Page 45 of A Baby for the Billionaire Cowboy

Daisy swallowed past her tight throat. She wanted to tell Ava everything. She wanted to flee.

She chose a tea bag from the vast selection on hand and waited until the electric kettle finished heating the water. Darn it, that thing was far too efficient. Ava led the way to the reading room, where they sat on the sofa.

Daisy bobbed her tea bag in the hot water, watching the color change. Ava waited quietly.

Finally Daisy said, “You know what yesterday was like. I was so angry at William and afraid I’d lose Avery, and then Xander promised y’all would take care of everything, which is not your job—but that’s another matter. Anyway, maybe I got caught up in the emotion, or something, because... because I kissed him. Xander, not William, obviously.”

“Aww!” Ava pressed a hand to her chest.

Daisy winced at the tone. “No. Definitely notaww. It was... It was a mistake.” She stared at her tea, but if the tea leaves had any advice for her, it was hidden away in the little mesh bag.

Ava didn’t respond, and finally Daisy forced her gaze up, dreading what she might see.

“Why was it a mistake?” Ava asked gently.

“Because...” She couldn’t find the words.

Ava’s eyebrows went up. “I hope you’re not telling me my son is a terrible kisser.”

Daisy almost choked. She thought her face was warm before that, but now she was hot enough to raise the room temperature. “No.” She did not want to talk to Xander’s mother about his kissing. “He’s been so kind to me that I guess I got a little crush on him. That doesn’t mean he feels the same way.”

“I see.” Ava had a sly half smile. “So he didn’t kiss you back?”

Daisy opened her mouth. She closed it again, thinking back. Hadn’t she noticed at the time that with her shrunken belly she was almost able to stretch up to meet his mouth? Butalmost, not quite. If he’d turned his face away or even kept his chin up, the most she could have managed was a kiss to the jaw.

So he must have leaned down to meet her. And he hadn’t pulled away until after they’d had quite a definite kiss. She couldn’t say how long it had lasted—it had seemed both endless and over too soon—but he’d kissed her for a minute.

“He did kiss me back. But then I guess he changed his mind or regretted it. He said it was a mistake, and it wouldn’t happen again.”

“Oh, honey.” Ava patted her leg. “I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out. I thought you knew Xander better than that.”

Daisy frowned. “Figured out what?”

“Xander is agentleman.”

“Well, yeah, but—” She pressed fingertips to her temple, feeling like the truth was just out of her grasp. “It wasn’t like he forced himself on me. I did start it.”

“Xander sees himself as your employer. He knows how your last employer pressured you into a relationship you didn’t want. Even without that, I doubt he’d want to risk making you uncomfortable by flirting or asking you out. But I’ve seen the way he watches you.”

“Oh! You mean...”

“I mean if he’s not already in love with you, he’s halfway there.”

Daisy felt cold and hot and tingly and numb all at once. Everything she thought she knew was shifting. Xander liked her! The kiss wasn’t a mistake because he didn’t actually want to kiss her. It was a mistake because he thought he’d done her some harm. The sweet idiot.

Ava had that secret half smile again.

“You’re not mad?” Daisy asked. “I know what Auntie Rhonda said, but I honestly never imagined... I still can’t really believe anyone would be interested in a woman who just gave birth, let alone someone like Xander.”

Ava chuckled. “You mean someone who adores babies of all species? Xander would never see Avery as a drawback.”

“I guess... Wait, do you think that’s why Xander likes me? Because I have a cute baby and... and he feels sorry for me or something?” Daisy winced at the thought. Xander had such a soft spot for creatures in trouble. She didn’t want to be the romantic equivalent of a box of sick kittens.

“Don’t sell yourself short.” Ava gripped her arm. “You are a beautiful, sweet, clever young woman. Why do you think William targeted you? His only mistake was not realizing you had hidden strength.”

“Wow. I mean, thank you.” Daisy’s head spun. Xander really cared for her? And Ava approved? “I’m... halfway in love with him as well.” More than half. “I promise I’m not a gold digger.”

“Sweetie, you don’t have to tell me that. You know, Rhonda wasn’t entirely wrong in thinking that Xander needed a woman placed right in front of him. He doesn’t like crowds, so he doesn’t go out much. Come to think of it, all my boys would be in trouble if they had to go looking for women. Carly and Mallory were already connected to the family, because they were friends with Cody in high school, and Hallie is Mallory’s cousin. But Xander skipped some grades, so his classmates were generally older, and he didn’t make friends easily anyway.”

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