Expecting my Billionaire Stepbrother's Baby (a Stepbrother Romance Novel) (2 page)

But who had?

“
I
can’t believe
you have a baby. Can I hold her?” I held out my arms and gave Drake a pleading smile.

“Sure,” he replied and gently passed the baby over. Leah started to cry mid-transfer. She balled her tiny hands up into fists, and I could see the hesitation on Drake’s face. But with a soothing rocking motion, her cries dwindled.

“Wow, you’re a natural,” Drake said in awe. “Normally, once she gets going, it takes an age for her to stop.”

“Mhmm,” I mumbled, not really listening to him. I was smitten with the tiny, innocent creature in my arms. Leah’s sweet baby scent drifted around my head as I cooed at her and pressed my lips to her soft forehead. She smelled like a fresh spring day, and my stomach ached and my breasts swelled.

Oh, why couldn’t she be mine?

Drake placed his fingertips upon my elbow and led me like a blind woman, as I only had eyes for Leah, to a chair in a quiet corner, away from all the noise of the party. Barbara wandered off when more guests arrived, and my dad stuck to my side. I knew from the worried, anxious shuffle he always did when he was unsure of something that he wanted to pick up from our earlier conversation.

Dad wrung his hands as if he were twisting a tea-towel. “Vi, you’re not really here for Barbara’s birthday, are you?”

Momentarily my eyes flickered up from Leah’s now peaceful face to Drake’s, then to my dad’s. I didn’t want Drake to hear how my shitty life had turned from bad to worse. I couldn’t bear the pity from someone who’d struck it rich a months after he’d begun university. He was a savvy tech genius, and a few successful apps later, like magic, he was a rolling in it. After that, he hadn’t even graduated, and yet I slogged my way through, paid my own way, and what did I get for my trouble? A useless English degree and a job as a minimum-wage waitress.

And now I don’t even have that.

My dad and Drake crowded around me; there was no dodging their questions now.

“Vi?” my dad said again. “What’s going on? Tell me, please. We’re your family.”

Drake nodded, and I had the rising urge to slap the concerned look off his face, but luckily Leah’s weight in my arms prevented me from doing anything stupid.

I bowed my head and sighed; I couldn’t look them in the eyes. But this was what I came here for, my last refuge.

“Look, I just need somewhere to stay for a while, ‘til I get back up on my feet,” I said, hoping they wouldn’t press the matter any further.

“Why now, Vi?” Drake asked, but his question came off as more of a demand. My dad glared at him.

“I think what Drake means to say is of course you can stay. But I need to know you’re not in any trouble.”

“I tried, OK?” I said, struggling to keep my voice even.

“What do you mean?” my dad started.

Eugh, I thought. I might as well tell them - I would be forever badgered if I didn’t. Leah gurgled in her sleep, and I instinctively rocked her to and fro.

“My life is in shambles, is that what you want to hear? I lost my crappy job that was barely paying my bills, and then I got evicted. So I have nowhere else to go, and I have no money to my name. I took out a loan, but that didn’t last. And, well, let’s just say I haven’t been able to pay them back…”

“Oh, Vi. Why didn’t you tell me sooner? We could’ve helped,” my dad said as he crouched down to look at me.

“I didn’t want
his
help. I wanted to get by on my own,” I muttered.

“What the hell do you have against me, Viola? What’s wrong with my money?” Drake interrupted, surprising us all. Leah’s eyes sprang open, and her face crunched up, ready to start wailing again.

“Shh,” I soothed the baby in my arms then glared up at her father.

“Every time I’ve offered to help you, you’ve thrown it back at me! Why, Viola?” Drake said, getting louder and angrier with each word.

“I don’t want your money,” I spat. How could I tell him I wanted so much more from him?

“You have got to be kidding me! You’ve got a nerve. You come back here, tail between your legs and then say you don’t want my money or my help? Then what the hell do you want?”

“Will you be quiet? You’re scaring Leah,” I said, looking down at her. Her eyes welled, on the brink of tears, and I could feel my own doing the same.

