by Addison Fox
“You’re what?” Keira leaped off the bed and raced toward her, pulling her into a tight hug. “With who? And when? And wow.” Keira pulled back and dashed a hand across her cheeks. “How did Camryn find out first?”
“I just officially found out now, with you.”
Mayson felt herself pulled into another tight hug before Camryn stood back.
“But I had a heads-up there might be news.”
She sat them both down and caught Keira up, then filled them both in on how Holt took the news.
“Jerk.” Keira clenched her fists. “I know he can be cold at times, but I’d never have expected this.”
The strangest urge rose up to defend Holt. “We don’t know each other, K. We slept together once and here I am springing the news of a baby on him.”
Keira shook her head, her own defenses clearly stamped on her face. “He was still low for thinking the baby wasn’t his.”
“Yeah.” Mayson nodded, that particular component of his reaction still striking a bad chord. “He gets big asshole points for that. But he wants to be a part of the baby’s life. Says he wants to help me.”
Her sisters murmured their agreement and their own pledges of help before Mayson pointed toward the windows, the sounds of the party rising up from outside. “Look. This is all new and it’s going to take a few weeks to figure out. In the meantime, there’s a party going on. Let’s go enjoy a bit of it.”
After another round of supportive hugs and promises that they’d be there for her and the baby, Mayson closed the door behind both women before turning to lean against it. She would figure this out. And she would find a way to merge motherhood with her life, career, and interests.
A burst of hope welled in her breast as she placed both hands over her stomach. They would be fine. Even if the responsibility for her child fell solely to her.
…
Holt set his slim tablet on the small conference table before crossing the room to shake Teddy’s hand once more. “I appreciate you taking the time to discuss my proposal, even if the venue isn’t exactly convenient.”
Teddy’s big, booming laugh rose up as he poured himself a glass of tonic water off the sidebar. “Men like us don’t rest simply because of a social event, now do we?”
“You’re right about that.” Of course, Holt hadn’t been to many social events where he was told he was going to be a father, either, so perhaps he needed to chalk this entire weekend up to strange and unusual. Even so, he’d never felt more alive.
The thought hit him with a hard jab to the stomach and he fought to right his errant thoughts. When had the surprise of a baby changed into something that excited him?
Teddy took a seat opposite him. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve got a sweet spot for Mayson. First smart move I’ve seen you make, Turner.”
Holt’s gaze grew sharper as Teddy’s words indicated more of an opening salvo than a casual conversation. “I’ve made a lot of smart moves over the years. I’m just sorry I’ve not been able to make any for Craddick, Inc.”
“Now, Holt, you know my feelings on big real estate deals. I’ve been more than straight with you.”
“Yes, you do them sparingly, and only with those you’ve known more than a decade. Regardless of the price they bring the property in at or the incentives they can negotiate on your behalf.”
“I’m a family man first, a businessman second. It’s a trait I expect in others.”
“With all due respect sir, our personal lives should be kept out of the boardroom. I’ve made my feelings more than clear on that front in the past.”
Teddy’s gaze was sharp. “Is that how you advised your good friend, Nathan Cooper? Because the besotted looks he keeps throwing his wife suggest otherwise.”
“Nathan’s wife is more than capable of holding her own in the boardroom and anywhere else. She proved that to Nathan, and the business community, last fall when he attempted to take over her company.”
“Attempted. Exactly.” The man slapped his leg. “Look how much better off both of them are for joining up instead of staying adversaries.”
Holt shook his head, trying diligently to follow the man’s train of thought. “What does any of that have to do with the real estate proposal I sent you?”
“A man has to have something to work for. To live for.” Teddy leaned forward over the table, his expression so earnest it bordered on evangelical. “You want to know why I haven’t done business with you?”
“Yes, I do. I’ve put several proposals in front of you over the years, one more lucrative than the next. Most executives of your caliber would have jumped on them. Many do, yet you persist in your refusal to do business with me.”
“Every one of those proposals has been flawless.”
“So why haven’t you gone with any of them?”
“It’s you.”
“Me?” A distant ringing started low in his ears and he fought to maintain his composure. He’d come from nothing—worse than nothing—and he’d made something of himself. Something decent and honest. Yes, he was driven. Yes, he was focused on his own goals to the exclusion of most everything else in his life. And yes, he wasn’t known for being the warmest person in the room. But hell, he ran a fucking business, not a daycare.
“What are you suggesting, Teddy?”
“You don’t have any heart, Holt.”
If Teddy had just stood up and done a soft shoe across the room, Holt wouldn’t have been more surprised. “What the hell does that have to do with anything? Last time I checked, liking someone wasn’t a prerequisite for doing business with them.”
“A shame, that.”
Craddick Inc. was a privately held company and didn’t need to publish an annual report. Despite the lack of data, Holt had kept tabs on the real estate deals Teddy had done over the years. It was that incentive—and the promise of getting a piece of it—that kept him from walking straight out the door. “My work stands on its own. The benefits to your company’s bottom line, of that work, stand on their own. I’d have thought someone with your business experience would understand and appreciate that.”
