Charlotte
No. No. No.
This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening.
Charlotte worked hard to make the smile she’d pasted on her face look as natural as possible when she returned from the bedroom, where she’d called Nick in a panic.
She didn’t want to worry him while he was in the city and so far away, but there was no other option. She was here. In their home. And she wanted their baby.
Their baby.
It was the first thought that popped into her head when the woman who’d introduced herself as Jessica said she was there for her daughter.
No.
Amelia was her daughter. And Nick’s. Mostly Nick’s. But still, Charlotte’s too. Sort of. In a roundabout way.
But most certainly was not Jessica’s daughter.
She’d given her up. She’d abandoned her. She couldn’t have her back. Not just like that. Not if Charlotte had anything to say about it.
“Well?” Jessica turned around, her hair swinging behind her.
As much as Charlotte didn’t want to notice—or care—she really didn’t want to care—Jessica was pretty. She was petite, almost tiny. And she had a fragility about her. She wore very little makeup, which only made her look younger. And more innocent than she currently did. If it was even possible.
And Nick had been with her. They’d dated. Or not really, according to Nick. They weren’t really in a relationship, but she had met when Nick was in his party phase, which had ended abruptly when Amelia came into his life. He’d told her that Jessica was still in that phase. A drug addict with no capacity to take care of a child. This woman in front of her didn’t look like an addict. Sure, she looked tired and worn out, but that didn’t make her unfit.
“Will Nick be home soon?” Jessica prodded when Charlotte didn’t answer. “With Amelia?”
Charlotte had panicked when Jessica told her she was there for her baby, so she’d said the first thing she could think of: Nick had the baby with him in the city. She’d hoped that would be enough to get rid of her. It wasn’t. She’d insisted on waiting.
“It could be a few hours,” Char said. “I just spoke to him and he’s changing his plans, but it’ll take some time to get back home. It is a bit of a drive.”
Jessica sat, uninvited, on the couch. “I’ll wait.” She offered Charlotte a small shrug. “I don’t really have anywhere to go, you know? I just came for Amelia.”
Again, Charlotte’s gut clenched. And she was thankful she’d sent the baby with Katie. She’d be safe there and it would buy her some time before Nick got there. Thinking of Katie, she needed to text her to let her know that—
“Are you Nick’s girlfriend?”
Jessica’s question distracted her, and Charlotte put her cell phone back in her pocket. Maybe if she could convincingly play the role of fiancée and devoted stepmother, Jessica would get scared off? Maybe she’d realize that her baby was better off with her and Nick, and she could get rid of her before Nick even got home?
It was a huge long shot, but she didn’t have anything else, and she needed to do something. She felt so helpless, just waiting.
“I’m actually his fiancée.” She pressed her lips together. “We’re just so in love, it’s been really great.” She sat next to Jessica on the couch. “I really don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t met him. It’s like we were meant to be, you know?” She hated the way her voice dripped with over-the-top sweetness. But she needed this woman to understand that she and Nick were unbreakable. She couldn’t sweep in and—
“I think that’s great.” Jessica nodded a little as she smiled. “Are you two going to have children of your own?”
The question took her off guard, but she recovered quickly. “I think Amelia will be a fabulous big sister, so I would love to give her a little brother or sister as soon as possible.”
Jessica’s smile dropped and her face screwed up into a frown.
Yes. Charlotte did a silent cheer. That had done it. Jessica would see that they were a perfect family and Amelia belonged with them, and—
“I think you might be confused,” Jessica said slowly.
“Confused?” Charlotte chuckled and shook her head. “I don’t think so. We are going to have children.”
“Amelia is my daughter.” Jessica’s voice took on an edge. “She’s not yours.”
Charlotte’s spine stiffened. “I mean, I know she’s not mine by birth.” She worked hard to control her voice. “But, I love her as if she’s my own. And any child of Nick’s is—”
“That’s just it.” Jessica interrupted. “I thought you knew. Amelia isn’t Nick’s daughter.”
Something close to rage boiled through her, but somehow Charlotte managed to contain herself. “What I know is that Nick is an amazing father to that baby. He hasn’t hesitated to jump in and raise her. He’s given up everything for her, and that is what a father is. It doesn’t matter one bit if he isn’t biologically Amelia’s father. He’s been working hard to do whatever he can to make sure that Amelia’s needs come first and that the decisions that are made are in Amelia’s best interest.”
Jessica didn’t say anything for a moment, but she recovered quickly. “Well,” she said with a grin. “If Nick is so worried about what’s best for Amelia, he’ll have already told you that what’s best for Amelia has already been decided.”
What? Nick hadn’t said a word to her about it. Charlotte swallowed hard, unwilling to show this woman that she’d gotten to her.
“And it has been decided,” Jessica continued. “Amelia will be leaving with me. Her mother.”