“What’s all this racket?” Barbara hissed as she came speedily out of nowhere. “We have guests!”

Drake shook his head. “I’m done. I’m just done with her,” he said and walked away.

“Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” Barbara demanded.

“I’m homeless and I lost my job. Happy now?” I replied. She might as well know - everyone else within hearing distance of our conversation was already privy to the information.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Barbara said and surprised me with a half hug. “I wish you could’ve come to us sooner. We worry about you, you know? But we thought it best to leave you be, to get on with your life. Find your own way.”

I nodded then shrugged. What else could I say? I felt guilty enough already.

Barbara stood back up, and I went back to paying attention to Leah. I couldn’t look anyone in the eye anyway. At least Leah didn’t judge me. Her bright grey eyes were wide open, and her pudgy hand reached for my finger. Her tiny fingers wrapped around my own and squeezed. Looking at her made all my worries seem to fade away, as if there was nothing more important than making this little girl smile.

“Henry! I just had the greatest idea,” Barbara screeched like a giddy teenager and clapped her hands together. This woman was supposed to be 50, but you would never believe it.

“Will it cost me or your son?” my dad teased, and Barbara playfully socked him on the arm.

“Nope, that’s the best thing; it’ll probably save Drake some money, not that he hasn’t got bucket loads to spare,” she grinned.

“Then spit it out before you explode,” he said.

“Viola could be Leah’s nanny!”

I looked at her in shock.

“Work for Drake, are you kidding me?” I replied and the smile from her face disappeared. “Have you met your son?”

“Well, he needs someone he can trust. He’s not been able to find anyone who fits the bill since Christine abandoned him and Leah.”

I raised my eyebrows. How could someone abandon this gorgeous little girl?

“Christine’s the mom? And she left?” I interrupted, my mouth gaping.

Barbara nodded and said in a low voice, “Drake doesn’t like to talk about it, so don’t go bringing it up, OK? But as I was saying,
my
child-rearing days are over - I have too much going on with all my charities and events. But you? You need a job, and a place to stay… It would be perfect for both of you, don’t you see?”

“I don’t know, Barbara, I’ve never looked after a baby before. I can hardly look after myself,” I said as happy thoughts played around in my head. Looking after Leah would be a dream, but I didn’t know if I could stand working for Drake, let alone live with him.

“You’re getting along just fine at the moment. Leah hasn’t made a peep since you’ve been holding her. And you’re family…” she nodded as if her mind was made up. She gazed about the room and peered out into the garden.

Spotting what she was looking for, she shouted, “Drake! Come here, please?”

From my sitting position in the corner, I could see the scowl on Drake’s handsome face as his mother beckoned him back to our little gathering.

“Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t have to, darling,” my dad whispered to me before Drake arrived.

“I don’t think I have a choice, Dad,” I replied.

“You always have a choice, sweetheart.”

“Drake, I’ve found your new nanny!” Barbara beamed, her white polished teeth gleaming in the light.

“Really? That’s fantastic. What are her credentials? Can she be trusted?” he asked, rattling off countless questions. He was truly worried about who he left Leah with, and that didn’t bode well for me. He’d be a tyrant, I knew that for sure; he’d micromanage everything. But one look at the serene little child in my arms, and I knew I’d put up with almost anything to never let her go.

“Oh, she can definitely be trusted with your little one,” Barbara said. A cunning smile played upon her face as if she had a juicy secret.

She waved her hand in my direction as if presenting me.

“
Voila
, Viola!” she giggled, and I groaned inwardly, like I’d never heard that one before.

Realisation smacked Drake upside the head, which started to shake from side to side. “No way, not going to happen.”

“And why not?” Barbara demanded, hands on her hips. I admired her going to bat for me, but it seemed like a lost cause. Drake always got his way, no matter what.

“Oh come on! You can’t be serious? We haven’t seen her in months, and you want her taking care of your grandchild?”

“She’s family, Drake! And she needs our help; kill two birds with one stone, isn’t that how that phrase goes?”

