Naughty with Mr. Nice, page 30
You know you will. Especially if Logan’s in your bed with all of his ideas on how to help you sleep.
She blushed, a little embarrassed by how excited the thought of Logan touching her, being inside of her, made her feel. Lusting after her employer was about the stupidest thing she could do but it was happening and it was useless to keep denying it. She wanted him and, despite her weird puffiness and huge belly, he wanted her too. It was shameful of her, but she was going to enjoy it and take advantage of –
The doorbell rang, startling her, and she turned and limped to the front door. She opened it, her mouth dropping open at the two people standing nervously on the front step.
“Hello, Lily.”
“What do you want?”
“We just want to talk. Please. Just talk – nothing more. I promise you.” The tall, elegant grey-haired woman said pleadingly. “Will you let us come in?”
Lily sighed and the woman gave her husband a frantic look. “Please, Lily. Just hear us out. If you don’t like what we have to say, we’ll leave and never bother you again.”
“Regina -”
“Hush, Charles!” The woman said immediately.
Charles, his face and demeanor so much like Barry’s that Lily almost felt like she was looking at a ghost, nodded and folded his hands behind his back.
Regina gave Lily a hopeful look and with a soft sigh, she stepped back. “Come inside.”
“How did you find me?” Lily sat down heavily in the chair across from the couch and stared at Barry’s parents.
Regina sipped at the tea Lily had given her, the cup shaking minutely, and smiled tentatively at her. “We hired private detectives.”
Lily looked at her in astonishment. “You’re kidding me.”
“We’re not,” Charles said. “You’re carrying our grandchild and you just left without letting us know where you were going. Did you think we would just accept that?”
“Charles!” Regina said. “You promised.”
“Sorry.” He glanced at Lily. “We were worried. You have no family and no money.”
“Thanks to your son,” Lily said.
Regina winced. “What Barry did was wrong. We see that now, Lily.”
“Do you? Or are you just anxious to get your hands on your grandchild?”
Regina shook her head. “No, that isn’t it. We – we made a mistake in offering you the money in exchange for the baby. It’s just – we were desperate to hang on to what little we had left of our son. The baby you’re carrying is all we have left of our child.”
Tears were forming in the woman’s eyes and Lily could feel herself softening. In all the years she had known Regina, she had never once seen the woman cry. In fact, she had often thought privately that the woman was an emotionless robot.
Now, seeing her shaking and staring at the new lines on her face, she felt ashamed for what she had done. Barry had been terrible to her and Charles had never been much better, but Regina had always been polite if a little distant to her. She made herself harden her heart against them. These people had try to buy her baby from her and she would be wise to remember that.
“You tried to buy my baby. Why should I let you have anything to do with her?”
“Her?” Regina leaned forward eagerly. “You’re having a girl?”
Lily nodded. “Yes.”
“That’s wonderful!” Regina’s face had lit up with happiness and she reached out and squeezed Charles’ hand. “We’re going to have a granddaughter, Charles.”
He nodded, his face a mask of barely concealed emotion, and cleared his throat. “Have you picked out a name yet?”
Lily shook her head. “No.”
Regina gave her a hesitant look. “The name Annabel has been in our family for generations. It was my grandmother’s name, my mother’s name and my middle name.”
“It’s very pretty,” Lily said.
Regina sank back in her seat. “We know what we’ve done is unforgiveable, Lily, but we’re hoping you’ll find it in your heart to forgive us. We want to be a part of her life.”
Lily didn’t reply and Regina gave Charles a quiet look of despair. “We – we’re hoping that you would let us help you with the baby. We know how expensive babies can be and we -”
“No,” Lily said. “I don’t need or want your money.”
Charles snorted. “You’re working as a live-in nanny for a firefighter. What are you going to do once the baby arrives? I doubt he’ll be interested in keeping you on as a nanny once you have a newborn. What will you do for money then?”
“That’s none of your business,” Lily said.
“None of our business? None of our business?” Charles’ face was turning red and he sat forward on the couch. “You’re carrying our son’s child. It is absolutely our business! You have no right to -”
“Charles!” Regina nearly shouted his name and he stopped and gave her a look of anger. The woman neither relented nor shrank back and after a moment, he looked down at his lap.
“Sorry,” he muttered again.
“He really is,” Regina said. “The last few months have been very… difficult. We’ve been worried about both you and the baby.”
Lily stared at her in disbelief and Regina nodded. “It’s true, Lily. I know I haven’t been the best mother-in-law and I’m sorry. I just – I’m not very good at expressing my emotions, but I’ve always liked you.”
She glanced at Charles. “We – we know that Barry treated you badly and we appreciate that you stuck by him, that you stayed with him and loved him.”
Lily felt a twinge of guilt go through her. She shook it off. Barry had been abusive, and she had been right to want to leave him.
“Your son was horrible to me.”
“I know,” Regina said. “I’m sorry for that.”
