Daddy's Baby Read online

  A small smile. “We probably shouldn’t talk about this.”

  “That’s right. You’re the enemy, aren’t you?”

  “I wouldn’t say enemy.” She sips her drink. “More like defender of the environment.”

  I laugh at that. “And I guess that makes me the villain?”

  “Yes,” she says without hesitating. “Absolutely.”

  “Well then. I can’t complain.”

  She arches an eyebrow. “Why?”

  “Being bad can feel good sometimes.” I lean closer to her. “Remember?”

  She blushes a little bit, glancing down at her drink. “We shouldn’t talk about that, either.”

  “What, the whole reason we know each other?”

  “Yes,” she says. “I mean, it was just one night three years ago.”

  “I know,” I say softly. “Although I did call, if I remember correctly.”

  She glances away. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back.”

  “It’s okay. Ancient history.” I sip my drink. “How about this. Let’s promise not to talk about work.”

  “Okay,” she says. “That sounds good. But what about that night?”

  “Oh, I want to talk about that. In detail.” I smirk at her and she can’t help but smile back.

  We fall into small talk, catching each other up on our lives. I tell her about my company, going into more detail than I did the last time we saw each other. I tell her about starting it all with Reid back in the day, back when we were both just poor guys right out of college flipping houses.

  “We used to work all day at our normal jobs and then work on the houses at night,” I tell her. “Reid used to bitch and moan all the time that we had no life.”

  “Did you?” she asks.

  “Not at all,” I say, laughing. “We used to drink a six-pack each night, sometimes a second if we felt like it, and we’d just flip the house. Neither of us knew shit about construction at first.”

  “But you learned,” she says.

  “We learned,” I agree. “Worked out eventually. We sold a few homes, made some decent cash, and that’s when we started our company.”

  “That’s pretty amazing,” she says. “I mean, you really did it yourselves.”

  “We did,” I say. “That was all we had back then.”

  “Look at you now.” She smiles at me, cocking her head. “From poor guys flipping houses to destroying our natural resources.”

  I grin and laugh. “I thought you said no work?”

  “Just teasing,” she answers, leaning toward me, her finger twirling her hair.

  I ask her about law school, about graduating, about how she found herself at her current job.

  “I didn’t have a passion for it,” she admits. “Not at first anyway, but it was the only place to show any interest in me. Now though, I actually love the work we’re doing.”

  “You know, you could make a lot more working for me.” I smirk, picturing her in my office, down on her knees. She’d beg for a raise and I’d give it to her, but first I’d make her swallow my cock until she choked.

  “I bet you’d like that,” she says, flashing me that sexy smile. “But no, I think I’ll keep the moral high ground, thanks.”

  “Whatever you say. Offer stands.”

  We get another drink each and talk more, falling into a comfortable conversation. I watch her lips as she tells me about graduating, the stress of the bar, the difficult first days in the office. She twirls her hair when she’s nervous, winding it around her fingers, pulling it straight. She tips her glass back and forth, shaking the ice around when she’s listening, and she makes eye contact when I ask her a question.

  All these little things add up to make Teagan who she is. I can’t remember the last time I actually paid any attention to this sort of thing. Normally I see tits and ass and that’s enough for me. I don’t care about conversation, about personality traits, about little minor ticks and quirks. But with Teagan, I feel like I’m studying her, trying to learn her. I want to know her like a favorite book or movie, where I can recite every line by heart.

  We finish our second drinks and Teagan looks at the time. “Shit,” she says. “I need to get going.”

  “No dinner?” I ask.

  “Lost track of time.”

  I glance at my watch and realize she’s right: we’ve been sitting here chatting for over two hours.

  “Look at that,” I mutter to myself. I stand up and head to the bar, closing out with Yasmine.

  “Come back soon,” she says, winking at me.

  I nod and catch up with Teagan. She’s halfway out the door already.

  “Teagan, hold on,” I say. “Let me take you home.”

