Chapter1
Violet Taylor didn’t want to look at the stick she peed on moments ago. The timer had gone off. She should look at it, even though she knew the answer to her question. Her breasts were sore and exhaustion had been her constant friend. She knew. She’d known for a week.
Not that she’d experienced pregnancy before. Ever. Still, she knew this wasn’t her getting her period. She should have gotten that two weeks ago. For someone who was never late, this was beyond late.
She paced the small bathroom in her tiny apartment. She had no idea why people built small houses. If you could afford a house, build one you could live in. Her place felt even smaller right now. She looked around. She couldn’t raise a kid here. No way.
She didn’t think she could go through with an abortion, but she couldn’t keep this child. She’d go through the whole pregnancy only to give it up.
And the father? Did he have a right to know? She wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure about anything. Pregnancy brain, or stress from the situation.
“Are you going to look at it?” Kalia, her best friend, asked.
She’d called her before taking the test. Her friend was knocking on her door minutes later because she only live across the hall in her own tiny apartment.
“Fine.”
She looked. Two blue lines. She was pregnant. She sat on the edge of the tub, her legs not able to hold her at that moment. The tub’s coldness seeped through her threadbare robe.
Kalia grabbed the stick. “Shit.”
“Yeah, shit is right.”
“Who was he?”
Violet thought back to that night six weeks ago. She’d been itching to get out of the apartment, so she’d gone to a bar. This guy must have been slumming because his designer-tailored suit hung on him as if he’d been born with it on. That didn’t scream neighborhood bar. She’d gone willingly to a hotel. Stupid enough and now she was pregnant.
“Some guy I picked up. Guess the condom broke.”
“Violet, let’s take a deep breath before you do anything rash. This guy might want to know.”
He’d been so out of her league. A white guy, no less. Not her usual type. One night stands weren’t her thing. He’d been the first guy she’d ever picked up in a bar. This was why you didn’t do that. You ended up pregnant. She’d admired his long, dark hair. Remnants of her days when she was attracted to bad boys. He’d been a bad boy in his own right. She remembered that he knew his way around a woman’s body. He’d played her like a virtuoso.
Her mouth dried at the memory.
The best sex she’d ever had. And now she had a baby growing inside of her. Shit.
“Do you remember anything about him?” Kalia asked.
Then Violet remembered. He’d put her in a cab, but put his number in her phone.. She’d never used it, too embarrassed by her actions that night. “He put his number in my phone.”
Kalia left, then brought back her phone. It had minimal charge left. At least her electricity hadn’t been turned off and she could charge it. She scrolled through her contacts.
“Find him?”
“Amedeo. I remember he made me think of Mozart.”
“Was he Austrian?”
“No, Italian. First generation, I think. We didn’t talk that much that night.”
Kalia flashed her a smile, clearly seeing the humor in her remark. Violet took a deep breath, then blew it out. “Guess I better call him.”
“Give it some time. Nothing’s going to change in twenty-four hours.”
“It might. I’m not sure I have rent this month. Well, it’s due for three months ago. I don’t have the front or the back rent.” She looked at Kalia as tears threatened to leak out of her eyes. “What am I going to do?”
“You are going back to bed and sleep. Then when you wake up tomorrow, you’re going to have a clearer head and then you can decide a course of action,”
Violet sighed. Her friend was right. The news was still a shock. She couldn’t make a hasty decision. There was now a baby involved. She might actually have to find a real job instead of freelancing. She chafed at the idea, but she needed benefits to go to the doctor. She had someone else to think of now.
“You’d better get to work.”
Kalia waved a hand. “I already called in to tell them I’d be late. I’ll call in sick if you need me to.”
Kalia was the best friend that Violet had ever had during a life that saw few good things happen. “I think I’ll go back to bed. I’m wiped out and I need to make some serious decisions about my life.”
“You’ll do the right thing, Violet.”
“Yeah, past history tells me that. I wouldn’t be in this spot if I’d done the right thing.”
Kalia patted her hand. “Go back to bed. Get some sleep. I’m going to work. I’ll be off at three and I’ll check in then.”
