Page 30 of Her Billionaire's Baby Secret

Chapter 9

Kane settled into the booth beside Sariah. They opened their menus and glanced over their options. The chicken and dumplings looked really good tonight.

But even better was Sariah. He couldn’t stop looking at her.

All his high school memories were rushing back at him at once. She was the best part of his teen years. He’d forgotten how much he’d missed her until he’d started spending more time with her lately.

He’d been reeling from the news from Orchid. When her grandmother approached him, he decided he needed a change of pace to get his mind off Orchid and the baby. He could tell her grandmother was hinting that he ask Sariah out. He didn’t care. It was a good idea. He had to have something to look forward to or he would lose his mind. So he’d gone with it.

The test results had really hit him hard that night when he was getting ready for bed. He was going to have a daughter. He’d called his grandfather before going to bed and had told him the news that the paternity test had shown the baby was his. His grandfather had wanted him to continue to keep it quiet until the merger had gone through. They were still negotiating the terms of the contract. It would probably take at least another month until everything would be finalized.

His parents had headed back to New York to be with his sister who was supposed to have her baby any day now. It was strange to think that Orchid would be having his daughter next May. He wasn’t sure he knew how to be a dad. The entire idea of it was blowing his mind.

“I know I’ve been asking you this a lot, but are you sure you’re okay?”

Sariah’s words snapped him back to reality. He couldn’t reveal what was on his mind, but it was clear she wanted to know. “There’s a lot going on right now. My company is in the middle of a merger, my ex is still causing drama, and I’m worried about my grandma.”

“What’s going on with your ex?”

“She’s trying to get more money out of me.” It wasn’t a lie. Now that the baby was confirmed to be his, he’d owe her a lot more money.

“Did you two sign a prenup?” Sariah asked.

“My grandfather insisted that I get her to sign one, but I wouldn’t do it. I didn’t think Orchid would ever betray me like she’s done.” He shrugged. “What can I say? I was young and dumb.”

“We were all like that once. It’s okay to mess up. It’s part of being human.”

“I get that, but it’s not fun when you have to live with the consequences.”

“No, it’s not.” Sariah looked up as the server came over, a young guy with short cropped brown hair.

“What can I get you two to drink?”

They gave the server their drink order, and he left.

Kane glanced over his menu. “What are you thinking about ordering?”

“The chicken fettuccine.”

“I haven’t had that yet. I want the chicken and dumplings.”

“That’s a great choice. I’ve had it before. It’s one of my favorites.”

“Do you cook much?” Kane asked.

“Sometimes. I eat out a lot. It’s not like I have a lot of people to cook for.”

“I’ve had my chef give me some lessons. I really enjoy it.”

“You have a chef?” Sariah shook her head. “It’s hard to identify with the life you’ve been leading for the past decade,” Sariah said.

“I’m still the same guy.”

“How do you keep it from going to your head?” Sariah asked. “I’d probably be vain if I had that kind of money.”

“I don’t let it. But I’ll admit, it would be easy to let that kind of money change me.”

“It hasn’t changed you?”

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