I Love How You Love Me

  But when she looked at the dates, her stomach suddenly dropped.

  Her period was supposed to have started the week before...and she was never late. In fact, the only time she'd ever missed it was when she'd been pregnant with Mason.

  Grace didn't realize her hold had tightened on her son until he started whining and pushing at her arms. She looked away from the dates on her phone to Mason's upset face.

  Nine months from now, was he going to be a big brother?

  Joy and amazement hit her first at the thought of another baby. Dylan's baby. One who was sure to be a fearless and free spirit with a ready laugh, just like him.

  But barely sixty seconds later, fear clawed into her system. So much fear that it edged the joy right out.

  Mason began to squirm in earnest, desperately in need of a nap after the previous night when he'd awakened every couple of hours crying and gnawing on anything he could shove against his gums. But she needed to know immediately whether or not she was pregnant before Dylan came home from his sail.

  Would she soon be the mother of two illegitimate children? Oh God...

  The very last place Mason wanted to go was into his stroller, and both of them were sweaty and red-faced by the time she clicked the buckles in place. It was never easy to get the stroller down the small flight of stairs from her apartment, but when he was wailing and trying to get out, it felt nearly impossible. But she had to get to the store, couldn't wait through his nap and then a night with Dylan with the possibility of pregnancy hanging over her.

  Was it just yesterday that she had been walking down this same street, enjoying people watching and window shopping, feeling as if her life might finally be heading down the right track? Now, she didn't notice the sun sparkling off the blue water, didn't see pretty dresses in store windows or crave the fruit at the corner stand.

  Grace had never forgotten this feeling of having her life change abruptly from one moment to the next. Ten years ago it had happened when her mother had passed away. Two years ago it had happened again when her father had died. Six months after that, it had been when she'd learned she was going to become a mother. And then, just weeks ago, she'd looked at Dylan for the first time and felt that same jolt of awareness that told her nothing would ever be the same.

  Now, shockingly, there was a very strong possibility that everything was going to change again.

  Grace all but ran down the sidewalk with Mason. She knew she needed to calm down, buy the test, and wait to see what the results were before she freaked herself out any more than she already had. But she was too tired, too stunned, to stop the what-if's and how-could-I's that were already spinning around and around in her head.

  When she broke the news to Dylan, would he look at her with the same disgust and horror that Richard had? What if he thought this was what she did--find rich men to seduce and then "accidentally" get pregnant?

  No. She wasn't making sense. She knew better than to compare Dylan with Richard. But with everything twisting up inside of her, she couldn't seem to stop the crazy thoughts from coming.

  A gray-haired man held the pharmacy door open for her, and when she thanked him, her voice sounded thick and hoarse, as if she'd been crying. The chain store had the same layout as the one where she'd purchased the pregnancy tests back East, so she quickly wheeled to the correct aisle and picked up two new tests, the same brand that she'd used before. Feeling like her life had somehow gotten stuck on repeat, she took them up to the counter to pay.

  When the woman at the register looked at the tests and then down at Mason, who had fallen asleep in his stroller, she beamed at Grace. "I had mine close together, too, and it was an absolute godsend! They were best friends, always there for each other, even now."

  Grace knew better than to trust her voice again, so she simply nodded and fumbled for the cash in her purse, then left the store as quickly as she'd come. But the stranger's words had rent her utterly in two. Because, for as frightening and life-changing as it would be to have another baby in nine months, she could also see how amazing it would be for her son to have a sibling so close to his age. After all, look at Dylan and his brothers and sister, who were all so wonderfully close.

  Grace was extra careful not to wake Mason as she carried him and his stroller up the stairs, but his eyes opened the moment she got inside. For the next thirty minutes, she tried everything she could think of to get him to fall back to sleep. Not only because she knew he still desperately needed the rest, but because the clock was ticking down and Dylan would be knocking on her door soon.

  Finally, he lay peacefully in his crib, his breathing slow and steady as he cuddled his blanket and stuffed animal close.

  It will be okay, she told herself as she took a moment to watch him sleep. Everything will work out, one way or another.

  Grace closed the bedroom door with a soft click and was just about to pick up the plastic bag containing the pregnancy test when there was a knock on the door.

  Oh no, Dylan was early! She quickly brushed her hands over her face and hair, even though she knew he'd take one look at her and instantly know something was wrong.

  Working to draw from her newfound confidence, she took a deep breath and reminded herself that no matter what happened from here on out, she'd proved that she and Mason would be okay. They would not only survive, they'd thrive.

  Without looking through the security glass, she opened the door. "You're earl--"

  Her words fell away as she realized she wasn't speaking to Dylan.

  "Hello, Grace." Richard Bentley smiled at her without so much as a shred of guilt or remorse. "I'm here for my son."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Grace had played out this scenario a thousand times during the past ten months. Each time she'd thought about what would happen if Richard changed his mind about not wanting Mason, fear had skittered up her spine. But now that he was really here, all she felt was anger. Such deep fury that he'd dare to come and claim the son he'd walked away from without so much as blinking that she nearly slammed the door in his face.

