A Friendly Arrangement Read online

  He blinked in surprise at the sight of Marcus Jamieson, then his clear blue eyes narrowed. “Mr. Jamieson. What are you doing here?”

  Marcus arched a neat golden brow. “She is my daughter,” he said coldly.

  Alex’s eyes narrowed a little more. “How did you know where to find her?” he asked in a lethal tone.

  “Let’s just say that Samantha and I have some unfinished business,” he replied.

  “What does that mean?” Alex folded his arms at his chest to keep his hands from fisting around the other man’s throat.

  “I don’t believe that’s any of your concern. After all, it’s not as though you’re going to be her husband much longer. Or was she lying, again, when she said that she’d left you?”

  “No, she,…Hold it,” Alex’s eyes heated and he took a threatening step forward as he lowered his hands. “How did you know that Samantha was going to leave me?”

  Too late Marcus seemed to realize his mistake. With a sigh, he shrugged. “She told me herself earlier. Honestly, I’m surprised you lasted this long,”

  “What have you been doing to her?” Alex growled.

  “What have I been,…Honestly, if you can’t keep your woman happy,”

  “You’re the one who’s been causing her all this stress these last few weeks, aren’t you?”

  “Me? Of course not. Samantha and I have simply been,”

  “How much did you take from her?” Alex interrupted.

  Marcus scowled. “Not nearly what she owes me,” he muttered. “The bag only contained half her payment,”

  “Bag?” And then Alex remembered the over night bag he’d seen her carrying that evening. “You son-of-a-bitch,” he snarled, reaching out and grabbing the older man by the shirt front. “You did this to her. You put so much stress on her that she could have lost our daughter.”

  “Ah, but she isn’t you daughter, now is she?” Marcus replied, pulling free.

  “Oh, she’s mine,” Alex growled. “And if you come near her or my wife again, so help me, Jamieson, they’ll never find your body.”

  Marcus tisked and shook his head. “Is that anyway to speak to your father-in-law? What would the police have to say if they were to hear you make such a claim?”

  “I’ve got a good lawyer,” Alex hissed.

  “You’d end up in prison.”

  “At least my wife and daughter would be permanently free from you. Now I suggest that you take whatever my wife gave you, be grateful that you’ve got it and that I’m still permitting you to live, and never come back here or try to contact Samantha, or Serena, or any of our future children, again. If you do, even in so much as a crank call, I will hunt you down, and try my damndest to not enjoy ripping you to shreds, do I make myself clear?”

  For a moment Marcus thought of arguing, but then he caught the murderous gleam in Alex’s eyes and swallowed hard. Being the reasonable man he had always considered himself to be, he slowly nodded instead and started backwards towards the doorway.

  Alex watched him go, then turned and stared at the white wall. If only Sami had told him,…but, no, he wasn’t going to think about that now. Right now he had to concentrate on Samantha and Serena both coming out of this nightmare alright. They had to.

  * * *

  The next morning when Samantha woke up it was to find Alex sitting silently beside her bed. For a moment she had forgotten what had happened, but then it all came crashing back to her.

  She clutched her hands to her empty womb and a broken sob escaped her throat at the pain that tore through her. “Alex,”

  He was beside her in an instant, stroking her hair and pressing warm kisses to her brow. “It’s okay, Sami. I’m right here.”

  She curled against him, pressing her face against his chest when he wrapped his strong arms around her. “I’m so afraid to ask,” she gasped.

  He closed his eyes and held her closer. “She’s a beautiful, petite three pounds, five ounces, thirteen inches long. She’s perfect, Sami. Our little Serena.”

  “She’s okay?” she asked, pulling back to see his face.

  He nodded and reached up to stroke her face. “Dr. Evans says she’s doing very well. It’ll be a long road, he warned me, but he said he’s very optimistic. Just one day at a time.”

  She nodded and looked down at her hands as she folded them in her lap. “There’s so much that I need to tell you, Alex.”

  She glanced back up to him when he pressed his fingertips to her lips, and swallowed hard when he replaced his fingers with his lips. “It’s alright, Sami. I already know.”

  She blinked and slowly shook her head. “No, Alex. You,”

  “Your father showed up here, when you were in surgery.” he told her. “Apparently, you didn’t give him the full amount he’d asked for and he was a bit irate.” He waited and watched carefully as she reached up to wipe away a tear. “Why didn’t you tell me that your father came after you for money?” he finally asked.

  She swallowed hard again and lifted her gaze back to his. “He was blackmailing me. Somehow he found out how I got pregnant with Serena. And when I wouldn’t give him more he started threatening me, with you. He said he’d go to the police and tell them that you were abusing Serena and me, then he,” She reached up and wiped at her wet face again. “He threatened to kidnap her, Alex. He told me that one day I’d come home, or go to pick her up from somewhere, and she wouldn’t be there.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Alex asked, gently taking her face in his hands. “You have to know that I would never let him hurt the two of you.”

