Having Her Boss's Baby

At the restaurant, he handed the keys to the valet and then walked around the car, put his hand on Noelle’s back and guided her into the restaurant. Once there, he gave his name to the hostess and they were shown to a quiet table in the corner.

“This place is very nice,” Noelle said with a smile as she was seated with her back to the main dining area. “I’ve heard about it, of course, but I’ve never eaten here.” She wrinkled her nose. “We don’t eat out that much and with my friends, we do more lunch kind of stuff.”

She accepted the menu the waiter offered. Dev reached out for his, but realized the young man wasn’t paying attention to him at all. Instead he seemed mesmerized by Noelle. It was only when the server had left that Dev looked at her, really looked, and saw her as others would. As a young woman rather than just the girl who had dated his brother.

She was pretty, he thought with some surprise. Her skin was smooth and pale, her eyes a dark blue. Long blond hair hung well past her shoulders. Her dress hugged full curves although he remembered a narrow waist and hips.

Her body got his attention and his body responded automatically. The sudden arousal and heat stunned him. What the hell? There was no way anything was going to happen between them. She was pregnant and his brother’s girl. What was wrong with him?

He focused on the menu and pushed all other thoughts from his mind, although a lingering heat remained. Noelle was nothing but someone in need. She was going to be like a sister to him. A much younger sister. There could never be anything between them.

Unfortunately his promise to keep his vows popped into his head just then and he mentally groaned at the thought of two years of celibacy. Two very long years. Yet the thought of cheating wasn’t appealing, either.

“Everything looks great,” Noelle said as she read the menu. “Are there any dishes you recommend?”

They talked about the menu until they ordered, then Dev leaned back in his chair. “I have some paperwork I want you to look over,” he told her. “My lawyer wrote up an agreement. It’s very straightforward and there aren’t any surprises. The details are as we discussed. The baby will have Hunter as his or her last name. There will be a trust set up for the child, along with child support and a monthly income for you. When we divorce, you will be able to buy a house. With real estate values going up so much, I didn’t set a specific value. Instead, I’ve specified the type and size.”

The waiter arrived with their drinks. Dev picked up his. “Your copy is in the car, along with a list of lawyers who are familiar with this kind of agreement and a letter saying I’ll pay for the consultation.” He leaned forward. “I’m serious about this, Noelle. Don’t take my word for what I’m telling you. Have someone knowledgeable look the document over and give you an opinion.”

The more he insisted on her getting her own legal advice, the more she felt she didn’t need it, Noelle thought. But she would do as he asked. It was smart and he was making it easy.

“I know you’re not trying to cheat me,” she said. “I’m not concerned.”

“You have no reason to trust me.”

That made her smile. “Dev, when you found out I was pregnant with your brother’s child, the first thing you did was propose. You never asked for a test to prove the baby was Jimmy’s, you didn’t accuse me of trying to trap him or you. I appreciate all that. You’re the kind of man who does the right thing. I respect your principles.”

He stiffened and she wondered what she’d said that was wrong. Before she could ask what, he said, “We need to discuss the wedding. I think sooner is better than later.”

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, he was right. It wasn’t as if she were getting any less pregnant by the day.

“Las Vegas is an option,” he continued. “It’s close and easy. Most of the hotels there will be happy to arrange the wedding. We could fly out on a Saturday morning and be back by midday Sunday.”

“That’s fast,” she murmured.

Las Vegas. She had an immediate picture of a tacky chapel and an Elvis impersonator performing the ceremony. A far cry from the large, elegant affair she’d always pictured for herself. She imagined her sisters as her bridesmaids and her father giving her away.

Dev surprised her by reaching across the table and touching her hand. “You’ll have your dream wedding next time,” he said.

How had he known what she was thinking? “Las Vegas is fine. It makes the most sense.”

His dark gaze settled on her face. “I thought we’d wait until we’d been married a few weeks before telling your family about the baby.”

She nodded slowly, liking the warmth of his fingers on hers. “That’s for the best. The wedding will be enough for them to take in at first.”

She didn’t want to think about how everyone would react. Her mother would be hurt to be excluded from such an important event and her father…her father would want to be sure she really loved Dev.

She didn’t know how she was going to get around that question, so she would have to do her best to avoid it.

So much to think about, she thought as their salads arrived. So much change so quickly.

“I thought it would be less complicated to tell your parents after the fact about the wedding,” he said. “When we get back, we can drive over and tell them it’s done. Then you’ll move into the house.”

Noelle put down her fork and stared at him. Of course she’d known that getting married meant living in the same house, but she hadn’t thought through the reality of moving into Dev’s home or moving out of her own.

“There are two guestrooms joined by a bathroom,” he continued. “That should work for you and the baby. I have a cleaning service that comes in once a week.”

She knew people hired them, but she didn’t know anyone who did. “I can clean the house,” she told him.

He smiled. “You don’t have to. The house is big, plus there’s the pool house. Besides, you’ll be busy with college and the baby. Your education is important, Noelle. I know getting pregnant screwed up your plan, but I want to make sure when we get divorced, you’re well on your way to achieving all you want.”

“I find it hard to talk about getting married and divorced in the same conversation,” she admitted. “I saw a couple of my friends yesterday and I’m going to ask you the same question they asked me. Are you crazy?”