“You’ve got your eye on quite a woman.” Teddy held up his glass and took a sip, his gaze thoughtful. “There aren’t many women as wonderful as the McBride sisters.”
“I don’t have my eye on Mayson.”
Teddy’s eyes narrowed. “I said you didn’t have any heart, not that you were a liar. Don’t make me change my mind about that.”
Holt sighed. “Mayson’s a beautiful woman. She’s spectacular and I enjoy her company.”
“That she is. Always has been.” The older man stopped as he took the fresh glass. “Her grandfather called her his little pixie. He was a good man. One of the best.”
He nodded, curious where Teddy was going with his comments. After years of observing his adversaries, he knew when someone wanted to make a direct hit, or skirt the perimeter of the matter. Teddy’s trip down memory lane indicated he’d better settle in for the long haul. “I never met him, but his reputation as a straight-shooter and a man of integrity is legendary.”
“The fact that she and her family run with you is a point in your favor.”
Holt measured his words. He’d worked a long time to be considered for Craddick’s inner circle, and he knew he deserved to be there on his own merit. But he also knew smart-mouthing the man wouldn’t win him any points if he had any hope of salvaging the deal. “I don’t run with them, sir. Her brother-in-law is one of my closest friends. Has been for a long time.”
“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t speak well of you.”
Holt supposed that was true, but the idea that he was suddenly worthy of Craddick’s consideration rubbed him raw.
Without warning, an image of his mother rose up in his mind’s eye. He’d spent his entire career—hell, his entire life—working to get away from her influences. She’d tried to destroy him, and he had vowed a long time ago he’d never live his life in a way that cast
questions on his integrity. Or where he came from. Those things might have made him cold, but they’d also made him a man who brokered an honest deal.
With that reality came another snapping at its heels.
His mother would find out about the baby. And with that knowledge, she’d finally have a pawn against him. All the years he’d worked to get away from her and her influence—all the time he’d spent erasing the stink of her off his life—would vanish when she knew he had something in his life she could use against him.
As if he’d suddenly grown tired of the discussion, Teddy stood and walked for the door. The urge to convince him to stay was strong, but Holt was still trying to get a handle on the odd direction of their conversation. “You need a wife, Turner. Someone who matters to you more than a balance sheet. Until you find that, you’ll never be the best. And people who are the best know that.”
…
Mayson dropped onto a bench in a small gazebo that stood on the edge of the property. Keira and Nathan were impeccable hosts, but the oppression of being “on” and making small talk had taken its toll. All she wanted was a few minutes to herself.
The heavy lap of waves could be heard, an oddly calming counterpoint to the sounds of the partygoers on the lawn. She slipped off her shoes and pulled her bare feet up under her bright silk sundress. As she hugged her knees to herself, the thought hit her that she’d not be able to do that much longer as her belly grew round with the baby.
A baby.
God, it was still so hard to take in. She was going to be someone’s mother.
“Mind if I join you?”
Holt’s voice washed over her, and she dropped her feet back to the smooth, wooden plank floor. “No.”
A small smile ghosted his lips as he took a seat next to her on the bench. “No you don’t mind, or no I can’t join you?”
“No, I don’t mind.” They sat in silence for several minutes. Despite the quiet, Mayson couldn’t shake the sense Holt was trying to say something.
“I’m sorry for my reaction to the baby.”
She turned to face him, but all she could see was his profile, painted by moonlight. “It’s a surprise.”
“A good one. And my reaction suggested otherwise. I’m sorry.”
“I accept your apology.” She stared at him in the moonlight, the urge to touch him strong, but still she held back. They were attracted to each other, of that she had no doubt. And they were having a child. But despite those things—or maybe because of them—she didn’t feel she could act on her natural impulse to offer care or comfort or concern.
She watched as a play of emotions crossed his features before he finally spoke again. “Teddy Craddick won’t do a deal with me because I’m not married.”
“What?”
“I’m not worthy of his business because I’m not a married man. I clearly don’t value the benefits of family, and I’m a cold-hearted bastard.”
“He said that to you?”
“Most of it. I added the bastard part.”
“He said you were cold-hearted?”
“He suggested I didn’t have a heart. Again, I’m editorializing.”
Mayson stood and crossed to the far side of the gazebo, her gaze focused on the shoreline in the distance. “He had no right to say that to you.”
“If we’re being fair, I did ask.”
“Ask what?” She whirled on Holt. “To be insulted?”
“I asked him what it would take to do a deal together. He seems to think my spending time with you is a good idea. Puts points in the ‘Holt’s not quite a heartless bastard’ column.”
“This is insane. People don’t do business deals because someone has a family or not. What is this, some fifties soap opera?”
“That thought did cross my mind more than once during our conversation. Along with another one.”
