Authors: Rachel Brimble,Geri Krotow,Callie Endicott
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Series, #Harlequin Superromance
She nodded and gave a small smile. “It’s okay. Open it.”
With his gaze locked on hers and his hand ever so slightly trembling, Scott pulled the sheet of paper from inside the envelope. Taking a slow, steady breath, he dragged his gaze from Carrie’s and scanned the words. His breath left his lungs with an audible whoosh. He laughed. “Bloody hell.”
99.99% positive.
He stared. And he stared...then he stared some more.
99.99% positive.
“Scott?” Carrie’s voice filtered through his stunned state.
He faced her, his heart thumping and his mind racing.
I’m a father. I have a little girl. I’m a father
. “I’m her daddy.”
Tears blurred her face and Scott quickly blinked before he completely embarrassed himself in front of one of his two oldest friends...but there was nothing he could do about his grin. “I’m her daddy.”
Carrie laughed, tears glistening in her eyes. “Didn’t I tell you that all along?”
He pushed to his feet and whirled away to pace the breadth of the office. Who would’ve thought the news he was a father would bring such a feeling of complete pride and love rocketing into his heart? He and Carrie had a child. During that one amazing week they’d created life. Why was he surprised? The intimacy and passion they shared surely couldn’t have resulted in anything else.
He strode back to Carrie, tugged her from her seat and into his arms. Her bag fell to the floor as he whirled her around.
“Scott!” She laughed.
He shook his head and put her down. “I’m her daddy.”
She laughed. “Yes, you are.”
With his entire body shaking, Scott leaned down and picked up her bag. “Do you have that picture? The picture of Belle?”
Grinning, she opened her bag and fumbled inside. She brought out her wallet and opened it to reveal a photo of his baby. Scott slowly took it, his heart damn near bursting from his chest. “My God, look at her.”
Tears burned and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t blink them back. “She’s beautiful, Carrie.” He swiped his fingers under his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve seen such a beautiful girl in my life.”
She laughed and stole her arm into the crook of his elbow, her head coming down on his bicep. “Except me, of course.”
He pressed a kiss to her head. “Sorry, I think you’ve been upstaged.”
She laughed again. “That’s okay.”
He stepped back and reluctantly handed her back the purse. “Here. You’d better take it before I stand here staring at her all day.”
She took the wallet and extracted the photo. “Here.” Her eyes shone with unshed tears as she held it out to him. “It’s yours. I have another million and one pictures of her at home. I’ll share a few more as soon as I can. Promise.”
He took the photo and stared at it again. “My girl. My Belle.”
Kevin’s not-so-subtle cough echoed around the room. Swiping his hand over his face, Scott turned.
His friend raised his eyebrows, a wide grin on his face. “I take it you’re pleased?”
Scott laughed and shoved his hand into his hair, holding it there to keep the top of his head from blowing off. “Yes. I’m bloody ecstatic.”
“Good.” Kevin laughed. “I’m glad to hear it.”
Scott’s grin faltered as silent communication passed between them that this was far from over. This was just the beginning. Kevin’s sensibility permeated Scott’s euphoria, bringing him slowly back to earth. This moment was a bigger relief for Scott than Kevin or Carrie could possibly understand. If Carrie had lied to him, made him think about the insecurity of his family and their future, for nothing, God only knows what would have been left of his wafer-thin trust in human nature.
He glanced at Belle’s photo once again before sliding it carefully into the inside pocket of his jacket, shoving the negativity firmly away. It was wasted energy even going there. Carrie wasn’t lying and she was there, with him, in this life-changing moment. He refused to waste another second of it. He had to make love to her again. He pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek and whispered in her ear. “Let’s get out of here.”
She looked into his eyes, and comprehension lit her gaze. She snatched her gaze to Kevin, her cheeks flushed. “Umm...thank you. For everything.”
Biting back his smile, Scott held out his hand. “I owe you a drink.”
Kevin laughed. “A drink? I think you owe me a whole lot more than that. Get out of here. You both have some talking to do.”
Scott winked and led Carrie out of Kevin’s office, along the corridor and out of the building. Snow fell like confetti, coloring the asphalt white and reminding Scott it was Christmastime. He didn’t stop until they reached his car and he pulled her into his arms once more. He kissed her deeply, possessively. He pulled back. “Merry Christmas, Carrie.”
She laughed. “What?”
He grinned. “I’m a dad and you’re in my arms. It’s Christmas Day, surely?”
The blush that darkened her cheeks made her prettier than ever. Desperately wanting to be alone with her, Scott touched her face and slid his hands to her waist. He pulled her closer, relishing the feel of her hands travelling from his shoulders to the nape of his neck.
