Winning Wyatt (The Billionaire Brotherhood Book 1) (6 page)

The
sound of a key in the back door announced Maria’s arrival seconds before she
burst on the scene.

“Hey,
what’s with the limo in the driveway?” She stopped in the middle of removing
her coat as she caught sight of Wyatt. A look of speculation bounced from Kara
to the visitor. “Well, hi there.” A sly smile curled her lips. “I’m surprised
you’re still here.”

Kara
felt an unaccustomed desire to blush or explain Wyatt’s presence. But she was
the boss, the adult, and the mother, not the employee, the college student, or
the babysitter. And any explanation she could possibly make would only
complicate the situation.

“I’m
here again,” Wyatt explained. “Not still. I left last night and came back this
morning.”

“Right.”
Maria agreed, but her eyes twinkled with suspicion.

Sean
interrupted any additional comments by running over and throwing his arms
around her legs. “’Ria, ‘Ria,” he shouted until Maria tickled his ribs and gave
him a hug.

Kara
spoke calmly as if it was a common occurrence to have a man in her house first
thing in the morning, when it was about as uncommon as a solar eclipse. But
Wyatt didn’t know that. “I wasn’t expecting you this early, Maria.”

“Last
night you said to be here before ten, because you wanted to go into the city.”
She looked at Kara’s stay-at-home sweats. “I can take Sean outside to play if
you need time to get ready”—the girl glanced meaningfully at Wyatt—“or
whatever.”

“Oh,
shoot, I forgot I’d decided to go back to the Rothschild Gallery.” She checked
the time on the mantle clock, then studied Wyatt’s hopeful expression. Unh-unh,
no sir, no way, no how would she let him stay with Sean after she left. “Sorry
to have to cut your visit short.”

“I’ll
give you a lift into the city so we can talk.”

“Fine.”
Squashing a whoosh of relief that he hadn’t argued the point, she felt outmaneuvered
anyway. Somehow he always seemed to get the upper hand. “Maria, this is Wyatt
Maitland.” Since she couldn’t think of a good way to describe him, she left the
introduction at that.

“Hi,
again.” Maria fluttered her fingers in a friendly wave.

“Wyatt,
this is one of Sean’s intrepid team of babysitters, Maria Tagliatti.”

“Nice
to meet you, Maria. I’m Sean’s father.”

Maria
gasped, but Kara glared. Had he made the statement to get a reaction from her? No,
she didn’t think so. He smiled and rubbed his hands together. “I’ve been
looking for a chance to say that. It feels good.”

Kara’s
stomach took a little dip as she realized how negatively her actions had taken
from him.

“I
kind of guessed. After last night.” Maria stared at him curiously. “And there’s
a picture of you in Kara’s office. Sean looks just like you.”

Okay,
that’s enough of that. “I won’t be long.” Kara flounced upstairs to change her
clothes.

Her
hands shook as she dabbed on mascara and twisted her hair into a knot on top of
her head. Her thoughts were so distracted that even the simple task of
coordinating colors defied her. She pulled on a long skirt, boots, and a
lightweight turtleneck, all in the blackest of blacks to match her mood.

Returning
to the family room, she found Maria and Wyatt rolling a ball on the floor with
Sean and exchanging secrets that her newfound paranoia could only begin to
surmise. Maria and Wyatt rose while Sean hopped in a circle. Kara issued
detailed instructions to the sitter, gave Sean a hug and a kiss, and then went
to get her coat.

Wyatt
handed Maria his phone, asking her to snap a picture of him with Sean. A twinge
pinched at Kara’s conscience as the image was captured. Then Wyatt carried Sean
to the foyer, with Maria following them. Either the girl had already developed
a mega-crush on the charming billionaire, or she didn’t want to miss out on any
tidbit of gossip to tell the rest of the Tagliatti’s. Maybe both.

“I’ll
be back.” Wyatt gave the child a farewell hug and kiss on the forehead, before
reluctantly handing him off to the babysitter.

“Tell
Mommy and Daddy goodbye” Maria circled his wrist in her fingers and simulated a
wave.

“Bye,
Mom-mee. Bye, Da-da.” Sean’s words followed them across the porch.

Wyatt
beamed, waved, and threw kisses in return.

Kara’s
heart flipped over. “He doesn’t understand the meaning of the word.” She hoped
to deflate his burgeoning sense of importance in Sean’s life. “If Maria had
told him to say ‘Bye, Bozo’, he would have said that.”

“I’m
glad she didn’t suggest it, then.” He chuckled as the driver opened the back
door of the town car.

