The Baby Contract (The Billionaire Bachelor Series) (17 page)

Abby plopped down on her bed, staring at the pregnancy test. A surreal moment. Her heart thundered in her chest and wrung in her ears. The room blurred around her. She took a deep, shuddering breath.

Pregnant.

Three pregnancy tests had all said the same thing, a fourth sat on the bathroom sink waiting to confirm the first three.

Pregnant.

The word bounced off her brain as she tried to absorb what it meant. This was what she’d hoped for, but now that it’d happened, Abby felt lost. Her empty home felt even emptier without someone to share the news with. Of course, she’d have to tell her father and brother, something she didn’t particularly look forward to. And she needed to tell Liam. A tremor of excitement slipped through her at the idea of being able to see him again. But it was quickly shadowed by the notion that their contract was complete, and they had no further reason for involvement.

Not to mention their fight. It’d been nearly a week since the formal dinner she’d attended with him. Yes, she should be furious with Liam for hinting she was his possession. Yes, she knew better than to get involved with a domineering man again. Yes, she should walk away before it was too late. But her heart hurt. It hurt every morning when she awoke until she fell asleep exhausted at night. It hurt when she battled nausea at the sight of food, and the dizzy spells she suffered while tending patients. It hurt when she thought of raising a child who’d never know their father.

Abby covered her face with her hands. She’d done her absolute best to hang on to her anger, but time had watered it down to mild irritation. The jerk had tried to bully and boss her around, but since that night, he hadn’t tried to push himself on her. She hadn’t heard from him, which was different than what she knew from guys in her past who couldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

Now that she was pregnant, he’d go his way and she’d go hers. A tight ball of emotion tightened in her gut, and she refused to study it. She’d known the whole time they’d end their commitment at this point. Her life would take a dramatic turn while his would continue unimpeded.

She blew out a breath and grabbed her cellphone to make an appointment with her physician to confirm things. After the call she sat on her bed, mulling over the news. She wanted to call Liam right away, but at the same time dreaded doing so, because the end was inevitable.
Best to wait for the blood test anyhow.
Any reason to procrastinate on what she had to do. She placed her palm on her abdomen and tried to imagine the tiny life which had taken hold. A tiny little non-descript peanut of a life form. In a matter of months it’d change her life forever, and her biggest dream would come true. It still didn’t seem real.

Tears trickled down her cheeks and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. She rose and paced the room, not quite sure what to do with herself since it was her day off. Tomorrow she’d get an official pregnancy test at her physician, and in a couple of days she’d call Liam.

She tidied up her home, loaded the dishwasher, put in a load of laundry, and did what she could to keep her hands busy. Once her chores were finished, she walked into the spare bedroom which would soon be a nursery. Boxes were stacked along the walls, odds and ends she didn’t use but couldn’t part with. An old recliner claimed one corner, which she decided to donate to the women’s shelter she volunteered for.
Mint green walls with a teddy bear border. Refurbished furniture and her own baby crib.
She clasped her hands and said a silent, prayerful ‘thank you’.

It was late afternoon when her cellphone chirped. Abby jogged through her house, in the back of her mind hoping it was Liam. Instead, she saw her father on the caller ID. Usually it was her brother who called.

“Hey, Dad,” she answered.

“You’re not going to believe this,” her father said in greeting. “You won’t believe a damn word I’m about to tell you.”

He
never
cursed. Abby’s stomach flipped over. “What’s wrong?” The bank. The bank must’ve called the loan.

“Someone bought the ranch.”

Abby shook her head, not comprehending. “What?”

“Someone came in and bought the ranch out from under us, Abs. Without our knowing it. The bank called us this morning.”

Her heart dropped to her feet. “But you still had a month, right? How can they sell it if you had a month left?”

Her father blew out a hard breath. “No, Abs, they foreclosed a week ago. Howard had given us time to find a new place.”

Abby had to sit down on a dining table chair. She covered her face with her free hand. She thought she’d be her family’s salvation. She’d been sure of it. Tears welled up then spilled down her cheeks.

“Dad, I-I’m so sorry.”

What would they do?

“The whole place, cattle and all, is going to one man.”

“Who?”

