became two weeks.
There were things I had to take care of, and they couldn’t happen from home.
First, I fortified myself with the brightest spot of my day while I’d been away: bedtime with my girls. Catherine was nursing Joey in her bed, getting her nice and drowsy while I talked to them both.
“She looks bigger, sweetheart.”
Catherine smiled. “That sounded accusatory.”
“It was. I told Joey not to change while I was gone. She promised.”
“Two weeks is a long time in the grand scheme of her short little life, you know. But I’ll be stern and forbid her from growing more.” She wagged her finger at Jo. “No more growing until Elliot comes home, little girl.”
Joey’s coo shot me in the gut. A few more days, and I’d be back with them.
Catherine finished nursing her and put her in her bassinet for the night. She was getting bigger. Soon, she’d need a crib. We’d have to pick one out when I returned home. Or move the one from her house to mine.
Catherine grabbed the phone and carried it into the study when Joey was asleep, curling up on the couch with a sigh.
“Tired?” I asked.
“Yeah. Ray and I did some painting at the house after work.”
“That’s good. You’re making progress?”
“Mmmhmm. It’s almost habitable.”
This, I didn’t like. As far as I was concerned, Catherine and Joey lived with me. Her house had to be renovated in order to put it on the market, but she’d made no mention of selling.
Another reminder that I had no control over this situation. Catherine could choose to move back to her house, and since I wasn’t a kidnapper, I would have to open the door for her to leave.
If I thought about it too hard, this far away from her, I’d panic. Lash out. Go crazy. So, I’d set these thoughts aside for now. We could talk about it when the time came.
“Don’t work too hard.”
“Mmm…I won’t.” Her sleepy eyes raked up and down, taking in what she could see of me through the screen. “Look at you, ready to start your day. Handsome as ever, even on the wrong side of the globe.”
Another shot to the gut. Being admired by the woman I’d been taken with for so long affected me on a visceral level. Her words tangled in my veins, mixing with my affection for her.
“Thank you. I like when you say things like that.”
Her lips turned up in a pleased little grin. “And I like that my compliments make you feel good. I have a lot of them stored up for future use.”
“Give me another. I need it to make it through the meeting I have later.”
“Hmmm.” She rested her head on the back of the couch and tapped her chin. “Your ability to be cool and collected under pressure is so flipping admirable, but your best quality is the way you can set down your armor at the end of the day to be soft and vulnerable.”
God, I needed to kiss her. “Only with you, sweetheart.”
She shook her head. “No, I’ve seen you be sweet with Freddie, and I’ve heard your phone calls with Elise. You’re a very caring man, Elliot.” Her lips pressed together. “I made you blush.”
I scrubbed at my hot cheek. I didn’t have many tells. This one was out of my control, and I hated it. “I brought this on myself, didn’t I? I can’t take a compliment for shit—not when they’re coming from you. I’m going to keep coming back for more, though. I can’t get enough.”
“Then I’ll give you more.” She sucked on her bottom lip, her pretty eyes flitting over me. “Can I ask you something I’ve been wanting to know for months?”
“Anything.”
“You have to tell me the truth this time.”
“Absolutely.”
“Did you replace all the chairs on the executive floor just so you could buy me a new one?”
My throat grew tight, but there was no way to avoid answering like I had the first time. “Of course I did.”
“Oh, Elliot.” Her lashes fluttered as she sighed my name. “See what I mean? Even back then, before we were anything, you were taking care of me. I’m glad you finally let me see underneath it all.”
That was the thing. To me, there had never been a time before we were anything. But I’d embarrassed myself enough for one phone call. That confession could wait for another day.
While in Dubai, a few facts came to light about Liam Wick. The biggest one: that wasn’t his real name.
After he’d texted Catherine, making demands to see the baby he’d abandoned on his terms, I’d had my PI dig into his background—something I should have done a long time ago.
William van der Wyck was the second son of Australian energy magnate Edgar van der Wyck. Edgar had his fingers in many pies, including a new downtown waterfront project.
Liam wasn’t the traveling pauper he’d presented himself as to Catherine. He was in line to inherit billions without the responsibility of being the oldest son, which had enabled him to travel the world and playact as a lowly volunteer until he got bored and returned to the nest.
Good ol’ Liam hadn’t been cut off from his fortune like Catherine. His bank accounts were flush and growing fatter from interest every day.
