Читать книгу Fortune's Special Delivery - Michelle Major, Michelle Major - Страница 9

Chapter Three

“Why am I such an idiot?” she asked Meredith later that night. They were back in Alice’s cozy apartment, and she’d just put Flynn down for the night.

“Something about a hot guy will do that to you.” Meredith tipped her wineglass toward Alice. “Add a British accent to the mix, and it’s no wonder your ovaries went into overdrive with Charlie Boy.”

“He wants to be a father to Flynn,” Alice told her friend with a small sigh. She brought her own glass to her lips but set it on the coffee table before taking a drink. Her head had been pounding since the meeting with Charles, and she didn’t need anything to make it worse.

“Isn’t that what you wanted?” Meredith asked, clearly confused.

“No...yes... I have no idea what I want,” Alice admitted. “I’m so tired, I can’t think straight.”

Meredith gave her a sympathetic smile. “The transition back to work hasn’t been an easy one.”

“I love my job, but it’s different now that I have Flynn. Everything is different.” Her maternity leave had ended just over a month ago, and she’d returned to her job with the Texas Tourism Board, which was based out of Austin. She’d worked there for just over three years, and what Alice lacked in a gregarious, outgoing personality, she made up for in attention to detail, understanding the market and her ability to assess what people wanted out of a visit. But it was more difficult for those skills to shine through when she was chronically sleep deprived and always torn between being at work or at home with her son.

She’d modified her schedule so she could work from home two days a week, and had found a semiretired nanny, a sweet older woman, to watch Flynn another two days. Alice’s mother took the baby one day a week. But Alice still got up before dawn most mornings to put in extra hours, and with Flynn’s sometimes erratic sleeping patterns, she never felt rested. Her exhaustion was starting to take a toll, and Alice often felt like she was slogging through mud just to form a coherent thought.

“Charles had a right to know he has a child,” she told Meredith, “but I never expected him to take to the idea so readily. Of course I want Flynn to know his father, but he’s my son. Mine.” Her voice caught, and she cleared her throat. “Flynn is my sole reason for being and now I’m going to have to share him. What if Charles wants partial custody? What if he takes Flynn to England for part of the year?” She knew she sounded irrational but couldn’t help it. Being a mother was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She couldn’t imagine a night when she didn’t tuck Flynn in bed or a morning without a baby-scented snuggle to greet her.

“What if he wants the three of you to be a family?” Meredith asked.

Alice snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. Charles has no interest in me beyond Flynn. He barely remembered who I was at first. Just another in his long list of conquests in the bedroom.” She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. “Not that I was much of a prize.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Alice. You’re not an awkward teenager anymore. In case you haven’t looked in a mirror in the past few years, you’re gorgeous. Men stare at you everywhere we go.”

“They don’t—”

“They do, but you don’t notice.”

“I noticed Charles,” Alice admitted. “We only had one night together and it’s been over a year. I’m tired, stressed and still have ten pounds of baby weight to lose. The last thing on my mind is men. But I could barely form a sentence this morning because of my reaction to him. How am I supposed to remain calm and in control when all I want is to...”

“Jump his bones?” Meredith suggested with a wink.

Alice laughed at the old-school expression, a welcome break in the tension that seemed ready to consume her. “I’m a mother now, Mer.”

“Last time I checked, you’re still a woman.”

The funny thing was, the only time Alice had felt like a woman recently was with Charles. He made her feel alive and aware of herself in a different way than normal. In a way that made her hot and itchy and longing for...more. It had to be something biological, like pheromones. There was no other way to account for her reaction to him. “Until I know how Charles wants to proceed, I can’t let down my guard. Flynn is my first—my only—priority.”

“Then you have to at least give Charles a chance.” Meredith stood, picked up both their wineglasses. “For Flynn’s sake.”

Alice unfolded her legs and followed her friend to the kitchen, where Meredith set the glasses in the sink. “Thanks for listening. I needed a friend tonight.”

“My pleasure, sweetie.” Meredith hugged her. “I’ve got to go now. I’m meeting a few people for drinks at a bar downtown. Want to call a last-minute sitter and join us?”

Alice grimaced. “It’s nearly nine.”

“The night is young.”

“Not for me. I’m exhausted and my alarm is already set for five tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll see you at the office, then,” Meredith said.

Alice locked the door to her apartment behind her friend and sighed. Her mind drifted to Charles and what he might be doing tonight. Was he also at a bar downtown or out to dinner with a woman? He had no shortage of female companionship, and Alice knew she didn’t stand a chance when compared to the women he usually favored. Of course, she’d see him again, thanks to Flynn, but Alice hated that she longed for more. Her attraction to him made her feel weak when what she needed was to be strong for her son.

