Tailored for Trouble

  She straightened her spine. “My lawyer will send you papers so you can decide on visitation. But please don’t try to contact me until after the baby’s born. Goodbye, Bennett.”

  She walked away with Jack and Sarah, feeling grateful as hell she had them to lean on.

  CHAPTER 21

  Taylor had had the most exciting, phenomenal, monumental month of her entire existence, and things were about to get even better. She could just feel it. It was as if the world had shifted on its axis and decided it was her turn for a little happiness. Not that she’d felt unhappy before, but wandering through life trying to find your way wasn’t the same as feeling like you were alive and loving it.

  Maybe her decision to stop rowing and just go with the flow might’ve had something to do with it. She didn’t know, but life was beginning to look damned good, something she didn’t think possible after Ms. Luci’s party.

  It started the week following the shame fest, when she’d had her first OB-GYN appointment and listened to the baby’s sweet little heartbeat—kind of like a galloping monster, but still sweet. She couldn’t believe how big the little thing had already grown. To think, one night and two defective condoms could result in a tiny person living inside her. Yes, yes. She knew that was how babies were made, but it was an infinitely different experience to witness the event occurring inside her own body. She couldn’t wait to meet him or her in seven and a half months. She could, however, do without the whole morning sickness thing. Awful. Just awful. She constantly felt like she’d eaten a giant can of nacho cheese food-product and then topped it off with a great big vat of jalapeños. Nausea and heartburn, big time. But all worth it.

  Then, out of nowhere, she’d been contacted by a headhunter from a great HR consulting firm who offered her a fantastic opportunity as a VP, heading up a project to train and re-energize the entire management staff of a big Fortune 500. They’d heard about her CEO attitude makeover course from someone at HRTech and didn’t think it was crazy at all. In fact, they’d been developing a similar concept that expanded across all levels of management. So, her idea wasn’t all that insane after all! They were so excited about getting her, they offered her a signing bonus and said she could set her own hours. Of course, she’d planned to take some time off, as much as she could afford, after the baby came, but she would figure out a way to make it work.

  The third thing to happen was that Holly’s Aunt Glady had decided to retire and move to Arizona. But she wasn’t ready to sell her house until she knew for sure she’d get used to the hot weather, so Aunt Glady offered to rent the house to Taylor. It was small, but it sure beat an apartment and had a little yard. Even better, she’d only be ten minutes from Jack’s house, and would get a really nice break on the rent for keeping the place up until Aunt Glady knew what she wanted to do.

  Of course, not everything was perfect. She still thought about Bennett every day, more times than she cared to admit. And every time she did, her heart made these sad little whimpers, reaching its little arms for him.

  “Oh stop,” she said, folding a T-shirt from the clean pile on Jack’s dining room table. “You’re being ridiculous.” Hearts don’t have arms. She then reached into the pile and pulled out a red bikini top. It was the top she’d worn in Bali and Paris.

  She sighed, staring at the thing. Why had it all gone so damned wrong?

  The doorbell rang, and she checked to make sure her pale pink “lounging around the house” sundress wasn’t too see-through—Check!—and made her way through the everything-pink-and-floral, decorating-monstrosity living room. Damn. He so needs to get over Doris. Maybe Ms. Luci can help. She shook her head at the silly thought as she pulled open the front door.

  “You Taylor Reed?” asked the husky man in the gray uniform.

  “Yes.”

  He stepped aside and began maneuvering a large suitcase her way.

  “It’s my bag!” She’d put in a claim, but had considered it a goner.

  He made her sign, and she lugged it inside, immediately opening the thing to check the contents. Everything was there, including her notes from her bogus training course.

  She threw them back into the suitcase and zipped everything up. She’d have to burn those later. What the hell had she been thinking?

  The doorbell rang again and she opened it, thinking the delivery guy had forgotten something. But this time it was the FedEx guy.

  “Taylor Reed?”

  “Yes?”

  He handed her an envelope. “Sign here.”

