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‘I warned you I intended to do whatever it takes when it comes to this baby, did I not?’ he said, in the even tone he’d used that day in his office two months ago. The one that announced he was chillingly rational. That every word from his lips had been calculated and calibrated to achieve the result he wanted.
A shiver raced down my body, urging me to stay in the present. To give every scrap of attention to this insane moment, lest I was swept away. ‘This is... What are you doing?’ I finally managed, when my head stopped spinning.
‘Taking steps to secure my legacy.’
‘Your legacy? You don’t even fully accept that this baby is yours!’
He shrugged off the accusation. ‘I’ve given it some thought and I’ve concluded that for the moment we’ll proceed as if the child is mine.’
‘Oh, wow. Lucky me.’
My sarcasm bounced off him. ‘You got on a plane and travelled two and a half thousand miles to convince me. This is me meeting you halfway.’
‘No, this is you bulldozing your way into my life with zero regard for what I want.’
He paused, folded his arms across his wide chest. ‘Indulge me, then. Tell me some of what those wants are.’
I opened my mouth to tell him the paramount one. That I wanted him to leave. But with this new level of ruthless determination wouldn’t I simply be postponing the inevitable?
‘Permit me to start. Do you want a stable home for our child?’
‘Of course I do.’
He nodded in that arrogant way that stated he’d scored a point for himself.
‘What else, Sadie?’ he urged softly. Oh, so dangerously.
I shrugged. ‘I want what every normal person wants. To keep a roof over my head and to stop worrying about how to make ends meet.’
He looked around the living room, his face carefully neutral. ‘I have several roofs. You will be welcome to any you choose.’
My mouth dropped open, but he was still talking. ‘Were you serious about finishing your degree?’
‘Of course.’
‘There will be nothing standing in your way, should you choose to see things my way. As for your mother—’
‘She’s still none of your business.’
‘Very well. When the time comes, and you confirm my suspicions, that too will be dealt with.’
Everything I wanted. Offered on a platter. Just like that. I gasped as the penny dropped. ‘My God, this is why you stalled me in your office all afternoon and offered to give me a ride home? So you could chess move your way into my life?’
He didn’t bother to deny it. ‘I merely took time to ensure my plan was sound.’
‘I’m not a damned charity case!’
‘No,’ he replied with heart-stopping brevity, as something close to awe flashed across his face. ‘But according to every imaginable statistic, what is happening is a miracle. The baby you’re carrying is a miracle.’ Then that staggering determination returned. ‘One I don’t intend to let slip through my fingers.’
I wasn’t sure whether to be angry or horrified at his calculated move.
‘Don’t overthink it, Sadie. I’ve simply come up with a plan to remove any stumbling blocks that will prevent what we both want from happening. You have needs. I can satisfy them. It’s as simple as that,’ he drawled arrogantly.
If he’d discovered a handwritten wish list crafted by me he wouldn’t have been off by even a fraction. But what he was suggesting was unthinkable.
Marriage? I shook my head. ‘Even if everything you’ve listed is true, and I want all of it, why would I bind myself to you?’
‘Because I can give you everything you want. All you have to do is marry me.’