Charlotte worked hard to remember the breath work her therapist had taught her, but it was all she could do to simply get air in and out of her lungs to keep breathing. Somehow she managed to pull one breath in and then another but oxygen was still having trouble reaching her brain, because she was sure she’d heard Jessica say that she’d be taking Amelia. That it had been decided.
“Pardon me?” Charlotte interrupted. “Did you just say that—”
Jessica cut her off with a nod. “I’m not sure what Nick told you about me, but I’m willing to bet it had everything to do with my past and not my present.”
Charlotte shook her head in disbelief.
“And yes, I left her with him. Who wouldn’t? I mean, there could have been a chance that he was the father. He’s not,” she added pointedly. “But who wouldn’t want a billionaire to be the father of their baby, right?”
She laughed a little, but there was nothing humorous about it. This couldn’t be real. This woman couldn’t be real. The things she was saying...
“Anyway…my lawyer…well, he’s not my lawyer, but he’s legal aid, and he said that Nick had applied for adoption and there’s no way. So I’m here to take her back.”
“Take her back?” Charlotte repeated. “That’s not how it works.” She knew she shouldn’t say anything to aggravate the woman, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Whatever you think you know, Nick is Amelia’s father and very clearly the best parent for her.” She raised her eyebrows. She knew all about Jessica’s substance abuse and her history. In any other situation, she would have felt like a grade-A bitch, but all bets were off if it meant protecting what was hers. And as unconventional as it was, Nick and Amelia were hers.
“But he’s not the parent,” Jessica said. “And you both clearly know it.”
“That doesn’t matter. You’re—”
“It does matter,” Jessica said. “Quite a bit, actually. Which is why I’m here.”
“But you’re an…”
“Addict?” Jessica finished for her. She shut her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, they focused like lasers on Charlotte. “I am. I was. I…it’s a constant work in progress,” she said, as if it were part of a rehearsed script. “I work at it every day. For Amelia. I do it for her.”
“But you—”
“I’m clean. Nine weeks now. Not that I need to explain this to you. Nick should have told you already. I mean, since you’re his fiancée and all. I assume he would have told you that I’d be coming.”
He knew. Nick knew this woman would be coming into their house and taking their baby. He knew and he hadn’t told her.
Their house. Their baby.
But that was the thing: it wasn’t real. None of it. And despite how Charlotte’s feelings had changed, it was clear that Nick’s hadn’t. Not only that, he didn’t even think enough of her to warn her that this was going to happen.
She wanted to throw up. She wanted to run away and hide.
Instead, Charlotte dropped her head and stared at her hands in her lap. Her fingers were twisted together. The ruby ring stuck out and sparkled in the light, but instead of admiring it the way she usually did, now it felt wrong. Everything felt wrong. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Nick would still be at least another ten minutes. If they’d gotten on the helicopter right away. Another detail she hadn’t shared with Jessica.
But it looked as though she wasn’t the only one holding back details.
“I know you’re probably—”
“Knock knock.”
Charlotte spun around and dashed to the door, but it was too late. Katie was already walking in, the way she always did. Only she had the baby on her hip. Charlotte’s heart fell and clenched all at once.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Katie said, with no idea what she’d just walked into. “Amelia desperately needs a diaper change and there weren’t any left in the diaper bag. I think it’s those peaches you’ve been feeding her and—”
Char tried to distract her and get Katie turned around. “I can just—”
“Is that…”
Too late.
“Amelia?” Jessica’s voice cracked on the baby’s name.
Char dropped her head and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. When she opened them, Katie’s eyes were wide with shock and concern. She held onto Amelia a little tighter, a fact that Charlotte was more than grateful for.
“Oh my God. Amelia,” Jessica cried. “My baby.”
Char instinctively stepped between Jessica and Amelia. There was no way she was letting this woman take Amelia. Not like this.
Nick
It felt like it took hours, but thanks to Stephanie’s helicopter, it had only been a fraction of that time. Still, Nick had spent every second of that time trying not to picture what would happen when he got there.
Jessica wanted the baby. She wanted his daughter. There was no way…he couldn’t let it happen. But Chris’s words replayed in his mind. Play nice. It’s her right.
Nick had reached out to Chris on the flight over, and he’d expressed his concern, but at the same time, had told Nick exactly what he didn’t want to hear. She had a clean drug test. If Jessica wanted to take the baby, he wouldn’t be able to stop her. And, in fact, might only do more harm than good to securing custody long-term.
He’d tried calling Susan Johnson at least four times, but there’d been no answer.
It didn’t make sense. The system was broken. Hell, it was completely shattered. Any system that thought it was perfectly okay for a woman who’d abandoned her child to have any right to walk back into the child’s life at her own convenience and disrupt everything was not okay.
