The Billionaire's Baby Arrangement (2 page)

“Not at all?”

Nick seemed amazed by this. Didn't he know how many deadbeat dads there were in this world? Her own father left her mother when Brooke was six years old. She'd rarely seen him, but when he did come around, Brooke would cling to him very tight and beg him to stay longer. He never did. “Daddy's got to go,” her mother would say. Brooke never understood why Daddy couldn't live with her any longer. And she cried for him, night after night, praying he'd come home to stay. After she turned ten, he never came around again.

Brooke wouldn't subject little Leah to that heartache and pain. She'd moved away from Los Angeles and Dan, and spent the next months living on her own, managing a small seaside inn on the California coast just outside of San Diego. The little beach town fit her needs at the time. It paid the bills and she liked the cool ocean breezes and smog-free sunshine. It was good for her pregnancy and good for her state of mind.

“No, Dan's not in the picture at all.” It felt good saying it. She knew one day she'd have to tell Dan about Leah, but not now. Not yet. She needed to get Aunt Lucy's place up and running and making money before she'd tell Dan about his child. She needed all the ammunition she could get to retain full custody of Leah. That's if Dan would even want his daughter. But Brooke couldn't take any chances. She'd inherited her aunt's eight-bedroom home in Napa Valley and with a little ingenuity she planned to make the place a shining bed-and-breakfast for tourists.

“So, you're visiting your aunt?” Nick asked matter-of-factly, as if he'd already come to that conclusion.

“My aunt passed on three months ago. I inherited her home.”

When Nick was ready to pose another question, Leah fidgeted in his arms and made sweet little waking-up
sounds. Nick stiffened, appearing confused as to what to do with her.

“She's hungry and probably wet.”

On impulse, Nick moved her away from his body, looking at her bottom through the blanket. “You think so?”

“Has she been in the same diaper all night?”

“Yes, no. I think one of the nurses changed her late last night and fed her.” He pointed to her suitcases at the other end of the room. “She found what she needed in there.”

“Oh, I hadn't even thought about my things. Did you bring them here last night?”

He nodded and stood. She moved her eyes up the length of him and inhaled a steady breath of air. His day-old stubble and wrinkled clothes made Nick look even more appealing, sexier than she'd remembered. She found that he'd filled out his boyish frame to one of a man who could sustain every woman's fantasy.

Good thing he was leaving. “I'll take Leah now. I'm sure I'll be on my way soon,” she said.

The doctor walked in at that very moment with a chart in his hands. “I wouldn't be too sure of that.” He introduced himself as Dr. Maynard.

Blood drained from her face and her insides knotted. “Why not?”

“While your tests show no damage, you took one nasty bump to the head. You're going to have bouts of dizziness. You won't be able to drive and it's better that you rest for at least two days.”

The doctor did a cursory exam, removing the bandage on her head, nodding that it looked better. He checked her eyes with a probing light and used his stethoscope to listen to her heart. “I can release you today into someone's care, though. Do you have help for your baby?”

She shook her head. “I just arrived in town last night.”
And what an entrance she'd made. “I can call a friend.” She'd kept in contact with Molly Thornton for several years after she'd graduated from high school. Though she hadn't spoken with Molly in two years, she knew she'd lend a hand if needed. Molly was the nurturing type and wouldn't let a friend down.

“Okay, I'll get your release ready. I'm writing you a prescription for pain relievers. Nothing too strong. Are you still nursing the baby?”

Brooke nodded. “Yes.”

He glanced at Leah, who was kicking up more of a fuss now in Nick's arms. “She's cute. I have a daughter a few months older than her.” Then he glanced at Nick. “I never thought I'd see a baby in
your
arms, Carlino.” The doctor glanced back at Brooke. “Next time you come to Napa, I wouldn't suggest you crash into Nick.” He winked at her. “It's safer to steer clear when you see him coming.”

Brooke had already come to that conclusion, years ago.

Nick twisted his lips. “Funny, Maynard. But you won't be laughing when I kick your butt on the court Friday.”

“Keep dreaming.” Dr. Maynard turned back to Brooke, his serious face on. “Be sure to have someone pick you up today and stay with you. Take it easy for a few days.”

“Okay, thank you, doctor.”

When he left the room, she turned to Nick, who had calmed Leah down again. Leave it to Nick to know how to persuade a female. “I'll take Leah now.”