  She pauses, glancing at her watch. “I don’t know,” she says.

  “No funny business.” I put my hands up in the air. “Promise.”

  “Fine,” she says, smiling at me.

  I text my driver and a few minutes later, we pile into the back of my town car. He takes us over to Teagan’s house, a cute little place in a decent neighborhood. It’s not the nicest house in the world but it’s comfortable and in a nice spot. Part of me wonders why she decided to get an actual home, when there are plenty of apartments in this city, especially considering she’s right out of law school.

  “This is me,” she says, walking up the stoop. I follow her up.

  “I had a good time,” I say.

  “Yeah,” she answers, looking right in my eyes. “Me too.”

  I want to kiss her. I think she wants it too. She cocks her head slightly, letting me stand close, and my heart’s beating fast. I want to bring her inside, fuck her in the kitchen, make her grasp the countertop and beg for more.

  But before I can, the door creaks open. Teagan looks a little surprised.

  “Felix,” she says.

  An older woman is standing there, holding a little boy that’s around two years old.

  “Mommy!” He reaches for Teagan and she grabs him, pulling him into her arms.

  She clearly looks uncomfortable. The other woman looks between the two of us for a second before mumbling something and heading back inside. I’m surprised as hell, I had no clue Teagan had a kid. She never mentioned him, not when we first met and not tonight. You’d think if she went through the last part of her law school while pregnant, that’d be a big part of her story, but no. She never mentioned this little boy.

  “Declan, this is my son, Felix,” she says quickly.

  “Hi there, Felix,” I say, smiling at the boy.

  He looks up at me with this strangely familiar face. I stare at him a second before he looks away, burying his face in Teagan’s shoulder.

  “He’s shy,” she says. “Anyway. I had fun.”

  “Me too. Maybe we’ll do it again.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” She smiles at me.

  I nod and head down the stoop. I get one last glimpse of her before they go inside. I climb into my car and tell the driver to drive for a bit, no destination in mind.

  That little boy… he was so familiar. Something about him just screamed out to me. It was like looking into a mirror. And he was about two years old, maybe a few months younger. Which means…

  No, no way. It’s not possible. Yeah, I slept with Teagan three years ago, but Felix can’t be my son. She would have told me.

  But as the car threads aimlessly through the city, I just keep seeing that little boy’s face and wondering.

  4

  Teagan

  Sitting in my office the next day, I keep running that moment through my mind: the door opening, Felix coming out, Declan staring at him for just a second too long.

  I couldn’t tell if Declan saw it, the resemblance. I never wanted Declan to meet Felix, never wanted him to know about his son. But now they’ve met, although by accident, and I’m stuck trying to figure out if Declan realizes or not.

  I know Felix has no clue. He’s way too young to figure out that the random man on his doorstep is his fat
her. Felix asked about his daddy once, but he hasn’t really shown much interest since. I think he’s just too young to really understand or care. But Declan, he might know.

  I don’t want him involved. I never did, especially not back then. That was a one-night stand, a total stranger, and getting pregnant was my fault. Of course I was on birth control, but even that fails sometimes. Apparently I screwed up and took my inactive pills at the wrong time, and by the time I figured out my mistake I was already pregnant. It was stupid, one of the biggest mistakes of my life, but that mistake gave me Felix.

  I don’t really regret it, not anymore. At the time I was angry, wondering how I could be so stupid. Felix made finishing law school harder, but I didn’t give up on myself. Some women in my place might roll over and die, but not me, I fought tooth and nail and finished. When he came, I made sure I was ready, and I’ve been in love with my little boy ever since.

  I was tempted to tell Declan in those early days, when I wasn’t sleeping and Felix was feeding every couple hours. There were some long, hard nights, and I’m not proud of my thoughts in those days. But I got through it, and I’m glad I did.

