Son Of Scandal

“I wasn’t drunk,” he said quietly.

“Which leaves only one alternative.” Turning away, Ivy pressed her hand hard against her stomach. The chaotic emotions rushing through her did not help her morning sickness at all. Though why they called it that, she’d never know. Hers was more like morning, noon and night sickness.

“Are you okay?” Paxton asked, his voice sounding closer. Sure enough, a quick glance confirmed he was on his feet and halfway around the table already.

“No,” she snapped. She breathed slow and deep, in through her nose, out through her mouth. So far the only things she’d found that helped when the nausea hit at its random times were to keep very still and stay calm. This situation wasn’t conducive to either.

“Besides, there are other issues to consider.”

“Like what?”

She realized he wasn’t going to let her get away with not answering that question. But her brain was seriously on strike right now. Thinking things through wasn’t her strong point. All she knew was that anything she said about her family could potentially do a lot of damage.

Not just for herself and any custody battles she found herself in, but also for Jasmine. Even though her sister had a fiancé with clout now, the news of the Harden sisters’ true heritage could break her event-planning business if the McLemores decided to go after her.

“I can’t... I can’t talk about that right now. My stomach—” She hated to use illness to get herself out of this discussion, but at least this overwhelming sickness came in handy for something.

“Okay,” he conceded.

But she had a feeling she wasn’t getting off easy. Suddenly he stood before her with his legs braced and his arms crossed over his chest.

“But remember,” he said, “I can’t fix what I don’t know.”

“I’m not sure this can be fixed.” Ivy gasped against a wave of nausea. “I just...I need time.”

“We don’t have an infinite amount of that left.”

She glanced up to find him facing her, big body braced, arms crossed over his chest, causing his dress shirt to strain over smooth muscle. He opened his mouth. Then closed it. All while staring at her.

“What?” But she was almost afraid to ask. Paxton wasn’t the type of guy to be at a loss for words.

“Did you do this on purpose?”

Wow. Ivy swayed. Or did she? Maybe it just felt that way with her mind reeling. She really had been delusional to think he might feel anything for her...hadn’t she?

Her chest was too tight with hurt for her voice to come out more than a whisper. “Is that really how you see me?”

His answer was too matter-of-fact for her liking. “No. But people can hide a lot.”

Just like he had. He’d hidden a lot of suspicion behind caring, hadn’t he? “There’s nothing I can say to convince you that I didn’t deliberately get pregnant, Paxton,” she said with more resignation than conviction. “That’s gonna be a problem, isn’t it?”

“Probably.”

* * *

She doesn’t look so fierce in her sleep.

Paxton stared down at Ivy as she rested on the sofa in the Hardens’ front parlor. Her tousled hair looked the same as it had on the morning that he’d left her in his bed, but her face was thinner now. A slight frown rested between her brows, as if she couldn’t get comfortable, even in her sleep.

Uneasy with the softening of his emotional defenses, Paxton forced his gaze away from her to the surrounding room. He took in the antique furniture mixed with a few well-worn pieces and lots of soft feminine touches. The living space seemed well used and designed for comfort, while respecting the past.

“She’s plumb tuckered out all the time,” the older woman the sisters called Auntie said as she came up beside him.

Paxton glanced over at her, unease filtering through him. “Is this level of sickness dangerous? I don’t remember either of my sisters having this problem.”

Sierra rarely got sick at all. Janine had spent the first three months throwing up every morning, then she was fine the rest of the day. But they were both very emotional—conversations could turn into minefields without warning.

“Oh, it isn’t dangerous,” Auntie said with a wave of her hand. “As long as we keep enough food in her, she and the baby will be fine. Not comfortable, by any stretch of the imagination. But safe.”

Paxton suppressed a smile. “Good to know.”

“It’s all been rough on her—” Auntie went on, shifting slightly “—between the sickness, how this all came about and getting used to the idea of bringing a new life into the world. That’s a lot for a girl to take in.”

Paxton was well aware. “I bet.”

“She’ll be a good mama, though. You’ll see.”

Finally Paxton let his gaze return to the sleeping beauty. He knew Ivy to be capable, efficient, eternally prepared for any number of clients’ demands. The night of the masquerade, he’d discovered just how passionate she could be. The last thing he’d wondered about her was what kind of mother she’d be.

Guess he better start considering the possibilities.

That’s not why I’m here. Paxton shook his head slightly. He’d spent the night vacillating between sheer panic and endless questions. Not the joy that he’d felt each time his sisters had announced their pregnancies.

He’d realized immediately after leaving yesterday that he’d taken the wrong tack. Letting their emotions take control wouldn’t get them anywhere. Especially not him. It was the first time he could remember his emotions overtaking his logic so completely. A scary place for him to be.