He needed to make love to her, hold her and feel her skin on his lips and against his body. He wanted to thank her, cherish her. He kissed her again, pouring his need into the kiss so there could be no doubt in her mind of his intention.
“Scott...” She pulled away from him, her breath short and her eyes shining. “I can’t breathe.”
He laughed. “I need to get you back to the hotel.”
She stepped back and held a hand to his chest. “Wait. No more sex. We have to talk.”
He groaned. “Seriously? I want you, Carrie. You’ve just made me the happiest man alive.”
She grinned. “And I’m glad to hear it but still, no more sex.”
Cursing, he dropped his forehead to hers, his hardened cock aching with frustration. Slowly, his rationale returned and his libido eased to a simmer rather than a raging inferno. With his brain clearer, inspiration struck and he lifted his head to meet her eyes. “Fine. Have it your way, but we need to get you back to your hotel room anyway.”
She arched her eyebrow. “No sex, but you want to take me back to the hotel?”
He ran a hand over her crown and down the thick plait of her hair to play with the tip hovering at her breast. She trembled—and his penis twitched. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, no matter her insistence they talk.
He smiled. “I want you to go back to the hotel and get ready for a date. A real date.”
She grinned. “We’re going on a date?”
“A date. Just you and me.”
“In Templeton?” She shook her head, her gaze teasing. “Never going to happen.”
He laughed. “How about we at least try?”
She lifted her shoulders. “I can do that...I think.”
“Good. I’m going to take you to one of the nicest, fanciest restaurants in Templeton.”
“You are, huh? Then I’d better get myself a dress.”
He released her hands and pulled his wallet from the inside of his jacket. He pulled out some money and held it out to her, grinning. “Here. It’s on me.”
Her smile dissolved. “Oh, no, Scott. I didn’t mean for you to—”
He leaned close to her ear. “If I pay for it, it doesn’t matter if it splits when I rip it off, does it?”
Her groan and kiss was all the answer he needed.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
C
ARRIE
STARED
INTO
the full-length mirror hanging from the hotel’s wardrobe door and smoothed her hands down the sides of her new dress. Her stomach knotted with nerves and her hands shook. As soon as Scott said the word
date,
panic had set in. Aside of the implication that a date meant he was taking her—and them—seriously, what made her nervous was the fact that she’d brought nothing suitable to wear. She’d rushed from the hotel into town and managed to find a simple black dress with a dusting of sparkle around the neckline. Teamed with four-inch black stilettos and stockings, she’d have to do.
Pressing her hand to her stomach, she whirled away from the mirror and went into the bathroom to give her hair a final check. She wanted so much to trust Scott with her heart, but she’d be foolish to dismiss the depth of his somewhat excessive commitment to his family.
She straightened her spine. Rightly or wrongly, she’d agreed to this date and whatever the outcome, by the end of tonight, she had a decision to make. Either she and Scott gave their relationship everything they had, or they went their separate ways and Carrie left Templeton with her heart only slightly scathed, and Belle’s entirely intact.
Everything will be fine. We’ve had sex and released the sexual tension gathering like a thunderstorm since I arrived. A date will be easy, mature and productive.
Carrie rolled her eyes at her reflection.
Shame your body isn’t on board with that insightful reasoning.
Leaving the bathroom, she paced the room as nerves leaped and dived in her stomach. When she and Scott made love, she’d taken him, owned him, but all the while prayed one night of sex would bring an end to her desire for him. Yet, every time they kissed, every time her hands explored his brick-hard body, she wanted more.
Carrie shivered as memories crashed into her heart. How was she supposed to keep her feelings for him under control? Her body yearned and her heart faltered. The sex had been as incredibly, mind-numbingly satisfying as the first time...and something more intense had grown between them. Emotions soared and trust bloomed; whispered words and heated sighs filled the air and slipped deep into her heart. She was into Scott Walker right up to her neck and then some.
The ringing of the hotel phone beside the bed shot Carrie’s heart into her throat. She hurried forward and snatched it from its cradle. “Hello?”
“Good evening, Ms Jameson. I have a Mr. Walker waiting in Reception for you.”
“Thank you. I’ll be right down.” Carrie hung up and exhaled a shaky breath. “Here we go.”
She snatched her purse from the dresser and dropped her cell and room key inside before walking to the wardrobe to grab her coat.
The two-minute trip from the room to the lobby did nothing to steady the beat of her heart. When the elevator doors opened, Carrie spotted Scott immediately. He stood alone, dressed in a black suit with a crisp, white, open-collared shirt. His expression and stance oozed masculinity and easy confidence as his gaze wandered the lobby, seemingly oblivious to the glances of the women around him.
