vermont and it wasn’t a small town living anymore. I had to adjust. The jobs were there for me and everything was dried up in my small town back home. I didn’t want to rely on family and as hard as it was being a single mom, I had too much pride to ask for help.
Mom always called me stubborn and she was right. Once I found out I was pregnant, Mason’s dad had already left town in a rush to make it big here in the city and I refused to call and ask him for help. That and I was scared. We had ended things abruptly after two years of dating at the end of high school and a bit into college. I didn’t want to make him come back just because I was expecting a baby. I had plenty of help and that worked for me until I knew I couldn’t find a good job and would have to rely on the support of family.
In addition to Mason’s father living here in the city, another friend made the move as well. Lainie and I were close in school. She went to college and moved to Brooklyn to run an art gallery. Once she knew I was having financial issues, she invited me to join her in New York and even got us a good deal on rent in a one-bedroom apartment near her place. If I got a job quickly, I’d make it here just fine.
I looked out of the window in the tiny kitchen as I pulled bread from the top of the small fridge. I was going to make my son grilled cheese. It was his favorite right now and easy and affordable. The bus pulled up and I grinned as I walked out front and watched him climb the stairs with a huge smile on his face. “Hi, Mommy.”
“How was your day, Mase?” I asked him as I hugged him and ruffled his dark tousled hair.
“We had fun at school. Can you make me my sandwich?” he asked. I chuckled and followed him inside.
“You got it,” I replied as he hung his backpack on a hook by the door and went to wash his hands. Mason was a good boy and I smiled as I locked the door and headed into the kitchen to start cooking for him.
I knew that tomorrow I had a job interview and that this routine would change, but I already set it up with the school for him to stay at the discovery club until I finished work, if I got the job at all. I’d been at the discovery club a couple of times and it seemed like a fun environment for Mason while I worked. He could make friends and play like he loved to do, even if I’d miss him. “Did you have a good day, Mommy?”
I placed the sandwich and added some grapes and sliced strawberries to the plate as he sat down. “Here you go, baby. I did have a good day. I have a job interview tomorrow,” I told him as I grabbed my green tea and moved to sit down at the small table with him. He looked at me with wide dark green eyes as a frown crossed his mouth and I took a slow breath in. “It’s a good thing, Mase. We can get a bigger place and you’ll get to spend some more time with your friends after school. Remember that place we visited a few times?” He nodded and I reached out to cover his hand with mine. “It’s just an interview but this job would be great for us. I could take us to a better doctor and dentist and we could do more around the city.”
We’d discussed this and he nodded with a solemn expression on his face. He looked so much like Carter and I fought the urge to sigh as I gazed into his handsome face. What I wasn’t telling Mason was that the interview was with the company that his father started here in New York. The job I had applied for was to assist a manager far lower than Carter. His firm employed thousands of people and we’d likely never see one another. That’s what I hoped for anyway. The job was too good to me to pass up.
“I know, Mommy. I want to go to the zoo more so I hope you get the job,” Mason said. He reached for his sandwich to take a bite and I smiled gratefully.
“Me, too. There’s a lot of stuff to do here and we’ll go see everything once I get a job.” Another benefit to living here was that Lainie worked from her apartment in this building and was willing to watch Mason if I ever needed her to. I expected to be able to drop him off and pick him up from the after school care myself, but it was nice to have a backup plan.
I’d been a single mom since he was born. I didn’t even date after Carter left and focused wholly on Mason, even though my family urged me to start dating again. But it hurt too much to think of another man touching me when I still had lingering feelings for Mason’s father. Now that Mason was older, I could work and start to build a life for myself again.
We talked about school as he ate. I cleaned up before he took his bath and I read to him before bed. He liked books. I had vowed to make him a good student and a strong learner.
His dad was that way and had managed to found a successful business. Mason was doing well and I saw a lot of Carter in him, as well as a lot of my good characteristics. He was compassionate like I was, though I didn’t want him to be a sucker like I was with Carter. I fell for Carter within a week of meeting him back home and before I knew it, we were spending all our time together. I wasn’t nearly as smart as I’d wanted to be with him and I found out I was pregnant a few mont
hs after graduating high school when Carter had already left. It changed everything for me but I felt like I was stronger now. I would never let a man get that far under my skin ever again.
I got Mason off to sleep and walked into the living room with a yawn. The evening was both my favorite part of my day as well as the most exhausting. I did everything I could with Mason and by the time he was asleep, I could barely find it in myself to read a chapter in one of the used books piled next to my bed.
I called my parents. It had become something of a nightly tradition for me since moving, and Mom wanted to hear all about the interview. We talked for a while as I went through my meager closet to find something to wear for the interview, asking her opinion. I was happy that I wasn’t too far away from them to make visits impossible, but at the same time, it was nice to be on our own. We could visit or they could come here and still see a lot of Mason.
I settled on a black pencil skirt with a pale pink blouse, both of which I bought at a consignment store here in New York. I also had a hose and a pair of new black heels, along with a black cardigan sweater that added a touch of femininity to the outfit. I had a few curves since having Mason that weren’t there in high school but I tried my best to stay in shape with the little time that I had. Until I could figure out a workout regime, I told myself that my curves were sexy. I was going to shower in the morning. I had scheduled the interview for a time when Mason would already be in school so I could see him off.
If I were truthful with myself, the idea of being away from him all day was breaking my heart a little bit. I knew that we’d both be better from the change, but I frowned as I went into the bathroom to change into the t-shirt that I slept in.
It was Carter’s from his hockey days. He’d been a great player but decided to go into finance a long time ago. Hockey was just a sport that he did in school. I looked at the thinning blue material and pushed my feelings about tomorrow to the back of my mind. I wasn’t going to see him and made sure of that. It wasn’t an issue at all. I locked up the apartment and made my way to the hand-me-down queen-sized bed that my parents drove over with them, vowing to get a chapter of the new book that I was reading in.
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