Not that he had any choice but to play along.
Or did he?
He shook his head and took a deep breath as the car pulled into the ElkView Ridge drive. He needed to pull it together, and think with his brain, not his heart. He needed to do what was best for Amelia in the long run. He’d promised Chris he wouldn’t do anything rash or illegal.
He was out of the car before it had come to a complete stop and at the front door. He sucked in a breath as he opened the door, not sure what he was going to see. “I got here as soon as I…”
His words trailed off as he took in the scene inside.
Katie had the baby in her arms. Charlotte stood with her back to them both, her arms crossed over her chest as she stood guard between the baby and Jessica, who had tears in her eyes as she clearly was trying to get to Amelia.
Nick’s chest constricted at what he was witnessing. He had no feelings toward Jessica, none that were caring or loving, at any rate. Their relationship hadn’t been more than partying and hooking up. There’d been no emotional connection at all. In fact, he hadn’t even known her last name until recently. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of…something…as he set eyes on her again after so long. She was, after all, Amelia’s mother, and he loved that little girl more than anything in the world. The only thing he’d ever felt toward Jessica was anger that she could leave her baby, but now… No. He needed to remember the anger. This woman left her child. She was an addict. She was unfit.
Katie half turned to Nick. Her eyes were wide with worry and relief to see him, as if he could fix the situation.
Maybe he could. Or at any rate, maybe he could deescalate it so that it worked out for Amelia. He nodded a thank-you to Katie and took Amelia, who had her arms outstretched to him, from his friend.
“I’m going to get Damon,” Katie whispered as she slipped from the guest house.
But Nick didn’t respond. He was focused on the other two women in the room.
“Tell this woman that she will not be taking our baby today.” Char didn’t even glance in his direction as she spoke to him through gritted teeth.
“Char.” He spoke her name gently as he came to stand next to her. He took his free hand and reached for hers. He gave it a squeeze until she looked at him.
“Tell her, Nick.” Charlotte’s voice shook a little.
He knew she’d hate that. But she was going to hate it even more that he couldn’t tell her what she wanted to hear. He inhaled the sweet scent of Amelia’s shampoo and kissed her on her head. An action that almost brought him to tears. How was he supposed to let Jessica take her?
“She’s Amelia’s mother,” he said, simply. “Why don’t we all sit down and discuss a few things.”
Charlotte’s eyes opened in disbelief, as if she couldn’t believe he’d even suggest anything besides kicking Jessica out on her ass—which, admittedly, was exactly what he wanted to do. It was taking all of his self-control to do the right thing. Even if it felt anything but right.
“Nick?”
Slowly, Nick met Jessica’s eyes that were so much like her daughter’s that it was startling. He held the baby a little tighter.
“Can I hold her, Nick?”
She twisted her hands together and leaned forward a little as she spoke, as if she was being drawn to the baby in a physical way.
Nick swallowed hard. “Why don’t we sit down for a minute and…” He looked at Char. “Can you please take Amelia for a quick diaper change?”
Thankfully, Char nodded and took the baby. She held her tight and glared at Jessica as she disappeared into the bedroom.
They didn’t speak at all while Charlotte was gone, and as soon as she returned with a freshened-up Amelia, Nick once more took the baby. He tried to give Charlotte a reassuring smile, but her mouth was set in a fixed line.
“Why don’t we all sit down for a minute?” he suggested.
As soon as everyone was seated, somewhat awkwardly on the sofa, Nick was out of excuses.
“Please, Nick?” Jessica asked again. “Can I hold my daughter?”
Next to him, Charlotte made a snorting noise, and if he wasn’t mistaken, a low growl rumbled from her. He squeezed her thigh briefly in an effort to settle her, but it wasn’t going to be that easy.
“There’s no way you’re going to let her hold her, Nick.” She didn’t even bother trying to lower her voice. “She doesn’t deserve it, Nick. You can’t—”
“She’s Amelia’s mother, Char. I have to—”
“You’re her father, Nick. That counts, too.”
She looked at him imploring him to make it all better. But he couldn’t. And she didn’t even know the half of it, a fact that killed him a little inside.
“I’m sorry, Char.”
She tore her eyes from his and looked away as he handed Amelia to Jessica, because it was the right thing to do. But again, the right thing felt so fucking wrong.
The moment Nick handed Jessica the baby, he wanted her back. His arms were empty and his breath was tight in his lungs. Next to him, Charlotte was tense and didn’t take her eyes off Jessica, who didn’t appear to notice Charlotte’s animosity, or more likely, didn’t care. Because she had her baby in her arms.
Nick watched closely as Jessica used her finger to trace Amelia’s face, touching first her cheek, then her nose and her chin.
“She’s so gorgeous,” Jessica said, more to herself than anyone else.
