Holiday Baby Scandal

Laney snorted. “Really? Now you choose to let me in?”

“I don’t have a choice,” he muttered.

And maybe he never had...not where Laney was concerned.

So how the hell did he even attempt to keep his loyalty to this family when he’d betrayed them? And how was he going to be closer to Laney than ever before and keep his hands off her?

Ryker Barrett had lived through some rough times, but he had a feeling he was entering a whole new level of hell.

Two (#ulink_a48bf8d2-025b-5bc0-b7b5-5891afb0a872)

How cute was he, thinking he could be all protective and overbearing? Poor Ryker. He clearly forgot he was dealing with an O’Shea. She may be the baby sister, she may be the one everyone loved to keep safely tucked away behind the computer, but she knew more than they’d ever realize. She wasn’t naive, and she wasn’t blind.

And going to London? Not an option. She was working on something right here in Boston that was so near to her heart, she refused to walk away. Pregnant or not, she’d see this project come to fruition.

Once she’d left Ryker’s house earlier, she headed home, changed her clothes and went for a run. Her doctor had informed her that keeping up with her regular exercise routine was perfectly fine. She needed to release some pent-up energy and blow off steam anyway. Perhaps she should’ve joined Ryker in his punching bag workout. Although she feared he’d have pissed her off and she’d have ended up socking him in the face to knock some sense into that thick head of his.

Why did she have to be attracted to such a stubborn, frustrating man? Why did she still have to feel how amazing he was weeks after their encounter? The imprint of his powerful touch would be with her forever. Laney had always wondered if the reality of being with Ryker would measure up to the fantasy...and it was better. So much better than anything she could have dreamed up.

But now that she was pregnant, she wasn’t going to use the child as an excuse to get closer to him. She wasn’t a pathetic, desperate woman. She may have loved Ryker for as long as she could remember, but she would never use an innocent child to get a man.

She’d worried about telling him, though. Worried because she knew enough of his childhood to figure out he probably had no dreams of becoming a father. Ryker never spoke of his birth family—his family had become the O’Sheas the instant Mac and Braden brought him home after school one day. All she knew was that his first twelve years had been hell, and nothing any child should have to go through.

Ryker may be ten years older than her, but that didn’t make him out of her reach. By the time she’d been old enough to notice boys, she’d had eyes for only one man. Oh, she’d dated, but nobody had captured her attention like Ryker. And for years he’d ignored her.

Then one night, as if the dam had broken, he’d quite literally torn off her clothes. Never had Laney been so thrilled, so relieved to finally have a dream become reality. But no dream could’ve ever prepared her for the experience Ryker gave her.

Laney pulled her damp hair into a loose topknot. Now that she’d exercised and showered, she was ready to get some work done. Her brothers were so close to finding their family’s missing heirlooms, and she so wanted to be the one to crack the mystery.

For years, decades actually, their family had been searching for nine missing scrolls. The precious documents dated back to the sixteenth century, when one of their ancestors, an Irish monk, transcribed some of William Shakespeare’s work. The scrolls had been handed down from generation to generation.

But when the Great Depression robbed so many people of their normal lives, the O’Shea family lost their home and everything inside. The home actually ended up falling into the possession of Zara Perkins’s family, which was how Zara and Braden met. Braden had thought that cozying up to the pretty event coordinator and getting inside her house would help in their search. Little did Braden know he’d fall in love.

The scrolls weren’t found, so now the search continued. And Laney would love nothing more than to be the one to find the missing treasure. Her entire life she’d been sheltered, kept at an arm’s length from the dangers of the family business. If her father and brothers hadn’t needed her mad computer skills, she had no doubt they wouldn’t have told her a single thing.

Well, if she found these scrolls, they’d have to acknowledge just how much she brought to the table and how she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Family meant everything, and, now more than ever, she was determined to take a stronger role in the business. Proving to her brothers, to Ryker, that she could keep up with them wasn’t going to be a problem. She was an O’Shea. Determination was ingrained in every fiber of her being.

Laney pulled up her email and slid a hand over her flat stomach. This baby would be so hardheaded and strong. There was no other option, considering the genes.

Scrolling through messages, Laney tried to forget Ryker and his demanding ways. But it was those demanding ways that had rocked her entire world at a hotel in Miami.

Maybe she could distract herself with some online Christmas shopping. Maybe that would take her mind off Ryker and the fact she now carried his child. Laney couldn’t help but wonder how her overbearing brothers would react to this news.