  She gave his electronic pad a scribble and closed the door, staring at the envelope for several sad moments. It had to be the paternity papers back from Bennett’s lawyers. Against her own lawyer’s advice, she’d offered him shared custody as long as the child always lived with her and he didn’t interfere with Taylor’s life. Or buy the baby extravagant gifts. Not that she knew what Bennett’s financial situation would be going forward, but it was important that the baby grew up well-grounded and knowing how to work for the important things in life. Considering everything, she thought that was a fair offer. After all, she didn’t want to deprive her baby of a father.

  She tore open the envelope and found a set of keys and a little card with an address on it. She blinked several times, her brain trying to make sense of it. The address was…

  Across the street?

  She pulled open Jack’s front door and stared right at the white and yellow, two-story house with French windows and white shutters. Maybe the neighbors had gone on vacation and asked Jack to look after their pet but had forgotten to leave a set of keys?

  She looked at her watch. It was 8:00 in the evening and Jack said he wouldn’t be home until late due to an emergency facial reconstruction.

  She went outside, crossed the empty street, and made her way up the brick walkway that ran straight through a manicured lawn, right up to the front door with its large brass knocker. A flower bed filled with daisies and little wildflowers ran along the front of the home.

  She was about to knock when her eye caught a glimpse of a San Francisco Tribune laid out flat on the doormat. The headline read, “A Public Apology to Taylor Reed.”

  What the hell? She picked it up and held the paper to the porch light. It was written by a reporter named Harper Branton and referred to a letter the paper had received, signed anonymously thirty-five times, which offered an apology to Taylor for behaving unprofessionally and with complete disregard for her reputation.

  B.W. has assured us that unless you forgive us, our names will be made public. Therefore, we hope, Ms. Reed, that you accept our sincerest apologies for any suffering we have caused.

  “I can’t fucking believe this,” she murmured to herself. Then a strange feeling hit. Wait a second.

  “You’re standing on the other side of that door, aren’t you, Bennett?”

  Slowly, the front door opened, and there he was, wearing low-slung jeans and a faded light-blue T-shirt that matched his eyes. His dark hair was mussed and sexy and he still had a thick coating of black man-scruff on his jaw. He looked like a very, very bad boy in need of a spanking.

  Op! Tay, no. Don’t even think about going there.

  “What are you doing in there?” she asked.

  “I purchased it.”

  Her jaw fell open. Leave it to Bennett to be a mule head and buy the house across the street from her brother so he could be near the baby. It was nice that he wanted to be a part of its life, but he’d lost his chance to be a part of hers. It was a complete violation of her space and such a Bennett Wade sort of thing to do. So damned like the man to only think about himself.

  She shook her head, and turned to head back to Jack’s house, deciding she’d call his mother and try to get her to reason with him. Yes. That had been the fourth wonderful thing to happen this past month; she and Linda, Bennett’s mother, had made a pact. Linda would attempt a new cancer treatment that had just come on the market and focus on getting better. And who knew? Miracles happened e
very day. Maybe Linda might live long enough to see the baby graduate. Maybe even longer. Whatever the case, Taylor was determined to make the most out of whatever time she had left and promised to bring the baby over as often as possible. She genuinely enjoyed spending time with Linda anyway. It was amazing how they were able to separate out the stuff with Bennett, but she supposed babies did that to people, made them reprioritize.

  “Taylor!” she heard Bennett’s voice echo from behind.

  Damned stubborn man. Does he really think he can do this? Well, ha! I’m moving next week so he can stay there and fistfight Jack every morning. Almost to the edge of the walkway, she heard him again.

  “Ms. Reed. Don’t you walk away from me,” he snapped.

  What? Had he just spoken to her like some…some child?

  Furious, she turned to face him. “Who do you think you are, Mr. Wade? Some god? Some supernatural being who can command me like a mindless puppet?”

