I offered her a small smile and sat down. Soon enough I had more food on my plate than I had space in my stomach to stuff. The ensemble consisted of fresh fruits, omelets, and baked goods, and all of it tasted as amazing as it looked.
“You need to stay hydrated.” Laura coaxed me to drink some tea and juice until I couldn’t eat anymore.
“Do you know where Nicholas is?” I asked when she took my plate away.
“He is in his office. I will take you there as soon as you want.”
I jumped up from my seat and straightened my clothes. “I am ready.”
I wasn’t fully prepared but I wanted to have the conversation and secure my future one way or the other. Laura showed me up the stairs and paused next to the library door.
She turned to me and gave me a pat on the shoulder. “I am so happy that you are here, Willow.”
“I feel the same way,” I said.
She smiled before knocking on the door. She opened it and implored me to walk in. I sucked in a deep breath and found Nicholas seated behind the large desk. He stood up with a nervous smile and ran his hand through his hair.
“Willow, did you sleep well? Have you had breakfast?”
I was relieved to see him just as nervous. I walked to him and took a seat that faced his desk.
“Yes on both counts. How about you? Did you sleep well?”
He sat down after me and rested his chin on his hands while he stared at me. “As I expected,” he murmured. “I was worried I would wake up and find you run off screaming in the middle of the night.”
I raised my brow. “I won’t lie, I did think about it,” I admitted. “Were you trying to scare me?
He shook his head sincerely. “No, I hoped and prayed that you would still be here.”
I looked down, playing with the hem of my top as I tried to let out my nervousness. “We have a lot to talk about.”
He sighed and I found him hanging his head. His disappointment was evident and I realized he believed I would say no.
“Nicholas, let me make this clear first: I agree with your proposal but I need to discuss it first.”
His demeanor changed immediately. His face lit up and he jumped out of his seat. I was in his embrace before I could gasp, his face nuzzled my neck and he held me tightly against him. My stomach flipped when he placed a kiss under my ear. I knew we would never talk if we stood this close. My brain had already turned to mush the second he kissed me.
“You’re saying yes,” he whispered almost in disbelief. His breath made my skin tingle. The undercurrent of desperation in his voice made me realize he was trying to convince himself that this was reality.
I giggled and pushed against him lightly. “Okay. I am sure there will be plenty of time for this. We must talk and I can’t think when you are so close.”
He barked a laugh and stepped away. There was a bounce in his step as he went back to his seat behind the desk. “I can’t think when you are close, either. Just so you know, Willow.”
I was sure he wasn’t as affected as me, but I didn’t contradict him.
He pulled out some pieces of paper and handed me one copy. “It is easier to decide on terms if everything is on paper. I had my lawyer draw this up but it is meant to be edited until both of us are comfortable.”
My hands shook as I looked at the stack of papers in my hand. It was a legal document gulped as I looked at the stack of papers in my hand. When I looked up, my whole body heated up. Nicholas had put on a pair of reading glasses and I had never seen anything sexier. My mouth dropped open and I prayed I wasn’t drooling. I didn’t want to blur the ink on the paper.
“Should we go through this line by line or do you want to read through it first?” When I didn’t respond, he looked at me with concern. “Is something wrong, Willow?”
I rubbed my thighs and tried to calm myself.
“Take them off,” I blurted out, waving my finger at his face. I tore my eyes away and hoped he followed instructions well.
“Take what off?”
“The glasses.” Couldn’t he see I was about to crawl over the table and into his lap? He couldn’t be oblivious.
He chuckled. “Oh? Do you have a problem with these glasses?”
Yes, I had a huge problem. I was prepped to make our first baby right on his desk.
“They are distracting me and I need to focus on the legal papers.” My voice was high-pitched.
“Distracting?” he pressed. “How so, Miss Taylor?”
He was toying with me and I had to maintain a polite smile through it. If I tried, I could bear the seduction.
He laughed at my silence but immediately tried to ease the tension. “Apologies. I usually wear contacts but I didn’t want to put them on this morning.” He held up his stack of papers. “I want to read through these. ”
I exhaled deeply. “Fine. Let’s start.” I would just not look at his face.
The first portion of the contract laid out issues regarding privacy and non-disclosure. There was some legal jargon but I got the gist of what was implied. “We aren’t allowed to discuss this with anyone?” I asked, just in case . How would I keep quiet in front of Lory?
“I would like to keep this to ourselves. Not only for us but for any children we have. I don’t want this to be uncomfortable for them.”