And he’d stolen a few thousand from the mother of his child just because he could.
That piece of shit.
Fortunately for me, his assistant was most accommodating in setting up an appointment for me to speak with Liam when I dropped my name and mentioned I was looking to invest in Australian energy.
If Liam thought Catherine’s boss scheduling a meeting with him was suspicious, he didn’t show it in his enthusiastic greeting. As I shook his hand, I tried to find a resemblance to Josephine in him, but there was nothing I recognized. Joey had all of Catherine’s features and none of his.
I sat down in the chair across from him and waited for him to begin.
He grinned, his overly white teeth gleaming. “Elliot Levy, I was surprised to see your name on my calendar. What brings you down under?”
“I’m here to talk to you, William.” My brows lowered. “Do you ever go by Liam?”
“Sometimes. Honestly, I’ll answer to either. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Hmmm. How about if I call you Cockweasel? Will you answer to that?
“Well, Liam, it seems you and I share an acquaintance.”
His eyelid twitched, but he kept the rest of his expression friendly and unbothered.
“Do we? Can’t say I know too many people back in the States.”
“I’m sure you know my assistant, Catherine Warner.”
His acting was shit. He pretended to suddenly remember her existence. “Ah, yeah, Kit. That’s right. It’s been a while since we last spoke. It completely slipped my mind she worked for you. What a small world.”
“Not small, no. I purposely sought you out today.” I braced my ankle on my opposite knee. “And it hasn’t been that long since you spoke, has it? At least, not since you tried to speak to her about the baby you abandoned.”
He blinked several times, clearly taken aback by my bluntness. “I’m sorry, Elliot. I don’t know what Kit’s told you, but that isn’t exactly how things went down. I had to come back to Australia to—”
I raised a brow. “To what? What possible reason could you have for leaving Catherine pregnant with a house you knew damn well she couldn’t afford? And then stealing what little money she had left from her?”
He held up a hand. “Not everything is as simple as that. I made a few mistakes, but if you speak to Kit, you’ll know I’m trying to make things right. Kit and the baby will be coming here—”
“What’s her name?”
His mouth fell open. “What?”
“The baby. What’s her name?”
He stared at me, and I could practically see his brain trying to shake off a thick coating of dust so he could use it. But it was no help.
“I…don’t know. But that isn’t the point.”
“You’re right. The point is, you’re a deadbeat, and if you truly think for one second Catherine will be flying eighteen hours with her baby to see you, you’re dumber than you look. That will never happen.”
He crossed his arms, pouting like the toddler he was. “I have a right to see my child.”
“Then get your ass on a plane and go see her. But when you do, come prepared to be charged with theft and fraud and whatever other crimes my lawyers can find you’ve committed for what you pulled with her house. I have plenty of evidence to back up the claim, and I’ll find more.”
“There is no need for any of that.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “I’ll send her the money. It was a mistake. A huge mistake.”
I raised my hand. “I couldn’t care less about your useless explanations. What I do care about is your flimsy attempt to worm your way back into Catherine’s life. If you want in, you’ll have to work for it. Demanding she flies to see you isn’t going to happen.”
He pulled himself together, covering his nerves with self-importance. “Just who are you to tell me what will or will not happen? If I want Kit and the baby here, they’ll come. I also have the ability to make her life difficult if she doesn’t cooperate.”
“You already made her life difficult. You really don’t have any shame, do you?”
He raised his chin. “I want my daughter here.”
This was what I’d been expecting. I’d done my research. My background checks had been thorough. Liam didn’t surprise me with his answers, and he wasn’t going to get anywhere with them.
But I really didn’t like hearing him call Joey his daughter. It felt wrong, on a bone-deep level, despite not being untrue. His DNA had been used to create her, but she wasn’t his. If he wanted to change that, he had a long road ahead of him.
“At first, I thought it was strange that, after all this time, you decided to reach out to Catherine. Then I did some digging and discovered you’re newly engaged. Congrats, by the way.”
He dropped his arms flat on his desk. “I am engaged, and I’d like my fiancée to get to know my child. We can be a family.”
“Ah, there it is.” I wagged my finger at him. “Your fiancé, Stella, daughter of Tom Bergerman, the famously conservative owner of the superstore chain BergMart. From what I read, he and your father are about to enter into a pretty big investment deal for the new waterfront, aren’t they?”
