Baby Makes Five (A Multiple Birth Book 1) (19 page)

                            “Thank you Mr. Bradford, but I don’t see what else you could do. If Nick feels confident about winning custody of my grandson even after signing over whatever rights he had, then I don’t see how we could beat that. I suspect he has consulted a lawyer or he won’t have been that cocky.”

                            “Miss Kurtis, there is always a way. I’ll have my attorneys look into it,” he promised a second time for the day.             

                            “Why are you doing this?” she asked.

                            He paused at her question. It should have been easy to answer, but to be honest, he couldn’t think of a simple answer.  Zola had gotten to him in the short time she had been working for him. His sharp tongue executive assistant had gotten under his skin, more embedded than he would have liked.  That hug didn’t help matters; he didn’t know why he had reached to comfort her, but he had the urge to do whatever means to make her happy. He may not be able to see her smile but something tells him when she did the room would be lit up.

Why didn’t he just stay at home and work? That would have been much better, but no he had to strong-arm his housekeeper into bringing him here because he had a foolish notion Zola needed all the support she could get. His support, what made him think he was special to her was beyond his comprehension. He was just her meal ticket.

              The thought of her in pain eat him up inside. It was ridiculous.  He sighed he couldn’t tell the woman he lust after her daughter. Even though he couldn’t see her, he knew every move she made. Her scent was everywhere in his office. He even smells her scent in his bedroom even though he knew she had never set foot in his private domain. She had him walking around in constant arousal, one he was trying to hide when that idiot Nick came.

              No, he couldn’t tell this woman her daughter occupied his every thought, and he needed some points to get her into his bed.  “I just don’t like the sound of that man; he’s too cocky. And I think there is more to it than he is saying. I am not sure he wants his son unless he could get something out of it.”

              “Well if we don’t come up with something soon Nick Ballou is going to win, he does have a better chance against us. He has something we don’t.”

              “What’s that?” Liam asked.

              “He is married, and my daughter isn’t, and he has wealthy parents. My daughter may act all tough Mr. Bradford, but that’s just an act. Losing her son, that would kill her. Nick cannot under any circumstance get his dirty hands on my grandson; I don’t care what I have to do. I can’t allow him to use that little boy against my daughter; he is her only weakness.”

“What?” asked the strangled whisper from behind.

              Everyone turned to her and from the guilty look on her mother’s face; Zola knew it was a conversation she wasn’t meant to hear.

              “Sweetheart,” her mother said, trying to back peddle.

              Shaking her head, she looked at her mother then at her boss. “No lies Mum, I need the truth.  Why would you think Nick would want my son?”

              “Because I have rights too Zoë,” came a voice from behind her.

A blast from her past she turned slowly not trusting her ears. “Nick?” she whispered.

“Yeah it’s me,” he said smiling at her.

“W-what are you doing here?” she asked in disbelief.

“As I told your mother, I am here for the Kid. I heard he was sick; I hope he gets better soon I can’t stand being around sniveling brats.”

The way he referred to her child had her straightening her spine. Her hand itched to slap him “You shouldn’t have bothered; this has nothing to do with you. You have no right to my son, not since before he was born.”

“That’s not what my lawyer said.”

“You signed those papers Nick, no one forced you. You couldn’t get away fast enough from us to save your sorry self. Go back to where you came from you are not needed or wanted here.” She had wondered over the years what would happen if they met again. Most of her scenarios always ended with her punching him in that pretty face of his.

“Not a chance sweetheart, you had three years of the kids life now it’s my turn. I was young and naïve when I signed those papers.”

              “You were old enough to know what you were doing. Besides no court would overlook those papers,” she said confidently.

              “Want to bet? I’m married Zola, with a respectable wife and a place of my own to call home. What about you? I can’t say the same. You’re a single mother struggling to make ends meet. I win easily. I always win; you should know that by now Zola.”

              She was shaking she couldn’t help it. What if what he says is true? That means she would lose custody of her son.  “No,” she said in a strangled voice.

              “Yes,” he said smiling viciously. “My wife and I are prepared to give our son a home with all the trimmings. It’s more than you are offering him now. You could give in now and come to term with it, or you could go to court. You don’t want to fight me in court Zola; you don’t have the resources to do so.”

                            He was right she didn’t have the resource to go to court, and knowing him Nick would drag things out as much as he could. “No,” she sobbed. “You are not taking my son away from me.”

              “What are you going to do Zola, fight me?” he sneered.

              “More than that Mr. Ballou, not only are we going to fight you; we plan on winning. Zola and I are engaged to be married,” Liam said from where he was sitting.

She had forgotten he was in the room with all that was going on. She turned and looked at him mouth agape.  She looked at her mother who was equally shocked as her daughter. Surely she hadn’t heard him correctly. The room was spinning, everything and everyone around her was off kilter. Breathe, breathe she command herself.

As far as bombshell went, that was a ten on the Richter scale.  What the hell had he just done? He’d a feeling he was going to pay for his impulsive act later. He couldn’t sit by and let that dick threatened the one thing he knew Zola held dear.

              “Come on over here and sit with me darling, and close your mouth I know you wanted to wait until after Wyn’s surgery, but I couldn’t keep it a secret anymore,” He said playing the doting fiancé as he tried not to think too much about his announcement.  He knew she had to be as shock as he was. He couldn’t have sat here one more minute listening to that bastard taunting her by using her son.

