Page 18 of Billion-Dollar Baby Shock

‘A degree in what?’

‘Quantity surveying.’

Dion’s eyes widened.He hadn’t expected that.‘How did you get into that?’

‘My father was an architect.I used to go on site visits with him when I was small and I was always fascinated by the QS, who seemed to be the one who really had the full picture of the build.I loved the way they managed to merge the creative with the practical.’

Dion was a little flabbergasted.He too had always had an appreciation for those in the business who had the practical measure of things.

‘You mentioned siblings…four?’

She nodded and lifted a hand, ticking off fingers.‘Daniel, Mary, Lucy and Oisín.’

‘Osheen?’

‘It’s Irish.It means little deer, as in, a fawn.’

‘That’s a big family.’Dion couldn’t even imagine such a thing.It had been him and his mother, until it hadn’t.As it was, he barely remembered those years with her because she’d routinely left him alone to fend for himself.

‘I guess so.’

‘Why did you become an egg donor?Was it for the money?’

CHAPTER FOUR

Tara’s eyes widened.‘No, it wasn’t like that.My eggs were there for my future use, not to be used as donor eggs for someone else.’

The man opposite her frowned, drawing his gorgeous dark features into an expression of incomprehension.‘Then…how did they end up being used to make an embryo?That’sifwhat you’re saying is true.’

Tara had to stop herself from saying something she might regret.She’d lambasted him for leaving his,her, son alone and he’d taken the fire out of her anger by revealing his truly awful experience at the hands of his parents.His decision to have a child alone wasn’t so easy to judge now.She hadn’t been able to help her soft heart from aching at the thought of him as a small child, bewildered and neglected.Dumped like an unwanted dog.She couldn’t get her head around how a mother could do that to her own child.

Dion arched a brow.Waiting.

‘Do you have issues with your fertility?’he asked before she could figure out how to formulate her response.

She shook her head.‘No, I don’t have any issues…or at least, not that I know of.’

‘So…why?’

Nowshewas under the spotlight.She felt defensive.‘Lots of women freeze their eggs now.It gives us choice and options for the future.Unlike men, we don’t have an unlimited amount of time to procreate.’

His jaw tightened, a muscle twitched.Tara wanted to put her mouth there.She focused on his eyes, which weren’t any less provocative.He had incredibly long lashes and yet they did nothing to detract from his sizzling masculinity.He said tautly, ‘I am aware of that.’

Tara sighed.If she was going to be embarking on some kind of long-term arrangement with this man to have a relationship with her son, then she’d be wise not to completely alienate him.

Or give him the impression that you’re a total sl—

‘My parents both died when I was sixteen,’ she blurted out, before any more intrusive thoughts could throw her off.‘In a car crash.A drunk driver on the wrong side of the road.’

Dion responded, ‘That’s…very rough.I’m sorry.’

‘It was the worst thing.But…after they died, as the eldest, I had to step into their roles.’

He frowned.‘Was that allowed?’

‘Technically, no, but my mother’s sister and her husband became our guardians.They lived really close by and so we continued living in our own house and I took care of the day-to-day stuff while they supervised us and made sure we had enough money for everything.’

‘While you were still at school?’