“Why are you askingme?” Katie shook her head in confusion. “You must know at least a hundred women. Probably closer to a thousand. Ask one of your conquests to have your child.”
“The women Idatearen’t exactly maternal. They wouldn’t want to risk spoiling their figures. Most of them rely on their looks to stay in business, actresses, models, and the like.” He snorted. “Besides, if I asked one of them to marry me and have my baby, she would demand half my assets in a divorce. That is not going to happen.”
She shook her head. “Nope. I’m not doing it. The whole idea is insane. I will not have a baby with you.”
“Wow.” He shook his head slowly as if to clear it. “I actually thought you’d jump at the chance.”
Her jaw dropped.
What an egotist!
“Well, I am sorry to pop your bubble, but there is nothing about you that appeals to me, Mr. Grayson. Perhaps you should hire someone to marry you. There are plenty of women out there who wouldjumpat the chance.”
She started to get up while preparing a marvelous exit line. New York was looking better and better. She opened her mouth, ready to quit her job on the spot. Chase Grayson was about to get a glimpse of the real Katie Greer, a woman unafraid to take a stand and defend herself. She also wasn’t as timid as he thought, nor did she mind making a scene.
He leaped up and grabbed her arm. “That wasn’t what I meant. Take your seat, and hear me out.” When she didn’t immediately comply, he added, “Please.”
She sank into her vacated chair, surprised by his use of the P word. Eyes wide, she pinned them to his face and watched for signs of deception. It occurred to her that he could be lying about the conditions of his father’s Will. Perhaps this was just an attempt to get his secretary into bed.
“Do you remember a conversation you had about six weeks ago?” he asked. “A conversation about your biggest regret?”
Katie’s heart skipped a beat as she recalled the phone call. She’d been talking to Bianca about being a widow, unwilling to ever marry again, and how she wished they’d had a baby. She wished with every fiber of her being that she’d given birth to Phillip’s child before his death. Pain lanced through her every time she pictured a sweet little face that was a mixture of Phillip and of her.
Bianca insisted Katie was too young to give up on finding love again. Katie knew better. Phillip had been the great love of her life, her soulmate. She was lucky to have found him at such a young age and unlucky to lose him two short years later. There were far too many people in the world who never experienced that kind of love. She’d be greedy to try to capture it twice.
But she did wish she had a child to hold and to love.
Her mouth compressed into a tight line. “I recall aprivateconversation I had with a friend. I don’t know about Americans, but we Brits believe it’s bad form to eavesdrop.”
“If you didn’t want to be overheard, you shouldn’t have made the call while sitting in the outer office.”
She folded her arms. “What exactly did you hear?”
Maybe he’d only caught a bit, just enough to jump to the wrong conclusion.
He shrugged. “You want a baby.”
“Correction. I was saying that I wanted my husband’s child, but that’s not possible since he’s dead.”
“You said your biggest regret was not having a baby while you could, that if you had a child, you wouldn’t have to wonder if you should stay single or take the plunge with someone you don’t really love.”
Indignant, she asked, “How long were you standing there listening to me talk? Seems like you heard the entire conversation.”
He waved away her complaint. “I am offering you the opportunity you missed with your husband. Let me give you a baby.”
His words filled her stomach with hot coals. The statement was too intimate, too close to home. She shook her head in flat-out refusal, but he continued talking as if she were on board with the plan.
“We only have to stay married until the baby is born. Then we can go our separate ways and just so you don’t get any ideas, let me make myself clear. I don’t believe men were made to be with one woman forever, especially not me. I like variety. This marriage will be temporary, and there will be some sort of pre-nup.”
She blinked. “And the baby?”
He shrugged. “I will give up my parental rights. As far as I’m concerned, this isyourbaby. You can take him or her somewhere else to raise them with my blessing. In fact, you moving away would probably be best for all of us.”
She considered his offer. She actually considered it. If she had a baby, the baby she’d wished for a thousand times, she could move to New York. Bianca would help her set up a new life on the opposite coast.
What was shethinking?!
“No!” She jumped to her feet and grabbed her handbag. “I’m sorry. Find someone else. I can’t.”