The Tycoon's Paternity Agenda (13 page)

“Whatever you want,” Adam said. “I know this isn't what either one of us signed on for, but we'll make this work, Katy. Everything will be okay.”

Eventually, she hoped.

She looked up at the clock, saw how late it was getting and said, “I really need to get home.”

“You don't have to run off.”

Oh, no, she did. The longer she stayed here, the more her heart hurt. “I have to get back to the ranch, and you probably have to get to work.”

“I have been taking a lot of time off lately.”

She took a swallow of coffee then got up and dumped what was left in the sink.

Adam got up, too. “I'll walk you out.”

It was another scorcher, and she found herself looking forward to the cooler weather of autumn. She opened the truck door and turned to say goodbye, and Adam was right behind her. Startled, she stumbled backward and hit the front seat with the small of her back. He stepped closer, caging her in, and suddenly she couldn't breathe, couldn't think straight. And he knew it.

“One last kiss?” he asked, but he was already leaning in, taking charge.

No, no, please don't do this,
she begged silently, but then his lips were on hers, and Lord help her, she couldn't deny him. His arms went around her, crushing her against the solid wall of his body. His fingers tangled in her hair. And she melted.

“Come back inside with me,” he whispered against her lips. “Just one more time, and I promise I'll never ask again.”

She wanted to, more than he would ever know. But she couldn't. Her heart was already splitting in two. He thought they'd had really awesome, no-strings-attached sex. But the strings were there, invisible to the naked eye, and she had to back away, before she became hopelessly entangled.

 

Adam watched Katy drive away, feeling…conflicted. Which was not a familiar feeling. He didn't want her to leave, and at the same time, he knew it was for the best. He cared about Katy. And though she was trying to hide it, he could see that she had pretty strong feelings for him. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. Especially now.

“I hope you know what you're doing.”

He spun around to find Celia standing in the front doorway watching him. “Your note said you were running errands.”

“I was. Then I got home.”

Great. “You could have said something.”

“But then I wouldn't have been able to eavesdrop, would I?”

At least she wasn't shy about admitting it. “How long have you been here?”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Long enough.”

Long enough to hear something that was putting that disapproving look on her face. The look that, since he was a small boy, always preceded a firm lecture.

He really wasn't in the mood.

“I assume you don't plan to marry her,” she said.

“That would be a correct assumption. We don't even know for sure that the baby is hers.”

“And if it is?”

He wouldn't marry her then, either.

She stared at him, tight-lipped.

“Don't do that,” he said, walking past her into the house. “I'm not a kid any longer.”

She slammed the door. “Then stop acting like one.”

Wow, he hadn't seen her this angry in a long time. Not since the time he stole the headmaster's keys, took his Beamer for a spin, then crashed it into a tree. His father, whose attention he'd been trying to get, had been too busy to come get him, so he'd sent Celia. And boy was she pissed. Just like now.

And for what?

“I really don't see why you're so upset,” he said.

“I'm upset because I like Katy, and you're breaking her heart.”

“That's ridiculous.” He walked to the kitchen and she followed him. This had nothing to do with Katy's heart. “She's understandably upset. It's a complicated situation.”

“She's upset because she loves you,
estúpido.
And
you're too much of a chicken to admit what you know is the truth.”

He took a sip of his coffee, but it was cold, so he dumped it in the sink. When he turned back to her, she was staring at him. He sighed. “Okay, I'll bite. What
is
the truth?”

“That she could very well be the best thing that has ever happened to you! She's your soul mate.”

An unexpected surge of emotion had him turning toward the window. “I buried my soul mate three years ago.”

She stepped up behind him, touched his shoulder. “You buried your wife,” she said softly, “but not your soul mate.”

That wasn't the way he saw it.

“How long are you going to keep her up on a pedestal, pretending everything was perfect? I cared for Becca, and I know you loved her in your own way, but you were never half as happy with her as you are with Katy. You have this light in your eyes when you talk about her, and you probably don't realize it, but you talk about her a lot. And when you're with her…it's just so obvious that you two are meant to be together.”

