His Instant Heir(13)

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Cari had seen a different side to Dec when he'd held DJ for the first  time. She was trying hard to remember that right now he wanted  everything to work out, but once life got back to normal he might not  want anything long-term. He was thirty-five years old, enough to have  settled down before this, but had never found a reason to. He was still a  bachelor for a reason and she knew it was because he was, in his own  words, a loner.

"Decaf latte," he said, placing it in front of her before he sat down  across from her at one of those tiny tables that all coffee shops seemed  to specialize in. His long legs stretched out on either side of her own  as he tried to get comfortable.

Nearly impossible for a man as big as Dec. He was almost six-four. She wondered if DJ would be as tall one day.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome." He took a sip of his drink, which looked like a double espresso.

"My thoughts are pretty straightforward on this," he said. "I want to  start dating you and get to know you. I'd like to also spend time with  DJ but not necessarily always with you. I want him to get used to me."

She narrowed her gaze on him. This was where she had to be sure and  remember she was DJ's mom. She couldn't give in the way she sometimes  did at work. "Do you know anything about kids?"                       
       
           



       

"No," he said. "But I'm a quick learner."

"What I'm thinking is that you can come to our house and spend some time  with DJ. That way I'm close by in case something goes wrong. Would you  be agreeable to that?"

"At first, but I want him to get used to being at my place," Dec said.

"Where do you live?" she asked. "I have a place in Malibu."

"Right now I have my parents' mansion in Beverly Hills, but I usually stay on my yacht at the marina."

"I'm not sure-"

"I know a yacht isn't the right home for a baby. I'm meeting a Realtor after work to look at condos."

He was already changing, she thought. But having a baby wasn't always  going to be like this. There were times when DJ started crying and  nothing would soothe him. How would Dec react to that?

"We'll just play that part by ear," she said.

"Fine. But I'm letting you know that I want to have him at my place eventually."

She nodded. When he was thirty, DJ could go wherever he wanted.

"Now, about dating," he said matter-of-factly. "I don't want this to be a fake thing."

"Do you have a checklist?" she asked.

He scowled at her. "As a matter of fact I do. I've …  This is the first  time I've been around an actual blood relative," he said. "I don't want  to screw it up."

She felt her heart melt. She wanted to be careful and tried to picture  him as the Tin Man again, but it was hard when he was earnest like this.

"Okay, what's next on your list?"

"I want to get to know you."

"I want that, too," she admitted.

"Good. There's more …  I still want you." He reached out and touched the side of her face and she felt a shiver go through her.

"I had already figured that part out for myself," she said. It hadn't  taken a brain surgeon to realize that the lust that originally brought  them together was still sparking between them. "I want you, too, but I'm  not sure if that's just because you're forbidden fruit."

"Forbidden?"

"Well, you are my family's enemy."

"Was that part of why you went out with me initially?" he asked.

"Uh, no. I didn't realize who you were until we were partway through dinner."

"What? How did you not know what I looked like? We grew up with flash cards of you guys," he said.

"Please tell me you are kidding," she said. "I'm picturing something akin to America's War on Terror cards."

"I am joking. But how did you not recognize me?"

"I just always pictured Thomas Montrose when I thought of your family. We have that portrait in our building."

"So after you realized it was me-your 'mortal enemy'-what did you think then?"

"Don't let this go to your head, but you can be very charming when you want something," she said.

"I know," he said with that arrogant grin of his. "So we'll date now and see where our relationship goes?"

"What if it doesn't work out?" she asked. "Will you still see DJ?"

"Yes," Dec said. "I'm not sure what kind of father I can be, but I want  to try to be the best I can for him. He deserves to grow up knowing his  dad wanted him."

"Being wanted is important to you?" she asked.

"You know I'm adopted, right?" he asked.

She nodded. They'd never talked about it and she wondered if he felt awkward about it.

"Well, I always knew my biological parents didn't want me."

"But your adoptive parents picked you," she said. She had a friend who'd  adopted last year and Gail was always sure to let her toddler know that  she loved her even more because she'd been chosen.

"I guess. But there is always that doubt that I'm good enough because my biological parents didn't want me."

She nodded; it explained a lot about how hard Dec worked and how he was  always moving on to the next goal. She even thought that he might be a  really good dad if it meant that he could keep DJ from feeling that way.  But knowing that was what he wanted wasn't enough. He was going to have  to prove himself with his actions before she'd really trust him.

"Okay. So this dating thing, how is it going to work?" she asked.

"As you know, this is a busy week at work for us. I believe you have a game that is supposed to be delivered," he said.

"Yes," she said. "Maybe we should wait until next week?"                       
       
           



       

"No, we can have a late dinner tonight. I'll stop by when I'm done for the day and see how your day is going," he said.

That he was willing to accommodate her schedule made her feel pretty good. "That would be nice."

"Where does DJ go during the day?"

"The nursery at Infinity. I usually bring him up to my office after  hours and let him play in the corner while I finish working."

"I could pick him up," Dec said.

"No. My sisters would know you had and that would raise questions," she said.

"How would they know?"

"Emma has a three-year-old son who is in the day-care facility, as well," Cari said.

"Okay, then I will bring dinner to your office and we can all eat together," he said.

She wasn't sure how it had worked out that Dec had gotten everything he  wanted from her. He had merely amped up the charm and she'd succumbed.  In the future she had to be more careful. She wasn't going to make  things too easy for him. After all, he was the guy who had wanted her  for one night and then walked away. While she was the first to admit  having a child changed people-it had changed her after all-she still  didn't trust Dec.

She'd keep her eye on him and try to ensure that she didn't lose any  more of herself than she already had. It would be a hell of a lot easier  to manage if she didn't like him.





Seven


Cari tried to focus on work while she was at the office, but she had a  steady stream of appointments from employees who all wanted to talk  about Dec. Though they wanted to discuss the future and what Cari  thought he was going to do with their roles in the company, she had no  answers. She told Ally to hold her calls and escaped upstairs to the  executive floor where Emma's office was.

The decision to move her office down onto the development floor had made  sense when Cari had taken over the role of COO. She wanted to be where  the staff saw her every day and where she could see what they were  working on. The move had paid off and she and the staff had a good  rapport.

"You look like you are on the run," Emma said when Cari got off the  elevator. Her sister wore a severe-looking business suit and had her  thick black hair pulled back in a bun. Her usual corporate look. Cari  didn't envy Emma at all. As the oldest, the responsibility of keeping  Infinity going had fallen to her.

"I am. Are you leaving?" she asked Emma.

"Yes. I have a lunch meeting across town," Emma said, glancing down at her watch. "Should I cancel? Do you need me?"

Cari remembered when she was seven and used to be scared at night. She'd  creep down the long, dark hallway to Emma's room-her parents had a firm  no-sleeping-in-our-room policy-and she'd stand in the doorway next to  her sister's bed and whisper her name until Emma would roll over and  lift the covers, inviting her into the bed with her. Emma had always  been the one she ran to when she had a problem.