Nick walked close to the bed, holding Leah like she was a football tucked close to his body. Her daughter stared at him with wide eyes.

“She seems to like me,” he said, mystified. “I don't have a clue about babies. Until last night, I'd never held one in my arms.”

“You never had children?”

“No little bambinos for me. I'm leaving that up to my brothers.”

She glanced at his left hand looking for a wedding ring and when he caught her, she must have turned a shade of bright red judging by the heat creeping up her neck. Nick always had that effect on her. He'd turn her inside out and then leave her blushing, or worse. The one night they had together, he'd humiliated her so badly she thought she'd die from embarrassment. She must have been the locker room joke of the day for all the jocks on the Napa Valley Victors.

Baseball, girls and partying were Nick Carlino's claims to fame in high school.

Brooke had been crazy to think that Nick would have wanted her. The golden boy, the first baseman with a .450 hitting average, born with a silver spoon in his mouth and heading for great things—Brooke found out just how out of her league she'd been with him.

He'd nearly ruined her seventeen-year-old life. Her self-esteem had hit rock bottom and it had taken her years to recover. All of the negative things she'd believed about herself had been confirmed. And she'd hated him all the more for it.

Now, she glanced at him as he handed over her five-month-old baby. He was looking handsome and sinfully delicious, and she hated the slight trembles invading her stomach. The sooner she got away from him the better. She wanted no reminder of her past and wished she had crashed into anyone else on earth last night but Nick Carlino.

 

“It's simple, Brooke. You'll stay overnight at my house.”

“I can't do that, Nick.” Brooke put her stubborn face on
and refused to budge, ignoring the spinning in her head. While he was gone, she'd gotten up and dressed in the hospital room, made three phone calls to Molly to no avail, then nursed Leah on the same leather rocker Nick had sat watch on last night.

When Nick said a casual good-bye earlier, she'd known she'd still have to deal with him regarding the damages to his car, but she hadn't expected him to return to her hospital room two hours later.

She'd found him leaning against the doorjamb, staring at her while she nursed Leah, his lips pursed together in an odd expression. An intimate moment passed between them before he'd started issuing orders like a drill sergeant.

“I'll figure something out,” she said quietly, not to disturb Leah. She always had before. She'd supported herself during her pregnancy and managed to deliver a baby without a partner so she could certainly handle this dilemma without a lot of fuss.

“Like what? You're out of options.” He could be just as stubborn, she thought, watching him fold his arms over his chest and take a wide stance. “You can't reach your friend and you heard what the doctor said.”

“I'll deal with it. Thank you. I don't need your help.”

Nick sat down on a chair. Bracing both of his forearms on his knees, he leaned toward her. He looked deep into her eyes and his dark penetrating gaze blindsided her. “Wow, it's been what? Thirteen years, and you're still holding a grudge.”

Brooke gasped and Leah stopped nursing. She settled her baby down and waited until she continued sucking, making sure to cover both the baby and her breast with the blanket.

She wanted to be anywhere but here, having this conversation with Nick. It amazed her that he even
remembered that night. To her it was a mind-sucking, punched-in-the-gut experience, but she presumed it was business as usual for Nick. He'd probably left dozens of humiliated girls in his wake during his lifetime. “I'm not holding a grudge.” It had been so much more than that for her. “I barely know you.”

“You know me well enough to accept my help when you need it.”

“I don't need it.” Even to her ears she sounded contrary. “Why do you care anyway?”

Nick ran a hand through his dark hair and shook his head. “It's no big deal, Brooke. I live in a huge house, practically by myself. You'll stay a night or two and my conscience will be clear.”

“You're worried about your conscience?” That sounded like the Nick Carlino she'd known, the one who watched out for Numero Uno first and foremost.

“I promised to take care of Leah last night. And her mother needs a quiet place to rest. Dammit, maybe I'm just sorry I didn't swerve outta your way faster.”

Brooke was losing this argument fast and that made her nervous. “You weren't the one in the wrong lane. It's my fault. Besides, who's going to look after us, you?”

Nick shrugged. “I'll hire a nurse for a few days. We'd probably never see each other.”

“I can't afford that.”

“I can,” Nick said point-blank. Not in the cocky way he had about him either. He seemed sincere.

The idea sounded better and better to her, yet how could she accept his charity?