“Use your key in case I’m asleep.”
“No problem.”
Kalia left her sitting in the bathroom. Could she handle this new wrinkle in her life? She wasn’t so sure. She had no choice. She couldn’t afford an abortion, but she’d bet that Amedeo could. She’d be out of his life if he paid for it.
There was no way he would want a baby from a one-night stand. Did she want a baby from a one night stand? She patted her stomach. “I don’t know what I’m going to do little one, but it has to be best for both of us.”
No answer from her abdomen. She didn’t expect one, but some divine intervention might be due about now. She looked at her phone. Should she call him now? No, she’d wait until she had some sleep. Things would look better then.
She left her phone on the sink, then crawled into bed.
***
Amedeo Killiano couldn’t sit still. He normally had a lot of energy. It was why he took up running. If he needed to sit by a computer all day, which was his passion, he knew he’d have to get physical in other areas of his life.
He’d received a cryptic phone call from a woman he’d had a one-night stand with. He’d given her his number, but she never called. He’d been sorry he didn’t get her number. They’d had a good time and he’d wanted to see her again. Not just for sex.
He waited a week then tried to forget about her. Here it was a few months later and she’d asked to see him. They hadn’t flirted on the phone so Amedeo had no idea what this meeting was about.
Not being able to concentrate on his latest program or read his emails, he’d found himself staring at the screen for minutes at a time. Not seeing, just wondering what she wanted. Had she changed her mind? He thought they could have had fun together. Nothing serious, but she’d had the best lips and he couldn’t forget how they looked on his dick.
That had been the best blowjob he’d ever had.
His secretary knocked then entered. “Just wanted to go through our day with you.”
“Sure.”
She sat. “You have this mysterious appointment this morning, then you have to meet with your finance guy about that loan. He wants you to consolidate some debt.”
“He just wants a bigger commission. I have very little debt.”
“Then why’d you let him make an appointment?” Madge said.
She’d been his secretary for years and she could pretty much say anything she wanted to him. Never rude, but she was always forthright about giving her opinion. She was smart, so he always ran things by her. Always one to use his resources, he liked that she would give her opinion freely.
Except when it came to his dating life. She thought he should settle down with a nice girl. She was practically his second mother because his first mother said the same thing. Now that his brother Dante was married, his mother had turned her sights on getting him hitched. Which was the last thing he wanted.
No time. He worked odd hours. He liked to come and go as he pleased. He liked to sleep with whatever woman took his fancy that week. He did have stock in a condom company. Or so people thought.
Amedeo shrugged. “He’ll just badger me until I give in. This way, he thinks he won because he doesn’t know that I’m not changing anything.”
“You’re evil sometimes.”
“Sometimes. I mostly use my power for good,” Amedeo said.
“Let me leave you to your work. It’s a light day today for meetings.”
“Good, because I have some programming to do.”
“You could farm that out,” she said.
“Nah. I’m a code monkey at heart.”
She left, but only a few minutes passed when she buzzed him to let him know that his first appointment was here. He told her to wait two minutes, then send her in. He needed to get himself together. His heart rate went up and he checked his drawer for condoms. Hey, a guy could hope.
Violet Taylor strode into his office as if she owned it. Her eyes darted around, but that was the only chink in her façade he saw. His body woke up in reaction to her proximity. They’d been good in bed. He hoped they’d be there again at some point.
She sat on the chair his secretary had just occupied. What was the etiquette post one-night stand? Did they hug? Shake hands? Clearly, Violet wasn’t doing any of it. She just looked at him. He returned to his seat.
“Good to see you, Violet.”
She licked her lips. Those full dark lips… He needed to stop thinking about that.
“You may not think so after I tell you why I’m here.”
He loved that her voice was husky. Low and almost masculine. Though there was nothing else masculine about her. She had rocking curves and a great big booty. He was sure he’d bitten that booty at some point during their night of passion. Her skin was a beautiful mocha and she had glossy black hair, down to her shoulders.
