"Are you telling me the truth, Kimber? You are a reporter, you have your ways."
"I swear, I wasn't hiding this from you."
"You know this changes everything, right?"
"What do you mean?"
His stance is threatening, and I feel like I should sit back further on the seat to get away from all the attention he's giving me.
"I'm one of the most eligible bachelors in town, and I want to be the father of that baby."
The tone in which he delivers that sentence bothers me. A lot.
"This is my baby, Lucian."
"He is my son."
"Yes, and I'm sure we can come to some sort of compromise."
"I want to be a part of his life. Starting now."
"You seem to want a lot of things for a man that just found out he's going to be a father."
"When is the next doctor's appointment?"
"Lucian, you can't just take over things like this. This is not a business asset we're talking about."
"If you deny me my son, I'll find a way to get partial if not full custody."
I get up, with difficulty, as I shove my phone in my purse and start to leave the office. I have no patience for a man that's pulling all this alpha male shit in front of me. I can raise my son on my own without anybody's help. I'm clumsy as I get out of the office, but I keep going.
I sigh in relief as I don't hear the door opening behind me. I wave to the assistant and punch the button to call the elevator. As I wait, I do my breathing exercises. I cannot let my blood pressure get out of hand because of this. My blood is boiling, however, and I don't know what to do about it.
He actually threatened me. I should have known a man like that would resort to brute force instead of communication. When the elevator doors finally open, I get in and don't look back. Fuck Lucian de Luca. But at least I have a last name for my son.
Chapter 10
Lucian
It took me a while to convince the magazine's editor to give me Kimber's contact information, but now I have it. I was a jerk to her when we talked, and I need to apologize. We need to talk about the baby, but more importantly, we need to talk about us.
The first attempt at an apology was twelve dozen pink roses, with a card that says I'm sorry, can we talk? I put in my number underneath the message and now am waiting for her to send something that acknowledges that she's gotten my offering. I must admit, waiting is not my strong suit, but knowing that I have Kimber back in my life gives me hope.
Around noon, I finally get a message from her.
Kimber: It's going to take more than this to make me forgive you
Me: Can I see you tonight?
Kimber: I'm craving Mexican
Me: I'll be there at eight with tacos
Now with spirits high, I am able to finish the last things on my business agenda. I've cleared my schedule to spend as much time as I can with Kimber. I was tempted to bribe her editor to give her an extended maternity leave starting right now, but that will probably get me in trouble.
I go home to change into something more comfortable and then pick up the food at the best Mexican place in New York. A food truck, of course. When I arrive, the doorman already knows she's expecting me, and that gives me a positive boost.
She takes a few minutes to answer the door, and when she opens it, I'm blown away once again by her beauty, which is now accentuated by her beautiful big belly where my son is peacefully resting.
