Baby Business(5)

"Your legs were part of it," he said. He'd always been a leg man.



"I was drawn to your eyes."



"My eyes?" he asked, wondering what she saw in them.



"Every time you looked at me, there was this intensity that made me feel like I was the only person in the room that night."



"You were the only one I saw," he admitted.



"Yeah, until Sam entered and you remembered that he's your rival."



"That's not completely true." But it was partially true. He and Sam had  always been in competition with each other. They'd been born a week  apart and Donovan was the younger of the two of them. Every summer  they'd been sent to live with their grandfather, and the old man had  always challenged the both of them. Donovan had learned early on that  the key to Granddaddy's praise was winning.



"Yes, it is. You even told me you'd do anything to beat him to the vice presidency, and you did it."



"That's right. You said you liked my ambition," he said.



"Did I?"



He nodded, wishing he knew what she was thinking at this moment. Because  he had a feeling she was recalling the other things about him, the  things she didn't like. Or had merely tolerated.                       
       
           



       



Part of the reason he'd let things lie between them was that she made  him vulnerable, and only a man without any weaknesses could fully  protect himself. Because then he had nothing for his enemies to attack.



He knew that sounded melodramatic considering he was an executive, but  the modern-day business world was just as fierce as the ancient fiefdoms  that had been defended by nobles and warriors. And Donovan had always  known he was a warrior. The need to win was strongly bred into him.



"I like you when you're happy, and competing does that for you."



"You do that for me, too."



She tipped her head to the side. "Really?"



"Mmm, hmm. Want to get out of here and go for a walk on the beach?"



"No. Sorry, but my feet are swollen. I know that sounds totally  unromantic, but I'm not up to a long walk on the beach until it's  cooler."



"How about going out on the yacht? You can sit on the deck and feel the ocean breeze in your hair."



She hesitated.



"What?"



"I can't believe that you're back in my life and going on about  everything as if nothing has changed. As if the last eight months never  happened … but they did, and I … I'm not sure if I can trust you the way I  did before."



Donovan rubbed his neck and looked away. What could he say to her? He  needed Cassidy and their child. And he needed them now. He didn't have  time to seduce her or convince her that he was the man she wanted in her  life.



He put his sunglasses on and stood up. "I can't just stand around and pretend we have all the time in the world to reconnect."



"Because of the baby?" she asked.



There was something in her tone and a kind of worry in her eyes that  told him he had to say the right thing at this moment. Dammit, he sucked  at saying the right thing.



"Not just because of the baby, Cassidy. Because you and I have lost  eight months and we have only a short time to find us again before we  are going to have our child."



Tears glimmered in her eyes and he shook his head. "You know I stink at saying the right thing."



She held his gaze. "Sometimes you say exactly the right thing."



"Don't bet on it happening too often."



She chuckled and gave him a weak grin. She looked tired and so achingly  beautiful that he wanted to just pull her into his arms and hold her  forever. Never mind the warning flashing at the back of his mind that he  had a meeting with the board of directors to prepare for.



"Come out on the yacht, just for an hour," he said.





Cassidy loved being out on the ocean. The wind was cooler out here.  Donovan had seated her on the padded bench and gone to make arrangements  with the captain of the yacht. He hadn't come back since they'd left  the dock.



She didn't mind, though; it gave her time to regroup. She put one hand  low on her belly and felt the baby's foot resting against the outer wall  of her stomach. She was overwhelmed by Donovan and everything that he  was doing right now. A part of her knew that this was his way of  ensuring she married him. That he would do whatever he had to in this  week leading up to the wedding. That was the way he'd been when they'd  first started dating. He was really good at making her feel like his top  priority when he wanted to.



Had she trusted him too much?



Her cell phone rang and she glanced at the caller ID. Adam. She didn't  answer it. She wasn't up to a lecture from her oldest brother at this  moment, and that was exactly what she'd get from him. She guessed that  their mother had put the word out to the family that she and Donovan  were back together and getting married next weekend.



She had a feeling that her brothers weren't going to be very welcoming to Donovan.



Her phone beeped to let her know she had a voice mail. She would listen to it later.



"Who was that?"



"Adam."



"You didn't answer it?"



"I'm not really up to another demanding male telling me what he thinks is best for me."



"Demanding male? Is that how you see me?" Donovan asked.



"Yes. You've been bullying me all afternoon."



"It's because I do know best," he said, handing her a glass of sparkling water with a twist of lime.



She took a sip and watched him through narrowed eyes. She was glad that  the sun was still drifting in the sky, because it gave her an excuse to  keep her sunglasses on.



"You don't know me these days," she said. "How can you know what's best?"                       
       
           



       



"I do know you, Cassidy. I know that you are loving and caring. And that  you've always wanted a family, and that despite having a career you  love, work has never come first for you."



That was very true. Her job as curator at a small museum in Charleston  was nice, but it wasn't anything that could compare with being a mom.  She was going to stay on at her position in a part-time capacity once  her son was born.



She had never tried to pretend that family and relationships weren't  important to her. Her father and Adam were so consumed with their jobs  that she'd been soured on that kind of career when she was a young girl.  There had to be more to life than work, in her opinion.



"But you don't feel that way, do you? Or is that something else that's changed since we've been apart?"



"No. I haven't changed my focus. But I have broadened it to include more than just Tolley-Patterson."



"Like what? I know about your other business interests."



"Of course I still have those. I've also invested in Gil's team for the  America's Cup. He has a new design that's going to revolutionize yacht  racing."



"That's still an investment. How have you changed to put relationships and people first?"



"Gil is one of my oldest friends."



"I've never met him," she said. She had noticed that most of Donovan's  friends didn't contact him unless they needed money. To be fair, he  didn't exactly encourage anyone to stay close to him. He was a bit of a  loner, despite his social connections and the parties he frequented.  She'd realized early on that he was pretty much all about business.



"We'll invite him to our public wedding," he said.



"Fine, but you still haven't convinced me that you know what's best for me."



"I don't have to convince you with words," he said. "I'm going to show you with actions."



She raised her eyebrows. "How?"



He rubbed a hand through his hair. "You'll have to wait and see."



"I will?"



"Yes." He paused, and she braced herself, guessing she wouldn't like  what was coming next. "I called my parents and they're both home this  evening. When we get back to shore I think we should drop by and tell  them about the wedding."



Cassidy tried to keep her face expressionless.



"It won't be bad."



"Your mom doesn't like me. She thinks my family are white trash."



"That's not true. She asked about you after we broke up."



"Really?"



"Yes. And we can't be married without my parents there. They would be disappointed."



Cassidy doubted that. But family was important and Donovan's parents  would be her baby's grandparents. Maybe knowing that she was pregnant  with Donovan's baby would make Donovan's mother like her better.