So he’d returned this afternoon for a bit of reconnaissance. His best option for moving forward and answering his own questions about this whole situation was information.

Information about Ivy outside of their professional exposure to each other. Information about her family and the environment the child would be born into. That way he could make decisions and plans based on what he thought was best.

This situation wasn’t ideal. It was what it was. He just needed a plan of action.

He forced his gaze away. Focus on the plan. Not on the woman.

“Thank you for having me,” he said, turning up the wattage on his smile as he glanced back at Auntie. Just as he had yesterday, he’d noticed her limp as she’d led him from the front door, into the parlor. She had the pinkish complexion of health, but also the slight droop of exhaustion in her expression. Even this early in the evening.

“Oh, these girls keep me busy,” she said, “but it makes life happy, you know?”

“I do, indeed. My family is a big part of my life also.”

And he was not looking forward to hearing their thoughts when they found out he’d gotten his assistant pregnant. Definitely not what they’d had in mind when they urged him to start a family. Of course, it wasn’t what he’d had in mind, either. Family had been the last thing he’d been thinking about when he’d taken Ivy to bed that night.

“I love having a big family,” Auntie was saying, “Even though they came to me later in life. Do you have a big family?”

Paxton smiled and chatted about his two sisters and all his nieces. He truly loved his family, even when they were driving him crazy. He’d always been close with his siblings and his parents and grandmother. As the only grandson, they had high expectations for him and his future family. Almost as high as he had for himself.

Having a baby with Ivy didn’t fit into the plan. His stomach twisted as he imagined their disappointment. But regardless of whether this baby fit his stringent requirements for having children, the baby existed. Paxton was not the kind of man who could simply walk away.

It wasn’t just about responsibilities, either. He’d spent a lot of time with his sisters and nieces. He didn’t know where this was going, but those joyful thoughts of welcoming a child into the world and watching it grow were already taking hold.

Only a day, and he’d already been sucked in.

“Thank you for taking care of her,” he said, in a sincere effort to show his appreciation, despite what Ivy would have thought if she’d heard it.

The older woman’s smile was kind. “Ivy insists she’s handling it, but it is wearing her down, I believe. She doesn’t want anyone else to feel responsible, but that’s what family does.”

She leaned a little closer and lowered her voice. “I even postponed a trip with her sister Jasmine because I just don’t want her alone. And she needs her own bed right now, her own space. Not to be out at Willow’s place, away from her comfort zone.”

Paxton stared for just a moment, his brain kicking into overtime. Something started to take shape, but before he could analyze it, a soft voice drifted across the room.

“Somehow I knew you’d be back.”

Paxton was unsettled by Ivy’s resigned tone. Without thought, his chin went up and he said, “You shouldn’t doubt it. We’ll be a major part of each other’s lives from here on out.”

Inwardly he winced. Probably not the right approach at the moment. Unlike Ivy, Paxton knew he needed to keep his emotions out of this situation. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Ivy. About her being the mother of his child. He’d attempted to put every spine-tingling moment of their night together out of his mind...and had succeeded until the moment he’d returned home. But he didn’t want to think about it. Right now, he needed to focus on the child.

The one thing he refused to walk away from.

Not wanting to hover over her, Paxton crossed to the sofa, where she lay, and eased himself into the far corner. Ivy’s eyes widened before she pushed herself into a more upright position and pulled her feet closer to her. But not before he caught sight of her delicate feet with their bright pink toenails.

Once more he struggled to push back the memories.

“I’ll leave you youngins alone for a bit,” Auntie finally said, winking at Paxton. “I’m sure you have a lot to discuss.”

Indeed they did.

Paxton turned back to Ivy, then winced at her cynical expression.

“Any particular reason you’re trying to charm my aunt?”

Busted. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve been watching you in action for a year and a half now. I’ve seen that same smile a hundred times. What are you trying to prove?”

That I’m not the bad guy here. “How are you feeling?” he asked, instead of answering her question.

She pushed the heavy fall of her hair back behind her ear. “Okay.”

He could spot the lie from a mile away, even without her grimace.

“Medicine helping any?”

She glanced down at the floor as if she was uncomfortable with the attention. “It helps me not be sick, but doesn’t take away the nausea altogether.”

She’d lost weight, he noticed again. Her high cheekbones stood out more than they had, creating a hollow beneath. There were dark shadows under her eyes, too. She was indeed having a rough time of it.

“The doctor says only about a month more...” she said, her voice weak. “Then we should start to see some improvement.”

As much of a jerk as it made him, he was about to use that little fact to his advantage. The idea that had teased him earlier now fell firmly into place.

As he looked into her cautious gaze, Paxton kept his expression serious. It would be all too easy to slip into charming-businessman mode, like he had with Auntie. That realm he could navigate easily. But Ivy would feel like she was being played.

He needed her on board. Not on edge.

