VEGAS follows you home (17 page)

"Where's your machine?"

"It's down in Mercedes' office." I look toward Damon when I respond. He's already started down the hallway. "Why?"

He doesn't respond, only disappears.

I place Alex in his highchair, getting him ready for dinner.

"Did you have fun today?" Smiling, I pinch his cheek.

"Momma," he giggles.

Ruffling his hair, I lean forward and kiss the top of his head. "I love you so much, little guy."

"Mon," Alex calls out.

"What?" I wrinkle my brow, confused.

"He calls me Mon." Damon's smooth voice sends tingles across my skin.

I turn toward his voice.

"I…" I don't know what to say.

Damon ignores my speechlessness and holds out the fax for me to take.

"I think we both know what these will say, but I assume you want to see the official results for yourself." His crooked smile does bad, bad, wonderful things to me.

Damn him!

"What are...?" When I see the bold print in the top left corner of the page, I swallow hard. The possibility of hyperventilation swarms over me as I look at Damon, who's still smiling. I look back down to the black and white evidence in my hand.

Parentage Testing Procedure Report

Report for Case AHarlow262.619

I take a long breath in through my nose.

DNA Solutions has undertaken a parentage testing procedure using DNA testing methods on the bodily samples identified to us as:

Alleged Father: Damon Patrick Knyght

Child: Alexander Isaac Harlow

Mother: Olivia Jean Harlow

Tests using DNA technology were carried out on the DNA extracted from the samples, analyzing multiple short tandem repeat (STR) regions of the DNA. The following results were found for each of these tested regions:

STR REGION - RESULT

D5S818 — MATCH

D18S51 — MATCH

vWA — MATCH

D3S1358 — MATCH

CSF1P0 — MATCH

D21S11 — MATCH

D13S317 — MATCH

TPOX — MATCH

D2S1338 — MATCH

D8S1179 — MATCH

D16S539 — MATCH

AMELOGENIN — MATCH

ACTBP2 (SE33) — MATCH

D6S366 — MATCH

D1S1656 — MATCH

D22S1045 — MATCH

DNA Solutions reports that the results of the parentage testing procedure carried out on the bodily samples of the donors specified above show that Damon Patrick Knyght is the biological father of Alexander Isaac Harlow.

The tears filling my eyes prevent me from truly seeing any more of the results or the signatures and certification stamp.

"You can't be that surprised?" Damon's voice causes me to look up from the papers, showing him the tears in my eyes. "Olivia," he breathes out, pain etched in his features.

The doorbell rings, saving me from his pity. Damon moves to take care of the food delivery while my mind reels. He would press for the visit to New York, the birth certificate, and every last one of his demands.

The sound of the door closing and smells of food pulls me out of my spiraling thoughts. Damon places the white bags on the counter, turns toward a cabinet, and begins pulling out plates. When he turns back around, he stops and stares at my frozen form.

"Are you okay?" he asks, setting the plates on the counter.

I can only nod.

"Well, the food is here."

One by one, Damon reaches into the bags until he finds what he’s looking for.

"Aha, buddy! Here it is." With a small plastic container in his hand, he walks to Alex, who’s still sitting in his chair, and dumps some macaroni noodles with plain red sauce onto his tray. "Are you going to sit?"

His question draws my attention from the tray of the high chair to him moving back to the counter. Our eyes meet and he cocks one eyebrow. Gathering the food containers and plates, he takes them to the kitchen table.

I finally unfreeze and move to sit across from him.

"What would you like?" He motions to the containers.

"I'll get it." My voice, barely above a whisper, falters.

It wasn't that I hadn't known Alex could be his son, but to see it in black and white and so official…I try to process everything and prepare for what Damon will throw at me next. I reach for the linguini, but Damon takes my plate.

"Allow me," he offers with a cocksure smile.

I don't even want to imagine what is going through his mind now.

I take the plate full of linguini from him and we eat in silence. Well, he eats. I mostly shove my food around the plate.

"Olivia?"

My eyes snap up at his voice.

"Are you not hungry?"

I clear my throat. "Not really, I guess."

"Well, then, how about we discuss your trip to New York with me?"

He sits back in the dining chair and takes a long drink from his glass.

"We will leave Sunday and—"

"I never said I was going to New York with you." I place both palms on the table.

Damon's face hardens. "Olivia, you have the results. I want my family to meet the both of you. My wife and son."

"Damon," I sigh, "I can't just up and leave. I have a schedule and a business to run."

Annoyance saturates his movements as he rubs his hands over his face.

"Fine," he growls. "When is a good time?" His eyes come back to mine, challenging.

"I'll have to look over the schedule with Ced." I shrug.

His mouth opens to protest, but I put up my hand.

"Tomorrow," I add, quickly.

"Why can't you look tonight, so I can make proper arrangements?" Irritation pours off him.

"Because Ced knows that schedule better than I do. She even remembers things that aren't written down on it or pending." I push my still full plate away from me.

"Fine, but I need to know tomorrow so I can change my arrangements." Standing, he takes his plate to the sink.

"Why do you need to change your arrangements?"

Damon leans with his palms down on each side of the sink and lowers his head.