He tried to discreetly adjust himself under his desk.
“Then just say it. No reason to dance around whatever brought you here.”
“I’m pregnant.”
Okay. He wasn’t sure what to say. “You’re pregnant? You’ve taken a test?”
“Three tests. They all came out positive.”
Three? “Did you bring them with you?”
As a billionaire, women often tried to rope him into marriage. He wore a condom every time, so he was skeptical about pregnancy claims. She dug into her purse, producing all three sticks. She’d anticipated his question. She was good.
“What does this have to do with me?” he said finally.
“Since you’re the only person that I’ve had sex with in a year, you have to be the father. Unless this is divine intervention, but I don’t see any star in the east.”
He loved that sense of humor. She’d had it in bed, also. “I’m supposed to just believe you?”
She rose. “Yes. I’m only telling you so you know. I didn’t come here for anything. Well, except that I don’t have money for an abortion.”
Abortion? She was going to end the pregnancy? Wait a second.
“If I’d had the money, you never would have known about it,” she continued.
That didn’t sit well with him. This was his child, too. Not that he’d planned on having children, but he did like them and passing down his legacy to a smaller version of himself did stroke his ego a little.
“Wait.”
She stopped by the door. Was she bluffing? He didn’t think so. He could read people and she had been headed out the door. “What?”
“If I pay for everything, will you have this baby?”
***
“Pay for everything?” Violet said.
She’d only wanted money for an abortion. She couldn’t raise a baby. Did he really want a baby in his life? A man who had one-night stands wanted to commit to a child for eighteen plus years? It didn’t make sense. It couldn’t be that simple. There had to be a catch. This man could have any woman he wanted. Why would he want to tie himself down to a baby?
“Everything, Violet. Doctor bills for you until you have the baby. Whatever you need until you a have the baby.”
“Free and clear just so that I have this baby?”
“You don’t believe me.”
“I was born at night, Amedeo, but it wasn’t last night. There has to be a catch.”
“There is.”
She turned toward him, her arms crossed. “Lay it on me.”
“You just have to have this baby. And live with me. I have several spare bedrooms so you can choose whichever one you want.”
“I don’t have to sleep with you?”
His gaze raked over her and she felt naked under his scrutiny.
“As much as that would be a lovely side benefit, no, there is no obligation to have sex with me.”
She leaned her weight on one foot, tapping her other one on the floor. She had to figure this out before he roped her into something. There was another angle here, she just couldn’t figure it out. What was he trying to pull? She didn’t trust him. It was his broken condom that had gotten her into this predicament. Maybe he’d bought bargain ones. Did the Dollar Store sell them?
“I don’t get it.”
He put his hands out to his side, his brow crinkling. “What is there to decide? You have this baby and I’ll pay all of your expenses.”
“What happens after the baby is born?”
“If you want to give him or her up, I will take the baby.”
This didn’t seem right. “You want a baby?”
“I hadn’t thought I did, but why not? I’m not getting any younger and there are no marriage prospects knocking on my door. My mother might actually leave me alone about getting married if I give her a grandchild.”
She cocked her head, still not getting it. “So I get to live in luxury, have this baby, then move on from there if I want?”
“You can see the baby if you want. I won’t deny you that or the baby its mother. I’m not a cruel man, Violet. You should know that from my lovemaking.”
Of course, her mind went back to that night. He had been a considerate lover. Her mouth went dry. She’d come more times that night then she had in the three prior years. She swallowed trying to get her mouth wet again to speak. “I have to think about this.”
“Ask me anything,” he said. “Come sit, so we can talk.”
She eyed the chair as if it were a trap. Was it? She didn’t understand. She hadn’t been one to babysit as a kid. She’d never been enamored of ankle biters. She wasn’t one to rush to hold a baby. What did she know about being a mother? Nothing. Her own mother had been deficient in the warm and fuzzy part of mothering.
Not seeing any way around it, Violet sat in the chair opposite him. She didn’t sit back. She didn’t make herself comfortable. She kept herself ready to bolt at the slightest hint of anything going south.
