Royce by Kathi S. Barton Page B

Bobbie, for all her help in the office, was quick to point out what she thought about both him and his mother’s faults. And there were plenty.
    “Shame on you, Annamarie. That poor girl.”
    “Now see here—” Royce snapped at Bobbie.
    “No, you see here. That girl just lost her mother, her best friend and the only person who’s ever really loved her all in one shot. Then she finds out she’s having a baby by a near stranger. You can’t tell me that when you go to tear apart a business that you don’t write down every single option, weigh all the options, and discard the ones you know won’t work?”
    “Yes. But this isn’t a building, it a kid. And it’s—”
    “If you tell me that it’s your kid, I will walk out that door and never return. It’s not ‘your’ anything. It’s the both of yours.” Bobbie stiffened as anger seemed to pour from her. “No wonder the poor girl is thinking adoption is better. Just listen to the lot of you. You sitting there in that big chair of yours as if you haven’t a care in the world telling everyone that you’ve no plans to marry the woman who is going to have your child. And you.” She turned to his mom. “What did you expect her to do? Offer you tea and crumpets and be thrilled she’s going to be a part of the exalted Hunter family? If she’s smart she’ll run as far and as fast as she can from all of you. She lost her mother, got pregnant, and you come and congratulate her.” Bobbie slammed out of his office. Royce was speechless. But before he could regain his tongue and fire her, his mother spoke up.
    “She’s right. All of it. Even the tea and crumpets remark.”
    “Mom, I doubt you expected Kasey to make you a cup of hot tea and whip out some cookies for you. Or anything else.”
    “Yes, I did. Not literally, mind you. But I did expect her to be thrilled that she was having a Hunter. I also expected…well, to be honest, I expected her to be impressed. But she wasn’t. She made no excuses. Hell, son, she wasn’t even too happy about me being there at all much less in her house.” She stood up. “But I’m going to do everything in my power to make it up to her. Starting with leaving her alone until she’s ready to ask me for help.”
    “You’ll see the baby, Mom. I won’t let her keep it from you. And if she tries to put it up for adoption, I’ll—”
    “You’ll what, Royce? Brow beat her? Steal the baby away from her as she’s giving birth? Do you honestly think that’s what you want? A child torn apart because you hate his mother so much?”
    “I don’t hate her. I just don’t… You want me to marry her, don’t you? Give the baby a father who doesn’t want him?” Royce felt a sharp pain in his heart when he said that. He unconsciously rubbed the bruised area.
    “No, I don’t. You’re so right in not marrying Kasey. It would be a major mistake even for you to make the offer to her.” His mom opened the door to his office to leave.
    “Mom, where are you going now?”
    “To try and figure out how to repair the damage that I inflicted on an innocent woman and her child. Try to make at least some form of friendship between us so that neither she nor my grandchild will hate me.”

 
    Chapter 11
     
    Daniel put down the phone and leaned back in his chair. Royce was going to be a father. Daniel had not seen that one coming. He still had a hard time believing it even after the second blood test confirmed it. Then the talk with Kasey—man, that was one pissed off chick.
    He’d called her earlier to ask if she would mind going to see one of their doctors. He tried to explain that it was just to be positive, that doctors made mistakes all the time. But she wasn’t buying it.
    “And this doctor, because he’s a Hunter-approved physician, he’s above making mistakes, is that what you’re saying? That only people handpicked by the rich are perfect?”
    “No, I’m saying that I’d like for you to have it verified that you are