She quietly let herself into Flynn’s room. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she approached the crib. He slept on his back, his face turned toward her, and her heart swelled with love at how innocent he was. He deserved the best she could give him, which was why she worked so hard, put in extra hours and ignored her own needs. That’s what mothers did for their children.

She’d wait to hear from Charles and concentrate on ignoring her feelings for the tall, handsome Englishman. Her only identity was that of a mother, and it was better for everyone if she didn’t fool herself into thinking it could be anything else.

* * *

Charles lay in bed early the next morning, watching the windows of his hotel suite slowly brighten with dawn light. His sleep had been sporadic and fitful. He’d drift off, only to awake in a cold sweat minutes later. Wispy tendrils of panic had threatened to claim him in the dark, so many unspoken fears and regrets from his life coalescing into one important word.

Father.

Bloody hell.

What had he been thinking to tell Alice he wanted to be a part of Flynn’s life? She’d seemed more than willing to let him off the hook. Shirking responsibility was Charles’s specialty in life. He’d even made a successful career of taking the easy way out. He traveled, shook hands with dignitaries and the rich and famous. He attended parties and smiled for the cameras, and somehow that made him an asset to the British tourism industry.

His existence was so different than that of his siblings, with their businesses, philanthropic projects and seemingly endless supply of energy and work ethic. Even if the superficiality of his life had begun to chafe at his soul, it was what Charles did well. He knew he wouldn’t fail at being a man about town. The stakes were too low for him to care that much. And if he didn’t care, he couldn’t be hurt. Wouldn’t disappoint anyone.

Flynn and Alice were different. They upped the stakes in a manner that scared the hell out of him. Charles certainly knew people whose lifestyles hadn’t been affected by parenthood. Friends of his from the exclusive schools he’d attended growing up hired nurses, nannies and housekeepers while they continued to party and travel with their society wives, leaving the care of the children to the hired help. It was a time-honored tradition in the British upper class but bore little resemblance to how Sir Simon and Lady Josephine had raised Charles and his siblings.

His parents had built their lives around the family, raising a tight-knit group of children with love, laughter and bucketfuls of patience.

Charles knew he’d been a particular challenge, always into mischief as a boy and usually pulling one or more of his siblings along with him. It was all in good fun, and as much as he pushed the limits of his parents’ patience, he never once doubted their unconditional love.

He’d spent enough time with his siblings and their spouses to know they were raising their children with much the same philosophy. His family set the bar high, and this was the first time Charles felt the need to live up to those standards.

If only he knew how.

He didn’t have the first clue about being an instant family man, and it wasn’t just Flynn that scared him. The beautiful blonde from a year ago had occasionally flitted across his mind, leaving him with a satisfied smile and a trace of longing. Seeing Alice again had felt like a swift blow to the head, knocking him off his game and instantly breaking through the self-control he’d so carefully cultivated. He tried to tell himself it was simply because she was now the mother of his son, but it felt like something more. It felt as if she might be the answer to a question he hadn’t even thought to pose.

He grabbed his phone off the nightstand and quickly texted Lucie. A part of him dreaded telling anyone in his family about this monumental development in his life, but they were bound to discover it sooner than later. One thing that came with having such a close family was the inability to keep anything secret.

But his younger sister had managed to keep her marriage to Chase Parker under wraps for ten years. Technically, Lucie had believed that the marriage had been annulled shortly after it had taken place, but still...

Lucie texted back almost immediately and agreed to meet him for breakfast in an hour. He forced himself out of bed, then took a hot shower in the hopes of reviving himself a bit. He was on his third cup of black coffee in the hotel restaurant when his sister sank into the chair across from him.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked, folding her hands in front of her on the table. “I thought you were heading to Horseback Hollow this morning.”

“Plans changed,” he said, his leg bouncing under the table. It probably hadn’t been the best idea to overcaffeinate before this conversation.

“Official royal tourism business, I assume,” Lucie said with a smirk. She took a drink of water from the goblet set at her place. None of his siblings ever tired of teasing him about the ad campaign.

“I have a son,” Charles answered, the older brother in him slightly gratified when she choked and coughed, her eyes widening in shock as she lifted a napkin to her mouth.

“How... When... Who...?” Lucie looked as gobsmacked as Charles felt, but it was good to say the words out loud. Not that holding Flynn in his arms hadn’t made it real, but he’d almost wondered if lightning might strike him down for actually claiming the boy as his own.

A waiter approached their table, and Charles glanced at the menu. “I’ll have the eggs Benedict,” he told the young man. “How about you, Luce?”

She didn’t move but continued to stare at him, mouth agape.

“She’ll have tea and the granola and yogurt, I believe.”

With a curious glance at Lucie, the waiter nodded and walked away.

Charles picked up his coffee cup, then set it down again, as his head was still buzzing. He waved his fingers in front of his sister’s face until she blinked. “Which question would you like answered first?”