“Yeah, but—”

“No buts, Drake! This is my day, and this is my birthday wish. You wouldn’t want your mother upset on her birthday, now would you?”

“No, of course not, but—”

“I said, no buts! Give her a chance, a trial period?” Barbara said and batted her eyelashes up at her tall son.

Drake closed his eyes for a moment and let out a long sigh. “I’m not going to win, am I?”

“Nope,” she replied.

“For what it’s worth, Drake, I promise I’ll take very good care of her, of my little niece,” I added, knowing I needed and wanted this more than anything. It would be better than another crappy and pointless customer service job. At least I’d be making a difference looking after Leah.

His stormy grey eyes regarded me as he weighed up his decision. I don’t think he’d ever looked at me for that long before, and his stare made my skin prickle. My throat thickened, and I needed to swallow. I couldn’t break eye contact, and I didn’t want to. The world around us seemed to fade into obscurity; we were in our own bubble. I could tell he wanted to resist his mother’s wish and say no to the proposal. He didn’t want to trust me, and that was fair enough – I hadn’t been very present lately, but I needed this.

“Give me a chance, please?” I asked quietly, barely saying the words out loud.

The dark storm in his eyes cleared, and he looked down at his resting daughter cradled in my arms. “Ok, you get one chance. Only one.”

L
ater that same evening
, after the guests had all left, I followed Drake to his apartment in the city. I prayed my clunker of a car would last a little bit longer as I kept Drake’s rear lights in view.

I squinted to focus upon his car up ahead as the traffic in the city increased. His sporty little number, comically fit with a baby seat in the front for Leah, weaved effortlessly in and out of lanes. I was barely keeping up. All I needed was something to go wrong and to lose him before I even started my new job. I had one chance, and I was determined not to screw it up.

Once we’d parked in the underground garage beneath Drake’s building, I wandered over to his car feeling a little apprehensive. This would be the first time I’d lived with a man who wasn’t my father. Although Drake was my step-brother, we’d slept under the same roof only a couple times around the holidays when Barbara and my father were first married. I was attending university then, and Drake was an independent businessman living his own life. This would be a whole different ball-game.

Drake scooped up the baby bag and Leah in her car seat. She looked so good in his arms, protected and safe. What I wouldn’t do for him to make me feel the same way, but I was a bag of nerves.

“I could’ve started tomorrow, you know?” I said. I’d even suggested this earlier, but Barbara would have none of it.

“No time like the present,” she’d said. Barbara had most likely been thinking the same thing I had – if we gave Drake any time to consider the arrangement, he would’ve backed out for sure.

“You’re here now. Might as well get on with it,” he said and handed me Leah’s baby bag. Without another word, he strode away towards a bank of elevators, and with a quick swipe of an electronic key card, the doors swooshed open instantly. Drake stepped in and turned to face me.

“Wow, that was quick,” I said as I caught up to him.

“It’s a private elevator. Remind me to get you your own key card. Oh, and hand over your keys,” he requested.

I hesitated. “My keys?”

“Yes, your car keys. Get in. Or shall I leave you down here for the rest of the night?”

“No, I’m coming, sorry,” I replied and stepped forward. Drake swiped his card at the panel, and the doors closed. The private elevator was small; it was a tight fit with just the two of us, and I thought to myself it was a good thing I wasn’t claustrophobic.

I tried to keep close to the side, but no matter how I positioned myself, my bare arm inevitably grazed the material of his suit jacket, sending shivers down to my core. The enclosure felt like it was heating up, and beads of sweat ran down my back. The last time I’d been this close to him, trapped with him, was in high school, stuck in a tiny closet that smelled of mothballs and my desperation.

Forcing myself to not think about that night I asked, “Why do you want my car keys?”

“‘Cause there’s no way I’m allowing you to drive that death-trap while you’re looking after my daughter. I’ll buy you a new one, or you can use the chauffeur service. Your choice, and it’s non-negotiable.”

I huffed out a breath of air. Already he was setting the terms, and I knew I had to bite my tongue.

