Page 39 of The Billionaire's Bad News Baby

“I guess,” she said. “It’s hard for you to do much when the baby isn’t even born yet.”

“I don’t begrudge you for it, you know,” he said, meaning it and wanting to reassure her. But instead of being reassured, Kayla just looked confused.

“Begrudge me? For what?”

“For needing someone to help with the financial side of things,” he said. “I understand completely and I wouldn’t want you to suffer, not when it’s something I can so easily contribute to. You mentioned you changed careers, and that everything back home is upended. I can provide financial stability for you and the baby. We’ll have to work out the details, but I want to make it clear that I don’t hold it against you, you know? For being practical about it.”

She looked at him with a blank expression. “You think the main reason that I tracked you down was for money?” She didn’t seem angry, not even upset, just confused.

“I thought it was the obvious reason,” Elio said, suddenly not sure as Kayla’s eyes pierced him with a thoughtful sort of intensity that he’d never really seen another human achieve before.

With a small frown of concentration, she shifted on the window seat into a more comfortable position and, after a moment’s thought, reached out and put a hand on his. Elio didn’t pull away, but he did go very still as she pinned him in place with those eyes.

“Elio, I want you to take me seriously when I tell you this, okay?” she said, and Elio didn’t think he had any choice but to take her seriously, not with the intensity radiating off of her. He nodded, his hand still in place under hers.

“I’m not here because of money. I’m here because, if it’s possible, I want my kid to have a relationship with their dad.”

She watched him for a reaction, but Elio wasn’t sure what he was feeling, how he was supposed to react right then. His mind was too busy processing to react. Kayla continued, her hand never once leaving his.

“Am I worried about money? Yeah, of course I am, because ninety-nine percent of the world worries about money. It’s just the way it is. But I grew up with a single mom, remember? If she can do it, so can I. So money isn’t why I’m here, Elio. I’m here because I never got to have a relationship with my dad. He wanted nothing to do with me. And if that’s how you feel, I understand, I really do. I don’t want to guilt-trip you into something you don’t want. But I came all this way because I didn’t want to hide this baby from the world, from you. I wanted you to know. And I wanted… even if it turns into a complete mess, I wanted to at least give the baby a taste of what it’s like to have a dad, whatever being a dad means to you.”

She trailed off with a little frown as if her words had gotten away from her. Elio, as usual, was completely lost on how to respond.

“What are you thinking?” she asked, still not upset, just prodding him to not get stuck in his head. How did someone he’d known so briefly manage to know him so well?

“I’m thinking,” he said, trying to put it into a coherent sentence. “I’m thinking that being a dad hadn’t crossed my mind.”

At that, Kayla did look a little disappointed, but Elio squeezed her hand and she looked back up at him.

“But the way you said it,” he continued. “The way that you talked about it, including me in this. I think that maybe it would be nice.”

Kayla broke into a grin at the words, and Elio felt himself smiling as well. A dad. Not just a meal ticket, but a father. Suddenly, there was a whole new light shining on the situation, and Elio found that he liked what he saw.

CHAPTER 17

ELIO

Kayla was doing better with rest, but it became apparent that any time she did any sort of activity, even just going up and down some stairs, it hit her like a ton of bricks. So there was no way that Elio was putting her on a boat across choppy waters and then in a car through the steep hills of the coastal town to go to the hospital for a checkup. This was one of the problems in life that money could solve.

“I’ll sort it out,” he said, insisting that she wouldn’t be setting foot on the mainland unless it was the worst-case scenario. It was so obvious that she wasn’t up for any travel that Kayla had even admitted defeat… grudgingly.

“Are you sure?” she asked, still so hesitant to ask for help, unintentionally proving to him how much she wasn’t here for his money.

“Kayla,” he said firmly, trying to get through to her. “Let me help.”

She was a stubborn woman, but Elio still had her beat in that department, and Dr. Albero was soon on his way for a checkup.

Spending more time with Kayla had meant that for the first time in months, maybe even the first time in years, Elio had spent full days away from his desk. He was amazed at how much more refreshed he felt and keeping her company had obviously done Kayla the world of good as well. She was far too extroverted to be locked up alone in a room all day.

She got out of the house when she could, but Elio insisted on being with her lest she faint again, just like now as they waited by the dock for Dr. Albero to arrive. Elio, against his better judgment, was hovering over Kayla like a mother hen.

“Are you making sure that I don’t tumble into the water?” she asked dryly.

“What would you say if I was?”

“I’ll make sure to keep back from the shoreline, if it makes you feel better,” she said with a smile.

“I’d appreciate it.”

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