A
town car instead of a stretch-limo was Wyatt’s version of understated, but Kara
hesitated. “This is a little too grand for me. Why don’t I drive myself, and
you two can meet me at the gallery?”

He
leaned against the car and shook his head. “You’re not getting away that
easily. We’ve needed to have an honest conversation for three years. I don’t
think it’s asking too much for me to keep you from escaping for the next ninety
minutes.”

Grudgingly,
she got in and fastened the seat belt, waiting in silence as the driver rounded
the end of the car and got behind the wheel. After a few words with the driver,
Wyatt slid in beside her and raised the privacy glass. She expected him to
start right in about his own plans regarding custody, or with an angry diatribe
over her secrecy regarding Sean.

“Maria
seems responsible,” Wyatt said, with the voice of a concerned parent. “But
isn’t she a little young to be a baby sitter? Does she come with good
recommendations?”

“Yes,
very.” Kara stiffened with resentment and stared straight ahead, stung by the
idea that he questioned her judgment as well as Maria’s competence.

“She
said other members of her family also sit for you.”

“They
don't sit for me, they sit for Sean.”

He
rolled his eyes. “Are the others older or younger than she is?”

“One
of each.”

“How
young is the youngest?”

“What
is this?” Her head turned toward him with a snap. “Do you not trust me to hire
competent help?”

“Should
I?”

“I
think I know more about it than you do.”

“That’s
why I’m asking you to explain the situation to me.”

She
hated that he managed to sound so reasonable when irritation colored her logic.
She took a deep calming breath. “The Tagliattis are related to some good
friends of mine. There are six Tagliatti children and the oldest three are in
college. Marco is twenty-one and pre-med. Maria’s nineteen and studying early
childhood education. Angela, who’s eighteen, hasn’t committed to it, but she’s
thinking of becoming a nurse. Each of them works two days a week. We call them
the Tag-team, because of their last name and the way it gets to be like a relay
sometimes as we juggle schedules.”

“Sean’s
obviously crazy about Maria. Does he like the others, too?”

“Oh
sure, they’re all great kids and treat him like family.”

The
car slowed to exit onto the parkway. Despite the beautiful fall colors and the
warmth of the sun streaming through the window, her dread of the possible
outcome of this conversation kept her on edge.

She
forced herself to broach the subject of Wyatt’s intentions. “Have you decided
what you want to do now?”

He
tapped his fingers against the seat between them and drew out the suspense until
she wanted to scream. “I want legal acknowledgment from you that Sean’s my
son.”

“My
word or DNA testing?”

 
“Your word will do for now. DNA for later.”

“For
what purpose?”

“Visitation
rights?” The words were more of a suggestion that a demand, but they detonated
through Kara's heart and mind like a bomb.

“Oh,
yeah.” She hoped her derision disguised her fear. “I can see putting him on a
plane and sending him to California.”

“Since
he would be travelling in a private jet with an accredited childcare professional,
I don’t see the objection.”

 
“What do you know about children or
childcare?”

“I
know I have a lot to learn, but I’m a quick study. I can read books, check with
a pediatrician and call my mother—All right, not my mother, but even you have
to admit that I could call Allison or Izzy for advice.”

“Your
sister and your mother’s housekeeper would both be excellent resources. But
seeing as how my son doesn’t know either one of them, and neither one of them
live where you do, there is no way I’m allowing you to practice on-the-job
training with him.”

“Don’t
all parents learn through on-the-job training?”

“Some
more than others.” She ticked her own pre-parental accomplishments off on her
fingers. “I took the Red Cross Babysitting course when I was in junior high, I
earned a childcare badge in Girl Scouts. And I was a counselor at a summer camp
all through college. What about you? Can you name one child under the age of
three you’ve ever spent time with alone?”

“No,
you’re right, that’s why I have a plan.” His quiet tone commanded attention
more forcefully than a shout from someone else. “Until we’re both comfortable
with my abilities, I’m willing to move into your house and let you teach me
everything I need to know.”

“No
way!” Kara’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Even Wyatt wondered about the
wisdom of the proposition. “How can you suggest such a thing?”

“You
owe me, Kara.” When continued to glare, he forged ahead. “I helped you when you
needed it the most. Now, I’m trying hard to focus on the fact that I’ve got a
two-year-old son and not on the fact that I didn’t find out about him until
last night. But sometimes that thought does creep in.”

She
chewed her bottom lip. “Are you sure you didn’t know about him before last
night? I keep thinking you didn’t seem all that surprised when you first saw
him.”