  His lips twisted with the hint of a cocky smile. “Oh,” he crossed his arms over his well-defined chest, “I see I’ve been promoted. I’m Mr. Wade again.”

  She charged forward. “What are you doing, Bennett?” she hissed. “This isn’t funny. I meant what I said at the party, and I meant what I said in that note to your lawyer. I don’t want you in my life—at least, any more than you have to be for the sake of the baby.”

  “Oh now,” he unfolded his arms, “there you go again, thinking so little of me.”

  “I don’t think little of you. I think you’re a big giant ass. The biggest.”

  “I always said you had a knack for figuring people out. Except you’ve misjudged me again. A bad habit of yours, perhaps?” he said with an arrogant-Bennett-esque tone.

  “I said I was sorry, Bennett. And I meant it. What more do you want? You want me to beg? Because I tried that. It didn’t work.”

  “The house isn’t mine; it’s yours.”

  She looked at him, trying to process. “What do you mean?”

  “Yours. All yours.”

  “But that’s…” These were the Berkeley Hills—views of San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, and the Golden Gate. The sorts of people who lived there were the sort of folks who wanted to be close to the city, but also wanted privacy and wonderful views. “That’s a five-million-dollar house.”

  Bennett made a little pucker with his lips. “Give or take a million.”

  Taylor looked at him, unsure if she wanted to slap him or slap him hard. “I. Don’t. Want your money, Bennett.”

  “It’s not my money. It’s his. Or hers. When eighteen rolls around.”

  “You can’t gift my baby a house.”

  “Our baby. It’s our baby. And I can, and I did. Care to see inside?” He gestured toward the front door.

  Did he think he was cute? Or smart or charming or…“Why are you doing this to me?” She began to cry.

  Bennett’s cocky, mule-headed, controlling disposition instantly turned off. He held out his hands. “Oh. No. Please don’t cry, Taylor. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He approached her, but she took a step back.

  “Don’t.”

  “Okay.” He held up his palms as if being arrested. “I won’t. But please, just come inside, and let me explain. Then I promise, I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “You’ll sell this house?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Anything you want.”

  “Okay.” She folded her arms. “I’ll give you ten minutes, but then I have an important dinner meeting.”

  —

  Taylor followed Bennett inside the home, through the beautifully decorated living room—overstuffed furniture with neutral-toned upholstery, no coffee table, but a large navy blue ottoman with a tray in the middle. She spent all of two seconds in the room, passing through, but she noticed how every inch, right down to the plush light khaki carpeting had been baby-proofed. She’d bet her favorite pink jammies that the pale yellow walls with white trim had washable paint, just perfect for reckless toddlers armed with crayons.

  And, of course, knowing the kind of workaholic that Bennett was, he’d probably overseen every detail himself. Whatever. So the guy’s been reading a few baby books? Like that matters.

  She silently followed him through the brightly lit, cheery, modern eat-in kitchen with its cute rustic table made of chunky wood. It was big enough to seat Holly, Sarah, her brothers and father, plus a few extras.

  Okay. So the house is awesome.

  Bennett made his way to a set of double French doors that led to a patio, with a beautiful outdoor kitchen and enough seating for at least twenty, looking out toward the shimmering lights of the San Francisco Bay. Beyond that, the city herself and all her gorgeous, awe-inspiring buildings stood like a living architectural sculpture.

  “Eh-hem.” Bennett had pulled out a chair at the large wooden table, facing the five-million-dollar view.

  “Oh. Sorry.” She knew she’d been caught gawking, and the look on his face was pure smugness and victory. “Okay, Bennett. It’s a wonderful view. What do you want me to say?”

  She sat and he sat down next to her, resting his large hands on the table, his fingers laced. His arms looked larger than usual, like he’d been seriously working out lately. “I’d like you to say yes to giving me—giving us—another chance.”