He eyed her for a minute. “What do you need to know to make this happen? Ask me anything, Violet. My life is an open book.”
He sat there with his long-fingered hands and his designer suit as if life was always this easy. Life wasn’t easy. It wasn’t supposed to be, but she’d bet it had been for this man. He didn’t look over his shoulder to make sure no one was following him when he walked home from the bus stop.
It took her two trains to get to his office. Did he even use public transportation? Did he even understand the struggle of living paycheck-to-paycheck? Probably not, but he wasn’t being a jerk. If he was to be taken at face value, he was offering to pay her way. Offering to keep her safe and healthy during the pregnancy.
“What’s in it for you?”
“I’ve explained that. I get a baby. Either I get to have him or her part-time or he or she lives with me. Either way, I get to help shape the next generation.”
“You like kids?”
“I love kids.”
She snorted. This didn’t make sense. None of this made sense. “You actually like kids. They smell and are loud and don’t have any sense of what not to say.”
He laughed. “That’s what I like about them. They don’t lie most of the time,” he said. “I am completely serious about my offer, Violet. You can move in as soon as we do another pregnancy test.”
So he didn’t believe her. She stood. “I think we’re done here. I’ll figure out another way to pay for the abortion.”
“You don’t want to keep your child?”
“I’ve never wanted children. Wouldn’t know the first thing about raising them.”
“I’ll get you parenting classes.”
She shook her head. She almost couldn’t breathe at the idea of raising a child. Her lifestyle didn’t fit it. No insurance. No car. No steady income. It wouldn’t work. “I don’t think they will help.”
“My offer has a deadline, Violet.”
“So it isn’t that simple.”
“I’ll give you one week to think about it. If I don’t hear from you, I won’t think about you again. You won’t be able to come to me when you’ve had the baby.”
That was cold, but she should have expected that. One doesn’t get a large office and company like this without stepping on a few toes. She brought herself up tall. “I’ll be fine.”
*
Amedeo entered his brother Dante’s newly-renovated offices in Princeton. They didn’t work far from each other, so they sometimes had lunch. He needed some advice from his brother, who would soon be a father.
He greeted his Dante’s new secretary, introducing himself.
Dante’s wife had been his assistant for years, but she was now home awaiting the arrival of their first child. Or she was off somewhere being a sommelier. He couldn’t keep track of Gwen.
“Hi, I’m Amedeo.”
The thirty-something woman smiled up at him. “You must be his brother.” She held out her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Zena.”
He shook her hand. She could see the resemblance. “Nice to meet you, Zena. Is my butthead brother free?”
“He’s in there with your other brother Salvatore,” she said.
Maybe this was serendipitous. He should have Salvatore run a check on Violet. No reason not to be forewarned so he knew what he was getting into. “Can I go in?”
“I would imagine it’s fine.”
He knocked then entered his brother’s office. The building had been torched, but now it stood looking even better than before the fire. Dante had been able to design exactly what he wanted and insurance had paid it all.
Amedeo hugged his brothers. “Good to see you, Sally.”
Salvatore cringed at the nickname, but Amedeo always called him that, just to annoy him. “You, too, Amedeo. How’s it hanging?”
“To my knees, like always,” Amedeo said.
They sat on chairs as Dante observed them. “You two young bucks done posturing?”
Amedeo looked at Salvatore. “Listen to the old, married man. I think he’s jealous.”
“Yep, jealous that we can get as much ass as we want,” Salvatore said.
“Laugh it up, guys, but I’m happier than both of you combined,” Dante said. “Now. Lunch? Or are you two buttheads going to preen a little more?”
Amedeo laughed. “I want lunch, but I do have something to talk to you about.”
“Oh?” Salvatore said. “There’s medication for those pesky sexually transmitted diseases, but your small pecker is something you’ll have to live with.”
Amedeo ignored Salvatore’s remarks. “Actually, I may have gotten a woman pregnant.”
His two brothers didn’t say something for a minute. Then Dante spoke first. “Is this a good thing?”
