The CEO's Surprise Family (9 page)

A picture frame caught her eye. On the marble counter close to the far end were two frames standing back to back so a picture could be seen from either side of the island. A ratty crocheted cap rested between the two photos. The first shot was of a younger Jethro, in his late teens, and a petite woman with short blond hair and some well-earned wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. She had her hand on his shoulder and he wore a huge grin and the crochet cap. In the other picture the Fabulous Four surrounded the dainty woman.

The woman must be Harman, the foster mother who brought the four boys together and made them a family, one of Jethro's foster brother's had told her, Lexi would bet money the woman crocheted the cap. It said a lot that Jethro had kept it all these years and that he kept her picture not just where only he would see it, but where he would see it daily.

It revealed a capacity to care deeply, something his dispassionate facade belied.

She felt him before she saw him. Jethro. With no thought at all she dropped to her hands and knees. As if she could hide.

“Ms. Malone.” Shiny black loafers appeared in her view.

“I lost an earring.” She felt her ear, removing the gold hoop. She held it out. “Look at that it rolled all the way in here.” Popping to her feet she smiled innocently.

He lifted one dark brow. Nope, not buying it.

His strong features were marble hard, his stance set, quite intimidating. She half expected to see steam coming out of his ears. But his eyes were remarkably calm.

He knew he'd caught her snooping, probably came back early for that very purpose.

She hated to be predictable.

“Okay, you caught me. I was snooping through your rooms. But it's your fault.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why? Because I brought you here?”

“Yes.”

“And I thought it was a given we'd respect each other's privacy. Perhaps we need to discuss the rules of common courtesy.”

Heat flooded into her cheeks. “That won't be necessary, no.”

“Then explain to me why you're in my closet.”

“I was just trying to get to know you. We're going to be living together for three months yet I know so little about you. I was hoping a peek at your private space would give me some insight.”

“And what did you deduce?”

“Not much. You have a wide interest in reading, good taste in wine, and this closet is a physical manifestation of your need for control and order. So you needn't worry, your secrets are safe.” She stormed past him into the bedroom. “I don't get it. You're a patron of the arts, but you don't even have anything personal on the walls.”

“When you have all your possessions stripped from you, you learn not to invest yourself in them.”

What a heartbreaking revelation. One he regretted as soon as he said it. She saw it in his eyes and the stiffness in his shoulders. Even she'd had things, in fact, after her dad died, things took the place of affection in her household.

“That had to be a long time ago.”

“Some lessons are hard to unlearn.”

“I know you grew up in foster care. I'm sorry. It must have been a difficult childhood.” She kept her tone matter-of-fact because—

“I don't need your pity, Ms. Malone.”

Because of that.

“And you don't have it, Mr. Calder.” Leaving the intimacy of the bedroom, she led the way to the living room, checking on a sleeping Jazi, as she walked by. “I feel for the child you were. You aren't that child anymore. You're a powerful man, Jethro. Nobody's going to take anything from you that you don't willingly give up.”

“Indeed. I'm glad we understand each other. There will be no repeat visits to my closet.”

“No.”

“Good.”

“So why are you here?” She planted her hands on her hips. “Checking up on me already?”

He mimicked her. “You mean to see if you were messing in things you shouldn't?”

Okay, her insecurities were showing. She so walked into that one, especially when she suspected he'd known she was snooping.

“You didn't answer your phone,” he said.

“Oh.” She looked around for her purse, which held her phone. She collected it from where she'd dropped it in an armchair. Neither of them sat. “I didn't hear it. What did you need?”

“I've made two appointments for you tomorrow morning. One with the nursery services and one with security.”

Definitely hoping to catch her snooping. The message so could have waited.

“I was concerned when you didn't answer. This is a new place to you and Jasmine. Something could have happened.”

“Oh.” That took the defiance from her sails. The sincerity in his voice too real to be a ploy. “Thanks for checking on us.”

“How's Jasmine settling?”

“Fine. She's been asleep, which is a good sign. She tends to have an internal radar that wakes her when things are uneasy.”

“Good. I'll get back to work.” He turned into the foyer. “Stay out of my room.”

She rolled her eyes.

“I saw that.”

“Liar.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder as he opened the door. “I never lie, Ms. Malone. I don't have to.”

* * *

Shortly after Jethro made his exit, a sound drew her from her contemplations. Jazi.

Lexi jumped up and rushed to her girl. Sleepy-eyed and clutching Rainbow she stood in the middle of her room. When she spotted Lexi, her little face lit up with a big smile and she reached out her arms to be held.