  I don’t want a stranger in Felix’s life, and Declan is a stranger to me. I barely know the man, aside from my intense attraction to him. I didn’t want to seem like some money-grubbing woman, only after a paycheck from him, and so I kept away. I was going to raise Felix all on my own for the rest of my life, happily and thankfully.

  I don’t know if that plan’s completely ruined now or what. I think I saw a moment’s recognition in Declan’s eye, but I can’t be sure. It’s impossible to say if he realizes now or not, but I have to be extra careful. I have to make sure I keep Felix away from Declan.

  Not because Declan’s a bad person, of course. I barely know him. But I don’t want Declan getting involved. Felix is my son, not his, even if he is the father.

  There’s a knock at my office door that pulls me from my daydream. Sara steps in the door and softly shuts it behind her. “Busy?” she asks.

  “Not at all.” I lean back in my chair as she walks over and plops down in front of my desk.

  “This case, man…” She trails off, sighing dramatically. “It’s killing me.”

  “Really?” I raise an eyebrow, surprised. Sara has a more senior position than I do, and so more of the responsibility is on her shoulders, but still. I didn’t realize it was bad.

  “They’re just burying me in paperwork,” she says. “One motion after another, almost hourly. I bet they have a whole freaking team of interns filling these things out and filing them.”

  “They probably do,” I say, grinning a little bit. “But come on. You’re practically an entire team of interns yourself.”

  “Maybe, but my hand’s starting to cramp.” She kicks her legs out, stretching. “It’s not even noon yet.”

  I glance at the clock. “Nope. You’ve got a few good hours to fight back.”

  “I’d rather give up,” she whines.

  I laugh. “Come on, what about nature?”

  “Fuck nature,” she grumbles, but I know she doesn’t mean that. I’ve never met anyone as passionate about conservation issues as Sara. She cares more about the environment than anyone in this whole firm, I’d be willing to bet.

  “Is there anything I can take on for you?” I ask her.

  She brightens up a bit. “Well, I do have some form requests that need filing. Grunt stuff, but it’d help a lot.”

  “Sure,” I say, perfectly willing to help. “I can get it done today.”

  “Awesome,” she says, looking relieved. “I’ll have it sent down to you. Thanks so much.”

  “No problem.”

  She gets up and walks over to the window, looking out. I watch her as she turns back to me, a mischievous little smile on her face. “So, what did you think of them? I don’t think we talked about it yet.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, you know,” she says, eyeing me. “The two guys, Reid Nash and the other one. They were at the meeting.”

  “Declan Jones,” I say.

  She raises an eyebrow. “So he made an impression, I guess?”

  “Typical rich guys,” I say, covering myself.

  “I thought they were pretty hot,” she admits. “I mean, they’re trying to destroy one of the last remaining vestiges of greenery left in the whole damn city, but still. I’d let them fill out my paperwork, if you know what I mean.”

  I groan and shake my head. “That’s not a real innuendo,” I say.

  “Sure it is. We’re lawyers. What’s sexier than paperwork?”

  I laugh and throw a paperclip at her. “No way. I’m definitely not into that.”

  She raises an eyebrow. “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”

  I roll my eyes. “Get out of my office, you creep.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she says. “I call Reid. You can have Declan.”

  I go still for a second, but I quickly relax when I realize that she’s joking. “Sounds good,” I say.

  “Perfect. Maybe if we seduce them, we can get them to drop this whole thing.”

  “Doubt it,” I say. “They’re rich guys, remember? I think they care more about money than they do about women.”

  “Please. You’ve never seen me in bed.”

  “I’ve seen you without clothes on and I am not impressed.”

  She laughs. “You bitch.”

  “Get out.”

  She heads over to the door. “I’m sending twice the paperwork now.”

  “Go ahead. My shredder’s been a little lonely lately.”

  She grins and waves as she heads out, shutting the door behind her.