He was right about one thing—she was out of options. With the exception of Molly, she'd broken all ties with her friends from Napa Valley when her mother moved them away right after graduation.

 

Brooke had never felt like she fit in with the sons and daughters of wealthy winegrowers, landowners and old Napa money. She was one of a handful of students at the school that wasn't of the privileged class. Her mother managed the Cabernet Café down the street from the high school and Brooke had worked there after school and on weekends. It had started out being a wine-tasting room, but after it failed the owner changed the place into a burger and shake joint. The kids at school called it the Cab Café and the name stuck.

When Brooke didn't answer, Nick landed the final blow. “Think about what your daughter needs.”

She squeezed her eyes shut momentarily. God. He was right. Leah needed a healthy mother. Having a nurse on duty meant that Leah would be cared for and Brooke would get the rest she needed. Waves of light-headedness had come and gone all morning long. It was barely eleven and she was already exhausted. Every bone in her body seemed to ache at one time or another when she moved. The soreness she could handle, but she needed to be fully alert in caring for Leah.

Damn Nick. While she should be thanking him for his generous offer, she resented that he had the means to provide exactly what she needed. Why did it have to be Nick? It seemed like a very bad, cruel joke.

“Well?” he asked.

The idea of spending one minute under Nick Carlino's roof made her cringe.

“Just let me try calling Molly one more time.”

N
ick glanced at Brooke sitting there on the passenger side of his Cadillac Escalade SUV. The only indication of the crash that took her to the hospital last night was the bandage on her forehead. “All set?” He leaned over to give an extra tug on her seat belt and met with her cautious eyes.

“Yes,” she said, averting her gaze. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, “How did you get the car seat for Leah?”

Nick looked in the back seat where the baby lay resting against a lambswool cushion. “My mechanic, Randy, has two kids. He installed it for me.”

“I think I'm supposed to get a new one now. After a crash, a car seat needs to be replaced.”

“I didn't know that.”

“How would you?”

“I wouldn't,” he agreed, not missing Brooke's impatience. He figured her head ached more than she let on. Lines
of fatigue crinkled her otherwise stunning eyes and she appeared exhausted. “My house isn't far.”

“I guess we haven't got a choice.”

We,
meaning her and Leah. Nick caught her drift. “I'll drive slow to the House of Doom and Gloom.”

Brooke glanced at him. “Is that what you call it?”

“Me? No. But you, on the other hand, look like you're going to your own execution.”

Brooke faced him with a frown. “It just wasn't supposed to happen like this.”

“What wasn't?”

“Me, coming back to Napa.”

“What was supposed to happen?”

“I was supposed to reach my aunt's house by daylight. Walk in and find an immaculate house filled with antique furniture. Leah and I would spend the night and then in the morning, I'd be making plans to open it to the public.”

“Guess what? Life doesn't always work out the way you planned.”

“That's cynical, coming from you.”

Nick started the engine. “Because I'm wealthy and entitled, right?”

Brooke sighed and blew breath from her heart-shaped mouth. Nick didn't dwell on that mouth. If he did, he'd be knee-deep in babies and beautiful blondes with attitude. He was simply being a Good Samaritan here. But it irked him that Brooke thought it so out of character for him to help her.

“Nice car. Whose is it?”

Nick blinked at her rapid change of subject. “Mine.”

She smiled, though he saw what that curling of her lips cost her pain-wise. “I make my point.”

Instead of being irritated, Nick chuckled. He hadn't seen that coming. He liked a good sparring partner and
Brooke had just surprised him. “So you think because I drive nice cars and live in a big house, I have everything that I want?”

“Don't you?”

Nick shook his head. He didn't have to think twice. “No.” He'd wanted something more than all those things and he'd lost it, just when it was within his grasp. “Not everything, Brooke.”

He sensed her gaze on him for a few long seconds and then she laid her head against the headrest and closed her eyes, which gave him a chance to really look at her. Unfortunately, he liked what he saw. Silken lashes framed almond-shaped eyes and rested on cheekbones that were high and full. He'd already decided he liked her mouth. He'd kissed her before, but the image of those kisses had blurred with age.

Long, wavy blond locks tumbled down her shoulders and rested on the soft full mounds of her breasts. Her body was shapely, but he'd never have guessed she'd had a child five months ago from her slim waistline and flat stomach.

Don't go there, Nick warned. He wasn't the fatherly type. He had zero plans to get tied down with a family. His past haunted him daily and reminded him that he was better off single, glorying in bachelorhood than trying his hand at anything more.

