Baby for the Billionaire(152)

Despite her reservations about herself, about Connor’s ability to give her the independence she needed, they really could make this marriage work. At least they both knew exactly where they stood. There were no pretenses. For a brief moment she thought about the fact that she’s never told Connor that her eggs had helped Suzy to fall pregnant. That Dylan was part of her. Then she pushed it away. That wasn’t really a pretense—she’d kept it secret for Suzy’s sake. And she’d never considered herself Dylan’s mother—not until Suzy had been killed. But she knew she would have to tell Connor the truth—the sooner the better.

Contentment spread over her as she picked up the paper. The headlines were too depressing; she pulled her face. Her usual favorite, the financial pages didn’t draw her as they normally did. She flipped to the middle of the paper, to the personality features. An inset photo drew her eye.

Connor …

In the gossip pages?

The larger surrounding photo was of a laughing couple in wedding dress. She glanced at the caption. “Business as usual?” Dana and Paul had gotten married?

Did Connor know?

She quickly scanned further. The story salaciously rehashed the fact that Dana had been Connor’s live-in lover and that her defection to Paul’s bed had caused a split in the company.

But it was the concluding paragraph of the story that disturbed Victoria most. The reporter’s sly insinuation, that Connor’s same-day, low-key wedding had been his way of beating the wedding couple to the church door was given credence by Connor’s apparent refusal to comment.

Unmindful of the hiss of the shower and the sounds of glee in the en suite, Victoria set down the paper and stared blindly out of the bedroom window. She didn’t even see the first pair of tuis of the spring whistling in the giant pohutukawa in the garden—which would normally have delighted her.

Connor had known that Dana and Paul were getting married yesterday.

Nothing could dislodge that earth-shattering discovery. Connor had clearly known about the wedding—he’d even been tackily asked to comment. Had last night been about Dana marrying Paul?

A feeling of violation shrouded Victoria. Was it possible that in some twisted way she’d become Connor’s instrument of revenge against the couple who’d betrayed him?

No, it wasn’t possible. Because she had made the choice to move in with him. Not Connor.

But Connor had come up with the idea of marriage.…

And deep in her heart she suspected this was the reason why.

He was hurting. Two years on and still he couldn’t let it go. Underneath his bitterness at their betrayal must lie an immensely profound love for Dana.…

She gave a groan and rolled onto her stomach to bury her face in the soft down pillows.

She needed time to come to terms with this Sunday-morning bombshell. Once she’d recovered from the searing hurt, she’d confront Connor.

But not yet. Not while she felt wounded, raw … and so horribly exposed.

Connor juggled the slippery baby in his arms as water sluiced over them, rinsing off the suds.

Dylan was in heaven, if his squeals and frantic wiggles were anything to go by. Connor had a feeling today’s shower was going to become a weekly Sunday-morning ritual.

And damned if he hadn’t had fun, too.

He hiked the baby up and gave his sodden head a quick kiss. Soft warmth expanded in his chest.

A part of him.

Dylan was his.

And, God willing, they would have years together. He would watch Dylan grow up and he’d always be looking for parts of himself. Would Dylan’s dark-gray baby eyes lighten to the clarity of his? Or would they change to match Suzy’s angelic blues?

He was Dylan’s daddy. He could hardly wait for Dylan to utter the word. He’d teach it to the baby. But it would take nothing away from Michael.

In asking for his help Michael had given him the greatest gift of all. He’d agreed to be a sperm donor so that the bout of mumps Michael had suffered as a child wouldn’t deprive him and Suzy of the child they so desperately wanted.

He would make sure that Dylan grew up knowing everything about Michael. And his mother, too.

Although there were no signs of Suzy in Dylan yet, they would come. With luck the baby had inherited his own height.

“Never fear, you won’t be short,” he murmured to Dylan who was inquisitively playing with the stream of water that drenched them. “My genes won’t allow it.”

He grinned. Victoria would claim it was his arrogant gene showing through.