Page 10 of Unexpected Arrivals

“Then take him to the hospital,” I snapped back as my email pinged.

“Maybe he misses you,” he said gently.

“I doubt that.” His words made my chest tighten. I was all Devon had ever known. Well, except for Lucy downstairs, who had watched him a couple of times for me when I had to go into the office for meetings.

“Look, is there any way that you can come over here and check on him, or I can even bring him to you. Tell me where you live, and I’ll come over.”

“Mr. Vaughn, I can’t—”

“Would you cut the damn Mr. Vaughn shit.” He growled. “It’s Trev or Trevor already.”

“Okay, Trevor,” I growled. “I’m working right now; I can’t stop what I’m doing and help you take care ofyourson.”

He was quiet for a second, and Devon’s screech filled the void. “It’s after midnight; why are you working? Normal people sleep at this time.”

“Yes, normal people do, and I just told you that I came home and crashed for eight hours. Now I’m late on a project that is due in the morning, and I have to get it finished.”

“Davina, please!” His voice was urgent. “I’m begging you here. I don’t know what to do with him. Today was the first time I have evenhelda baby. He’s like an unknown entity to me, and I don’t know how to deal with him. Jesus, I landed back in the US at midnight last night after three weeks overseas, got four hours of sleep, and went to work where my entire world turned upside down when you showed up. I need help, and you have no idea how hard that is for me to say, but I don’t know where else to turn. Please! I’ll pay you!”

I mulled that over for a moment. He really did sound desperate, and Devon’s agonizing cries were tearing my heart in two. “I don’t want your money,” I finally muttered.

“Davina—”

Would it be possible to help him for a little while and still get my project done? Yeah, it wasn’t like I had to write the code from scratch. Most of it was written; it just needed to be strung together and tested. I could do that and help him with Devon, right? “Fine, give me your address.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, now give it to me before I change my damn mind.”

He gave it to me, and I was surprised to find that it was only about twenty minutes away. “Give me a few minutes to get things together, and then I’ll be on my way.”

“Text me when you get here. I need to buzz you into the front gate.”

Just by him telling me that, I had a good idea where he lived. There was a gated community on the other side of town. One of my co-workers lived there, and I’d taken them home once after an office party. It was a nice place, although a bit too classy for my taste.

“Thank you, Davina. I owe you. I really do.”

I sighed. “Yeah, you do.” I hung up without another word and started packing up my laptop, then grabbed my backup one and my notebooks with all the notes, charts, and information, and shoved them into my biggest laptop bag.

Then I looked down at myself and rushed into the bedroom, changing into clean jeans and a long cream-colored cable knit sweater before I ran a brush through my hair and brushed my teeth.

I stared at myself in the mirror. I still looked hell, but I doubted that he would even notice, especially if Carol had been his type. I was her polar opposite. She had been tall, with beautiful honey-blond hair that fell in classic waves over her shoulders. Her blue eyes had sparkled with life, and her laugh had sounded like a bell tinkling. She had been grace and beauty, and I was functional and bland with uncontrollable frizzy hair.

Back in the kitchen, I poured a large to-go mug with coffee and added some of my favorite creamer before I grabbed my bag and headed out the door. I let my car warm up a minute as I wondered why the hell I was doing this. I had obligations that needed my attention, and helping Trevor Vaughn with his new baby was not on that list.

I frowned as I put the car in gear. I was only doing this because I had loved Carol so much, and it wasn’t fair for Devon to suffer because his father was a stupid playboy.

I remember Carol telling me she had met him at a coffee shop. They enjoyed a cup of coffee which turned into dinner the next night, and then two weeks later, a long weekend at a bed and breakfast in the mountains. She told me it had been a whirlwind romance, and then he had to travel for business.

When I asked her later if she was ever going to see him again, she smiled sadly and said no. She never would tell me why, but by then she had learned she was pregnant and had a heart condition.

Had he not gotten Carol pregnant, she would still be here. He was to blame for her death, someone to direct my anger toward, and I needed to keep that in mind. Trevor Vaughn was the reason my best friend was dead, and I would never forgive him for that.

I drove through the quiet streets of the town and got there in fifteen minutes since all the lights were green, and I was basically the only car on the road. I stopped at his gate and typed one word to him:here.

A moment later, the gate began to rattle and roll open, and I slipped through as soon as I could. I found his building and parked in an open spot, grabbing my laptop bag and coffee mug before locking up my car.

I found his door and was about to knock when it suddenly jerked open, and I jumped back in surprise. “Jesus, you scared the crap out of me.”

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