Free BABY DADDY by Eve Montelibano Page A

she found another man to give her a baby.
    In just six damn hours!
    Unbelievable!
    I don’t know what I’m feeling but it’s certainly not pleasant.
    I’m debating between joining them but I see them talking animatedly, as if they know each other pretty well. Ella frequently touches the man’s arm and she’s laughing with him.
    My insides are twisting in a bad way as I watch them from my truck. I’ve been discreetly following them from a distance for hours now, something I’ve never done before. I feel like a criminal.
    I wonder who’s the guy she’s with. And do I really want to find out? What do I care? We had consensual sex last night. Except for the baby part, which was not consensual at all, it was a mutually gratifying experience. I should leave it at that.
    I should go. Leave her alone.
    I sigh harshly.
    I know I can’t. Not yet.
    Not until I’ve talked to her.
    I sigh again.
    This is going to be a long day.

    Tom and I were ravenous after our tour so we decided to dine early. We entered the restaurant at six in the evening.
    We’re sitting at the deck with the perfect view of the setting sun and he’s telling me a funny story about his photoshoot with a legendary rock star and my mind is wandering elsewhere.
    The beautiful sunset is reminding me too much of yesterday’s sunset.
    I sigh discreetly, fighting the melancholy invading me and try to pretend to listen and get amused.
    Tom is a wonderful guy. Divorced with two kids who are in his custody. He’s a good-looking man, decent and accomplished in his own right. He’s nowhere near the level of my wealth but in the industry we both revolve in, his name is as big and as respected as mine. To me, that’s the real meaning of success. The respect your peers accord you is more valuable than the money you make out of it.
    I can tell from the looks he’s been giving me the whole afternoon, he just realized that I might be a potential stepmother for his children. Now, I’ve no problem with that, at all. I can be a mother to as many stepchildren as long as I love their father. Plus, if I’m not able to conceive, I’d have two instant children. How lovely would that be?
    Very lovely.
    Maybe, when we get back home, I’d date this guy, build a relationship with him. Maybe it’s time to lay low from my career for a year and give my personal life some attention.
    Maybe.
    I sigh again, wondering what he’s doing right now. Is he somewhere in the bar strip flirting with younger women? Going to bed with them later tonight?
    Did he spare me a single thought the whole day? I hope he did, at least once, because I’ve been thinking about him all day.
    And what difference would it make?
    Nothing. Am I not allowed to at least think about him?
    “Are you okay?”
    I blink at Tom. “Sorry?”
    He smiles at me, understanding in his eyes. “You were so far away.”
    I smile at him apologetically. “I think I’m just tired from the tour. That was wonderful, by the way.”
    “Yes. We should do it again. I’m staying the week. I fly out next Monday.”
    I know it’s an invitation to spend the rest of the week with him and explore possibilities.
    Why not?
    I should give this a try. See if it blossoms into something else.
    “I’d love to. Where are you billeted?”
    “At The Palazzo.”
    “Oh, crowded.”
    “I had no choice. Client sponsored.”
    “I’m at the boring Astoria.”
    “Lunch tomorrow?”
    I shrug. “Okay. I got nothing better to do on a boring Wednesday.”
    “We’ll look for fun places to go. Lots of sights to visit around the island. I’m particularly interested to see Punto Fiamma.”
    “What’s that?”
    “It’s the highest point in the island and rumor has it that it’s a gallery.”
    “A gallery?”
    “An open gallery of some of the most magnificent rock and metal sculptures and installation art you’ll ever see. There are several giant sculptures scattered along the strip but I heard they’re nothing compared to what’s in