Andrew threw back his head and laughed, uncaring of the curious glances sent his way. At his shoulder, Kat leaned against his arm and chuckled. Juliana giggled for good measure.
Although Bitsy’s runaway mouth had caught up with her, he realized it was true. If Kat walked out tomorrow-make that when she walked out in the next year-he wasn’t so sure he’d ever be the same man he’d been before.
He wasn’t so sure that’s what he wanted anymore. From the moment he’d spotted her behind the sculpture in the lobby of his office building, his life hadn’t been the same. He’d never been one to crave excitement, but since Kat, the world somehow seemed brighter, more vivid. Until Kat, he’d lived life though a filter.
Closing his eyes for a second, the noise of the party faded to nothingness. Andrew felt with crystal clarity the extent of what he had signed away. At that moment in time, it could have been seven years in the future. The child in his arms could be his and Kat’s. They could be a family sharing a joke.
He opened his eyes and focused on Juliana’s freckled nose, the loss of what he’d never have facing him.
“Uncle Andrew?”
Kat’s eyes met his, every vestige of humor replaced by a soft understanding. Andrew felt as if she’d stripped away his covering and gazed at his bared soul. And instead of allowing him to rewrap himself in his blanket of ice, Kat sparked a tiny flame.
Impatient with his lack of response, Juliana pressed her nose against his, cutting Kat out of his vision and making him go cross-eyed. “Why do have that funny look on your face?”
He leaned back until he regained his focus and then smoothed Juliana’s hair with an unsteady hand. “It’s nothing, girlo.”
“Can I get down now? I want to tell Mommy and Daddy you’re still all buttoned.”
Everything he’d ever wanted-and those things he’d thought he didn’t-seemed within his grasp. The prestige and power of a partnership in his family’s firm. This maddening, delectable woman as his wife. A child. A family.
In the far recesses of his mind, for a fleeting second, he questioned the pecking order of the things within his grasp.
Juliana wiggled again, breaking his reverie. He released her with a quick wink. “You do that. But tell them it’s a new shirt.”
As Juliana raced off to set her parents straight, Kat’s smile blew across him like a warm breeze off the Atlantic. “I like your new shirt. It fits you very well.”
And the spark she’d ignited in his soul grew a little brighter.
8
“THEY SEEMED LIKE a nice couple, but that’s it. No more lawyers tonight. I’ve met my quota.”
The last of Andrew’s fellow attorneys from the firm wandered off and Kat sagged against Andrew. His low chuckle whispered against the sensitive skin of her neck.
“Speaking of lawyers, where’s Jackson?”
“His goddaughter’s christening is this weekend in Detroit.” For the first time, Kat mourned the fact that her daughter or son would be without a father. Not just any father, but Andrew. Seeing him with Juliana this evening had her longing for a future that was out of the question. Tears threatened at the back of her throat.
She and Andrew had signed an agreement. And even if she disregarded that agreement, Kat still didn’t know if she was willing to take a chance on him. Being wrong about Nick had been hard. Being wrong about Andrew…she didn’t think she could recover. She also didn’t know how she would find the strength to leave when the time came.
“Too bad he couldn’t be here tonight, but maybe he can come over for dinner one evening.” Andrew threw out the invitation casually.
Surprise momentarily silenced her. He’d just suggested dinner plans as if they were a normal couple.
“That would be nice.”
“Good.” He glanced around the room with a sharp eye. “I think we’ve made the rounds with all the guests. Come on, there’s someone I want you to meet.”
Andrew threaded his fingers through hers. The faint rasp of a callus against her palm awakened an increasing familiar craving inside her, as he tugged her in the direction of the kitchen.
“The caterer?” she hazarded a guess.
“No. Gloria.”
“The Valkyrie!” Kat all but stopped in her tracks.
“No. Not Valerie. Gloria.” Pulling her along, he spoke slowly and distinctly, as if she were hearing impaired rather than hormonally challenged. “What’s the matter?”
“Maybe I’ve had enough of buxom blondes for one evening.”
With an upward quirk of his black brows, he dragged her along. “Then it’s a good thing we’re going to meet Gloria instead of Valerie, whoever she is.”
Kat considered refusing. She’d face Claudia any day rather than Gloria. Andrew might have dated Claudia casually, but he respected Gloria. Claudia had never been anything more than a burr under her saddle. But Gloria-brains, beauty, efficiency and respect.
She might have initially selected Andrew for his great genes-and okay, the view wasn’t too bad, either-but she’d come to respect him in the past few weeks. Respect counted for a lot. As if embezzling millions hadn’t been enough, Nick had taken his secretary along for the ride. His betrayal had shouted his lack of respect for all the world to hear.
How could she have a baby with this man if he didn’t respect her?
She stopped in her tracks, yanking Andrew to a halt, as well.
“What the…?”
She lowered her voice while waving across the room at the wife of a retired general she’d met earlier. “Do you respect me?”
“What?”
“I said, do you respect me?”
“What kind of idiotic question is that to ask in the middle of our reception?”
“Are you avoiding an answer?”
“No. Of course, I respect you. I told your parents earlier I’m lucky you’d even consider me.”
“Well, we don’t have an audience now.” Kat glanced around at the otherwise engaged couples.
He trailed a finger down her cheek, setting parts farther south aquiver. “I’m very aware of that. I admire how you decide on something and then make it happen.” His grin wreaked havoc with her equilibrium. “Like marrying me.”
She wanted to let out a whoosh of relief but opted for casual instead. “Okay. That’s good to know.” She started to slip away.
Andrew blocked her retreat with his arm. “Now, why don’t you tell me what this is all about?”
“Well, I know you have a tremendous amount of respect for Gloria…”
“Of course I do. She’s-”
“I know. Blond, beautiful, brainy and efficient.”
“Now where did you pick that up? Never mind. Let me guess. Bitsy.”
“She mentioned it. After I asked.”
Andrew shook his head. “Kat, don’t you know you can hold your own against any woman?”
Her knees threatened to buckle at his tender assertion. Her composure suffered more when he twined his fingers through hers, brushing his lips against the back of her hand. “Now, come on, honey. I’ve got a big surprise for you.”
They’d almost reached the door leading to the kitchen when it opened and a short, stout woman with gray hair bustled through.
“I was just coming to find you, Mr. Winthrop.” The singsong voice could have belonged to a much younger woman.
“And we were intent on finding you. Gloria, this is my wife, Kat. Kat, meet Gloria Stuart, my right hand.”
Kind brown eyes regarded her from wire-framed glasses. “Pleased to meet you Mrs. Winthrop.” Gloria Stuart pumped her hand.
“Please, call me Kat. And it’s a pleasure to meet you. You did a lovely job on the party. I can see why Andrew thinks so highly of you.”