heart raced. Confused, she didn’t know what to say. “I… uh…” She groped for something to say. “Mallory asked me to ask you about Alex.”
“Alex Megalos?” he said with a frown, walking back toward her.
“Yes. I think she’d like to get to know him better. She was wondering where he usually hangs out after work,” she said, suddenly feeling like a middle schooler.
He shook his head. “I have no idea.”
She gave a slow nod. “Okay” she said. “I’ll tell her.”
He shrugged. “I can probably find out something from my assistant.”
“Thanks.” She hesitated a half beat, hating the awkwardness between them. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just tired and harassed. I’ve been on longer trips, but this one felt like it went on forever.”
She nodded again. “Yeah, it did—” She broke off before she added for me, too. Feeling her cheeks heat from his knowing gaze, she cleared her throat. “Why do you think it felt so long?”
“I think you know,” he said and moved closer to her.
“You want me to sign the agreement about the baby,” she said in a husky voice.
“That’s part of it.” He lowered his head. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes then stepped back. God help him, if he started kissing her, he wouldn’t stop. Being away from her hadn’t cleared his perspective or dampened his desire for her. And Max knew there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about wanting her at the moment. He’d missed the sound of her laughter and knowing she would be there at home for the end of the day.
Maybe it was a good thing he had to attend the charity fund-raiser tonight after all. Being with Lilli was a constant reminder of what he couldn’t have.
“I should go,” he said in a low voice. “We can talk more on Friday. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”
“Okay, thank you for the gift.”
“You’re welcome,” he said and held her gaze for a long moment before he left.
The following evening, Lilli flipped through the newspaper as she put up her feet at the end of a long day. She glanced at the bad news on the front page, skipped the Sports section and stopped at the Lifestyle section. The front page featured photos of a charity function sponsored by Max’s company. In one of the photos, Kiki stood next to Max, her arm looped through his. He didn’t look as if he were suffering at all.
A surge of something dark twisted through her and when she realized what it was, she felt more stupid than ever. She was jealous. Maybe it was hormones. Oh Lord, she hoped so. Because if it were hormones then at some point, when her hormones straightened out again, the crazy longing would go away.
Restless after reading the article, she took a long bath and listened to soothing music. She sipped herbal tea to calm herself and tried not to think about that photo of Max with Kiki.
She slept horribly, unable to get comfortable. Giving up on sleep, she rose earlier than usual. When she got out of bed, she felt exhausted and noticed her abdomen tightening. As she prepared for work, the sensation didn’t go away. Were these contractions?
Although she had a few weeks left before her due date she called her doctor’s office. The doctor on call asked a few questions then, erring on the cautious side, instructed her to go to the hospital.
Lilli grabbed her purse and went downstairs. Max stood poised to leave. He met her gaze. “Good morning. How are you?”
Lilli burst into tears.
Alarmed by her response, Max dropped his briefcase and immediately took her in her arms. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
She choked back a sob. “I may be in labor. My doctor told me to go to the hospital. Max, this is happening too fast.” Her blue eyes filled with tears of desperation. “I’m not ready.”
“Of course you are,” he said firmly even though his own gut was clenching in apprehension. “I’ll drive you to the hospital and—”
“Are you sure that’s what you want—?”
“Of course I’m sure,” he said, appalled that she would expect anything less of him. “We’ll take the town car.” He ushered her to the garage. “I’ll drive. You can sit in the backseat and stretch out.”
His own heart hammering in his chest, Max helped her into the car and sped to the hospital. He shot a glance at Lilli in the rearview mirror and the expression of fear on her face tore at him. “You’re going to be okay. The baby is going to be okay.”
“Do you really believe that?”
He nodded. “Yes, I do.” He had to believe it.
Pulling the car to a stop outside the emergency room door, he helped Lilli inside. An admission clerk took her information and Lilli was whisked away. Just before she disappeared behind the double doors, she looked back at Max. “Are you leaving?”
He shook his head. “I’ll be right back after I park the car.” Returning to the hospital, he was consumed with concern for Lilli and the baby. He would get the finest doctors in Las Vegas to care for her. He would do whatever it took to keep Lilli and the baby safe and healthy.
He strode toward the emergency room double doors, making a mental list. A woman stepped in front of him. “Excuse me, sir. You’re not allowed inside unless you’re a member of a patient’s family.”
Frustration ripped through him. He needed to take care of Lilli, but it wasn’t his official duty or his official right. At that moment, he made a life-altering decision. He knew there would be no going back. But never again would he worry about being barred from taking care of Lilli or the baby. He would make her his wife. That way, taking care of her and the baby would always be his right. “I’m the baby’s father,” he told the woman, and she allowed him to pass.
Two and a half hours later, a mortified Lilli left the hospital with Max. “I’m so sorry,” she said, shooting a wincing glance at him. His hair was ruffled from plowing his fingers through it and his tie hung loose from his collar. He was more gorgeous than ever and she felt like a lunatic. “I should have realized it was false labor.”
“Like the doctor said, it’s an easy mistake to make. This is your first pregnancy.”
“Maybe,” she said. “But now you’ve lost half a day of work because of my mistake.”
“A half day of work is nothing to make sure you and the baby are safe,” he said, his words barely softening the harsh sound of his voice as he drove them home. “Stop apologizing.”
She bit her lip and looked out the window then back at him. “Are you sure you’re not angry?”
“I’m not angry, but I am concerned. This underscores the need for you to provide for the baby if something, God forbid, should happen to you,” he said and swore under his breath.
“I know,” she said glumly. She knew she couldn’t dodge it any longer. “I’m going to change my will today so that you’ll be the baby’s guardian.”
He narrowed his eyes at her words. “That’s a good start, but we may need to take that further.”
Her chest tightened. He was talking about the agreement he wanted her to sign. Even though she understood the money in the agreement was designated for support, she still found it distasteful. “I don’t want your money and I don’t want to sign the agreement. It just feels totally wrong to me.”
“I’m not talking about that agreement,” he said, pulling the car into a bank parking lot and cutting the engine.
Lilli looked at him in surprise. “Then what?”
“I’ve been thinking. How do you feel