The Billionaire's Borrowed Baby(11)

Leo paled. As soon as the housekeeper was out of earshot, he swallowed   half a cup of coffee and glared at Hattie over the rim of a bone china   cup. His big hand dwarfed it. "Luc's a daddy?"                       
       
           



       

"No, of course not. Or not in the way you're thinking. Has he told you   anything about my situation?" It was difficult to believe that Luc would   cling to his intent of keeping Leo uninformed.

"Luc didn't tell me diddly squat. All he mentioned was that I should   show up on the fourteenth wearing my tux when and where he said."

"Oh."

"Perhaps you'd like to fill me in." It wasn't a request.

"I'm sorry he's been keeping secrets from you. It's my fault." She   quickly gave him the shortened version of the last two months. "I think   that until the lawyers get a handle on this custody thing, Luc thinks   the less said the better."

Leo ate two more cookies, eyeing her with a laserlike stare as he chewed   slowly. "That's not why he didn't tell me. Luc knows I can keep my   mouth shut. But he knew I would try to talk him out of this ridiculous   sham of a marriage."

Hattie's heart sank. The two brothers were close. Could Leo, even now, derail what Luc and Hattie had set in motion?

She set down her cup so he wouldn't see her hand shaking. "Why would you   do that? If you're worried about the money, or the company … you needn't   be. I've already signed a prenup."

Leo snorted. "You may be a lot of things, Hattie, but even I know you're not a gold digger."

"Then why is this any of your business?" She heard the snap in her own   voice and didn't care. What did Leo Cavallo have to gain by sticking his   big Roman nose into her affairs?

He pulled his chair closer to the table, his knees almost touching hers   beneath the glass. His accusatory mood made her want to run, but she   refused to give him the satisfaction. He spoke softly, with menace. "Ten   years ago, you almost destroyed my brother. You let him fall in love   with you, encouraged it even. And then when he proposed, the first and   only time he's ever done that by the way, you shut him down. A man has   his pride, Hattie. You let things go too far. If you weren't going to   love him back, why in the hell did you sleep with him? Why did you let   him think you were his girl, his future?"

She bent her head, staring down at the crumbs on her plate. "That's just it, Leo. I did love him. I was sick with loving him."

"That's bull." He lifted her chin, his gaze boring into hers. "Women in love don't do what you did to Luc."

"That's not true," she cried. "We never would have worked out in the   long term. I wasn't the right person to be his wife. I did the right   thing by breaking it off. You know I did."

He let go of her and sat back, brooding, surly. "Then how do you explain   this?" He waved a hand. "You damn sure appear to be enjoying the fancy   house and the hired help."

"Don't be hateful."

"Not hateful, honey. Just stating the facts."

"This is all temporary."

"Does Luc know that?"

"Of course he does. When enough time has passed to make our marriage   appear to be the real thing, we'll separate quietly. And I'll raise   Deedee on my own."

"And what happens when my softhearted baby brother falls in love with   the little girl sleeping upstairs? Will you tear his heart out again by   taking her away?"

Hattie closed her eyes, regret raking her with sharp claws. "That won't happen," she said weakly.

"How do you know?" Leo asked quietly. "And how do you know he won't fall in love with you again?"

She laughed without amusement. "I can assure you that is not a   possibility. Luc's helping me because he's a good man. But he's made it   very clear that this is strictly business."

"And you believe him?"

"Why would he lie?"

"To protect himself perhaps?"

"From what?"

"The correct answer is from whom. You, Hattie. A man never forgets his   first love. Why else would he turn his entire life upside down in a   matter of days?"

"I think he's hoping for some payback, if you want to know the truth. I   know I hurt him. I'm not stupid. This is his chance to be in control.  To  make me fall in line, not in love."

"How so?"

"He made it very clear that he has no feelings for me anymore."

Leo shook his head. "You don't know anything at all about men,   sweetheart. If that's what he said, he's kidding himself. He sounds like   a man who knows his own limits and is covering his ass."



Hattie mulled over Leo's words, torn between embarrassment and hope.                       
       
           



       

She was on the bed playing with Deedee when the master of the house came   home. It surprised her that he sought her out. They had barely spoken a   dozen words in the last week.

He looked tired. Not for the first time, she pondered the unfairness of   what she had asked him to do. But what choice did she have? On her own,   Eddie's family would have eaten her alive. And Luc had jumped at the   opportunity to throw his weight around. So why did she feel guilty?

He sat down on the corner of the bed and grinned at Deedee. She wriggled   her way across the mattress toward him in a sort of commando crawl. He   scooped her up and held her toward the ceiling. "Hey, kiddo. What   mischief have you been up to today?"

Deedee squealed with laughter, her round cheeks pink with exertion. Luc   nuzzled her tummy and lowered her to blow raspberries against her belly   button.

Hattie watched them, her heart warmed by the budding connection man and infant shared. "She really likes you."

Luc glanced at Hattie. "The feeling is mutual."

His obvious enjoyment of something as simple as playing with a baby   brought Leo's words rushing back. In all the time Hattie had thought   about what would happen when the marriage ended, she had never   considered the toll on Luc and her niece. Deedee would still be young.   She wouldn't even remember Luc after a few months. But would Luc grieve?

Damn Leo for planting doubts.

Luc let the baby loose to roam the mattress again. Hattie had surrounded   the edge with pillows, so Deedee couldn't go far. When the child   latched on to one of her favorite toys, Luc finally spoke directly to   Hattie. "How was your day?"

The prosaic question surprised her somehow. She leaned back on her   elbows. "They delivered the nursery furniture early this morning. Deedee   has already napped twice in the new bed and pronounced it quite   satisfactory."

"Good." Long awkward silence. "Are you ready for the weekend? Do you need anything?"

She sat up. "I'm pretty much packed. Ana has been helping me."

"And the dress?"

"I finally found what I wanted yesterday. I hope it will be appropriate."

"I'm sure it's fine."

Hattie sighed inwardly. Next thing you know, they'd be discussing the   weather. She grabbed Deedee's ankle and pulled her toward the center of   the bed. "Leo came by today."

That got Luc's attention. His eyes narrowed. "What did he want?"

"Well, apparently you neglected to mention that you were marrying me … or that I came with a baby. He wasn't happy."

Luc shrugged, his expression dangerous. "I don't make decisions based on   Leo's likes and dislikes. If he doesn't want to come to the wedding,   Sherman can do the honors."

"Don't be so pigheaded. Leo loves you."

"Leo believes his fourteen-month head start gives him the obligation to run my life."

"I think you should call him."

Luc's face went blank, wiped clean of all emotion. "I'll see him soon enough."

"Fine. Be an arrogant jerk. See if I care."

Luc stood up, gazing down at Hattie with an odd expression. "Sherman and Ana have the night off."

"I know. Did you want me to fix you something for dinner?"

"I thought we could take the baby on a picnic."

"It's kind of late."

"It won't hurt her to stay up just this once. Will it?"

"I guess not. I'll need to change, though."

He eyed her snug yellow T-shirt and khaki shorts. "You're fine. Let's go. I'm starving."

Luc had a garage full of expensive cars for every occasion. They took   one of the more sedate sedans, a sporty Cadillac, and Luc moved the car   seat. On the way, he dialed his favorite Chinese restaurant for  takeout.  Ten minutes later a helpful employee ran three bags out to the  curb.  The young man smiled hugely when Luc handed over a hundred and  told the  kid to keep the change.