Chapter 14

The second Katy left, I emailed my lawyer and asked him if he could recommend a good family attorney to draw up the contract. Boundaries. That was the word I kept mentally repeating while I drank my coffee, took a shower, and combed through my closet. It was the same word I kept repeating even when I put on a particular blue T-shirt, knowing how it made the blue in my eyes stand out and fit my body perfectly since I'd seen women stare at me in it on numerous occasions. I had the word on my tongue when I sprayed on some cologne—cologne I hadn't worn in years—and while I packed a small bag with swim trunks and a towel knowing I'd likely get to see Katy in a bathing suit, hopefully a bikini.

But the moment Katy comes out of the building she texted me the address for, since I dropped her somewhere else last night, wearing a pink sundress with a heart-shaped neckline that hugs her chest and then flows out at the waist, stopping just above her knees, cute matching flats, pretty makeup on, and her hair up in a playful ponytail I want to wrap around my fist, that word feels like a joke. Like the universe is pointing and laughing at me for already being such a sucker and developing a real and serious crush on this woman when I absolutely should not.

It's as if the universe is reminding me that years ago, I wanted Katy Barrows more than I'd ever wanted anyone. From the moment I set eyes on her, I had to have her.

And I didn't.

I stayed within the lines as I always did—which made the sexual misconduct allegations even more ironic and harder to swallow—and I let her slip through my fingers and left her with only a kiss shared between us. Now we're in the same city again and I'm her boss—still fucking forbidden.

But this morning, I had her.

Every perfect, incredible inch of her. Finally.

And instead of making me want her less, instead of making me feel like I scratched a long overdue itch, it's made me want her more. The sort of more you pray has an end, or at least an enough button. Because right now Katy is all I see. My every obsessive thought is tied to her. And I want her naked and moaning my name continuously.

I could say it's a result of all those years of wondering. All those thoughts I had about her when she was just a student. Or hell, even a rebound after getting screwed over by my wife and best friend. But I'd be lying.

I'm starting to think the biggest mistake of my life was not fighting for Katy from the start.

"Hey," she chirps as she gets in, smelling like candy and vanilla as she buckles up. "Did you sleep?"

"No. I got a few hours last night, so I'm okay." You look beautiful nearly slips out, but this isn't a date, and I need to stop thinking of her that way.

She squirms on the seat against the cool leather and takes a deep inhale. "I got about an hour, and it was heaven. So weird how our bodies are adjusted to functioning on such little sleep, and any we get is like a bonus." Her head twists in my direction as I pull out into Boston traffic and head toward my mother's condo. "It's funny, I never asked, but I'm just realizing now, did you grow up in Boston?"

"I did. Well, I was born in Southie but grew up on the south shore about thirty minutes outside of the city."

"That's wild considering we met in Baltimore. I grew up in the house you dropped me off at last night."

"Your uncle's place?"

She nods, inhaling again without trying to be obvious about it, and I mentally high-five myself for going with the cologne, even as I mentally berate myself for the high-five. I'm so fucked.

"I should warn you about my mom," I start, twisting my hand on the wheel.

Katy pokes my shoulder with her finger, and when I glance over at her, from this angle and the way her dress is catching on her, she has an incredible amount of cleavage showing, and I hate my stupid dick for being so fucking fascinated by all things Katy that I lose every other train of thought.

"I should warn you about my cousins, but I won't. You'll just have to face them and live to tell about it." She laughs at my expression. "Don't look so panicked. They want this for me. I mean, minus you, but they'll adjust. I already called Owen this morning and told him, so he knows."

"And how did he take it?" Owen seems like someone in her life who could make or break this for me. I'll admit, I'm curious about their relationship. What the full dynamic is.

"With a lot of concern and questions, but like I said, he'll adjust. Same with your mom, right? You told me she wants you to have babies."

"She does, but?—"

"But I think I'll have an easier job of winning her over, so don't worry. Moms love me. Zane's mom called me crying for weeks after I left him, telling me how much she missed me. You're the one who has to win over like ten thousand people, and half of them are overprotective males."