“Well, if the baby is mine, then yes. I want to make sure she’s pregnant first, before I celebrate. If she is pregnant with my child, I want to raise it.”
“You want to raise a child? By yourself?” Salvatore said.
“Yes. I like kids,” Amedeo said. Did his brother’s not know this about him?
“Okay. Assuming that you want this child. If she doesn’t she can terminate the pregnancy without your knowledge.”
“I’ve made her an offer,” Amedeo said. Both his brothers stared at him as if he had two heads, but the offer had made sense at the time. “I will pay all of her expenses until the baby is born.”
Dante whistled. “Holy shit, Amedeo. She can string you along for a few months, living off you.”
“I’ll make her take a pregnancy test, don’t worry,” Amedeo said. He wasn’t a complete idiot.
“How do you know this woman?” Salvatore said. Of course he would be even more suspicious than Dante. His job as a bodyguard and private detective made him that way.
“We met and had a one-night stand.”
“And you’re willing to raise this child if it’s yours?” Dante said. “It’s a big job, bro.”
“I’m sure it is, but I have resources. I can get a nanny,” Amedeo said. He could convert one of his bedrooms in his penthouse to a nursery. It was only money to spend.
“Let me do a background check on her,” Salvatore said. “Give me her name and what you know about her.”
“Of course.” He told his brother her name.
“I can get a preliminary report this afternoon. I’ll put someone on it while we’re eating lunch,” Salvatore said.
His brother had his back. “Good, thanks.” He looked back at Dante. “What are you thinking?”
“That if this works out, my kid will have a cousin close in age. Are you sure about this?”
Amedeo waved his hand. “Yes. If the child is mine, I want him or her taken care of. Whether I do it full time or part time depends on what Violet wants. I’m just not willing to let her terminate the pregnancy.”
He assumed she was going to take him up on his offer. If she wasn’t, he was going to have to figure out another way to deal with the situation. He was getting used to the idea that he might have a son or daughter. He’d be a good father.
“Then I guess congratulations are in order, pending the pregnancy test and pending the paternity test. I never would have thought this of you, Amedeo.”
“Why not?”
Dante and Salvatore exchanged a glance. “Because you’re the biggest playboy in the family. A child is going to curtail that a bunch. Even with a nanny. Maybe not at first, but when the child can talk and ask you where you’re going, it will,” Salvatore said.
Amedeo hadn’t thought about that, but he was going to have to adjust his lifestyle. He could do this. Once Violet made her decision about whether she was going to step up and be a parent, he would start interviewing nannies. No reason not to be ready for the inevitable.
He sighed. He was going to have a busy few months while he was waiting for the baby. He could do this. Having a lot of money at his disposal made life easier. No reason for his kid not to grow up with that wealth. Money could provide a lot that he hadn’t had as a child.
Maybe even provide Violet with whatever she hadn’t had, but that was another story. He chose not to mention that he’d been attracted to Violet and wanted to see her again. His brothers would never let him live that down.
***
“Son of a bitch,” Violet said as she stared at the eviction notice on her apartment door.
That hadn’t been there when she left his morning. She tried her key in the lock, but it didn’t work. That meant she had the clothes on her back. She only had a few dollars in her wallet and she didn’t have her laptop. There would be no completing her deadline. Certainly not today.
She tromped downstairs to find her landlord. She knocked on his door. Music played from the apartment, but no one answered her knock. She banged harder. “Damn it. I know you’re in there.”
Her landlord was a bastard to begin with. The door was yanked open. Reggie Dwight stood in the doorway wearing nothing but boxer shorts. Thin, ratty boxer shorts that did not hide enough of any part of his body, let alone the part she really didn’t want to see.
He put a hand on the doorframe, leaning into it as if he were God’s gift to women. His sour scent wafted off him and Violet tried not to flinch when it hit her nose. The man needed a bath. And fumigating.
“Hello, Violet.”
It what he probably thought was a sexy voice, but it came out smarmy. Like from a man who had bodies buried in his basement. Or a woman chained to his bed. Violet shuddered with the sound.
