Claiming His Secret Heir

“I mean it. I loved it.” She shoved the glasses inside her inner coat pocket. “Let’s do it again.”

He watched her shove to her feet to dust off the excess snow and a little more of his tension melted away. Because not only was she safe, but she was also having fun.

That put him one step closer to his goal of winning her back this week. Before he removed her father from his business and their lives.

* * *

Caroline’s legs were sore from climbing the hill again and again by the time Marcie and Dana arrived with the baby carriage and a picnic hamper on an old-fashioned sled with red metal runners. She noticed the careful eye Lucas’s bodyguard kept on the trio, as did the security guard who had trailed her and Damon all day. An inconvenience, perhaps, but it gave her peace of mind. The two young women traded the baby and the picnic provisions for the inner tube, promising to meet them back at the McNeill home in two hours in case they were needed.

Inside the carriage—a fancy stroller with multiple settings for pushing a baby—Lucas was dressed in a tiny winter papoose with a hood. The outfit looked like a dark, insulated bag with a zipper up the front, leaving plenty of room for his legs to kick freely inside. The hood tied with a ribbon under his chin and had tiny dark ears sewn on top, making him resemble an elfin mouse. Or maybe a mousy elf.

Whatever it was, he looked adorable with his bright blue eyes and gummy smile. A reflex smile, according to the baby books she’d read, but so cute nonetheless.

“Are you still up for a winter picnic?” Damon asked, propping his aviators on top of his head.

He practically oozed sex appeal in his dark jeans, red flannel shirt and insulated gray vest. It was West Coast grunge meets New York style. His boots and hiking socks were as snow-covered as hers, but despite the cold, he’d unfastened his vest an hour ago, impervious to the chill in the air now that the sun was shining brightly.

“I’m game.” She pointed toward a quieter section of the huge park, away from the hill that had gotten far more crowded since they’d first arrived. “I hope there’s plenty of food in there since I’ve worked up a major appetite.”

Damon pulled the sled toward where she pointed. The snow had settled and packed down a bit, making the trekking easier. The baby carriage had rugged wheels, making it easy to handle, if a bit slow. The noise receded the farther they got from the sledding.

“You think Lucas will be okay? It’s not too cold for him?” Reaching into the carriage, Damon brushed a knuckle along the baby’s cheek.

“Not at all. I’m glad he’s getting some fresh air after all the travel yesterday.” She noticed that only one security guard trailed them now that they’d reunited with their son. The other guy must have returned to the town house until his next shift.

“The outfit is very cool.” Damon gave a light tug on one dark mouse ear. “You think he’s a bear?”

“A bear?” She tilted her head sideways. “I thought it was a mouse papoose.”

“McNeills are not mice,” he announced definitively.

“Why am I not surprised?” She spotted a clearing in a thicket of trees off the path where the snow wasn’t quite as deep. “How about over there?”

“Good eyes.” Damon steered the sleigh in that direction. “Do you want to switch and have me push the carriage?”

“I’ve got it.” The mild strain in her arms felt pleasant after months of being inactive. “I’m really looking forward to getting back in shape after the pregnancy.”

“You look beautiful.” He rested his hand lightly on the middle of her back before dropping a kiss on her hair.

“Thank you.” His words warmed her as much as the touch. “But it will be nice to build up more endurance again. I guess it’s a good thing babies aren’t mobile for the first months.”

“I’m here to help you,” he reminded her as they reached the clearing. He lifted the picnic hamper and slid out a folded blanket. “I hope you remember you’re not in this alone anymore.”

He shook out the waterproof blanket on the snow—plastic on one side, wool plaid on the other. She watched him line up the sled at one end of the blanket before he knelt in the snow to open the picnic hamper. All the while, Caroline rocked the carriage gently, tilting it back and forth. Thankfully, their bodyguard sat outside the trees, keeping an eye on the hill below to make sure no one intruded on their space. She didn’t feel “watched,” per se, although she felt certain the guy kept an eye on them somehow. The team Damon hired seemed very skilled at maintaining a discreet presence.