Possessive Baby Daddy

“Come on. You could’ve survived on ramen noodles and hairspray. You were a teenage boy.”

“Good point. A friend of mine taught me.” I smile a little, remembering those days. “We used to steal wine from a local shop and get drunk while cooking these god-awful meals.”

“I hope this isn’t one of them.”

“No, this is one of the keepers. It’s simple, don’t worry.”

She watches me as I get busy. I’m nearly finished, so there’s not too much to watch. I dump out the pasta, cover it in cheese, add in the sautéed shrimp, and that’s it. I serve out two plates nice and neat and carry them out onto the porch. I have everything set already. I let her have the seat that overlooks the ocean, and I sit facing her.

I’d rather watch her, anyway.

“This is really good,” she says, taking a huge bite. “Holy crap. This is amazing.”

“Thanks,” I say. “You know what the secret is?”

“No, what?”

“Butter. Lots of fucking butter.”

She laughs. “Okay, yeah, that makes sense.”

I grin and take a bite. She makes another happy noise then leans back in the chair. “Okay, this is nice,” she says.

“Right? I love this place.”

“It’s big though. Don’t you get lonely?”

“Sometimes. Maybe you can come keep me company?”

“Maybe,” she says with a smile. “If you’re good.”

“Oh, I like that.” I lean toward her. “Are you in a good mood?”

“Maybe.” She shrugs. “It’s because of you, of course.”

“Liar, but I appreciate that.”

She laughs. “Fine, it’s because of what happened earlier today.”

“Ah,” I say, watching her. “You want to talk about that now?”

She shrugs. “We can, if you want.”

I lean back in my chair and sip my wine. I already know what she did. One of the guys in her little meeting called me as soon as he left. Even though I’m new in town, I do have some connections.

But I want her to go at her own pace. I can tell this is important to her, and really, I love how happy she is. This right here is all I ever wanted, just one big smile on her lips.

“I met with some investors today,” she says. “And they’re going to help me buy Truth Hurts.”

I smile. “Good.”

She raises an eyebrow. “That’s all you have to say?”

“Yep.” I shrug. “You should’ve done this from the start.”

“You’re not… annoyed? I mean, I’m making an offer to steal this place out from under you.”

“I was only ever buying it to give to you,” I say, leaning toward her.

She bites her lip. “So you keep saying. But come on, Shaun. You would’ve been my boss, and I never would’ve heard the end of it.”

“True enough.” I shrug. “What can I say. I like to boss you around.”

“Well, now you won’t get to anymore.”

“What a shame.”

She narrows her eyes. “You’re really okay with this?”

I nod once. “I’m really okay with this.”

We lapse into silence and she eats. I can’t read her expression but I can tell something’s bothering her. I let her enjoy the food for a bit before she finally decides to broach the subject again.

“I don’t understand any of this,” she says finally, sitting back in her seat. “I mean, you act like you don’t care about the company at all, but then you try to buy it out from under me. You keep saying you’re doing it for my own good, but if that were true… why don’t you just let me win?”

I watch her for a long moment. “You want the truth?”

“Please,” she whispers. “I’m frustrated.”

“I want you, Klara. I want you and that baby.” I lean toward her. “You’re already mine and you just don’t accept it yet.”

“But that… that doesn’t explain anything.”

“If you take this company, you can run from me. You can keep denying what you want. But if I’m the one that buys it and gives it to you… then you can’t get away from me.”

She stares and shakes her head. “God, Shaun. Why would you do that? I don’t… I don’t get it.”

I get up and walk around the table. I offer her my hand and she takes it reluctantly. I help her up and bring her over to the balcony. Together we look out over the water. I put my hand on her lower back and lean forward. “Look,” I say. “I could buy all of this in a heartbeat. All this land, all these companies. I have more money than you can even dream of.”

She squirms against me. “I don’t need to hear how rich you are.”

I grab her wrist before she can pull away. “It’s important. All my life I could just buy what I wanted… but now I want you. And I can’t buy you.”

She stares at me. “But that’s what you’re trying to do.”

“Maybe… maybe I’ve gone about this the wrong way.” I reach up and run my fingers through her hair. She shivers and blinks as I grab on tight and tilt my head. “I’ve never wanted someone like I want you,” I say. “I’ve never needed someone like this before. You’re carrying my baby, Klara… you’re going to be in my life.”