“Yeah, I am too,” Lily said.
After a few moments of silence, Regina said, “Has everything gone well with the pregnancy?”
“Yes. I haven’t had any trouble.”
“Good, that’s really good,” Regina said. “When are you due?”
“In another three weeks.”
“That’s coming up quickly.” Regina smiled at her. “Do you – have you gotten everything prepared for her?”
“Yes.”
“Do you need anything? We would love to help buy some of the bigger items. Maybe a stroller or a crib, if you need it.”
Lily shook her head. “I have everything I need but thank you.”
“Well, if you think of something that you might need, don’t hesitate to call us. We’d be more than -”
“Lily? Hazel? I’m home!” Logan’s deep voice echoed down the hallway and Lily stood up as he entered the living room.
“Hi!” He gave her a warm grin and stepped toward her. He hadn’t noticed either Regina or Charles and she twitched when he reached out and rubbed her belly. “How was your day? Where’s Hazel?”
“She’s having a nap. She had a nightmare and didn’t sleep well last night.”
He frowned. “Is she okay?”
“Yes. We talked about it today and she seems to be doing fine. She was a little on the grumpy side.”
“How did you sleep?” He caressed her belly again and she caught his hand.
“Logan, I -”
“Have you been thinking about all the ways I can help -”
“Logan!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’d like to introduce you to Charles and Regina Castro. Barry’s parents.”
His eyes widened and he turned to look at the couple sitting on the couch. His hand dropped to his side and Lily touched his arm as Charles and Regina stood up.
“Charles and Regina this is my employer, Logan Anderson.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Regina said politely and held her hand out.
Logan stared at it and after an awkward moment, she let her hand drop.
“What are you doing here?” he said.
Charles bristled. “What do you mean by that? She’s carrying our grandchild. We have every right to be here.”
“Every right? After what you did, you think you have every right to be in Lily’s or her baby’s life?” Logan said.
“Logan, don’t,” Lily said.
He stared at her in confusion. Charles stepped closer and Logan moved protectively in front of her. “Don’t come near her.”
Charles glared at him. “Who do you think you are?”
“I’m someone who cares about Lily. More than you two assholes do.” Logan’s face was turning red and Lily patted his back.
“Stop, Logan. Just calm down.”
“Asshole?” Charles eyes widened but before he could speak, Regina spoke.
“Mr. Anderson, we know that trying to buy the baby from Lily was the wrong thing to do and we’ve apologized to her for it. We just want to be a part of our granddaughter’s life. That’s all. We’re not going to -”
“Buy the baby?” Logan looked at Lily. “They tried to buy your baby?”
“Logan, listen to me. They -”
He shook his head and turned to glare at the elderly couple. “Get out of my house. Right now.”
Regina stared frantically at Lily. “Lily, please -”
“Get out of my house and don’t ever contact Lily again.” Logan’s voice was low and dangerously quiet, and Regina gave Charles a frightened look.
Charles took Regina’s arm. “Let’s go, Regina.”
“Charles -”
“I said, let’s go.” Charles pulled her from the living room and when Lily tried to follow them, Logan grabbed her arm.
“Let go of me, Logan,” she snapped.
He blinked in surprise and dropped her arm. He followed her into the hallway, and they watched in silence as Charles opened the door and pulled Regina outside.
“Lily, please call us. Please,” Regina begged.
Before Lily could reply, Logan stepped around her and shut the door in their faces. He turned to Lily and, without speaking, she turned and stomped back into the living room.
He was two steps behind her and as she gathered up Regina’s half-full teacup, he said, “Why didn’t you tell me they tried to buy the baby?”
She slid past him and stalked into the kitchen. He followed her and leaned against the doorway, blocking her in the kitchen. “Lily? I asked you a question.”
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it mattered. I wasn’t going to sell the baby to them no matter what happened.”
“You still should have told me,” he said.
“Why?”
“Why? Because – because I…”
She arched her eyebrow at him. “You had already given me a job and a place to live. Because of you, I didn’t even have to consider giving up my baby. Besides, you didn’t need to be dragged into my personal problems. You’re my employer, for heaven’s sake.”
“What did they want?”
“They wanted to apologize for trying to buy the baby and see if I would be willing to let them be a part of her life.”
“No,” he said immediately. “I don’t want them anywhere near her.”
“It’s not your decision to make, Logan,” she said gently.
“Lily, are you crazy? You can’t let them near her. Not after how their son treated you. And especially not after they tried to buy the baby. Have you forgotten that they wouldn’t even let you live in your own damn house?”
“I haven’t forgotten,” she said. “But they are her grandparents and I’m not sure that denying them or her the right to be a part of each other’s life, is the correct thing to do.”
“Lily!” His voice was thick with exasperation and he stepped forward to cup her arms. “They don’t deserve to be anywhere near her. I know people like them. They think they can buy whatever they want, and they don’t care who they trample or hurt to get it.”
