The Ceo's Unexpected Child

Claire wandered through the large, bright living room to the kitchen that was big enough for a large family to pile in and cook a feast. Six barstools lined the kitchen island, with copper pots hanging overhead. Beyond it was a dining area with French doors that opened out onto the deck and showcased the view of the water.

“I’ll be right back.” Luca headed downstairs and made several trips to bring all the bags inside before parking the car in the garage. By the time he came back upstairs, Claire had Eva out of her carrier and perched on her hip. They were standing on the deck, enjoying the sunshine and letting the cool spring breeze blow over them.

Luca wanted to join them, but he was hesitant to interrupt this moment between a mother and her child. There was an expression of absolute joy on Claire’s face as she looked down at her baby. Her dark gold hair whipped around in the wind, the sunlight making her porcelain skin almost glow. She looked like an angel standing there in her sundress. He felt a tightness in his chest as he watched her cradle his daughter and point out birds flying overhead.

Learning of Eva’s existence had been a shock, but until a few days ago, she’d been more of an idea than a reality. Seeing Eva for the first time had changed everything. When he held her in his arms, he felt something flip inside of him. A protectiveness was roused in him, almost instinctual in its ferocity. After only a few moments together, he would’ve done anything for his little girl.

It surprised him after suppressing the idea of a family for so long. There was a part deep inside Luca that had still wanted children, but he had avoided finding out if it was a possibility for him. Somehow it was easier to avoid the doctor and not know whether it was off the table than to get tested and know for certain that he had only two frozen chances at biological fatherhood.

Make that one chance, now that one of the samples had been used to create Eva. It was a mistake, malpractice at best, but at the same time it was hard to be angry about it. He’d been sleepwalking through his days, working hard to fill the void in his life, then boom—he had a daughter. Nothing else seemed quite as important as doing whatever he could to keep Eva happy, safe and in his life.