Special Deliveries: Wanted: A Mother For His Baby: The Nanny Trap / The Baby Deal / Her Real Family Christmas

Laney had two close friends who lived in town and when the three girls weren’t together, they were texting or chatting through social media. To save her parents the cost of an additional line, Bella had put Laney on her cell plan. Plus, it offered her an opportunity to see how much time her sister spent “connecting.”

“What’s up?”

“I don’t know if I told you that our choir got invited to Chicago to perform in August.”

“That’s fantastic.”

“Mom and Dad aren’t going to be able to chaperone and I was wondering if you could.”

Bella sighed at her sister’s request. It was something she’d done in the past. Laney had been in the choir since she turned nine. They’d often traveled to sing, but never to a city as big or as far away as Chicago.

“When is it?”

“August first through the sixth. We’ve raised almost all the money we need, but we’re short two chaperones.”

The timing of the trip wasn’t great. Bella didn’t know when Talia would be back and she didn’t want to leave Blake in the lurch for that long. “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do that.”

“Come on, Bella, you’ve done it for me before.” Which was why Laney expected her sister to drop everything and do it again. “We might not be able to go if we don’t have enough chaperones.”

The despair in Laney’s voice was real and Bella winced. She hated disappointing her sister, but she had an obligation to Blake, as well.

“I’m not saying no because I don’t want to,” she explained, ignoring the way Laney’s request had caused a dip in her mood. “It’s just that I have a job this summer and I’m not sure I can get away.”

“Can’t you ask them? Tell them how important it is. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“This is important, too.” Bella cursed her rising temper.

She didn’t want to be cross with her sister. Laney was thirteen and excited about going to Chicago. Bella didn’t blame her. If she’d had an opportunity to spend a few days there when she was her sister’s age, she would have been over the moon.

“Please. Please. Please.”

With each pleading syllable, Bella felt herself weakening. “I’ll have to check and see if I can have the time off. I’ll let you know later in the week.”

“I need to know tomorrow. That’s when they’re deciding if they need to cancel the trip or not.”

Behind Laney, Bella heard her mother’s voice. A second later, Laney was replaced by her mother.

“Bella, we have everything in hand here. You don’t need to ask your boss for time off.”

As much as it would relieve Bella to believe that, she’d grown up hearing her mother utter the exact same phrase when things weren’t the slightest bit under control.

“That’s not the way it sounded.”

“Your sister cannot expect you to fly to home so you can chaperone.”

The weariness beneath her mother’s exasperation tugged at Bella. She should be home helping out instead of living the good life in New York. It had been selfish of her to move so far away.

“I’m sure it will be okay with Blake,” she assured her mother.

“Blake Ford? That nice man who called us a few weeks ago?”

Bella rolled her eyes at her mother’s description of Blake. Many words could be used to describe the attractive CEO. Nice was probably not top on the list. Forceful. Determined. Persuasive. Sexy as hell. Nice was too tame.

“I’m working as his son’s nanny for a couple months while his regular nanny recovers from a broken leg.”

“It’s wonderful that you can help him out. Don’t you worry about Laney. Someone will step forward and be their chaperone.”

Even though Bella had been relieved of responsibility, her sense of obligation lingered. “If no one does, give me a call back. I’m sure I can figure something out.”

“Of course.”

But Bella knew her mother wouldn’t call. She never asked for help. She just tried to get it all done on her own. Only she never did. There was always something left undone. Pieces to be picked up by Bella. And now her other siblings. But were they helping out?

“How are things going there, Mom?”

“Terrific.”

Bella wasn’t sure why she asked. Her mother never showed any signs of stress. But it was always there, just below the unruffled surface. When Bella had lived on the farm, it had been easy to pitch in. These days, Bella worried all the time about what was going on, but she was too far away to help.

Except with money.

It was how she assuaged her guilt over living so far away. Sending money let her feel as if she was still able to make things easier on her parents.

“I’m glad to hear things are good.”

“Oh dear, Laney has another call coming in. We’ll talk soon. Elephant shoes.”

And as Bella was echoing her mother’s I love you, the phone went dead.

She slid behind the wheel, her enthusiasm for the outing fading fast. The familiar burden of responsibility had descended on her shoulders. Her mind told her to shake it off, but a lifetime of habit kept the weight right where it was.

Nine (#ua92daced-f5eb-51d0-bc5e-2f99ec7a4f36)

The empty stretch of road before them taxed Blake’s driving skills very little and gave him lots of time to brood. Beside him, Bella watched the landscape race past, as lost in her thoughts as he was. The only sound in the car was the musical toy attached to Drew’s car seat. The tinny nursery rhymes kept the atmosphere from becoming completely awkward.

Three days had passed since he’d learned that Drew was Bella’s biological child. Three days for him to run a gamut of emotions from shock to anger to deep sadness. When he’d thought she was only Drew’s surrogate, he’d been dismayed that she’d decided that she didn’t want any contact after Drew was born. The realization that she’d given up her own flesh and blood troubled him to the point where he had difficulty speaking to her.

How could Bella give up her child?

The question pounded him over and over.

So why hadn’t he asked her?

Because he was afraid her explanation would answer an even older question. How could Blake’s mother have abandoned him? Deep down he’d never truly accepted that his mother was too miserable with his father to stay married to him. If she had to move back to France, couldn’t Blake have spent some time with her? Summers? Holidays?

As a child it had been too painful to accept that she’d never really loved him. He’d made excuses that continued to be plausible today. His father was a controlling bastard who’d probably paid her well to disappear out of his son’s life. But could a woman who loved her child be bought off?

Blake’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as he thought about the thirty thousand dollars he’d paid Bella to be Drew’s surrogate. She’d had no problems taking the money in exchange for her son.