Two heartbroken strangers...

...brought together by their baby!

Midwife Kayla was only intending to be a surrogate. But after tragedy strikes, she’s unexpectedly thrown into the role of mother! Plus, the biological father—eternal bachelor doctor Jamie—wants to be involved! Kayla’s wary of his determination; she’s learned the hard way that her trust is often misplaced. But as the heat between them rises, can she trust him enough to let him into her life...and her heart?

KARIN BAINE lives in Northern Ireland with her husband, two sons, and her out-of-control notebook collection. Her mother and her grandmother’s vast collection of books inspired her love of reading and her dream of becoming a Mills & Boon author. Now she can tell people she has a proper job! You can follow Karin on Twitter, @karinbaine1, or visit her website for the latest news—karinbaine.com.

Also by Karin Baine

The Doctor’s Forbidden Fling

The Courage to Love Her Army Doc

Falling for the Foster Mum

Reforming the Playboy

Their Mistletoe Baby

From Fling to Wedding Ring

Midwife Under the Mistletoe

The Single Dad’s Proposal

Their One-Night Twin Surprise

Their One-Night Christmas Gift

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Healed by Their Unexpected Family

Karin Baine

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90217-9

HEALED BY THEIR UNEXPECTED FAMILY

© 2020 Karin Baine

Published in Great Britain 2020

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

Note to Readers

This ebook contains the following accessibility features which, if supported by your device, can be accessed via your ereader/accessibility settings:

 Change of font size and line height

 Change of background and font colours

 Change of font

 Change justification

 Text to speech

For Georgia and Jordan xx

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

‘SO, YOU’RE THE woman I’m about to impregnate? Nice to see you again.’

‘Hello, Mr Garrett.’ Kayla O’Connell shook hands with the man her brother, Liam, and his husband, Tom, had set her up with for this baby-making exercise.

So much for this remaining nothing more than a business transaction when one firm handshake, one touch from him was enough to make her weak at the knees. She would rather not have him involved in this at all. It would have been easier to do it with a stranger. Meeting Jamie at her brother’s wedding had been sufficient to rattle her.

‘Oh, Kayla, I would’ve thought we were on first-name terms by now. Jamie’s fine.’

Even though his slow, sexy smile had her transfixed, that smooth charm he possessed always made her nervous. It reminded her of her parents and the façade they’d used to put on for the rest of the world to hide the multitude of sins committed behind closed doors. He was easy on the eye, but he knew it, and took way too much enjoyment in the fact she blushed every time he came near her.

However, since he was Tom’s big brother there was no way of avoiding him. ‘Thanks for coming, Jamie.’

‘You know I’d do anything you asked. All you have to do is give me the word.’ He held her gaze a second longer than necessary, sending shivers all over her body at the underlying suggestion. What scared her more than Jamie’s blatant flirting with her was her reaction to it. But rather than admonishing him for his suggestive comments, she had to use all her strength not to give into the temptation he embodied.

‘We’re not doing this for me. It’s for our brothers and that’s who we should be focusing on.’ Kayla couldn’t take her eyes off him as he sat down in the chair opposite, loosened his navy and silver striped tie and undid the top button on his shirt, revealing that small patch of skin at his throat. The picture in her mind took on a whole new explicit nature, transporting the scene into a bedroom rather than a busy London café.

Clearly, her body had gone into panic mode about this surrogacy idea if she was fantasising about the father-to-be. Who, in ordinary circumstances, she would’ve run a mile from. Lately, she’d gone for safe guys, who never really lit her fire but she knew would never hurt her. Self-preservation after abusive parents and an ex-boyfriend who’d thought he could control her. Thank goodness she’d had her brother’s support in helping her realise Paul had gradually been taking over, manipulating her into doing what he wanted and leaving her scared to question him.

It had been a blow to realise she’d reverted back to that submissive behaviour she’d employed to keep her parents happy rather than face the consequences. Trust wasn’t something she gave easily, and Paul had taken what was left from her.

It was no wonder her relationships since hadn’t lasted, because she couldn’t bring herself to fully invest in them in case history repeated itself. She’d been content being single and not having to worry about anyone except herself. Kayla would go as far as to say she’d never get into another relationship again and certainly had no inclination towards starting a family of her own. That was why being around Jamie was so difficult. She might be attracted to him, but she also knew he was the type of man capable of breaking hearts. His brother had told her as much.

‘Of course, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy each other’s company too, does it?’ He reached across the table to take her hand and stroked his thumb across her fingers. She could only watch, dumbstruck, knowing she couldn’t give an answer without incriminating herself.

A shuffling by the table alerted her to someone else bewitched by her companion. The young girl carrying over his coffee hovered long after she’d set the cup down, openly staring at him.

