The Tycoon's Paternity Agenda

by Michelle Celmer

  She was a perpetually happy person, always preferring to see the glass not only as half full, but the ideal temperature, as well. But now creases of concern bracketed her eyes.

  “I was just telling Adam how surprised we were when we heard of his plans,” her father said, and his tone clearly said he didn’t like it much.

  Katy’s mom rested a hand on his knee then told Adam, “But we’re hoping you can convince us that you’ve thought this through, and taken our family into consideration.”

  Katy bit her lip, praying that Adam’s first reaction wasn’t to get defensive. What had he told Katy that day in the coffee shop? That he wasn’t seeking anyone’s approval or permission? But he had to expect this, didn’t he? He had to know her parents would be wary. That was the whole point of his visit. To set their minds at ease.

  Or maybe he didn’t see it that way. Maybe he truly didn’t give a damn what they thought.

  “As I told Katy, I have no intention of keeping the child from you,” he assured them, in a tone that showed no hint of impatience, and Katy went limp with relief. “You’ll be his or her only grandparents. In fact, I think that spending time on the ranch will be an enriching experience.”

  “I’m also not sure I like the idea of Katy being your surrogate,” her father added, and suddenly everyone looked at her.

  “I have my concerns as well, Mr. Huntley. But she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  “I think we all know how stubborn she can be,” her father said, talking about her as though she wasn’t sitting right there. “I’d like to see her concentrate on finding a husband, and having kids of her own.”

  She was so sick of that tired old argument. Just because practically every other woman in her family married young and immediately started squeezing out babies, that didn’t mean it was right for her.

  “I’m not ready for a husband or kids,” she told her father. Or more accurately, they weren’t ready for her. Every time she thought she’d found Mr. Right, he turned out to be Mr. Right Now, then inevitably became Mr. Last Week. She was beginning to suspect that these men who kept breaking her heart knew something she didn’t. Like maybe she just wasn’t marriage material.

  “You might feel differently when you meet the right man,” he countered. “And besides, I don’t think you realize how hard this will be. And what if, God forbid, something happens, then you can’t have kids of your own? You could regret it the rest of your life.”

  “What if I walk out the door and get hit by lightning?” she snapped. “Do you expect me to stop going outside?”

  He cast her a stern look, and she bit her tongue.

  “Gabe,” her mother said gently. “You know that my pregnancies were completely uneventful. And Katy has always been just like me. She’ll do fine. You have to admit it will be nice to have a grandbaby.” Moisture welled in the corners of her eyes. “To have a part of Rebecca with us.”

  “I assure you that Katy will have the best prenatal care available,” Adam told them. “We won’t let anything happen to her.”

  The way he hadn’t let anything happen to Becca?

  The question hung between them unspoken. It was hard not to blame Adam for Becca’s death. Though he had done everything within his power to save her. She had seen the best doctors, received the most effective, groundbreaking treatment money could buy. Unfortunately it hadn’t been enough.

  If she hadn’t insisted they harvest the damned eggs…

  “What about multiples?” her father asked. “She’s not going to be like that octo-mom and have eight babies.”

  “Absolutely not. The doctor has already made it clear that for a woman Katy’s age, with no prior fertility issues, he won’t implant more that two embryos at a time. And if Katy is uncomfortable with the idea of carrying twins, we’ll only implant one. It’s her call.”

  “But the odds are better if they implant two?” Katy asked.

  “Yes.”

  “So we’ll do two.”

  “You’re sure?” Adam asked. “Maybe you should take some more time to think about it.”

  “I don’t need time. I’m sure.”

  “Could you imagine that?” her mother said. “Two grand-babies!”

  “I still don’t like it,” her father said, then he looked at his wife and his expression softened. “But it wouldn’t be the first time the women in this family have overruled me.”

  “So it’s settled,” Katy said, before he could change his mind, with a finality that she hoped stuck this time.

  “When will this happen?” Katy’s mom asked.

  “We have an appointment with a fertility specialist next Wednesday,” Adam told her. “First he has to do a full exam and determine if she’s healthy enough to become pregnant. Then he’ll determine the optimal time for the implantation.”

  “So if everything looks good, it could be soon,” Katy said, feeling excited. “I could be pregnant as soon as next month.”

  “And if it doesn’t work?” her father asked.

  “We try again,” Adam said. “If we do two embryos at a time, we can do three implantations.”

  “It sounds so simple,” her mother said, but Katy knew things like this were never as simple as they sounded. That didn’t mean they weren’t worth doing.

  “And if none of them take?” Katy asked.

  “I’ll consider adoption.”

  “We appreciate you coming all the way out here to talk to us,” her mother said. “I know it’s eased my mind.”

  Adam looked at his watch. “But I should be going. I need to get back to El Paso.”

  “But you just got here,” Katy said, surprised that after such a long drive he would want to get back on the road so soon. Was he really so uncomfortable there that he couldn’t stick around for a couple of hours? What would he do when the baby was born? Would they always be coming to him?

