Catering to the Italian Playboy (6 page)

He had a son.

He was a
father
.

How did this happen? Well, he knew
how
it happened; he wasn’t an idiot high school kid. But, they had been careful and used condoms. Granted several, but they’d used them
every time
.

Exactly how effective were condoms anyway? Ninety-eight, ninety-nine percent? And he
had
to be in the one or two not-so-effective percent?

Max clenched his fists. This couldn’t be happening. He wasn’t cut out for the job. He wasn’t a put-roots-down kind of guy. He lived in hotel penthouses most of the time for God’s sake. Max yanked on his tie again. It was suffocating in here. Did she cut off all the oxygen when she left the room? His chest tightened. He couldn’t do this. Being a father meant he would probably let his son down like he’d been let down all his life. This was exactly why he didn’t do white picket fences, houses in the suburbs and forever. He wasn’t any good at it.

“Before you get your boxers in a tight, no one is asking you for anything,” Sophie reminded him dryly when she returned a few minutes later and found him on her couch scowling toward the hallway. She plopped into the recliner across from him. Another ugly plaid piece of furniture he noted. “Not money. Not time. Not anything.”

That stopped him cold. She was letting off the hook? He wouldn’t have to bungle through life trying to be the father he knew he could never be?

Relief washed over him and panic subsided. His tie didn’t feel quite so tight anymore. He would support the child –
Alex
– financially of course. Make sure he had everything he needed. The best schools, college, maybe a better place to live – their apartment was tiny and not at all suitable for raising a child.

What do I know about what is suitable for a child?

A chill settled over him. The answer was simple. Nothing. Which is why he didn’t need to get involved with the day-to-day care of his son. But he would make sure the child was well-provided for. That much he could do. Surely he couldn’t botch up the financial end of it.

Satisfied he’d come to a reasonable solution, Max shifted on the couch to announce his grand news. “I’d like to–”

“Mommy, I’m thirsty.”

Max’s jaw dropped as he stared at the pint-sized replica of himself suddenly hovering near Sophie.

The tie around his neck tightened like a noose. Max swallowed hard.

Alex – his
son
– wearing fitted dinosaur pajamas had one tiny hand curled around a brown ear-torn teddy bear and was staring back at him with interest.

Max’s heart scrambled. This little person was his son.
His
son!

“You’re supposed to be in the bed,” Sophie said sternly. “You’ve got school tomorrow.”

“I’m thirsty.”

Sophie sighed and rose to her feet. “I’ll get you some water then it’s off to bed with you. Fast. Got it?”

The child nodded though his dove-gray eyes remained focused on Max. Sophie caught Max’s eye and said in a soft voice, “He’s curious about who you are. We usually don’t have this problem, do we Alex?”

Alex grinned revealing a missing bottom tooth and shook his head.

Max’s mouth went dry. He stared into his son’s trusting eyes with a bit of awe. The dark-haired tyke was a part of him. Probably the only good part, but still a part of him.

How could he turn his back on his own child? His flesh and blood? His stomach tightened and the tsunami of emotions he usually kept in check crashed into him. How could he do the same thing to his son that his parents had done to him?

How could he abandon his only child?

And that’s when he knew.

He’d never be able to just walk away and send a check. His son deserved more than that. He deserved a real father.

Unfortunately, all Alex had was him, so he would have to do because no child of his was going to experience the same rejection he had grown up with. No child of his was going to go through life without a mother and a
father.
He’d make damn sure of it.

He just hoped he didn’t botch it up so bad he left the child with permanent emotional scars.

Like his parents had left him.

* * *

“You want to what?” Sophie’s voice cracked a few minutes later after she’d finally gotten Alex settled in for the second time that night and flopped back down in the recliner. Her stomach twisted so hard pain shot through her back.

Surely he wasn’t serious.

“I want to be a part of Alex’s life.” Max’s voice was calm and cool as if he were contracting a business deal and not talking about her –
their
– son’s life.

Dear God, he was serious. Sophie took in his solemn expression and too calm demeanor. Her heart tanked. “Why?”