Dread filled her stomach. How would Zara take the pregnancy? She and Braden had miscarried a child several months ago. Were they trying for another one? Laney hated to pry, but she also didn’t want to seem insensitive. Especially if they tried and were unsuccessful.

Oh, they’d be happy about the baby, but privately would they be hurt? Laney loved Zara like a sister and didn’t want to cause her any more grief.

With Mac and Jenna planning a wedding, Laney seriously hesitated to say anything to anybody. There wouldn’t be a perfect time, but at least she could wait for a better time.

Laney clicked on an email she’d been waiting on. Her offer had been accepted. Finally. She’d been wanting this news for over a week, and the timing was perfect. One more step closer to her goal of revamping an old, run-down building in Boston’s south side... Ryker’s old neighborhood.

She’d set these plans in motion before Miami. Over the years, she’d heard Ryker talk about unfortunate kids, never of his own childhood, but she knew his worry stemmed from where he’d come from. So Laney wanted to help. She hated the idea of kids feeling like there was no hope, no one there who really cared about their future.

Her father had instilled in her that commitment. To help the unfortunate. When he’d taken in Ryker, he’d done so without another thought. If more people reached out like her father had, maybe this world would be a bit brighter.

She was keeping the project a secret because she wasn’t in it for the praise or the recognition. And she definitely wasn’t out to make the O’Shea name look better in the community, which was what many would think if they knew she was involved.

Laney starred the email and laid her phone on the desk in her office before taking a seat. It had gotten so dark since she’d finished her run. She longed for summer and sunshine, where she didn’t have to worry about getting back in time before sunset. She also wondered if running alone was the smartest choice. She always had done it by herself to clear her head and think, but now that she was pregnant, she felt more vulnerable.

From the time she was little, her father had taught her to always be aware of her surroundings. But now she should take a few more precautions. Even though she lived in Boston and the streets were bustling with people, she might want to consider using her treadmill or finding a jogging partner.

A laugh escaped her as she thought of Ryker. She couldn’t quite imagine the brooding man throwing on a pair of sneakers and running. No, he was more of a boxer type, a guy who lifted heavy weights, or did pull-ups with one arm. He was all strength, all power.

And the thought of all of that excellent muscle tone had Laney attempting to focus on something else. Anything.

Christmas shopping. Right. That’s what she’d been planning to do. Why go to the stores and fight all the crazies when she could go braless at home and have everything delivered right to her door...wrapped even.

Online shopping was glorious.

She also had a few final touches to put on the O’Shea’s holiday party they were having for the staff at Braden’s house in two weeks. The annual event had grown even more since Mac had opened satellite offices in Miami and Atlanta.

Still, Laney loved working on the party and Zara was a professional coordinator, so her sister-in-law had done the majority of the work this year. Laney just needed to order the centerpieces she and Zara had agreed on.

She’d just opened a new browser to search for a dress to wear to the party when her doorbell rang. Glancing quickly at the monitors, she saw Ryker’s hulking frame. He kept his head down, shoulders hunched against the brisk December air. He never came to her house...just like she had never gone to his. He’d followed her home before to make sure she was safe, but he’d never popped in of his own accord.

Who knew it would take a pregnancy to get him to come for a visit?

Pushing away from her desk, Laney headed toward the front door. Darkness had set in and snow swirled around, bright flakes catching in the streetlights.

Laney flicked the lock on her door and opened it, immediately stepping back so Ryker could come in out of the cold.

Without a word he strode inside. Those heavy black boots were quite the contrast to her bare feet with polished pink toes. And that was barely the beginning of all the ways they differed.

Laney closed out the cold and set the dead bolt. Crossing her arms over her chest, she faced the man she’d been half in love with since she was a teen.

“This is a surprise,” she told him. “Did you come to talk or is something wrong?”

“I need to head out of town.”

Laney nodded. His rushing out of town was nothing new. He did so many things for the family. The O’Sheas had gone global with their famous auction houses. Ryker sometimes traveled to obtain relics or random pieces for a specific auction. He’d been known to procure heirlooms that had been stolen. Some may look at him as a modern-day Robin Hood since he returned items to their right owner.

He also was known to go to his home in London for a quick escape, but he was always a text or call away. He put her family first above all else.

“I’m leaving in the morning, and I’ll be gone a few days.”

Laney tipped up her head. “You never tell me when you’re going out of town unless you need my computer skills to pull up the blueprint of a building. If that’s what you—”

“I’m not here for the blueprint.”