"Awesome," I deadpan. "Because it's not as if I come off like a dick or anything because I'm quiet and not the most social." That's always been who I am. Quiet. Reserved. More so now than I ever was before, and I definitely blame my ex-wife and ex-best friend for that. But I was always more the type of guy who had a few close people instead of a large circle, and Katy is the complete opposite of that.

She smiles, resting her arm on the center console. "You've never been a dick. At least not that I've seen. I don't know why that was a rumor about you, but I don't think it's true. You can be quiet and reserved as you said, which isn't a bad thing in my opinion. Vander is very quiet and most definitely comes off as a dick because he sort of is one. Owen is very cautious with people and also a bit of a dick, but warm and sweet once you get to know him. Mason is like his dad—wild, funny, and totally off the walls. They're the ones I'm closest with, but there are a lot of others you'll meet. Oh, and then there's Kenna and Keegan, and Owen's little sister Wren and Tinsley Monroe as well as Sorel and Selena?—"

"Jesus, Katy," I interrupt, running a hand through my hair.

"Second thoughts with me?"

My face flips in her direction. "Never," I tell her. "Not for a second. I mean, it's a lot and complicated as hell, but I want to have a baby and I think you'll be great at it. We can figure it all out. And yes, my mother will love you. But she can be a lot sometimes."

She snorts. "So can I. I'm not just a lot. I'm extra almost all the time. Just wait till I'm pregnant and hormonal, sending you out for melon balls at two a.m."

"Melon balls?" I question, my brows raised in her direction before I turn back to the road.

"I don't know. I went for the most obscure thing I could think of on the fly."

"I emailed my attorney this morning for the name of a good family lawyer who could draw up?—"

"I have a name," she interjects. "He's the lawyer who Uncle Cal hired when he was trying to keep me. He's one of the best in the city."

I blink, clutching the back of my neck. "Do you think we can meet with him?"

"Absolutely. I think we should. I mean"—she pokes me again—"we could already be pregnant."

I shake my head. "That's such a wild thought."

"But a cool one. And I think we should wait until I'm actually pregnant for me to move in."

I sigh. I had a feeling she was going to say that. And while part of me should be relieved at that—if for no other reason than keeping my distance and helping me keep myself in better control with her—it's not what I want. "But the trying?—"

"Could take months."

We come to a stoplight, and I turn to look at her, holding nothing of myself back. "I don't care. Katy, I want this. I wanted this before I knew sex was an option, so it's not about that. If we end up having to do IUI or IVF, I'm good with all of it. I never thought I'd get here. I never thought I'd have this opportunity. I'm not looking to take over or control your life. I just want to be part of everything we're doing, and right now, if we're trying to do this naturally, then I think you living with me just makes the most sense."

"So we can fuck whenever we want," she clarifies, and I can't help it, I smile like the devil she's turning me into.

"Yes," I tell her, not even trying to hide it. "So I can fuck you whenever we want. First thing in the morning or when we come home late from a shift and are tired and hungry. When we both want a shower or it's a random Saturday afternoon and you happen to walk into the kitchen looking fucking hot and I have to have you that very second. I don't want you racing to my doorstep at four in the morning because you realize you're ovulating." My hand cups her jaw. "And if I'm on borrowed time with fucking you, then Katy, I want to fuck you as much as I can until we have to stop."

The light turns green, and I release her, driving down the street and heading for my mom's place. Katy is silent, chewing on her lip and taking in the city beyond the glass.

"I'm a little worried about that."

"Which part?"

"The fucking as much as we can until we have to stop."

My insides plummet, but I force myself to do the right thing and ask, "Would you like to keep it to only around the times you're ovulating?"

"I think so. I thought about it this morning on the drive home, and sex with you was… well, you were there so you know how amazing it was. If we're doing that constantly, that's a slippery slope."