“You won’t believe this but some big Austin tycoon named Liam Whitmore. He paid cash for the place and hasn’t decided what he wants other than to keep us ‘on staff’ as he puts it.”

The cellphone dropped to the floor, and Abby’s breath left in a whoosh. She felt like she’d been punched in the gut. Her father’s voice drifted up from the linoleum.

“Abs, you there?”

She reached down and stuck the phone back to her ear. “Yes.”

“I have to go, Abs. I love you.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

She leaned back in the wooden chair, staring off into space and not seeing anything but Liam’s face. Liam had taken the Double H. Why? Why would he do such a thing to her? A control tactic? Fury welled up until she wanted to gag over it. Like hell he would.

It was almost closing time for Whitmore Tower, and she rushed out the door to her car. Traffic was a nightmare. Abby sped down side streets, and pulled into a parking garage with minutes to spare. She took the elevator to the top floor and charged through the foyer.

“Ms. Haden?”

Abby stormed past the stunned receptionist. Civility was out of the question, Abby saw red. She heard footsteps behind her as she rushed to Liam’s office door and threw it open.

“Mr. Whitmore, I apologize,” the receptionist stammered over Abby’s shoulder as she barged inside.

Charity sat across from Liam’s desk and her eyes widened when she took Abby in. Liam looked shocked as well.

“What the hell did you think you were doing, Liam? You stole the Double H—my family’s livelihood—and I want to know why.”

Liam’s mouth opened, but Charity piped up first. “I think I’ll leave you two alone.”

She strode past Abby, grabbed the receptionist’s arm, and directed a security guard who had appeared outside. The door closed behind them.

“You’re an ass. A bastard. A—”

“Stop.”

Liam’s loud command brought her to a halt. She sucked in air, trying her best to rein back her out of control anger.

“I believe there’s been a misunderstanding,” he said. He leaned back in his office chair and folded his hands over his stomach, staring at her. His face was a mask of calm. Behind him, dark, formidable clouds gathered in the skies outside, promising a night of rough weather.

Her eyes widened. “Excuse me? A ‘misunderstanding’?”

“The bank was foreclosing when I contacted them. I didn’t steal anything.”

Abby refused to let her pooling tears flow. She wouldn’t show a moment of weakness. “Why? Just why, Liam? This is all my brother and father have. It’s their everything.”

“Was the ranch why you wanted the two hundred fifty thousand up front?” he asked.

“I’d do anything to save the Double H,” she replied.

“Would you put all of the money into a failing ranch?” His voice had dropped to a near whisper and he looked almost sad.

Her shoulders drooped, so quickly she felt defeated with Liam. Yes, she would’ve pumped every last cent into it if need be. “Whatever was left I’d planned on it going into a trust fund for the baby.”

“And was the money the only reason you agreed to my deal?”

“No. I want this baby.” She placed her hands on her abdomen and looked down to them. “More than you can imagine. I’ve wanted it for so long.”

Just then her pregnancy really hit her—a staggering epiphany bigger than the whole of the universe. What had been a mere idea before, a collection of words in her mind, now had life behind them. A baby grew within her womb. A precious, beautiful, fragile beginning of a new life, and she’d never loved anything so much. Never fathomed the depths she could love something until that very moment. The tears broke loose of her hold and she sobbed. Liam was there, guiding her down into the chair Charity had used.

“Abigail?” he asked gently. “Abigail, are you…”

“Yes, I found out this morning.” She sniffed and took an offered tissue he’d dug out of his desk drawer. “Four pregnancy tests confirmed it.”

He blew out a hard breath then ran his hand over his jaw. “Okay.” He strode to the opposite wall of his office then back again. “Okay.”

Abby sought the anger, and found that it’d crumpled into a useless heap. She felt too drained to reassemble it into something she could use. She reached up to fiddle with her necklace then remembered she’d lost it at the dinner. Another heartache.

Liam sat on the edge of his desk. He clasped his hands in his lap. “Abigail, look at me.”

Abby forced her gaze up. A shaft of sunlight pierced the gloom outside, lighting up his eyes. The onyx color of his irises shifted to the deepest blue, and for the first time she saw Caroline’s gentle eyes staring back.

