Dazzle: The Billionaire's Secret Surrogate (Contemporary BWWM Romance) (11 page)

The next time they went to court, a few things had changed. Firstly, Archer had finally employed a full-time security guard to prevent Mia and her friends from breaking into their house. Secondly, Kady’s belly was rapidly getting bigger and he’d begun teasingly asking her if she was having twins. And the third was that Archer’s mother had finally decided it was time to meet the young woman Archer had been dating for the past six months.

Kady hadn’t been expecting the visit, of course. And since she was Archer’s mother, Athena Caldwell didn’t bother to knock on the door before she’d simply stepped inside. It was a huge surprise, to say the least, when they came face-to-face, as Kady began heading down the stairs and had found a familiar face on the way up.

“Hey, you’re that woman from Dazzle,” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m Archer’s mother—what are you—oh, I see,” she was staring pointedly at Kady’s baby bump. “Now I understand. You must have seen Archer’s silly billionaire surrogate ad and decided to go there. But I don’t understand why.”

“Oh, I—I’d just lost my place, and I just couldn’t see how I’d be able to keep the job even if I did get it at that point,” said Kady. “But I don’t understand. Why would you have been trying to get hired at Dazzle when you’re so rich?”

“Daft girl, I should have known,” she chuckled, but there was a note of kindness that blunted any sting it might have incurred. “You didn’t realize who I was then, and you still haven’t figured it out now, have you?”

“I guess not,” she said with a frown, as they both stepped down the stairs and headed up the hall towards the study. “Why don’t you explain it then?”

“I am the owner of Dazzle,” she said, as if it were painfully obvious, a fact everyone should know. “If you’d stayed there just a few minutes more, you could have been working all this time.”

“But—no, I wasn’t able to hold a job right then,” Kady negated what she was saying. “I didn’t have a home to return to beyond that night. If I hadn’t come here, I don’t know where I’d be now. And besides, Archer really, really loves me. I have no doubts about that. I think things turned out exactly as they should have done.”

“And all your dreams of your future in the fashion industry have just vanished in a puff of smoke, just for the sake of my son and this child?” she scoffed. “I hope you don’t intend to fall into a trap like that one!”

“Trap?” Kady repeated, somewhat annoyed at the snap judgments this woman was making about her, even if she was Archer’s mother. “Is it a trap to want to bear your lover’s child and spend your life in his arms?”

“Of course not,” she scoffed. “I’m talking about the trap of not pursuing your own dreams while you’re doing all of that. So many women who could be doing something more get caught up in doing everything for their loved ones and nothing for themselves. I don’t want to see that happen to you as well.”

“What are you trying to say, exactly?” Kady asked, not exactly sure where she was taking their odd conversation.

“That I have been looking for you since the day we met, months ago!” she explained. “You had left your home without a trace, and you’ve never told anybody what became of you.”

“Why would you have been looking for me?” Kady wanted to know. She pressed the intercom button beside the couch and said into it, “Maggie, could you bring in some tea for myself and Archer’s mother in the study? I believe the two of us might be here for a while.”

“Archer’s mother is here?” she answered on a gasp. “I’ll get it out to you right away, Miss Kady!”

Bemused by this, Kady cast the woman a shrewd glance. “Why are all the staff members around here so afraid of you, anyway?” she wanted to know. “I don’t find you all that intimidating. I think you’re rather pleasant, in fact.”

She smirked. “Just don’t get on my bad side then.”

“You were looking for me?” Kady prompted, bringing the conversation back to where it had been before the interruption and subsequent detour.

“Yes, after you disappeared before I could interview you, I just couldn’t stop thinking about the ambitious young woman with the great sense of fashion, so I figured out which application must be yours and did some leg work,” she explained. “I even called your mother looking for you, but you haven’t contacted her in the past six months either. She didn’t even know that you were gone.”

“Yeah, I sort of forgot to mention it,” Kady answered guiltily. “How long ago was that?”

“Three months now,” she answered, crossing her arms over her chest. “The poor woman must be worried sick about you.”

“I should call her, I suppose,” Kady said. “It’s just that I can’t stand that new husband of hers. That’s why I didn’t ask her to help me out—because of him.”