She's right, of course. It's not what I want, but it's the smart play, and I have to stop thinking with my dick. I grip the steering wheel tighter, already feeling a weird sense of loss I shouldn't. "Then we'll start a day before you're supposed to ovulate and end a day after you should be done. We can even get those fertility sticks if you want."

"Okay," she whispers after a few minutes. "I'll move in with you. For all of those reasons. You're right. Running to your house at odd times is insane, and if we're planning to have me move in after I'm pregnant anyway, then I guess it just makes sense to do it now."

I do everything I can to hold in my excited smile, hating how my chest fucking flutters like I'm a goddamn giddy kid. "Good."

"Good," she parrots, turning to me with a taunting gleam, and I start to slip.

"Great."

"Excellent."

That smile is twitching up my lips. "You're wet, aren't you?"

"And you're hard," she throws back at me. "I can see the outline of your dick." But that's not good enough for her. My little vixen reaches over and squeezes me through my shorts until I groan and grunt and have to move her hand away.

I pull into a spot outside of my mother's building. "No more dick touching. We're here."

She pivots to look out her window. "Nice building."

"It is. I bought it for her after my dad died and left me a fortune that he never paid her in child support or alimony. Actually, he never paid her much at all to take care of me."

"Oh, that's awful. Your poor mom. Can I ask about your dad?"

"My dad was a fucking asshole who never made time for me or my mom. He cheated on her and then left us. But he had a business that did well and then another that did better. He married two more times, both to women I never met before he divorced them too. He died alone, which I'm not sad about, and I don't care if that makes me a bad human, and since I was his only living heir, everything went to me."

She flips back around. "My parents had life insurance that went to me along with the proceeds from the sale of their house. My uncle put it into a trust for me, but I haven't touched it. I'm a type 1 diabetic, and, well, I think we all know the challenges that come with that. So I've kept it as a nest egg. And that has nothing to do with my uncle Cal or my stepmom Layla's money—and trust me, they each have plenty—or what they have planned for me."

"Why are you telling me that?"

"So you know I don't give two shits about your money."

I didn't think she did, but having her say it is more of a relief than I anticipated. "Our kid or kids will never have to worry."

She nods. "I know."

I roll my eyes because she knows that's not what I meant. I meant I'd take care of them. I know she will too, but I like knowing I can do that for my kids. I want to be the one to provide for them the way my father never did for me, and if Katy would let me, I'd do the same for her, though I know she won't.

"So, you are Surprise Baby for the Billionaire Doctor?"

I smirk. "I damn well hope so."

She stares at me, and I stare at her, the heat and tension between us rising. My hands twitch. My skin hums. I want to fucking maul this woman. That is until my mother knocks on the glass of Katy's window. "Is she a brunch treat for you or me?

Fuck.

Katy bursts out laughing and then flies out of the car, hugging my mother—why is she hugging my mother?!—and then tells her to take the front seat and explains how she works for me but that she hijacked my brunch with her.

My mother is glowing. She doesn't even require electricity.

The second after my mother buckles up and Katy is in the back seat and we head toward Brookline, where my mother's favorite deli is, she asks, "So, Katy, tell me, are you dating my son?"

"Mom," I warn.

"No," Katy answers evenly. "I'm not. I'm not dating right now and have no plans to."

"Why ever not?" My mother is appalled.

"Well, Paula, I'll be honest with you. Love hasn't been my bestie recently thanks to a jerk of an ex, and I have a lot of other things going on in my life at the moment, so for now, I'm not dating."

"That's too bad. Bennett has been saying the same bullshit to me since he left his lying, cheating, bitch of a wife. What is it with your generation allowing one bad burn to scar you instead of allowing it to heal and then move on as nature intended?"

"Darwinism," I quip.

"Nice try." My mother pats the side of my face as we come to a stoplight. "It's such a shame when young people stop living their lives to their fullest just because of one asshole. And interesting that despite both of you having a moratorium on dating and love, you brought your friend to meet me." She twists slightly, catching Katy's eyes now that she's sitting in the middle of the back seat. "Katy, dear, do you intend to never date again and does that mean you'll never want children?"