Another twitch. “Whether they are or aren’t has nothing to do with anything.”
“Right.” I nodded sharply.
The thing about Tom Bergerman was he was a strong proponent of “traditional” family values. A married man and woman plus children. He was a regular donor to one of Australia’s most notorious and conservative superchurches and often supported politicians who campaigned to end gay marriage and strip women of their body autonomy. He’d also publicly disowned his own son after he came out as trans. Tom lived and breathed his ideals.
Liam picked up a pen, clicking the end of it. “Look, I—”
“I wonder what Tom would think about you deserting the mother of your child only weeks before she gave birth? Would your future father-in-law approve of that?” I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Does Tom even know you had a child out of wedlock?”
His nostrils flared. “There’s no reason to tell him any of that.”
“Because he wouldn’t approve.”
“He has his own beliefs.”
I cocked my head. “Does Stella know what you did to Catherine?”
He stared back at me. “She’ll understand.”
“So that’s a no. What do you think she’d do if she found out?”
“She doesn’t need to know. Kit and I will make amends, then I’ll introduce Stella to the baby, and everything will be fine.”
“The baby.” I huffed a laugh. “You don’t know her name, Liam. How are you going to introduce her to your fiancée?”
He closed his eyes and exhaled. “I’ll have things sorted by the time I cross that bridge.”
“Will you? Do you think Catherine’s really going to lie down and allow you to play happy families with her daughter?”
“She’s my daughter too. I have every right—”
“You don’t. You’re not on the birth certificate. She doesn’t share your surname. On top of that, you can’t exactly tell anyone you deserted a child, can you? Tom wouldn’t approve, and do you think he’d allow Stella to marry you if he disapproves?”
I swiped my hands together. “So, there goes your marriage. And what do you think Tom will do when he hears the largest investor in the waterfront project is pulling out?”
Liam’s mouth dropped open, and his brow pinched in confusion. Clearly, he hadn’t heard about the newest investor. His father probably hadn’t felt the need to keep his idiot son abreast of company business.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I’m not only in Australia to see you. I flew in to sign some documents. As of yesterday, I am a thirty-percent stakeholder in the waterfront.”
He stared at me like he was trying to get a read on me. “You wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize your investment.”
I stared back, giving him nothing in return. “Wouldn’t I?”
Before looking into the van der Wycks, I hadn’t set my sights on Australia. But once I saw the waterfront plans, ideas churned. This project was a sound investment, and I got in early enough to be able to put my personal stamp on the construction and environmental impact.
However, I would let the money I invested burn to ashes if I needed to walk away. The fact that I was willing and able to lose millions without blinking was my trump card. I was certain Tom Bergerman and Edgar van der Wyck would not be as willing to lose a large portion of their fortunes if this project went down in flames.
“I urge you to think this through, Liam. Consider the widespread consequences if you choose to proceed with this line of thinking.”
His jaw was working now, grinding hard, and his hands were balled into fists. Whether he was angry at the thought of losing Josephine or pissed off at being backed into a corner, I couldn’t tell. Probably the latter since he’d shown no concern for her, even now. He hadn’t even asked her name.
He slowly opened his fists. “So, what am I supposed to do? Forget she exists?”
“No. I’m not saying that. If you want a relationship with her, you’ll do it on the terms Catherine lays out.”
“And those terms are…?”
“I don’t know. That isn’t my place. You’ll have to speak to her about that.” I dropped my foot to the ground, preparing to stand. We were almost done here. “But know this, Liam, if you set foot on US soil and try to stake some kind of claim on the baby, I will encourage Catherine to press charges against you. If you threaten her in any way, I will notify your future father-in-law of your past misdeeds and pull my investment from the waterfront faster than you can blink. Catherine is no longer alone, and she will not be taken advantage of ever again.”
His eyes narrowed. “You say speaking for her isn’t your place, so why are you here, mate? This isn’t the kind of thing a boss sticks his nose in.”
“You’re right, it isn’t.” I rose to my feet, tucking my hands in my pockets. “Catherine’s mine. If you choose to step up and build a relationship with her child, I’ll be there, always. Hope you like my face because you’ll be seeing it for eighteen years.” My brow winged. “Or not. That’s up to Catherine.”
Message delivered, I walked out of his office. It was time to go home to my girls.
