She swept past him into the foyer. “Is it true?”
“Is what true?” As he closed the door, he realized he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
Her eyes widened. “You haven’t heard the news?”
“Obviously not.” He worried that something had gone terribly wrong with his new expansion. He knew his competitors were not happy about the launch, but he’d been able to overcome every roadblock they’d thrown in his way.
His mother pulled out her phone and quickly pulled up an article. He was curious to see what had her so worked up that she’d left home before the time she normally had her second cup of coffee. She held her phone out to him.
He took it from her and stared at the photo. It was of him and Pepper leaving the doctor’s office. His gut twisted in an uncomfortable knot.
Billionaire Bachelor to Billionaire Daddy!
An unnamed source said the happy couple had reunited and were now expecting their first child. His hand tightened around the phone. A frustrated growl grew deep in his throat. There was more to the story, but his anger kept him from comprehending the rest of the article. This couldn’t be happening.
The last time the paparazzi got involved, Pepper had ended things with him. The thing he didn’t know was how big of a part the press had played in her decision. If the paparazzi had left them alone, would things have gone differently?
“So, is it true? Are you finally making me a grandmother?” There was a hopeful glint in his mother’s eyes that surprised him.
“Simon?” Pepper stepped into the foyer and came to a stop upon noticing his mother. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Is this her?” his mother asked.
Pepper’s puzzled gaze moved between him and his mother. He’d been really hoping to avoid this for a while, but it looked like he had no other choice.
“Mother, this is Pepper Kane. Pepper, meet my mother, Sandra.”
Pepper stepped forward, shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
Simon opened the door. “Mother, we’ll have to visit later. Pepper and I have some things to discuss.”
His mother’s eyes lit up as she moved toward the door. “So it’s true.”
It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. And he wasn’t in any position to correct her. “We’ll talk later.”
“Yes, we will.” His mother glanced over at Pepper. “It was so nice to meet you, dear.”
“Um, nice to meet you too.” Pepper looked utterly confused and he couldn’t blame her.
His mother gave him a butterfly kiss on the cheek and then left with a trail of Chanel No. 5 in her wake. His mother wasn’t born into money, in fact, she was born far from it. Still, when he’d established himself in the business world and was able to care for her, she’d taken to the elevation in her lifestyle like a duck to water. After what his father had put her through for years, Simon was glad she’d found some happiness—even if the uneasiness between them still existed.
He closed the door. He wanted to shield Pepper from the headlines, but he knew the reporters would flock to the building, if they weren’t here already. There was no hiding from this story.
“That was nice of your mother to stop by. You should have invited her to stay. I have your coffee started and there are plenty of pastries in the kitchen.”
He shook his head. “Now isn’t the time for visitors. You and I have something to discuss.”
Although coffee did sound good. He made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a cup. He nearly moaned in delight when he took his first sip.
His gaze moved to Pepper. “It tastes just like the coffee at the bakery.”
She smiled and nodded. “I take it you like it.”
“I love it.”
“Drink as much as you want. Now that I’m pregnant, I can’t have it.”
He hadn’t thought of that. There were a lot of things he hadn’t thought of yet. And he didn’t want to ruin this easy moment between them. But it was better she heard it from him than to be blindsided by the paparazzi.
“My mother stopped by for a reason.”
“Is something wrong?”
“In a way.” How did he tell her this gently? He didn’t think there was any way to do it. “She knows about the baby.”
“What? But how? I didn’t think we were to the point of telling people.”
“We aren’t. I—I didn’t,” he stammered. “I wouldn’t do that without talking to you first. She read it online.”
“What?” Pepper’s voice rose.
“Apparently, someone inside the doctor’s office spotted us and sold the story. I don’t know if it was staff, which I highly doubt, or if it was another patient.”
Pepper worried her bottom lip as though she was replaying the events. “There were a few people around when the nurse rushed into the waiting room to give me the prenatal vitamins that I’d forgotten in the exam room.” She looked crestfallen. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t forgotten them—”
“It’s not your fault.” He stepped up to her and gazed deep into her eyes. “None of this is your fault.”
She pressed a hand to her abdomen. “I can’t do this.”
Worry gripped him. “Do what?”
She moved her hand between the two of them. “This. Everything you do is headline news. I don’t want our baby caught up in a media frenzy—”
“Don’t worry. We’ll work things out.”
Her eyes filled with fear. “You can’t promise me that.”
He sighed. “You’re right. I can’t promise the media will leave us alone, but there has to be a way to minimize their interference. We have a lot to figure out.” And then before he analyzed the right and wrong of it, he pulled her into his arms, attempting to will away her inner turmoil.
He wanted to make this better for her, but the problem with success was that everything you did made headlines.
He continued to hold her close. “Together, we’ll do what is best for the baby.”
CHAPTER TEN
AND SO SHE’D STAYED.