“Ivy, I want to come stay with you.”

The shock that widened her eyes reverberated inside of Paxton. He couldn’t believe he was saying it out loud. But this made the most sense to him...and he hadn’t been able to come up with a better option to get the amount of information he needed.

Thankfully she didn’t mock his motives, or rage about the time they’d spent apart. Instead she seemed almost sad as she whispered, “Why?”

“We’re having a baby together.”

“Not really,” she countered. “I mean, we have created a child together. But we aren’t really together, are we?”

She had a point. Paxton stood, the need to clarify his thoughts pushing him to pace. “No,” he said. As uncomfortable as it might be, they needed to get this point out in the open. “For now, we aren’t together.” He pivoted to face her. “But we will always be tied to one another. And right now, I’d say I know as little about you outside of work as you know about me.”

She was already shaking her head. “I just can’t deal with this right now, Paxton. Maybe later—”

“That’s just it. I’ve had a lot of experience with pregnant women. You know that.” After all, she’d watched him go to appointment after appointment with his sister last year, when her husband was away on business. “Auntie says Jasmine wants her to go on a trip with them. Let me take care of you. It will be easier on you, and on—”

“How’s it going in here?” Auntie asked as she came back through the door with a tea tray. She set it on a little table near the couch. “Here’s some ginger tea, sweetheart. Sip this slowly.”

She handed a delicate teacup to Ivy, who raised it to her lips for a little sip before saying, “Thank you, Auntie.”

The older woman limped over to a recliner, then lowered herself into it gingerly. Ivy frowned as she watched, the questions obvious on her face.

“Actually, Auntie,” Paxton said, taking a chance despite the growing horror in Ivy’s expression, “I’m trying to convince Ivy to let me stay here for a while. Let me take care of her. Take the burden off you so you can go on the trip with Jasmine.”

Auntie glanced at Ivy with an almost-amused expression that he didn’t understand. “Now, young man, don’t you use me to put pressure on this young lady. She’s carrying enough guilt as it is.”

“I didn’t mean to—”

“Then you don’t know women as well as you think you do,” she said with a smile. “Most women feel guilty for something or other. Ivy has had to take a step back lately, let other people do the work while her body handles the process of creation. That’s not what she’s used to...but I do think you have a point.”

“You do?” Paxton hadn’t thought she’d come onboard without some persuasion.

“This isn’t really about me,” Auntie chided him with a soft smile. “It’s about you and Ivy. And you can’t figure out anything about you and Ivy without working it out together.” She transferred her smile to the woman looking pale and panicked on the couch. “It’s hard to do that with distance...and a chaperone.”

A stubborn expression took up residence on Ivy’s face. “So you want to let someone you don’t know live here while you’re gone?”

“But you know me, don’t you, Ivy?” Paxton prompted.

“So why did you accuse me of getting pregnant on purpose? Obviously you don’t know me.”

Paxton gave in to the renewed desire to pace. He didn’t want to get into the particulars of his doubts, his accusations. But he wasn’t seeing a way out. Especially not with Auntie’s and Ivy’s gazes trained directly on him. The pressure to explain warred with the desire to be defensive about his mistakes. “It was a long time ago.”

“Did someone try to trap you into marriage?” Ivy asked, her wide eyes a sign of surprise he didn’t believe.

Auntie made a soft clucking sound of comfort.

“No,” Paxton assured her. Veronica hadn’t trapped him into anything. “I have simply been deceived in the past by women who want more than I care to give. While I don’t think that’s what’s happening here, the question had to be asked.”

Auntie laughed. “Son, if someone is scamming you, I doubt they’re just gonna admit it when you ask directly like that. But I can assure you, my niece is on the up-and-up. Besides, I doubt she was the one who brought the birth control to the party. Right?”

“Auntie!” Ivy cried, her pale cheeks flushing rose-red.

Paxton would normally have chuckled, but he was too lost in the memory of grabbing a condom from the bedside table. The box of condoms he’d bought. She was right. Birth control was always something Paxton handled himself. Only this time it had failed him.

He felt a low throb in his body, as if reminding him it had all been worth it. Too bad his body lied.

Then Ivy pressed a hand to her stomach and grimaced. As she lifted the teacup back to her lips, Paxton decided to give her some breathing room. Normally, he pressed hard when he wanted something. Pressed until he received the answer he wanted. But now wasn’t the time for that...and he had a feeling Ivy wasn’t a woman who would take it.

“Look, just think about it. I think it would be good for us.” Even if maintaining his distance would be harder under those circumstances. But he had to remember his life plan. This might be a detour, but he refused to be derailed from his own goals. Or his family’s expectations. “I’ll come by tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you just call?” Ivy asked.

Maybe he would press...just a little more. “Because regardless of your decision, you’re stuck with me. Yours is only a choice of location.”

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