“He’s my son.” The simple answer set Sophie’s teeth on edge. Didn’t he know it wasn’t that simple? He couldn’t just walk into Alex’s life one day then disappear the next whenever the mood hit him. Children needed stability.
She
needed stability. And Maximus Rinaldi was as far from stable as one could get.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Alex and I are doing just fine on our own.”

“Sophie, I’m afraid it’s not up to you, and I’m sure the courts will rule in my favor. It is always in a child’s best interest to have both the father and the mother in their life. Preferably ones that get along.”

Sophie felt the color drain from her face. “Courts? You’re going to fight me for custody?” Oh, God! How could she compete with him? Money, power and international prestige had more clout in the legal system than the mere best interest of the child. What court in their right mind would give custody to a mother who could barely keep the rent paid and food on the table? 

And she couldn’t –
just couldn’t
– ask her father for help. Not that he would anyway.

“If necessary.” Max shrugged as if it didn’t matter one way or another. “Though I’d prefer we come to some sort of arrangement on our own.”

Sophie was glad she was already sitting. Her body felt like a deflated noodle and she knew her legs wouldn’t have held her up anyway. Her worst nightmare had just become a reality.

She was going to lose her son.

“Oh God!” The words tore from her throat like the cry of an animal caught in a steel trap. And in a way it was exactly how she felt.

Max frowned. “For Pete’s sake, I’m not suggesting taking him to the moon. Just a simple arrangement where we both have full input on his well-being. A child needs a father and a mother.”

“You’re not trying to take him away from me?” Sophie gripped the side of the recliner and ducked her head to keep him from seeing the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.
Please, God, no! I can bear anything but that.

“
Dio!
You’re not listening. I said a child needs a father
and a mother
.” He rose to his feet and came to stand in front of her. “I’ll admit when I came to bring you the wallet tonight I wasn’t prepared for my life to be turned upside down. Children have never been part of my plans and given the choice I wouldn’t have any.” He lifted her chin with his knuckle. “But I haven’t been given the choice. Alex is here and he
is
mine. I won’t turn my back on him or ignore my responsibilities. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. But, make no mistake, I
will
be a part of my son’s life.” Determination glittered in his eyes and he set his chin in the same stubborn way Alex did when he didn’t get his way.

A shiver shot down her spine as Sophie realized that unlike her five-year old, Maximus Rinaldi always got his way.

** FIVE **

She chose the easy way.

At least for now, she told herself that Saturday as she and Alex waited for Max outside the Central Park Zoo entrance. The
arrangement
they’d finally agreed to was, in her opinion, the lesser of the two evils. Max would spend time with both of them while Alex got to know him better. They wouldn’t tell Alex that Max was his father straight away. That kind of news had to be handled with caution, and Sophie was more than glad to put it off for a while. She wanted to make sure Max didn’t bolt for the nearest deserted island first. She still had reservations about his sincerity in being a proper father to Alex.

Then, of course, there was one more problem. She would have to spend time with Max as well. At least until she felt Alex was ready to learn who he really was.

It wasn’t a prospect she looked forward to.

A butterfly did a jig in her stomach. Who was she kidding?

Of course she wanted to spend time with Max! He was every woman’s dream. Tall, dark, devastatingly handsome and oh-so-delicious in the bedroom. Her cheeks flamed at the last thought. But, she didn’t
want
to want to spend time with him. Max may be fun and flirty, but he was also a player.

Exactly what she
didn’t
want. Or need.

But at least she wouldn’t have to face him in court, Sophie told herself firmly. Not yet anyway. This would buy her some time to come up with a plan to make sure he was never able to take her son away.

“Can we go in now?” Alex’s voice took on that pleading note which bordered suspiciously close to a whine. The one that usually ended up giving her a headache because he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Wonder where he inherited that endearing trait? Sophie thought dryly, her brain ticking back to Max’s phone conversation about the delivery mix-up a few days earlier. Like father, like son.