My forehead hits the steering wheel as a growl collapses my lungs. "Mom!"

"What?" She feigns innocence. "It's a simple question. She seems so young compared to you. It'd be a shame for her to give up on all facets of her life simply because she dated a dickhead of a man who didn't appreciate her."

For fuck's sake.

"I am young compared to him," Katy toys, throwing me a smug look in the rearview mirror before she reengages my mother. "Your son is not only my boss but eight years older than me," she whispers playfully. "Even though neither of us is interested in dating or falling in love, it's totally the stuff of awesome smutty romance, right?"

My mother is enthralled. "You're a reader too?"

Katy scoots to the edge of her seat, as close as she can get between us. "When I can be. I don't have a ton of time. I'm a fifth-year resident. But I won't lie and say I don't seek out the smuttiest smut with the best plotlines I can find."

"I don't care about the plot if the sex is hot," my mother admits, and I start to vomit in my mouth. Both women ignore that.

"I love the sexy stuff, but I start to lose interest halfway through if there isn't anything else to the story."

My mother nods conciliatory. "I can see that, and since Bennett won't read erotica to me, I've had to start getting books with more plot to them to keep him reading to me. But you've done a nice job dodging my question."

Katy glances quickly over to me and then back at my mom. "Eventually, I'll date again. Just not for a while. And I have thought about having kids. I want them desperately. You see, I have type 1 diabetes, and then a few years after I was diagnosed with that, I was diagnosed with grade three endometriosis and have been treated for minor PCOS related to my diabetes. Growing up, I wasn't painted with the happiest of pictures fertility-wise. But I had a successful surgery for the endometriosis, I'm in good control of my blood sugars, and my kidney function tests are normal, and per my OB, my ovaries are clear of cysts. So, with that, I've decided to try and have a baby because who knows how long this window will be open and stay that way. Endometriosis has up to a forty percent regrowth rate. But your son—your amazing son—has agreed to help me with that."

I'm paralyzed. I didn't ask why she wanted a baby so badly and why she wanted it now. I had overheard some of what she had said to her cousins about it, but I didn't question it beyond that. Hearing her say that? The way she plays it as if I'm the one doing her the favor?

It's too much.

My mother's hand covers her lips. Her eyes—the same color as mine—are larger than I've ever seen them. She stares at Katy, who is smiling so wide all her perfect white teeth are showing, and then over at me before turning back to Katy. "Really? You and my son…"

"Are getting it on," she tells my mother plainly, and I choke. Jesus. Only Katy.

She smirks at my expression, throwing me a wink in the rearview.

My mother laughs, loud and full of mirth, but then grows so very serious as she stares at my profile. "You're telling me you're getting it on with this beautiful young woman, and in doing so, you're trying to make me a grandmother?"

"Yes," I finally manage, pulling into a parking spot on the street and facing her. "We are."

My mother's eyes instantly glass over, and with that, mine do too. I can't handle my mother's emotions. She knows what this means to me, and I know what it means to her. No words are necessary between us.

"But you're not dating?"

I shake my head. "We're not dating and have no plans to." I need to make that clear to her because I know how my mother is and how quickly and easily her love of love will take over and run rampant.

"But she's lovely and so full of life."

I sigh. "She is. That doesn't change anything."

"Well then. This is quite the special morning." My mother clears her throat and wipes at her eyes. "I hope they have those blintze things today. I could eat all four of them."

"I'm a big fan of the pastrami scramble," Katy offers. "But if you're game, I'll give you some of mine for some of yours."

My mother's eyes light up. "You're on. But you have to order it with an everything bagel."

"Pshaw. Is there any other bagel to order with that? And you have to order yours with strawberry preserves."

"Is there any other way to properly have a blintze?"

"Not as far as I'm concerned." Katy winks at her and then hops out of the car and heads straight into the restaurant, giving me a moment alone with my mother who is nothing but smiles.

That is, until she pats my cheeks and says, "My boy, you can say whatever you want, but you are so fucked with that one, and I don't even mean that literally."