A Baby for the Billionaire(34)

Veronica's eyes dropped to her left hand. "I don't see a ring on your finger."

She clenched a fist. "We're getting to that part."

"Really? Was that before or after the mother of Walker's child came back into the picture?"

Direct hit. Score one for stay-at-home Barbie.

"It doesn't matter. I'm here and that's not going to change."

"No, I'm here. I'm Hunter's mother. I carried him for nine months. I  made a mistake, but it's one I'm trying to correct. I'm not going  anywhere, and I'll bring a judge into this if I have to."

Clara held up her hands. "No one is threatening you. We're all adults  here and we all want the same thing. What's best for Hunter."

"What if what's best for him is me? A child should be raised by both  their parents, don't you think? And Hunter can have that, as long as you  don't deprive him of it."

Clara reared back. "Me?"

"I know this isn't fair. In fact, it's massively unfair. But this is the  reality we've found ourselves in. Walker and I got along very well  before the pregnancy. There's no reason to think we wouldn't be able to  fall into old habits again. Our relationship will only continue to  strengthen, and together we'll watch our son grow up. The only detriment  to that future is you."

"The reality of the situation is you waited too long. You've come back  to a couple who is happy together and will raise your child with you,  not in place of you. We want you to be a part of Hunter's life, but you  have to accept that I'm here, too."

"Do I?" she asked. "Are these your words or Walker's? Have you said all of this to him?"

The words died on her tongue. Veronica had a point. She didn't even know  if she had the right to argue. Maybe she really was the detriment here  and Walker was going to say exactly what Veronica was.

But if so, she wanted to hear it from his lips, not this perfect woman  who hadn't thought twice about abandoning her child in a basket.

"He doesn't know you're here, does he?" Veronica said.

"It doesn't matter. I've known him for ten years. I know what he would say right now."         

     



 

"Ten years and yet you're only now becoming a couple? It took me less than ten days."

"What does that matter?"

"Because, my dear, if he'd wanted you he had years to make a move. It  only happened because he was sleep deprived and in over his head. Walker  told me about your arrangement, and you will forever have my gratitude  for caring for our son, but look at this clearly. You swooped in here  like a savior and his attraction grew from that. You were convenient.  You were a substitute wife when he needed one. But he doesn't need that  anymore. Now you are just standing in my shoes, and it's time to return  them."

Fear erupted in her chest.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Do you really want to force this issue? Do you want to make a scene  where you are shown to the door in front of Hunter instead of gracefully  exiting his life with your dignity in tact?" Veronica shook her head.  "This is an awful situation, but I am trying to do what's best for  everyone, including you. I owe you everything, and this is how I can  repay you. Let me help you."

"You're not helping me, you're replacing me."

"As you have been replacing me for weeks."

"I stepped in to help. There's a difference, which you'd know if you'd bothered to check in on your child."

Clara pushed to her feet, pacing to the rail of the balcony. Veronica  followed like a graceful shadow. It was almost worse that she was so  calm. So reasonable. Her words didn't sound like they were coming from  any place of malice.

And that made everything far more real.

"Who do you think is better for Hunter?" Veronica asked, her voice  growing harder. "If this wasn't a child you wanted for yourself, if you  were outside of this situation looking in, who would you pick to raise  him? His biological mother or a substitute his father bonded with out of  desperation and exhaustion?"

Ice crept through her veins. She wanted to block out the reasonable  words. Fight against the logic of Veronica's argument but what could she  say? The other woman was right. If she weren't personally involved,  she'd side with the biological mother, too. This wasn't her baby. Her  family. She had no legal rights here. All she had was a tenuous link to  Hunter that existed only as long as Walker allowed it to.

If he decided Veronica was the better choice to raise his child, she'd  have no power to fight him with. Once again, she'd be standing at the  window watching the life she wanted go on without her.

"We can do this slowly," Veronica offered. "Transition Hunter from you  to me. And you'll still see him. Even if you're not a couple, you are  still Walker's oldest friend. I would never try to deny you that  relationship. Just as long as you don't try to deny mine with him  either."

"I-" The words died in her throat. It was a generous offer. One she  wasn't sure she'd have been able to make if their roles were reversed.

I'm the mistress. She realized with shock. I'm the other woman.

Not the girlfriend. Not the mother.

Not the wife.

She was the piece of the story that didn't work. The barrier to the  happy family riding off into the sunset. Without her, Hunter had both  his parents, and Walker had a woman he'd clearly liked enough to have a  child with.

She was the odd one out.

Stop it. Think about yesterday. He'd been so close to asking you to make all this real. To be a real couple.

But then Veronica had shown up and those words had died.

He was busy. There hasn't been time to talk.

But he clearly hadn't been too busy to arrange to have Veronica over  today. He hadn't been too busy to go to work. A place filled with phones  he could easily have used to contact her.

If he wanted to.

"Why don't you stay?" Veronica asked. "Walker will be home from work  soon, and the three of us can sit down and iron everything out. We'll  order in and have a mature meal like adults. There has to be a solution  that works for all of us and together we can find it."

She's being reasonable. And generous.

Her fingers curled around the railing. It would be so much easier if  Veronica was the villain Clara had expected. If she were a vapid,  spoiled woman who cared for nothing other than herself. But now she saw  her rival as what she was. A woman who had never expected to have a  child, certainly not alone, and had gotten in over her head. She'd  panicked and made a bad decision, but she'd made it with her child's  best interests at heart.

And now she was back to correct her mistake.

Who was Clara to stand in her way?         

     



 

"I need to talk to Walker," Clara said. Dinner sounded excruciating,  especially if it became Walker and Veronica siding together against her,  but at least she'd see him. Straighten everything out.

"Of course, you do. Why not have a drink while we wait? You can tell me  all about how Hunter has grown this past month. He seems so much bigger  than when I left."

She opened her mouth to decline the drink when Veronica's phone rang.

"Excuse me," she said, striding back to her lounger to grab her cell.  "Hello, Walker," she said when she answered. "How's work going?"

Clara jerked as if she'd touched a live wire. Walker was calling Veronica?

Unable to help herself, she fished her own phone from her purse and looked at the notifications.

No missed calls. No messages.

"Hunter is beautiful," Veronica said as she moved back to Clara. "We  spent the day getting reacquainted. Yes, yes, we did all that. No, he's  doing just fine. Do you want me to put Emily on the phone to confirm?  Good, I promise he's in safe hands."

Walker wanted an update on Hunter, and he'd called Veronica. How many  times had she said all those same words? His daily check-ins had become  routine. Only now it seemed the routine didn't include her.

Oh my God. She's right. About all of it.

Walker didn't need her anymore. Neither did Hunter. They'd be fine now,  even if she disappeared. They'd go on to have a happy life as a family. A  real family.

The Christmas cards she'd get would be of the smiling couple holding  their bouncing baby boy. But the woman at her lover's side wouldn't be  her. She'd had ten years to catch his eye, and they'd never been more  than best friends. Not until circumstances had forced them to adapt.

I'm temporary. Replaceable. Walker was right all along. This was just stress. Just a reaction to our circumstances.

And the real match for Walker had finally shown up. Just as Clara had always feared she would.

"Sounds great," Veronica said into the phone. "I'll be waiting. Hurry  home." She hung up the call. "Sorry about that. Where were we? Drink?"

"No," she whispered, a numbness seeping through her limbs. "No, thank you. I should be going."

Veronica's eyes widened. "But Walker will be home in twenty minutes or so."

"It's all right," she said. "You two should have some time together. There's a lot you need to discuss."