Caitlin's Choice (6 page)

“I don’t want my son riding around in one of those tin boxes. You needed something bigger, safer.”

“What did you lease, a tank?”

“No. A Volvo.”

“Are you out of your mind?” she snapped. “I can’t afford the payments on that.”

“You’re not paying.”

Caitlin bristled. That’s just what he wanted, something else to hold over her. She should have known better than to leave the arrangements to him. “I can’t take a car from you, even if it is only leased.”

His jaw tightened, but he kept his voice level. “You are so damned stubborn. You have to disagree with everything I try to do.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” she noted, tossing up her hands to emphasize her point.

“You made me threaten you. I had to serve you with a subpoena before you answered my calls.”

“Are you going to have me arrested if I refuse the car?”

His face flushed in anger. He opened his mouth to answer her charge, but clamped it shut again when she began to laugh. “What is so funny?” he muttered through clenched teeth.

She leaned against the sectional sofa and crossed her arms. “You are. I can’t win because you don’t know what you want. You were willing to put an end to your brother’s wedding plans because you were afraid Maggie might be after the Sinclair fortune, but you’re ticked off at me because I won’t be bought.”

“One day that biting wit of yours will land you in trouble.” He sighed and stroked a finger along Tyler’s arm.  “Do you want to see your room, sport?”

Andrew led them to the second-floor nursery. The brass crib and white lacquer furniture were the finest she had ever seen. The blue and white wallpaper looked brand new, and the shelves were filled with stuffed toys. Andrew certainly worked fast.

He walked over to the crib and Caitlin put a hand on his arm. “Don’t put him down yet. I have to change him. Unless . . .” She held out a cloth diaper.

“Forget it.”

She couldn’t contain her smile. “I didn’t think so.”

He left, and Caitlin turned to the task of changing Tyler. As usual, he made it difficult, kicking wildly as she tried to put on another diaper. Once she finished, she placed him in the crib and rubbed her hand soothingly over his back to calm him.

“So that’s him.”

Caitlin whirled around.

A beautiful young woman stood poised in the doorway. Her haughty expression was underscored by her hands resting firmly on her hips. Dressed in a string bikini and five-inch heels, her red hair meticulously styled, she reminded Caitlin of some of the stuck-up models she had worked with over the years—a beautiful mannequin with nothing inside.

“You must be Leslie.” Caitlin offered her hand, but her greeting was ignored.

Leslie stepped around her and walked to the crib. She gave one disinterested glance at the new arrival. “I guess he is Andrew’s bastard. We had our doubts.”

Caitlin squared her shoulders and remained expressionless. She would not give this self-centered witch the satisfaction of insulting her or Tyler. “I’m sorry you feel that way. By the way, his name is Tyler, not Andrew’s bastard.”

“You’re not much like your sister, are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, for one thing, she was smart enough to get Erik to marry her before she started popping out babies.”

Caitlin cocked her eyebrow in amusement. “Does it come naturally, or do you have to work at being such a bitch?”

Leslie’s jaw dropped open. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“When you said I was nothing like my sister you were right. I can’t be insulted by someone I care nothing about, so save your breath.”

“You’re pretty sure of your position here.”

Caitlin shook her head. “I have no position here. This is a temporary arrangement at Andrew’s insistence.”

Leslie tossed her hair off her shoulder and raised her nose in the air. “Don’t make yourself too comfortable. I give him one month before he gets tired of playing daddy and sends you packing.”

“Only if I’m lucky,” Caitlin muttered under her breath.

“What?”

“I said, oh, lookie. Tyler is ready for his nap.”

With a grunt of frustration, Leslie stormed out of the room.

Caitlin leaned against the wall and exhaled slowly. She said a silent thanks to her sister for telling her what to expect. Andrew’s mother and sister were a matching pair of vicious snobs.

Tyler began to cry fitfully, as if he could sense the tension. She stroked her fingers over his back in slow, rhythmic circles until he fell asleep.

“If we stick together, kid, we will survive this,” she whispered.

But something Leslie had said bothered her. Would Andrew really get bored with playing daddy? She prayed it wasn’t so.

For Tyler’s sake, of course.

Only for Tyler’s sake.

* * * *

Leslie dropped several ice cubes into a glass and filled it with straight gin. Tossing her head back, she took a large gulp. The bitter liquid burned a path down her throat. It didn’t fill the emptiness she felt, but at least it numbed the pain. She glanced out the window to where her friends were still partying. Friends. While times were good, maybe.

She took another sip and reached for the bottle to replenish the drink as her mother came into the room.

“You’re back from the club early. Couldn’t wait to see the grandchild?” Leslie asked.

Joyce Sinclair smoothed her platinum hair and shot her daughter a stare that could freeze molten lava. “I am not amused.”

No, Leslie could well imagine that her dour mother wouldn’t be amused, but then few things in life amused her. Certainly not Erik’s elopement with the younger Adams sister, nor Andrew’s bombshell concerning the older one.

“I don’t know what the hell has gotten into your brother, but he has gone too far.” Joyce poured herself a glass of mineral water from the bar. “Have you seen him yet?”

“Andrew?”

“No. The child,” she snapped.

Leslie finished off her drink. “Yes.”

“And?” Joyce prodded, tapping her foot impatiently.

“He’s a Sinclair.”

“Never!” she growled out through clenched teeth. “I will never accept that . . . that . . . bastard into the family.”

“I don’t really see where you have a choice. At least until the novelty wears off for Drew.”

