The Russian Billionaire’s Secret(72)
“Okay,” He pulled out his cell phone. “Give me your number and I'll text you, and you can text me the address and time.”
Shareena rattled off her number and he texted her, she texted him back and gave him her address.
“I need to talk to my lawyer, I hope you understand. I'll call them before our dinner so I know what all my options are too. I wasn't planning on having a father involved, but since this is the situation and you wanted a baby, we can figure out how to make this work. I'm just not sure being bounced around between two homes will be good for the baby,” Shareena admitted to him.
His cell phone started to buzz over and over again and he looked at his text messages.
“I agree, and we can talk about this more tonight. I need to get back to work, but talk to your lawyer and then we'll talk over dinner. I have no intention of trying to take your baby away from you, but I won't give up my child,” he told her giving her a firm look.
Shareena realized he would be a formidable foe if she pissed him off and underneath that pleasant exterior, a man with an iron will lurked. She needed to be careful.
“Tonight then,” she told him and didn't say anything else as he nodded and then walked out of the room.
Chapter 5
Dinner Leads To More
Archer pulled up outside of her house and parked in her driveway. The house wasn't in the most expensive neighborhood in the area, but it was a safe looking neighborhood. Her house wasn't gigantic, but his house was overkill, so he really couldn't hold that against her.
He opened the small chain link fence and knocked on the front door and she let him inside.
“Homemade Spaghetti okay?” She asked him, she had sauce smeared on her cheek and he instinctively reached out to wipe it off her face, startling her.
“Sorry, you had sauce on your cheek,” he told her when she froze from his touch. Their eyes met and then she quickly turned and walked back to the kitchen, leaving him to follow her.
He shut the door and followed her. Her house was clean, and small. She had pictures all over the fireplace of people who looked a lot like her, and her college degree hung in an honor place above the fireplace.
Walking into the small kitchen, there was a table that seated four in there, and it was already set for two people, with a pitcher of water and something that resembled ice tea in the middle.
“I have red wine if you want it, too. I won't be drinking, but I don't mind if you do,” she told him as she finished draining the noodles into the sink and then put them into a serving bowl.
The rest of the food, including garlic bread and a salad were already on the table.
Archer sat down, “Water is fine, thank you. It smells good.”
At least he wasn't worried about their child starving, if her food tasted as half as good as it smelled, their kid would eat good if she was cooking.
“I looked you up on the internet,” she told him as she set the noodles on the table and sat down next to him. “I don't need your money.”
“So you know who I really am?” he asked her, shocked but he supposed he shouldn't have been, a smart woman would have tried to figure out who he was.
“Yes, and I wouldn't tell most people this, but I have a multi-million dollar inheritance that I will get when I turn thirty. If you stay in my child's life, it won't be because I need your money, we will do it because it's good for our child to have both parents involved,” Shareena told him. “I'll be honest, my money and inheritance is one of the reasons I did this solo. I was worried that a man would try to marry me for my money and walk once I got it.”
“I see,” Archer said, completely surprised by her revelation. “Look, I'm used to women chasing after me for my money. You fascinate me, I'd like to get to know you better, I don't know if you believe in fate, but I believe things happen for a reason. You were exactly the woman I was looking for as a surrogate, while you won't be a surrogate, you seem intelligent, beautiful and you don't need a man to take care of you. What if I told you I wanted to get to know you better, and be allowed to help with everything, including taking care of you during the pregnancy just because I want to do it?”
Archer had thought a lot about this and he knew that there was a good chance she'd say no, but putting himself out there would at least make his intentions clear up front. He had never been one to beat around the bush and it's why he'd always been so successful with his work.
“I wasn't looking for a husband, or a man, but since you are the baby's father, I'm willing to be friends and see what happens. I don't know what I believe, I believe they made a mistake, and maybe it will work out better than we could have hoped for,” she told him as she dished food onto her plate and then poured herself a glass of water.
“I find you beautiful. I wasn't looking for a wife, or a girlfriend, but if I had to pick someone, you were the type of woman I was looking for. Your financial status makes no difference to me, but knowing you have your own money is actually a relief. I've been overly concerned about a woman trying to trap me to go after my money, and you not needing my money makes it easier to focus on you, the baby, and anything we might actually feel long-term.” Archer followed her and dished up his own food, and took a bite. It was better than any expensive restaurant. He'd have to convince her to cook for him more often. If he could eat like this, he might not eat out so much.