“I
knew before I arrived at your house that you had a son, but not that I had one.
After I caught a glimpse of you hightailing it out of Sam’s show last night, I
cornered Regina and asked her to fill me in on your recent activities.”

“You
talked to Regina?” Kara puffed up beside him like a blowfish. “You had no
right.”

“No?
As a friend who was worried about you, I thought I had the right to check on
your well-being. When she told me about Sean, it explained a lot about why you
made so many excuses to avoid me during the last few years. Some of them were
pretty weak, Kara.”

She
turned her head away, giving him the rearview of her graceful neck and her
beautiful hair trapped in an unflattering topknot. “I hated lying to you.”

He
believed she hated the deceit, but that didn’t excuse the action. “Why did you
feel you had to hide the truth from me?”

“I
didn’t want to.” The way she studied the passing scenery instead of looking at
him made Wyatt doubt her truthfulness even now. What more could she be hiding?

“You
made it more difficult than it needed to be.” He gentled his tone and reached
for her hand. “Did you ever consider that I might have understood?”

“You’d
made your position pretty clear.” She tugged her hand from his grip. “I asked
if you ever wanted to have children. You said no.”

She’d
offered this explanation the night before, but it still didn’t seem to fit.
“And you let it go at that?”

Hunching
her shoulders, she lowered her head, muffling her next words. “A few months
later, I called to tell you I was pregnant, but there had been that trouble
with Xander. As I recall, you expressed your gratitude over your childless
state with heartfelt eloquence.”

“You
might have guessed that was stress doing the talking.”

“I
did, and as my due date drew near, I called again.”

“And...?
What unwitting idiocy did I utter that time?”

“You
said you were seeing someone.”

Ah,
yes. Kristin. Talk about cross-purposes. “Damn.”

She
trailed her fingers through the sides of her hair, pushing back any tendrils
that had dared to escape. “And are you? Seeing someone? It’s none of my
business, but some women—most women—wouldn’t take this news lightly.”

“I’m
not seeing anyone.”

“What
about Samantha Davenport? I only saw you with her for a few seconds, but you
seemed... close.” Was that jealousy he detected?

“We’re
friends. That’s all.” A prickly feeling of annoyance spread over him. First
Regina, then Dylan, and now Kara, had doubted him on this subject. All of them
imagined something intimate going on between him and Sam. But they were wrong.
Not in a very long time anyway.

“Really?
The way you and I are friends? The way you and Regina are friends?”

“Yes,
exactly like that.” Women he’d slept with in the past, but remained amicable
within the present. He’d always considered maintaining cordial relations with
past lovers one of his better qualities, but Kara’s tone implied otherwise.

“Isn’t
she the reason you came to New York?”

“You’re
the reason I came to New York. But if I hadn’t agreed to lend Sam some moral
support, I might have stayed home and missed all this.” His shoulder leaned
into hers as the car exited the parkway. “Why are you returning to the
gallery?”

“It
was too crowded last night to give the work a fair critique.”

“What
was your first impression?”

“Very
good. A positive combination of flowing execution and creative images.”

“I’ve
always thought so.”

She
smacked herself on the forehead. “You have some of her work, don’t you? At the
cabin and the beach house. I knew it looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember
where I’d seen it.”

“Her
style has changed, but these current pieces exhibit the same strong lines and
compelling textures as her earlier work.”

“Yes,
but now it’s more vivid, more defined.” Kara mulled over the changes aloud.
“More... sensual.”

Afraid
she’d try to attribute that change to him, he pressed the speaker to end the
discussion. “Let us off at the front entrance, Monte.”

“Just
drop me off at the corner and go. I’ll take the train home later.”

“No.”
She would soon learn that he couldn’t be dismissed that easily anymore. “I’ll
take you back so I can see Sean again.”

Spending
the day in Wyatt’s company was a treat Kara could have done without. He dogged
her heels through the Rothschild, adding his insight to Samantha Davenport’s
work, and leading Kara through all the rooms to view the other artists on
display.

He
was knowledgeable and astute, but being with him in a near-empty gallery was
entirely too reminiscent of their first meeting. And constantly relegating her
memories to their place in the past wore her out. Especially after her
sleepless night.

At
the Rothschild, then back in Connecticut, he was unfailingly polite, as always,
dangerously attractive—even more so than he’d been three years ago, if that
were possible—and endearingly awkward during moments with Sean.

Exhaustion
pulled at her, but caution about her son’s welfare prevented her from allowing
father and son to get too far out of her sight. Despite her constant vigilance,
Sean fell face-first when he came off the slide.

Wyatt,
standing beside him at the time, scooped him off the ground and brushed him
off. “You okay there, buddy?”

