by Roxy Wilson
Baby, You’re Mine
by Roxy Wilson
Blurb
Fulfilling a friend's wish...
Jamie Alexis’ fast-paced life comes to a screeching halt when she's summoned by her terminally ill friend, Brandi Stephen, who asks her to care for her two-year-old daughter after she's gone.
…isn't going to be easy...
Brett Carrington knows it's too late to make amends to Brandi, the woman he left at the altar, but it’s not too late to be a dad to his little girl. The only thing standing in his way is the curvy woman who sets his heart and libido ablaze.
...unless love comes softly
Jamie isn't about to allow that blue-eyed, heartbreaker to stop her from keeping her promise to Brandi. But, can she avoid the temptation of this seemingly unstoppable multicultural romance? She knows what type of man Brett is: after all, she was supposed to be maid-of-honor at his wedding. And if it means using a little creativity to get her own way, she'll do what she has to in this sizzling interracial romance.
Text copyright © 2014 Roxy Wilson
All Rights Reserved
Chapter One
“You’re not getting anywhere near my child, no matter what you do.” Jamie Alexis vibrated from the tip of her toes to her straight mass of dark hair. She drew in a slow, steady breath, as she fought to maintain her composure.
Brett Carrington’s raven black eyes were cold and hard. “Melissa is my child.”
Yeah, right! As if that’s going to cut any ice with me. Where was he when Brandi, Jamie’s best friend and Mellie’s mother, breathed her last breath?
“I’m her legal guardian. If you want to take it up in the family court, hire a lawyer, and fight me with the due judicial process.”
“Would it be good for Melissa to be dragged into the midst of a court battle?”
Jamie was immune to his hot, good looks and deadly charm, and she’d make it her business to stay that way. If only Brandi had seen through the bastard before she slept with him and conceived Mellie. But Jamie had better sense than to subject her daughter—and yes, Mellie was her daughter now—to his unwanted attention. Brett had no right over the child whom he’d discarded along with his fiancée three months before the wedding. And Jamie should know; she was supposed to be the bridesmaid at the media circus, which had turned into a media bonanza, when Brett’s desertion created headlines in gossip columns.
“Go back to hell,” she wanted to yell. Instead, she slammed a hand on her hip and leaned against the door, effectively blocking him from entering her apartment. “You can hire the best lawyer you can afford, but no court is going to revoke the guardianship. It’s legal, and it’s something that Brandi wanted.”
Not that he would ever care what his ex-fiancé had wanted.
His lips lifted in a charming smile. “I don’t want to revoke your rights over Melissa. I just want to spend some time with her.”
Not in this lifetime.
“No, Brett. I want to make it real easy for you. You can’t see Mellie. Not now, not ever.”
He sighed. “You’re planning to make things difficult?”
He could bet his fine ass she was. Hadn’t she spent the last four months of Brandi’s life spending time with Mellie while Brandi was in and out of hospital? Hadn’t she given up her successful career as a media consultant to raise Mellie? Didn’t she spend the previous two months rocking the crying child who missed her mother and couldn’t understand why she wasn’t coming back? And now this man, this…this…monster, had the nerve to show up at her door and demand to see Mellie. He’d refused to have anything to do with the child even before she was born. Sure, he offered financial support, but Brandi didn’t accept it. After that, they never heard from him up until this moment.
Brett might be a jerk, but he was a handsome one. Jamie slanted her head so it didn’t look as if she was ogling him, but she didn’t miss the fact that his tailored shirt did little to hide the muscles that rippled underneath the soft cotton material. His dark, short hair was combed back. His lean face, wide forehead, and strong jaw had often been described as achingly beautiful in gossip columns. Not that she spent a lot of time reading that garbage.
Brett scratched his aquiline nose. “This is in Melissa’s best interest. She needs to see her father, have a male influence in her life.”
“And didn’t you consider that when you left Brandi to gallivant in Europe?”
