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What choice did he have? There was a child...and he couldn’t walk away from her. But he wasn’t ready to reveal more. So he gave Nadiya the same answer he’d given Ella. “The time has come.”
She said, “I do have contractual obligations.”
This wasn’t what he needed to hear. Talk of contracts reminded him too much of...Ella.
He rolled away and lay back. She, too, was proving to be like the woman he tried never to think about. Keeping his voice level, he said, “You don’t have time for children.”
“No, no. I’m not saying that!” Nadiya edged closer and placed her hand over his. “But I never expected you to offer—”
She broke off.
Sensing opportunity, he turned his head. “You never expected me to offer...what?”
“What are you offering, Yevgeny? You haven’t actually said.”
This was another thing he liked about Nadiya—she was direct. He chuckled softly, secure that he was about to get what he wanted. The sensation that shot through him was familiar; the dart of adrenaline that signified the successful conclusion of a deal. “I’m offering a diamond ring to the mother of my child.”
“Marriage?”
He nodded. For one uncertain instant he considered telling her about the baby girl he planned to adopt...but before he could speak, Nadiya let out a breathy little gasp and started to bounce on the bed. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
A wave of euphoria swept him. The first step of his plan had been accomplished. Ella McLeod would stand no chance....
But why was he thinking about her when he should be focused on Nadiya? Tightening his fingers around his fiancée’s, he prompted, “And what about your contract?”
“We will work something out—I do want a baby.”
Yevgeny studied her from under hooded eyelids. It might be a good idea to wait...to see how she reacted to the baby before he showed his hand entirely. The brief moment of uncertainty passed. Nadiya was beautiful, no doubt about that. Sexy, too. And beneath the model-perfect exterior she was likable. Everything a man could ever want. Everything he should be desiring....
So why did he keep remembering a pair of outraged honey-gold eyes?
Four
Yevgeny returned to the hospital late the following afternoon—with his supermodel in tow. His face wore no expression as the pair entered the family waiting room where Ella had just met with Jo, and now she tried desperately to match his insouciance. All day, she’d found herself wondering when he would arrive.
Now he was here.
And he hadn’t come alone.
Sitting on one of the two-seater love seats, her overnight bag already packed and ready to go, Ella couldn’t help wishing that she’d taken the time to blow-dry her hair straight after breakfast instead of wasting time staring out the hospital-ward window for thirty soul-searching minutes. Now, at the end of the day, her hair hung like rats’ tails around her face while Nadiya looked absolutely fabulous. Not that Ella should care...but unaccountably she did.
Maybe she couldn’t look as if she’d stepped out the pages of Vogue, but she wanted to look capable and together—like someone out of a feature on successful women in Cosmo.
Brisk. Businesslike. A woman who had achieved every career goal she’d ever set for herself; not the quivering mass of Jell-O–like uncertainty that she was right now.
Nadiya was glancing around the family room with interest—taking in the large black-and-white photos of mothers cradling babies that decorated the walls. Ella wondered if she’d ever seen inside a maternity unit before. Given the model’s whippet-slim figure, pregnancy was not something Ella could imagine the supermodel contemplating with glee.
“Where’s the baby?”
Ella managed not to roll her eyes skyward. Of course the baby would be the first thing that Yevgeny asked about.
“Her diaper is being changed.”
“The birth went well?” asked Nadiya.
Ella could’ve hugged the woman for unwittingly preventing Yevgeny from venting the criticism that hovered unspoken on his lips. Clearly he thought she should be attending to the baby.
“Yes, very well.” She gave the supermodel a small smile. “I’ve already been discharged.”
“That’s good. How much does she weigh?”
Ella told her.
“Your sister must be thrilled—she’s changing her now?”
Did Nadiya not know that Keira had pulled out of the adoption? Ella’s questioning gaze slid to Yevgeny. Perhaps the two weren’t as close as she’d assumed...perhaps Nadiya was not the bride he intended to sucker into marriage.