‘Thank you.’ He turned on a full-watt grin that sent the waitress scurrying away again with a giggle. Jamie had that cheeky glint in his brown eyes Kayla was sure made most women swoon, although she knew he wasn’t the settling-down type either. That was one of the reasons he’d apparently agreed to do this. Kayla directed her thoughts back to the surrogacy, since that was the reason they were actually here.

‘So, I know you’re a respected GP in your practice, a partner. Tom told me you raised him after your parents both died, and you’ve said yourself you don’t want anything to do with this baby when it arrives.’ It wasn’t important how hot his skin felt against hers or that he’d ignored every other woman at the wedding, trying to capture her attention. For these purposes, all she needed to know was that he had brains as well as good looks and that he wouldn’t be hanging around driving her to distraction once his part of the deal was over.

‘That’s not as brutal as it seems on the surface. I’m happy to help the newly-weds start a family but I’m not interested in being a father myself. I don’t mind being the fun uncle, though. Do you have a problem with that?’ He cocked his head to one side, eyebrow raised as he tried to rile her. She wasn’t going to rise to it. Even if he was making sexy eyes at her, causing her to tingle in all sorts of places. Yes, she did have a problem with it.

Perhaps this had been a bad idea, but she’d thought they should at least discuss what they expected from this arrangement. In Jamie’s case, apparently that was nothing. He was primarily going to be the sperm donor. Perhaps with the odd appearance for birthdays and family get-togethers.

She couldn’t criticise when that was as involved as she wished to be in the baby’s life too. In her case, a loving auntie who was free to come and go as she chose. She was the surrogate, an incubator only for this baby, because any idea of family beyond her brother terrified the life out of her. Their parents’ tyranny had made her realise the damage a person could do to a child and she didn’t want that level of responsibility. Liam and Tom were two of the nicest men on earth and a child would be lucky to have them as parents.

‘Not at all. I was just checking.’ She sipped her herbal tea and wished the others would hurry up and join them to ease the tension.

She tried to forget their first meeting and how flustered she’d been around him. A matter he’d taken great satisfaction in and flirted with her outrageously until she’d demanded he stop. He obviously wasn’t used to women saying no to him, her request amusing him all the more. The truth was she’d been afraid of reacting to his advances when her body had been on fire for him after just a few suggestive comments. He wasn’t her type. Actually, she didn’t have a type because there wasn’t a man alive she was willing to trust.

Of course, their brothers had been blissfully unaware of their sizzling chemistry, so wrapped up in the happiness of their big day. When they’d proposed Jamie as the sperm donor for the surrogate baby she had agreed to carry for them, she’d been unable to find it in her to object to the idea.

‘I never thought my little brother would be the first to get married and have a family.’ He shook his head, the affection for his sibling shining brightly in his smile.

‘It was a lovely wedding.’ The grooms had spared no expense in sharing their happy day with their friends. They’d taken their vows in the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Toasted with champagne in the courtyard over the Meridian Line, where the east and west hemispheres met. Later, they’d had their meal in the Octagon Room under the stars. Those still standing had gone on to party in a nearby hotel, and booked rooms for the night. The whole day had been magical.

‘Amazing. I had concerns it might be a bit...cheesy but I suppose some might have called it romantic.’ He leaned across the table as he said it, reminding her of the telescope viewing she’d done with Jamie right there beside her. With him so close she’d been oblivious to anyone else in the room.

As the grooms’ family, they’d spent the majority of the day in close proximity but that was the moment she’d become aware of him. By that time of the evening, his perfectly groomed hair had had its curl back and he’d had a shadow of a beard bristling over his once clean-shaven jaw. He’d shed his tux jacket and untied his bow tie so it hung loosely around his neck. It wouldn’t have taken much to tug on the ends and pull him in for a kiss. One she’d known would be hot when he’d been giving her his undivided attention all day. Thank goodness that had been the moment Tom and Liam had announced they were moving the party to the hotel and saved her from herself.

‘The food was good too.’

‘The first dance was my particular highlight.’ Clearly, he wasn’t going to let her forget their more intimate moments of the day.

That first dance, when Jamie had swept her up on the dance floor at the happy couple’s insistence they join them, had indeed been memorable. Those three or four minutes in his arms, their bodies pressed close together swaying in time to the music, had been heavenly. When he’d whispered in her ear, asked if she wanted to come up to his room, she’d almost agreed. Her hormones would’ve followed him across the dance floor and into his bed, but her head and her wounded heart wouldn’t allow it. That was when she’d known she’d had to stop his flirting with her and once the song had ended, she’d made sure to keep her distance from him. Until now.

‘It was good to see Tom and Liam so in love. They’re going to make great parents.’

Jamie sighed, perhaps resigning himself to the fact she didn’t want to be reminded of the chemistry they’d experienced that night. Something which apparently hadn’t dissipated since they’d last seen each other.