“I understand,” Athena replied. “But the job I was hoping to hire you for is still waiting for you, my dear. If you would like to have it, of course. And I’d even be willing to let you do it from home. However, I do think that you could benefit from more training in the fashion design aspects, since I understand that your degree was in computers. Wouldn’t you like to learn more about that sometime?”

“Of course I would!” She would be a fool not to jump at the rare opportunity to get her foot and name into the fashion world, “as long as you understand that Archer and our baby are very important in my future as well,” Kady replied. “I would never make a decision like that without discussing it with him.”

“Court is tomorrow morning, Kady,” she said, suddenly sounding more like the stern woman that terrified the staff, than the kind person who took the time to look at her sketch and encourage her before the interview. “Perhaps we should save that discussion until we see the outcome?”

“You may be right about that,” Kady agreed. “The last thing we need to do is bring up something to distract him from his own issues. You know how he gets when things don’t go the way he wants them to. And I have no idea what his opinion on this topic is going to be.”

Archer stood near the window in the dining room, looking outside, as the two women and the security guard, Robert, ranged around the food-laden table, deep in discussion. He turned and looked at them as he said, “I really don’t want to think about things in that way. I’d rather hope for the best than plan for the worst.”

“Son, you know very well that’s not the correct way to deal with such things,” Athena replied. “In fact, it was your optimism concerning that employee that landed you in this fix to begin with. You know that it should be standard practice to check the quality of all your products, services, and employees. If they throw you to the wolves, you’ll have only yourself to blame.”

“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Kady complained, when she heard these words, automatically jumping to his defense. “Archer did very well with every other employee he’s ever dealt with, didn’t he? Can we not focus on that instead? It should be something the lawyer places emphasis on, if you ask me.”

“It’s all well and good to say he’s done well, but there’s still a substantial amount of money that his company gained through skimming, and there's no absolute proof that he was not personally involved. I’d say that this guy knew exactly what he was doing. But the real question has to be why. What reason could he have for screwing Archer over?”

“It was over a woman, most likely,” Archer conceded. “But the trouble is, I don’t know which woman, or when, or even why. You have no idea how relieved I am to be out of that playboy lifestyle the other men in the company enjoy so much. Being with one woman who truly loves you is infinitely better by comparison.”

“Yes, especially since she’s got such a good head on her shoulders,” his mother added.

“How would you know that?” he asked.

“One has only to be in a room with her for three minutes to ascertain that,” Athena scoffed. “Still, if you go to prison for any length of time now, leaving her here alone would be unacceptable in her condition. I would be duty bound to take care of her, as you must know. I’ll not leave my grandchild and his mother to fend for themselves in such a way.”

“Then what do you propose?” Archer grumbled. “Are you going to stay here with them? Won’t that make it difficult to run your business in Milan?”

“I shall simply take her with me to Milan for three weeks when I return,” she said in a managing tone. “She’ll be perfectly safe, and she’s not due to give birth until two months after the intended trip. Besides, I understand she has an interest in fashion, so she should really enjoy the experience.”

“Excuse me, but I am sitting right here,” Kady complained, although her heart raced in anticipation at the thought of studying fashion in Milan. It sounded like a dream come true. A dream that she would never have even dared consider a few short months ago. But the reality of leaving had left her feeling deflated.  “Don’t you think you should be asking if I want to be away from Archer for three weeks? Or whether or not I feel safe to travel outside the country in my condition to begin with?”

“I do understand, of course, Kady,” she conceded. “But with that mad woman about that you’ve been so up in arms about, I think you’d be much safer away from here anyway. If she’s really as obsessed with Archer as you say, who knows if she would try to hurt you just as soon as she knew you were alone? No, I’m afraid I cannot possibly allow it.”

Kady rolled her eyes. At least she could tell where Archer got his managing attitude after this exchange. But the woman did have a point. She wrapped her arms around her burgeoning belly in a protective gesture. She would never want to do anything to place herself or her unborn child in harm’s way, and she clearly remembered the look of irrational hatred that morning when she had found Mia and the other woman sneaking through their kitchen. She turned to Archer to gauge his opinion and he nodded as he looked somewhat resigned as well.