“Mo-ommy. I’m ready to go in.” Alex tugged on her hand and pulled her toward the ticket booth at the black iron-gated entrance.

“We will in a few minutes, darling. Remember I told you we were meeting a … a friend.” That wasn’t exactly the term she wanted to use, but little ears were present.

Sophie glanced at her watch and her heart skipped a beat. The silver chain glistened in the afternoon sun. She swallowed hard. It was the watch Max had given her. She really shouldn’t have accepted it. It was far too expensive. And far too personal. But he’d looked so pleased with himself she hadn’t had the heart to refuse.

She should have, though. Gifts led to messy entanglements. She didn’t have time for any kind of entanglements, messy or otherwise. Alex took up most of her time and her business took up the rest. Relationships didn’t fit into her schedule. Yet here she was at the zoo entrance waiting on a man.

Correction. Make that nervously waiting on a man like a school girl on her first date.

Except this wasn’t a date.

She frowned at the face on the watch. Fifteen after two.

Max was late. Fifteen minutes late to be exact.

Sophie’s chest tightened. Was he already shirking his responsibilities to Alex? Maybe he’d changed his mind and decided he couldn’t hack being a father after all.

Her father certainly hadn’t been able to.

A sharp pain sliced through her heart. She couldn’t count how many times her father had disappointed her growing up. Missed birthday parties. Missed softball games. Missed family dinners.

Of course, he’d always had iron-clad excuses. A late business meeting. An emergency at the office. An unexpected trip out of town. The list was endless and at first Sophie believed him. Her father, after all, was an important man. He couldn’t help it if business had to come first. Then, as she grew older, she watched her mother shrivel up and wilt like the neglected potted plant in Max’s office. That’s when Sophie realized most of her father’s “business” involved a brunette, redhead or blonde.

Sophie bit the inside of her cheek. Is that what happened with Max? Did a better offer come along and he decided to ditch his first outing with his son for a quick roll in the sack?

Images of his sleek muscular body tangled with legs that went all the way to the moon – probably a model or actress – and sheets so soft one could get lost in them popped in her mind. A flare of anger ignited in her stomach. This is precisely why she hadn’t told Max about Alex in the first place. She didn’t want her son to go through life disappointed over and over again as she had been. Along with the anger burning in her stomach a little spark of jealousy roared to life. Sophie promptly denied it. What difference did it make to her if Max had chosen to spend his time with a sex goddess instead of them?

None at all, she hurried to convince herself. But deep down in a place where she didn’t want to admit it she knew it did matter. More than it should.

“You’re here.” Max’s deep velvet voice rumbled from behind her.

“You’re late,” Sophie snapped, whirling around to greet him. Her pulse galloped at the sight of his faded jeans and a simple green, white and purple polo shirt. The transformation from a ruthless businessman to a laid-back dad nearly took her breath away. God! Did he have to look so awesome?

Dad.

Her heart trembled over the word. Somehow she couldn’t picture McSexy, as Felicity called him, in that role.

Max shot her a puzzled look. “You really do have a hang-up about time, don’t you?”

Sophie bristled. “I do
not
have a hang-up about time. I have a hang-up about you disappointing your–”

“Careful.” Max’s dangerously soft warning stopped her stone-cold. The warmth in his eyes vanished and he clenched his chin. His dark head leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Throwing a temper tantrum to match this beautiful fiery red hair isn’t in our son’s best interest.” His hand lifted a strand of her hair and let if fall through his fingers like silk.

Pleasurable tingles fluttered over her scalp. Sophie tried to ignore them but she had a hard time doing so while he stared at her with those sexy gray eyes. She pulled her gaze from his as she realized what she’d almost done.

Oh, God! She’d nearly blurted out the fact Max was his father in front of Alex. This man definitely brought out the worst in her.

Then her heart sputtered to a stop.

Our
son.

Another tremble skittered over her. He’d said
our
son. The words whispered so softly in her ear shivered over her spine and wrapped her in a warm, tingly blanket of delight. She knew Alex was
their
son, of course, but somehow hearing it from Max made it seem more real. More intimate.