“Well, at thirteen weeks, the HCG level in your system is supposed to even out. You’re four weeks past that mark. Should we be worried that you’re still ill?” Ethan asked.
She stared at him in shock. “How the hell do you know that?”
“Hey, I read,” he said.
She couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face. “I’m sorry, but Ethan, you and Easton are like the sexy twin poster boys of playboys. I make your reservations, remember, and buy your books. How to Be Pregnant is not on the reading list.”
“I bought one today,” Ethan said.
“Why would you do that?” she asked.
“Because I wanted to know what you’re going through,” he said simply.
She heard the caring in his voice, and the tumble in her stomach was a sweet feeling she rarely had. She pushed it back and firmly away. This was Ethan Tremaine, playboy, billionaire, and her boss. He was übersexy, with light blue eyes and dark hair. His sexy mouth was simply perfect in shape. It could curve in a smile or cut someone down in the boardroom. A hard-muscled body showed how active he was even though she’d never seen him in anything but a business suit. She’d taught herself the last two years not to fantasize about her boss. He was above her pay grade, and she could never compete with the supermodels and elite circles he ran with.
She leaned forward and patted his hand. “That’s sweet, Ethan, but I’ll be fine. I’ve got the grit to be a single mom. I can do this.”
He caught her hand in his and didn’t let go. “What if it didn’t have to be that way?”
Mya shook her head. “Kyle? Oh fuck no. Sorry for the language. I knew we’d be just a fling from the first date. This just happened to be a consequence of my lack of judgment. I’m better off alone, and he already signed the termination of parental rights paperwork—”
“I meant me, Mya. You could be with me.”
His words cut off her stream of words, and she stared at him in shock.
“What?”
“I can be your baby’s father,” Ethan said.
“Why would you want to do that?” she asked in disbelief.
“The part of my grandfather’s will that could potentially take everything from me and Easton,” he answered. “We have to get married and have a child within one year of the will reading, or we lose everything.”
“What was your grandfather thinking? Besides that he hated women in the workforce,” Mya said. “So, essentially, you want to play pretend house? Sorry, Ethan, it’s a no. My child and I are not a game, and I’m not starting his or her life in upheaval. Children need stability.”
“I’m offering that. This wouldn’t be just in name only,” Ethan explained. “I’ve had a thing for you since you started working for me. I’d be a good father and a good husband to you.”
Mya laughed incredulously. “Okay, so now you’re insulting me and trying to play me for a fool. Ethan Tremaine, you’ve left the office with your hand practically up some new arm candy’s skirt for as long as I’ve worked for you and way before that. They don’t call you Playboy in the secretarial pool for the heck of it. Now your money’s on the line, all of a sudden you want me to believe that you’ve been interested in me and want to be a daddy?”
“If you say it that way, I can see how you’d be insulted,” he said.
“Ya think?” She gave him a cold look. “I think I want you to leave.”
“Oh shit, this is going all wrong,” Ethan muttered and took a deep breath. “Mya, I’ve had a thing for you. From the time you walked into my office in that blue pinstripe skirt. It fit you like a second skin, and you wore glasses that have been a part of my fantasy from the first dream. I knew you were working your way up, and I heard you say you’d never date a boss, so I stepped back.” He reached out and cupped her cheek. “I count this as fate putting you in my path and we’re on the same road for the right reasons. We’re friends, and I want more than that, but if it has to be that way, fine. But at least if we get married and the baby has my name, then you’d lack for nothing.”#p#分页标题#e#
“My child would lack for nothing regardless, Ethan,” she pointed out.
“I know you’d put sweat, blood, and tears into providing for the baby,” Ethan answered. “But after one year, if you’re not happy with me or you want to move on, I’ll make sure you have the money to get your business started and off the ground the right way, without a loan or struggle. The baby would still be considered mine, and I’d love him or her still. I won’t let a child know me as a father and then drop out of its life. My parents raised me better, and I’m not callous or cruel. Just think about it, please. By no means do I want to insult you. I’m trying to look out for all of us.”