More Than a Millionaire / The Untamed Sheikh. Emilie Rose

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      “Contracts can be broken.”

      She needed to talk to her lawyer before tackling the legalities. “You don’t understand. I will be this child’s aunt. I’ll see it almost every day. I’ll get to watch him or her grow up and be a part of its life. I’ll still be family.”

      She hated the anxiety sharpening her voice. The idea had sounded so much better before her pregnancy had been confirmed. “Go back to your surrogate.”

      “You’re carrying my firstborn and firstborn Patricks have taken over the family firm for three generations.”

      “What if my child doesn’t want to be an architect?”

      One dark eyebrow hiked. “Why wouldn’t he?”

      “Because I don’t have an artistic bone in my body and he or she might take after me.”

      “Or he might take after me and be damned good at it. Don’t turn this into a legal battle, Ms. Hightower.”

      His threat was clear. The muscles of her spine went rigid and her heart thumped even harder. Her arms tightened protectively around her middle. They’d done that a lot since he’d walked in. “This is my baby.”

      “Is it, if you’ve already signed away your rights? As the child’s biological father I probably have more rights to it than you do.”

      Fear slithered down her spine. She was very afraid that what he said might be true, but she wasn’t giving up without a fight. She glared at him, silently telling him to bring it on. The stiffening of his features told her he’d received her message loud and clear. He stood and towered over her.

      She rose to meet him at his level, but still had to tilt her head back. How tall was he, anyway? Well over six feet.

      “This discussion is over, Mr. Patrick, until I talk to my attorney.”

      “Do that. Mine will be calling you. But be warned, Ms. Hightower, I always get what I want, and I will be a father to my child. Make it easy on yourself, accept that and don’t prolong this.”

      He turned on his heel, flung open her door and stalked out of her office, sucking all the oxygen with him as he went.

      Sapped of strength, but conversely filled with an energizing surplus of adrenaline, Nicole sank into her chair. She had to do something to stop him. Because if Ryan Patrick had his way she would be giving up far more than the right to mother her baby. She might never see her child again. And that was not going to happen.

      Chapter Two

      Apparently it didn’t matter which side of the desk Nicole sat on. Today was her day to receive bad news.

      She stared in dismay at the woman in front of her. “You’re saying he’s correct. Ryan Patrick has more right to my baby than I do?”

      While her attorney’s smile and brown eyes were sympathetic, they didn’t offer much encouragement. “I’m sorry, Nicole. The clinic confirmed his story. There was a mix-up. Biologically, this is his child unless DNA testing proves otherwise.”

      “But my doctor said I couldn’t do prenatal DNA testing without significant risk to the baby. So that’s out of the question.” Nicole had called her in a panic the minute Ryan Patrick left her office. “I don’t think I can stand seven more months of uncertainty.”

      “I understand. And it really isn’t necessary since the lot number of Ryan Patrick’s…contribution was found written on your record. Too bad the technician didn’t double-check it beforehand.”

      She was carrying a stranger’s baby.

      Not Patrick’s.

      Disappointment and helpless frustration filled her with an antsy urge to climb out of her skin. “Is the contract even valid since the baby isn’t Patrick’s?”

      “The wording states you’re providing them with a child, and that you have no intention of claiming that child. It doesn’t specify paternity. The agreement is pretty ironclad. They used all the right phrases to protect themselves in case you changed your mind, and since we didn’t think that would be an issue, I didn’t strike or amend the clause.”

      A heavy weight settled on Nicole’s chest. “I don’t want Ryan Patrick to get custody. If he does, I may never see my baby again. At least Beth promised me I could be a hands-on aunt.”

      “But you didn’t get that promise in writing, so it wouldn’t hold up in court. I wish I could say the chances of Mr. Patrick winning at least partial custody were slim, but they’re not.

      “This isn’t your fight, Nicole, unless you elect to try and revoke your surrogacy contract which I can tell you will be a tough and expensive battle. If you choose that route you’ll fight your sister and her husband first, and then the winner of your battle will fight the baby’s father.”

      A lose-lose proposition. “Breaking the contract would destroy my relationship with my family. I won’t do that. My family is too important to me.”

      Her attorney nodded. “Then your first order of business is to talk to Beth and Patrick. Tell them what you’ve discovered. Make sure they still want to adopt this child. Their decision determines your next action.”

      The idea of confronting Beth and Patrick and the fear of what they’d say made her queasy. Her dream of having Patrick’s baby had become a nightmare. Or had it? She’d given up long ago on ever having children of her own.

      “If Beth and Patrick no longer want this baby, can I keep it?”

      “Your odds of winning either way are not good. The day you signed the waiver to relinquish to your sister and brother-in-law you knowingly entered into this agreement with no intention of parenting this child. Precedents in Texas and California have granted custody to the father in similar situations.”

      That was not what she wanted to hear. But even if she could keep her baby, what did she know about good parenting? Her parents certainly hadn’t set an example to emulate. They’d been gone more than they’d been at home, and when they’d been at home they both tended to be self-centered. Not a pretty picture despite the united front they presented to the world.

      “In the meantime,” her attorney continued, “I’ll pursue legal action against the clinic. Besides their negligence, they’ve violated so many rules and regulations by releasing your personal information to Mr. Patrick without following proper legal channels that the courts and several regulatory agencies will be occupied for a long time.”

      “I…I suppose that has to be done to prevent the clinic doing this to someone else. I’ll talk to Beth and Patrick this afternoon.” Until then she had no idea where she stood.

      And that was one conversation she dreaded more than anything she’d ever had to do in her life except for smiling through congratulating the man she loved on marrying her sister.

      “Nicole, I’d like to caution you to be civil to Mr. Patrick. In my thirty years СКАЧАТЬ