Page 55 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

“Let me get changed,” Jules said and hurried back down the hallway toward the guest suite.

While she changed and the baby slept, he placed a call to Child Services and was surprised to reach a human. The woman sounded harried and said if they could bring the child to them, they could take custody of her and begin looking into her family. Satisfied with that answer, Mitch got some coffee started and chowed down on a banana, saving half of it for Jules—since it was the only piece of fruit left in the penthouse. When she came back out into the kitchen, dressed in her black slacks and polo shirt from yesterday, it was hard to look away from her.

“I’m making us coffee,” he said and pulled out two mugs. “And I saved half of the last banana, in case you’re starving.”

She snickered and picked up the proffered banana. She took a big bite, chewed, and then said, “Can’t you just call room service and have them deliver it in that fancy elevator?”

“Of course.” He served up two mugs of steaming black coffee, and then pulled out his almost-empty carton of creamer from the fridge. “But this banana is more immediate.”

Noelle started fussing then. They shared a stricken look, and Jules blurted, “You go finish getting ready so we can leave. I’ll take care of her.”

Mitch retreated with his coffee to his bedroom and got dressed for the day as quickly as he could. With the city shutdown, he chose a more casual look—gray slacks, a long-sleeve button-down and a sweater vest. Once he was ready and had rejoined Jules and Noelle—who was contentedly drinking from a bottle—in the living room, they started talking logistics.

“With most of the streets plowed, I can get us to Children and Family Services,” Mitch said, heading for the main elevator at the back of the penthouse, “and I’ve already called for a car seat.”

“You are so on top of things,” Jules murmured, slinging her purse over her shoulder as she followed him.

The comment warmed him, though he didn’t know why. Really, the two of them tackling this unexpected challenge together had gone off without a hitch. And Mitch was the type of guy to recognize things like that—the fluidity with which two people could work together. The inherent teamwork. Theunity.

And he and Jules had it in spades. Discovering an abandoned baby together was no small occurrence, and they’d handled it with ease.

He grinned over at her as the elevator plunged downward.

He’d only known her for a day, but this woman was one of the best partners he’d ever had. He wondered whether they would have clicked so well if they’d met under more normal circumstances.

8

JULES

This is for the best. This is for the best.

Jules had been repeating this line to herself ever since they’d rolled up to the office building housing the Children and Family Services office. The streets were strangely quiet making it seem more like a very early Sunday than Monday, midmorning in Manhattan. The sleek car idled at the curb as the driver waited while she and Mitch stepped carefully through the sloppy street. Mitch extricated Noelle from the car seat while she kept her long back coat tight around her. She teetered in her heels and she vowed to herself that she would never leave her apartment without making sure she wore weather-appropriate shoes again.

Dropping Noelle off with Children and Family Serviceswasthe best idea, she kept reminding herself. So why did Jules want to keep her around for a little longer?

“Ready,” Mitch said, holding Noelle’s extra-bundled body with ease in his arms. The sedan pulled away. Since the one thing they couldn’t procure from Denton Hotels was an infant-size winter jacket, they’d wrapped her in a blanket instead. Noelle fussed a bit against the bitterly cold air. Holiday garland lining the front door of the building moved in the whipping winds. Jules pushed into the building quickly, holding the door open for Mitch and Noelle.

“Here we are,” she murmured, her chest heaving as she acclimated to the warmer space and found the right office in the building. Compared to the quiet of the streets, the lobby was pure commotion. Babies cried and fussed from all corners of the waiting room. Dour faces looked at them from every angle.

“Should we just…” Jules began, unsure where to start, or even who to ask.

“The service windows are over there. Well, make that service window as it only looks like one is open,” Mitch said, pointing, but he didn’t move. Next to them, a lady sighed.

Jules edged forward through the waiting people and spotted a little wheel of rip-off numbers. She grabbed one—number 3207. Her heart sank when the number above one of the reception windows clicked to 2918.

“Apparently we have three hundred people in front of us,” Jules murmured when she rejoined Mitch near the door. There were no seats left.

“They must have several more waiting rooms we’re unaware of because there’s not that many people waiting,” Mitch joked, which made her snort with laughter.

“Maybe the other ones are better.”

“If only they had VIP waiting rooms,” Mitch added. “I’d like to order a Perrier right now, but I’m not seeing the waiter.”

Jules clamped a hand over her mouth, laughter threatening to erupt. Her body shook as she struggled to contain it, and a few glares knifed their way.

A receptionist called out the number above the window when the person didn’t appear. She repeated it angrily one last time, and then the number above her flashed to the next in line, and then the next after that.

“Looks like a lot of people left without getting any help,” Jules whispered to him, leaning in close. The office was cramped, so of course this gave her the liberty to brush arms with him. She caught the scent of his cologne, and she took a deep breath enjoying the cedar scent. Between his tall and athletic frame, the easygoing smile he liked to send her way, and thisbabyin his arms, it was a constant fight to keep her head above water.

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