Liam had to do something since Zola seemed to be out of her depths and in obvious shock. The dick seemed to take pleasure in hurting her, pouncing on her weaknesses and he was sure the other man knew her inner fear; after all, he was the father of her son. What she saw in him he couldn’t comprehend.  At least, she didn’t sound as if she was still in love with the bastard. Just the thought made him want to punch the other man.  

              “Come on sweetheart, get a load off those feet of yours,” he coaxed holding his breath until he heard her coming to sit where he had patted beside him.  He relaxed when she sat even if she held herself so stiff he thought her spine would snap in two. He pulled her closer to him massaging her tense shoulders.

              “You can’t be serious,” Nick, sputtered.

              “Like a heart attack,” Liam said enjoying throwing the other man off guard.

***

“You asked her to marry you?” Mark sputtered.

“Yeah, I just said so didn’t I?”  Liam snapped.  He knew how Mark felt he had felt the same since way, the scene at the hospital two days ago.  He hadn’t spoken or seen her since, but he knew her son was coming home today from his house staff gossip. 

“Why?  It’s not like she’s your type.”  Mark said.

“You keep saying that. What’s my type and why isn’t she mines, is it because she’s black? And why can’t I marry any woman I want?” He was defensive more than usual. He knew it was because he had been waiting impatiently the last two days to hear her answer. He didn’t know why it mattered when his proposal if you could call it that was one of impulse.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

“No, not because she is black, you can marry any woman of your choosing they’d line up to marry you.  Let’s be realistic here.  You don’t love her; you think she has too much mouth.  She’s not one of those long legged skinny beauties you always have hanging around.  She’s nothing like Maddy, and I’m not even sure she likes you.  Would you like me to go on?”  He asked sounding only happy to do oblige.

“No! And love has nothing to do with it, people marry for less.  And I am not looking to replace my dead fiancée.  I thought you said she’s cute?”

“Yes that she is, petite too.  You’re into tall leggy and gorgeous, not short, cute and fragile. I admit she seems to downplay her looks or just don’t know she has knockout potential, but all the same, those are the women we lesser men date and marry not you.” 

“You make me out to sound like some pompous ass.  Did I ever say I am only into tall and leggy?”  He asked running his fingers through his short hair.

“No but action speaks louder than words,” his friend laughed. A lesser man wouldn’t dare talked to Liam Bradford like that if he wanted to be in one piece when he left the room. But Mark had known Liam since they went to University and became good friends.

“There isn’t any rule against me marrying her, you of all people keep telling me I needed to move on since the accident. Well, here I am moving on.”

“Yes move on as in taking the next step, not jumping into it head first. Haven’t you ever heard the saying don’t put all your eggs in one basket?”

“As you just pointed out I’m above you lesser men so why start acting like one now? I am going to marry her.  It’s just a matter of time before she comes begging.” Liam snapped gritting his teeth. He had been doing that since he had met the damn girl and if she continued to drive him up the wall, he might as well ask his dentist for dentures while he still had a few good teeth left.

“You’re that sure she will? I thought you two couldn’t stand each other.”

“We can’t, but that’s not relevant.”

Mark laughed, “then why are you so hell-bent on marrying a woman who thinks you’re the big bad wolf?” his friend asked, sounding more intrigued by the minute. Liam knew Mark questions were just to irritate him, and it was working.

“I just want too okay?” he snapped remembering the little boy’s words to his mother.  She thought he was that bad?  No wonder she had turned down his proposal.  Well, he guessed he couldn’t call it a proposal since he didn’t ask her. He would have cut his losses if it was someone else but for some reason, he was more determined than ever to marry the little spitfire. Why was it because no one has ever said no to you before? Well not when it came to woman anyway. Every time the phone rang, he thought it was her calling to say yes.

“What’s in it for you?”  His friend asked interrupting his reverie.

Good question what was he gaining by forcing the issue? He thought about it for a few minutes.  What did he want out of this union?  He had tried to justify his offer by saying it was for her benefit, but was it?  He could have hired the best lawyers in the province, and knew a few judges he could call upon for favours, but instead, he had opted for this path why? When someone comes up with the answer, he hoped they would clue him in.

“Nothing is in it for me, I’m just helping her out of a difficult situation,” he said not sounding convincing to his ears.

“You could give her money to fix whatever problem she has why got involved personally?” Mark persisted.

Liam told him what happened at the hospital and the reason for his proposal.

“I could see why you would want to help, but marriage?  There has to be another way.”  Mark said still obviously not seeing the reason behind the proposal.  Good, because neither did he.

“No, no other way,” he said with finality.

“Okay buddy, but you do realize she said no right?”

“Yes, but she will change her mind,” he said confidently.

“If you say so, but you do realize by marrying her she comes with a son and an invalid mother?”

“Thanks for your concern Mark, but I know what I am doing and the ramifications. I am a big boy; I can handle it.”

His friend laughed. “This isn’t like you, Liam; you are way over your head here.”

“Why because I am blind?” he asked irritated.

“Hell no man, whether you like to admit it or not you are emotionally invested in this girl. There is something about her that makes you come alive, I see it when the two of you are together, and I am sure everyone else does to. I am not saying it’s a bad thing just take things slow. That’s all I am saying, or you will end up getting hurt.”

“That’s ridiculous, you think Azolah is going to hurt me?” he asked amused.

“No Liam, I think you are setting yourself up to get hurt. I don’t think she would hurt you intentionally, but I’m not sure she knows you have romantic feelings for her either.”