"If I leave without you, you won't come at all, Olivia. I'm not an idiot."

"I-I wouldn't do that." As soon as I say it, I know it isn't completely true. Eventually, I would go, but I would procrastinate for much longer with him gone.

"Wouldn't you?" Turning, he narrows intense eyes on me.

"Not if I agree to do this."

"Well, I'll stay here until you agree." Pushing away from the counter, he walks back to the table.

Out of nowhere, inspiration strikes.

"Fine," I blurt, "we’ll go. But there are conditions."

He stops two feet from the table and eyes me suspiciously.

"What are the conditions?" His eyes bore into me as he pulls out the chair and retakes his seat.

"Alex and I will come to New York and meet your family. We will also make arrangements for you to be in his life. But you have to sign the annulment papers, dissolving our marriage."

Leaning forward, my elbows on the table, I return his intense stare.

His eyes narrow. "No."

"Take it or leave it, Damon." Sitting back, I cross my arms over my chest.

Damon sits silently, his eyes never leaving mine. We stay locked in a staring battle until Alex throws his spoon on the floor, giggling.

"You aren't allowed to throw silverware, mister giggles." Giving him a scolding look, I pick up the spoon and set it on the table. "Are you all done?" I ask Alex.

He raises his arms and grunts, “Up.” I loosen him from his chair and take him straight to the bathroom, leaving Damon at the dining table.

Once Alex is bathed and dressed, we play on his floor for a while. Damon does not join us, nor do I hear anything from him.

The hour gets late and Alex starts yawning. I begin his nighttime routine and settle him into bed. It’s at this time that Damon appears. He brushes his fingers over Alex's head and whispers good night to him before walking back out of the room. Turning on his crib toy, I watch Alex for just a moment as the music lulls him to sleep.

Quietly closing the door, I back out of his room.

"Olivia?" Damon whispers.

His voice causes me to jump and turn around. Not realizing how close he is behind me, we now stand less than an inch apart. I try to step back, but I just end up pressed against the wooden door. Damon's eyes gaze hungrily at my mouth. Unintentionally, I part my lips, feeling breathless. My eyes trace the soft curve of his mouth.

Is it wrong to want to jump your stalker?
I mentally slap myself from this stupor.

"I have my own conditions as well." His face moves closer.

I try to speak, to protest, but my mouth is too dry. Instead of speaking, I slide myself out from in front of him and motion for him to follow. As I turn around in the living room, he is just entering.

Taking a deep breath, I try to calm my raging hormones and breathe air untainted by his enticing, masculine scent.

He smirks, knowing he’s affecting me.

"What conditions?" I quickly ask.

"First, you and Alex come to New York and stay for a week. Second, you will stay with me, in my home, as a family."

He puts up a hand, stopping me from protesting.

"Let me finish."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I huff. He smiles, amused by my pouting.

"So, where was I? Ah, yes, that's you both staying for a week, living with me as a family, and you agreeing to go out on two dates with me while you are there."

My eyes widen.

"Dates alone," he clarifies. “No Alex, just us.”

Just when I thought I had leverage, he takes it away. Damn him! Oh, and there is that fucking cocksure smile again. Double damn him.

Taking a deep breath, I fight the urge to kick him out of my apartment, but it’s not like he would go.

After taking a moment to mull over his proposition, I decide this may work in my favor. I could agree to this. It's just a week and then I would be free from this marriage.

"One week, live in your home, and two dates?" I question, ticking them off on the fingers of my right hand.

He nods, giving a victorious smile.

"And you will sign the annulment papers if I agree?"

"I will sign
after
you meet the conditions."

My mouth pops open in surprise. "How do I know you won't change your mind after the week?"

He shrugs. "How do I know you won't back out of New York if I sign now?"

He has a point, but I wouldn't do that.

"I told you I wouldn't do that," I argue.

"What can I say? I'm cautious." He lifts one shoulder in a half-shrug.

"Fine," I growl before thinking too much about it.

"Fine?" The shock in his voice is clear. "That's a yes?"

I nod and close my eyes. Before I can open them again, he wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me from the floor.

"Thank you," he says, his voice turning jovial as he spins me around.

"Put me down." I try not to laugh. He does as I request. "I'm going to bed."

"You'll let me know when we can go to New York tomorrow, right?"

"I said I would," I respond without looking back at him.

Padding softly down the hall, I run my hand over Alex's door. I brought this into our lives and it would never be the same again. I close my door and head straight for the shower, the promise of steamy hot relaxation calling out to me.

Relaxation doesn't come immediately. My brain won't stop turning over what I just agreed to do. It's a risk to go to New York without him signing the papers, but I need to try this before attempting a legal battle with Goliath.

Mercedes arrives to the bakery around five-thirty. Once she’s settled into her office, I square my shoulders and prepare for the onslaught of questions to come.

"Hey, Ced, can you tell me what we have on the schedule for next week and the week following?" I ask, sitting across from her.

"Sure."

She reads off the three upcoming consultations and four cakes I need to personally work on.
So, next week is out of the question.

The following week only holds two pressing orders, which I could have done by Monday night. I could leave Monday evening and return on Sunday. It’s not the whole week he's asking for, but it’s as close as I’ll be able to do.