‘Tell me, Kayla, what is it you’re hoping to achieve by offering yourself up as a surrogate? You’re a midwife, aren’t you? Surely this isn’t a situation you would usually encourage?’ He lounged back in his chair, crossed his long legs at the ankles and made himself comfortable whilst he turned the spotlight back on her. It was a safer topic of conversation for her than the wedding night.

‘I’m a doula now. I left my position as a midwife so I could give more support to my expectant mothers. It’s none of my business what the story behind their pregnancy is but it is my job to be supportive of their choices. I just want parents and babies to be happy. The same goes in this instance too.’ She would move in with the guys for the duration of the pregnancy, to keep them involved throughout, then hand over the baby so they could start their happy little family. Something she and Liam had missed out on their entire lives.

‘Do you have a problem with that?’ Her brother’s sexuality was a touchy subject for her and she was very protective of him despite being the younger of the two.

It had been their parents’ reaction to him coming out as gay which had finally given her the push to leave that toxic environment with him and move to London from their small village in Northern Ireland. They’d spent their entire childhoods cowed in fear of their disciplinarian parents, but it was when their mother and father had disowned their own son she’d seen them for the monsters they really were.

Jamie set his coffee cup back on the table and held his hands up. ‘Not at all.’

‘Good. Then we’re both on the same page.’ This baby was going to share the traits of both its parents and she wanted to be certain there weren’t some dodgy conscience-free genes about to be introduced.

‘I wouldn’t do this for just anybody. It’s not as though I make weekly deposits down at the local sperm bank and get off on the fact there could be dozens of Jamie Juniors running around out there. Tom asked me to do this because he can’t and with me as the donor it means he still has a biological connection with the baby. The same way Liam has because you’re the egg donor.’

‘I have my own reasons for agreeing.’ Liam deserved to have some happiness and though she hadn’t been able to do anything in the past to help, she was in a position to do it now. It was information Jamie didn’t need to know. Her past was none of his business.

‘Oh? You’re not doing it simply out of the goodness of your heart, then? Like me?’ He was making fun of her because she was taking this seriously. She wished he would. It would make her feel better to know the father of this baby was sensible, reliable and stable. Even if he wasn’t going to be an active participant.

‘If you just wanted to have a kid, you should’ve taken me up on my offer at the hotel.’ The man winking at her, and setting her body aflame with desire, didn’t fit in with the profile supplied by those who knew him better than her.

From the glowing accounts she’d heard before they’d met, she’d expected a deadly serious, old-beyond-his-years father figure, who’d raised Tom as his own son and was giving him away at the wedding. She’d known he wasn’t keen on long-term relationships, but she’d put that down to his busy work schedule. After getting to know him she wondered if there was anything more to him than a rakish playboy who thought nothing of propositioning her. Either way, she’d be having words with her brother about his suitability for this role.

‘Don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind.’ The truth slipped out before she could catch it. She took another sip of her tea to keep her from saying anything else to feed his widening grin.

It wasn’t that she’d never been in the company of a handsome man before, or had one come on to her. She’d been getting better at handling herself in those situations because she was sick of pretending to be someone she wasn’t. Her early years had been spent trying to be the perfect daughter to prevent angering her parents. The hangover of that learned behaviour as an adult had seen her enter into a disastrous relationship where she’d spent most of it trying, and failing, to meet her partner’s expectations. She was done trying and didn’t need the drama of having another man in her life. If only all her other body parts agreed with her brain.

‘Well now, wouldn’t it make more sense to cut out all the intrusive medical procedures and do things the old-fashioned way?’

Now her head was filled with explicit images of Jamie naked except for the tangled sheets they were entwined in. That longing that she’d convinced herself had been a one-off the last time they’d met began again inside her.

With those brown eyes sparkling with mischief and promise, she was tempted to take him up on the offer. Neither of them wanted some grand love affair but it was obvious they had a connection that would make sparks fly.

‘I suspect sense wouldn’t be playing a big part in that scenario. More like lust.’ One of them had to be honest about this attraction they were dancing around. Pretending that this talk of a secret liaison was for their brothers’ benefit wasn’t fooling anyone.

She swallowed hard and tried to pull herself together. When this pre-conception meeting had been first suggested, she’d sworn not to let him literally charm the pants totally off her this time. Now she was swearing at herself for getting caught under his spell again.

‘Would that really be so bad?’ His dark gaze rendered her immobile now that he’d made her so hot she’d melted into her chair.

‘There’s no guarantee we’d conceive that way.’ She was scrabbling for excuses now when her head was full of the possibilities available to her with him. The alternative conception method Jamie was suggesting sounded so much more enjoyable than the one planned that she was afraid she was going to take him up on it.

