Chapter 10 10
Stefan knew he was being a little devious, but with the way Alana had reacted to him yesterday he knew she'd try her best to keep him out of her life. He wanted in. He told himself it was to see his daughter, that he'd already missed too much of her life and needed to catch up. But the truth was, there was more to it, and it had everything to do with Juliana's mama.
He added a splash of water to the sauce and thought about how Alana had looked when she arrived; businesslike, confident and sexy in that snug-fitting blue suit. He wanted to peel it off her and see what she wore beneath.
He marshaled his restraint and kept focused on dinner. He wasn't trying to impress her. He didn't think his culinary skill made a difference to Alana, but the fact that she didn't have anything in her freezer made him assume that she probably didn't do anything more than open a box and hit "express cook" on the microwave, and she hadn't been doing much for herself lately.
A half hour later, he heard her footsteps in the hall again just as he was popping the cork on the bottle of wine. She stopped near the table, the baby on her hip. "I didn't have any wine."
"You didn't have much of anything. Jules and I went shopping."
"You took her out?"
"Yes, in my car, in the car seat, with Diana. Good grief, Alana." He looked insulted.
"Sorry, I just haven't had to trust anyone with her except Diana in a while."
"I know."
He offered a smile and a glass of wine. She thanked him, sipped and made a pleased noise as she moved toward the windows facing the backyard. In soft cotton leggings and a lavender linen blouse she looked delectable, her deep-red hair spilling over her shoulders and catching the setting sun. Juliana was growing sleepy, and she rested her head on her mother's shoulder, her tiny fist wrapped in Alana's hair.
Stefan felt a swell of something close to pride when he watched them for a moment. Alana whispered to the baby, rocking her gently. She'd already bathed Juliana and dressed her for bed. Stefan didn't want his daughter to be sleepy. As far as he was concerned, he'd missed six months of seeing her grow. Alana set the glass aside, holding the baby closer, rubbing her back.
"Hungry?" he asked.
"Yes."
When she went to put the baby down for bed, Stefan came to her. "Not yet, please."
"Have you ever tried to eat with a child on your lap?"
"Guess I'm going to learn." He took the baby from her.
Alana's heart did a flip when Juliana curled against him with a contented sigh. They sat and Stefan held their daughter, encouraging Alana to eat while the food was hot. She tasted the meal. It was heavenly.
"Whoa. Okay, you're hired."
He chuckled and Juliana lifted her head to stare at him. Wide eyes skimmed his face, as if trying to understand who he was and why he was here. He smiled, kissed her, and satisfied with that, she laid her head back down on his shoulder.
Stefan thought that nothing in this world would ever touch him as deeply as feeling his child in his arms, accepting him.
"Aren't you having any food?" Alana asked.
"My mom said if the cook goes hungry, there's something wrong with the food. I will. I just don't want to give up my hands right now."
Alana smiled. The baby looked like a pink dot against his wide muscled chest; his hand spanning the baby's back nearly covered her completely. Juliana's pink pajamas left fuzzies on his navy-blue polo shirt, but he didn't seem to care.
He held Alana's gaze and whispered softly, "I love her already, Alana."
"I know," she said, and felt a catch in her throat. "I can tell."
It was good, too, she thought. He could have ignored her completely and never shown up, never wanted to see his child. It would have been hard to explain later on to her daughter, and it certainly would have made Alana hate Stefan. But that wasn't what she wanted. He was welcome to be with his daughter.
He shifted the baby into the crook of his arm and reached for his fork. Juliana opened her eyes briefly, then feeling safe, closed them. The man has already charmed his daughter, she thought, because Juliana was rarely content to just sit by while the world went on around her. She always wanted to participate it it, investigating her surroundings, tasting lint and paper, but her daddy made a difference. They had a rapport.
The realization should sting, since Alana had been doing all the work since Juliana had arrived. But it didn't. How many times had she imagined Stefan holding Juliana? How often had she wished he'd been here to share those first growth spurts, the day the baby could hold a cup, feed herself. Tears burned Alana's eyes and she focused on the meal. She didn't want to feel like this, confused and needing. She wanted to feel independent and in control.
Stefan ate, but he could tell something was wrong with Alana. She wouldn't look at him and she barely said a word. "Well, since I can't talk about my work, why don't you tell me about yours?"
She looked up, blinking, and he saw the trace of tears and frowned softly. "I work for your dad's company." She shrugged. "You know how it is. It keeps me busy. What does your father say about your return? Emily told me you two don't really see eye to eye due to the fact that you wouldn't take over and went after a career of your own"
Stefan looked away, “Believe it or not, but I haven't seen him yet,”
“You haven't? Why not?”
“Well, I know how the conversation between us would go. We've had the same discussion so many times, and besides, I have Juliana to focus on and bond with now. We'll have to have that meeting some other time,” He adjusted in his chair,” Let's talk about other things shall we?” and without waiting for her response, he continued, “So what about this guy who called, Travis?"
"He manages one of the other company branches." Alana replied.
"Do you want to date him?"
“That's none of your business,”