  “I know. I just,…I was so scared I couldn’t think straight. He said that he would ruin you.” She sniffled as more tears slipped down her cheeks and dampened his palm. “I love you, Alex. I love you so much. I love sleeping beside you every night, the way you touch me, the way you look at me,”

  He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her softly. “I love you, Samantha Steel. I love knowing that I have you beside me, that you’re mine. And I am so grateful that you are letting me be Serena’s father. I promise that I will be the best father to her that I can be. I promise you now that I will never, ever hurt her.”

  “I know.” She leaned into him when he pulled her close, and they held each other close, neither of them willing to let go.

  “When you’re released, will you come home with me?” Alex asked softly against her hair.

  “Yes.” She pulled away enough to tip her head back so that she could kiss him. “I love you, Alex.”

  He smiled and kissed her back, then very gently lifted her up and settled her in his lap.

  They both looked up when someone knocked on the door and Franklin stepped in. He had a small bouquet of daisies in his free hand. “I called the house and Rosa said,” he hesitated, clearly uncertain as to what to say. His dark chocolate eyes were filled with concern.

  Alex sighed and rested his cheek against the top of Samantha’s head. “We have a beautiful little girl,” he said softly.

  Franklin’s eyes widened slightly. “You mean she’s…”“She’s doing well.”

  The lawyer let out a pent up breath and slowly nodded. “Congratulations. Does the little Miss Steel have a name yet?” he asked, coming the rest of the way into the room.

  “Serena,” Samantha replied, wincing when Alex carefully settled her back down onto the bed.

  “Serena?” Franklin smiled as he set the lowers on a small side table. “Adele will like that. You’ve got her talking about babies now, you know.”

  Alex smiled and settled beside Samantha, his hand gently rubbing the tender muscles in her back. “I highly recommend it,” he said to his friend. “They let me touch her last night.” His smile grew warm and content. “There’s nothing more beautiful, no greater high, than what you feel that first time you get to touch that perfect little person that just came into your life. She held my finger. I don’t care what the doctors say, she curled her little fingers around the tip of my finger when I said her n
ame. She knew who I was.”

  Samantha blinked back a new wave of tears. “You hadn’t told me that yet,” she whispered.

  “I was getting to it.” He kissed her brow, then pulled back and reached up to brush at her hair. “Do you want me to go get a nurse and see if you can go see her now?” he asked.

  She nodded and he smiled and brushed a soft kiss to her lips, then stood and headed for the door. Then he turned and looked at Franklin. “You and Adele will be her godparents, won’t you?” he asked, glancing at Samantha as well.

  Samantha nodded and looked over to their friend. Franklin looked surprised, but pleased and she smiled when he nodded.

  “We would be honored,” he replied.

  Alex grinned and nodded, then left to get the nurse.

  Franklin watched him go, then turned and frowned softly at Samantha. “Is everything alright, Sam?” he asked. “I don’t always trust our Alex to tell me the whole truth,” he told her.

  She hesitated, then slowly nodded. “Everything is alright now,” she replied. “It was a long and stressful night. We fought,” she admitted, her hands resting gingerly on her tender belly. “But we’re good now.” She hesitated, then lifted her gaze to meet his straight on. “I need you to do something for me, Franklin.”

  “Is it legal?” he asked, only half joking.

  She nodded and shifted a little higher on the bed. “I need you to make it so that my father can’t ever get close to Alex, and especially Serena. He,” she swallowed hard and looked to the door to check to see where Alex was, then looked back to the lawyer. “He came after me for money, and threatened Alex and Serena to get it. I don’t want him to be able to make good on those threats.”

  Franklin’s eyes narrowed and he gave one sharp nod of his head. “We’ll talk about it in more detail once you’re out of here. But tell me, does Alex know?”

  “He knows now, but I would rest better if you took care of it. I think Alex might have threatened him,” she grimaced slightly and rested back a little more. “But he’ll only stay scared for as long as the money I gave him lasts. Then he’ll come around again for more and I don’t want him to be able to do this again.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” he said just as Alex came through the door with a nurse behind him.

  “Take care of what?” Alex asked.

  “My father,” Samantha replied.

  He scowled and stepped closer to her bed. “I already did that,” he told her, reaching up to run a hand through her hair.

  “Always best to do a follow up with a lawyer,” Franklin told him, moving over to the bed as well. “You go spend some time with your little girl. I’ll bring Adele by later to visit. Rest up.” He kissed her brow, then turned and offered his hand to Alex. “Congratulations,” he said again. “Your grandfather would be a very happy man right now,” he added.

