An Heir At Any Price: The Billionaire's Obsession - Contemporary Romance (12 page)

“This beach is so pretty, and there’s
hardly anyone else here. It’s like our own private island,” she
said. Then, remembering what I’d told her earlier she added, “Oh
not that having your own private island is anything new to
you.”

I laughed and said, “Well, it’s not
like I’ve ever been there.”

“Are you kidding? You have an island
and you’ve never even seen it?”

“I’ve seen photos,” I told her with a
grin. “I don’t have time to be sitting around on an island. It’s
pretty far out, not just a day trip.”

“Well, it will be good anyways when
you have your child. Imagine taking boating trips out to an island
that your father owns and spending days exploring it. It makes me
want to be a child again just thinking about it.”

I did like the way she said, “Your
child,” but I didn’t care for the fact that she was trying to tell
me what I should or shouldn’t be doing with him or her.

“I think having a child might decrease
the amount of time I have to spend on an island, rather than
increase it,” I said. That might not be the case, but I suddenly
felt the need to make her understand that she wouldn’t have a say
in how the child was raised.

She stopped walking and said, “Really?
A vacation exploring with your child doesn’t appeal to you at
all?”

“He can explore, of course. I’ll send
him with his staff.”

“With his staff? Are you serious?” she
laughed, but I could tell she wasn’t amused.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be? I’ll
need a nanny and then when you throw in a driver and a cook…well,
then it’s a full staff pretty much.”

“But to say he’ll explore
the world with
his
staff
? Aiden you realize that children need
their parents attention, right? Not just a pat on the head every
now and again?”

I felt the annoyance flare hotter. She
really was trying to tell me how I should raise my child. The one
that she was being paid very well to walk away from. It made me
angry and I snapped at her, “You realize that you have no say-so on
the subject, right? This will be my child, not yours and I will
raise him as I see fit. I’d prefer that you kept your opinions on
that subject to yourself.”

She looked hurt, or maybe just shocked
that I would speak to her that way. I felt bad about hurting her
feelings by the way I’d said it, but I didn’t regret what I said.
She seems to forget sometimes that we’re not actually a couple and
that we’re not making a family together. It was all in black and
white in the contract.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you,” I
said, hoping that would appease her.

“It’s fine,” she said. “You’re right;
it’s your child and your business.” She didn’t seem like it was
fine and as she spoke I felt even worse about hurting her. I was
really not an ass. I just wanted…no; I needed to keep things
pragmatic. Her lips were pursed in a defensive way and I couldn’t
help thinking about how sweet they always tasted. A sensation
passed through my body and although I knew I should leave it alone
for now so that she didn’t continue to get the wrong idea, I was
compelled to kiss her. I covered the small space between us in one
step and had her in my arms, kissing her, feeling her warm body
against mine in two thrilling seconds.
When we came up for air she said, “What was that about?”

“Foreplay,” I told her. I was trying
to be cute and charming but she furrowed her brow like she didn’t
understand. “I was thinking of a long day at the beach, lunch in a
nice restaurant and then a marathon of baby making sex when we get
back…so that was foreplay.”

She smiled, but it looked forced. I
saw something pass across her eyes and I wished for the first time
that I knew what she was thinking. I told myself it didn’t matter,
like the way I plan to raise my child; her thoughts were not my
business. We had a contract and she signed it. I signed it and I
hope that we both intended to honor it.

HOLLY

We did go home that night
and make love for hours. I suppose to protect my heart, I should
just refer to it as
baby-making sex
the way that Aiden does. It’s hard for me to see
it that way. When we’re alone in that bed together he’s so sweet
and tender and I hesitate to say it…loving. He’s a very unselfish
lover and I shudder to think of the trail of broken hearts he had
likely left in his wake.

But, I told myself, no
matter how sweet it was, the next morning I always wake up alone.
During the day I can tell that he’s doing all he can to keep our
relationship on a
business
level. The day at the beach when he kissed me I
was shocked because he usually didn’t do that out of the blue. All
of our affection is usually relegated to the bedroom. I had to
wonder if he was only feeling guilty about snapping at me, or if he
was beginning to have real feelings as well. I hated to admit it,
but I was hoping for the latter. He was very good at guarding his
feelings and I also had to wonder how good that was going to be
when he had a child and he was the only parent. I did hope he knew
that the child was not going to be content or even healthy if the
only attention and affection he was getting was from
the staff
. I hoped he
knew he wasn’t going to be able to treat that child like a
possession…like something he’d paid for…which he did. After the way
he snapped at me though, I suppose I should remember to keep those
opinions to myself.

It was Monday morning now and time for
my weekly visit to the doctor. I was sitting in his lobby, flipping
through a magazine, but not really seeing it. It had been two
straight months and there was only one week during that time when
we hadn’t had sex at least once a night. That was during my
menstrual cycle. Other than that it was anywhere from one to three
times a night. Sometimes he was insatiable and I almost couldn’t
keep up with him. It was another reason I was able to lie to myself
and believe that he felt something for me…who has that much sex
with someone they don’t care for?