“I think that if—and this is a big if—if I am in prison while you are gone, that you’re very right in wanting to take Kady along,” he said, directing his words at his mother while his eyes worriedly traced Kady’s seated form as he began to pace. “I’m just hoping this conversation will be pointless in the end, and I’ll be here to keep her safe myself.”

“You two are getting ridiculous,” Kady complained. “I’m pregnant, not helpless. I can take care of myself if need be. However, if you go to prison, Archer, I may as well take your mother’s offer as an opportunity instead of a sentence of my own. Seeing Milan has always been a dream of mine, so of course I’ll go along if that’s what happens.”

“You two sound like you want me to go to prison,” Archer told them then. “You sound like you’re hoping I’ll be gone a while so you can get your heads together and do whatever you want. Is that the way it is, then?”

“Of course not!” Kady protested, not understanding where Archer was coming from with the idea that she would actually want him gone. The very idea had dread forming in the pit of her stomach like a boulder. “I’m just trying to cooperate here. You know, trying to make the best of thing if– Well, just in case…”

“Perhaps we should discuss this after court tomorrow,” Robert suggested, interrupting her sentence. “Besides, no matter what happens, you’ll still have me to watch over her. That Mia woman won’t get anywhere near Kady with me on the job. I guarantee you that.”

“Then it’s settled, I suppose,” Archer said with a heavy sigh. “They’ll be taking me into the back as soon as the trial is over if they decide to put me into the prison. I won’t have another chance to discuss this outside of their walls if that happens. So what I’m saying is, despite the fact that I don’t like this discussion at all, it’s still good that we had it, okay?”

“Yes, okay,” said Kady, as she came and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Now come back over here and eat, will you?”

“Yeah, boss, no point in starving yourself over any of this. Whatever they decide to do tomorrow, you have the strength to get through. And I doubt they’ll give you the same sentence that they gave to the other guy. Especially not on a first offense.”

“You’re right,” said Archer, a little more confident than before, and not quite so dejected as he came back to his chair. “A good meal and a good sleep are two things I could really use. Too bad I’m only getting one of them tonight.”

Kady’s eyebrows shot up, hearing that. When she glanced over at him, Archer gave her a wink that clearly explained his words. She blushed hotly as his mother gave a delicate cough that could have been a laugh, but when Kady looked in her direction she was looking toward the window, seemingly engulfed in taking in the city scape.

When her eyes met Archer’s, a wave of dark heat rolled over her entire body at the seductive look he was sending her. If this was to be their last chance for intimacy before they had to spend time apart, he intended to take full advantage of that as well.

“But what is she even doing here?” Kady demanded hotly as she and Robert sat with Athena in the courtroom, glaring back at Mia. She was blatantly sitting at the center back of the room with a smug look on her face, and pretending that Kady wasn’t even there while casting friendly waves and smiles at Archer’s mother.

“She has every right to be in this courtroom, unfortunately,” said Robert with a frown, every muscle of his body on high alert. And as a security guard with a military background, he had a lot of muscles. “Unless she attempts to do anything illegal, there’s not a damn thing we can do about it.”

“Maybe she’ll perjure herself or something and land in the slammer herself,” Kady said with a snarl of dislike, slightly ashamed to be hoping the worst for the nasty woman, but mostly wishing she would just disappear from their lives altogether. “We can only hope.”

“All rise!” called the bailiff, introducing the judge as the entire crowd stood.

“Please be seated, and let us get straight to the matter before us,” the judge said. “I have already heard all the evidence in this matter, and we’re currently awaiting my decision concerning any prison time to be given to Mr. Devonshire, despite his lack of involvement in the actual crime. While I sympathize with the fact that the defendant has been attempting to live a life free of illegal activities, his past record indicates that prior to the arraignment on this case, he was hardly what one would call an exemplary citizen. There’s a long list of domestic disturbances, a few arrests for solicitation of a prostitute, and even a charge of possession of an illegal substance, all of which were explained away in a manner similar to the method this lawyer is currently attempting to employ. I cannot, therefore, release Mr. Devonshire completely from his complicity in this, despite the fact it was done without his knowledge. With all this taken into consideration, I am remanding him into custody for a sentence of one year, to be served beginning today. I’m also going to stipulate that time served must exceed six months before any considerations for early release be extended.”

