Page 36 of Mister Daddy

“Carter,” I choke out. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”

“What is it?” he asks, lounging back and stretching like a giant bear. Muscles play beautifully under his skin and my mouth goes dry just seeing it.

“Well, you know we haven’t been using birth control,” I say slowly. “And I’m not on anything, so to say, so I could definitely get pregnant.”

Instead of freaking out, the billionaire merely stretches again, almost like he didn’t hear.

“Carter,” I say, my voice more sharp this time. “Did you hear me? We haven’t been using protection, and I’m not on anything. That means I could get pregnant very easily. In fact, I could be pregnant right now.”

This time, the handsome billionaire turns to look at me with amused blue eyes.

“Is that so bad?” he asks. “I’ve always wanted to be a dad, and a little girl who looks just like you would be really cute. What would we call her?”

If I thought the talk about jewelry was shocking, then this conversation is even crazier than before.

“What do you mean, a little girl that looks like me?” I ask slowly. “You can’t be serious.”

Carter merely shrugs again.

“Oh, I’m serious sweetheart. I’m ready to be a dad, and honestly, you getting pregnant isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

“It’s not?” I sputter, utterly confused. “What do you mean? You’re ready for an unplanned pregnancy?”

He shrugs.

“I’m just saying that I’m a forty-five year old man, and you’re a luscious, ripe, and beautiful young woman. I could have a kid now. Hell, I probably should have had kids twenty years ago when I was younger because I hear kids take a lot of energy. But hey, better late than never,” he grins. “At least I’m coming to the party, even if I’m a little late.”

I still can barely breathe and merely stare at him.

“You must be kidding,” I say. “An unplanned pregnancy is … well, it’s hell, isn’t it? I mean, I’d have to give up my job, people would look at me weird, and how in the world would I manage a baby? I can barely pay my electricity on time, much less organize day care and diapers.”

He shrugs.

“Sweetheart, you’re not giving yourself enough credit. First of all, those were all exaggerations. You’re not just an accountant, you’re a CPA with a college degree, and one thing I know about folks with college degrees is that they’re generally pretty organized. For example, are you late on any of your student loans?”

“How do you know I have loans?” I ask defiantly.

He snaps his fingers.

“That’s because you don’t, right? Let me guess. You’re super organized and financially disciplined, and so you’ve probably paid off all your student loans already, even though you’re only five years out of school.”

I blush because Carter’s right. By nature, I’m risk-averse. When I was in school, I had to take on some loans just to survive for four years, but as soon as I got a job, I started paying them down. It wasn’t easy because I’ve never made much as an accountant, but I watched where every penny went and was able to put a little towards the loan bit by bit. Finally, last month, I finished paying off the burden, which is why I let myself come on this cruise. If I still had thousands of dollars owing, then I definitely wouldn’t have let myself splurge on a vacation. It would have been a staycation for me, thank you very much.

“How did you know?” I ask.

Carter smiles knowingly at me.

“Sweetheart, I’ve been in business for more than twenty years now, and one thing you learn as CEO is how to read people. That, more than anything is my job. I need to understand the people who work for me, and as a result, I’ve become a pro at assessing a person’s weaknesses and strengths. The moment I met you, I knew you were a saver. You’re someone who pays her credit cards on time and never carries a balance, right?”

I bite my lip. I swear, this guy is a mind-reader.

“You’re right,” I say slowly. “But it’s because I don’t spend a lot to begin with, so it’s not hard to pay down my balance. Besides, the interest on those cards is something ridiculous like thirty percent. I can’t afford to pay that!”

He grins and drops another kiss on my nose.

“I completely agree, baby girl. Those folks are practically running a scam, charging interest like that. Come to think of it, maybe I should get into the business, seeing how well-paid it seems to be. But anyways, the whole point of this was to call bullshit on you, sweetheart. I know it feels like you wouldn’t be able to manage a child right now, but that’s not true. You’re organized, dependable, and you have the heart of a mother. My guess is that if you were expecting twins at this very moment, you’d be able to manage just fine.”

My cheeks flame.