  But she knew she needed to think clearly, needed to make sure she learned exactly why he'd had a supposed change of heart, so that she could bolster her fight to keep her son from him. And she also needed to keep him physically as far from Mason as possible.

  She stepped out on the landing in front of her apartment and closed the door behind her. "Why are you here?"

  "I saw a picture of you holding a baby at a Sullivan party." On his face she could see the primal urge to claim his child now that he'd finally seen Mason's picture and knew for sure he existed. "Which one of the Sullivan men are you screwing to get an invite to a private celebration?"

  There was a picture of her and Mason from the party Tatiana had thrown for Mia? Grace knew with perfect certainty that none of the Sullivan girls would ever pass on their personal shots to the press. Not when Mia, Tatiana, and Nicola already had to deal with far too much pressure from the paparazzi. Had one of the wait staff secretly taken pictures and leaked them? Was that what those flashes had been when she'd been holding Mason and speaking with Mia? And did any of the Sullivans know yet that it had happened?

  Fear was trying to clamp around her chest, but she wouldn't let it. Wouldn't let anything rob her of the ability to think clearly.

  "I'll bet you're doing the architect, aren't you?" Richard continued with a sneer. "I shouldn't be surprised you landed on your feet, given that seducing rich men is your specialty. Still, I didn't think you'd be able to get a Sullivan to fall for your tricks, especially dragging a baby around with you." He gave her his best threatening look. "I want to see him. I want to see my son."

  By the barest of threads, Grace held back from punching him in the face. Not just for talking about her as though she were a slut with ulterior motives, but for daring to bring Mason into it. But she knew better--knew that if she so much as laid a finger on him, he'd likely call the police to have her arrested, and she'd be unable to protect her s
on while dealing with his charges.

  "He isn't yours," she said first, knowing the truth of it all the way to the depths of her soul. "And he's at his babysitter's," she lied. "But that's irrelevant, given that you didn't want to see him before, didn't even want him to exist. What could possibly have changed?"

  He'd looked so confident when he'd greeted her a few moments ago, but now she saw the first flicker of confusion cross the face she'd once been foolish enough to think was handsome. How had she not seen the weakness beneath the veneer of polish learned at the boarding school and Ivy League college his parents had sent him to?

  "You've changed," he replied. "You used to be so--"

  "Malleable? Naive?" She shook her head. "All that changed the minute I realized what you and your family are really made of. What makes you think you have any right to come here?"

  "I never thought you'd go through with it. That you'd actually have the kid on your own. But when I saw the pictures of you and him, I realized I already had the son I've been trying for with my wife--"

  "And you suddenly thought you could change your mind? Well, you're wrong. You can't. You gave him up, and he's all mine."

  "You're just bitter because I didn't want you, because I didn't want to marry you and take care of you."

  A couple of months ago, she might have let him convince her this was true. But now she knew better. So much better that she didn't even need to argue or to protest that it wasn't true. When he'd turned away from her when she'd first told him she was pregnant, she had been horrified to realize that he didn't want to know his child. Worse, that he'd told her to get rid of it without blinking an eye. But now she realized what a gift his disinterest had been, because Mason was a million times better off without the Bentleys in his life.

  "You didn't want to take care of anyone but yourself," she countered. "Your name is nowhere near the birth certificate."

  "I can easily get a DNA test."

  "I suppose you could," she agreed. "Although I can't help but wonder how your wife feels about your plan." She could see that he was still confused about why she wasn't yet cowering or giving in to his demands. "Does she even know you're here?"

  "It doesn't matter what she thinks. She'll do what I tell her."

  "Even taking on another woman's child after she's 'failed you' by not being able to get pregnant?" But Grace didn't need to wait for his reply. "Actually, I'm sure she will, since that's probably how your entire relationship has been so far." Grace knew she shouldn't feel anything for Richard's wife, but how could she help but feel sorry for someone who was a part of that horrible family? "What about your parents? Have you consulted them about your change of heart?" He flinched, and she didn't care if it was small of her, she loved seeing it, enjoying his discomfort. "They wanted me and the baby even less than you did."

  All this time she had thought she wasn't tough enough, wasn't good enough, but now she knew better. She was strong. She was good enough...and she wasn't putting up with her ex's crap for one more second.

  "They want an heir to carry on the name," he told her, but she could see from the uncertainty in his tone and expression that he hadn't yet run his plans by the senior Bentleys. Which, on the plus side, meant that they hadn't personally sent him here to take Mason. "Now tell me where the babysitter lives so that I can go see my son."

  "The day you offered me money to get rid of him, he stopped being your son." She knew it was finally time to play the cards she'd kept so carefully guarded just in case this should ever come to pass. And then, as soon as he got the hell away from her, she'd finally use her defense fund to hire the best custody lawyer to keep Mason safe. "I have proof that your parents tried to bribe me with fifty thousand dollars to abort the baby and then another fifty thousand to never speak of my time with you. I kept the checks they forced on me."

