For the Sake of Their Son (The Alpha Brotherhood #5)(23)
Author: Catherine Mann

Lucy Ann scooped up her son and settled into the wooden rocker, hoping she wasn’t the only new mother to have conflicted feelings about her role. As much as she loved nursing her baby, she couldn’t deny the occasional twinge of sadness that the same body Elliot once touched with passion had been relegated to a far more utilitarian purpose.

“You’re a new mum.” Mrs. Clayworth passed a burp cloth. “That’s a huge and blessed change.”

“My own mother wasn’t much of a role model.” She adjusted her shirt, and Eli hungrily latched on.

“And this favorite aunt of yours?” The nanny adjusted the bedding in the cradle, draping a fresh blanket over the end, before taking on the many other countless details in wrapping up the day.

“She helped as much as she could, but my mother resented the connection sometimes.” Especially when her mom was between boyfriends and lonely. Then suddenly it wasn’t so convenient to have Lucy Ann hang out with Aunt Carla. “I’ve been reading everything I can find on parenting. I even took some classes at the hospital, but there are too many things to cover in books or courses.”

“Amen, dear.”

Having this woman to lean on was…incredible, to say the least. Elliot was clearly working the fairy tale–like life from all angles.

She would be pridefully foolish to ignore the resources this woman brought to the table. Isolating herself for the past eleven months had been a mistake. Lucy Ann needed to correct that tendency and find balance. She needed to learn to accept help and let others into her life. Starting now seemed like a good idea.

She couldn’t deny that all this “playing house” with Elliot was beginning to chip away at her reservations and her resolve to keep her distance. Elliot had said they needed to use this time to figure out how to parent Eli. She knew now they also needed to use this time to learn how to be in the same room with each other without melting into a pool of hormones. Time to quit running from the attraction and face it. Deal with it.

“And that’s where your experience comes in. I would be foolish not to learn from you.” Lucy Ann paused, patting Eli’s pedaling feet. “Why do you look so surprised?”

“Mothers seek help from me, not advice. You are a unique one.”

“Would you mind staying for a while so we can talk?”

“Of course. I don’t mind at all.”

Lucy Ann gestured to the wingback chair on the other side of the fireplace. “I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

“About babies?” she asked, sitting.

“Nope, I’d like to ask your advice on men.”

* * *

The winner’s trophy always felt so good in his hands, but today…the victory felt hollow in comparison with what he really wanted. More time with Lucy Ann.

Elliot held the trophy high with one hand, his helmet tucked under his other arm.

His Beauty and the Beast plan had gone well. They’d spent a low-key day together. Her pensive expression gave him hope he was on the right path. If she was ready to check out and return to Columbia, there would have been decisiveness on her face. But he was making headway with her. He could see that. He just needed to keep pushing forward with his plans, steady on. And try like hell to ignore the urge to kiss her every second they were together.

A wiry reporter pushed a microphone forward through the throng of fans and press all shouting congratulations. “Mr. Starc, tell us about the new lady in your life.”

“Is it true she was your former assistant?”

“Where has she been this year?”

“Did she quit or was she fired?”

“Lovers’ spat?”

“Which designer deserves credit for her makeover?”

Makeover? What the hell were they talking about?

To him, she was Lucy Ann—always pretty and special. And even though she had come out of her shell some in the past year, that didn’t change the core essence of her, the woman he’d always known and admired.

Sure, her new curves added a bombshell quality. And the clothes his new assistant had ordered were flashier. None of that mattered to him. He’d wanted her before. He wanted her still.

The wiry reporter shoved the mic closer. “Are you sure the baby is yours?”

That question pulled him up short in anger. “I understand that the press thinks the personal life of anyone with a little fame is fair game. But when it comes to my family, I will not tolerate slanderous statements. If you want access to me, you will respect my son and his mother. And now it’s time for me to celebrate with my family. Interviews are over.”

He heard his assistant hiss in protest over the way he’d handled the question. The paparazzi expected to be fed, not spanked.

Shouldering through the crowd, Elliot kept his eyes locked on Lucy Ann in his private box, watching. Had she heard the questions through the speaker box? He hoped not. He didn’t want anything to mar the evening he had planned. She’d actually consented to let the nanny watch Eli. Elliot would have her all to himself.

He kept walking, pushing through the throng.

“Congratulations, Starc,” another reporter persisted. “How are you planning to celebrate?”

“How long do you expect your winning streak to run?”

“Is the woman and your kid the reason your engagement broke off?”

He continued to “no comment” his way all the way up the steps, into a secure hallway and to the private viewing box in the grandstand where Lucy Ann waited with a couple of honored guests, local royalty and politicians he only just managed to acknowledge with a quick greeting and thanks for attending. His entire focus locked on Lucy Ann.

“You won,” she squealed, her smile enveloping him every bit as much as if she’d hugged him. Her red wraparound dress clung to her body, outlining every curve.

He would give up his trophy in a heartbeat to tug that tie with his teeth until her dress fell open.

“I think we should go.” Before he embarrassed them both in front of reporters and esteemed guests.

He couldn’t wait to get her alone. All he’d been able to think about during the race was getting back to Lucy Ann so he could continue his campaign. Move things closer to the point where he could kiss her as he wanted.

“Right.” She leaned to pluck her purse from her seat. “The after-parties.”

“Not tonight,” he said softly for her ears only. “I have other plans.”

“You have responsibilities to your career. I understand that.”