  I sigh and relax a little. I have to admit, I love working with Sara. Sometimes we can butt heads when it comes to little stuff, but overall we’re in sync and things come naturally to us. It probably helps that we’ve been friends for a while.

  Not long later, the paperwork arrives. It’s not too much, so I dive right into it, losing myself in the easy monotony of filling out forms and faxing them to the courthouse. Truthfully, this is most of what a lawyer does: paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork. It’s not like it is on TV, with dramatic scenes and courtroom dramas, though litigators would love it if people thought that.

  Mainly my life is simple. I come to work, I do my job, and I take care of my son. I’m not used to distractions or complications, which Declan definitely is. He makes things more difficult, but he also brings something into my days that I thought I was missing. Something I thought I might not ever have again.

  I was starting to see myself as a mother and a lawyer. I was losing that spark, that edge. That special something that makes me a woman. But Declan, he makes me feel it again, more intensely than I thought possible.

  The day slides by and finally I’m through everything. I text Sara, asking if she needs any more help, but she says she’s all good. I let her know that I’m heading out to get Felix before packing my stuff.

  In the elevator, I lean back against the cold wall and close my eyes for a second. I can see Declan’s hands on my skin, slapping my ass, leaving it red. I had a bruise for a few days after that night, but it was a sweet pain, a nice reminder of the pleasure. I can almost still feel the ghost of that bruise.

  I move with the flow of people through the lobby and find myself out on the street, the sun dazzling. I check my messages and the time. Fortunately I’m running early, and I don’t have to get Felix for another half hour. Marta has a little break today. I head toward the street, intending to walk, get a little extra exercise, when I hear a horn honk.

  “Teagan!”

  I look over in shock to see Declan leaning out his car window, grinning at me. I hurry over to him, not wanting anyone from the office to see me talking to our enemy.

  “What are you doing here?” I hiss at him.

  “I had my driver bring me,” he says, leaning out the back window. “I wanted to see you.”

  “Wel
l, I can’t be seen with you.”

  “Oh really? Embarrassed of me?” He gives me that cocky grin.

  “No, I mean, you know why. You’re the opposing side.”

  “So what?” He cocks his head. “We’re both adults, you know.”

  I sigh. “It’s more than that and you know it.”

  “Fine, maybe it is. So you’d better get in here before anyone sees us together.”

  I bite my lip and stare at him, not sure what to do. I should probably just walk away, pretend like none of this is happening, move on with my day. And yet…

  I want to get in there. The feeling of that bruise on my ass returns, and the memory of last night, laughing and drinking together, comes flooding back. He makes me feel good, better than I’ve felt in a while.

  But he’s the father of my son, and he has no clue.

  “Get in,” he says again. “I won’t disappoint.”

  I hesitate before opening the door. “Fine,” I say. “But be good.”

  He grins at me, sliding over. “I’m always good.”

  I get into the back of his car, uncertain and nervous but still so excited. I thought the days of getting into cars with handsome men were over, but maybe they’re just getting started.

  5

  Declan

  She hangs up the phone. “There, Marta’s going to get Felix.” She frowns a little bit. “It was her day off.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Marta.”

  “No, you don’t have to do that.”

  I just shrug and she sighs, turning to look out the window. Every time I look at Teagan sitting next to me in the car, I keep seeing that little boy’s face.

  He had her nose, her eyes, her hair. But that was my jaw, my lips, my ears. The way I tilt my head, my teeth. The timeline makes sense, too. We slept together three years ago, and that little boy is about the right age to be mine. She said she was on birth control that night, but maybe… maybe she lied.

  I don’t know why she’d lie. Or why she’d keep my son from me. I don’t understand what’s going on at all.

  But when I look at her, I’m not angry. I should be livid. She kept my son secret, my own flesh and blood. She didn’t give me the chance to step up and help raise him like I want to. I would have helped her financially if she didn’t want me in his life, or I would have spent as much time with him as possible. We could have talked about it, worked it out, but I was never given that opportunity.