Of
course he wasn’t okay. He’d taken a fall. At the very least, he needed
comforting. Kara grabbed him into her arms. His little face started to pucker.
“Oh, my God! He’s bleeding!” She pulled a tissue from her pocket and placed it
under his nose before rushing toward the house. “Hurry, let’s get him inside.”

In
the bathroom, she removed his jacket and hat, then ran cold water and dampened
a cloth.

“What
can I do to help?” Wyatt leaned against the doorframe with his hands in his
pockets, but she spared him only a quick glance.

“Nothing.
I’ll take care of it.”

After
the crisis had passed and Sean had been tucked in for his nap, Kara’s hands
began to shake, and her stomach turned over in delayed reaction. As she and
Wyatt returned to the family room, she put a hand on her heart and breathed
deeply, fighting tears that threatened to flow.

Wyatt
looked at her oddly. Empathy flickered across his face just before he reached
for her. Encircling her in his arms, he offered the comfort she needed. “Sean’s
fine.”

She
took a moment to calm herself against his broad chest then pulled away. “But it
could have been serious. I’m not letting him near that slide again.”

“Why?
He wasn’t afraid or upset. He didn’t break anything or need stitches.”

“No-o.”
His observation sent annoyance crawling over her skin like a platoon of ants.
How dare he question her about something as important as Sean’s safety? “I
can’t have him getting hurt.”

“Of
course not.”

Since
he agreed with her, Kara didn’t know why she couldn’t let the matter drop. “I
should have been more careful.”

“You
were being careful. We both were.”

“Not
careful enough.”

He
dropped his eyelids and studied her from beneath his lashes. “How careful would
that be?”

“Careful
enough so he wouldn’t get hurt.”

“I
see.” He checked his wafer-thin Gucci watch. “How long will he sleep?”

“An
hour or two.” Kara moved about the room, straightening pillows, aligning books
on shelves, and putting toys in their proper place. His gaze followed her
closely. The perusal ratcheted up her general level of irritation. “You must be
ready to take off.”

“In
a minute.” He took her hand, led her toward the couch, and waited for her to
sit. He dropped into place beside her.

“Now,
what?” She fidgeted, but he remained silent. “If this is about you moving in
here, you can just forget it.”

“We
both need more time before we decide anything about Sean. I’m going to Atlanta
in the morning for a meeting with Mother and Allie.” His expression brightened.
“While I’m there, I’m going to tell them about Sean.”

The
thought of Wyatt’s autocratic mother knowing about Sean filled Kara with
dismay. Who knew how much the Iron Butterfly would try to influence Wyatt
regarding his claim to her second grandchild? Kara sprang up and headed for the
kitchen. “Could I get you something to drink?”

“No.”
He encircled her wrist as she tried to pass by him. “Sit down.” He nodded
toward the place she’d occupied seconds before. “Please.”
       

With
a sense of impending doom, Kara did as he requested. She knew with a certainty
that she wouldn’t like anything he had to say.

“Do
you have any pictures of Sean I could take with me to show them?” He nodded at
a photo collage on the wall.

“Sure.”
If that was all he wanted, she wouldn’t mind complying.

He
rubbed his chin and hesitated. “Or you and Sean could go with me so they can
meet him in person.”

“No!”
Revulsion propelled the word out of her mouth.

He
lifted an eyebrow in his Master-of-the-Universe way. “Then they’ll probably
want to come here to see him. I don’t suppose you like that idea any better.”

Recalling
the scene she’d made at Rosalie Maitland’s home during her only meeting with
the woman, Kara shuddered. “I’ll try to accustom myself to the possibility.”

“They’ll
have a lot of questions for both of us. Many of which I don’t know the answers
to.”

She
grimaced at the reminder. “You said—”

“I
know what I said.” His impatience caused her to blink. “And I know what we
agreed. If I regret that I didn’t know the truth sooner, it’s largely based on
the time I lost with my child and that you had to go through all of this alone.
Obviously, you chose to do so for reasons of your own. Now it’s my turn to
choose what I want to do from here.”

Kara
held her breath as she waited for an ultimatum. When he didn’t issue one, she
revealed a faint but futile hope. “I don’t suppose you’re going to just go away
and leave us in peace, are you?”

“Not
a chance in hell. I plan to see an attorney about establishing a legal claim to
paternity, with a view to setting up child support and visitation rights.”

“All
of that?” Indignation steeled her spine. “Based on one night of passion? Why
don’t you ask for my life’s blood instead?” In a very real sense, that’s just
what he was asking for. Didn’t he realize that, or didn’t he care?