He pulled a casserole dish from the top of the double oven. A delicious tomato-and-garlic scent filled the air. Her stomach growled in anticipation. “You assumed a lot by preparing a meal before I agreed to go out with you.”
“We both have the kid’s best interest at heart, and from what I’ve read about you, you’re intelligent enough to know we need to have this discussion. Take a seat and help yourself. It’s vegetable lasagna.”
He had no idea how close she’d come to refusing his “invitation.” She crossed to the glass-topped iron table. He set the rectangular dish on a trivet in the center then returned to pull a loaf of bread from the bottom oven. He sliced the bread, tossed the slices into a basket and brought the basket to the table.
She could get used to a man who was good in the kitchen.
Oh no you won’t.
Next he retrieved a bowl of marinated green beans with grape tomatoes and a pitcher of iced tea from the refrigerator and placed them in the middle of the table, then he sat across from her and filled their glasses.
Nicole’s stomach did one of those weird things it had been doing a lot lately. In a split second it went from not remotely interested in food to ravenous. She loaded her plate and as soon as Ryan had done the same, she dug into the lasagna. The tangy, sauce made her eyes roll back in pleasure, and the thick chunks of eggplant and mushroom tasted better than anything she’d eaten in ages.
She ate for several minutes before looking up and finding his gaze on her. Embarrassed by her unladylike appetite, she paused with her fork halfway to her mouth—the mouth his eyes had focused on. “You know how to cook?”
“My grandmother made sure I learned.”
She’d always envied her friends whose men enjoyed sharing the kitchen with them. But that kind of domestic bliss wasn’t on her agenda. “This is very good.”
“Thank you.” He watched her tuck a tomato between her lips and something changed in his eyes. Something that caused her stomach muscles to tense and her pulse to flutter.
She fought off the sensation and concentrated on the things she didn’t like about him. His bossiness. His risky hobbies. His determination to deprive her of her child.
“Despite your domestic skills, between your motorcycle and your boat and from what I’ve read about you, you’re nowhere near responsible enough to raise a child.”
“You shouldn’t believe what you read in the gossip columns.”
How could she ignore what her Google search had revealed? Look at him. What woman wouldn’t want him? Except her, that is. He was smart, successful and wealthy. Hadn’t her brothers proven that men constantly bombarded with women tended to be selfish and far from good father material?
“Do you or do you not trade in your women more often than most people charge their cell-phone batteries? A child needs security and stability.”
“I haven’t been involved in a long-term relationship lately, if that’s what you’re asking. Have you?”
“My love life is none of your business.”
“It is if your habits could endanger my kid’s health.”
Her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, but she couldn’t manage to dredge up a blistering comeback. Once again, as ugly as his comment might have been, his concern was valid. “That isn’t an issue.”
“I want a copy of your medical records and to attend every doctor’s appointment with you.”
She bit her tongue. Pain stabbed her mouth. “What?”
“You’ll need to transfer your records to the obstetrical practice I’ve chosen.”
“Are you out of your mind? You can’t make those decisions for me.”
“I want to track his development. And this obstetrical group is the best in the region.”
She shoved her plate aside. “First of all, he might be a she. Second, I have my own doctor. I’ve been seeing her for years, and I’m not changing. You can’t make me.”
He weighed her words as if debating arguing. “Is he or she board certified?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t go to a hack—especially now. I’ll have my doctor fax you a report after each visit.”
“Not good enough. I want to be able to address questions as they arise and see the ultrasound scans.”
Any child would be lucky to have a parent so interested. If only hers had been, but her father had been too busy with his gambling buddies.
“I’ll check with my doctor, but I think she’ll agree to meet with you. I also want to make sure Beth and Patrick are comfortable with your intrusion.”
Not that either of them had attended her appointments thus far. Their absence had surprised Nicole. But maybe the obstetrical appointments were painful reminders of Beth’s inability to conceive.
“They’ll have to deal with it. Get used to it, Nicole. I will be a part of this child’s life with or without your voluntary consent. And I won’t be parked in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. I’ll be right by your side during every examination.”
Four
R yan’s audacity astounded Nicole. He was backing her into a corner, and she really didn’t like it.
She could feel her muscles tensing, her heart pounding and her hands trembling. She silently chanted her three P’s. Her mantra didn’t have its usual calming effect. The urge to tell him to go to hell nearly overcame her good manners, but volatile reactions never solved a problem. They only exacerbated the situation, and alienating him was the last thing she needed to do.“You can’t impose on my private doctor’s appointments.”