She watched Holt across the small enclave. A light breeze ruffled his hair and lifted the collar of his dress shirt. He had his hands in his pockets, but she could see the tanned skin of his forearms before they disappeared into the rolled-up cuffs of his sleeves. He was a man who radiated strength and power. Even in a pose so deceptively casual, she saw his innate strength. “What’s that?”
“Maybe he has a point.”
“A point about what?” She asked the question, even as she already knew the answer.
“You need a husband. He thinks I need a wife. It works.”
“I don’t need a husband. And I’m not marrying a man so he can close a business deal.” She heard the snap in her words and wouldn’t be sorry for it. While she might not harbor deep, everlasting feelings for Holt, she also wasn’t beyond being insulted at the idea of being used for her family connections.
“If it were just about the deal, I’d agree with you. But we are having a baby and that’s someone else to consider. Marry me and we can raise our child together.”
A crazy sort of madness leaped up and gripped her, tightening around her throat like a noose. Part suffocating, part intriguing, it was as if his words took root and immediately sprouted a future in her mind’s eye. “I can’t marry you. I don’t even know you.”
“People get married for plenty of other reasons, ones that aren’t in the interest of an innocent child.”
“How are we protecting our child’s interests by marrying? We don’t love each other. I’d rather he or she knew they had parents who were vibrant, interesting individuals instead of two people who’d married only for propriety’s sake.”
“We’d make a life.” He walked toward her in the moonlight and she couldn’t stop the light shiver of awareness that floated down her spine.
“What you’re suggesting is a merger, a blending of interests, not a marriage. We don’t even know each other.”
“We know this.” Without giving her time to step away, Holt moved in and pulled her against his chest in a tight embrace. Any thought of resistance faded in the brief moment it took him to close the gap between them and she wrapped her arms around his neck, a full participant in the kiss. His lips were gentle, yet firm against hers, and she allowed him to take the kiss deeper, tangling her tongue with his. Desire struck—swift and sure—as the sensual moments spun out between them.
He trailed his hands over the skin exposed at her back, his fingers tracing the ridges of her spine. The shivers of anticipation that had gripped her morphed into shivers of need as his broad chest pressed to hers. Her hands gripped his waist and she fumbled with the material of his shirt, suddenly desperate to feel the warmth of his skin.
She marveled at how easily her body recognized his. It had been just like this that night at the wedding. Like she’d come home.
She wanted him.
And with his suggestion of marriage, she could have him. But was that how she wanted to map out her future? Her impulsiveness had already led to a baby. She couldn’t afford to make another mistake, especially since her child now had to be forefront in her thoughts.
Chapter Six
Holt shifted his hold on her so that his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her flush against his body. The kiss rapidly spiraled out of control, a battle of both passion and will neither one of them could break.
She pulled away from him, her eyes wide in the moonlight. “Was that supposed to convince me?”
“Doesn’t it?” His body throbbed with unfulfilled need, but he instinctively knew whatever they said next would have a major impact on how they moved forward. “We’re good together. We work together.”
“How many times do I have to say it, we don’t know each other. A few moments of madness don’t make a lifetime.”
On some level, he understood her hesitancy, but also couldn’t hide this overwhelming urge to protect her. “So we get to know each other. Understand each other’s interests and hobbies. Explore the madness a bit further.”
“What about our friends and families?”
“What about them?”
“Will we get to know the people
each other cares about?”
He tamped down on the thought of sharing his history with her. If they did marry, sooner or later the subject of his mother would come up, but he’d do his damnedest to shield Mayson and the baby from her. “Of course.”
Mayson’s gaze was wary as she looked at him, but he didn’t miss the distinct invitation in her eyes. “So we move forward, just like that?”
“Just like that. The same way other couples get to know each other.”
“Most of them don’t have a pregnancy hanging over their heads.”
“And some of them do. You play the hand you’re dealt.”
She sighed, whisper-soft in the dark, before nodding. “You’re right.”
“We’ll start on Monday with dinner.”
“What about right now?” She nodded toward the sounds of laughter across the lawn. “We’re ignoring the party and mingling with our friends and my family.”
At least it was a start.
…
The quiet Monday Mayson envisioned for herself never managed to show itself, which was why she had a large cup of soup from the cafeteria steaming in front of her at two-thirty in the afternoon.
“Crazy day,” her assistant, Susan, mumbled as she bustled in with a handful of photos. “Chris in layout just sent these up.”
Mayson put her spoon down and reached for the stack of images. She’d been waiting all afternoon for them because the damn photographer they’d hired had uploaded them to their FTP site on his own timetable.
“Why do we work with Stefano?”
Susan shrugged. “Because he’s the best.”
“He’s also a spoiled pain in the ass.”
“He is that.”
Mayson sighed as she flipped through the photos. “He’s also damn good.”
“Hence the spoiled, pain in the ass routine.”
“Did Chris have any favorites?”
“He said he wanted you to pick first, then he’d tell you.”
She got up and walked to the large table on the far side of her office and spread the photos out, discarding the few that didn’t have the feel they were going for. They could use those as outtakes on the website as extra content, but they weren’t going to make the pages of the piece.
