Page 18 of Owned

“Project?” Rowan echoed acidly. “‘Our little project’?”

“Well, what else would you call it?”

“Charlotte,” I growled warningly.

“It has to be her, Mr. Blackwood.” Charlotte Hamilton’s level green gaze met mine as she finally answered my question. “She’s a Hamilton. And as we both know, my only other choice is already spoken for.”

Yeah, Isabel. And I knew how Caleb would feel about that.

“You could get someone else,” I said. “Does blood really matter so much to you?”

“You really have to ask me that question?” This time a slight hint of impatience entered Charlotte’s tone. “Of course it does. Blood always matters.”

I opened my mouth to disagree, but Rowan got in before me.

“It’s fine,” she said, her gaze still on her grandmother sitting across from her. “I haven’t said no yet.”

She hadn’t, but it was clear she wasn’t happy about the situation either. And why would she be? Marrying a man nearly twenty years older than she was and having his baby wasn’t exactly a fucking dream, let alone the issue of her being my ex-stepdaughter.

“You should say no,” I murmured. “You don’t need to do this, Rowan.”

“My dear,” Charlotte said coolly, ignoring me. “If you have issues with this, please tell me. This is what this meeting is for.”

Rowan ignored me too. “Of course I have issues. You want me to be your surrogate and to marry Atlas, who will also be the father.”

“Yes,” Charlotte said. “But it will only be on paper. You’ll only have to see him at the little ceremony we’ll have to make the marriage legal and then that’ll be it.” Her mouth curved. “I’m not asking you to sleep with him or anything.”

“Don’t say shit like that to her,” I ordered, my temper rising.

Charlotte only gave me a sly smile. “My. So commanding. What does it matter to you, Mr. Blackwood. It’s Rowan’s decision, not yours.”

That was, unfortunately, true. But Rowan was young and more importantly, she hadn’t been exposed to the kinds of games people like Charlotte liked to play. As a kid she’d been straight up and honest, not a lying bone in her body, and I assumed that was still the case, which made her an easy mark.

My mother had been like that. Young, beautiful, my father’s trophy wife. And he’d made her life a misery, controlling everything she did, where she went, who she saw, the whole fucking works. He’d snared her in a web so sticky and strong, that in the end, she could only see one way out.

Rowan might be different — she certainly didn’t seem as fragile as my own mom — but still, I didn’t want her getting into a situation that would put her way out of her depth.

Strange that I still felt some degree of responsibility for her, even after all these years., but I did.

Rowan turned her head at last and looked at me. “Yes, it is my decision. And I can make my own mind up, so stop speaking for me.”

“What does she have on you?” I demanded. “Why are you even considering this bullshit?”

“She’s considering it,” Charlotte said, “because if she does then she’ll have all the money she’ll ever need sitting in her bank account.”

I didn’t bother looking at Charlotte, keeping my gaze on Rowan’s as a rising tide of pink stained her pretty skin. Of course, it was about money. I knew it would be.

“Whatever she’s paying you, I’ll double it,” I said. “And I won’t require you to have a baby for me.”

“Why do you care?” Rowan shot back. “I’m not your stepdaughter any more.”

“Because I know what happens when young women get caught up in the fucking games rich people play. You don’t know what consequences?—”

“Stop telling me what I do and don’t know,” she snapped, turning away very deliberately from me and looking at Charlotte instead. “My grandmother has told me it’s my decision and it is, and quite frankly I’d rather have her money than yours.”

Annoyance ate at me, along with a thread of what felt suspiciously like guilt.

Cait and I had had a very civilized divorce, since our marriage was only supposed to last eighteen months as we’d both agreed on. Enough time for me to frighten her ex into leaving her alone, which I did, and to ensure he never came back. I couldn’t have stayed with her longer anyway; I had my own plans to put in motion with the money she’d given me.

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