“I had nothing to do with the foreclosure. You have my word on that. The place was lost before I ever stepped in,” he began. “I never intended for the ranch to leave your family. If you’d conceived, I’d planned on holding it for when the child came of age and pass it on to him or her. If not, I was going to give it to you.”

The room swam before her eyes. Liam’s hands were on her shoulders as she fought a wave of dizziness.

“Are you okay? Do I need to call an ambulance?”

“No.” She brushed away his hands. “Dizzy spells are normal. I’m fine. You should’ve told me what you had planned, Liam. You have no idea how upset my father is. And it’s
their
ranch. Not mine, not the baby’s. It’s
theirs
. This…this isn’t okay.”

Liam dropped to his knees next to her chair, placing his hands on her thighs, pulling her around to face him. A position of submission, she thought as he looked up to her. A strange position for a man like him, and he appeared awkward and uncomfortable with it. Her flesh heated beneath his touch, sending shocks of desire through her bloodstream. She bit her bottom lip, doing her best to ignore the sensation.

“They were about to lose it all. I did what was best for them.”

“You did what
you
thought was best without regard to how me or my family would feel about it. We were surviving long before you came into the picture.”

He reached up and cupped her cheek. Abby hated how much she welcomed his touch. Hated how she wanted more. His thumb stroked over her bottom lip, and she closed her eyes, letting out a shuddering sigh. It wasn’t fair that her hormones were so fickle and easily swayed, their demands much louder than that of her common sense which wanted her to leave.

She sensed him moving closer, and she kept her eyes squeezed shut. When his lips teased over hers, she turned her head away. She wouldn’t give in to the intimacy of a kiss. His mouth found the sensitive spot beneath her earlobe instead. A few feather-light kisses and Abby sagged forward as his arms circled her.

“Come to bed with me, Abigail. Right now,” he whispered into her ear.

She sucked in a hard breath, his request oh so tempting. “I can’t.”

The tip of his nose trailed down the column of her neck. Her resistance ebbed.
One more time, just once more to feel him inside of me. That’s all I need before I say goodbye for good.
He scooped her up and carried her through the office. Abby clung to his neck as he opened a door and stepped into another room. She peered around at the apartment space as he carried her into a bedroom and lay her down on the bed.

“Give me one minute,” he said.

Liam disappeared, and in his absence she saw her chance for escape. The comforter held his scent, and she inhaled the clean, masculine aroma which acted as an aphrodisiac. Abby knew she was trapped. She had no resolve left to resist temptation. Perhaps this was how Eve had felt with the apple of knowledge dangled before her.

Of course Abby knew full well the implications of what she was about to do. Betray her family; she should stand strong against Liam’s involvement in Double H affairs. But her coming punishment for it would be harsh, and as Liam returned to her, his face drawn with hot lust, she welcomed it. Her heart balanced precariously, depending on Abby to keep it a safe distance from the man she opened her arms to. As he leaned down, covering her body, and wedged his hips between her thighs, she knew she deserved the penance.

Love swelled within her heart for Liam, terrible in its beauty and cruelty. He was the wrong man to love, making it the sweetest kind of misery. It’d tear her apart, and if not for the promise of the child growing within her womb, she felt sure it would’ve destroyed her in the end.

Liam’s mouth sought the base of her throat as his hands slid beneath her shirt to cup her breasts. His palms rubbed over her sensitized nipples and she gasped, arching into the caress. He was gentle, gentler than he’d ever been with her, as he tugged her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. His mouth replaced his palms, sucking her nipples through her cotton bra as he thrust between her thighs. Their clothing kept them apart, a frustration she couldn’t deal with. She shoved her hands between them and found his fly. The zipper gave way, and she cupped the bulge of his erection beneath his briefs.

Liam groaned and moved back long enough to rid himself of his tie and shirt before shoving his pants and boxer briefs down his hips. His gaze swept over her as he stood nude next to the bed.

“I’ve never known a woman like you, Abigail.”

Abby stared into his face, he looked frightened. Or perhaps it was her own emotions reflecting back, she couldn’t be sure. He undressed her, taking his time, kissing newly exposed skin inch by inch. He paused over the still flat plane of her stomach before his lips touched it. His warm, moist breath tickled her skin, making her abs tighten.