He drove the car slowly as promised and made his way onto the highway. “Where's your aunt's place?”

“Just outside of the city on Waverly Drive.”

Nick knew the area. It was at the base of the foothills, before the roads led to higher ground and the bulk of the vineyards. “You want to do a drive-by?”

Her eyes widened, lighting up her face. “Yes.”

“You're up to it?” he asked, wondering if he should have suggested it.

“I am. I'm curious to see what the place looks like. It's been years since I've seen it.”

“You never came back to Napa? Even though you had an aunt living here?”

“No,” she said. “I never came back.”

Nick looked at her and she once again averted her eyes by looking out the window.

They drove in silence the rest of the way.

Brooke didn't want to tell him that her Aunt Lucy was her father's sister. That after her parents' marriage broke up, her mother never talked to Aunt Lucy again. But her aunt would sneak visits to Brooke, coming around after school to walk her partway home. When Brooke was in high school, Aunt Lucy would ask her to stop by the house. Brooke had little family and she liked Aunt Lucy, even if she was a bit eccentric. Eventually, her mother found out about the visits but she never tried to stop them.

When they moved away, Brooke had fully intended to keep in touch with her aunt, but time had gotten away from her. She'd always feel guilty that she hadn't made more of an effort to see her aunt before she died. Inheriting her house had come as a bolt from the blue and there'd been only one stipulation in the will, that Brooke not sell the place for a period of five years. With her mother remarried and living in Hawaii, it only made sense for Brooke to come back and try to build a life here for Leah and herself.

She glanced at Nick, who'd just taken a turn off the highway. He was part of the reason she'd never wanted to come back here. Thirteen years had dulled the pain and she'd almost forgotten that deep sense of rejection—of not being good enough, of falling for the wrong boy and
feeling like a fool, but then fate had a way of intervening and turning Brooke's life upside down.

She'd managed to crash into the very man she'd wanted to avoid at all costs. And now she was his charity case. She was going to live under his roof, accept his help and be beholden to him for the rest of eternity.

Good going, Brooke.

“What's the address?” Nick turned onto Waverly Drive and looked at her for direction.

“It's up half a block on your right. It's the only three-story house on the street.”

The houses were sparsely spaced, each parcel of land at least half an acre. If Brooke remembered correctly, her aunt owned slightly more acreage than her neighbors. In fact, it was by far the largest piece of land in the vicinity.

“It's there,” Brooke said, pointing to the lot she remembered. Eager anticipation coursed through her veins and excitement bubbled up. This was the start of her new life. She remembered driving up here in her beat-up 1984 Chevy Caprice when she was in high school. “The Victorian that looks like…” she began and a sense of doom crept into her gut. Her heart sank. The wrought iron gates that were once pearly white grabbed the sunlight with golden hues of rust and age. The flower garden once bright with pansies, daffodils and lavender was a mass of weeds and as Nick drove into the driveway that led to the house, Brooke's heart sank even further. The house looked like something from an Addams Family television reunion, the only thing missing were the cobwebs. And Brooke even thought she saw a few of those tangled up on the third story.

“Oh,” she said, tears welling in her eyes. “It's not like I remembered.”

Nick glanced at her. “Do you want to go inside?”

“I should. Might as well face the music.” She smiled with
false bravado. What had she expected? Her aunt had been ill for the last few years of her life. Obviously, maintaining the house hadn't been high on her list of priorities. Another wave of guilt assaulted her. Had her aunt been alone when she died? Did she have anyone to sit by her bedside when she was ill?

She looked at Nick. “But Leah's asleep.”

“I'll stay. You go in and check the place out.”

When she debated it for a few seconds, Nick added, “Unless you want me to go inside with you?”

“No, no. That's not necessary. If you can watch Leah, I'll go in.”

Nick got out of the car at the same time she did. He took her arm and led her up the steps. His touch and being so near as he walked with her mingled with all the other emotions clouding her head. She didn't want to owe him, but here he was, doing her a favor again. And touching her in a comforting way that led her mind to other touches, other days when Nick had surprised her with kindness, only to destroy her in one fell swoop. Today, even in her weakened state, she wouldn't let Nick's touch mean anything. She didn't trust him. Not in that way.

She stepped onto the wraparound porch by the front door and stood a moment, hesitating.

