Page 18 of Silver Fox's Secret Baby

Five years ago, there had been a time or two when she and I had been working together in my home office and had snuck up to my bedroom to have sex.

I swallowed. "In college, when you and Tori would come here to get away and study."

She nodded. "Yes, I came a few times." Her eyes closed and her cheeks reddened. I wasn't sure why until I considered the innuendo in her words. She had come a few times. Boy, had she ever, and each time she had, I was driven to make her come again.

I cleared my throat and continued up to the third floor. "This had been my parents’ floor, but then Tori commandeered it several months ago when she moved back for a short time."

It didn't seem necessary to tell them that at the time, my and Victoria's lives were under threat by a mobster-like businessman named George Pitney who took umbrage at what my news outlets were reporting about him.

In the end, Alex had saved both myself and Victoria at significant harm to himself, which was another reason it was difficult to hold the grudge about his falling for my daughter. I knew without a doubt that he would give his life to save her, and a father couldn't want more for his daughter than for a man to love her the way Alex did.

"I was thinking that you could stay in this room, Samantha. It has a lovely window seat overlooking the back garden. It also has its own ensuite bathroom, and through this door here, you can access the nursery where young Pax can stay.” I led her through the door into the nursery.

"This nursery is as large as the apartment I grew up in," Marie said as she took in the room. The room was indeed large, but it wasn’t just a bedroom, it was also a playroom.

"Pax could ride a bike in here," Marie finished.

"I don't have a bike."

I smiled down at the boy. "Well, I can get you one—"

"These rooms are lovely, Henry. Thank you." The way Samantha had cut me off told me she didn't want me buying her son a bike. She was setting limits, and while they stung a little bit, I was grateful because I knew I was vulnerable to breaking the boundaries I was trying to set.

"I asked Knightly and Mrs. Tillis to bring down some boxes of toys that we had stored. I'm sorry to say that many of them are old toys from when I was a child or when Tori was a child, but hopefully, Pax will be entertained by them."

For the first time, Pax left the clutches of his mother's side and wandered through the room. He held his hands clasped behind his back, and I wondered if it was something Samantha had taught him as a way for him to keep his hands from touching things he wasn't supposed to.

He came to a shelf filled with old trucks that I had played with as a child. His eyes turned to his mother, a desire to play evident. "Can I play with these?"

"That's why they're here. For you to play with,” I said.

His hands unclasped, but he still looked at Samantha, and I had to admire the impulse control of this young man that he waited for his mother's okay.

"Yes, you may play with them."

His hands shot out, grabbing the large dump truck and pulling it down onto the floor. He tilted the back up and then looked up at me. "Is there something I can dump?"

I smiled as a wave of emotion filled me at seeing a young child in this house again. "There are some blocks over on that shelf over there."

This time, he didn't wait for his mother's permission as he rushed over and grabbed an arm full of blocks and brought them to the truck.

"If you'd like, I can show you where Marie can stay."

Samantha hesitated.

"It's just right across the hall. We won't be far from him."

Samantha nodded, and she and Marie followed me across the hall to the room that had once been my father's.

When we finished, we headed back over to the nursery where Pax had found more items to use in the dump truck. He had also pulled out the backhoe truck and was scooping up blocks with it.

"You are welcome to any spot in the house. Mrs. Tillis, Knightly, and Caroline are prepared to assist you with anything that you might need."

"I don't want to intrude on your staff."

"Nonsense. They are all giddy with joy at the idea of having a child in the home again. I do believe Carolyn has baked enough cookies to feed an army. But you also have access to the kitchen and all the amenities there. We have a pool and a gym if you'd like to make use of those. And if you have a vehicle, you can park in our garage. Essentially,mi casa es su casa."

Again, Samantha’s smile looked forced. I knew she was grateful, but I also understood that this wasn’t a situation she wanted to be in.

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