Carrie swallowed as her center pulled with impatient desire. Lifting her chin, she strode confidently forward. As if sensing her approach, he turned and their eyes locked. He pulled back his shoulders, straightening to his full six-feet two-inch height and came toward her.
When he stood in front of her, his blue eyes darkened as his gaze languidly traveled over her body. He let out a low whistle. “I am so going to be ripping that dress.”
Carrie arched an eyebrow, even as her stomach executed a girlish loop-the-loop. “We’ll have to see about that.” She inhaled, taking in the clean soapy scent of him. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”
He stepped closer and stole his arm around her waist, pulling her close. Seemingly unconcerned with the people in the lobby, he dipped his head and kissed her deeply, making her heart stumble and her need for him intensify. Fear of getting hurt thundered inside her but still Carrie lifted her hand to grip his biceps and returned his kiss with equal fervor.
His tongue teased hers, his lips firm yet soft. She breathed in the masculine, musky scent of his aftershave, satisfaction warming her breast when he growled softly into her mouth.
Releasing her, he winked. “Let’s go.”
Enjoying the feel of his hand around hers, Carrie smiled as they walked to the revolving doors at the front of the hotel. Outside, late December made its presence known as a bitter wind whipped thick snowflakes through the air. She shivered and Scott immediately took her coat and moved behind her. He held it open. “Here. I think we’ll be having a white Christmas this year.”
She smiled with her back to him. “Belle would love that. It will be the first time she’s seen snow.” She slipped her hands into the arms of the coat and he lifted it over her shoulders. “Thanks.”
He gripped her upper arms and pulled her back against the broad expanse of his chest. Carrie closed her eyes. His warm breath whispered across her ear and cheek. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Her heart turned over and she turned, lifting her chin to stare into his beautiful blue eyes. “So am I.” The truth of her words hit her, and Carrie smiled. She wanted to be in Templeton. For her. For Scott. For Belle.
Being there with him felt right and the pressure to do the moral thing and remain faithful to Gerard finally lifted. It was time she moved on a little and got excited about the prospect of a new beginning—albeit one she hadn’t anticipated.
Scott stepped to the side and pulled her closer, his arm about her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s get to the restaurant before we freeze to the pavement.”
He led her a little way along the street to where he’d left his car. They joined the holiday traffic and Carrie sent up a silent prayer that whatever Scott told her about his family tonight wouldn’t put an end to what was developing between them. Whether or not that happened, his reaction to the DNA proof he was Belle’s father meant he wanted his child. Scott Walker didn’t walk away from his responsibilities. He’d told her that from the beginning.
* * *
S
COTT
’
S
NERVES
ALTERNATELY
stretched and relaxed as he drove closer to the restaurant. He needed to tell Carrie about his dad’s absence and what it had done to him emotionally. As glad as he was about being Belle’s daddy, the issue of him being up to scratch as a father still lingered. In order to embrace the paternal challenges that lay ahead, he had to find a way to leave the Cove happily if that was what Carrie wanted. He refused to make mistakes as far as Belle was concerned, but his heartfelt fears remained rooted in his soul.
And he had no idea what to think or do to banish them.
Carrie was a mother, first and foremost, and he loved her for it.
He couldn’t mess this up. His father’s abandonment lingered like a long-reaching shadow over his and his sisters’ lives, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t turn on the light. The lack of contact, the missing birthday and Christmas cards and the long nights of listening to his mother cry behind her closed bedroom door had left a bitter stain that needed to go. His resentment had done no good, and by holding on to it, he risked hurting Belle with its passion.
The timing of him becoming a father hadn’t been expected, but Carrie was everything he wanted. She’d given him a child and the love he felt for the little girl he’d yet to meet continued to grow. The thought he could ruin the chance to be part of Carrie and Belle’s lives was a ball of lead in his gut.
He pulled into The Oceanside parking lot, hoping he’d made the right choice of where to take Carrie tonight. Never before had the dilemma of choosing a restaurant for a date given Scott more grief. Situated on Cowden Beach, The Oceanside was classy and sophisticated and would create the romantic atmosphere he wanted.
There was also little chance of bumping into his sisters, mother, Nick or any other person in Templeton he wanted to avoid. As far as he knew, none of his favorite people were dating right now, and he couldn’t imagine any reason they’d turn up there.
He cut the engine and turned to look at Carrie. “Here we are.”
She grinned as she peered through the windshield. “It looks lovely.”
He smiled. “Come on. Let’s get inside.”
Scott got out of the car and straightened his jacket as Carrie came to stand beside him. Pride swelled his ego when she pushed her hand into the crook of his elbow. “This place is beautiful. My friends and I walked past it a few times on the infamous hen weekend, but we never ventured inside.”
