Chapter 9: Amelia Has No Choice

Alex finally felt that he had the upper hand in the situation. He hadn't been successful in his hockey career without knowing what would happen next. He hadn't acquired his wealth without being in control.

He hadn't done anything to hurt Amelia's situation, but he hadn't done anything to help it. At least not yet. At least he was back in control and that's how he liked things. She could still be a wild card, but he doubted it.

Now he was in better control. He wasn't so restless, except that he was waiting on Amelia to show up at his office. She was coming to him. She admitted she needed to move in.

Now he could take care of her and the baby. He would have no worries along those lines and he could go back to making money. This launch was giving him heartburn, but Amelia would be one less worry if she was under his roof.

He watched her car drive in, now familiar with it. She parked in a visitor spot that was below his window. She probably wouldn't see him unless she knew where to look. She held herself as if defeated, and that hadn't been his plan. He wanted to win this battle, but not at the expense of his child.

He shook himself. That wasn't his concern. The health and safety of his child was.

Madge had run out to the store for him and the product sat on the corner of his desk. It would be the first thing that Amelia saw when she entered his office. He'd left orders to let her come up here.

A few minutes later, a light knock on his office door interrupted his thoughts. He settled on his chair. "Come in."

Amelia strode in as if she owned the place. He liked that. She wasn't going to be so easily cowed. Kudos to her.

She stopped just inside the door, her gaze flicking to the pregnancy test on the desk and then back up to Alex. Without a word, she snagged it off the desk. "Where can I do this?"

"I have a private bathroom," he said pointing to the door.

She nodded and went in there. Alex spun around to look out the window again. The city buzzed in front of him. He wasn't going to get any more work done today. Madge had canceled any appointments on his calendar. He'd said she could go home, but he knew she hovered outside. She wouldn't leave him alone in this situation.

Amelia left the bathroom and set the stick on the edge of his desk. "We wait fifteen minutes."

He set a time on his phone. Amelia stood by the window, but away from him. What did he say? He had every right to ask for this, but he still felt like a heel. She was homeless now. He hadn't liked that option, but he was doing what was best for his child.

He'd almost lost Isabel when her mother died, so he wasn't going to take any chances this time around.

The timer on his phone dinged and they hadn't said a word to each other. Amelia didn't move. He reached across his desk and looked at the test. It was one that even an idiot could figure out.

"You're pregnant. I'm sorry to put you through that."

She shrugged. "It was just peeing on a stick. No worries."

He put down the stick and turned to her. "Can we start from here? Can we learn to trust each other?"

She flashed him a surprised look. "Trust?"

"At least I need you to trust me. Know that you're carrying my baby, and what's good for the baby is good for you."

She seemed to think about it for a moment. "Sure."

It wasn't a ringing endorsement, but it was a start.

"You're moving in."

"Yes. I have no choice."

"I don't need to know the details," he said, already knowing the details.

He hadn't gone too far back into Amelia's history, but long enough that he knew who he was dealing with.

"There aren't many."

"Okay. First off, I'll pay whatever you need to get your stuff," he said.

He'd almost said back rent, but she hadn't shared that with him.

"Thanks. I can't work without my setup. Do you have a place I can use as an office?"

"I have multiple bedrooms you can take over. It won't be a problem."

"Will Isabel be a problem?" she asked

"Probably, but she'll come around. She might like having you there."

Amelia grimaced as if she didn't think that would be the case. Alex could be optimistic. He was always the player that pumped up his teammates before a hockey game. He'd also been the one consoling them when they had lost.

Amelia took in a big breath. "I'll need boxes to pack my stuff."

"We can stop at the liquor store to get some."

"Not many. It isn't a big place."

Alex knew how many square feet it was exactly. He liked details like that. He never knew when he could use them in a negotiation. He suspected everything with Amelia would be a negotiation. She was that stubborn and so was he.

"You work from home?"

He knew the answer.

"Yes."

"Tell me what you do."

She sighed. "I have work to do, so could we get acquainted later? I need to get my computer set up to get some work done. That way I can pay you back sooner."

He hadn't planned on asking her to pay it all back. He was getting a child out of the deal. Not full custody, but he would see the child as much as he could. Maybe they needed to map out the future just a little bit more.

He shrugged. Erik would want payback. Alex didn't need it. "Okay. Then we'll move you in right away."

He rose. Her eyes went wide. "You're coming with me?"

"Yes. Why not? You don't know where I live. You don't have a key, and I can rent a truck to move it all."

She could rent a truck, but he already had one set aside. Hillen Enterprises had its fingers in several pies. Right now it was a landlord, too, and had evicted its first tenant.

"Okay then. Let's go."