Chapter 1

SAM

DAKOTA PERCHED on the edge of the bathtub, holding the pregnancy test in front of her, eyes wide and fingers trembling. Drip. A droplet of water plopped into the sink. The sound reverberated off the stark white tile and swirled around the small bathroom like a gunshot. Drip. I jiggled the spigot and put an end to the infernal leak. Tomorrow, I’d call the apartment manager and get someone up to fix it, but today—right now—all I could do was stare at the plastic stick in my wife’s hand. Never had such a small, insignificant piece of plastic held so much power over my future.

A lock of brown hair had escaped the messy bun on top of Dakota’s head. I brushed the strand behind her ear, letting the pad of my thumb caress the creamy skin of her cheek. She smiled up at me, eyes soft as the Mediterranean Sea. Damn, I loved her this way, wearing one of my oversized T-shirts and nothing underneath but a pair of white cotton panties, her lips still swollen from our early morning sex marathon.

“You look scared out of your mind.” I pried the stick out of her white-knuckled grip, set it on the edge of the sink then drew her onto my lap.

“I’m not scared. I’m terrified,” she whispered. I buried the tip of my nose in her hair and savored the strawberry scent of her shampoo. “This is huge, Sam.”

“Don’t worry, baby. It’ll be fine. Either way,” I drew my arms around her waist, pulling her against my chest. The weight and warmth of her body reminded me of all the reasons we were meant to be together. We fit like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, different but interlocking, one incomplete without the other.

“I’m not ready for this. We’re not ready. It’s not the right time.” The back of her head rested on my shoulder. She watched me through the lacy screen of her lashes. “We’re just getting the new company up and running. You’ve still got financial challenges to work through. I need to hire a dozen more employees. We’re both putting in sixteen-hour days. When will we find time to raise a baby?” Her voice rose in pitch and volume with each word.

“It’ll be fine. I promise.” I kissed the top of her ear and tightened my grip on her. The roundness of her bottom fit against my groin with maddening perfection. I pushed against her. My cock began to thicken behind the thin cotton of my pajamas. No matter how many times we had sex, it never seemed like enough. The constant craving to claim her grew greater with each passing day. Hence the pregnancy test.

“Said the guy who spends every spare minute in the office. You won’t be able to do that when we’ve got a kid.”

“We’ll hire a nanny. Two, if we need them.” I worried the tip of her earlobe between my teeth. The idea of my baby in her belly sent a surge of hot desire into my loins.

“No. No nannies.” She wriggled in protest. I trapped her legs between mine to hold her still, rewarded by her squeak. Power play had always been the highlight of our relationship. “You said you hated growing up with nannies.”

“True. Okay. You can stay home and be a full-time mom.” I loosened my grip to trail my lips down her neck. 

She relaxed her body and slipped through my arms to stand in front of the sink. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don’t want to stay at home? Maybe I want to keep working? Did you ever think about that?” She put both hands on her hips and glared at me. “I’ve gone through too much to throw away my career.”

“Then I’ll stay home and be Mr. Mom.”

“Like that would ever happen.” She rolled her eyes, but I saw the glint of humor in their depths. “You’re too much of a control freak. You’d last about an hour.”

 I made an ineffectual grab for her. “We don’t have to give anything up. That’s the beauty of owning the company. We can set our own hours.” She backed up a step and cocked her head. I blundered on. “If Venetia can manage, you will, too.”

“Venetia has Beckett.” She sucked her lower lip between her teeth at the mention of my youngest sister and her boyfriend, who’d just had their first child. “He’s home every night.”

A warning sparked in my gut. An argument lurked around the corner. Work had always been a priority in my life. We’d hardly seen each other at all over the past four months. Dakota understood, or at least I thought she did. Now, I wasn’t so certain. I pushed past her jab and focused on the immediate situation. “We’ll start a daycare at work. I’ll put Xavier on it.” In all honesty, I hadn’t thought about the logistics of child care, but it seemed like a small detail. “We’ll do this together.”

“Really?” One of her eyebrows arched. “You’ll have to be here to participate.” She pointed to the floor. “On this continent.”

I brushed a hand over my face and exhaled. Since our marriage, I’d made frequent trips oversees and to New York. My diligence had paid off, however. I’d managed to acquire enough funds to finance our new company. In another six months, I’d have those loans paid off in full. Now more than ever, I needed to be at the top of my game. One slip, one lapse, could stop the momentum. On the other hand, nothing mattered more than Dakota and our child. Concessions would have to be made.

“You knew I’d be traveling a lot until we got the company off the ground. We both agreed it was necessary, and you said you were fine with it.” Having been married to Dakota once before, I knew better than to take this high-handed line of approach, but being an arrogant male, I did it anyway.

She didn’t back down. “A baby changes everything.” Every time she challenged me, I loved her even more. “I’m not sure you’re up for it. You have no idea how much time a child will take.”

“I’ll make time,” I made another grab for her hand, successful this time. With a sigh of playful resignation, she resumed her seat in my lap. In this moment, I couldn’t have been more contented. We were going to be a family—my family—mine.

“You say that now, but—”

The timer on my phone buzzed. We both jumped. My heart pounded as she gingerly lifted the stick and studied the outcome.