Charlotte made a choking, sobbing noise and Nick reached for her hand. “How could you let her…she’s your daughter, Nick.”
“I told you.” Jessica looked up, her face cold and her eyes narrow as she fixed them on Charlotte. “Nick isn’t her father.”
His breath caught in his chest.
“What?” Jessica continued. “You didn’t think I knew who my baby’s father was?”
He shook his head slowly. Of course, he’d had his suspicions that she’d figured it out. After all, he didn’t know much about it all, but he’d assumed a woman usually had a pretty good idea about who the father of their baby was. That being said, when her sister had shown up with Amelia in her arms and dropped her into his life with the announcement that she was his daughter, Nick had just thought Jessica was too messed up to know who the baby’s father really was and she’d picked the best option. And without even knowing who the other options were, he knew he was the best one. He had to be.
“I wasn’t sure,” he finally said. “And there’s a chance that…” He drifted off because they both knew the chance that Amelia was biologically his was slim, to say the least.
“I’m here to take her home.”
Next to him, Charlotte tensed. “This is her home. You have no right to take her.” Charlotte turned to him with so much hope in her eyes, something inside him died a little. “Tell her, Nick. Tell her she can’t take Amelia.”
“He can’t.” Jessica chuckled. “Because he knows that legally I can take her. And I am.”
“He doesn’t know that.” Char looked between them, the panic rising in her. “Do you, Nick? You didn’t know…”
Her eyes darkened, and Nick could see the moment she realized the truth. He had known. And he hadn’t told her. He’d never warned her about what could happen. What was happening.
“I’m so sorry, Char.”
He turned to her and tried to take her hand in his, but the damage had already been done and she pulled away.
“I didn’t want to believe it,” she said slowly.
Her voice was thick with emotion. He’d done that to her. It was his fault that she was fighting back tears. And he hated himself for it.
“She told me you knew all this was happening. But I couldn’t believe that you’d know such a thing and not tell me. That you’d let me…” She swallowed back a sob.
“Char.” He reached for her hands, taking them both in his. “I was going to fix it. I was going to—”
“Rip my heart out,” she finished for him.
He nodded because there was nothing else he could do. “I’m so sorry.”
“How could you…” Charlotte dropped her head.
Nick swallowed hard.
“After everything…I would have…” After a moment, she looked up, first to Nick and then to Jessica, who was holding Amelia, but looking straight at Charlotte with what could only be described as a smirk on her face.
“Thanks for taking care of her for me.” Jessica’s voice dripped with insincerity. “But I’ll take it from here.”
This time, Nick was positive it was a growl that came from Charlotte, and he held her fast so she didn’t jump up. He didn’t think that Char would attack the other woman, but at the same time, he had no idea what a woman backed into a corner would do.
“It’s okay,” Nick said. He didn’t even believe what he was saying. “We need to let her—”
“No.” Char tore her hands out of his and crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s not okay.”
Nick sighed. Never in his life had he longed for backup more than in that moment. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” He stood and reached a hand out to Charlotte.
She didn’t take it, but stood on her own and walked into the attached kitchen. Her eyes never left Jessica and Amelia once.
“Char, I’m—”
“You can’t let her take the baby, Nick.” She interrupted him. “You can’t.”
He swallowed hard. “My hands are tied, Char. I have to—”
“Your hands are tied?” She glared at him and it killed him inside that he’d hurt her so badly but despite how he’d behaved, she was still willing to be there for him, and more importantly, Amelia. “How can you say that? After everything. The lies, the deceit, and now you’re saying your hands are tied?” She choked on a laugh and shook her head.
“Charlotte, I’m so sorry.” He tried to reach for her, but she pulled away.
“Don’t apologize, Nick.” When she turned back to him, her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Not to me.” She bit her bottom lip. “You need to apologize to that little girl in there. Because…” Her words were lost on a sob. He waited while she took in a deep breath. She opened her mouth, but closed it again and shook her head.
There were no words that could have possibly cut him deeper than the way she looked at him in that moment.
Charlotte turned and walked across the room so she stood in front of Jessica and Amelia, who started to fuss. The baby reached for Charlotte and smiled when she saw her. Charlotte reached out a finger and Amelia instantly wrapped a chubby fist tightly around it. Tears fell down Charlotte’s face as she looked at the baby, trying to communicate in a simple touch.
It was such a sweet moment, hot tears pricked at Nick’s eyes.
A sob escaped Charlotte and an instant later, Jessica yanked Amelia away. The baby cried in protest and Jessica immediately started patting her back and bouncing her, causing the baby to cry harder.
Nick moved instinctively toward Amelia, and he saw that Char had moved to do the same, but she caught herself before reaching out. Instead, she again wrapped her arms around her waist, turned to look at Nick with tears streaming down her face, shook her head, turned, and ran out of the guest house.