“Your Honor,” said Archer’s lawyer. “I would like to point out that the impending birth of Archer’s child is expected in five months. Would it be possible to revise that stipulation accordingly to accommodate the possibility of him attending that birth?”

“Mr. Devonshire can, of course, be brought to the birthing when it happens,” the judge replied. “However, the stipulation will remain. Case dismissed.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” said the lawyer, frowning, as all the other lawyers began to shuffle their paperwork and move quickly out of the way so the next case could be heard.

Archer stood up from his seat as the officers beckoned, his face set in grim determination, and he waved goodbye to his family, the look in his eyes of sorrow and loss almost more than Kady could bear to watch. In the background, Mia sprang to her feet. “I’ll wait for you, Archer!” she called after him, prompting several of the reporters in the room to snap her picture as she began to run for the door.

“Are you
serious?”
Kady growled, as she watched this activity, her jaw dropping in disgust. This woman was seriously mental. What would it take for her to get over her delusional idea that she and Archer would ever be an item.

“Come along, Kady,” said Athena, laying a gentle hand on her arm to nudge her out of the bench. “The judge won’t tolerate interviewing in his courtroom, and besides, you’re going to want to make sure that stupid little stalker doesn’t start spreading falsehoods all over the airwaves.”

When they finally came outside, several of the reporters branched off towards Kady and Athena. She felt a moment of panic at the gossip hungry looks in their eyes. Archer demanded his privacy, so they had never had to deal with reporters or paparazzi in all the months of their relationship. The questions started coming at her one after another, almost too rapidly for her to keep up with them all.

“Miss Ross? Is it true that your pregnancy is the result of becoming Archer’s surrogate mother, and not his girlfriend?” asked a woman, stuffing the microphone in her face.

“It’s true that when we met, that had been the intention,” Kady said, trying to find the right words to explain. “However, Archer and I are very much in love, and he never hired me to do that because we decided to become a couple instead. We made it work.”

“Are there any marriage plans in the works between the two of you, Miss Ross?” asked another reporter.

“We have yet to discuss marriage at this time,” Kady replied. Robert had grabbed her arm and began to walk her toward their car.

“Miss Ross? Miss Ross?” said someone else. “Are you aware that Mia Chong is stating that she and Archer are the item, and not the two of you?”

The question set all of Kady’s nerves on fire. She was so sick and tired of Mia’s manipulative games.

“Miss Chong has been stalking Archer for some weeks now,” said Robert, his voice hard, professional, and brooking no other questions, stepping between the reporter and Kady. “Mr. Devonshire hired me specifically to shield Miss Ross from Mia and her friends. Now, I’m going to have to ask all of you to allow Miss Ross to get into her car. We’re under strict orders to take her out of here and avoid upsetting her, and Mia Chong is probably the most upsetting topic she is dealing with at this time. I would ask that you please give her space at this time, as she and Archer are going to find their separation at a time like this extremely trying. Thank you for your understanding.”

Having said this, Robert pushed past the more persistent reporters who continued to shout questions in her direction. Kady made a dive for the car as Daryl opened the door, finally managing to get inside. Athena got in right after her, and then Robert. He had to forcefully pull the door closed against some reporter trying to keep it open, and then the car began to move soon afterwards.

“That was completely crazy,” Kady said, her whole body shaking as she tried to process not only the entire ordeal with the reporters, but also the news of Archer’s sentence. As they drove away, she twisted in the seat to look out the rear window.

“Wow, some of them are following after us. I never would have thought they’d be that interested. Archer’s not really in the media that much despite the amount of money he’s worth. Do you think somebody tipped them off or something?”

“I’d lay bets I know exactly who it was,” Athena scoffed. “That little gold-digger has certainly been trying her hardest to get her hooks into Archer, hasn’t she? Well, I’m not about to let her get away with her little scheme, I guarantee you that.”

“And neither am I,” Kady agreed with a frown. “Archer is mine, and she will never have him. I just wish I could figure out a way to get that into her thick skull.”

“Don’t worry, Kady,” Athena reassured her, gently patting her hands where they were folded tensely in her lap. “If there is a will, there is always a way.”