“Not that I’m aware of, although I’ve heard the psychiatric patient is always the last to know. What are you worried about?”

She liked that he didn’t dismiss her concerns or try to convince her everything was fine.

“Nothing specific, just this isn’t anything I ever thought I’d do. I don’t know how I feel anymore. The baby isn’t real to me. I haven’t had any symptoms. Just what that stick told me.”

“Do you think the stick is wrong?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m guessing it’s right. We’re talking about getting married and I don’t even know how old you are.”

“Thirty.”

Okay. One question down, four thousand left. “What do you expect from me when we’re married? You have a cleaning service. Do I greet you at the door and ask you about your day? Have dinner ready? Is our marriage going to be more Brady Bunch or Married with Children?”

“How about The Simpsons? I think you’d look great with blue hair.”

She eyed him. The humor surprised her, but in a good way. “You don’t look anything like Homer.”

“I could try.”

“Please don’t.” Dev was handsome and elegant, in a James Bond sort of way.

“Noelle, we’ll make this relationship what we want it to be. I’d like us to be friends first. That’s going to take some time. If you want to cook, I won’t say no. I’m tired of take-out and frozen dinners. If you aren’t interested, that’s fine, too. I don’t have any rules.”

“But I like rules,” she told him. “I like things neatly defined.”

“An unexpected pregnancy has a way of changing the rules.”

She knew he was right. “What about decorating or entertaining?”

“You can change anything in the house except my study. I have the name of the designer I used. You can call her or pick someone else, or do it yourself. As for entertaining…” He hesitated. “Let’s get used to being married, first.”

“Okay.” She drew in a deep breath and tried to relax. “You know, you can change your mind about marrying me.”

He shook his head. “I’m committed to this, Noelle. Are you?”

Sometimes she felt she was doing the right thing and others she felt she was flirting with disaster. But she’d made up her mind and given her word and she was going to keep it.

“This is what I want,” she said.

“Then Marge and Homer Simpson it is.”

* * *

Noelle checked the purchase order against the packing slip, then compared both with the bill from the supplier. Part of her job included random audits on all the departments. The computer would generate a list of purchases or sales every month and she would walk through the entire process to make sure everything was the way it was supposed to be. She then wrote up a report for Katherine, her boss, who passed it along to Dev.

In the past, she’d never much thought about him reading her findings or critiquing them. All her feedback came through Katherine. But now all that was different—at least on her end. Did Dev notice the e-mails that came from her? Did he think of her differently now?

Not that she would ask, she thought humorously. There were already enough awkward conversations without her throwing one more into the mix.

Katherine, a tall blonde in her late fifties, paused by Noelle’s desk. “If you have a minute, could I see you in my office?”

“Sure.” Noelle saved her work on the computer and followed her boss down the hallway.

Katherine’s office was next to Dev’s and while smaller, was still bright and beautifully decorated. The muted colors blended with the dark wood furniture. Had Noelle wanted to stay in business, she thought that Katherine would be the perfect role model. The woman had started out working in shipping and had risen to be second in command to the president of the company. Nothing happened at Hunter Manufacturing without Katherine knowing about it.

Noelle sat on the chair opposite the desk and waited. Katherine smiled at her.

“Dev’s gone this afternoon,” she began. “I’m telling you that so you won’t worry about him interrupting us or hearing our conversation.”

Okay, so they weren’t going to discuss Noelle’s performance. “All right.” Then she realized that Katherine and Dev had been working together for years and it was very likely he’d told her about the impending marriage.

Katherine confirmed her guess when she said, “I understand congratulations are in order.”

Noelle shifted in her seat. What on earth was she supposed to say? “I know it probably seems fast,” she mumbled. What would Katherine think of her?

But her boss’s eyes remained kind. “Life has a way of making things interesting. Still, I can’t tell you how sorry I am to lose you.”

“I’m not excited about quitting, either,” Noelle admitted. “But under the circumstances, it seemed best.” Being Dev’s assistant’s secretary would be more than a little awkward once the marriage took place.

Katherine studied her intently. “I knew you were dating Jimmy. He was an interesting young man. Dev put a lot of effort into his brother.” She paused. “Jimmy was fun, but not necessarily someone you would want to trust with your future. Dev is a good man. I’ve known him since he was a teenager. You can trust him, Noelle. I wanted to wish you the best and tell you that I hope you’ll consider the possibilities.”

Noelle didn’t know what to say. Had Katherine guessed some version of the truth? It sounded like it. Noelle was confident Dev wouldn’t say anything without telling her first.

“I agree Dev is a good man.” That fact made all of this possible.

“He deserves someone to love him. There have been…disappointments in his life.”

Disappointments? More than Jimmy’s death?

It occurred to Noelle that she knew very little about the man she would be marrying. He took responsibility, he was kind, but who was he really?

Katherine smiled. “I think the two of you will be very happy together.”

“Thank you,” Noelle murmured and found herself wishing that were possible.

* * *

Under normal circumstances, Dev would consider himself something of a catch. He had a career, owned a successful business and whoever married him would never want for money. He thought of himself as a good person at heart, although there were plenty of flaws. Still, he’d never had a problem attracting or keeping women around.

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