Read Online She's Having the Boss's Baby by Kate Carlisle - Free Book Online
Authors: Kate Carlisle
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scotch and wondered how quickly he could leave to get home to Ellie.
*
At fifty thousand feet, Aidan stared out the window at the cloud cover below. He and his father and taken care of their family business so Aidan had left a day early, anxious to get back to the island. So far, he’d spent most of the flight reminiscing about the last few days with his father and Sally and the rest of the Dukes. It was still a little weird to realize that he and his dad and brother were suddenly part of a great big loving family they’d never known until two years ago.
And he wondered what it said about him that he could still feel the imprint of little Jake’s slippery wet fingers clinging to his shoulders in the pool. The kid had gotten to him, along with the rest of the brood.
Who’d have guessed that he and Logan would end up with a loud, active extended family after all these years? Growing up, it had been the three of them alone: Aidan, his brother and their dad. But now things were changing. Their family was changing and growing. Was that change another reason why he’d made up his mind so easily about offering to father Ellie’s child? He wasn’t prepared to answer that just yet.
To divert himself, he stared out the windows. The cloud cover had dissipated and he tried to guess what area of the country they were flying over.
“Looks like Louisiana,” he murmured, gazing down at the verdant surface a mile below. Rivulets intertwined like snakes through miles of lush growth and trees, emptying into small lakes and ponds. Bayou, he thought. Definitely Louisiana. That meant he had another two hours in the air before they reached Alleria.
He leaned both arms on the high back of the leather seat and thought of his own unhappy youth. His mother had walked out on the family when he and his brother were seven years old. Both Aidan and Logan always vowed to stay single because women couldn’t be trusted. Their mother wasn’t the only woman in the world who’d proven that theory true.
And after hearing his cousin Cameron’s story about what he’d been through with his own miserable father, it just went to show that there were plenty of men who couldn’t be trusted either.
Hell, Aidan knew that. But it hadn’t hit so close to home before. Cameron Duke’s old man was a son of a bitch.
Aidan realized that he and Logan had really lucked out in that realm. Their father Tom was the best dad any kid could ever have.
But their mother was a mess. Not that she had ever beaten them, or starved or lashed out at them. No, his mother’s sins were ones of neglect and abandonment. She just didn’t care. She’d never even taken the trouble to figure out which of them was Aidan and which was Logan. She used to look at one brother or the other and say, “Which one are you?”
That was pathetic, but it wasn’t criminal.
So yes, their dad was the best there ever was. But Aidan still had his mother’s genes. He’d always worried that he might turn out like his mom and be a terrible parent who only cared about his own selfish needs. But it didn’t have to be that way, he realized now. He knew himself, knew he would never be like her. By making his offer to Ellie, he knew her child would be in good hands. Ellie would make a wonderful mother and Aidan would be there to support them both.
Aidan shook away all thoughts of his mother and focused instead on his dad. It had been so good to see him interacting with Sally and all the Dukes, almost as if they’d always been a family. They had welcomed all three Sutherland men unconditionally, but Aidan got a special kick from seeing his dad so happy.
“I have your lunch ready for you, Mr. Sutherland,” Leslie said.
“Thanks.” Beyond grateful for the distraction, Aidan put aside all those thoughts and sat to wolf down the perfectly cooked pasta and salmon Leslie had prepared. While he ate, he flipped through a business magazine and made some notes. Afterward, he put the finishing
*
At fifty thousand feet, Aidan stared out the window at the cloud cover below. He and his father and taken care of their family business so Aidan had left a day early, anxious to get back to the island. So far, he’d spent most of the flight reminiscing about the last few days with his father and Sally and the rest of the Dukes. It was still a little weird to realize that he and his dad and brother were suddenly part of a great big loving family they’d never known until two years ago.
And he wondered what it said about him that he could still feel the imprint of little Jake’s slippery wet fingers clinging to his shoulders in the pool. The kid had gotten to him, along with the rest of the brood.
Who’d have guessed that he and Logan would end up with a loud, active extended family after all these years? Growing up, it had been the three of them alone: Aidan, his brother and their dad. But now things were changing. Their family was changing and growing. Was that change another reason why he’d made up his mind so easily about offering to father Ellie’s child? He wasn’t prepared to answer that just yet.
To divert himself, he stared out the windows. The cloud cover had dissipated and he tried to guess what area of the country they were flying over.
“Looks like Louisiana,” he murmured, gazing down at the verdant surface a mile below. Rivulets intertwined like snakes through miles of lush growth and trees, emptying into small lakes and ponds. Bayou, he thought. Definitely Louisiana. That meant he had another two hours in the air before they reached Alleria.
He leaned both arms on the high back of the leather seat and thought of his own unhappy youth. His mother had walked out on the family when he and his brother were seven years old. Both Aidan and Logan always vowed to stay single because women couldn’t be trusted. Their mother wasn’t the only woman in the world who’d proven that theory true.
And after hearing his cousin Cameron’s story about what he’d been through with his own miserable father, it just went to show that there were plenty of men who couldn’t be trusted either.
Hell, Aidan knew that. But it hadn’t hit so close to home before. Cameron Duke’s old man was a son of a bitch.
Aidan realized that he and Logan had really lucked out in that realm. Their father Tom was the best dad any kid could ever have.
But their mother was a mess. Not that she had ever beaten them, or starved or lashed out at them. No, his mother’s sins were ones of neglect and abandonment. She just didn’t care. She’d never even taken the trouble to figure out which of them was Aidan and which was Logan. She used to look at one brother or the other and say, “Which one are you?”
That was pathetic, but it wasn’t criminal.
So yes, their dad was the best there ever was. But Aidan still had his mother’s genes. He’d always worried that he might turn out like his mom and be a terrible parent who only cared about his own selfish needs. But it didn’t have to be that way, he realized now. He knew himself, knew he would never be like her. By making his offer to Ellie, he knew her child would be in good hands. Ellie would make a wonderful mother and Aidan would be there to support them both.
Aidan shook away all thoughts of his mother and focused instead on his dad. It had been so good to see him interacting with Sally and all the Dukes, almost as if they’d always been a family. They had welcomed all three Sutherland men unconditionally, but Aidan got a special kick from seeing his dad so happy.
“I have your lunch ready for you, Mr. Sutherland,” Leslie said.
“Thanks.” Beyond grateful for the distraction, Aidan put aside all those thoughts and sat to wolf down the perfectly cooked pasta and salmon Leslie had prepared. While he ate, he flipped through a business magazine and made some notes. Afterward, he put the finishing
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