He brushed some snow from her hair and pressed a brief kiss to her lips. “Then I’m glad I get to be the first person to take you here.”
She moved her hand into his and Scott led her through the parking lot. With the snowfall growing heavier, he grasped her hand tightly as they descended a set of stone steps onto a planked walkway. The walkway led across the sand to a wooden staircase and the restaurant situated on stilts high above them. The Oceanside held some of the best sea views in the whole of Templeton during the summer months, but in late December, it was the warm ambience inside that mattered.
He glanced down at her shoes and tightened his grip on her hand. “Don’t let go of my hand. If you fall—”
She laughed. “I won’t. I’ve told you I live in heels. A bit of snow and wood won’t get the better of me. I promise.”
True to her word, they reached the restaurant door without incident and Scott pushed it open. He gestured her inside ahead of him and her soft gasp was all the validation he needed to know he’d made the right choice bringing her there. Romance, candlelight and soft music weren’t always at the forefront of his mind when he dated...until Carrie. Now, from the shimmering chandeliers to the suited waiters and rich ruby tablecloths, it all mattered because she liked it.
He wanted to romance her, show her he respected and wanted her...show her he could love her as well as make love to her.
“Ah, good evening, sir, madam.” The maître d’ approached the podium where Scott and Carrie stood waiting to be seated. “Do you have a reservation?”
Scott nodded. “Yes, table for two at seven-thirty. Scott Walker.”
The maître d’ consulted his clipboard and whipped a line across the page with a flourish. “Excellent. If you’d like to follow me.” He took some menus from beneath the podium and led them through the restaurant.
The desire to have time alone with Carrie and her earlier suggestion it would never happen in Templeton pushed into Scott’s mind as they walked through the dining room. He darted his gaze back and forth, breathing easier as each face was one that offered no risk to this intimate time with her.
Carrie could easily judge him because of his relationships or reject him for his inability to make things work with Amanda. What else did she really know of him? Scott clenched his jaw. Nothing...and she’d also soon know about the bitter, hardened anger he held toward his father.
He lifted his chin. People changed and he would do what had to be done to make her see he was a good man. A man who loved his family.
They reached their designated table and the maître d’ pulled out Carrie’s chair. Scott forced a smile as his fears continued to ricochet through his conscience. He reluctantly released her hand and they took their seats opposite each other.
After ordering wine, their appetizers and mains, they were left alone. Carrie’s eyes focused on his and she placed her elbows on the table, lacing her fingers. She smiled. “Thank you.”
“For what?” He frowned, trying and failing not to fall a little deeper in love with her as her brown eyes shone with happiness and the gleam of the chandeliers above them edged her blond hair silver.
“This. Tonight.” Her gaze focused on his mouth and she smiled almost shyly. “For last night. For everything.”
Scott picked up a glass of water from the table and drank, his gaze holding hers over the rim. “You’re welcome, but I’m not sure I deserve your gratitude. I wasn’t the nicest guy in the Cove when you first got here.”
She lifted her shoulders. “Well, the way you were when I first arrived turned out to be good for me. If you had been all sweetness and light, one, I wouldn’t have any idea of what you really felt about Belle being yours or anything else that happened between us, and two...I wouldn’t have wanted to relive the week she was conceived. You were a bad boy then...and I supposed I wanted that again. At least for one night, anyway.” She winked.
The hungry flirtation in her gaze gripped his penis and stroked it wide awake. Scott cleared his throat, glancing around the restaurant. “We keep to family stuff only tonight, remember? Your rules.”
She grinned. “Dammit.”
A waiter appeared with their wine and Scott waited until their glasses were filled and the waiter walked away before he spoke again. “So, where do I start?”
Her smile dissolved as she took a drink and then played with the stem, her jerky movement belying her nervousness. “Wherever you like.”
He closed his eyes and pushed his thumb and forefinger into his forehead, willing the right words to come so he explained everything clearly and Carrie would understand. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “My father had numerous affairs throughout the entirety of my mum and dad’s marriage. Right up until the day he left he had a mistress. He had debt. He had dealings with Templeton’s crime boss. There was no good in him, but...”
He met her eyes, the beat of his heart strong with adrenaline. “We all loved him as though he was the best dad in the world.” He huffed out a laugh. “What do kids know, huh? Mum said to me recently that kids see their parents, especially their dads, as perfect. Someone who can make no mistake. Maybe that’s true, but kids grow up. My dad leaving made me grow up a whole lot faster than I wanted to.”
“How old were you? Eighteen? Nineteen?”
“Just turned nineteen. I was happy running around with Kevin and Nick. We were there for each other and thought, between the three of us, we had every woman in England covered, let alone Templeton.” He smiled, wryly. “What the hell did we know?”