‘It doesn’t have to be a one-time offer. I’m prepared to put the hard work in to make this happen.’ His voice dropped so low she could feel it deep in the pit of her stomach, and lower...

‘I, uh...’ She had no words. Her brain was mush, her mouth dry. It had been a while since she’d shared a bed with anyone. Longer still since she’d had this level of passion stirred up inside her.

Despite all the promises she’d made to herself about staying away from men, and this one in particular, all she could think about was grabbing him by the hand and finding the nearest hotel room. At this stage she wasn’t even thinking of a baby, only her own pleasure. That wasn’t part of the deal.

Jamie couldn’t believe she was considering his outrageous proposal, or that he’d made it. There was something about Kayla that intrigued him and made him want to push her buttons. When he’d first spotted her at the wedding, he’d known this was the sister Liam had spoken about fondly. The pretty blonde in the off-the-shoulder, gypsy-style floral dress had to be the woman he’d heard loved animals too much to eat them and enjoyed nothing more than meditating and clearing something called chakras. From a distance, she’d seemed so calm and serene and totally in character with the Kayla who’d been described to him. Until she’d spoken to him. Then the carefree, laid-back, spiritual doula he’d heard about had changed into a tightly wound spitfire.

Only around him though, he’d noted. From a distance he’d watched her charm everyone else with her easygoing nature and was amused by her reaction when he was around. Her pale skin flushed a dramatic scarlet when he spoke to her and she couldn’t get away from him quickly enough. He might have taken offence if it weren’t for the surreptitious glances he noticed she kept shooting his way. Her interest in him seemed to mark a change in his behaviour too. Ordinarily he wasn’t quite so...abrasive.

Now she appeared more open to the idea of a fling his juices were flowing. When the air between them was still so charged with sexual awareness in the middle of a coffee shop, he knew they could set the sheets on fire together.

‘You know, my place isn’t far from here and my car’s just outside...’ he tossed out as he finished his coffee. It was madness, yet that flash of lust he’d seen when he’d mentioned the idea was unmistakable and irresistible. As was the subconscious licking of her lips and toying with her unruly blond hair. All signs she was interested in him. Along with the fact she was yet to tell him where to get off thinking she was the type of woman who’d agree to some afternoon hanky-panky with someone she hardly knew.

‘Jamie, I...uh—’

He was expecting her to turn him down, but she set down her cup with trembling hands and was beginning to lift her handbag from the floor as if she was getting ready to go with him. Jamie unhooked his jacket from the back of the chair and dug for his car keys in the pocket. This was the most spontaneous, reckless thing he’d ever done. That included volunteering to be a sperm donor for his infertile brother.

‘I’m so glad we caught you two!’

At the sound of Liam’s loud Northern Irish voice, they jumped apart. As though they’d literally been caught in the act. Chance would have been a fine thing.

‘Actually, we were just leaving.’ He held out a hand to help Kayla up but as she glanced between the two men Jamie knew the moment had passed. For now.

‘You can’t go yet. I’ve only got here and Tom’s on his way. We want to catch up on all the gossip and tell you what’s happening at the clinic.’ Liam pulled out a chair and invited himself to join them. The couple had been heavily involved in a project out in Vietnam setting up facilities for medical care in impoverished areas of Central Vietnam and it would be rude of them not to stay and listen to their latest news.

Kayla couldn’t even meet his eye now, so Jamie had no choice but to sit back down and quell the excitement that had been escalating until his brother-in-law crashed their party.

Tom arrived shortly after. ‘Sorry I’m late. The trains are a nightmare as usual. Got held up leaving Victoria Station because of a signal failure or something. What have I missed?’

He gave Jamie a half-hug and kissed Kayla on the cheek before pulling over another chair from a nearby table and squeezing in beside his husband.

‘Nothing. Unfortunately,’ he mumbled. It was difficult not to sound ticked off when these two had killed the mood and left Kayla glaring at him for saying so.

‘Good. Kayla thought we should meet up to discuss any qualms anyone had about the process. Is there anything we should know about?’ Tom’s question was met only with silence.

They hadn’t got around to listing the pros and cons about the baby idea when they’d been busy flirting up a storm. Kayla didn’t strike him as the type who’d stay silent if she had a problem and, since he’d been on board from day one, Jamie didn’t see the point in making them sweat.

‘Nope. We’re ready and willing to get our baby-making on. Where do we sign?’ His answer clearly delighted the two men, who grasped each other’s hands.

‘Kayla? You’re the one who’ll be doing all the hard work. Now you’ve had a chance to talk it over with Jamie, are you happy for us to push ahead?’ Even Liam sounded nervous about his sister continuing with her commitment and he didn’t know Jamie had just propositioned her.