“Are you all right?” Nick asked, holding her arm tight.

“I'm fine. Just can't believe it.”

Nick smiled and her heart rammed into her chest. “I'll be right out here. Call if you need me.”

She removed his hand from her arm and stepped back.

Nick looked at her skeptically, but bounded down the steps and stood watch over Leah, sleeping in her car seat.

She turned toward the front door and reached into her purse for the key.

Five minutes later, Brooke had seen all there was to see
and it wasn't pretty. The house had been let go for years. The only rooms that were in halfway decent shape were the kitchen and her aunt's bedroom. Those rooms looked somewhat cared for, but the others needed quite a bit of work. It would take a whole lot of elbow grease and some of her hard-saved cash to make it shine, and right now, the whole situation overwhelmed her.

She stood on the porch and found Nick leaning against the side of his car, the open door letting air inside for her daughter. “Well?”

“Let's just say the inside makes the outside look like Buckingham Palace.”

“That bad?”

Brooke walked down the steps a little too fast and everything spun. She fought to keep her balance, wooziness swamping her. She swayed and was immediately caught. Nick's arms came around her. “Whoa.”

Her body pressed against his. He was rock solid and strong, yet his arms around her were gentle. He pressed his hands to her back and rubbed. “Are you okay?”

“I will be as soon as you stop spinning me around.”

He chuckled.

She clung to him, trying to find her balance. Breathing in his sexy musk scent wasn't helping matters. He felt too darn good. She hadn't had a man hold her like this for a year and a half. She'd been deprived of masculine contact for a long time. That was the only explanation for the warm sensations rippling through her body. She'd gotten over Nick Carlino ages ago.

“Bad idea,” Nick said softly in her ear.

Oh God. She stiffened and backed away. Did he think she'd thrown herself at him? “I know.”

“I shouldn't have suggested bringing you here. You're not up to it.”

Stunned, Brooke didn't respond. Clearly, she'd taken his “bad idea” comment the wrong way. She could only look into his eyes and nod. “I think you're right. But I'm feeling okay now, the world's not spinning.”

He took her hand and led her to the car. “C'mon. I'll get you home. You need to rest.”

Brooke got into the car and closed her eyes the entire way to Nick's house. Partly to rest and partly to block out how good Nick felt when he held her close. He was solid and steady and caring. If he were any other man, she might have enjoyed the sensations skipping through her body, but since it was Nick, she warned them off. He'd been out of her league the first time and nothing had changed, except now she knew better than to take Nick Carlino seriously.

She rubbed her temples and adjusted the bandage, thinking fate had a great sense of humor.

Only Brooke didn't find any of this amusing.

 

She'd heard about the Carlino estate, driven past its massive grounds in her earlier years many times, but nothing in her wildest imaginings had prepared Brooke when she entered the home for the first time. While she expected opulence and cold austere surroundings, she found…warmth.

That was a shock.

The stone entryway led to rooms of creams and beiges, golden textured walls, rich wood beamed ceilings and living spaces filled with furniture that she would describe as comfortable elegance. A giant floor-to-ceiling picture window in the living room lent a view of lush grounds and vineyards below.

The architecture of the home was more villa style than anything else. It was an open plan on the first floor but the upstairs spread out to four separate wings, Nick explained.
He followed Brooke to the stairway, carrying her bags as she held Leah.

“You doing okay?” Nick asked from behind as she climbed the steps.

“Great, you won't have to catch me again.”

“No, I'm not that lucky.”

Was he flirting? Boy, she was struggling to keep her head from clouding up and one comment from him had her head spinning again.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she stopped and turned. “Which way?”

Nick stood on the step below her and their eyes met on the same level. He stared at her, then cast his gaze lower to where Leah had clutched her blouse, pulling the material aside enough to expose her bra. Nick flashed Brooke a grin, dimples and all, then looked back at Leah, who seemed absolutely fascinated with him. He poked her tiny nose gently and the baby giggled. “Go into the first set of double doors you see.”

Brooke entered the room and then blurted, “This is your room.”

She couldn't miss it. His baseball trophies sat on a shelf next to pictures of Nick with his brothers and one family photo from when both of his parents were alive. The entire room oozed masculinity from the hardwood floors covered with deep rust rugs and a quilt of the same color covering his king-size bed. Another picture window offered an amazing view of Napa from the hilltop.