The CEO's Unexpected Child(9)

"Did you help with caring for your siblings?"

He nodded. "Have I surprised you with my ability to handle an infant without completely melting down?"

Claire twisted her lips into a guilty smile. "Yes. I'm ashamed to admit it."

"In addition to my siblings, I have a dozen nieces and nephews that I  see from time to time. I have cared for my fair share of children of all  ages. Eva is in good hands, I assure you."

"Why didn't you say that at your lawyer's office?" That would've  significantly reduced her stress level over this decision. She still  didn't want him taking Eva without her permission, but knowing she  wasn't the first baby he'd held made a difference.

Luca shrugged. "You made incorrect assumptions about me and I let you.  Now that we're here-as you mentioned a moment ago-we can get to know  each other as we are, not as others perceive us to be. You'll find most  of your concerns are unfounded." He slid four perfectly golden pancakes  onto a plate and added a few crispy pieces of bacon on the side. He  placed the plate in front of Claire.

"That's a ton of food!" she exclaimed as she eyed the plate-sized pancakes.

"Well, that's the only problem I have in the kitchen. I don't know how  to cook for two people. I cook for an army or not at all."

Claire couldn't even imagine having that much family. She had almost  none. Jeff's family had been her own for many years and now... Eva was  really all she had. She scooped the baby off her knee and put her into  her high chair so she could eat. After she snapped on the tray, Luca put  a handful of Cheerios out for her to pick up and nibble on while they  had breakfast.

"What about you?" Luca asked as he made his own plate. "What is your family like?"

Claire frowned into her coffee mug. "Nothing like yours," she said.  "I'm an only child. My parents were only children, as well. I didn't  really grow up around our extended family. My father traveled with his  job, so it was really just the three of us my whole life."

"And now?"

It seemed like a simple question, and yet it wasn't. Claire had family,  and yet she didn't. It was a strange limbo to be in. "And now, it's  really just Eva and me. My father had a heart attack and died when I was  in college. My mother remarried, and since I was grown and gone, her  life became more about her new husband. I don't see or talk to her very  often because she lives in San Francisco now. I married Jeff not long  after she moved, so I didn't notice the absence. His family was really  good about including me for gatherings and holidays even before we got  married. They were my family for many years, but now I've lost all  that."                       
       
           



       

Luca settled beside her at the counter with his plate and coffee. "You mean they haven't included you since your husband died?"

Claire shrugged. "It's not that simple. His death was hard on us all.  And the circumstances made it that much more awkward for everyone. I  don't think they know what to say to me."

Luca looked at her with concern in his dark eyes. "May I ask what those circumstances were?"

She took a moment to butter her pancakes and pour maple syrup over the  top. Claire had told this story enough times now that it shouldn't  bother her anymore, but it did. The truth never got easier to take. "My  husband died in a car accident with his mistress. He told me he had to  go out of town on a business trip, but he was really with her. I would  never have even known the truth, but they went off the road and hit a  tree, killing them both. The police seemed to think she  was...distracting him, somehow. I didn't have the heart to ask them why  they thought that.

"I was five months pregnant at the time, after years of trying to have a  baby," she continued. "It's hard to lose someone you love and yet be  angry at him at the same time. There's so many emotions tied up in  Jeff's death for me and for everyone else. I just don't think his family  knew how to face me after that. Whenever they came to see Eva, his  death hung over our heads like a dark cloud. And now they don't have to  face it anymore. I haven't heard from his parents since I told them  about the clinic mix-up. Apparently both Eva and I are disposable since  we're no longer their blood relatives."

Spitting out the last of it, Claire shoveled a large bite of pancake  into her mouth. There was something about admitting her pathetic story  to Luca that made it worse than telling anyone else. She didn't want him  to see her for the lonely, pitiful woman she felt like when she told  her sad, sordid tale.

"That means it's just you and Eva now."

It was a statement, not a question, but Claire nodded as she chewed  nonetheless. It was true. Eva was everything she had, which was why  she'd fought so fiercely not to lose her daughter to a mysterious  father. "Someday, I hope to have another chance at marriage and maybe  another child if it's at all possible. But if that never happens, I'm  thankful that I have Daisy, Eva's nanny. She's like family to me."

Luca's brow went up. "A nanny? After all the grief you gave me about handing Eva off to someone, you have a nanny?"

"It's not the same," Claire argued. "I didn't want Eva handed off and  ignored. Daisy just watches Eva while I'm at the museum. When I get  home, Daisy leaves and it's just the two of us. She gets one-on-one  attention and care, and I thought that was better than putting her in  day care while she's still so small. I plan to send her to a good  preschool when she's older. I've already submitted a few applications."

"Where did you find this Daisy?" he asked. "Did you do the proper  checks into her background to ensure she's trustworthy before you  brought her into your home? Did you get several references from other  clients?"

Claire sighed. "Yes. I did all that. She came highly recommended, and I  haven't had a bit of trouble with her. She's been a godsend over the  past few months."

Luca chuckled low and popped a bit of bacon into his mouth. "I know you  did all that and more, I'm sure. I was just giving you a hard time,  tesorina. It is only fair, don't you agree?"

She had given him a lot of grief, she knew that. Claire looked over at  Eva as she studiously tried to capture a piece of cereal between her  chubby fingers. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep her happy and safe,  Luca. Do you blame me?" she asked.

Luca's gaze drifted from the baby back to Claire. There was a fierce  fire of protectiveness there as he shook his head. "I do not."

In that moment, it was easy for Claire to believe that Luca would do  anything for his young daughter, even after just a few short hours  together. He seemed so deeply affected by his child it made her wonder  why he hadn't married and started a family of his own by now. He was  obviously comfortable with children and took to Eva immediately. Had  running the family business really taken up that much of his time that  he hadn't found someone to settle down with?                       
       
           



       

Or was there something he wasn't telling her?

* * *

"What's this?"

Luca looked up from making dinner in time to see Claire standing at the  entrance to the kitchen. She was holding up the draft custody agreement  his lawyer had given him. He'd left it on the coffee table so they  could discuss it. "That's a love note from Edmund. It's the custody  proposal we sent to Stuart a few weeks ago. I wasn't entirely sure if  you'd read it, so he wanted to make sure we had something to redline  while we're here."

A guilty expression wrinkled Claire's nose as she winced. "I didn't read it," she admitted.

Luca wasn't surprised. The woman who sat across from him at his  lawyer's office hadn't been interested in his offer. Judging by the  expression on her face, not much had changed. He poured dressing onto  the bowl of salad for dinner and started gently tossing it. "Would you  like to discuss it now?"

Claire eyed the folder and then set it on the kitchen island. "No, not really."

"May I ask why?"

With a sigh, she leaned against the counter. "Because I'm in a good  mood. I'm enjoying this trip and I'm not ready to ruin it with our  heated arguments. Besides, at this point, my position hasn't changed.  You're still a stranger. A stranger who's good with kids, but not one  I'm ready to hand over my daughter to."

"Our daughter," Luca corrected. She always said "my daughter." Claire  seemed to have some kind of mental block where their daughter's  paternity was concerned.

Claire ignored him. "My point is that I'm not ready yet, so there's no  point in talking about it. I will read it," she added. "So when the time  comes, I'll be well informed on your demands."