  "This isn't over," he said, but even as he said it, she could see that she'd shaken his confidence. First by asking him if his parents--who kept him on a very short leash--knew what he was doing right now, and then by reminding him about the Bentley blood money. "My son is going to want to know who his father is. What are you going to tell him?"

  "I won't lie to him. Not about you, or anything. One day, when he's old enough, it will be up to him if he wants to see you. But right now it's up to me. And I don't want you or your horrible family to have any part in his life." She moved closer to him, with enough fierce purpose that though she was nearly a foot shorter and he'd come here to intimidate her, he was the one taking a step back. "You are going to go away now and leave us alone. And if you come back at any point without my express permission, I will go to my extensive contacts in the press and expose you and your parents for the kind of people you really are."

  He tried to stand his ground then, as he blustered, "Do you really think people will believe some slut who's just trying to get her fifteen minutes in the spotlight? Or are they much more likely to believe a senator? It will be your word against theirs."

  She knew the word slut was supposed to hurt her, but she was bulletproof now. The scared girl who had broken down when he'd dumped her was gone, and in her place was a woman who would fight to the very end to protect the child she loved.

  "Actually," she said in a remarkably cheerful voice, "it will be their word against themselves."

  "Bullshit. You have no proof that they did anything wrong. Giving you money to help you out is not a crime."

  "When your parents came to my house, I was transcribing an interview. I had the recorder in my hand." She enjoyed watching the color drain from Richard's face. "They were so full of themselves that it never occurred to them that I would fight back, or that I would record their 'offer.' And you know how recognizable your father's voice is."

  "I always knew you were trash," Richard snarled at her. "All it ever took to get you into bed was the price of a fancy meal and a couple of glasses of champagne."

  She could have shot back a half-dozen barbs, but she was done with him. Completely done.

  Besides, she knew that the reason he was trying to wound her now was because he finally understood that he couldn't fight her for Mason, not if there was a chance of the former senator's recording coming to light. Richard might not have known too much about her, but he clearly knew she wasn't a liar. She wouldn't make a threat like this if she didn't intend to back it up.

  Still, Grace would make sure the legal pieces were in place right away so that she would be armed and ready to fight for custody just in case he tried to take her to court for parental rights.

  "I've given you your one and only warning to stay away from us," she told him now. "And I wouldn't make the mistake of pushing me. I might have been a pushover once, but I'm not anymore. If you so much as try to contact either me or Mason again without my permission, I'm going to let the entire world listen to the esteemed former U.S. senator and his wife try to make absolutely certain that I didn't have the baby none of you wanted."

  With that, she stepped back into her apartment and closed the door in his face.

  The shaking didn't start until she tried to lock the door. It took her two tries to get the bolt into the slot, all the while thanking God that Mason hadn't woken up. If he had started crying while she was facing down her ex, Richard would have realized that she'd been lying about Mason being with a babysitter and might very well have pushed in to see him.

  She'd dealt with Richard all by herself and knew she'd dealt with him well. But in the aftermath of the confrontation, Grace needed desperately to lean on someone, to know that she wasn't alone. Because even though she'd taken care of the situation with her ex, she needed Dylan. Not only to call him to tell him what had happened, but also to hear his calm, reassuring, loving voice before she got on the phone to do whatever it took to persuade the top child custody lawyer in the country to take her case.

  Grace went to get her phone and that was when she saw the bag from the pharmacy sitting on her kitchen table. Oh God, how could she have forgotten?

/>   She still needed to take the pregnancy test.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Dylan had been counting the minutes until he could be with Grace again.

  If Mason was still napping, he figured they'd barely get the front door closed before her clothes were off and he was inside of her. Later, after they'd spent the rest of the day playing with Mason and then put him to bed for the night, they'd move to a slow seduction. One in which pleasure would spiral out for hours and hours.

  But the second Grace opened the door, despite how incredibly beautiful she looked in her dress, all those fantasies disappeared. She didn't say anything, just stepped aside to let him in. When she closed and locked the door, her hands were shaking.

  "What's wrong? Is it Mason? Is he sick?"

  "No. Mason's fine." She put her hand on Dylan's arm before he could run into the bedroom to check for himself. "He's perfect."

  Relief swamped him a beat before he realized that she wasn't speaking to him as though they were lovers. Or even friends. Instead, that wall she'd had up during their first interview was back. And she'd taken her hand off his arm too fast when she should have been pulling him closer instead.

  "Talk to me, Grace. I can see that you're upset. What happened?"

  Her face crumpled for a second before he watched her visibly work to pull herself together. "I was going through my calendar, looking at my deadlines, when I realized..." She looked up at him, the emotion in her eyes piercing straight through him. "I thought I was pregnant."

  "Pregnant?" The thought of Grace carrying his child rocked his world so much that it took him a few seconds to take it in. "We're going to have a baby?" He hadn't seen this happening, but he was happy. Couldn't remember ever being this happy.

  "No."

  He was halfway to pulling her into his arms. "Wait. I thought you said--"

  "I took a test. Two, actually. They're both negative. I'm never usually late, but maybe the stress of everything lately has made my system go off schedule."