Page 33 of Billionaire Boss's One Night Stand

She stood, shaking her head. “No. I’m too secure in my life to suddenly become obsessed with anything.” As she headed to the door, she paused to look back at me. “But looking at baby products entertained me in the sense that you’d be so clueless about using any of them.”

“Gee. Thanks.”

“It simply encouraged me to wonder if the desire to settle and start a family has ever occurred to you.”

“It’s not on my mind. At all.”

“You never thought about meeting that special one woman you’d want to be the mother of your children?”

“Hadn’t crossed my mind.” I resisted the urge to cringe once the words left my mouth. They tasted like a lie.

“Keep it in mind, though… I’m not knocking on death’s door anytime soon. Should you ever meet a woman you’d want to settle with, I’ll compromise with my retirement so you can embrace fatherhood without being in charge here.”

I stood, bothered by what sounded like her rescinding her offer. “No. No worries on that front at all. I’m excited to wrap up this Gammon acquisition and start as CEO.” I sighed. “When you’re ready, of course.” I hated that she hadn’t committed to an actual timeframe or date. That was just like her, to always make sure options remained open.

Once she left, I slumped into my seat and realized that her comments and suggestions had provoked me into actually thinking about it for once.

Me? A father?I couldn’t envision mastering how to use any of those complicated baby gadgets, let alone knowing a damn thing about how to be a father. Expecting me to be responsible for a new life was a ridiculous, crazy idea.

Yet, as I tried and failed to go over data reports that Brad had shared with me, printed copies because he was an old timer and preferred paperanddigital documents, I realized that it had crossed my mind. I had thought about settling with a woman.

Loren.

She claimed there was nothing more between us, but that only resulted in her being more forbidden, more off-limits to me.

And it prompted me to want her harder. To imagine and daydream about a real relationship, for good.

I cannot be thinking about settling with her. No way in hell.

She was too young to want a family, a career-minded soul like me. She was firmly anti-Matt anything, equally quick to smirk at me and talk back as I was to try to rile her up.

This is bordering on insanity.

I couldn’t actually be thinking of having ababywith my former one-night stand. She was only fresh on my mind because she was the last woman I’d had sex with. That had to be it. Simple as that.

However, for the rest of the workday, I couldn’t shake off the idea of how it mightnotbe crazy talk. That perhaps a woman like Loren and the idea of a future in a family perspective could be that change I’d been wanting and waiting for without realizing it.

Settling down with Loren and making a real go out of a relationship with her would be a way to break out of this rut, for sure. But giving up my drive and lifelong goal of becoming the next CEO for my family’s company sounded like nonsense.

Cut it out.

She was on my mind because she was the last woman I had. That had to be it. This desire would fizzle out and fade sooner or later. I’d never had a problem moving on from a fling before, and this one was just complicated with my having to see her in the office every day.

Because the thought of giving up on my drive to get promoted was ludicrous. Unfathomable.

I was a businessman. I was a bachelor. Those two defining traits had served me well for a long time, and I saw no purpose in altering my identity so drastically over a one-night stand.

“No way.” I shook my head and furrowed my brow to read the data reports again. Maybe this fourth reread would result in the words sinking into my head.

“No way it’d happen,” I muttered, repeating my promise to stay true to myself.

There was no damn way I was going to reinvent myself and be in some fantasy la-la land of wanting Loren to be my partner and the mother of my kids.

13

LOREN

Ididn’t let my stomach disrupt me from concentrating at work. It would pass soon enough, and some days, I felt fine. If it persisted another week, I’d have to sacrifice the work time to make an appointment and make sure I was taking care of myself the best I could. I hated to think of asking for any time off despite the more-than-fair allotment of sick leave and PTO. It was a people-pleasing habit I doubted I’d ever break.

---