Celia was obviously seeing things that weren't really there. It was no secret that she hadn't been crazy about the idea of him marrying Becca. She never thought they were a good match. But she had been good to Becca nonetheless. Even when Becca sometimes hadn't been so nice to her. Becca wanted to be his entire universe and she'd been jealous of his relationship with Celia.

And yes, they'd had difficult times, and marital troubles, and instead of facing them he'd buried himself in work instead. But that wasn't her fault. He hadn't given their marriage a chance to be better.

And if he had, if they'd had a perfect marriage and had been blissfully happy, losing her would have been even more unbearable.

“I won't bury another wife,” he told Celia.

“You don't get to choose who you love. The question is whether or not you accept that love.”

“I'm content with my life just the way it is, and when the baby is here, it will be perfect.”

“You really believe that?”

“I
know
that.” He looked at his watch. “Now, I need to get to work.”

She frowned and shook her head, as if she was thoroughly disappointed in him. But the last thing he needed was her playing matchmaker.

Did he have feelings for Katy? Of course. Could he love her? Without a doubt, but that didn't mean he should allow it. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

T
hough he planned to hold off until their regular manager's meeting, Adam couldn't wait to announce his good news. And after speaking with the rest of the board of directors, it was agreed that the sooner he set things in motion, the better. Though it meant shuffling a few meetings around, he gathered everyone in his office later that afternoon.

“I have a bit of good news,” he said, then added, “Personal news,” gaining the rapt attention of everyone. “I'm going to be a father.”

Emilio grinned, while Nathan and Jordan just looked stunned.

“I wasn't even aware you were seeing anyone. Much less seriously enough to father a child,” Nathan said, obviously anticipating a public-relations nightmare on the horizon. “Tell me she isn't the daughter of anyone important. Or, God forbid, underage.”

Adam laughed. Leave it to him to expect the worst. “There's no scandal here. It's mine and Rebecca's child.”

Nathan blinked. “Oh.”

Jordan looked confused. “How is that possible?”

Adam told them about the embryos, and Katy's offer to carry the baby. For now, that was all they needed to know.

A lot of backslapping and handshakes followed, but he wasn't finished yet.

“There's something else. Something I'll be announcing formally in a few months. But I wanted to tell you all first. After the baby is born, I'm stepping down as CEO of Western Oil.”

Three mouths fell open in unison.

“Stepping down?” Nathan asked. “You live for this company.”

“I'll still be on the board. I just won't be as involved in the day-to-day operations. I want to be there for my child.”

“Had you considered hiring a nanny?” Nathan asked.

“I could do that,” Adam said. “But I promised myself a long time ago that when I had children, I would be there for them. Not a ghost, like my father. Especially since I'm raising this child on my own.”

“Which raises the question, will you look outside the company for a replacement, or promote from within?” Emilio asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

“I've already spoken to the board. It was agreed that we would promote from within.”

The three men exchanged glances. That meant that for the next eight months they would be under a veritable microscope, their every decision and act used to judge them. Three friends—two of them family—in competition for the brass ring. It had the potential to get very ugly. How they all handled the stress would be a determining factor to the board's decision.

“So who would you choose?” Nathan asked, knowing that the board would most likely follow Adam's lead.

“I won't make a choice until the board votes,” he told them. “Until then everyone has an equal shot at the position. In essence, my choice will depend on your performance for the next eight months.”

“No pressure there,” Jordan said wryly.

“This position
is
pressure,” Adam told him. “And as you all know I have a lot vested in this company. We all do. If not for each one of you, it wouldn't be what it is today.”

“I think we all know who will get it,” Nathan said. “You and Emilio are good friends. He's obviously got the advantage.”

“This is business,” Adam said. “Friendship has nothing to do with it.”

“Not to mention that I'm going to leave you guys in the dust,” Jordan said smugly, with a smile that said he was as good as in. His brother glared, but was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

“Any questions?” Adam asked, but everyone seemed pretty clear on the way things would be until the decision was made.

When the meeting was over, Emilio hung back. “I just wanted to say congratulations again. I know this is something you've wanted for a long time.”

