Desire Collection: November Books 1 - 4. Charlene Sands
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They didn’t deal with dirty diapers and barfing and the constant messes and sleepless nights. They jetted around the country with supermodels on their arms and partied with the rich and famous.
Her head hurt just thinking about Eric in the arms of another woman, which was, again, not logical. She couldn’t have him and she had no right to be jealous of someone else having him.
Eddy fussed mightily as they pulled up in front of the house and Sofia unbuckled him. She was suddenly desperate to see Addy. It wasn’t fair to her daughter that she hadn’t been able to get home and see her yet.
Sofia followed her mom inside, dragging hard. She needed to change and she couldn’t remember the last time she ate something. But she had to see her baby girl first. “Addy? Honey, Mommy’s home,” she called out softly.
“She’s in the living room,” Mom said as she headed for the kitchen. “With—”
Sofia came to a stumbling halt as she turned the corner. Because Addy was, indeed, in the living room—fast asleep on Eric’s chest. Eric was sprawled out on the ancient family couch. He’d lost both his jacket and his button-up shirt at some point and was wearing nothing but a T-shirt that, even at this distance, Sofia could see was stained. Addy had a blanket draped around her, and Eric was holding her, one hand under her bottom, the other across her back.
Oh, God. Had he been here with her daughter the entire night?
She must’ve gasped or something because just then, Eric’s eyes fluttered open. He blinked and then focused on her. “Hey,” he said, smiling sleepily. “You guys are home. That’s wonderful. Addy and I have been holding down the couch for you.”
And it wasn’t fair, damn it all, that he was here with Addy while she had been at the hospital with Eddy. It wasn’t fair that, even in a stained T-shirt, he was still the most handsome man she’d ever seen. And it wasn’t fair that, just when she’d realized she could never be right for him, he went and made her fall in love with him all over again.
“How long have you been here?”
“What time is it?” he asked, stretching carefully so that he didn’t jostle the baby girl.
“Two thirty.” It was naptime, she realized. Eric and Addy had been napping together and it was so perfectly sweet it was going to break her heart.
He yawned. “I think I left the hospital a little before four? Addy was pretty fussy, but she seemed calmer when I held her, so I stayed. Sorry I didn’t get back to check on you and Eddy. How are you doing, big guy?” he asked when Eddy swiveled his head around at the sound of his name.
At the same time, Addy jolted awake. She looked up and saw Sofia. Instantly, her lips began to quiver.
Eric sat up and kissed Addy’s head and it wasn’t fair because Sofia wanted him so much and it simply wouldn’t work. There were reasons she couldn’t have this. Good reasons. That she couldn’t think of right now.
Eric stood and came toward her and her breath caught in her throat. “Trade you,” he said, as Addy leaned toward Sofia and Eddy pitched toward Eric because even her son was happy to see him. Eric caught the little boy in his arms and Sofia knew she wasn’t imagining that the man was happy to see her baby boy.
She caught Addy in her arms and hugged the little girl to her chest, trying to find her balance. But before that happened, Eric leaned over and kissed Sofia’s forehead. “I’m so glad you’re home, babe. I hated leaving you there, but I figured you’d want me to be with Addy.”
“I...” She blinked at him. His jaw was scruffy and he was rumpled and he was still the sexiest man she’d ever seen.
“Listen,” Eric said, his voice low as he rubbed Eddy’s back. “I was thinking—your parents are great, but this is a super small house and the kids need room to grow. My dad was touring a condo on the Gold Coast that would be perfect for us.”
“Us?” He hadn’t said us, had he? No, she was just hearing things. She was tired and—
“Three thousand square feet, a great view of the lake—plenty of room for the kids. Closer to everything. And we could get a better couch,” he joked, stretching like a cat.
“Eric...” Maybe she was still dreaming. She’d fallen asleep in the hospital and was hallucinating that a man like Eric Jenner had spent the last God-only-knew-how-many hours taking care of a sick baby.
And waiting on her. Waiting to—to what? To ask her to move in with him? Or just... “I can’t afford a Gold Coast condo, Eric.”
He had the nerve to snort in amusement. “I wouldn’t expect you to split the cost with me, babe. It’s a gift for you. For us.”
There was that word again. Us. And Eric was saying it while soothing a clingy Eddy.
But Sofia was not feeling calm. “What are you talking about? Because it sounds like...” Like he wanted her to move her whole family in with him. How did that make any sense?
It didn’t.
“Not today, of course,” he said, completely oblivious to her confusion. “The condo needs to be remodeled. But I can buy it and when it’s ready, we can move in together.”
Her mouth flopped open. She wasn’t dreaming this, was she? He was asking her to move in with him.
“I’d hope,” he went on, stepping in closer and shifting so he could cup her cheek in his palm without disrupting Eddy, “that you’d consider getting married before that point, though. I’ll take you any way I can get you, but if you’ll have me, I’d consider it the greatest honor of my life if you’d marry me, Sofia. I promised I’d take care of you and I meant it. For the rest of our lives, let me take care of you.”
His thumb stroked over her cheek and Addy sighed in what felt like happiness and Eddy smiled at her from where he was tucked against Eric’s chest and Sofia almost, almost said yes. This was every fantasy come to life—a hot, rich, single billionaire who liked small children and was great in bed and was promising to give her the world on a silver platter.
But when she opened her mouth, yes wasn’t what came out. Because she did love him and she did want him and her babies loved him...but how on earth could he think she could fit into his world?
How much would it cost him if she said yes? Not just this deal. There was always something with kids.
She couldn’t do this to him. She couldn’t saddle him with her life, her problems, couldn’t expect him to step into the role of father to someone else’s children.
Oh, this hurt. But it was the right thing to do. He’d see that soon enough.
“Eric, no.”
Eric stared down in confusion at Sofia, who was clutching Addy to her chest as if the toddler was a shield. “No what?”
Because it seemed like there should be an additional thought there. No, she didn’t like the Gold Coast. No, she didn’t want to wait to get married.
Not no thank you. She couldn’t mean that. He forged ahead. “We don’t have to live on the Gold Coast. We can look around. I want you to be happy with whatever place we choose.”
Her eyes bugged out of her head and she stepped away from him. Eric had no choice but to let his hand fall away. “Eric, no,” she repeated with more force. “I can’t marry you. What the hell—heck,” she quickly corrected, glancing at her children, “are you even thinking, talking like this?”
He could understand that she was upset. It had been an upsetting couple of days. But this was different.
“I was thinking I care for you. And your children. I was thinking...” He swallowed nervously as her eyes opened even wider. “I