Christmas Baby for the Billionaire (South Shore Billionaires 1)

Panic slid down her body. She was still vulnerable from the hours spent in his arms, and her hopes warred with caution. “I don’t know. I don’t want to say no right off the bat, but while I’ve enjoyed my week here, I’m not sure I’m the kind of person who can live in the middle of a huge city. Let alone Manhattan.”

“We could keep this place and stay here when we want to come into the city. And I’d be willing to look at properties elsewhere that you might like better.”

“Like Connecticut?”

He laughed a little. “And be that close to my family? Hell, no. Maybe more like Long Island. There are some particularly good places for young families there.” He squeezed her hand. “This is my job, you know. I can find us a place, if you’ll consider moving.”

Was she really considering it? The idea took her breath away. “You’re assuming that I’m okay with picking up and leaving my life. But I like my life. And I like working. I know I wouldn’t have to provide an income for us to live off. But the Sandpiper has been my home away from home for years now. I’ve helped build it into the hotel it is today. It’s asking a lot, to leave the life I’ve built behind.”

“I know.” He let out a sigh. “But you can work anywhere, right? Especially if it’s not about the money. You could find something that you really like.”

She thought about it. A big house, their baby, a job she could work at to give her purpose...never any worries about bills. She wasn’t sure she trusted a future that seemed so perfect. “After what you said about your mom, I thought you’d want me to be home to look after the baby all the time.”

He snorted. “My mom was home all the time and never spent a second with us. Being a good parent isn’t decided on who gets to stay home and who works. Even I know that.”

She smiled. “Okay, fair enough.” She looked over at him. “And you’re sure you don’t want to come to Nova Scotia?”

“D

on’t get me wrong. I love the province. It’s beautiful. But the market is so much smaller. I’d be bored out of my mind. And that has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with me not wanting to fall into the trap of the ‘idle rich.’ I need a purpose, too.”

She got that. She truly did.

“There’s immigration stuff to worry about. I’m not a US citizen.” Especially if a marriage wasn’t in the picture.

“We can get a lawyer for that.”

“I suppose.” She slid her hand out from beneath his. “And problems do go away easier when you can throw money at them.”

It was quiet for a few moments, before Jeremy spoke up again, his eyes telegraphing his disappointment. “That’s the first time you’ve thrown money in my face. Are you upset?”

She felt badly, even though what she’d said was true. Solutions to problems came easier when there was lots of money to look after them. Truthfully, though, she was scared. Not angry. Just overwhelmed.

This gorgeous man, sitting in his robe, eating leftovers after making love... She was petrified of making a wrong decision. Because right now the truth was she could envision their life together and it seemed so perfect. She was pretty sure she was falling in love with him, and after what had happened earlier tonight, she thought it might be a possibility that he’d fall for her, too. He’d confided in her. And then they’d been intimate. There had been a moment when their eyes had met and it had felt as if everything clicked into place.

She just had to be brave enough.

“There’s a lot of personal risk for me,” she said quietly, and swiveled on her stool so she was facing him. Their knees barely touched. “Yes, it would mean both of us being there to parent our child. And yes, this week has been really promising with regards to...us. It’s still a leap and a half to think about quitting my job, leaving my country and moving in with you with no guarantees.” She patted his knee. “Please don’t think I’m looking for guarantees. I’m not. It’s much too soon for that.”

“We can lay out any terms you want,” he replied. His gaze held hers. “You can go home whenever. You know that, right? It’s not just about business for me, either, Tori. The opportunities here for him or her... They’re huge. I want our kid to have the best of both worlds—the opportunities I had with the love and support I didn’t. But I think you did.”

Would living here be so bad? Especially if there was money—which there would be—for her mom to fly here, or for her to fly home? It was a fairly short direct flight, after all. And it wasn’t as if she hated his apartment; she had loved her week here and all the things New York offered. “You’d really look at moving outside the city and commuting in?”

He shrugged. “Lots of people do it. Besides, I’m not always in the city anyway. We could get a place near the water. Have a boat. Hell, we could travel up the coast to visit your mom if you wanted.”

Because money was no object. Except it was all his money, and she knew she shouldn’t feel guilty but did anyway.

“I’d want some sort of agreement drawn up,” she said firmly. “Something stating that if this doesn’t work out, I can’t go after your money. I’m not a gold digger, Jeremy.”

His lips dropped open. “I know that.”

“I want it in writing just the same.”

“Whatever makes you happy.” He slid forward on his bar stool a bit. “Tori, I know I’m asking a lot of you. In return I promise to do whatever I can to make sure you’re happy and content. If that means you look for a job, so be it. If you want to stay home with the baby, that’s fine, too.” He put his hand on her belly. “I like you a lot, and I think you like me.” That flirty smile was back on his lips. “At least the last few hours give me that impression. I have to do better than my own father did with me, you know? And if that means giving our relationship a try, then what do we have to lose? If it doesn’t work, we figure out a new arrangement. But there’s so much to gain, sweetheart. So much.”

Damn. He’d hit her right in her vulnerable spots. She knew how much his father’s abandonment had affected him. And he’d called her sweetheart—to her mind, the first endearment to leave his lips.

It wasn’t the normal progression for a relationship, but what did that matter? He’d been wonderful from the start. Yes, they had their differences—financially, geographically—but did that mean they couldn’t have a future together? Of course not.