“What’s with the eviction notice? I said that I would have the rent this week.”
“No can do. You’re too far behind.”
“You could have at least warned me. My laptop’s in there. Can’t you open it and let me get it?”
His gaze raked over her, but this man wasn’t Amedeo. No, his gaze was a leer. He wasn’t admiring her form as much as undressing her with his eyes. She resisted shuddering again. She couldn’t piss him off. He was the only man with a key to her place. He could steal her laptop which was the only thing valuable in her apartment. Her livelihood depended on it.
“I could open it.”
He reached out to touch her face. She grabbed his hand. “Don’t touch me, Reggie.”
“You want your laptop?”
“Yes. You can open it and no one will know.”
Could she appeal to his decency? If he had any, it might work. Her dealings with him had never gone smoothly. Why was she expecting this one to be any different? He had her over a barrel, which is kind of how he wanted her. Naked and helpless.
“I’ll know, Violet, and I want something for my troubles.”
She shook her head. “No way, Reggie. We’ve been through this. I’m more woman than you can handle.”
Maybe humor would appeal to him. His gaze went up and down her again. Guess not. “Here are my terms. You. Naked. In my bed. One hour.”
“Okay, but what would we do with the other fifty five minutes after you finished?”
She couldn’t help herself. It had come flying out of her mouth and she couldn’t reel it back in. No time machine had been invented for her to go back and change her answer. His eyes bulged out. A frowned creased his face. “You little bitch. Now I’m not going to help you. Not even if you offer a week of blowjobs.”
“Come on, Reggie.”
He rubbed his own crotch. “You get none of this. It would spoil you for other men anyway.”
Then he slammed the door in her face. No matter how much she knocked, he didn’t open it again. Outside on the sidewalk, she looked up at the cloudy sky. All she needed was for it to rain. And then it did. She had nowhere to go.
When she walked around the building, she eyed the fire escape. If she could reach it, she could get in through the window. She knew how to break into her own apartment. She jumped and grabbed, but missed the bottom of the ladder that had be pulled down.
The rain splattered onto her face. She was getting wetter by the second and not in a good way. The ladder would only get more slippery.
“Damn.”
As if her day wasn’t shit already, she was now homeless and pregnant. “Shit. Shit Shit.”
Kalie was at work so she couldn’t help her at all. How did she get in this predicament? What had she done in a former life to make this one so shitty? “Damn.”
Tears pricked at her eyes, but she wouldn’t give in. She wouldn’t be defeated. Not today.
She had only one choice and she hated that she had only one. She would have to take Amedeo up on his offer. Hopefully, she could somehow get her laptop back. Without sleeping with Reggie.
She sighed, her clothes becoming wetter. She had enough money to get back to Amedeo’s office. Would he still be there? She hoped. Her cell phone had been turned off this morning, too, so she couldn’t call him.
Damn.
A cop car drove by, slowing as it passed her. Must have thought she was trying to break in. That would top her day if she got arrested. At least she’d be warm and dry and fed.
Damn she was hungrier than she’d ever been in her life. Her stomach made noises. She didn’t have enough money for trains and food, but if Amedeo took her in, he’d feed her. She was pretty sure of that.
Swallowing her pride, she trudged to the subway. She could take it and two trains and be warm and dry in the process. Her mother would be disappointed, but that woman had disappointed her enough times, that Violet didn’t care. She wanted food and dry clothing. Not much else mattered at this time.
***
Salvatore emailed Amedeo a preliminary report on Violet about an hour after lunch. He didn’t like what he saw. She was in dire financial straits. No wonder she’d come to him for money. On the plus side, she’d only asked for money for an abortion. She’d made it sound like a one time event.
On the other hand, she might get evicted if she didn’t pay her back rent. Well, Amedeo had a better idea of what he was dealing with. She’d be back. She’d have no choice. If she did come crawling back, he held the advantage. She had nowhere to turn.