Any hint of sexual attraction towards him seemed to have evaporated since she was still frowning at him for his earlier indiscreet remark. ‘Jamie has made it clear he’s not the sort of person interested in committing to this beyond his ability to fill a plastic cup. I think you should get that down in writing in case he changes his mind again.’

Wow. He hoped it was sexual frustration causing her to lash out too. If she really believed he was the unreliable, flaky type who’d mess his brother around, she knew nothing about him at all. He’d spent his whole adult life raising and providing for his kid brother. That was why he’d no intention of marrying or having kids of his own any time soon. Now Tom was married and starting a family, Jamie was free of responsibility. He no longer had a dependant to think of with every decision he made, and he didn’t think it was selfish of him to want a little quality time for himself.

He couldn’t be sure if she’d formed her disapproval of him at the wedding or this afternoon when he’d made a pass at her and hadn’t followed through, but it was no longer important. Once he’d done his part behind closed doors he’d walk away with a clear conscience and wouldn’t have to set eyes on her again.

If she was as sensitive as she appeared, he’d be better off letting her despise him. There was no point in getting involved with someone who’d read more into a fling than he was willing to give. Jamie had been there, done that, and wasn’t in a hurry to repeat the experience. The same could be said about his attitude to fatherhood.

CHAPTER TWO

IT HAD BEEN three months since that dreaded phone call from Jamie, but she could still hear it.

‘I’m sorry, Kayla, there’s been an accident. Tom, Liam...they didn’t make it.’

Her world had fallen apart with those words at a time when she should have been enjoying her pregnancy. She’d conceived on the first attempt, thanks to the assistance at the fertility clinic and not an afternoon of passion with Jamie. With their brothers’ well-timed intervention that day, she’d taken back control of her senses and avoided any further one-to-one dealings with Jamie.

The guys had gone over to Vietnam to tie up loose ends on the project they’d been working on out there. As Tom was an architect, and Liam a builder, they’d used their skills to build a medical centre for an impoverished area they’d visited on their holidays a few years ago. This was supposed to have been their babymoon, their last trip before they settled down into family life. Heavy rainfall had caused flooding, resulting in a landslide in the area where they’d been staying. Liam and Tom had been swept away to their deaths.

It was only a matter of weeks before this baby was due and she had no idea how she was going to do everything on her own.

‘Kayla. Let me in.’

Oh, yes, and Jamie had suddenly turned into a stalker, showing up all the time and trying to convince her he was out to win Father of the Year. It was a complete turnaround from his visits earlier in the pregnancy when he’d been more interested in catching up with his brother than acknowledging the baby. The way she’d preferred it. Life was difficult enough for her trying to come to terms with the fact she was about to become a mum without having to deal with him and those unwanted feelings he kept stirring up inside her.

‘I don’t care if you are the father of this baby. You’re practically a stranger and I have no intention of letting you interfere in my life.’ Kayla slammed the door and promptly burst into tears. This was all such a mess.

She rubbed her hand over her huge belly. ‘I’m so sorry, little one. We all wanted better for you.’

He or she should have had happily married parents with a life mapped out. Not an unlovable mother and a playboy father who’d never wanted the responsibility of a baby, handing it over to those better suited to the parenting role. She’d let this child down before it had even been born. How the hell was she going to provide the upbringing it deserved? It wasn’t as though she had good role models to follow. She was going into this blind.

Another veil of tears fell, soaking the delicate silk scarf around her neck; Liam had bought it for her last birthday. Her brother had known she’d adore it because of the motif. The dragonfly was her personal totem and a powerful symbol of change and light in many cultures. In this case Liam said it represented the start of their new life and the rebirth of their family.

Now it was a reminder of everything she’d lost.

She slipped the scarf off her neck and draped it around the photograph of Liam and Tom on their wedding day. Happiness radiated from their smiles as they gazed at each other, so full of hope for their future together. Only to have it so cruelly snatched away from them a short time later.

‘I have as much right as you to be here.’ Jamie’s voice carried down the hall to interrupt her grief and cause her temper to flare again. His constant presence was preventing her from focusing on more important matters. Such as the prospect of becoming a single parent.

‘How did you get in?’ She watched helplessly as he stalked into the living room as though he owned the place.

He swung the house key around his finger on the hand-stitched felt key ring she’d made with Tom’s name on it as a moving-in present. ‘This is my house too, remember? You’re not the only one who lost a brother and it’s about time you stopped avoiding me. We have a lot to discuss.’

Their brothers had left everything to the two of them in their wills, making it impossible for Kayla to avoid him unless she sold up, and there was enough upheaval without having to move to a new house as well. It was a pity the wills hadn’t been updated since the surrogacy arrangement. Then they might have had some idea of what it was they were expected to do.