Pepper hadn’t been sure in the beginning of their living arrangement if it was a good idea. But with the paparazzi hunting for a story, she didn’t have much choice. Trying to stay in a motel with the press hounding her would have been a disaster. At least when she was in Simon’s penthouse, they couldn’t photograph her.
And she was able to leave through the garage in a private car with tinted windows that Simon had put at her disposal. She didn’t like having to rely on him, but with the baby’s safety to take into consideration, she’d decided to take him up on his offer.
But one day had turned into two days. And two days had turned into a week. At last, the paparazzi had moved on to a new scandal. Pepper felt sorry for the young woman at the center of it. She knew what it was to be hounded day and night.
Friday afternoon, she had no baking scheduled. It wasn’t her day at the shelter. And she had no idea what to do with all the time on her hands.
With Simon going out of his way for her, she wanted to repay him. It had to be more than his morning coffee and daily supply of cherry turnovers. She wanted to do more. But what? She frowned as her mind drew a blank.
Her gaze moved around the stark, monochrome penthouse. Pepper sighed. This place exuded money, but it was so cold. Not temperature-wise, as she had the fireplace lit, but in a personal way. She noticed there weren’t any photos, not of him, not of his family, not of anyone. She found that strange.
She would be lost without her photos. Her heart clutched. What if they’d been lost in the fire?
Immediately, tears pricked the back of her eyes. She told herself to calm down. Though they hadn’t let her into the apartment yet, they’d said the damage on the second floor was limited to water and smoke. She just had to hope the pictures had survi
ved.
Instead of sitting around worrying, she knew she had to get busy. Her grandmother used to say that idle hands were the devil’s workshop. In Pepper’s case, it was an idle mind.
If she was going to continue to stay here, something had to be done with the place. There wasn’t one thing around the penthouse that resembled Christmas. Not even a red or green anything. The color scheme was limited to black, white and gray.
The penthouse exuded a high-powered executive lifestyle. But it didn’t look like anyone actually lived there. She turned in a circle, taking in the two long couches forming a right angle near the black marble fireplace. A large smoked-glass coffee table was devoid of everything, not even a houseplant or magazine was on it. How did this man live like this?
And then she realized the answer: he lived at his office. If it wasn’t for her presence, he wouldn’t be home nearly as much. Maybe she needed to give him a reason to come home—a place to unwind. Since the Polka Dotted Bakery, where he used to let down his guard, was currently out of commission, she’d have to create a homey atmosphere here. Or as close to it as she could get.
She grabbed her purse, coat and knit cap. Out the door she went. She was a lady on a mission.
* * *
What in the world...?
Simon came to a stop at the edge of the living room.
He blinked, making sure he wasn’t seeing things. He hadn’t been sleeping well, with all the latest developments in his life and a big launch ahead of him. He blinked again—but there was still a ginormous pine tree leaning against the wall. What in the world?
How did it get in here?
He glanced around for Pepper. It was too big for her to carry, but he’d bet his business that she had something to do with its presence.
“Pepper!”
He wasn’t a man who normally raised his voice, but these obviously weren’t normal times. And all he’d wanted to do was come home, yank off his tie, undo the top buttons on his dress shirt, have a drink and unwind.
“Pepper!”
“Why are you yelling?” The voice came from behind him.
He spun around to find Pepper standing in the doorway with shopping bags in her hands. He rushed forward and took the bags from her so she could take off her coat and hat.
He returned to the living room and his gaze settled on the Christmas tree—the source of his agitation. He set the bags on the couch and turned to her. “What is this doing here?”
She pulled off her cap and smoothed her hands down over her hair. When her gaze landed on the tree, a big smile lit up her pretty face. Instantly, his agitation started to fade.
“It looks perfect in here. I was afraid it would be too small, but I also worried about getting something too big, you know, with the elevator and everything.”
He didn’t do holidays. The only ones he endured were those for employees or business acquaintances. But he certainly didn’t have a tree and decorations for his own benefit.
“It has to go.” His tone was firm. His mind was made up.
“What?” Pepper’s eyes widened in astonishment. “But why?”
“I don’t want it here.” He rubbed the back of his neck. He shouldn’t be so brusque with her. It wasn’t like he’d told her about his “no Christmas” policy. “I don’t celebrate Christmas.”
“You don’t believe in Santa?”
There was such sincerity and awe in her voice that for a minute, he thought she was being serious. When his gaze caught hers, he couldn’t read her thoughts. “Please don’t tell me you believe in Santa.”
She shrugged. “I don’t believe there’s a man who lives at the North Pole who delivers Christmas presents around the world in one night, but I believe in the spirit of Christmas. I believe it lives in each of us.”
He shook his head. “Not me.”
She frowned at him. “Even you.”
He shook his head again. “There’s nothing good about Christmas.”
Her mouth gaped open. “How can you say that?”
“Because Christmas was always the worst time in our house.” It didn’t bring their family together. Instead the holiday drove a bigger wedge between him, his mother and his father.
