‘You don’t want children,’ she said before thinking better of it. ‘You couldn’t have made it clearer. That night you even said you weren’t interested in marriage and kids.’
‘Of course I made that clear,’ he said frozenly from his spot by the window. ‘I always do that to put off women who might think having my baby would set them up for life.’ He shot her a pointed look. ‘And I needed to be extra clear with an inexperienced woman who’d neglected to mention that she was a virgin until the very moment we were about to have sex. I had to ensure she wasn’t hearing wedding bells.’
Her jaw dropped at his outrageous arrogance. ‘You think you’re some hot catch? No woman who knows what you’re really like would ever want to marry you.’
His shoulders lifted and dropped dismissively. ‘It’s amazing what people will put up with when there’s a hefty bank balance on offer.’
‘Well, it ought to be obvious now that I don’t want your money.’ She flushed. ‘Nor do I want you.’
There was such guarded coolness in those cocoa and coffee eyes. ‘Legally Luke will be my son and heir,’ he countered quietly. ‘We don’t need to marry to give him my name. That’s a simple certificate change.’
‘What about my name?’ she asked nervously. ‘He has that now.’
‘No reason why he can’t have mine too. Jones-Torres or Torres-Jones.’ He shrugged. ‘We can flip a coin later.’
So there was to be none of that you must marry me now old-fashioned autocratic drama? He was making out as if this were easy. Emotionless.
But it wasn’t. Misery swamped her as Javier asserted his paternal authority. But didn’t he have every right to do that? She owed. And his calm, apparent reasonableness made her feel worse for having kept quiet these last two months. So now she faced eighteen months of living with him and then what—some shared care arrangement, with Javier offering their son a lifestyle that she could never equal or compete with? She almost bent double with despair at the prospect. She’d inevitably be shut out of Luke’s life.
‘I’ll carry the bag, you take Luke,’ he said stiffly. ‘It might take us a little time to get acquainted.’
Downstairs Connie sent her an anxious look as Javier carried her bags to the big black SUV waiting outside.
‘He’s Luke’s father, isn’t he?’ Connie swiftly whispered as soon as he was out of earshot.
‘It’s that obvious?’ Emmy asked.
‘You don’t talk with any man, ever.’ Connie smiled. ‘And then you bring him upstairs when you’re supposed to be working?’
It wasn’t as if she’d had much choice. ‘Back then, I didn’t know who he was...’ Her voice faded and she swallowed through the sudden tightness.
‘Are you okay?’ Connie stepped closer.
Emmy’s heart broke at that concern but she quickly nodded, not wanting to get emotional. ‘I will be. We will be.’
‘Stay in touch. Please let me know how you are...’ Connie gave Emmy’s arm a gentle squeeze and pressed a quick kiss on Luke’s head. ‘I’m going to miss you both.’
‘I’m going to miss you too.’ Emmy’s breath caught and she blinked back sudden tears. ‘Thank you so much for everything. We couldn’t have survived without you.’
Connie’s grip on her arm tightened. ‘You’re a survivor, don’t forget that.’
Her support gave Emmy a much-needed boost. She was a survivor and she loved Luke as no one else in the world could. But then she saw the car seat already fixed in the rear of the car and reality hit again. Javier had arrived with no intention of leaving without their son. What else did he have planned that she didn’t know about yet?
‘Are you staying at a hotel?’ she asked nervously as she sat in the back between Javier and Luke. ‘Which one?’
Javier didn’t reply as the driver pulled away from the store. Emmy didn’t push it. He clearly valued privacy for personal conversations, and that was fair enough.
Less than fifteen minutes later they pulled up, not at a hotel, but rather the marina. Emmy’s heart took a knock as she saw a sleek speedboat idling at the dock. A crewman stepped forward when he saw the car pull in.
Emerald put her hand over Luke’s tiny one and he gripped her finger. She had no family. Nowhere to go. No one to turn to. Connie was old and had limited resources, she’d helped her the best she could and Emmy couldn’t take advantage of her generosity any longer. She had to deal with this alone.
‘I don’t think that boat is safe for Luke,’ she said, desperately searching for a reason to refuse to board.
Javier glanced at her coolly. ‘Do you think I would endanger him?’ he asked softly.
The tiny hairs rose on the back of Emmy’s neck. ‘Of course not.’
‘Good. We’re staying on my yacht.’
Emmy tensed, trying not to let her reaction show because that didn’t feel safe for her. On a yacht, they’d be isolated and too...close. She’d be vulnerable—not because she was physically afraid of him, but because she was attracted to him still. She had the feeling he could emotionally devastate her on more than one level and on some small yacht, there’d be no escape.
Javier took the tiny life jacket the waiting crewman now held out for them and turned to where she stood holding their baby. ‘This is only for the speedboat. The yacht has been baby-proofed.’
Emmy gritted her teeth and put the jacket on her son; she’d wait and see this yacht for herself to decide what was safe for him.
‘I have one for you too,’ Javier added.
She glared at him. ‘I can swim.’
Javier stared back at her. ‘Put it on or I’ll put it on for you.’
For a long moment they clashed in silence—the storm of emotion slowly changed the colour of Javier’s eyes from that cocoa mix to almost all pure black coffee and Emmy suddenly found herself relent
ing. ‘Will you hold him while I put mine on, then?’ she half choked.
To her surprise, Javier’s eyes widened uneasily, but he didn’t hesitate to reply. ‘Of course.’
He held his hands out awkwardly and Emmy placed her son into them.
As Emmy swiftly shrugged the jacket on, Luke contemplated Javier seriously while Javier gazed back at Luke—the wary curiosity in their expressions was identical.
‘I can take him now.’ Emmy held her hands out the second she was done with her jacket.
Luke babbled at Javier in that exact moment.
‘No, that’s okay,’ Javier said brusquely. ‘I’ve got him.’
A hot wash of discomfort flooded her as she followed them to the speedboat. Was she jealous? Or worse, were her ovaries exploding all over again at the sight of her son and his father assessing each other with such fascination?
The crewman had already stowed her bag, so within two minutes they were moving. The speedboat chugged slower than she suspected it usually did. It was then that she finally paid attention and realised to which vessel they were heading. It had been half hidden beyond a small tour vessel and it wasn’t a yacht at all. It was a floating mansion. It gleamed as if new—its navy and white trim stylish and the chrome fittings almost blinding in the sun. As they came right alongside she stared, counting the levels up. There were at least four decks she could see. Was there a bunch of other passengers already on there?
‘Is this yours?’ she asked as she climbed aboard, her arms feeling empty as he still carried Luke.
‘You don’t like it?’
No one could not like it, but Emmy had never felt as uncomfortable in all her life. Was he really this wealthy? ‘It’s...massive. I thought you were all about environmental eco-tourism.’
‘In this instance,’ he clipped, ‘I’m all about privacy.’
Not even the luxury cruise boats she’d seen arriving here had this detail and comfort. The wooden decks gleamed while the soft furnishings were rich and lavish. There was obviously no expense spared, every fitting and comfort designer. It’s opulence and extravagance were staggering.