Part 20 (1/2)

”Good. I made a lot.”

Tessa dropped her purse and went to the gorgeous hand carved cradle Simone had given her as a baby shower gift, smiling when a little fist suddenly shot into the air. Like her daughter knew she'd arrived home and was greeting her.

Peeking in the cradle, there lay Charlotte, little tufts of dark hair shooting straight from the top of her head, her eyes as blue as her father's. Upon seeing her mother's face she smiled and squealed with delight, kicking out her feet just before Tessa plucked her from her resting place.

”My baby,” Tessa murmured against Charlotte's fragrant neck as she nuzzled her. ”My sweet, sweet baby, did you miss your mommy?” Charlotte cooed and turned her face into her mother's. Tessa closed her eyes, savoring the delicious baby scent, the squirmy little warm bundle s.h.i.+fting her knees against Tessa's chest. She was a vibrant, intelligent, curious baby and she was so proud to call herself Charlotte's mommy.

She was going to make sure that Charlotte never felt like she lacked for a father. Knew that someday she would have to face her daughter's questions why her father wasn't around but for now, she could simply enjoy her. With no worries of Alex coming after her and trying to take what he would surely believe was rightfully his.

It didn't help that her soft heart had allowed her to name the baby after Alex's grandmother. She'd gone as far as to give her daughter the Worth name, which was foolish but it was a common surname. He'd never look for her and he certainly wouldn't have a clue about the baby.

Alex would never, ever know. Not that he would care, not really. He'd tossed Tessa out like yesterday's trash so why would he want their baby? And even if he did find out-which was highly unlikely-he'd only view Charlotte as 169.

an object to be obtained and added to his collection. He had no emotional stake in any of this. He was completely out of her life, and Tessa preferred it that way.

Even in the middle of the night, when she was so exhausted by Charlotte keeping her up and her silly thoughts were filled with memories of Alex. The two of them together, laughing and talking, the hunger in his eyes when they were in a crowded room and he thought no one else was looking. His beautiful body, the way he kissed her, touched her, made love to her...

”Hey.” Gina wandered into the living room, a smile on her face when she spotted Tessa holding Charlotte. ”How was your day?”

”It was good. Busy.” So what if her nights were lonely and she missed New York and her old job and more than anything, Alex. She was a glutton for punishment, how her thoughts always returned to him but he was hard to forget when she had a daily reminder squirming in her arms.

Charlotte was a perfect blend of the two of them. Dark hair that tended to curl like Tessa's and stormy dark blue eyes like her father, she looked more like a female version of Alex with every day that pa.s.sed.

Sometimes, she stared at her daughter for so long it hurt. Tears would fill her eyes at thinking of what she'd lost. At how terrible Alex had been to her that night. The hurt she'd seen in his eyes so briefly before becoming masked with that cold, calculating anger he was so good at portraying.

She'd never been the brunt of it before that evening. His iciness had cut her like a knife.

”Well, dinner's ready if you are. I already fed her so she should be good,” Gina said, indicating Charlotte.

Tessa squeezed her daughter close. ”I'll need to pump more milk for her after dinner, I suppose.” She enjoyed breast feeding but sometimes disliked the pump. It made her feel like a baby feeding machine.

170.

Which, she mused, she supposed she was.

They sat down to dinner at the small round table in the corner of the kitchen, watching the news from the TV in the connecting living room. It was their usual routine, Gina was the far better cook of the two of them and if Tessa wasn't working the evening s.h.i.+ft at the shop, they ate dinner together always.

Tessa didn't know what she would've done if she didn't have her sister.

They hadn't been that close these last few years, the both of them too involved in their own lives and careers but when the going got tough, Tessa had known she could count on Gina. And Gina hadn't let her down.

There was comfort in that, just as there was comfort in their routine. She'd always believed she would love spontaneity and thrilling excitement but really, she was just as boring as every other average person in the world. .