Patting the napkin to her lips, she leaned forward. “How did this happen?”

He felt the corner of his mouth curve, since that was the exact question he’d first asked Alice. “The usual way.”

Lucie blinked a few more times. “How old is the boy?”

“Four months.”

“And the mother?”

“I don’t know her exact date of birth, but I’d guess midtwenties.”

“This is serious, Charles.”

“Trust me, Lucie,” he said, as he ran a hand through his hair, “I know that.”

She gave the barest nod of acknowledgment. “Who is the mother?”

“Her name is Alice Meyers.”

“The woman who called when we were out the other day?”

“Yes. She lives here in Austin and heard I was in town.”

“Why hadn’t she told you about the baby before now?”

He shrugged. “She didn’t think I would want to be involved.”

Lucie tilted her head, considering that.

“I’m not certain she even wants me involved,” Charles continued. “She seems to be managing fine on her own.”

“Are you sure...” Lucie trailed off as the waiter brought a small tea service to the table.

“That he’s mine?” Charles finished when the waiter had left again. “Yes. His name is Flynn, and he looks just like me and quite a bit like Ollie when he was that age.”

Lucie met Charles’s gaze as she unwrapped a tea bag and poured steaming water over it. “Still...how well do you know this Alice Meyers? If she’s one of your usual girls, you should have proof. There are tests—”

“Alice offered, but I refused.” He took a deep breath as he thought about Alice’s big eyes and sweet smile. “She wouldn’t...there’s no question. I’m the father.”

“So what now?”

Charles had a minute to think about his answer as their food arrived. “I’ve put in a call to the family attorney,” he said, then took a bite of egg. “The first order of business is making provisions for the boy.”

“There’s more to being a daddy than ‘making provisions,’ Charles.” Lucie’s tone was chiding.

“I understand that, but I have to start somewhere.” He pointed his fork at his sister. “Cut me a bit of slack, Lucie. This was a shock, to say the least.”

She nodded. “Well, if this Alice Meyers isn’t asking for anything, then I suppose you have options.”

“What kind of options?” Charles demanded, his breakfast suddenly churning in his stomach. He tossed his napkin over his barely eaten plate of food. “Are you suggesting that I ignore the responsibility I have to my son?” He said the words through clenched teeth, hating that they were exactly what he’d been thinking earlier. A child meant commitment, and everyone knew Charles didn’t do commitment.

But he wanted to now. He wanted to be a decent father to Flynn. He wanted someone to believe he could.

“You wouldn’t ignore it,” Lucie said gently. “I’m fully aware of how you’ve lived to this point, Charles, but you are a good man in your heart. You’re our father’s son. You will make this work.”

His sister’s words were a salve on the wound of his self-doubt. Lucie was right. Charles might not have any idea of how to be a father, but as he’d told Alice, he’d had the best role model anyone could ask for in Sir Simon. Still, he wondered where to even begin. “He’s so tiny,” he said to Lucie. “Like a miniature old man. Only soft and cute.”

Lucie grinned. “That’s an interesting mental image. Do you have a picture?”

Charles shook his head. “I could barely remember my own name once I saw him, let alone to take a photo. But I’m staying in Austin and will get to know him.”

“What about Alice?”

“I’ll prove to her that I deserve to be part of Flynn’s life, if that’s what it takes.”

“What I meant was, where does Alice fit into all of this? Mothers and babies are kind of a package deal, you know. How do you feel about Alice?”

“Alice seems...” How did he describe his jumbled feelings for a woman he’d spent only one night with but couldn’t get out of his mind? Alice was not just beautiful on the outside but a truly good person, someone who deserved to be loved and cherished. She was the kind of woman who produced thoughts of rings and bended knees and forever. Charles might be able to manage fatherhood, but that didn’t make him a forever type of chap. “She’s nice, Lucie. Far too nice for someone like me.”

“You’ve always sold yourself short.”

“I’m a realist,” he argued. “I know who I am.”

“You know who you’ve been up until now,” she countered. “You’re not in Britain, Charles. Trust me, Texas is the best place for a new start.”

“One step at a time.”

“Just promise me you’ll get to know Alice as well as the baby.”

He signaled for the check. “Of course. I’ll be spending time with both of them. I can’t very well take a baby gallivanting about town on my own.”

“You know what I mean.” Lucie rolled her eyes. “You have more walls surrounding you than the Tower of London. Get to know her, Charles, and let her know you. The real you, not only Bonnie Lord Charlie.”

“Does that mean you believe there’s more to me than ‘the royal treatment’?” he asked. It was meant to be a joke but the question came out in an almost desperate tone.

“I know there is,” Lucie answered just as gravely.

He gave a curt nod, hoping his sister was right.