  “The least we can do is feed you supper,” her mother said.

  “I appreciate the offer, but I have an important meeting Monday that I need to prepare for. Maybe some other time.”

  They all knew those were just polite words. There wouldn’t be another time. He wouldn’t be coming back if he could possibly avoid it.

  Katy rose to her feet. “I’ll walk you out.”

  He said a somewhat stiff goodbye to her parents, then followed Katy out the front door. The moist heat was almost suffocating as they stepped out onto the porch. Adam’s driver had taken refuge in the limo and was reading a newspaper, but when he saw them emerge he swiftly opened his door and got out. Katy turned to Adam, thinking that he had to be roasting in his suit and anxious to get back into the cool car.

  “Thanks again for coming all the way out here. And thanks for being so patient with my father.” It had to be doubly weird for him, trying to convince her parents she would be a good surrogate, when he himself still had doubts.

  “It wasn’t quite as bad as I thought it would be. Knowing your father holds me responsible for Becca’s death, I realize it can’t be easy for him to entrust me with the care of his only living child.”

  “Why would you think that?” she asked, although for the life of her she didn’t know why she gave a damn what he believed.

  He gave her a “spare me” look. “Not that I blame him. I should have been able to save her.”

  “Sounds like maybe it’s you who holds you responsible.”

  If her words bothered him, he didn’t let on. “I’ve made my peace with Becca’s death.”

  “Your actions would suggest otherwise, Adam.”

  He looked at her for a second, like he might say something else, something snarky, then he seemed to change his mind. He turned and walked down the steps. Reece opened the rear car door, but before he got in, Adam turned back to her.

  “By the way, I wanted to apologize again, for what happened upstairs.”

  She folded her arms under her breasts. “You mean when you stared at me while I was naked?”

  Reece’s eyes w
idened for an instant, before he caught himself and wiped the surprised look off his face. And if she’d embarrassed Adam—which was the whole point—he didn’t let it show. Was he a robot or something? Devoid of human feelings?

  “Yes, that,” he said.

  She shrugged. “It’s been stared at before.”

  “Don’t forget we have an appointment with Dr. Meyer on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.”

  She snorted. “Like I could forget that.”

  “I’ll see you Wednesday,” he said and she could swear he almost smiled. She found herself wishing he would, so he would seem more…human. Maybe he forgot how.

  He may have been an overbearing, arrogant, narcissistic jerk, but that didn’t mean he deserved to be unhappy. Although he hadn’t looked unhappy earlier, when he was standing in her bedroom doorway. He looked like he wanted to throw her down on the bed and have his way with her, which, let’s face it, was never going to happen.

  He got in the car, and Reece closed the door. Katy waved as they pulled down the driveway. The windows were tinted so she couldn’t tell if Adam was watching, but she had the feeling he was. When they turned onto the road and disappeared out of sight, she crossed the porch to the side door around the corner…and almost plowed into her mom, who was pulling on her mucking boots.

  Katy squeaked in surprise and skidded to a stop, hoping she hadn’t heard that comment about Adam seeing her naked.

  “Going out to the barn?” she asked brightly. A little too brightly if her mother’s wry expression was any indication.

  “Be careful, Katy,” she said and it was obvious she had heard. “When you fall, it’s hard and fast.” Fall? For Adam? Ugh. Not in a million years. She had clearly taken what was said completely out of context. “It’s not what you think. He was looking for the bathroom and saw me getting dressed. It was an accident. What I said just now, that was only to embarrass him.”

  She didn’t look convinced. “I know you always had a bit of a crush on him.”

  “For pity’s sake! When I was a kid. Not only do I not have a crush, but I don’t even like him.”

  “He’s not like us, Katy.”

  Didn’t she know it. “You’re preaching to the choir, Mom.”

  “I just want you to consider this carefully. When you’re pregnant, and your hormones are all out of whack, those emotional lines can get…fuzzy.”

  “I’m not going to fall for Adam. It’s not even a remote possibility.”

  She didn’t look like she believed Katy, but she let it drop.

  The idea of her and Adam in a relationship was beyond ridiculous. Her mother had to know that.

  Or was she seeing something that Katy wasn’t?

  Five

  Adam met Katy at the doctor’s office Wednesday as planned. She got there first, and as he walked into the lobby he was a bit taken aback when he saw her. In fact, until she smiled and waved, he didn’t even realize it was her. Dressed in a white-cotton peasant blouse and a caramel-colored ankle-length skirt, she looked like…a woman. She’d even traded in the her usual ponytail for soft, loose ringlets that framed her face and draped across her shoulders. Even he couldn’t deny that the effect was breathtaking.

  He had always considered her attractive, but now she looked…well, frankly, she looked hot.

  It was only the third time in his life that he’d seen her wear anything but jeans and boots. The first was his wedding, and the second Becca’s funeral, but neither time had he been paying attention to how she looked. Was it possible that she’d always looked this blatantly sexy and he’d just never noticed?