He scowled at her. “I went to direct a movie which took ten months of my time. Later, I signed another movie and lived in Spain for a year and a half. I wasn’t in America. And you know quite well that I…wasn’t aware of Brandi’s illness.”
As if that would have changed anything.
Would he have dropped his exotic, rich-boy’s lifestyle to take care of Mellie or Brandi? The fact that Brett was an award-winning film director didn’t quite impress Jamie. So it wasn’t a surprise that she didn’t trust his motives for coming here. What good would it serve for Mellie to see her father one time? Jamie didn’t think Brett was interested in raising a child, and neither would she ever allow him to do that even if he wanted to do so.
This conversation isn’t going anywhere.
“I don’t want to hear your excuses. Now, I’m saying it for the last time: GO AWAY AND DON’T COME BACK!” She slammed the door in his face. Jamie leaned against the door and rested her head in her hands. Would he ring the bell again? Fortunately, she heard him walk away. Perhaps, he would realize the futility of this situation and never come back.
God, Jamie, you know you wanted him to come back.
There had always been a part of her that enjoyed their verbal sparring even when Brandi was still alive. Jamie didn’t admit it then, but she was beginning to suspect, judging by the way she became breathless whenever he was near her and the way she often fantasized about him, that she just might be a tiny bit attracted to him. Probably had been for a long time. Shit. She didn’t need any more issues like this stupid attraction to that…that…reprobate, to wear her down and make her lose focus on the one thing—no, the one person—who mattered most. Mellie.
The phone rang, jarring her out of her dark thoughts. “Hi, Jay?” Hearing her friend Dayna’s voice on the other end perked her up.
“Where are you? Ethiopia? Paris? Brazil?” Dayna, an award-winning photo journalist, traveled to far-flung places all the time.
“Syria. There’s a war going on here.”
Jamie could hear loud noises in the background. Was it gunfire? “Is it safe there?”
“War is never safe, Jamie.” Dayna’s tone was sardonic. “Listen, I can’t talk for long. This phone connection isn’t going to last. Tell me, how is Mellie?” Brandi, Jamie, and Dayna were close friends, and Dayna had also been torn apart by Brandi’s death.
“She’s fine. Guess who paid me a visit today?”
“The pope?”
“No, silly. It was Brett Carrington, Mellie’s father. He wanted to see her.”
Dayna whistled. “So what did you say?”
“I told him to take a hike. What else could I do?”
Dayna was quiet for a moment. “He is her biological father.”
“And he didn’t want anything to do with her, before or even after she was born.” Jamie sighed. “But I know what you’re saying. If he gets a court order, I won’t have a choice but to give him visitation rights. The family court is strict about parental rights.”
“Didn’t you discuss this possibility with Brandi?”
“She was sure he wouldn’t be interested in Mellie. I told her to call and t
rash things out with him, but she was adamant to leave him out of the picture. Now, if he claims that he didn’t know Brandi was terminally ill, he could win custody from me.” Jamie’s stomach churned, even as she hovered on the edge of a panic attack. It had only been two months since she’d permanently taken over Mellie’s full-time care, but she couldn’t imagine life without the cherubic toddler now.
“He’s a globe trotter. I doubt he’d want to be saddled with permanent custody of a child that he barely knows, even though she’s his. Don’t worry about it, all right.”
“It’s hard not to worry.”
“So tell me, how you’re adjusting to the easy life now that you’ve left your full-time job?”
Jamie snorted. “Easy life? Come here and stay with a toddler for a week, and then tell me how easy it is. It’s harder than my job. But yeah, it’s a big change. No more travel at a moment’s notice, no more late night calls from clients who managed to get their pictures taken while they were in one compromising position or another. It’s different. More fulfilling.”
“But you’re still working?”
“I’m working from home for a couple of clients. When Mellie starts school, I’ll go back full-time, but right now, having lost her mother, she needs time to attach herself to me, to feel safe and secure. It’s hard for a child to lose her mother at such a young age.”
