okay,” she assured Olivia. “I just got dizzy or something.”
She closed her eyes, willing the moment to pass. Deep breath in. Deep breath out.
“Why don’t you sit down.” Olivia guided her to the leather desk chair. “You got awfully pale all of a sudden.”
Mia took a seat, thankful the room had stopped spinning. “Really, Olivia, I’m fine.”
Fine. Well, as fine as she could be, considering that the father of her baby had accused her of being a liar and having an affair with his illegitimate brother.
“Doing better now that you’re sitting down?”
As if getting off her feet would make her condition better.
“Yes,” Mia offered with a smile. “I’m sure I just need some juice or something. Why don’t we go back to your office and I’ll see what the cook put on the tray?”
“Perfect.” Olivia stepped back, allowing Mia to get to her feet. “You snack and get your strength back up so we can chat about why you’re hiding a pregnancy from me.”
Mia’s eyes darted to Olivia’s steely blue ones. “Olivia, I …” She wanted to lie, she really did, but she couldn’t. “I’m not hiding it. Honestly, I just found out myself.”
Olivia reached out and squeezed her hands. “I’m not going to pry, because I know this is a scary time, but please know that you can come to me and discuss anything. I want to be here for you.”
Mia couldn’t help the tears that sprang up like a leaky faucet. “Oh, Olivia, you don’t know how much I need someone to talk to.”
Olivia opened her arms and Mia sank into the woman’s embrace. How many times had she needed this—the love of an understanding woman? Just one hug shot straight to Mia’s heart.
“I assume the baby belongs to my son.” Olivia pulled back, meeting her eyes. “I saw how the two of you looked at each other in Cannes. The sparks practically singed everyone around you. Does he know?”
Mia nodded. “He does. We haven’t really had a chance to talk rationally. We’re both letting this sink in. And considering those rumors about me and Anthony, I’m not sure where I stand with Bronson.”
“Come to my office.” Olivia wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her toward the hall. “You have a lot you need to get off your chest.”
Oh, she had no idea. But at least the pregnancy was out in the open. Too bad the forty-year-old baby secret was still locked up tight. Mia had a bad feeling that Olivia would push for something between her and Bronson. But Mia refused to be in a relationship out of obligation or pity. And no way would she be with Bronson just because he or anyone else said so.
Call her naive, but she was waiting for love. She would find love, and that man would accept Mia and her baby.
When Bronson had returned from his lunch meeting with his attorney—just to discuss his options if he was indeed the father of the baby—his assistant had informed him he had a call from Mia Spinelli, stating that he had to be at her place by six o’clock. No exceptions.
Another urgent message, this time from his mother, said she needed to see him tonight, as well. Again, no exceptions. Since when did he allow his life to be controlled by demanding women?
Obviously, the baby secret was no longer a secret. He was not ready to discuss this with his mother, not until he knew all the facts and where he stood.
Bronson had barely dropped his hand after knocking when the door to the cottage swung open. There stood Mia wearing another one of those simple little strapless cotton dresses. No matter that she looked amazing, he was certainly not in the mood. And considering the current circumstances, he’d better learn to control his hormones around this woman because he would not be forced deeper into her devious plan.
“Telling my mother about the baby is your new tactic?” he asked, barging past her into the house.
Mia spun around to face him, sending the door slamming behind her. “Did she tell you that?”
So, she really had told his mother. He was just guessing by the urgency of the phone calls. Dammit, he wasn’t ready for anyone to know, especially considering the last baby debacle.
“Actually, I haven’t talked to her. She called my office and demanded I come to the house tonight. I’m assuming that means she knows, and I sure as hell didn’t tell her.”
Bronson kept his hands on his hips, ready for another fight. This was his life, his reputation. There was no backing down, no letting Mia have the upper hand. And now more than ever he needed to keep his sights on her. No way would he allow her to destroy his family … or whatever the hell else her intentions were.
“Look, I didn’t call you here to argue.” Mia moved past him and led him through the thick white columns separating the foyer from the living area. “We need to sit down and discuss, like adults, what we’re going to do and what part you want to take in the life of our baby.”
Bronson remained standing when Mia took a seat in the wing-back chair. “Let me set a few things straight, Mia. My mother’s last assistant extorted nearly a million dollars from her before she was caught and imprisoned. And two years ago my ex-fiancée betrayed my trust. So you’re sorely mistaken if you think, even for a second, that I’m just going to believe you when you say the baby is mine. Scandal is nothing new in Hollywood, so don’t think you’re going to get away with the most popular form of entrapment known.”
Mia crossed those long, tanned legs. “If you’re finished, I’d like to say something, too.”
Bronson shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded, testing his willpower by keeping his eyes off those legs. “Fine.”
“My parents were killed when I was five. After several foster homes, I realized that the only way I would ever have a family was to grow up and have one of my own.”
Mia turned her head, but not before he saw the moisture gather in her eyes. He waited for her to turn back, fully engaged in a crying session in an attempt to gain his sympathy. But when she looked back up, the tears were still there, only unshed and Mia tilted her chin just a bit as if defying them. Damn, he didn’t want to respect her strength.
“Family means everything, Bronson,” she went on, her voice thick with emotion. “I’ve always dreamed of finding the perfect man for me. We’d settle down in a nice house, we’d create babies out of love and grow old together. I assure you, this scenario was not my dream. You can believe me, or you can choose to believe that I’m just as conniving as other women you’ve grouped me with. That’s up to you. I want this baby to know its father, and I’d hate for you to miss out on the life of your child simply because you’re afraid and this deceitful town has made you cynical.”
Bronson turned toward the wall of windows and wished like hell she was telling the truth—and that she hadn’t pegged him so easily. She wasn’t the only one who’d had the idea of a family. He’d come from a loving home, one of the few the industry hadn’t tainted. He’d