  Alex smiled and nodded. “I think so,” he agreed. “Thank you, Franklin, for everything.”

  He nodded and headed for the door. “Anytime. I’ll see you later.” He waved and then turned the corner, his long legs carrying him away quickly, as though on a mission.

  Alex shook his head as he watched him go, then turned and helped the nurse help Samantha into the wheel chair they had brought in, and took her hand, giving her a determined smile as they headed for the neo-natal unit.

  The moment they pushed Samantha through the doors the breath left her lungs in a whoosh, and tears slid down her face. “Oh, Alex.” She pressed a hand to her mouth. “Look at all of those machines.”

  “It’s going to be alright, Sami,” he whispered, leaning down and kissing the top of her head softly. “She’s going to be alright.”

  The nurse let him push her the rest of the way over to the incubator and she wept softly when she saw how tiny Serena really was. “Oh, baby girl, I’m so sorry,” she murmured, pressing her hand to the clear side of the unit. “I hope you know how much I love you.”

  They sat and visited with her for a long while, gently stroking her tiny hands when the doctor let her reach in to touch her, and talked softly to her, telling her about all of their plans for her in their future and reading some of the books that the nurse offered to them.

  When the nurse asked if she had planned on nursing her she nodded and then the nurse left and returned with a pump and showed her how to use it.

  By the time they finally took her back to her room she was exhausted, but wishing that she had been able to stay longer. She didn’t want her to be alone.

  “You’ll go back and stay with her, won’t you, Alex?” she asked as he helped her settle back into her bed.

  “As soon as you’re all set, I’ll go, yes.” He smiled and kissed her brow. “She liked it when you sang to her,” he said when he pulled back.

  “Do you really think so?” she asked.

  He nodded and reached up to stroke her hair. “When she’s happy she curls her toes, just like you do. When she doesn’t like something, she gets that same little line between her eyebrows like you do, too. I bet when she gets older she’ll even do that little lip bite. Yep, just like that.” He chuckled softly when Samantha bit her lower lip. “I’ve always found that so sexy,” he confided, kissing her softly. “I’ll come back and check on you later,” he whispered against her lips.

  “Tell her I love her,” she murmured.

  “I will. I love you, Sami.”

  “I love you, too, Alex.”

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  The sun was shining and the sky was blue. It was, without a doubt, the best day of Samantha Steel’s life. It was her daughter’s first birthday. Because it was such a special day, she and Alex had opted to celebrate it quietly, spending the day with their little miracle alone, just the three of them, rather than having to entertain guests as Serena was passed around from one person to another. Later, Franklin and Adele would stop by for cake and presents. But for now it would just be the three of them, enjoying a quiet picnic lunch out in the garden, basking in the warm sunny day.

  She sighed contentedly and sat comfortably on an old, worn quilt, thinking of the special surprise she had for Alex as she watched her husband walk down the stone path to join her, their beautiful, precious little Serena snuggled against his strong chest.

  “She wasn’t awake yet?” she asked when he carefully sat down beside her, reaching out to stroke Serena’s soft golden curls.

  “Actually, she was wide awake when I went to get her. I guess she just decided that she was sleepy after all on the way down.” Alex leaned forward and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Samantha’s lips. “So, tell me, my beautiful wife, what’s the big surprise?” he asked when he pulled back again.

  She smiled as she watched him carefully shift Serena into the crook of one of his arms, adjusting their daughter’s hold on her favorite pink bunny so he could see her better, and then reach for some grapes with his free hand. “Well,” her smile widened when he opened another container and groaned in delight as the sight of the chocolate covered strawberries, knowing that they were his favorite. “Those are for dessert,” she told him, reaching out and taking the container before he could choose one.

  He pouted slightly and she sighed and held it out to him. He grinned after selecting a berry and took a hefty bite.

  His eyes closed and he moaned softly as he chewed, then he leaned forward and kissed her. “Thank you,” he murmured against her lips.

  “You’re welcome.” She couldn’t help but laugh when he held it up and she leaned forward to take a much smaller bite.

  Alex licked the chocolate from his fingers then sighed and shifted closer to her, to hold her close as well. “So, are you going to tell me the surprise now?” he asked.

  She studied him for a moment, then leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Well, do you remember when we joked about keeping me barefoot and pregnant?”

  When he only stared at her, her smile widened.

  “You’re,”

  She slowly nodded, he
r hands coming to rest on her belly. “Yes.”

  “We’re having,” Alex couldn’t seem to find his voice after that. He simply stared in amazement at her. Then he broke out into a bright smile and leaned forward to crush his mouth to hers. “I love you,” he told her.

  She laughed and carefully wrapped her arms around him, mindful of their precious little miracle that he held safely in his arms. “I love you, too, Alex. I love you, too.”