  And today, he wasn’t the only one. Heads were turning as she walked past, eyes following her with obvious appreciation. But he knew something they didn’t. He knew that as good as she looked in her clothes, she looked even better out of them.

  A fact he’d been trying to forget all week.

  Katy on the other hand seemed oblivious to the looks she was getting, as though she didn’t have even the slightest idea how pretty she was. Or more likely, didn’t care either way. He’d never met a woman so casual about her self-image. As evidenced, he realized with a tug of humor, by the fact that under the skirt she was wearing cowboy boots.

  He could take the woman out of the country, but not the country out of the woman.

  “You’re early,” he said as she approached him.

  “I know, I didn’t want to risk being late,” she told him, then added, as if she thought he wouldn’t notice on his own, “I wore my girl clothes.”

  “So you did.”

  “I’m really nervous.”

  “I’m sure everything will be fine.” He looked at his watch and said, “We should probably get upstairs.”

  Though he had resigned himself to the idea of her being the surrogate and had for the most part convinced himself it was for the best, deep down he half hoped the doctor would find some reason to deem her an inappropriate candidate for the procedure. But after a thorough examination, Katy was given a clean bill of health. And like her own physician, Dr. Meyer even went so far as to comment that her body was ideal for childbearing. So there was definitely no turning back now.

  It was a done deal.

  After a consultation with the doctor in his office, where he explained the procedure in great detail, they made an appointment for the following week to have two embryos implanted.

  “Are you nervous?” Katy asked him as they walked back down to the lobby together.

  He shrugged.

  “Oh, come on, you have to be at least a little nervous.”

  “I guess.” After waiting so long for this, the process did seem to be moving very quickly. “How about you? Are you having second thoughts?”

  “Not at all. I’m just really excited. I can hardly believe it’s next week. I thought it would take months.”

  “It won’t be a problem, you leaving the ranch for a couple of days?”

  “They can get by without me. But I was thinking, because I’ll be on bed rest for twenty-four hours after the transfer, maybe you could recommend a hotel.”

  Did she honestly think he would let her stay alone in a hotel? Not only would that be rude and insensitive of him, he wanted her close by, so he could keep an eye on her and make sure she followed the doctor’s orders to the letter. They had three shots at this. He didn’t want anything going wrong.

  “Nonsense,” he told her. “You’ll stay with me.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”

  They pushed out the door into the blazing afternoon heat where his car sat at the curb already waiting for him. “Of course I’m sure.”

  “In that case, thanks. It’s been years since I’ve been to your house.”

  Three years to be exact. The day of Becca’s funeral.

  They stopped on the sidewalk near the limo. He really should get back to work, but she’d driven all this way and the least he could do was feed her.

  “Why don’t I buy you lunch?”

  “I really need to get going,” she said apologetically. “I’ll probably just swing into the drive-through on my way home.”

  She would decline his invitation for something as unpalatable as fast food? Not to mention unhealthy. “Are you sure? There’s a café just around the corner.”

  “I promised my folks I would make a few stops for them on the way home, and I don’t want to get back too late. Can I take a rain check?”

  “Of course,” he said, though her casual refusal puzzled him. When it came to women, he was usually the one declining offers. And lately there had been plenty of them, no thanks to one of his coworkers who thought Adam had done enough grieving and needed to get back into circulation.

  Not that Adam considered Katy a woman. In the relationship sense, that is. In his eyes she was a business associate. One who was looking at him curiously.

  “What?”

  “If it means that much to you, we can go,” she said.

  “Go?”

  “To lunch.
You looked…I don’t know…disappointed.”

  Had he? “No, of course not.”

  “You’re sure? Because I can make the time.”

  “Of course I’m sure.”

  She didn’t look as though she believed him. “I know this has to be tough for you. I mean, as much as you want a child, they’re Becca’s eggs. It must stir up a lot of feelings.” She took a step toward him, reached out and put a hand on his arm. Why did she have to do that? Be so…physical? “If you need someone to talk to—”

  “I don’t,” he assured her, his gaze straying to her cleavage. Probably because there was so much of it, and she was standing so close that it was right there, inches from his face. Okay, more than inches, but still.

  “Hello!” she said, snapping her fingers in front of his eyes, until he lifted them to hers. “I’m trying to be nice, and all you can do is stare at my boobs? And people wonder why I dress the way I do.”

  She was right. That was totally inappropriate. He was acting like he’d never seen breasts before. When not only had he seen breasts, he’d seen hers.

  “I apologize,” he said, keeping his eyes on her face. “And no, I don’t need to talk.”

  “I just figured you asked me to lunch for a reason.”

  “I did. I thought you might be hungry.”

  She sighed heavily. “Okay. But I’m here if you change your mind. Just call me.”

  “I won’t.”

  “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to lighten up a little. You’re so serious all the time. That can’t be healthy.”

  “You’ve never seen me at work. I’m a party animal.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Sure you are.”