hiding the truth about her father. She’d continued to show bad judgment today, planning to run away with his child. A chill went down his spine to think of what might have happened if her father hadn’t called him today.
But it wasn’t entirely her fault. Her love blinded her. It made her weak. And after the cold way he’d treated her, and his threats to take the child, he couldn’t blame her for being afraid.
It didn’t make her a monster. It wasn’t enough of a reason to brutally separate her from their child. Not after he himself had known what it was to have no mother. No father. No real place in the world.
Their baby would have both parents and a secure, settled home.
Darius knew he had to rebuild Letty’s trust in him. He had to find a way to strengthen her occasionally faulty judgment with his own. If Darius was wiser, it was because he never allowed love to blind him. He always focused on the bottom line. So what was it here?
The answer was simple.
He had to make Letty his wife.
It was the only way to properly secure their child’s future. It would guarantee the stability of two parents and a permanent home.
And also, his body suddenly whispered, marrying Letty would permanently secure her in his bed.
The thought electrified him. That settled it.
“I misjudged you,” he said.
Letty glared at him. “Yes!”
“I treated you badly.”
“You think?”
“So let me make up for it now.” Leaning toward her on the sofa, Darius said, “I want you to marry me, Letty.”
Her jaw dropped. “Marry you!”
“I’ve realized now I blamed everything on you. It wasn’t your fault…”
“No.”
“It was your father’s,” he finished grimly. “He’s ruined your life. I won’t let him ruin our child’s.”
Her eyes were wide as she put her hands over her large belly. “You’re crazy. My father loves the baby, just as he loves me!”
“And what about the next time some thug decides to attack him? What if that man decides to hurt your father’s family instead?”
Letty’s expression became troubled. Swallowing, she whispered, “That wouldn’t happen…”
“No. It won’t. Because you and the baby will be miles away from Howard Spencer and safe with me.” He rose abruptly to his feet. “You will have to sign a prenuptial agreement…”
“I won’t, because I’m not going to marry you.”
She wasn’t joking or playing coy. She actually sounded serious.
Darius stared down at her in confusion. So many women were dying to marry him, he’d assumed that Letty—jobless, penniless, faced with threats on all sides—would be thrilled at the thought of being his bride. “Of course you want to marry me.”
“Marry someone I hate? Who hates me back? No, thanks.”
He couldn’t believe she was trying to fight him when it was the only practical solution. He gritted his teeth. It was that idea of love, once again interfering with all common sense!
“Have you thought this through?” Folding his arms, he regarded her coolly. “I could take you to court. Have you declared an unfit mother, selfishly placing our child at risk.”
Letty rose to her feet in turn, matching him toe-to-toe, though he was bigger by a foot in height and at least sixty pounds of muscle. She narrowed her eyes. “You could try.”
In spite of himself, he almost smiled. Another thing he’d forgotten about her character. She fought harder for others than she ever did for herself.
“You really think you can handle a custody battle? You think there are waves of lawyers out there, willing to support Howard Spencer’s daughter pro bono, when all they’d get for their trouble is a lot of bad PR?”
Her cheeks flushed, even as she lifted her chin defiantly. “We’ll see, won’t we?”
But beneath her bravado, her expression was soft and sad. Her long dark ponytail gleamed in waves down her back, and his eyes strayed to the roundness of her belly and full breasts, voluptuous beyond belief. In this moment, Darius thought she looked like everything desirable in a woman—the perfect image of what any man would dream of in a wife.
He suddenly imagined how she might look in court. Whatever her father’s sins, if she did find a good attorney, she could be packaged and sold to the presiding judge as the poor, innocent, poverty-stricken waitress threatened by the cold, power-hungry billionaire. No matter how many legal sharks he hired, Darius wasn’t guaranteed to win. There was some small possibility he might lose.
He abruptly changed tack.
“Does our baby deserve to have parents at war? Living in here—” he motioned to the peeling wallpaper, the cracked ceiling “—instead of my penthouse? Does he deserve to grow up in poverty without the protection of his father’s name? Without my love?”
Letty looked stricken. “Our baby could still have your love.”
“He deserves everything I can provide. Are you really so selfish as to make our child suffer for the sake of your own angry pride?”
He saw emotions struggle on her face. She really was a terrible liar. He knew he was very close to getting what he wanted—her total surrender.
“We could make our marriage work,” he murmured. “Our son or daughter would be our priority, always.”
“Son,” she said unwillingly.
He looked at her sharply.
She took a deep breath, then slowly smiled. “We’re having a boy.”
“A boy!” The nebulous idea of a baby suddenly solidified in Darius’s mind. He could imagine his son smiling, playing soccer, laughing, hugging him. And the fact that she’d revealed that detail proved how close she was to agreeing to his proposal. His resolve solidified. Stepping closer, he said softly, “Marry me, Letty.”
Looking uncertain, she bit her lip. “It would be a disaster. Not just for me. For you. Don’t you know how much people hate me?”
“Not once you’re with me,” he said confidently.
“You don’t understand how bad it is…”
“I’m sure you’re exaggerating.” He’d all but won. Now that his unborn child was secure, he was already jumping ahead to the thought of enjoying Letty’s surrender in full, imagining her naked and writhing with desire in his arms. He wanted to take her back to the penthouse immediately. Then he remembered. “I am hosting a charity event tonight. The Fall Ball.”
She
