Page 11 of Silver Fox's Secret Baby

But I worried that if he saw Pax, he might realize the truth, and I couldn't afford that.

I opened the door to let Henry in. I wanted to keep the conversation in the foyer, but I didn't want to come off as rude, so I escorted him to my mother's sitting room.

"I was just sitting down to have a glass of wine. Would you like something to drink?" Offering him a drink was the polite thing to do, and I hoped that’s how he saw it. I determined he was here to give his condolences about my mother, and once that was done, he'd be gone, and once again, we’d be out of each other's lives.

"No, thank you." He took a seat on the couch across from where I sat in my mother's chair. I picked up my wine, taking a sip while inwardly gathering my control.

When I saw Henry, all the pain and hurt returned, but also the feelings of love and yearning and hope. Five years later, he was still extremely handsome. He looked the same except for now, he sported a groomed silvery beard.

He sat on the edge of the couch, his hands clasped together between his knees, and it almost seemed as if he were uncomfortable. "I was very sorry to hear about Gwen. I'm sorry for your loss, Samantha. I know that you and she were very close."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"I hope it doesn't breach confidence, but Tori told me what Carl did. There's no way your mother would have left you and your child out of her will."

Your child. I breathed a sigh of relief that he didn’t have even an inkling of the truth.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. My father’s antics are well-known.” I wondered if that would work in my favor in court because my father was well-known for his greed and my mother was well-known for her love for me.

He nodded. "The only decent thing to come from your father was you, Samantha."

His words reached out and tried to wrap around my heart, but I did my best to stop it. I couldn't afford to soften toward Henry.

"Thank you.” Now that he had said all that, it seemed to me that it was time to go. "I appreciate your taking the time to come over." I started to stand.

"I understand that Carl has left you in a difficult place. That's why I'm here. I want to help."

"Like you helped five years ago? Are you going to arrange to send me away again?" The words were out before I realized it.

His eyes closed, and he shook his head. "No. Actually, I'm offering you a place to stay. It's just me in the house. There's plenty of room for you and your son. In fact, you can have an entire floor."

It was impossible that Henry was inviting me to move into his home.

"And I want to offer you a job."

I could only stare at him, wondering what he was thinking. "I don't need your pity or your charity, Henry. I'm not a naïve twenty-one-year-old anymore. I’m quite capable—"

"I know that.” He looked at me with pain and regret in his eyes. “I've never felt right about how I treated you five years ago, and I'd like to make that up to you. You don't have to worry about me wanting something more. It's been five years, and we both moved on, right?"

It was strange how much it hurt to hear that he had moved on, that whatever interest he had in me five years ago was gone.

"This will give you breathing room until you figure out what you want to do next. The job and the place to stay are there for as long as you need them."

I shook my head. "That's very generous, Henry, but I don't think I can do that. And I wouldn't want to impose a young boy into your quiet life."

"I could use some excitement in my life. I know Knightly and Mrs. Tillis would enjoy it too. And Caroline would love to bake more cookies."

"That's very nice, but I have Marie to think about."

"Bring her along."

I couldn't be sure I could afford it. Henry was offering me a job, but he hadn't offered me a salary yet. And I couldn’t take it anyway.

"I understand your reservations, Samantha. I really do. Please let me do this to make up for my abhorrent behavior five years ago."

I knew I'd be an idiot to turn him down. But I couldn't imagine living in the same home with him, reliving the good, the bad, and the ugly of my time with him.

Finally, he stood. "Why don't you think about it? And if you have any other concerns or issues, let me know and I will do whatever I can to alleviate them."

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