“Fair enough, but you don’t need my keys. I’ll just not use it.”

“What did I say? Hand them over - it’s time that rust-bucket was put out of its misery. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll buy it from you.”

“I told you I don’t want your money.”

“Then why are you here?”

The cold stare Drake gave me made the temperature within the elevator drop. Perhaps I’d gone too far, I thought.
He’ll probably want me to leave
.

For a long moment, his eyes penetrated me, and I couldn’t help but lick my lips, wishing he’d lean over and recreate the kiss from so long ago. My nipples tightened, and I hoped he couldn’t see their reaction through the flimsy material of my dress.

He must remember that night, too, surely?

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Drake let out the breath he’d been holding, turned away from me and walked into the foyer of the apartment, as if nothing had happened. As if we hadn’t just shared an intimate moment.

What was stopping me from walking away and trying to get by on my own? Oh, right, because that worked out so well the last time, I thought. Even if I didn’t want to admit it, I needed this. I did need Drake’s money, his charity and a roof over my head. If only for a few weeks.

Drake disappeared from view, and the elevator doors started to close. Time to decide, Viola, I thought. In that instant I made a promise to myself to give it at least a full two weeks. I could last 14 days in his house, with him. I could do this. And with that I raised my arm into the closing gap. The doors slid back automatically, and I moved into the hallway.

A mobile phone rang within the apartment, and I followed the sound, gazing at the all the amazing art that hung on the whitewashed brick walls as my feet found their way. The apartment was a modern marvel, minimalism at the extreme, with hardly a hint of colour anywhere, except for a discarded baby toy that was covered in patches of primary reds, blues and yellows, lying in the middle of the hallway.

“…How bad is it? Well, have you called Howard?” Drake was pacing in the middle of the expansive living room, furnished with the biggest and whitest u-shaped couch I’d ever seen - there was enough space for at least twenty people on that monstrosity. How the hell did they get it up here? I wondered.

I sat on the couch next to the car seat and rocked Leah back and forth while we waited for Drake to get off the phone.

“…No, no, don’t bother. I’ll be there. Just give me thirty minutes. In the meantime reset the server and send out the notices,” Drake said. He ended the call without saying goodbye.

Sounded like someone was in a whole heap of trouble. “Everything OK?” I dared to ask.

“Sorry to do this on your first night, but I have to go sort out an emergency at the office,” Drake replied as he drew a finger over Leah’s rosy cheeks. “I hate leaving her…” For a moment I saw the softness and vulnerability he tried so hard to hide resurface upon his face.

“It’s fine. We’ll be fine,” I said. I stood up close to him. Without thinking, I took hold of his dangling hand and gave it a squeeze.

Drake looked down at my small hand within his as if it were the strangest thing he’d ever seen in his entire life. I held completely still as he turned my hand over and began to caress it with a finger.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, almost whispering. “It’s been lonely doing this on my own.”

“I won’t let you down, I promise,” I replied, my face angled upwards to take him in. He looked like he was in so much pain, and all I wanted to do was take it away, make him forget whatever had happened in the past.

“She hurt you a lot, didn’t she?” I asked.

He nodded, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

“Do you remember—” I spotted the beginnings of a blush upon his high cheekbones, but his phone chirped again and the spell was shattered.

“Do I remember what, Drake?” I said, desperately wanting him to finish the question.

“Never mind,” he said, pulling his hand away. His phone cried for attention again. “She’ll need a feed in about an hour; there are bottles in the fridge. And the nursery is just down the hall. You can’t miss it. You can take the room adjoining it for now.” I nodded as he was backing away, already heading for the exit.

“What about my things? My clothes in my car?”

“I’ll ask the front desk staff to bring them up for you. Did you leave it locked?”

“Lock’s busted… anyone can get in,” I replied sheepishly, and he shook his head.

“That’s so dangerous, Vi. Never mind, you’re an adult, and I don’t have time to scold you. I’ll see you both later. I should be back by morning.”

“Go – you can trust me,” I said.

“I’m beginning to think I can,” he replied and gave me a quick wink.