Joyce twisted her fingers together until her knuckles cracked. “Then we’d better work toward making the novelty wear off sooner rather than later. Our livelihood might depend on it.”

While Leslie didn’t welcome the presence of Andrew’s mistress and little bastard in the house, she didn’t see that it affected her. As long as she wasn’t expected to take care of the brat, it made no difference to her either way. Considering her brother didn’t think her capable of handling a file clerk’s position in his company, she figured he wouldn’t let her near the heir apparent.

She shrugged at her mother. “What are you talking about? You didn’t have a problem with Erik’s baby.”

“Our financial security doesn’t depend on Erik. It’s bad enough An
drew has tied himself to child-support payments for the next eighteen years. But to plant the little gold digger in the house! Doesn’t he realize this is a community property state?”

“Andrew’s not stupid enough to get taken by a woman.”

On the contrary, her brother was a master at manipulating people while keeping his emotions under control. His son was just one more acquisition to fawn over ... until the next new challenge came along.

“I hope you’re not betting your future on the wisdom of the Sinclair men, Leslie. Your father was foolhardy enough to leave Garret in charge of the family finances. Need I remind you what happened?”

Leslie nodded, silently and sorrowfully conceding her mother the point. She glanced out the window at her friends still romping by the pool. She remembered another time and another set of companions. Companions who hadn’t stood by her when most of the Sinclair fortune was lost. Perhaps her mother was right. Something would have to be done about Andrew’s relationship with Caitlin Adams.

FOUR

Joyce perched on the edge of the wing-back chair, poised to strike. “Only one hour in the house and already she’s making demands.”

Andrew rubbed his throbbing temples. His mother’s shrill voice had been rumored to bring grown men to tears. She still believed herself the ruling matriarch of the family in spite of the fact that she now lived in his house. At times like this, he understood why Caitlin preferred to live alone. If Joyce weren’t his mother, he wasn’t sure he would even like her.

“It’s perfectly reasonable to request a room next to the nursery so she doesn’t wake the house every time she feeds the baby.”

She groaned. “What possessed you to bring that woman here? If you had to do something, why not set her up in an apartment somewhere?”

He braced himself for another argument. His normally aloof mother had nearly had a stroke when she’d learned that he had a son and that he planned to bring Tyler to the house to live.

“This is my home, Mother, in case that slipped your mind.”

“How will it look to our friends to have that kind of woman living here?”

Andrew drew his brows together. “What kind of woman is that?”

Joyce tapped a manicured fingernail against the coffee table, an annoying habit she indulged in while lecturing her children. “You know very well what I mean. The kind of woman who gets herself in trouble.”

He exhaled deeply, trying to keep his temper in check. An attack on his own character he could handle, but he would not allow his mother to insult a woman she had never met.

“She didn’t do it alone, so what kind of a man does that make me?”

“A damned stupid one.” Disgust echoed in her voice. “Why weren’t you careful? You’re not some eighteen-year-old kid who can’t control his libido.” 

Andrew let out a loud laugh. No, he wasn’t some eighteen-year-old kid. He was a thirty-six-year-old man who had played juvenile games with a trusting woman. “She’s here at my request, Mother. Actually, at my demand. You can make her feel welcome, or you can spend the next few months at the condo in Florida. I don’t want any scenes like there were when Maggie was here.”

Joyce raised her head indignantly. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You know exactly what I mean. Did you think that Erik and I were blind?”

“You don’t know anything about this woman, Andrew. Why did she show up now? Why didn’t she make her unfortunate condition known while there was still time to do something about it?”

His fingers clenched into tight fists. Usually he walked away from this kind of conversation with his mother. Not this time. If he didn’t stop her, she would be all over Caitlin.

“Tyler is not an unfortunate condition. He is my son. And whether you like it or not, they are welcome to stay as long as they like.”

Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. “What if she doesn’t leave? Have you considered that? What if she decides she’s entitled to half your estate?”

If only it could be that easy. Caitlin wanted nothing from him, which gave him no leverage in dealing with her. If she chose to leave, he couldn’t do a damned thing to stop her. How long could he reasonably expect her to put up with a situation that he himself found strained, at best?

“If she asked for it, I’d give it to her. She’s the mother of my son, who is my sole heir as of yesterday.” He grinned. “So I’d suck up to them good if I were you, just in case something happens to me.”

Joyce let out a horrified gasp, but she quickly regained her composure. “Don’t be crass.”

“Why not? That seems to be the only thing you understand. Don’t make me choose between you. You might not like who comes out on top.”

“Sounds like you plan to marry that woman.”

The corners of his mouth curled in a smirk. “Would you like a good laugh? She wouldn’t have me. She’s only here because I threatened to sue her for custody if she didn’t let me see my son.” He spun around and walked out of the room, calling over his shoulder, “I’ll see you at dinner—and I expect you and Leslie to be polite and welcoming.”

Andrew left his mother stewing in the living room. His blood pressure had risen, as evidenced by the splitting headache that refused to subside. After speaking to the maid about preparing the small room for Caitlin, he went to the bathroom for his medication.

This was not what the doctor had meant by keeping his stress level down. He had finally begun to delegate the running of Sinclair Electronics to his executive staff so he could have calm in his life. He didn’t need this aggravation from his family.

He swallowed the tablets with a large gulp of water.

Caitlin burst through the door, and then froze when she saw him. “Sorry, I thought it was empty ... I mean, is this your bathroom?”

“I’m finished here,” he said and placed the bottle back in the medicine cabinet.