“Really?” Sympathy shone clearly in her big green eyes. “I’m sorry.”
He shrugged off her sympathy. He didn’t want her to feel sorry for him. He just wanted her to make this Christmas tree go away.
He went to sit on the couch and bumped into her packages, which spilled onto the floor. There were all sorts of Christmas decorations—things for trimming the tree. He inwardly groaned.
He knelt down and began stuffing the shiny red balls back in the bag. The next thing he knew, Pepper was kneeling beside him. Together, they worked to clean up the mess of decorations.
As the time went by, the shock of finding a Christmas tree in his place wore off and he realized Pepper could never understand the horrific memories he had attached to the holiday. He was quite certain they were much different than her experience with the holiday.
Simon settled on the floor and leaned back against the couch. He needed to smooth things over with Pepper. They’d come a long way this week toward being friendly with each other again and he didn’t want to ruin their progress. “I’m sorry for grouching at you. I was caught off guard when I came through the door and found a tree in the living room.”
“I understand. I should have asked you first. I... I wanted to surprise you. Obviously, I did that, but not in a good way like I’d been hoping.”
He sighed. “I’m not like other people.”
He was broken. But he couldn’t admit that to Pepper. He couldn’t have her look at him like he was less of a man. Or worse, with sympathy in her eyes. He’d spent his whole life proving he was no longer that scared, helpless child.
“You’re definitely unlike anyone I’ve ever known.” She sent him a hesitant smile. “Have you noticed this amazing Manhattan penthouse you live in? Most people could only imagine living in a place like this.”
“It wasn’t always that way. I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth.” He was very proud of the empire he’d built, one toy, one store, at a time.
“What was Christmas like when you were young?”
This was not the direction he wanted the conversation to go. “It was fine.”
“Fine? That’s an odd description.” Pepper placed the bag on the floor and then sat on the couch near him. “We never had much when I was little, but my mother made the most of the holiday. We went caroling and sledding. We baked cookies and watched Christmas movies. She emphasized the time we spent together instead of the lack of presents under the tree.”
“Your mother sounds like she was great.”
“She was, but...”
He moved so he could look at her. “But what?”
“She was eccentric and definitely flamboyant. That’s hard to deal with as a kid, when all you want in the world is to fit in and be just like everyone else.” Pepper pulled a strand of lights out of another bag. “I bet you had the perfect Christmases—the kind in those holiday movies.”
“Far from it. My mother tried to have a fun Christmas, but my father always ruined it. He would be furious and accuse her of wasting money—money that belonged to him.” He could still hear the echo of his father’s booming voice. Every word he bellowed was laced with anger. “My Christmases were more Die Hard than National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
“I’m sorry. I never imagined.”
“Most people don’t. It’s the way I like to keep it.”
“Is that why your place is so...so impersonal?”
It didn’t surprise him that she didn’t care for his ultramodern, minimalist style. It was the complete opposite of her warm, cozy bakery. “It’s not to your liking?”
She glanced away. “It...
it just needs some personality.”
He glanced around the room, trying to see it through Pepper’s eyes. Whereas Pepper’s bakery had photos on the walls, his penthouse only had a large skyline photo of the city at night. At the bakery, there were knickknacks, including a stuffed dog that he’d meant to ask her about but never had the chance. He didn’t have knickknacks. He’d never even thought of getting any.
The Polka Dotted Bakery oozed charm and hominess that made it unique. His penthouse was cool and detached. He realized that if he were to pack up his clothes, he could move out and it would be ready for the next occupant. It was more a hotel room than home.
Simon was stunned. He’d never seen his penthouse like this before. It was quite eye-opening. And not in a good way.
“Don’t worry,” Pepper said. “I’ll have the tree taken away.”
He shook his head. What would it hurt to let her keep it? After all, it must be important to her or she wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of buying it or the decorations. When she moved back to her apartment, he’d have it delivered to her.
“The tree—it can stay.”
Pepper’s eyes lit up. “Are you sure? I mean, you didn’t seem all that happy it was here.”
“Are you trying to talk me out of this?”
“No. No. I just wanted to make sure you’re truly okay with it. After all, this is your place.”
“And for the moment, it’s yours too.” He didn’t know why he’d said that. Maybe he just wanted her to feel at home. Because he certainly didn’t mean to imply that this situation would be anything other than temporary.
He got to his feet and turned to head to his study. He had some work to do. In fact, he had a lot of it to do. Normally, he’d have stayed at the office until late, trying to catch up, which never happened. But knowing Pepper was here had lured him home. He told himself it was the right thing to do, as he was the host and she was his guest. But deep down, he knew it was more than that. He just wasn’t ready to admit it to himself.
“Simon?”
He paused at the entrance to the hallway and turned around. “Did you need something?”
Her Christmas Pregnancy Surprise Page 9
