Employed by the Boss (Managing the Bosses 7)

The twins started babbling and Mark chuckled as he waved at them. “I believe we’ve got two new members wanting to pay club fees.”

“Nice try, brother,” Alex said. “At your next board meeting for the club, I’m going to argue that family members should golf for free.”

Jamie elbowed him. “Cheapskate.”

Mark burst out laughing. “I’ll leave you guys on that note.” He glanced over as Erica was pulling around in a golf cart and nodded. “Work to be done.”

“I’ll bet,” Alex mumbled under his breath and Jamie elbowed him again.

“You are related.” Jamie moved forward as Alex began pushing the stroller.

“I know. In way too many ways I care to admit.” He kissed her forehead. “I love you, Jamie. You and these peanuts are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I hope Mark can find the same thing one day.”

“He will.” She untangled her arm from his and slipped it around his waist. “I love you, too. To the moon and back.” She quoted a little book she’d been reading to the twins at night. “And back again.”

***

TWO WEEKS LATER

Jamie never mentioned to Christine that their mother had dropped by the house to try to see the twins. She knew their father probably mentioned something about her being in town, but Christine didn’t say anything about it, and Jamie followed her lead. She wasn’t sure reminding her sister that their mother was around would be good for her. No one needed to mention the witch.

Christine was in the nursery, playing with the twins again. Jamie smiled a little to herself as she took her seat at the computer desk and hit the power button. Over the last few weeks her sister had really stepped up, and the time with the twins seemed to be doing her a world of good. She was happier than Jamie had ever seen her. She’d even heard her humming once as she left, and took that as a good sign. She and Mark seemed to be getting along well, too, although they’d only run into each other a couple times since that night they’d babysat, but whatever conversation they’d had seemed to have had a positive impact on Christine, because she never had anything to stay about Mark that wasn’t kind.

The computer finished booting, and Jamie pulled up the browser, taking a moment to flip through Google for any mentions of Alex. It was a bad habit, she knew, but sometimes it helped to know what the press was saying as early as possible. The faster they could get someone on it to shut it down before it blew up, the better. There were the usual results, a few extra mentions that had to do with the conference Alex had spoken at the previous weekend.

Jamie stopped dead.

BILLIONAIRE ABANDONS BABY BOY the headline read. And beneath that, “Mother of Alex Reid’s illegitimate son comes forward to demand the famous businessman help her pay for the costs of care after he left her in the lurch.”

What the hell? Jamie sat back her chair, staring at the screen. Had it not been enough the first time? The name of the mother at least wasn’t Annette. That ex-girlfriend had taken money to smear Alex’s name in the mud before Jamie had married Alex. Jamie didn’t recognize the name Lacey Riker, but that didn’t mean Alex wouldn’t. Jamie wondered if he had already seen the article. Someone at work almost definitely had. Whether or not they’d be feeling brave enough to report that back to Alex or were waiting for a higher-up to do it was the real question.

It was pretty obvious which one when Alex arrived home from work that evening, dropping his briefcase onto the counter with a noise that startled the twins. Benton started crying, and Jamie picked him up, bouncing him gently on her hip.

“I’d like to buy every newspaper and gossip magazine and burn them all at the stake!” Alex huffed, pacing across the floor and reaching up to run one hand through his hair. “Isn’t it enough that they almost ruined my life last year? Hell, Stephen almost killed me.”

“You’re rich and incredibly handsome,” Jamie said quietly. “People want what you have, but they don’t want to do the work that you had to do so you could have it.”

He turned to look at her and Benton still sniffling in her arms, and softened. Crossing the floor with less agitation, he reached out and took the baby from her, gathering their son close. Jamie picked up Lillianna, who, realizing that her brother was being held and she wasn’t, had decided the situation was entirely unfair and started working up to a good cry herself.

“So do you know her?” Jamie asked when both the twins were content again.

“I know her,” Alex said. “We hooked up a few times, but it was years ago. If she really had a kid that was mine why not come forward before now?”

“Maybe Annette’s suit got people’s attention. They figure that even though her case was dropped the next one might not be,” Jamie suggested.

“Well, the child isn’t mine either way,” Alex said. “I know that I used condoms when I was with her, and she was on the pill. There’s no way both of those things failed.”

“I don’t think he’s yours,” Jamie said. “I think the mother just thinks that she can take advantage of you. So don’t let her. Take a paternity test.”

Alex shook his head. “I think it’s better if I just ignore her. Don’t even engage her. Eventually the media will get tired of it and go away.”

Jamie wasn’t so sure that they would, but she didn’t say so. They had enough on their plates as it was. If Alex’s strategy could work, they would try it first. There was always the other option as backup.

“Okay,” she said. “We’ll try that. But if they don’t go away, you’ll take the test and get rid of them?”

“If they don’t go away,” Alex said, “I’ll consider it. I’m not a puppet the media can move around. I’ll pull my own damn strings.”

That, it seemed, was the best she was going to get. Jamie let it slide. He was still upset from just finding out. She’d try again tomorrow.