He didn’t want to lord it over her, but it was always good from a negotiating standpoint to have all the cards. Violet had no family which saddened him. He couldn’t imagine going through life without his family. His brothers were always there to call him on his behavior. His mother didn’t let him get away with anything, but he knew they did it all in the spirit of love.
He leaned back in his chair, staring out the window. What would that feel like? To be completely alone in the world. No one to call when you had to make a decision. No one to bounce ideas off of. No one to share memories with. No one to make memories with. He sighed. He couldn’t be cruel under the worst of circumstances. He couldn’t be mean to Violet, but he really didn’t want her to end her pregnancy. Being sure she was pregnant was his first think to do.
If she wasn’t pregnant then he would know she was just scamming him. She was on her own. If she was pregnant, then he would take care of things. It was the least he could do. If the child wasn’t his, then he was giving himself good karma. If the child was his, he was going to make the boy or girl’s life easier than Violet ever had it.
Madge buzzed him. “Violet’s back.”
“Send her in,” he said.
The woman who was walking through his office door was not the woman who had stormed out of it. She looked bedraggled, cold and defeated. His heart went out to her. She must have had a bad day after she left him.
With her shoulders slumped, she dragged her butt to the chair across the desk from him. She was dripping wet and he’d have to have the carpet cleaned, but she didn’t need to be kicked when she was down.
Her gaze hadn’t traveled up to his yet.
“Violet? What happened?”
She finally looked at him and those normally sparkling green eyes were now dull. Someone had taken a piece out of her and Amedeo wanted to punch the person. “It started raining.”
“Why didn’t you go home?”
She snorted. “I don’t have a home.”
Shit. She’d already been evicted. He leaned forward, his hands flat on the desk. “Let me get you something to drink.”
He rose, then crossed to his bar. He poured her some tea. Handing it to her, he rested his butt on the edge of his desk. She gripped the mug as if it was her lifeline. He hated to see anyone this defeated. “Start from the beginning. Tell me everything.”
“I haven’t paid rent in three months. My clients haven’t paid me, so I had no cash. I’ve been evicted and my landlord tried to get me to sleep with him to let me back in.”
“Your landlord?”
Amedeo saw red. There was no reason to take advantage of her when she was down. The man was a monster and he’d have to have a talk with the brute.
“I didn’t do it, but I’d at least have my laptop so I could work.”
She sipped some more of the tea.
“We need to get you out of those wet clothes.”
“You trying to get me naked, too? I really don’t need this.”
She stood. He put a hand on her shoulder. That’s when he noticed the dark spots under her eyes. She was exhausted.
“I need one thing from you before I can help.”
She looked up at him. “What?”
“I need to confirm that you’re pregnant.”
She sighed, her eyes falling closed. “Fine. I can pee on a stick.”
He handed her the pregnancy test, feeling like a heel for making her do it. He had to know for sure. A few minutes later, she came back, handing him the stick. She plopped back down on the chair, to wait for the results. Two lines. She was pregnant.
“Are you willing to have this baby?” Amedeo said.
“Yes.”
“Then you should move in with me, but let’s go back to your place and get your stuff.”
Her stomach rumbled. She put a hand on it, her face a study in embarrassment.
“We’ll eat first,” he said.
“I could use a little snack.”
“I’m thinking that you need more than a snack. Go sit on the couch. Put your feet up. I’ll order some food.”
She trudged to the couch, her body slumping onto it. Her eyes closed. She let out a little snore as he punched numbers into his phone. He ordered her food which would be delivered in a half an hour.
He went back to his work, glancing over at Violet periodically. She didn’t move. That’s how tired she was. He felt bad for her. She stirred when the food arrived. Stretching, she yawned. “Did I fall asleep?”
“You snored, too.” He imagined that if a blush showed on her dark velvet skin, she would have one.
“Food’s here.”
She noticed the bags on the table in front of her. She looked up at Amedeo. “Thank you.”
She dug into the food as if she hadn’t eaten in days. He wondered if maybe she hadn’t. That wasn’t good for the baby. They had to start thinking about the child growing inside of her now. It was a presence even if they couldn’t see evidence of it yet.