Unprotected: A Secret Baby

Voice hoarse, he looked at me once more, heart in his eyes.

“Maggie, say yes,” he growled. “Tell me yes.”

I looked down at the broad form on one knee, barely able to breathe. Ryan squalled again, small fists tugging at my hair.

“Why are you doing this Evan?” I asked, my voice breaking into a million fragile pieces. “What is this? Why?”

His words came fast.

“Because I love you. I don’t care about the company anymore. I don’t care about owning it or controlling it. All I care about is you.” He looked away from my face to Ryan, chubby and round. “I care about our son.”

My heart banged like a taiko drum in my chest, head light. But Evan continued, the expression on his face tortured.

“I spent the last two years looking for you, Maggie. You have no idea how it feels to finally find you after all this time.”

I gasped.

“Bu-but what about your dad? What about Lincoln Conglomerate and the future you had planned? I live here now,” were my helpless words. “So much has happened in these past two years.”

He looked away from me for a moment, eyes going dark. I could hardly believe that the billionaire was here, in Doggies R Us, still on bended knee. But this those blue eyes captured mine once again, intense and magnetic.

“Henry was never going to give me control,” growled Evan. “That whole thing about me getting married was just a way to jerk my chain like a dog. Henry will never let go, sweetheart, he’s going to have to be carried out feet first.”

Somehow, I wasn’t surprised. Mr. Lincoln was no pussy, that had been evident from our first meeting. But there was nothing I could do about it. These issues were between Evan and his father, me only a tangential component.

“So even though you’re not getting control of the company, you still want me? Even though you’re not CEO of Lincoln Conglomerate?” I asked, voice trembling. “Even though I have a child now?”

Those blue eyes flashed before going dark, burning me up from the inside.

“Yes, baby. You, me and Ryan. Together no matter what happens with my family’s company.”

My legs got weak and I stumbled against Evan. But effortlessly, the alpha caught me in one fell swoop as he stood, cradling me against his chest as I held our son.

“Always,” he promised into the top of my head, tucking me under his chin. “Always, my sweet Margaret.”

I started crying again, Niagara Falls pouring from my eyes. Ryan looked at me alarmed once more, blue eyes wide.

“Ga-ga? Mama?”

But Evan held the two of us close, kissing the baby on his head.

“Hi little guy,” he rasped hotly, taking in Ryan’s chubby cheeks and small, curling fingers. “I’m your daddy.”

But I had to get this under control. There were still too many unanswered questions.

“What about the glass ring?” came my heartfelt whisper, a lump in my throat. “Why did Lozano’s send me a trashy fake?”

The fire in Evan’s eyes grew harsh and searing.

“Those fuckers. I told them to hold the delivery because I wanted to propose in person but they’re incompetents who screwed the whole thing up. Sweetheart,” he rasped, turning to me. “The day you disappeared, I went over to your place with the real diamond in my pocket. I was going to propose to you, to get on one knee and do the whole she-bang. But you were already gone.”

I shook my head again, dazed and confused.

“So this was all a mistake?” I whispered, voice trembling and soft. “Just a mistake?”

Evan’s face got dark.

“More than a mistake. Someone there fucked up big time,” he growled. “Someone there saw the old order and figured that there was a delivery to be made. So they packed up the glass display model shipped it to you. I had that person fired,” he ground out, blue eyes harsh. “With no notice, no severance, no nothing.”

I bit my lip then, turning to him with eyes filled with love.

Because this was the answer to my heartbroken dreams.

Even back then, the billionaire wanted to propose.

The glass ring was nothing but a mistake.

But there was still one last question, niggling my heart.

“How did you find me?” I asked softly, brows drawn. “No one knows where I am. I made sure of it.”

“No one,” agreed Evan, “except the government. Sweetheart, did you just get put on payroll at this place? Because after two years, suddenly your social popped up in government databases.”

And realization dawned on me then.

“Yes, at first they paid me in cash,” I admitted. “It was just six dollars an hour, below minimum wage. But I accepted the offer because I didn’t have anything else. I was grateful for the job. It was only recently that Doggies R Us put me on the real payroll with benefits and all.”

Evan’s eyes gleamed as his finger trailed my cheek.