“Brandi trusted you to take care of her. That’s why she wanted you as the guardian. She knew you’d do your best.”
“Yeah, I know.” Jamie twirled the phone’s cord in her finger. “I miss her.”
“Me too, Jay. Me too.” Dayna sighed. A strange humming noise started coming from the phone’s receiver. “That’s my cue. Time to go. Take care.”
“Take care.” Jamie heard the snap as the connection was lost. She put the receiver down, and for a moment, stood still. The apartment was quiet, eerily so. Soon, Mellie would get up from her nap, and they would have a quick snack and then go to the park.
Jamie’s life had certainly changed with Mellie’s arrival. And now, she wondered if Brett’s unexpected arrival would make it even more complicated.
Bring it on. She was ready to face the world to protect the toddler who’d captured her heart with her winning smiles and charming personality.
****
Brett sipped the bitter coffee as he read the papers his lawyer and long-time friend, Lee, had prepared. “You’re sure we'll win custody?”
“A hundred percent. You’re the child’s biological father. When Melissa’s mother discovered she had stage 4 cancer, she failed to inform you that she was leaving her child, your child, under someone else’s guardianship. Family courts in America protect parental rights to the maximum. It’s unlikely they’ll pick someone who’s not Melissa’s blood relative over her own father.”
Brett closed the file of papers and considered his options. “So what do we do?”
“We’ll serve Ms. Alexis with a notice tomorrow, that she’s to allow you access to your child. In the meantime, I’ll prepare the paperwork to enter a plea in the court regarding your custody hearing. I’ll need to collect Brandi’s medical records. Do you have any correspondence from her?”
“We exchanged a few emails when she found out that she was pregnant. That was a month after I went to Europe. I told her that I wouldn’t be coming back soon, but would be happy to provide her with child support. She refused. I called her ten months later when the movie finished and told her that I wanted to see the child. I came to New York but she had shifted somewhere else and I couldn’t find her.”
Brett regretted not keeping in touch with Brandi. Sure, he hadn’t loved her. And he shouldn’t have gotten engaged. But she was sweet, and he’d thought he would fall in love eventually. Unfortunately, it took him time to realize that she wasn’t the one. He’d broken off the relationship with as much care as possible, but he would be a fool to deny to himself that he’d hurt her. After she emailed saying that she was pregnant, he’d considered the possibility that she lied to get him back. He’d been curt and rude. But later, she sent him copies of her pregnancy report, and he’d offered to help her with the bills she would incur throughout the pregnancy. The movie he was working on had already started, and he couldn’t have possibly come back to sort out the mess.
Of course, he had every intention of coming back to see his baby. And in fact, he’d done so, but Brandi had moved and he didn’t have her new address. He made attempts to locate her, but before he could see her, he’d to return to Europe to start directing the other film for which he’d signed up. He’d returned a month ago, and tried to contact her. Her phone was off and when he eventually discovered her last known address and went to see her, he found out that she’d died.
To say that he was shocked would have been an understatement. His world had stopped. He had a child, one who only had one parent left, and Brett had every intention to be a part of Melissa’s life. He wasn’t so callous and irresponsible that he would abandon a child who’d lost her mother. Of course, he liked Jamie. From what little he knew of her during his time with Brandi, she was responsible, loving, and driven. And loyal, as he could tell from the frosty welcome he’d received today.
And far more beautiful than he remembered. Her deep, piercing eyes, sweeping eyelashes and her skin…that deliciously dark-brown skin, with its reddish undertone, triggered the strong desire for him to explore its warmth. When she talked, he couldn’t help but listen. And when they’d been together, he’d felt the stirrings of what could only be lust. Hell, he was attracted to her.
That wasn’t something for which he’d been prepared himself.
Of course, he’d no intention of acting on his primal urges. She was his daughter’s guardian. There could never be anything between them.
His daughter. Even the word sounded foreign to him, but Brett was determined to be a positive influence on the child.
