Blake forced his jaw to remain loose, his hands folded in his lap. The image of Samantha swam in his head.

What was he going to do now?

“These things take time, but within a year you should be well on your way to becoming a father.”

Like before, Blake stopped listening when Mark went on about the sex of the child not making a difference, and the child need not be born before Blake’s thirty-sixth birthday. Mark finished speaking and cleared his throat. “Seems your father thought of everything.”

“And if my wife and I wanted to wait to start a family?”

Mark huffed. “Your father is giving you millions of reasons to push your plans forward. Of course, if you weren’t planning on a family, or planning on staying married to—”

Blake put his hand in the air, interrupting the lawyer’s words. “We’re newlyweds, Mark. Or perhaps that’s escaped your attention.”

“Nothing you’re doing escapes my attention. Bigger men than you have married to get their hands on large amounts of money with no intentions of staying married after their funds are in the bank.” Mark was angry now, his words short with his crisp accent.

“This addendum was sealed, but you knew about it all along, didn’t you?”

Mark sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. The slight lift of his lips gave Blake his answer.

Blake had an uncharacteristic desire to make Mark, and all his callousness, squirm in his chair. “I rather like the thought of being a father,” Blake said, letting a little of his childhood accent dip into his words.

Mark’s smile fell.

“Samantha will make a lovely mother.” Which Blake really did believe. He kept his poker face fully engaged.

“It’s going to take more than words to convince us.”

“Of that, I have no doubt.”

Mark gathered his papers and stood to leave. “I’ll be in touch.”

Blake stood and extended his hand. “We’ll see you this weekend at the reception.”

“Right.”

As the lawyer turned to leave, Blake stopped him. “Oh, Mark… be sure and have your secretary make me a copy of my father’s will.”

Mark nodded and left Blake’s office.

Turning on his heel, Blake walked to the office window to stare across the rain soaked streets.

A baby.

Damn his father and everything the man stood for. Part of Blake wanted to walk away. Tell Samantha their bluff was called. He knew damn well Samantha wouldn’t be willing to bring a child into this world for the sake of millions. Her family, and their deception, caused her too much trauma. She wouldn’t deceive a child. Hell, Blake could practically feel the twisting in Samantha’s gut when Gwen started talking about plans of the future.

Blake anticipated the lawyers at Parker and Parker to force him and Samantha together over the course of the next year. He’d thought Mark was in his office today to say something to the effect of, “Blake, old boy, you and your wife cannot be apart any more than two weeks at a time for the firm to believe you are happily married.”

No, the law firm did something much more difficult to produce.

But…

What if… what if Samantha did end up pregnant? Would that be so bad? A warm swell started low in his belly and lifted though his chest. The thought of her curves filling out, the swell of her br**sts filling his palm even more than they did, her holding out a son for him to claim…

Blake shook the images, which weren’t that hard to picture, from his mind.

Maybe his own legal team could find something illegal about his father’s will. He’d put the best on the case to see what could be done.

In the meantime, he’d keep the latest twist in his life to himself.

Chapter Nine

Samantha was having a hell of a time shaking the jet lag, and they’d been in Europe for over a week. Then again, living a lie was exhausting. Even Blake seemed stressed around the edges.

The reception was the next day and everything was set to go. What Samantha needed was time away from Blake’s demanding family.

Samantha had escaped into the library, determined to find a diversion when Blake found her.

“There you are.”

Wearing casual slacks and a pullover sweater that emphasized his broad shoulders, Blake looked good enough to eat. “I thought you went to the office.”

He shook his head. “I couldn’t leave you today.”

Confused, she asked, “What’s so special about today?”

He brought a hand to his chest and faked a mortal wound. “I can’t believe you’ve forgotten.”

Samantha laughed. “Don’t give up your day job for that acting gig,” she teased.

“You really don’t know what today is, do you?”

It wasn’t a holiday, English or American, his birthday had already past, and hers wasn’t for a few months. “Nope, color me clueless.”

Blake took her hands in his and brought her frame up against his chest. “We’ve been married one month.”

Oh, Lord, he was right. The fact that he’d thought of it and was making a big deal over it, showed just how much of a sentimental sap the dashing Duke was. “Wow. A whole month already.” It felt so much longer.

“I know how to celebrate it, too.”

“You want to celebrate our one month anniversary?” Samantha glanced around Blake’s shoulder to see if anyone was nearby and listening. She couldn’t see into the hallway so she kept her questions as to why the big deal to herself.

Blake winked at her and laced his fingers with hers. “Come on.”