Her Secret, His Love-Child

She’d pushed open the boardroom door, taken one look at Alex and now the burn was back.

Just like that.

‘Are you serious about this?’ Alex asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Katrina dragged her eyes back to his face, hoping he hadn’t noticed the way she’d been staring at him. ‘Frankly, I’d rather not have to go through the humiliation of everyone knowing that you think I sleep around. But if it’s the only way you’ll accept the truth then I’m more than willing to go through with it.’

‘In that case, I’ll arrange the test.’ His expression gave nothing away. If he had doubts, he wasn’t showing them. He glanced at his watch. ‘There’s no time like the present. The sooner we get this farce over with, the better.’

Alex didn’t say a word as the doctor swabbed the inside of the baby’s cheek then put the spatula in a thin glass testtube and marked the outside with a bar-coded sticker.

‘How soon can we have the results?’ he demanded as Dr Kershew extracted a fresh applicator.

‘It will take forty-eight hours,’ Doctor Kershew replied. ‘Open up.’

Alex opened his mouth. The doctor repeated the process on the inside of his mouth.

‘Can’t you get it done any faster?’ Alex asked with a frown as soon as the doctor was finished.

Doctor Kershew placed the two samples side by side on his cluttered desk then looked back and forth between them. He was obviously aware of the tension that had been simmering between them since they’d entered the surgery ten minutes ago. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

‘You’ll call me as soon as you know?’ Alex pressed.

Doctor Kershew shook his head. ‘They don’t call with the results. They send a written report. Would you like it sent to your home or office?’

‘My home. The less people who know about this, the better,’ he stated grimly, with a sharp glance in Katrina’s direction.

Katrina’s response was to jut her chin into the air, and her cat-like green eyes glinted with challenge again.

‘And you, Ms Ashby? Where would you like your copy sent?’

She turned to the doctor. ‘I don’t need it.’ She flung Alex a look that he was sure could strip paint. ‘I already know what the results will be. I don’t need some silly test to tell me something I already know.’

Alex stared at her, his scalp contracting. He’d been discomfited when she’d suggested the DNA testing. Hell, he’d been more than uncomfortable. He’d felt as though she’d smacked him around the head with a plank of wood.

If she’d had any doubts about the child’s parentage, then surely she’d have avoided the suggestion like the plague?

Now she was acting supremely confident of the results, so much so that the back of his neck began to prickle and a restless sensation attacked the base of his spine.

What if she was right?

What if the child was his?

Alex let his eyes stray to the baby’s cot, which so far he’d avoided looking at.

The baby had fallen into a peaceful sleep, her tiny fist pressed against her flushed cheek, her bow-like mouth softly parted, her little chest rising and falling with each breath.

He’d decided many years ago never to get married or have children. With his family history, he’d considered it his only option.

It was a decision he’d never regretted.

He’d never even thought about what it would be like to have a child. What was the point when he’d already decided not to?

Now he had to consider it.

He stared at the sleeping infant. She was cute, he had to admit that. But then so was a newborn kitten. But if she was his…

The breath caught in the back of his throat.

If she was his then it was a different matter entirely.

Alex sucked in a deep breath and dragged his gaze away from the cot. His eyes locked with Katrina’s. She’d noticed him watching the child. She had a very assessing look on her face, as if she was trying to figure out what he was thinking.

She’d be surprised if she could look inside his head, Alex acknowledged wryly, because his thoughts had just jumped to another aspect of their situation.

If the child was his, then it meant Katrina hadn’t betrayed him.

There had been no other man.

No other lover.

And no intention to scam him.

It also meant that what they’d shared was real.

He wasn’t quite sure why that was so important to him but it was.

‘It’s standard procedure,’ the doctor said gently. ‘Both parents receive a copy.’

Katrina looked back at the doctor and shrugged. ‘I don’t care where you send it.’

‘Oh, for goodness’ sake!’ Alex rattled off the address.

The doctor made a note on the file before shutting it closed. ‘There, all done. Now, if that’s all, I’d better see to my next patient. I’m behind schedule.’

‘Thank you for squeezing us in,’ Alex said, rising to his feet. ‘I appreciate it.’

‘You said it was important. I always have time for you and your family.’ He leaned confidingly towards Katrina. ‘I delivered Alex and his brother, you know. I have a soft spot for them.’

‘I can imagine,’ she said faintly.

The doctor looked back at Alex. ‘How is Michael doing?’

Tension gripped him. ‘The same,’ he bit out. He didn’t want to talk about his brother in front of Katrina.

The doctor shook his head sadly. ‘Well, if there’s anything I can do, all you have to do is call.’

‘I know. But the first step is up to Michael.’