“Would you like to bet on that? Your exams are also my child’s exams. I have the right to make sure you’re following doctor’s orders and not endangering my kid.”
She crumpled the cloth napkin in her lap and her toes curled in her shoes. “I would never do that!”
It took everything Nicole had to rein in her temper. For Patrick and Beth’s sake, for her baby’s sake, she had to find a solution—a peaceable solution. She excelled at finding ways to make the impossible happen at work. Wasn’t she known as the go-to girl? But compromise ideas were scarce now.
She’d learned that whenever a problem was this complex it helped to break it down into manageable increments and address each component separately. She needed time and distance away from Ryan to get her thoughts in line.
Carefully pushing her chair back from the table, she took a deep breath and then rose to her feet. “Thank you for lunch, but I’d like to leave now.”
He stood more slowly. “You haven’t finished your lunch.”
“I don’t think I can eat another bite. Morning sickness.” More like man sickness.
“It’s not morning.”
“The baby doesn’t wear a Rolex.” Ryan did—an expensive gold model like her father had gambled away at a casino. She remembered the screaming match that had ensued when her mother found out.
“I’ll drive you.”
She dropped her napkin beside her plate. “I’d rather call a taxi.”
“We haven’t finished our discussion.”
She couldn’t possibly remain polite in his company. “There’s no need. Please have your physician fax your health records to my office.”
“Mine?” His dark eyebrows winged upward.
“Yes. Yours. As you pointed out, I—we have every right to know if this baby will inherit something from you that might affect the pregnancy or delivery.”
“I told you I was healthy.”
“And you expect me to take the word of a stranger?” She threw his words back at him, and then smothered a wince.
That wasn’t nice, Nicole.
But maybe if he realized how ridiculously intrusive he was being then he’d back off.
“I’ll take care of it. But I’m not calling a cab for you. I brought you. I’ll take you back.” His inflexible tone and rock-hard jaw warned her arguing would be a waste of time.
Some battles weren’t worth fighting. As long as she won the war—and she would win—she could concede this one. “Fine. Lead the way.”
“Before you go, I have one more request.”
Her insides snarled into a tense knot at the calculating glint in his baby blues. Her control was already teetering on the edge. One teensy shove and she’d lose her temper.
“If you find my home unsuitable, then help me find another one.”
She blinked and swallowed, not liking the direction of his thinking. “Why would I do that? And why would you want me to?”
“Because we both want my child to be raised in a safe environment.”
My child. The words raised her hackles, her temperature and her heart rate each time he said them. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but be impressed that he cared enough to make the effort to provide a better environment. “A real-estate agent would be more knowledgeable.”
“Without a doubt. I’ll engage one to find the houses, but she won’t have a personal stake in my decision. You might as well know I intend to sue for sole custody, but worse case scenario, I’ll end up sharing with Beth and Patrick. Either way, I’m looking for a safe place, and I know you have a vested interest in my selection.”
He’d certainly laid his cards on the table. And while part of her respected him for his honesty, the other hated knowing his strategy.
Her lawyer had confirmed the courts would be unlikely to deny him some form of connection. If the worst case scenario he mentioned came about, the child’s welfare came first. And she’d rather her child live anywhere than here in a place where his or her safety would always be at risk.
“I’ll help you find a house. But don’t believe for one minute that equates to me accepting the inevitability of you as a parent to my—this baby. You are not parent material.”
One corner of his mouth quirked up with stomach-flipping, breath-catching effect. “Guess I’ll have to prove you wrong.”
“Is that your latest floozy?” Harlan Patrick spit the question from the opposite side of Ryan’s desk.Ryan glanced at the photo lying on the top of the open file he’d composed on Hightower Aviation. He’d printed the professional shot of Nicole from the Hightower Web page. The photographer hadn’t managed to catch the fire in her aquamarine eyes or the golden glints in her light brown hair.
He wasn’t ready to share his surrogacy plan with his father yet or discuss how it had gone wrong. “I don’t sleep with every woman I meet.”
His father snorted in disbelief. He’d always believed the worst of his son—probably because until recently Ryan had given him reason to. Ryan had spent a lot of time acting obnoxious as a kid hoping his mother would get sick of his shenanigans and send him back to his father, but his strategy hadn’t worked. By the time he’d gone off to college the rebel pattern had become a habit.
But his partying and rebelling days were over. And while he would never deliberately deceive anyone, he wasn’t above letting his father’s tendency to jump to conclusions work in his favor for once.