The Ceo's Surprise Family

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“Personal?” Clay’s brows rose. “And it couldn’t wait until morning? Do you have an incident with one of your other companies? Cause you know the guys are more than willing to help even when it’s not Pinnacle business.”

“I prefer to keep this private for now.” Jethro picked up his abandoned drink and sipped. The burn of whiskey down his throat—just what he needed to loosen his tongue. “It appears I may have a daughter.”

“As if.” Clay laughed and sipped his drink. “Come on, tell me what this is about.”

Jethro simply stared at him.

Finally Clay’s eyes went big and he shook his head. “You’re serious. You have a daughter?”

“Maybe. Probably.” Jethro glanced at the picture frame on the coffee table.

“Is this her?” Clay reached for the picture and stared. “Oh, hell.”

“So you see it, too?”

“That she has your eyes? It’s hard to miss.”

“I’m told she has my birthmark, too.”

Clay returned his attention to the photo and squinted. “Hmm. Could be, I guess. I’d want to see it up close to confirm. And we’ll need a DNA test. Who is the mother?”

“And that’s why I called you.” He rarely asked for help. But in this case he knew his friend would direct him through the quagmire discreetly and efficiently. Jethro filled Clay in on all the details. “I need to know for certain she’s mine before I make any decisions.”

“Of course. I already have a sample of your DNA.” The Fabulous Four were all millionaires and after Jackson went AWOL last year Clay had collected DNA samples from each of them as a security measure. “It shouldn’t be a problem getting the baby’s from the county. And I have a lab that will turn the results around in a day.”

“Good.” Jethro stood to pace. “I want to see her.”

“Whoa.” Clay held his hands up in a time-out gesture. “If you’re serious about giving her up, that may not be a good idea.”

“It’s the right thing to do, don’t you think? Giving her up?”

“Only you can answer that, bro.” Clay’s alert gaze pierced through Jethro’s ambivalence. “You never talk about family, except to say you never planned to have one of your own.”

“Because I don’t have any. The foster system was never able to locate any next of kin for me.” There was no record of who’d abandoned him. Kind of hard to get info from no one.

“In that case this little girl may be the only family you’ll ever know. You should think carefully before you sign your rights away.”

Jethro shot his friend a get-real grimace. “I’m not equipped to raise a kid. I don’t scare easy but the thought of taking on custody of a little girl outright terrifies me. But I’d castrate myself before I left her in foster care.”

“Ouch,” Clay flinched, “but I hear you. You know it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can negotiate the terms.”

Jethro shook his head. Sharing custody with the red-hot redhead was not going to happen. Between baby and dancer, he’d never know another moment of peace. “Lexi made her terms clear. I won’t jeopardize Jasmine’s future.”

He hesitated. “Jackson and Grace might raise her.”

Jethro had considered the option, but he wouldn’t do that to his friend. “They aren’t even married yet. I can’t ask them to do that. And if she were that close, I may not be able to refrain from interfering, which wouldn’t be fair to anyone. No, Lexi Malone is her godmother. She obviously loves the child. It’s the best solution.”

“Then I recommend you don’t see her.”

Knowing Clay was right, Jethro struggled with the irrational compulsion. He prided himself on making dispassionate decisions. Not this time. “If she’s mine, I have to see her.”

Clay sighed. “If she’s yours, I’ll set it up.”

* * *

Lexi’s day didn’t get any better as it wore on. Jethro’s assistant called but the appointment had been postponed for a day.

The delay was torture. Every minute dragged. And what filled her head? The feel and taste of Jethro Calder. When she’d sought him out last night, the last thing she’d contemplated was an attraction to the man.

Because it complicated much?

Of course she never could have predicted he’d track her to her apartment and seduce her in her own living room. Thank her lucky stars she came to her senses before he actually got her in bed. But it had been too close, the struggle too hard for her peace of mind.

She hadn’t lost her head like that in...no, she’d never lost her head like that. Been so swept away by a man’s kiss, by his touch, that she lost all sense of the here and now.

The fact he was her goddaughter’s father put him off-limits. Those forbidden moments in his arms were hot enough to give her regrets, but Jazi had to come first.

Desperate and longing to see her little girl, she called Jazi’s foster mother about setting up an appointment to see the baby, but it wasn’t convenient today. Instead they made arrangements for the next day.

Waiting proved too brutal so Lexi called in to Modern Goddess to see if she could put in extra hours and went into work early.