Adam gestured for him to close the door. He'd promised Katy he wouldn't tell anyone the truth, but Emilio was one of his closest friends. He knew he could trust him to keep their secret.

Emilio shut the door and sat back down.

“What I said about the baby being mine and Becca's, that might not be the case.”

He frowned. “Whose is it, then?”

“Mine and Katy's.”

“You slept with her?”

“The day the embryos were transferred the second time. The doctor says there's a five-to-one chance Katy's egg was fertilized.”

Emilio shook his head and muttered something in Spanish. “Maybe this was inevitable.”

Inevitable? “What do you mean?”

“A man doesn't talk about a woman constantly unless he's attracted to her.”

Had he really talked about her so much that both Celia and Emilio took notice? Without even realizing it?

“What are you going to do now?” Emilio asked.

“The only thing we can do. Have a DNA test, and if it is Katy's, share custody.”

“You won't marry her?”

Emilio had no business lecturing him on marriage. “I'm surprised you would even ask that. Especially when you're so against marriage.”

Emilio shrugged. “I'm not the marrying type. You are.”

He
was
. But not anymore. “You know damn well I'm never getting married again.”

“I know you've said that.”

“But you obviously don't believe it.”

“I believe you have a responsibility to the child. And its mother.”

“And if you were in my position? Would you ask her to marry you?”

“Of course.”

Adam was stunned. “You don't believe in marriage.”

“No, but in my culture it's a matter of pride for a man to take responsibility for his actions,” he said, then added sheepishly, “And if I didn't, my mother would probably disown me.”

“So you think I should marry her.”

“What I think doesn't matter.”

Then why all the unsolicited advice? What the hell was with everyone lately? First Celia, now Emilio?

“This is getting really complicated.”

“You slept with your deceased wife's sister and you're having a baby. At what point did you think it
wouldn't
be complicated?”

He had a point.

“Look,” Emilio said. “You've had a rough couple of years. I just think that you deserve to be happy.” He looked at his watch and pushed himself up from his chair. “And speaking of being happy, I have a date with a lovely
older
woman.”

“Older?”

“My mother,” he said with a grin.

“You have my sympathies.” Monthly trips to the opera was one part of his marriage Adam didn't miss. Becca insisted they keep box seats. He used the time to either check email on his phone, or take a nap.

Emilio chuckled. “Not all men hate opera.”

No, but he was betting more than half were only there for their wives. Although he had come to suspect that Becca favored the social aspect of the experience over the actual performance. She was big on flaunting their wealth, and always obsessed with wearing clothes from whichever up-and-coming designer was in favor at the time. She routinely spent the entire day in the salon getting her hair and nails and makeup fixed. He could never figure out why she couldn't be content to just be herself. Like Katy.

He did not just think that. Maybe he
was
too preoccupied with her.

Emilio was at the door when Adam asked, “Before you go, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Before Becca got sick, did I seem happy?”

Emilio frowned. “I'm not sure what you mean.”

“Did you think we had a good marriage?”

He considered that, as though choosing his words carefully. “I recall thinking that if you were happy, you would have spent less time at work, and more with your wife.”

“You work as much as I do.”

“But I don't have a wife at home.”

Another good point.

“Out of curiosity, why do you ask?”

“Celia said something this morning…” He shrugged. “You know what, never mind. Have fun tonight.”

Emilio looked like he wanted to say more, but he knew Adam well enough not to push.

When he was gone, Adam glanced at the phone. Talking about Katy made him want to pick it up and call. She'd text messaged him earlier to say that she had gotten back home safely, so he really had no reason to call her. Maybe all he wanted was to hear her voice.

Which was exactly why he didn't do it.

 

Adam managed to hold out a week before he stumbled across a legitimate excuse to call Katy. He was reading an article on the internet about prenatal DNA testing, and a safer, less invasive method was mentioned.

He called her cell but it went straight to voice, so he tried the ranch phone instead. Katy's mom answered.

“Well, hello, Adam. What a pleasant surprise. How have you been?”