Heart squeezed tight, Lexi lifted the toddler into her arms. Sweet, sweet moment. “Hello, sleepy girl.”

“Lexi! Hi!” Little arms ringed her neck and a tiny bow mouth bussed her cheek. “Love you.”

“I love you, too, pumpkin. Uh-oh, you're a wet little girl. Let's get you changed.” Lexi made quick work of changing Jazi, listening to her chatter all the while. Lexi only understood the odd word here and there. Didn't matter, she drank in every syllable. Too soon to get Jazi ready for dinner so Lexi put clean pants on her and set her on her feet. “Do you like your new room?”

“Yes.”

“Shall we check it out? Find where everything is?”

“Yes.” Jazi ran to the bookshelf and began pulling out books.

“Whoa, pumpkin.” Lexi smiled at the toddler's enthusiasm. “Let's do this one at a time.”

For the next hour, she patiently helped Jazi explore her new environment and unpack the bag Diana sent with the girl. To Jazi's joy she found the fish book tucked into the bag. Of course they needed to read the book right now. Jazi hunted up Rainbow and climbed into Lexi's lap.

After a while it was time to put the book aside and get ready for dinner. For Jazi that meant a yellow dress with black piping. For Lexi it was a royal blue sheath dress.

To keep her occupied until Jethro arrived, Lexi carried Jazi to the media room. Snuggled into a plush recliner with the girl curled on her lap, Lexi giggled to the outrageous antics of a sponge and his starfish friend when Jethro strolled into the room.

Jazi popped up and clapped her hands. “Daddy.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

D
ADDY
. T
HE
WORD
ROARED
through him like fire destroying all resolve in its path. Everything in him longed to claim this child as his. Daughter. Family. Continuity. All he'd ever wanted sat within his reach, cuddled in the arms of the woman who drew him in ways he'd never imagined.

Terror replaced the want. Except for Mama Harman, he'd managed to sabotage every relationship he'd begun, and that one lasted only because she'd refused to give up on him. He didn't know how to let them in, to share. In order to survive, he'd built up walls he found impossible to let down.

Emotionally deficient, Kimberly had called him. And he couldn't refute it.

Though the Lord knew he'd shared more with this impossible woman Lexi than anyone else.

As emotions warred within him, Lexi's raced over her expressive features. Shock, horror, sympathy came and went as she corrected the child. “No, no pumpkin. Remember, this is Mr. Calder. He's the nice man who is helping us.”

Clearly Jasmine had not learned the word from her.

“Man,” Jazi said.

“Jethro,” he stated, his voice huskier than usual as resolve settled in him. He'd given his word and he'd keep it. There was no denying the love between these two. He wouldn't take that from his daughter. “Mr. Calder is a bit of a mouthful.”

“Jethro.” Jazi mimicked and smiled.

His heart cracked. He cleared his throat. “We should go or we'll be late for our reservations.”

“Jethro.” Lexi made a step toward him.

He shook his head and stepped back, refusing her pity. “I'll meet you at the door.”

* * *

Jethro took them to The Beacon where they sat at the chef's table in the kitchen. It was quite the show, loud and chaotic, a dance of creativity and control and heavenly scents.

The noise made up for Jethro's silence. He was quiet during dinner and who could blame him? Lexi knew this was proving more difficult for him than he'd expected. Something flashed in his dark blue eyes and she feared the additional exposure to Jazi had him questioning his decision.

Dang it. He'd brought this on himself by demanding they live with him.

She prayed he didn't change his mind. This was only the first day and Jazi was so sweet, so beautiful, so clever, she made it impossible not to love her. How would he feel three months from now?

Lexi could only trust he'd keep his word. Otherwise she'd drive herself nuts over the next ninety days.

She kept up a constant chatter through the awkward meal, entertaining Jazi and including Jethro, though he added little to the conversation. Lexi wanted to apologize for Jazi's blunder.

She totally should have anticipated something like that would happen. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, Jethro would be raising the child. Someone may well have called him Jazi's father. But there was no way to address the topic in front of the child, so it would wait.

The chef came over to make sure they were enjoying their meal. Jethro unbent long enough to compliment his steak and lobster. And she praised her lamb in cabernet sauce as the best meal she'd ever eaten, a truth belied only by the tenseness at the table that made it hard to concentrate on food. He frowned at the uneaten food on her plate but seemed appeased when she asked to take the leftovers with her.

