The CEO's Unexpected Child(7)

They would come to a co-parenting arrangement that suited them both,  but that was it. That's all there could be. Claire would shelve any  attraction she had for Luca, and maybe in time she would find a more  suitable man to be in her life. Suitable hadn't done her much good the  last time, but she wasn't about to throw caution to the wind because  Jeff decided to stray. He was just one man with his own issues to cope  with.

Claire took a deep breath to center herself and looked up to notice  Luca was watching her as he held Eva. His gaze flicked over her  casually, and yet she could feel the knot inside her belly tighten. She  wasn't misinterpreting this. Luca made it plainly clear that he was  attracted to her, as well. It might just be a negotiation strategy to  soften her up, but when he looked at her that way, it almost made her  feel like resistance was futile.

Luca was a man who got what he wanted. What would she do if he decided he wanted her?

* * *

Two days later, Luca rang the doorbell of Claire's brownstone and waited for her to answer.

"One second!" he heard her shout from the depths of the house. A  pounding of footsteps got louder as it came across the hardwood floors  to the door.

"You can take these bags and the playpen," she started as she whipped  open the door, then stopped cold. "Luca?" She flushed that becoming rose  color and covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry. I thought you  were sending a driver."

Luca shook his head. He occasionally used one around town to simplify  the issues of parking and traffic in Manhattan, but he wanted some  privacy and control over how today went. They'd need a car at the beach,  and he certainly didn't want a chauffeur loitering around and  interfering on their time together. He was fully capable of driving them  and actually looked forward to it. He didn't get out of the city as  much as he'd like these days.

"I changed my mind." Luca reached down and picked up the bags she had closest to the door. "I'll go put these in the car."

She nodded at him, still not quite recovered from his unexpected  appearance. "I've got Eva's car seat here. It will take a few minutes to  install it."

"That's not necessary. I have one in the car, ready to go."

Claire frowned at him, but Luca simply turned away and headed down the  steps with her bags. He knew he shouldn't enjoy surprising Claire, but  he did. She made far too many presumptions about him, and he liked  shattering them one by one. As he loaded the bags into the back of his  Range Rover, he noticed Claire approaching the car with Eva in her arms.  Without saying a word, she opened the back door to investigate the car  seat.                       
       
           



       

She wouldn't find any flaws with it. It was a top of the line model for  Eva's age and weight. She was facing the proper direction with all the  correct support. It was installed per the manufacturer's specifications.  He even added a little mobile that hung overhead from the handle to  occupy her while they drove.

Luca didn't say any of that, though. He simply loaded the bags,  returning to the house to pick up a few more before waiting on the  sidewalk for her judgment. "Will it suit?" he asked at last.

Claire turned to look at him with a sort of befuddled expression on her face. "Yes, it's perfect."

"Don't look so surprised, Claire. I manage a billion-dollar corporation. I can buy and install a car seat."

Her mouth dropped open in protest. "I didn't- I mean, I don't think that-"

"Are there any more bags that need to go?" he asked, saving her from herself.

"No, that's all of them. I'll put Eva in the car seat, and then I'll lock up."

From there, it wasn't long for them to get on the road. Once they got  out of the city congestion and onto I-95, it was a smooth, albeit  longer, drive. He'd been tempted to book a charter flight out of the  heliport, but he knew better than to spring something like that on  Claire. She said she didn't want to fly with Eva, and that meant she  certainly wouldn't want to take a helicopter.

Claire spent the first part of the trip in the back with Eva. When they  stopped for a break and some food, Eva had just fallen asleep, so  Claire moved to the front. They passed the time chatting about his  restaurants and her exhibits at the museum. By the time they drove off  the ferry onto Martha's Vineyard, Luca was anxious to be there already.

"Finally," he said as he turned into the driveway and stopped to let  both of them get a good view of the house. It was a two-story  gambrel-style home with strong Dutch influences on the design. It had  gray shake siding with white columns and a deck that extended off the  second floor. It was charming for a beach cottage. He pulled up beside  the front walkway and they got out of the car to investigate further.  "Well, what do you think?"

Claire's mouth was agape as she took in the house, then turned to  admire its views of Katama Bay and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. "It's  beautiful. And huge. I can't believe this is just for us. Your friend  doesn't need it for a whole month?"

Luca shook his head and opened the back of the Range Rover to start  unloading. "Gavin works as much as I do. He bought the place so they  could spend some time here in the summer. This is early season for the  Vineyard, so he wouldn't be up here for at least a month anyway."

Claire returned to the car to unlatch Eva's carrier and take her toward  the front of the house. Luca followed with a piece of luggage and the  keys to the front door. He unlocked it, swinging the door open for her  to go inside ahead of him. They stepped into a small den area with a  fireplace and an office. To their left was a staircase. "Gavin says the  main living area and master bedroom are upstairs to take full advantage  of the views."

They climbed the stairs ahead of them until they revealed an open  concept living area. It really was a stunning place. It had arched white  ceilings with wooden beams and windows that gave floor-to-ceiling views  of the bay. The furniture was soft and comfortable with the rustic sort  of country charm that city people gravitated to while on vacation.  While someone in Manhattan wouldn't think of having a pillow with a  rooster on it in their trendy Greenwich Village loft, it was somehow  more acceptable out here.

Claire wandered through the large, bright living room to the kitchen  that was big enough for a large family to pile in and cook a feast. Six  barstools lined the kitchen island, with copper pots hanging overhead.  Beyond it was a dining area with French doors that opened out onto the  deck and showcased the view of the water.

"I'll be right back." Luca headed downstairs and made several trips to  bring all the bags inside before parking the car in the garage. By the  time he came back upstairs, Claire had Eva out of her carrier and  perched on her hip. They were standing on the deck, enjoying the  sunshine and letting the cool spring breeze blow over them.                       
       
           



       

Luca wanted to join them, but he was hesitant to interrupt this moment  between a mother and her child. There was an expression of absolute joy  on Claire's face as she looked down at her baby. Her dark gold hair  whipped around in the wind, the sunlight making her porcelain skin  almost glow. She looked like an angel standing there in her sundress. He  felt a tightness in his chest as he watched her cradle his daughter and  point out birds flying overhead.

Learning of Eva's existence had been a shock, but until a few days ago,  she'd been more of an idea than a reality. Seeing Eva for the first  time had changed everything. When he held her in his arms, he felt  something flip inside of him. A protectiveness was roused in him, almost  instinctual in its ferocity. After only a few moments together, he  would've done anything for his little girl.

It surprised him after suppressing the idea of a family for so long.  There was a part deep inside Luca that had still wanted children, but he  had avoided finding out if it was a possibility for him. Somehow it was  easier to avoid the doctor and not know whether it was off the table  than to get tested and know for certain that he had only two frozen  chances at biological fatherhood.

Make that one chance, now that one of the samples had been used to  create Eva. It was a mistake, malpractice at best, but at the same time  it was hard to be angry about it. He'd been sleepwalking through his  days, working hard to fill the void in his life, then boom-he had a  daughter. Nothing else seemed quite as important as doing whatever he  could to keep Eva happy, safe and in his life.

"How many bedrooms are there?"

Claire's voice roused him from his thoughts. He hoped she hadn't  noticed him staring at her so intently. "Four. The master suite is to  the left off the living room. There are three other bedrooms  downstairs."