“Logan, I know you’re just trying to help but I -”
“You’re not to see them again, Lily. Do you understand?”
She froze and then backed away from him. “Don’t you dare try and tell me what to do, Logan Anderson.”
He hesitated, his face flushing, and she crossed her arms protectively over her belly. “I spent years living under Barry’s thumb and his rules, and I’ll never allow another man to treat me that way. Do you understand that?”
Hurt flooded through him. “You think I’m like Barry?”
“That isn’t what I said. Don’t put words in my mouth,” she said. “I know you’re nothing like Barry, but it doesn’t mean that I’m going to allow you to dictate how I live my life.”
“I’m not trying to -”
“You are,” she said. “You just stood there and told me that I’m not allowed to see Barry’s parents.”
“I didn’t mean it that way. I just – I don’t want them near our baby. Not after everything they’ve done to you. How can you trust them?”
“Logan, she’s not our baby. She’s my baby, and you need to trust that I know what’s best for her and would never allow anyone to hurt her.”
His face turned a dull red and he stared mutely at her as she sighed and rubbed at her forehead. “I – I think that we need to take a step back, Logan. What happened a few nights ago was lovely and I enjoyed it very much but we both know that this is a mistake. You’re my employer and having a relationship of a sexual nature is probably not the wisest move for either of us. In a year Hazel will be in school and I’ll be out of a job and out of your life. It’s best if we maintain a strictly professional relationship from now on. Do you agree?”
“Is that what you want?”
She hesitated. “It’s what’s best.”
“But is it what you want?” he said.
“Please, Logan. Don’t make this harder or more complicated than it already is. We both know -”
“Daddy!” Hazel came flying into the kitchen, and Lily watched as Logan plastered a smile on his face and picked up the little girl.
“Hi, baby bug. How was your nap?”
“Good. I’m hungry.” She kissed him on the cheek and then grinned at Lily. “Can I have pasta for dinner, Lily?”
Lily nodded. “Yes. Why don’t you take your daddy into the living room and he’ll colour with you while I cook dinner.”
“Okay.” Hazel smiled at Logan and he hugged her and, without looking at Lily, left the kitchen.
CHAPTER 13
“Lily? Will you tell me what’s wrong?” Janet said.
Lily stared into her tea. “Do you mean other than the fact that I’m nearly a week overdue and I’m so uncomfortable and my belly is so big I can barely fit through doors now?”
Janet laughed. “Yes, other than that.”
Lily sighed, opened her mouth to tell Janet everything was fine and found herself spilling out the entire story of Barry’s parents and what had happened between her and Logan.
Ten minutes later, as she stared shamefully at the table, she felt Janet’s hand grip hers. “Lily, it’s okay.”
She looked around the busy coffee shop. No one was paying any attention to them and she stared miserably at Janet, hoping the tears weren’t about to start flowing down her face. “I’m so stupid, Janet.”
“No, you’re not. I told you before, there isn’t anything wrong with being attracted to Logan.”
Lily’s laugh was humourless. “No, nothing wrong with it at all. Except that he’s my employer and if I lose this job, I’ll be homeless and penniless with a baby to support.”
“Do you believe Barry’s parents really do just want to be in the baby’s life?” Janet said.
Lily mulled it over. “Yes. I’ve never seen Regina like that and even Charles seemed much more…subdued than he normally is.”
“Then I think allowing them to be in her life is the right thing to do.”
“You do?”
“I do,” Janet said. “Of course, I’m a firm believer that children should have lots of family around to help guide them and love them so take my advice with a grain of salt.”
“Logan doesn’t want them anywhere near her.”
Janet smiled. “Logan cares for you. It makes him protective of both you and the baby, and I understand why he doesn’t want them near either of you.”
“Logan only cares for me because he has a white knight complex and he believes I need saving.”
Janet shrugged. “I don’t think that’s true, Lily.”
“It is,” she insisted. “Why else would he be attracted to me?”
“Because you’re gorgeous and sweet and good to him. Not to mention excellent with Hazel. Hazel loves you, that’s plain to see, and just from watching you with her I know you’ll make an excellent mother.”
Lily blushed a little. “Thanks, Janet. I love Hazel too.”
“I know you do, honey,” Janet said. “Logan does care for you, and I believe it’s more than just a stupid white knight complex, but you’re right in that it doesn’t mean he can tell you what to do with the baby. You have to make that decision for yourself, and if you want Barry’s parents to be a part of her life then they should be. Don’t let Logan’s personal feelings cloud your judgment.”
“I won’t,” Lily said.
Janet took a sip of her coffee. “Now, how do you feel about Logan?”
“I – what?”
Janet grinned. “How do you feel about Logan? Do you love him?”
“I – I don’t know. I care about him and I -”
She stopped as she felt the familiar heat in her face and cheeks, “I want him desperately. It’s all I can think about, which is ridiculous because I told him that I wanted it to be a strictly working relationship and for the last month he’s done just that.”
