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“But surely you’ve invited family, friends—”
“I have no family,” he said. “When friends visit, I give them their own suite downstairs.”
“Oh.” No family, she thought. And though he lived in a luxurious hotel, he had no real home. In some ways, they were the same. Strange. For a moment their eyes met. Then she saw the boxes stacked neatly in the corner. “My things!”
She rushed over and started digging through the boxes. Relief poured through her as she found the family pictures, her father’s watch, her brother’s old baseball trophy, her mother’s music box. All the photos, still warped and faded, found on the banks of the river. Blinking away tears, she leaned back on her haunches and looked up at Cristiano.
“Everything is here. Thank you.” Her voice choked. “You don’t know what this means to me.”
“So I’m not still an indecent excuse for a man?”
She blushed. “I never should have said—”
“It’s all right.” He turned away. “I’ll leave you and the baby to rest.”
“You’re not afraid I’m going to try to run away with him in the middle of the night?”
He glanced back. “Are you planning to?”
Hallie thought of the fierce joy in Cristiano’s face when he’d gotten the paternity test results that proved Jack was his son. How he’d been so protective of her. How he’d gotten her precious possessions back for her. He, too, had experienced the pain of losing family and home.
She could no longer imagine stealing Jack away when Cristiano wanted so clearly to be part of his life.
“You’re Jack’s father,” she said in a small voice. “I wouldn’t try to hurt you.”
His shoulders relaxed. He motioned around the guest room and en suite bathroom. “It should be equipped with everything you require.”
“And then some,” she said, noticing the crib and a co-sleeper both set up on the other side of the king-size bed.
Following her gaze, Cristiano said awkwardly, “I didn’t know how you and the baby prefer to sleep. My assistant said both of those were popular with new mothers.”
“Thank you.” She gave him a smile. “It’ll be fun to use a co-sleeper that’s new. The crib looks nice, too.”
He gave a brief nod. “If you get hungry or need anything, just lift up the phone and dial one. It’s an express line to the front desk and will be prioritized above all other calls. The staff pride themselves on answering on the first ring.” Coming forward, he put his hand gently on Hallie’s bare shoulder. She felt his touch race through her entire body, setting her nerves aflame.
“Until tomorrow,” he said in a low voice.
After Cristiano left, closing the door behind him, Hallie took the baby carrier with her into the en suite bathroom. As Jack babbled contentedly from his carrier nearby, she took a quick, hot shower. She let all the sweat and anxiety of the long day wash off into steamy bliss. She washed her hair with the expensive shampoos and conditioners she’d once just stocked as a housekeeper. Afterward, she stepped into a soft, thick white terry-cloth robe from the heated stand. Her skin was pink and warm with steam as she came out and saw Jack was still happy in his baby carrier, cooing at the soft giraffe dangling from the handle.
“Now your turn, little one.” Unbuckling him from the carrier, she cuddled him close, kissing his soft head and chubby cheeks. She gave him a warm bath in the baby bathtub she found in the bathroom cabinet along with baby shampoo. Drying him off, she put him in a new diaper and clean footie pajamas.
Cuddling her baby close, she went to the soft new glider chair by the bedroom window and took a deep breath, relishing Jack’s sweet, clean baby smell. After reading him a short baby book from a collection on the shelf, she fed him and rocked him to sleep, then tucked him snugly into the co-sleeper.
Hearing her stomach growl, Hallie tried to remember the last time she’d eaten. A stale cookie at the single mothers support group? It seemed a year ago. Which reminded her. She grabbed her phone from her bag and messaged Tess and Lola.
I’m staying at his penthouse tonight. He got everything back from the landlord. I think everything’s going to be fine.
Plugging her cell phone in to recharge, she turned to the bulky phone plugged in to the wall. Hungry though she was, she couldn’t imagine calling room service, especially so late. She’d never ordered it herself, but her parents had told her about room service after they’d gone to a hotel in Cincinnati for their twenty-fifth anniversary.
“It was so expensive!” her father had exclaimed.
“With a required twenty-percent gratuity,” her mother had breathed in shock, “and a delivery fee on top of that!”
“And the food arrived cold!” he’d added indignantly. “Room service is for suckers who want to burn money!”
Hallie smiled at the memory. Her smile faded
as she felt all over again how much she missed them. Then she shook her head decisively. No room service. She’d just have to find something in Cristiano’s kitchen.