“Gather all the data you want, Lee,” he told his lawyer. “But don’t file a petition to transfer custody to me until I give you the word to begin the proceedings. I want to take some time to observe Jamie’s relationship with Melissa and to determine if she’s happy with her. There’s no need to uproot Melissa if her interests are best served with Jamie.”
“But what if she continues to deny you access to your child?”
Brett rubbed his finger on his jaw in a contemplative manner. “We’ll see how it goes. I’m sure she’ll be reasonable about the situation.”
Those were words he would come to regret later.
Chapter Two
Jamie picked up the toddler, whose clothes were splattered with food, and took her over to the sink. “You liked your lunch, didn’t you, darling?”
“Mellie like lunch.” She nodded her head. At two years of age, she was already saying quite a few words. ‘No’ was her absolute favorite, of course. She loved asserting her independence whenever she could. Jamie had been reading up on child development and was sure the toddler was ahead of her contemporaries. She was smart, friendly, and active.
“Did you like the bread? Bread,” Jamie said the word clearly so that Melissa could pick up on it.
“Brr, brr,” said Melissa as she washed her hands with enthusiasm, splashing water on the counter.
“Did you like the chicken mummy made? Chicken.”
“Chicca,” said Melissa.
“Not Chicca, chicken.” Jamie washed Mellie’s face and wiped it with a towel. “Where’s Chicca?”
Mellie called her doll Chicca. It was her comfort toy, one she carried everywhere.
“Chicca. Chicca. Chicca.” The toddler ran out from the kitchen, probably in search of her doll. Jamie took a moment to wipe the counter and clean the mess the child had made. She was trying to help Mellie become self-sufficient in eating and that meant giving her an opportunity to finish her food herself. Of course, it meant that pieces of bread, chicken and carrots found their way on to the floor but she hoped Mellie would soon grow out of that habit.
“Is Chicca taking a nap?” Kneeling down, she peered at Melissa.
“Nap.”
“Would Mellie like to take a nap?”
“No.”
Jamie sighed. Okay. Now what? “Would you like to play with mummy?”
“Play.” Mellie abandoned the doll and went over to the round, child sized table Jamie had set up for her. “Color!” Picking up her coloring book, she waved it in the air.
“All right.” Jamie took out the crayons she’d placed in a drawer that Mellie couldn’t open. She’d once left the toddler alone for five minutes with the crayons and had come back to find elaborate scribbles on the wall. “We’re going to color together. Mummy and Mellie. In the book,” she reminded the child when Mellie put the tip of the crayon on the table. “In the book, Mellie. Let’s color the bird. Oh! Look how pretty it looks when Mellie colors it.”
The child slashed the crayon all over the page while Jamie did her best to guide her. Mellie had a good eye for color even if she couldn’t as yet figure out that she was meant to stay within the lines. After fifteen minutes of coloring, the toddler began to yawn.
“Let’s clear up, Mellie.” Jamie put the crayons and book away. She picked up the squirming toddler, whirled her around a couple of times, making the child squeal in delight. “Now, it’s time to take a nap. See, Chicca is sleeping. Shush!” She put her finger on her lips.
“Shush!” Mellie mimicked her.
Jamie drew the blanket over the doll and the toddler. She stayed for a few minutes to make sure that Mellie wasn’t getting ready to wiggle out of bed but the child’s eyelids drooped over her eyes and she lay still.
Jamie slipped out of the room. Now, she had a couple of hours to finish some work for a client. If she wanted, she could have taken a sabbatical. She had savings that would carry her over for the next two years, but Jamie wanted to continue working. Some of her clients were more than happy for her to continue from home, and she loved her work. Although Brandi had set up a trust fund for Mellie, Jamie didn’t want to use that money to raise the child. Instead, she’d earmarked it for her education. Jamie wanted Mellie to know that her biological mother had cared and loved her enough to leave a legacy.