Back in the penthouse, she took Jazi off for a bath and to get her ready for bed. Jazi loved the water and played gleefully in the tub. Lexi enjoyed the time and allowed the toddler her fun until her knees protested.

“Time to get out,” she told Jazi.

“No.” The little girl shook her head and dunked her yellow rubber ducky.

“Yep. Stand up now and let me lift you out.”

“No.” Jazi continued to play.

“Okay. One more minute.” Being smarter than a twenty-three-month-old Lexi found the plug and pulled it. Water and bubbles disappeared down the drain and Lexi lifted Jazi out of the tub and wrapped her in a soft towel. Jazi pointed to the ducky and Lexi reached into the tub to grab it.

Jazi took the opportunity to run off giggling as she went.

“Oh, no, you don't.” Lexi made a grab for her but caught only towel. And then there was a naked little girl on the loose.

Lexi pushed to her feet and dashed after her. She entered the bedroom in time to see Jazi running out the door. Lexi gave chase, thrilling Jazi. Her shrieks of glee echoed down the halls.

“Got you.” Lexi swept her up and swaddled her in the towel. “Wicked child.” She tickled her causing her to laugh and scream.

The door at the end of the hall opened and Jethro stood there. “Everything okay?”

“Bath time escapee.” Lexi advised. “I have it under control. Say good night Jethro.”

“Night, Jethro.”

“Good night.”

She felt the weight of his regard until she cleared the bedroom door. She sighed her relief but it was short-lived as he came to lean against the doorjamb and watched as she diapered Jazi and dressed her in warm pajamas.

Tucking her into bed, Lexi kissed Jazi's petal-soft cheek. “Night-night, pumpkin.”

“No. Book.”

“You want a story.”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Pretending Jethro wasn't observing her every move, Lexi held up a finger. “But only one.”

Jazi held up her hand with all the fingers spread wide.

“Five?” Lexi laughed and closed her hand around the tiny digits. “You don't even know how much that is. Two, final offer. Go pick out your books.”

She came back with her fish book and then ran to the couch where she'd left Rainbow. With the stuffed fish tucked under her arm she crawled into Lexi's lap. Lexi kissed the black curls and opened the book. A glance at the door found it empty.

Since this was the little girl's first night in a new place, Lexi stayed with Jazi until she fell asleep. A task that took longer than she anticipated due to the toddler's long afternoon nap. Lexi left a lamp on low and pulled the door half-closed. She wanted to be able to hear if Jazi stirred in the night.

She went in search of Jethro to make her apology, but didn't find him in the common rooms. Standing outside his bedroom door she heard music, a slow bluesy jazz and decided not to disturb his peace.

She thought about going to bed because early to bed would be early to rise for her little charge, but Lexi was a night owl. As a dancer in a casino production, her schedule had practically been the reverse of norm. She'd left dancing behind, but old habits were hard to break. Not to mention she was a bit antsy in this new place herself.

After changing into more comfortable clothes, she strolled down to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. Then she sat at the table and started a list for groceries. From there she made out a menu for the week, adding a few items to her shopping list as she went.

She drummed her fingers on the table. And what about laundry? According to Jethro the hotel handled that as well. Uh-uh. No way was she letting strangers wash her undies. Not to mention a two-year-old went through a lot of clothes in a week. There was a concierge for the penthouse floor; maybe there was a laundry as well. Grabbing her key, she went in search of what she could find.

The floor held two penthouse suites that spanned half the hotel, one on the north, one on the south so they both had views of the strip. The elevators were in the middle. Lexi padded barefoot down the hall until she found an unmarked door. It opened at her touch.

And yes, there was the trash chute and next to it a laundry chute, a good indication there was a laundry on the floor. She kept going trying doors along the way.

“Bingo.” At door number three she hit pay dirt. The small room held two industrial-sized washers and dryers, and one set of standard-sized. “Perfect.”

“May I help you, Ms. Malone?”

“Oh.” Lexi jumped at the cool male voice. She swung around. A slim, dark-haired man stood just inside the door, hands clasped behind his back. “Hello. You know my name.”

“Of course. I'm Brennan, executive concierge. Mr. Calder instructed me to assist you as needed, however, I was expecting a phone call not a visit.”

“Oh, well, I was looking for the laundry. Do you suppose it will be okay for me to use these machines?”

“That would be highly unusual, Ms. Malone. Most inappropriate.” Brennan moved to stand between her and the machines as if to protect them from her. “There are bags provided in the suites. Just place your items in the bags and I shall see they are properly cleaned.”