Jamie threw himself onto the settee and she worried he was ensconced for the night. There was no other choice for her but to join him. Although it took her slightly longer to ease herself and her bump into a chair.

‘I thought you’d made it abundantly clear from the start you didn’t want anything to do with this baby.’ She wished that were still the case. He had a choice where she didn’t. No matter what happened, she had to give birth and be a mother to this baby.

‘That was when I thought I was going to be nothing but a sperm donor to make my brother’s dream of being a father come true. I wanted Tom to be happy. No matter how unconventional, I wanted to see his dream of having a family come true. Now he’s gone this baby will need someone to look out for it.’

‘I’m looking out for it. I am the mother.’ He wasn’t the only one who’d done this with the intention of making the couple happy. This wasn’t the time to be searching for accolades. Jamie had provided his little swimmers because Tom’s hadn’t been doing the job they were supposed to, but she’d been the one who’d gone through the intrusive medically assisted insemination process.

It was she who’d carried the baby all this time. She was the one whose body would never be the same again.

‘In case you’ve forgotten, I’m the father.’

‘I haven’t forgotten. I’m giving you the opportunity to walk away. As you’d planned from the start.’ She didn’t want to parent on her own, but it was preferable to a lifetime of being tied to this man.

Kayla had moved to London with Liam nearly fifteen years ago to escape the control of their parents and she wasn’t going to tie herself to a man she hardly knew now. That hadn’t ended well the last time she’d been conned into it. She’d been left broken-hearted and homeless when she’d rebelled against Paul’s dominance in their relationship.

It wasn’t that long since she’d lost her brother. She was vulnerable, and she wasn’t going to let anyone take advantage of that.

Jamie stood up. He was imposing at his full height, which had to be a good foot taller than her five-foot-three-inch frame. Especially when he was dressed in his GP’s sharp suit and tie and she was in her ever-expanding maternity leggings and voluminous, stretch jersey, dark grey bump-coverer.

He strode towards her with such purpose her mouth suddenly went dry.

Then he leaned down and whispered, ‘Not going to happen.’

The ebb and flow of a shiver brought the tiny hairs on her arms to attention as his breath warmed her cheek. He gave her scant time to linger on her body’s reaction and walked away again towards the kitchen.

When she managed to compose herself enough to follow him she wished she hadn’t. Her sense of incredulity and temper rose further with every cupboard he opened, showing no respect for the fact this had been her home for the better part of a year. He might have inherited a share through tragic circumstances, but his lack of good manners and bold self-entitlement were not aiding their already strained relationship.

‘Don’t you have any proper food in this place?’ He was rummaging in the fridge, turning his nose up at the contents as he inspected them.

‘I only have proper food. It’s much healthier than that processed junk you probably favour.’ Liam and Tom had shared her healthy approach to food, but Jamie didn’t look as though he could be sustained by lettuce and carrots alone.

‘Give me a dirty, big burger any day,’ he grumbled, confirming the belief he was a man who enjoyed the red-meat-fuelled lifestyle of his caveman ancestors.

Although lean, Jamie was solid muscle and sinew. She could see that by the way his tailored shirt clung to his torso, and his thighs stretched the fabric of his tight-fitting black trousers. This was someone who needed protein to fuel his workout. He’d be more inclined towards swimming rather than being a gym bunny, she decided. Mainly because she could imagine him gliding through the water with those powerful limbs, showing off that streamlined body in nothing but a tight-fitting pair of swim trunks.

‘I said, we’re going to have to do a grocery shop or I’ll starve to death here.’

Kayla blinked away her glistening-wet, semi-naked fantasy to centre on the fully dressed version of Jamie, whose mouth was twitching as he tried not to laugh. It was then she realised she’d been staring, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed. She blamed the sudden heat consuming her body on the rise of her blood pressure at having an unwanted visitor going through her things. Not due to any thoughts of Tom’s big brother with his wet hair curling at the nape of his neck or water sluicing over his naked body.

‘You—you don’t live here. My cupboards are none of your business,’ she blustered, slamming shut all the doors he’d opened during his plundering.

‘Well, here’s the thing, Kayla. It was one thing being the biological father only and Tom taking responsibility for raising this child. Now he’s not here, the baton passes to me and I’m afraid I’m not going to sit back and let your hippy-dippy ways dictate my baby’s life.’ He folded his arms and rested his backside against her worktop as casual as he liked.

Meanwhile, she was sure she was about to combust into flames. His baby. Calling her hippy-dippy. He’d wiped out her credibility as a mother in one insult. She didn’t think being a vegetarian and using meditation as a form of stress relief justified anyone making fun of her. It was her way of taking back her life and being at peace with herself.

Kayla opened her mouth, then closed it again before she said something very unladylike. Once the moment passed she called upon her rational self to counter his ill-judged argument.