  She looked down at the table, knowing this was going to get painful. But she needed to make him see reason. He didn’t really want her. She wasn’t the one for him. If she had been, he would’ve forgiven her without knowing about the baby. “I said yes. Yes to a lot of things that weren’t the right things for you.” She looked at him holding her ground. “You’re not ready for a relationship or me. I’m not even sure you’re ready for her.” She looked down at her belly.

  He jolted forward. “It’s a girl?”

  “No. I mean, I don’t know. I think it’s a girl, though.”

  “I’d love a girl. But I’d be happy with either. As long as it’s healthy.”

  “Agreed.” She nodded pensively.

  “But I am ready.”

  She shook her head, wishing she could believe him. “It doesn’t matter. Because I am ready. And that’s all she’ll need.”

  “Taylor,” he said, his voice shifting into that dominating “Mr. Wade” tone, “she—or he—needs me, too. So do you.”

  “No, I don’t, Bennett. I wanted you. I loved you. Those are very different things from need.”

  “I can’t figure you out, Taylor.” He leaned back and folded his arms. “You say you loved me, but the moment I let you in, you were gone faster than a bolt of lightning.”

  Her jaw dropped. “I did not run—okay, I did. But I ran, as fast as I fucking could, to save your deal and to save you.”

  He looked at her, apparently perplexed. “Save me from what?”

  “From the load of crap you’d decided to commandeer from my laptop, crap that was there because I’d been too busy falling in love with you to remember to erase it.”

  “But why, Taylor? Why do that in the first place?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess…I liked you, and when I found out I was nothing more than a bet, it hurt.”

  He reached out and cupped his hand to her cheek. “Yes, you were a bet, Taylor. I went all in, hoping you’d help me finish this Bali project and put the past behind me, that you wouldn’t turn out to be just another gold digger after my money, and that you’d still want me even after you knew what I’d done. And I’ve bet it all again, everything I have on you.”

  Uhhh….What did he mean by that? Had he purchased a racehorse and named it after her? “I don’t understand.”

  He reached for her hand. “Lady Mary didn’t sell to me.”

  “She didn’t?” After all that, she still said no?

  Bennett shook his head. “No. She bought my company instead.”

  Taylor took a moment to digest. “So, she—”

  “She will absorb Wade Enterprises.”

  “And those people in Bali
?” Taylor asked.

  “She will hire someone to build the factory and run the operation. She’ll buy all of her ingredients from them. Nothing changes, except those people’s lives.”

  Taylor was stunned. “But why? Why work so hard just to sell and hand over the project?”

  “So I could be with you. No more baggage. No more living in my father’s shadow or in the past. No more running myself into the ground. Just you.” He looked down at her stomach. “And that thing growing inside you.” He grinned.

  She sat there staring out at the lights, unable to believe it. He’d given up his company and his project in Bali, just to make a fresh start with her? It was insanity. His company and work were his life, part of his identity. Yet, he’d washed his hands of it all simply to make room for her.

  “You really gave it all up?”

  “Yes. However, I’m hoping to get something much better in return.”

  “I don’t know, Bennett.” She scrubbed her face with her hands.

  He pulled back. “What else could you want, Ms. Reed? My undying soul? My blood? My manhood?”

  She didn’t know what would be enough. Her heart still felt so wounded.

  “If you don’t forgive me now,” Bennett said, “I won’t ever be able to forgive you.”

  She looked up at him. “That’s my line.”

  “Did it work?” he asked. “Because I don’t really understand what it means.”

  She took a deep, bracing breath and stared back out at that ocean. She’d only managed to climb halfway up that cliff. Did she have it in her to turn and jump back in?

  “I love you, Taylor. I’ll beg if I have to, but I’d much rather spend my energy fucking you on this table.”

  She shot him a look.

  “Sorry. Just being honest,” he said unapologetically.

  Reformed man or not, he was still cocky Mr. Wade. And always would be. Damned fucking hot, too.

  Her eyes darted down to his groin.

  “Are you staring at my cock, Ms. Reed?”

  She began nibbling her fingernails nervously. “No…?”