The Billionaire's Borrowed Baby & Baby Business: The Billionaire's Borrowed Baby / Baby Business. Katherine Garbera
her distress. He stroked the sleeping infant’s back. “Try not to worry. I’m only keeping you informed. But I don’t want you to obsess about this. Our bottom line is keeping Eddie away from Deedee. Some judges side with a biological parent automatically, but if it comes to a hearing—and it may not—we’ll show proof that Eddie would be a danger to his own child.”
Hattie shivered. “I hope you’re right. Judges can be bought.”
Luc’s grin was feral. “Good thing I have deep pockets.”
Moments later he surprised the heck out of her by falling asleep. As Hattie looked at man and baby, she realized an unpalatable truth. It would be dangerously easy to fall in love with Luc Cavallo again. The few men she had dated seriously in the last decade were shadows when held up against Luc’s vibrant personality.
Hesitantly, she reached out and barely touched his hair. It was soft and thick and springy with the waviness he hated. Usually, he kept his cut conservatively short, but perhaps he’d been too busy for his customary barber visit, because she could see the beginnings of a curl at the back of his ear.
Something hot and urgent twisted in her belly. She wanted to lie down beside him, whisper in his ear, pull him on top of her and feel his powerful body mate with hers. Her hand shook as she pulled it back. She would go to him eventually. It was inevitable. And he would have the satisfaction of knowing that she had made a mistake in leaving him. He would taste her regret and know the scales had been evened.
Luc held all the power. She was helpless to stem the tide of the burgeoning desire she felt. It had only been lying dormant, waiting to be resurrected.
And no matter how much pain she would have to endure when the marriage ended, she would not be able to walk away from the temptation to once again be Luc Cavallo’s lover.
Chapter 7
The morning of May 14 dawned bright and clear. The entire household was up at first light. Ana brought Hattie breakfast in bed, toast and jam and half a grapefruit.
Hattie, who had been awake for some time, sat up, shoving the hair from her eyes. “You didn’t have to do this.”
Ana sat down on the edge of the bed. “A bride deserves special treatment on her wedding day. Sherman and Mr. Leo have taken Deedee outside for a walk in the stroller. All you need to do is relax and let the rest of us pamper you.”
Hattie took a bite of toast and had trouble swallowing. Even the freshly brewed hot tea didn’t help. Fear choked her. Panic hovered just offstage. She wiped her hands on a soft damask napkin and looked at Ana. “Am I doing the right thing?”
A few nights ago, Luc and Hattie had decided the older couple needed to know the truth. Luc had hired round-the-clock security to be in place during the honeymoon, but it wasn’t fair to leave Deedee’s caregivers out of the loop.
Ana smoothed the embroidered bedspread absently. “Did I tell you that Mr. Luc offered Sherman and me an embarrassing amount of money if we wanted to retire?”
It seemed an odd answer to Hattie’s question.
“I knew he gave you the option. But he told me you loved the house and didn’t want to leave.”
“As it was, he almost doubled our salaries. We’re taking our first cruise this fall, nothing too fancy, but it will be a change of pace.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“The thing is, Hattie, I’ve worked my whole life. I wouldn’t know what to do if I had to sit around all day. The previous owners of this grand old property were both in their nineties when they passed. They never had a family, and Sherman and I weren’t able to have children, either. This is a big, wonderful house with all kinds of interesting history. But until you and Deedee moved in, it was missing something.” She paused and smiled softly. “Mr. Luc wants to help you and that precious baby. What could be wrong with that?”
“But it isn’t a real marriage. We’re not a family.”
Ana shrugged. “That may be true at the moment, but things happen for a reason. I’ve seen it too many times in my life not to believe that. Take it a day at a time. You’ll be fine, Hattie dear. Now eat your breakfast and get in the shower. Mr. Luc’s not one for running late.”
* * *
Luc had chartered a private plane, and at ten-thirty sharp, it was wheels up. The short flight from Atlanta to the southeast coast of the state was a source of constant fascination for Deedee. She sat with Ana and Sherman, stuck her nose to the window and was uncustomarily still as she watched the clouds drift by.
Leo and Luc huddled together in the front row talking business and who knows what else. Luc’s friend, who was to do the ceremony, sat with them. Hattie was left to chat with Ana’s niece, Patti. The young woman’s eyes were almost as big as Deedee’s.
She took a Coke from the flight attendant and turned to Hattie with a grin. “I’ve never been on a plane before, and especially not one like this. I could get used to the lifestyle. Did you know the bathroom has real hand towels…not paper?”
Hattie smiled at the girl’s enthusiasm. “I can’t thank you enough for helping out while we’re gone on our honeymoon.”
Patti wrinkled her nose. “Well, I love kids, and when Mr. Cavallo offered to pay my fall tuition in exchange for the week, I wasn’t about to say no. My aunt and uncle and I will take such good care of Deedee. You won’t have to worry about a thing.”
Hattie gulped inwardly. Her debts to Luc were piling up more quickly than she could calculate.
Before Hattie could catch her breath and gird herself for what was to come, the plane landed smoothly on a small strip of tarmac. Three large SUVs sat waiting for the wedding party. Once in the cars, they were all whisked away to a nearby dock where they boarded a sleek black cabin cruiser.
At first, Luc’s island was nothing more than a speck against the horizon, but as the boat cut through the choppy waves, land came into view. Down at the water’s edge, a large wooden pier had been festooned with white ribbons. Uniformed staff secured a metal ramp and soon everyone stood on dry land.
Hattie looked around with wonder. They were too far north in latitude for the island to have a tropical flavor, but it was enchanting in other ways. Ancient trees graced the windswept contours of the land, and birds of every color and size nested in limbs overhead and left dainty footprints in the wet sand.
Luc appeared at her side. “What do you think?”
She smiled up at him. “It’s amazing…so peaceful. I love it, Luc. It’s perfect.”
“We’re trying to get the state to designate it as a wildlife refuge. Leo and I have no plans to develop this place. But one day, when we’re gone, we want it to be protected.” He took her arm. “Let’s go. There’s more to see.”
Hattie’s skin tingled where he touched her. Their hands were linked…perhaps he didn’t notice. But the intimacy, intentional or not, was poignant to Hattie.
Dune buggies took the group up and over a crest to the far side of the island where a weathered but genteel guesthouse stood, built to blend into the landscape.
Luc helped her out of the fiberglass vehicle. “There’s plenty of room inside for everyone to change. Will thirty minutes give you long enough? There’s no real rush.” He paused, and stared down at her, his expression pensive. “This is your day, Hattie. I know the circumstances aren’t ideal, but you’re doing a wonderful thing for Deedee.”
For one brief moment, wistfulness crushed her chest as she wondered what it would have been like to marry Luc when she was twenty-one. Determinedly, she thrust aside regret. This was not the same situation at all. She lifted a hand and cupped his cheek. “Thank you, Luc. I don’t know what I would have done if you had turned me away.”
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