“See, that's the thing. I don't know you well enough to let you handle my underthings.” Lexi smiled to show no hard feelings. “I'm sure you understand.”

Pink flushed bright against his pale complexion. “I can assure you there is no impropriety, Ms. Malone.”

“I'm sure. I'd still prefer to do my own laundry.”

Relief flooded his features as he looked beyond her. “Ah, Mr. Calder.”

“Brennan.”

Lexi swiveled toward the door. “Jethro.”

He stood in the doorway, hands on hips. Except for the jacket, he still wore his suit except the buttons of his white shirt were undone at the neck and the sleeves were rolled up exposing his hair-dusted forearms.

“Thank you for coming.” Brennan rushed forward. “If I might explain—”

Jethro held up a hand. “I heard. I think it's best if we allow Ms. Malone to handle her own laundry.”

Brennan nearly sputtered in his indignation, but he pulled himself together and nodded. “Very well, sir. Ms. Malone, I'll provide you with a list of times the machines are available.” With a nod he departed.

Jethro met her gaze, gestured for her to precede him. He was annoyed.

With good reason. There'd been no need for Brennan to drag Jethro into this. Lucky he had, though, since she hadn't been making much headway.

“I'm sorry you were drawn into this, but I'm used to doing for myself and with the machines right here it seems ridiculous to have someone else taking time to do what I'm perfectly willing to do.” Somehow it felt too intimate to bring up her underwear with him.

He said nothing. They reached the penthouse and she used her key to let them in.

“Good night, Ms. Malone.”

“Wait.” Maybe his reticence wasn't about the laundry at all. “I was looking for you earlier.” She waved toward the living room. “Can we talk for a minute?”

He gave a shake of his head. “I'm in the middle of reading a report.”

“Please, it'll only take a moment.”

His jaw clenched, but he followed her into the living room.

“Would you like some coffee?” she asked, nervous now she had his attention. “I made a pot earlier, but it's still hot.”

“Sure. I take it black.”

She half expected him to follow her into the kitchen to prompt the discussion he obviously wanted no part of but he didn't. She poured two mugs, doctored hers with cream and sugar and carried them to the living room.

He hadn't bothered to turn on the lights. He stood silhouetted against the window, the flickering glow of the strip. From this distance she had no view of the hotels, just the brilliance of the lights that rivaled the sunset in color and brightness. And his bold, strong form.

Hands in his pockets, shoulders straight and stiff, he looked so alone it broke her heart.

She set the mugs on the tray on the ottoman and went to him.

“I want to apologize for what happened earlier with Jazi,” she said gently. “I know it was a shock and not what you wanted.”

“It wasn't your fault. You were surprised as well.” He spoke to the window.

“I was.” Relief that he didn't blame her steadied the hand she placed on his shoulder. “But I should have foreseen someone would put thoughts of daddy in her head. I'm sorry.”

“You're worried this changes things.”

She remembered the vulnerability in his eyes and held her breath. “Does it?”

“No.”

Oh, she wished she could believe that. “It would be easier for you to make a clean break.”

That brought him around. There was no softness in his features now. “My mind won't rest easy until the three months are up.”

Her gut compressed. “I'll take good care of her,” she promised.

“I know. And still her safety is too important to take chances on.”

She nodded. It was the one argument she couldn't fault. For now, she'd put her faith in him.

“Do you mind if I go down to the gym for a while? Jazi is out and I'm too antsy to sleep yet.”

He glanced away but not before she saw a spark of panic quickly subdued. He shrugged. “Don't be too long.”

“I won't.” She bit back a small smile at the show of nerves at being alone with Jazi. “And I'll keep my cell with me. Call me if she wakes up and I'll be right here.”

“I think I can handle a sleeping child.”

“Hmm.” Lexi hoped so. Hoped Jazi didn't wake with one of her screaming fits. The yoga pants and tee she wore were fine for a short workout, so she grabbed her key and headed for the door. “Thanks. And thanks for helping with the laundry. I'll feel much better doing it myself.”

“Don't thank me. I did it for purely selfish reasons.”

Her brows jumped in surprise. “Really? And what reasons are those?”

“I don't like the idea of any other man touching your underwear.”

Jethro wondered when he'd become such a masochist as he watched the awareness pop into Lexi's pretty eyes. The soft blue irises lit up like the sea on a sunny day. Or maybe it was wishful thinking and the reflection of the lights from the strip behind him.

She stood frozen for a moment. And then her gaze raked him from head to toe and back and when those stunning eyes met his, the heat in them had nothing to do with the sun and everything to do with wanting.