Page 11 of Be My Baby

She sat beside him and twisted in his direction. Her knees grazed his as she focused on him.

Max tried to ignore even that small, innocent touch.

He picked up his glass, then thought better of trying to drink it. He might end up choking on it if he wasn’t careful.

She breathed deeply and looked at him.

“I don’t expect anything from you. I don’t expect financial support, I don’t expect emotional support. If a child results, and you don’t want it to know its father, I’ll respect that too.”

An instanthell, noscreamed through him.

Before he knew it, his head was shaking.

“What?”

Max put the glass back down, untouched. “No. If we do this, the child knows me. I get to see it, interact with it, actually have a relationship with it—as its father. That’s not negotiable. I would also insist on access for my family. Ma and Dad, and the rest of them. They have the right to know their own grandchild.”

Relief flashed across her face. A small smile surfaced, then it was instantly shut down as she nodded slowly.

“And I would insist on helping financially.” He held up a hand as she started to object. “Even if it’s a trust fund or something that the child could access later on. But I refuse to help create a life and not look after it.”

Her eyes softened. “Thank you. I could accept that. We can have Trey draw up documents detailing those sorts of agreements, just so there’s no confusion on either side.”

Max frowned, then nodded. “That would probably be best.”

He chewed the inside of his cheek, suddenly unsure what to say next.

Millie tilted her head. “So… Is it a yes?”

The hesitant hope in her voice nearly undid him completely. She always held herself so tight and restrained. He just knew beneath it all she was as big a mess as he was with something as important as this. She just contained herself so much that she often appeared unfeeling. Reserved. Unemotional, even.

He met her gaze and straightened. The expected guilt warred with nervousness, and not a little excitement.

“It’s a yes.”

Millie squealed unexpectedly and threw her arms around his neck. Her curvy body trembled as he wrapped her in a huge hug, surprise at her outburst washing through him.

“Thank you, Max. This means everything.”

He let out a long, slow breath as he continued to hold her tight. The enormity of what he’d just agreed to hadn’t hit home yet—but it would. Probably when he was home alone at some ridiculous time of the night.

She jumped up and hurried from the room to leave him sitting there, shoving a shaking hand through his hair.

He closed his eyes and held his breath. What he’d just committed to, it was a massive step. One that he’d hoped to take with a partner, a wife.

He blew out the breath and shook his head. At least he had the caring for her part down pat, regardless of his own messed-up, muddled brain screaming at him about promises and betrayal.

Common sense told him exactly what his father had said—Luce was no longer there. He wasn’t betraying her. Hell, it had been almost six years since she’d died. He’d been a damned emotional, and sexual, hermit that entire time.

If doing this made Millie happy, that’s all he wanted.

He looked up as she came rushing back into the room and flopped down on the sofa next to him. It was the least elegant he’d ever seen her behave. Normally sophisticated and calm, this Millie was one he hadn’t seen in many years.

She handed him a clear plastic slip containing a few sheets of paper.

He took it, bemused.

“This is all the information you need. It tells you the whole process and what to do and not do at certain times.”

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