Special Deliveries: Wanted: A Mother For His Baby. Kate Hardy

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СКАЧАТЬ Deidre’s concern reflected in her expression and her voice. “How did that go?”

      “A lot better than you would expect, given how angry he was with me last fall.”

      “What did he want?”

      “He wants me to be Drew’s nanny for the summer.”

      Deidre looked appalled. “His nanny? He has a lot of nerve.”

      Some of Bella’s anxiety eased in the face of her friend’s fierceness. It was nice to have someone to support her for a change instead of always being the one people leaned on. “He doesn’t have any idea how hard it was for me to give up Drew.”

      The cozy apartment fell away as Bella got lost in the memory of holding Drew. Beneath his soft skin, he was strong like his father. As she’d buckled him into his car seat, she’d inhaled his wonderful baby scent, so like her siblings’ when they were little, and yet all his own. It had whipped her emotions into a muddled stew.

      As much as she loved helping to raise her brothers and sisters, she’d lost her childhood to changing diapers, calming temper tantrums, making lunches and helping with homework. Her mother couldn’t have kept up on her own. Plus there was always something around the farm that demanded Stella McAndrews’s attention.

      Bella knew she was a lot like her mother. A nurturer. Taking care of people was almost a compulsion. But it had left her little time or energy for herself and in the middle of her sophomore year in high school, she recognized the burning in her gut as resentment. She felt trapped by her siblings’ neediness and began questioning her parents’ decision to have eight children.

      Soon, the farm, the small nearby town where they attended school, even her friends—their dreams no bigger than the rural community they lived in—began to feel like a prison she had to escape.

      But to do so, she needed to make plans and promises. She would focus on doing well in high school so she could get into college. Majoring in education was a logical choice. She’d grown up teaching her siblings and felt a sense of accomplishment when they did well in school.

      She loved college and with each step toward graduation her future looked brighter. Between her course load and work, her time was still not her own, but now she was calling the shots and making all the decisions. It was a heady feeling. One she wasn’t ready to surrender to a boyfriend. So she didn’t date much. If something looked like it was getting serious, she broke it off. She liked her freedom and wasn’t willing to give it up.

      “He’s beautiful.” Bella summoned the energy for a weak smile. “Perfect.”

      “Blake?” Deidre looked puzzled.

      Bella shook her head. “Drew.”

      “You saw him, too?”

      “I did more than that.” Her throat seized. “I held him.”

      Deidre made a disgusted noise. “So what was Blake’s reaction when you told him no about the nanny job?”

      “What do you think?” Bella winced at Deidre’s disapproving scowl.

      “He badgered you to say yes.”

      “Badgered is a little strong. He just didn’t take no for an answer.”

      “Are you sure you really told him no?”

      “I did.”

      “No hesitations?”

      “Of course not.”

      Bella and Deidre might have started as roommates a year and a half ago, but as the months passed, they’d become good friends. Bella liked living in New York City, but once in a while the distance between her and that crowded farmhouse in Iowa felt farther than a thousand miles. She appreciated having someone to come home to. To cook for and to share the couch with. A friend she could confide in over a bottle of wine. For all her longing to be free, Bella couldn’t deny she hated being alone.

      “Not even when you picture that gorgeous mansion on the beach?” Deidre persisted.

      Bella sighed in appreciation. “You know me too well. Okay, I’ll admit the thought of a summer in the Hamptons is very tempting.”

      Deidre dug Bella’s running shoes from under the bed while she changed. “So what are you going to do?”

      “I really should turn him down.”

      “You really should. But are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

      “I promised Lisa I’d help with her events this summer.”

      “And you always keep your promises.”

      Bella thought about her bargain with Blake’s ex-wife. Accepting the job as Drew’s nanny wouldn’t technically be breaking her promise to Victoria because their divorce meant the reason Bella had agreed to stay away no longer existed. Her presence in their life couldn’t be considered a distraction to the tight family Victoria had hoped to have with Blake and Drew.

      But staying out of Victoria’s way hadn’t been the only reason she’d cut off all contact. Bella had begun feeling things that ran contrary to what she’d determined for her life, and the conflict had disturbed her.

      “I’ll call Blake as soon as we’re back from our run and tell him I can’t be Drew’s nanny.”

      “Why not now?”

      “Because I need to plan what to say or he might just talk me into it.”

      * * *

      As the limo eased toward the curb in front of his stepsister’s building, Blake gathered up the baby and his bright blue diaper bag. Slinging it over his shoulder, lips quirking as he contemplated how becoming a parent had domesticated him, Blake strode into Jeanne’s building, nodding at the doorman as he passed.

      “You’re late,” his stepsister announced when he stepped off the elevator. She raised her arms in welcome as she advanced to take her nephew. Murmuring in soothing tones, she plucked Drew out of Blake’s arms and cuddled him. “I’ve been worried.”

      “I had to make a slight detour.” Blake smiled when Drew latched onto Jeanne’s chunky gold necklace and blinked sleepily up at her.

      “Well, you’re here now and just in time to hear my wonderful news.” Jeanne’s gaze cut to her stepbrother. “We’re going to be neighbors this summer. Isn’t that great? Now you don’t need to worry about a nanny for Drew. I can take care of him until Talia gets back on her feet.”

      “You found a rental this close to summer?”

      “Connie and Gideon are getting divorced and they can’t agree on who gets the beach house, so they’re letting Peter and me lease it. We’ll be living two doors away. It’ll be such great fun. Of course, Peter will only come up on the weekends, but I’m planning on spending as much time as I can at the beach. Isn’t it wonderful?”

      “Wonderful,” Blake echoed, his voice flat. He hadn’t yet shared his summer plans with Jeanne because СКАЧАТЬ