‘First of all—’ her voice was louder than she’d intended so she dialled it back before he accused her of being hysterical ‘—this baby is not a baton. It is a human being that has been growing inside me. Therefore, I think it’s safe to say you’re not going to let me do anything. I’m its mother.’

‘And I’m its father.’

The man was infuriating beyond words.

Count to ten, Kayla, and don’t even think about launching that frying pan at his head, even if it is within arm’s reach.

Jamie levered himself off the worktop and walked towards her. Kayla immediately backed away. She didn’t enjoy confrontation. Usually, she did her best to avoid it when raised voices and tempers brought back memories of a childhood best forgotten.

Unfortunately, Jamie brought out the worst in her and vice versa. In all the time she’d known Tom he’d never shown anything but adoration for his older brother. He’d talked about him in such glowing terms Kayla had expected him to be a saint. From her perspective he was purely an annoyance.

Especially when they both knew she’d been prepared to walk out of that coffee shop and engage in some sordid afternoon shenanigans if their brothers hadn’t turned up that day. She didn’t like him knowing he was a weakness where she was concerned in case he used it to get the upper hand.

‘Look, Kayla, I’m not here to fight with you. I just want to make sure you and the baby are healthy. This is the last link I have to Tom and the only family I have left.’ It was a heartfelt plea, but there was no way she was giving him room to start dictating to her. She’d had enough of that growing up.

‘So, what are you going to do? Draw up a contract and a diet plan according to what you deem a suitable lifestyle? We’re not in some weird relationship where I’m happy to submit to your dominant will. I’m not that kind of girl.’

‘Wow.’

‘What’s wrong? Have you never had a woman talk back to you before?’ With his looks and his status as a partner in his GP practice, no doubt he was used to people doing his bidding with no questions asked.

The rumble as he laughed did things to her insides she wasn’t prepared for. ‘No. It’s just interesting that’s where your mind went.’

‘Liam and Tom might have left you half of this house, but you have absolutely no claim on my body.’ Her mind chose to interpret those words differently than they were intended. Forbidden images of Jamie’s mouth and hands possessing her sprang from nowhere, causing chaos within.

This pregnancy brought more problems than heartburn and weight gain. Especially when these feelings were so rare she didn’t think she’d experienced them even with her exes. A problem that had ended all her relationships and made her consider this surrogacy in the first place.

Sex wasn’t something she’d been able to fully enjoy when she couldn’t find it in herself to give control of her body completely to someone else. The same could be said about love.

Now a few arrogant words from a man who had a knack for getting under her skin were already wreaking havoc on her insides again.

One thing was for sure, she had to find some way to get Jamie out of her life so she and the baby could live the life Tom and Liam would now never be a part of.

‘Technically, whilst you’re pregnant with my child, I do have an interest in your body.’ Jamie couldn’t help himself. There was more than a hint of truth in those words and not solely for the baby she was carrying.

Small and curvy even before she got pregnant, Kayla physically wasn’t his usual type. Her honey-blond hair fell in messy natural ringlets around her shoulders, as chaotic as her rolled-through-a-jumble-sale fashion sense. The layers of mismatched vintage clothes she favoured, most people would have consigned to the dustbin.

Personality wise there was a major clash between them, as this current exchange would attest to. She was hard work, a pain in the backside he could do without. Yet, since losing Tom and Liam, he hadn’t been able to keep away from her. He knew it was more than their shared grief but hoped his sudden interest in her would end once the baby was born. Anything else would have disaster written all over it. Her shudder of obvious disgust at his comment was proof of that.

‘My body is absolutely none of your business.’ She folded her arms across her blossoming cleavage and Jamie tried to avert his stare.

‘Ditto. So, I’ll thank you to stop looking at me as though I’m a piece of meat.’ By the way she’d been ogling him earlier he’d say her pregnancy hormones were running riot. It was a reminder of that day in the café when they’d come close to succumbing to temptation. Thank goodness they hadn’t, when things were complicated enough between them.

‘I was not!’ Her reddening cheeks gave her away.

‘Let’s get one thing straight here, Kayla.’ He flicked the kettle on and lifted a mug down from the cupboard. ‘My only interest is in the baby you’re carrying.’

‘Mine too.’ Composure regained, she walked right up to him. Close enough for him to drink in her floral scent. It was likely something she made herself from daisies and buttercups under the light of a full moon.

Kayla opened the cupboard above his head, lifted out a handmade, slightly wonky, blue-glazed earthenware mug and set it down on the counter.

‘I assume you have a birth plan in place? I don’t imagine the event is something either of our brothers would have left to chance.’ Even if Kayla seemed the sort of person to let nature take its course. There was a very bohemian quality to her. As though she’d be more at home in some hippy commune living off the earth and communing with nature than working nine-to-five and living in a suburban semi.

