A Convenient Arrangement(50)

Seeing that one look from Gwen, Leo knew he was doomed. That look was the I-am-a-baby-factory-and-want-to-be-a-mother look. Either his freedom and fantastic lifestyle were going down for the count, or this relationship-type thing with Gwen was. He tapped his fingers on the side of his beer bottle. Maybe not, maybe he was overreacting. Gwen opened her eyes and her gaze locked with his, a dreamy drunk expression that could only be from thoughts of naked babies in baskets reaching out doughy-fisted hands toward her plastered across her face. A gooey smile turned up the corners of her lips.

His chest tightened. He nodded, his face frozen into what he hoped was a neutral expression.

No, not overreacting.

Gwen’s cheeks pinked, but the smile lingered on her face and she lowered the white baby blanket to her lap. The future full of babies that entranced her, terrified. He nodded and smiled and then broke eye contact to look back toward Aubrey.

“Is it hot in here?” he whispered to Devon.

“Not really.”

Leo tilted his beer and finished the last sip. His collar felt tight, and he was nearly dripping sweat. “Going for another.” Leo ducked behind his brother and toward the kitchen. The kitchen? Like he really wanted to talk to Nina? She’d gut him like a fish with questions about who he was seeing. Instead, he wove through the staff and toward the back of the penthouse, toward escape. He tossed his beer bottle into recycling.

“Heading out?” Justin turned the corner, his arms laden with ripped wrapping paper.

“You’ll tell Aubrey good-bye for me?”

“Surprised you and Devon stayed this long.” Justin set the shredded bows and used boxes into recycling. “Waaaay too much baby stuff for you two.”

Leo nodded, shot his brother a half smile, and ducked out the door, into the back hallway that led to the second elevator. Screw it, he’d leave his coat behind. He needed to get out of the penthouse, away from all that estrogen and baby-making love to someplace where he could breathe.



*



Leo had left the party. Gwen hadn’t seen him, exit but she’d felt a shift in the room’s atmosphere when he’d exited, almost as though the life and excitement had drained out of the event. He was gone. And he hadn’t even said good-bye. Of course they weren’t there together and Gwen was busy helping with the party, but neither of those things had stopped him from kissing her on New Year’s Eve nor from corralling her into Anthony’s den on New Year’s Day. He could have at least winked or waved before he’d left.

“Today was perfect.” Aubrey’s words pulled Gwen’s thoughts back from Leo. Aubrey lay on the couch with her feet propped up, a cup of tea in her hand. Nina was in the kitchen cleaning up and putting away leftovers. Shelly sorted baby gifts and Gwen entered the handwritten list for thank-you cards into a spreadsheet.

“I thought it was beautiful,” Gwen said. “I can’t wait to meet the baby.”

Aubrey rested a hand on her giant baby bump. “Neither can I.” She rubbed her palm gently over the curve of her belly. “I was surprised Devon and Leo showed up.”

“Really?” Gwen picked up one of the gifts, her tone light, nonchalant. Tomorrow was soon enough for Aubrey to know that she and Leo were dating.

“Devon is so focused on the federal investigation and trial, and Leo, well, he’s the last guy on earth to ever want kids.”

Gwen’s heart stopped. She held a teeny set of velour footie pajamas with a rabbit on the front. Leo never wanted children. Of course Aubrey had already said so, and she’d guessed as much even before then. But she wanted children. What was she doing? Why was she giving her heart away to a man who held such a different view of an ideal future? She couldn’t change Leo, wouldn’t change him. Even if they did get serious, get married, and she did get pregnant, that didn’t mean she’d have changed him. No. No, he’d simply be a man with children who didn’t want them. And that was unfair to the children, wasn’t it? She’d experienced that first-hand with her own parents. Still recovering. Still trying to understand the dynamic between her and her father.

Her hand came to her mouth unconsciously, her fingertips to her lips.

“You okay?” Aubrey leaned forward, concern shadowed her face.

“Yeah, of course.” Gwen shook her head and summoned a small false smile. “I just remembered something, a conflict I need to take care of.”

“You look like it’s much worse than that.”

Gwen put a bit more effort into her smile as she typed the name of the person who’d given Aubrey the gorgeous pajamas with the bunny applique into her spreadsheet. Worse than that? It was and it wasn’t. The conflict definitely changed her feelings about what she and Leo were doing together. While she might mean more to him than a convenient arrangement, that didn’t mean he’d want to change his entire vision for his life, and she wouldn’t want him to. No. She’d witnessed how angry, how unhappy, just how bitter a man could be who was forced into being a father. She wouldn’t want that reality for her own children, no matter how much she thought that she might love Leo Travati.