“Miss Valentine?” The nurse brought me
out of my reverie. “Dr. Lewis is ready to see you now.” She had
already taken all of my vitals and had me pee in a cup; the routine
was the same every week. Then when the doctor was ready I would go
back and he would tell me that I was in excellent health, but not
pregnant yet. It all seemed like a waste of time and money to me,
but Aiden insisted and he was the one paying the bills.

I followed the nurse through the
double doors and down a long, quiet hall with lots of windows and
green plants. I was starting to notice that places designed for the
well-to-do were also designed for discretion. All of the doors were
shut tight and I hadn’t seen another patient, not even in the
halls. She showed me to my usual room and said, “Just go ahead and
have a seat on the exam table. Dr. Lewis will be right
in.”

I thanked her and picked up a copy of
People magazine to thumb through while I waited. My thoughts
started spinning again and I was happy that I didn’t have long to
wait. Dr. Lewis came in carrying my chart within
minutes.

“Hello, Holly. How are you doing
today?”

“I’m doing well, doc. How are you?” I
asked.

He smiled and said, “Good, thanks for
asking. I have good news for you as well.”

I felt a tingle down my spine. Was he
about to tell me that I was pregnant? Finally?

“Am I…?”

His grin grew wider and he said, “Yes,
you’re pregnant, Holly. Just about six weeks along.”

“Yay!” I hooted out. I was so
excited.

“Aiden’s going to be really happy,
isn’t he?”

“Yes, he’ll be so excited, thank you
doctor!”

He laughed and said, “You’re welcome.”
Then he began to explain to me what would happen from here on out.
“Not your visit next week, but the one after we’ll do a sonogram to
get a more accurate conception date. Then we’ll do them about every
two months to make sure that the baby is growing and healthy. I’m
going to give you a prescription for prenatal vitamins as well.
Otherwise, keep doing what you’ve been doing. You’re a very healthy
young lady. Your body will most definitely undergo a lot of changes
though, so if anything concerns you or leaves you with questions
please don’t hesitate to call me.”

I told him I would, took my
prescription, thanked him again and left. I got into the back of
the limousine, trying to act naturally. I didn’t want anyone to
know, or guess until I’d had a chance to tell Aiden. I thought all
the way home about what I would make us for dinner and dessert, and
how I would tell him.

I was filled with so many different
emotions. There was a mixture of anticipation and relief that
worried me. I knew the relief was because Aiden was beginning to
get a little anxious over it taking so long, but the anticipation?
Why was I anticipating nine months of a growing body, aches and
pains, morning sickness…when all I had to look forward to at the
end was packing my bags and leaving before the baby even makes it
home to the nursery. The more I anticipated it, the more it was
going to sting in the end.

When I got up to the penthouse I made
a cup of tea and took it out on the balcony. I sat down on one of
the loungers and leaned back into it. I closed my eyes and I let
myself do something that I hadn’t done since this whole thing
started…remember what my thoughts used to be on becoming a
mother.

My own mother and I hadn’t had a good
relationship for a long time. That had skewed my outlook a bit on
motherhood. But before that, when things were good in my family I
used to, like all other little girls, dream of the big wedding and
the honeymoon on a beach and the big house where after a while I
would discover that I was pregnant with our child and we would both
be dancing on air.

We would embark on that new journey
together and he would be at my side every step of the way. We would
count our blessings…together. I would carry around my baby dolls
and call myself “Mama.” I remember my dad telling me what a good
mother I was going to be someday. I wondered what he would think of
me now, but then I reminded myself that things would be so much
different if he were still around.

This whole time since I’d signed that
contract, I don’t think I’d really thought about the reality of
what I was doing until now. I mean the real slap you in the face
reality. The one that comes from having the doctor tell you you’re
pregnant. I have a human being growing inside of me.

No matter what happened with this
baby, once I walked away from him the entire course of my life was
going to change. When I did find that special someone and we did
make a baby together, none of it was going to be new. Even if I
never shared this experience with my true love, I would know that I
had walked the path before…and it had ended at a brick wall. I’m
sure I would be depressed on the anniversary of his birthday every
year, and each time I saw a child his age, I would have to wonder
how he was doing and if he was happy, and healthy…what was I
doing?

Once I tell Aiden that I’m
pregnant, he would begin to prepare for the day that I would leave.
I’d spend the next nine months watching him plan for my departure.
That was another source of my angst. I was really hoping to mean
more to him by now. All of that was not to mention the reservations
I had about the ideas he had about raising a child, or I should say
about his
staff
raising a child. He was so cold sometimes, so distant…what
kind of person leaves her child in the hands of someone who was
likely going to show it very little love and affection? Does that
make me a terrible person?

I needed some more time to think about
this. I needed to get a better feel at least of how he was going to
be with our child…his child. I decided to forego the announcement
ceremony and wait a few days before I told him anything.

When Aiden got home from work that
night the first thing he said was, “How did the appointment go?
Anything yet?”

If I lied then when I told him, he
would know that I lied…unless I just waited to tell him until after
my next appointment. I didn’t know what I was going to do yet, but
I did know that I wasn’t ready to tell him. I wasn’t ready to
slowly be shuffled towards the door.

“Everything is fine, but nothing yet,”
I told him. I hated to lie and I was afraid he could see the truth
on my face.

I’m guessing he bought it because he
loudly said, “Damn!” as he slammed his briefcase down on the table.
“How long is this going to take?”