‘I’m having a natural birth. At home.’

He should have known.

‘Not happening.’

‘Excuse me? It was what your brother, Liam, and I wanted. You can’t just swan in here—’

‘And what? Want what’s best for my baby? Which is to be born in a hospital where the best medical care is at hand should anything go wrong?’

Kayla couldn’t believe what she was hearing. They had planned as peaceful a welcome into the world as they could provide. Now, Jamie was storming in demanding as much noise, disruption and upheaval that came with hospital births in comparison. No way was she having that. The days of letting anyone walk over her were long gone.

‘In case you’re not aware, I was a qualified midwife before I became a doula. I know the difference it can make to mum and baby when a birth is at home, surrounded by familiar faces, enveloped in love rather than machines and overworked staff. That’s why I changed careers.’

It had been difficult for her to adhere to the rules laid out by the hospital management when births didn’t run to their specific timetable or targets. She realised quickly after qualifying she’d much rather devote herself to one family at a time than be on a conveyor belt moving from one mother to the next without making any real personal connection.

‘Then you know there are potential risks with any pregnancy. Complications during a home birth can’t be dealt with as effectively as they could be at the hospital.’

‘I’m qualified to make those kinds of decisions that might warrant a hospital transfer.’ It didn’t happen often, but in emergencies she would encourage medical intervention where it was needed. The welfare of baby and mother were always top priority.

‘Tell me, are you planning on giving birth naked and alone in a field?’ There was that patronising tone she’d come to know well when involved in a heated discussion with another medical professional on the subject.

‘You might not agree with my methods but please don’t mock them.’

‘It’s hard not to,’ he muttered, reinforcing the idea that a calm, peaceful birth wasn’t going to be possible anywhere with him around.

‘What is so wrong in wanting to be in the comfort of my own home, listening to the music of my choice and letting nature take its course?’ There’d been too much upset already during this pregnancy and the least she could do now was give this baby a smooth transition from the warm cocoon of her body into its new environment.

‘It’s selfish,’ he answered without taking time to think about what it meant to anyone other than him.

‘No, it’s simply an alternative to a hospital birth. Women have been doing it for centuries. I think I’ll manage.’

‘What? You’re going to deliver the baby yourself? I’m sorry, but this is crazy. I’ve already lost my brother. I’m not prepared to jeopardise my baby for the sake of your whim to raise a flower-child. I don’t think the sixties were all they were cracked up to be, you know. There was a higher mortality rate back then, likely for this very reason.’

Breathe in. Breathe out. Don’t punch things.

Kayla hadn’t realised dinosaurs still roamed the earth masquerading as pretty doctors, but Jamie was living proof.

‘There are such things as friends. I know that concept might not be familiar to you if this is how you speak to everyone you meet. I have my own doula to assist with labour as well as a community midwife.’

‘Great. It’s reassuring to know there’ll be two of you howling at the moon and stinking the place out with incense.’

She didn’t know where he plucked these ideas about home births from. He was a GP, for heaven’s sake. She was sure he’d dealt with them in his time. This seemed more personal to her. As though he simply disapproved of her and her life choices when, really, he knew nothing about her.

All his talk so far surrounded his wishes for his baby, relegating her to the role of incubator who shouldn’t have any opinion of her own.

‘I really don’t care what you think, Jamie. This is my safe space. My body. My baby. My birth plan. You won’t be here anyway, so it won’t affect you.’ At this rate the baby would be cutting its first teeth by the time she told him it had arrived.

There was no way she was having him anywhere near her, stressing her out during the most important, and unexpected, phase of her life as she transitioned into motherhood. Given the chance he’d probably be shouting instructions like her old PE teacher, calling her a slacker and pushing her until she was sure her lungs would explode. That wasn’t the atmosphere she was striving for on this occasion.

‘Who says I won’t be here?’

‘This is my first baby and I’ve still got a few weeks until my due date. The chances are slim you’ll be in the vicinity when I go into labour.’ She certainly wasn’t going to tell him.

Jamie Garrett hovering over her every decision was the last thing on her wish list. It was the worst possible scenario after losing the men she’d thought were raising this child.

‘I’m going to increase those odds.’

‘How?’ She was compelled to ask, though she did so with a sigh. He was exhausting and as soon as she got shot of him she’d do a bit of meditation to clear her chakras from the negativity he left in his wake. She might even listen to the CD of whale music the boys had given her as a joke present. It would be her way of sticking two fingers up at the biological father-to-be who’d be horrified at the very idea.

‘I’m moving in.’ The self-satisfied smirk strengthened the impact of the bombshell.

She’d been wrong. This was the worst possible scenario and she was powerless to do anything about it.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.