“Good. Busy.”

“You know, we didn't get a chance to congratulate you. We were so pleased to hear that it worked the second time. I did some reading on the subject online and it sounds as though you and Katy were quite lucky.”

Not as much as she might think.

“Is she there?” he asked.

“She's out running errands for her father, but she has her cell with her. Do you have the number?”

“I tried her cell but it went right to voice mail.” He hoped the errands didn't involve any heavy lifting. She had to be careful not to overexert herself.

“There are a lot of holes in the service out here. She was probably driving through a dead zone.”

What was the point of even having a cell phone if there was no reception? What if she got into an accident, or broke down? He would have to look into getting her a satellite phone.

“Don't forget, we still owe you that supper,” she told him. “We'd just love it if you came up to see us. It's only right we celebrate together. We could make a day of it.”

“I'd like that,” he said, surprised by the realization that he actually meant it.

“You're welcome anytime. You know we don't stand on formality here. You just jump in your car and head up whenever the mood strikes.”

“I'll do that.”

“You're family, Adam. Don't ever forget that.”

He had a sudden and unexpected lump in his throat. Her parents had every reason to think the worst of him, yet they still considered him one of them.

It was sad that Becca never understood what an extraordinary family she had, and he regretted not insisting she make more of an effort to keep in touch.

He regretted a lot of things about their marriage, and only recently had he begun to realize that.

“When Katy gets in could you tell her I called?”

“Will do, Adam. You take care.”

He hung up and tried her cell again, this time leaving a message. “Hey, Katy, it's me. I found some interesting
information about DNA testing that I want to discuss with you. Call me when you get this.”

He answered a few emails while he waited for her to call him back. But after an hour passed, he began to wonder if she'd gotten his message. He dialed her cell, once again getting her voice mail.

“Me again,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure you got my last message. Call me.”

She was probably on the road, he figured, and wouldn't check her messages until she got home. Which was fine, since she shouldn't be driving and talking on her phone at the same time anyway. No point in taking chances.

He immersed himself in work, and before he knew it, it was nearly five o'clock. Katy hadn't called yet, but he was sure she had to be home by now. He tried her cell, but again it went straight to voice.

He dialed the ranch, and her mother answered again. “She's here, Adam, but she's out in the north pasture with her father. As soon as she gets inside I'll tell her you called. It shouldn't be more than an hour.”

He waited one and a half, then he got caught up in an over seas call that ate another hour. When he was finished Bren buzzed him.

“Ms. Huntley called.”

“Why didn't you tell me?” he snapped, and realized he'd just bit her head off unjustly. She had strict instructions that unless it was a dire emergency she was not to interrupt overseas calls.

“Sorry,” he said. “Long day.”

He picked up the phone and called Katy back again.

“You mean she didn't call you?” her mother said, sounding surprised. “I gave her your message.”

“No, she did. But I was on an overseas call. Is she there now?”

“No. She left about ten minutes ago. She went to see a movie with her friend Willy.”

Willy? “Willy Jenkins?”

“That's right.”

He felt his hackles rise. She was with Willy “Friends-with-Benefits” Jenkins? The idea of what they might do after the film made his blood pressure skyrocket.

“I'll probably be asleep when she gets in, but I'll leave a message that you called.”

Meaning she was expecting Katy to be late. “I'd appreciate that,” he told her, jaw tense. He hung up and shoved himself back from his desk. As long as she was pregnant with
his
child she had no business sleeping with
anyone.
Who knows what kind of diseases or viruses this Willy person could have contracted? The way she made it sound, he wasn't one to turn down a casual roll in the hay. He could have slept with dozens of women.

He distinctly recalled that when she offered to do this for him, she agreed to practice abstinence.

The only exception to that particular rule was if the man she was sleeping with was
him.

 

After playing phone tag for the better part of the next day, Katie finally got a hold of Adam around seven. Her parents were outside so she curled up on the couch with the cordless phone.

Though she had tried hard to keep him off her mind, she'd missed him. Missed hearing his voice.

“Hi, it's me,” she said when he answered.