”...and the grand opening of the new Worth Luxury store on Bond Street is set for tomorrow. Part of an offshoot of Worth Luxury Goods, the store, called Worthwhile, is aimed at the younger set. With lower prices and more trendy items to appeal to those who follow the trends,” the television announcer said.

”Owner and CEO Alexander Worth will be present at tomorrow's opening after personally supervising the construction of the new location for the past six months.”

Tessa's fork clattered onto her plate, her mouth dropping open in shock. It was one thing to think of Alex. It was quite another to Google him on occasion and stare longingly at the most recent photos of him on her laptop in the middle of the night.

It was an entirely different and strange situation to be eating her dinner and hear his name mentioned on the news as his picture briefly flashed on the television.

171.

”You have to be kidding me,” Gina murmured, worry lacing her tone. ”He's going to be in London?”

Tessa picked up her fork, stunned he'd been in London for the past six months. It was as if he had some sort of sixth sense. Did he have any idea that she was here? Oh, she doubted it but still. It was just so strange. ”London is a large city. There is no way I'll run into him.”

”Mon Amour is near Bond Street,” Gina reminded her.

”It's on the far end of Oxford, not even close to Bond.” She tried her hardest to sound dismissive but fear crept along her skin and settled cold and slick in her belly. She pushed her plate away, her appet.i.te gone. ”I didn't even know they were building the new location so close to where I work,” she murmured.

She didn't explore the exclusive shopping streets of London because she really couldn't afford it. It cost a lot of money to keep her baby clothed and diapered. She still had a gob of clothes from her time at Worth, all of them elegant and simple, perfect for how Simone wanted her to look at Mon Amour.

She didn't have the time or the money to shop for herself.

”Well, like you said, London is a large city. There's no possible way you'll run into Alex Worth,” Gina said. ”You should finish your dinner.”

”I'm not hungry.” The thought of putting another bite of food in her mouth immediately made her stomach roil.

”Tessa,” Gina chastised. ”You should eat.”

She'd gotten terribly skinny after what happened between her and Alex, much to her sister's constant worry. It had become worse when she discovered she was pregnant and couldn't keep a thing down due to morning sickness. Only during the last four months of her pregnancy had she gained weight. She still hadn't shed the last of the baby weight and her body had somehow s.h.i.+fted. She had far more curves than the last time she saw Alex.

172.

”I'll be fine. Really.” Tessa flashed her sister a smile. ”I just-I think I'm going to relax on the couch for a bit. I'll clean up the dinner dishes when you're done.”

”No, no, I'll take care of it. You rest. You've had a bit of a shock.” Indeed she had.

173.

Chapter Fifteen.

Alex hadn't felt this good since he didn't know when. The reception toward the new and risky Worthwhile Luxury store had been overwhelmingly positive, even from the London news and fas.h.i.+on media, who were notorious for their picky taste and downright rude editorial. The s.p.a.cious store had been filled to the very brim with shoppers and they'd sold out of their predicted popular accessory items within minutes. The newly launched and exclusive women's line also sold out.

It felt amazing, to create something completely new and visionary within the old and established Worth line and have it launch with instant success. Hunter was thrilled. He'd called him twice with congratulatory remarks. The London marketing team had literally high fived him near the end of the day and he'd offered to take everyone, including the hard working store crew, out to dinner as soon as the store closed which was within the next hour.

He was exhausted but it was the good kind. His brain had been so busy it was hard to focus on the negatives. On how much he missed Tessa. How much he still wanted her.

For whatever reason, she haunted his thoughts more so than usual.

Memories of their time in London together flashed through his mind, memories drenched in visions of Tessa naked, their bodies entwined, their mouths fused.

The breathy little sounds she made when he pounded deep inside her, the way her body shook with her o.r.g.a.s.m and how she'd call his name...

Shaking himself from useless thoughts, he wandered about the store, noting the items that needed to be replenished, unusually pleased at how empty the store displays were. He'd put in an order for more inventory earlier this morning, within hours of the grand opening. It had been clear that early on the day was going to end a rousing success. He'd wanted to be prepared and requested more inventory so the store wouldn't stand empty for too many days and lose sales.