Boss's secret baby

CHAPTER 4

POV: Cassandra

While waiting uncomfortably in the elevator with Emilio, Cassandra hears her phone vibrate in her bag. It’s the daycare.
"Mrs. Williams, is everything alright?" She hopes nothing is wrong with her boy.
"Ms. Miller, Alex is running a fever, and he has been fussy the whole day. I gave him the medicine you provided, but still there's no change. His fever is higher than an hour ago."
Cassandra feels the color drain from her face and her knees go weak, so she grips the railing for support. "I'll be right there, Mrs. Williams. Have you tried giving him a bath to cool him down?"
"No, we haven't. It completely slipped my mind, I was so worried." Cassandra can hear the concern in Mrs. Williams’s voice, and that troubles her.
"I'm on my way, Mrs. Williams. I don't know how long I'll be because I'm taking the subway, but I'll try my best to get there soon."
Right as Cassandra ends the call, the elevator finally opens on the ground floor. Rushing out, she bumps into someone and mumbles, "Sorry."
At the entrance of the bank, Cassandra feels a strong hand grip her arm, pulling her out of harm’s way as a delivery man comes in holding a stack of boxes. She glances up and sees Emilio, who she had completely forgotten.
"Careful," he says.
"I need to go," Cassandra mutters. She tries to free her arm from his grasp, but his hold tightens.
"You look worried. What's wrong?" he asks.
Emilio’s concern seems genuine, and for a second, she wants to confide in him. But all she says is, "Someone close to me is unwell, and I have to get home."
"I'll give you a ride."
The remark catches Cassandra off guard, but before she knows it, she is riding with Emilio in the back of his SUV. Cass doesn't know what to make of this. She is driving to the daycare with her boss, with Alex’s father.
Come tomorrow, the entire office will be talking about what happened, but at this point, she doesn't care. Her only concern is making sure her son is okay.
Twenty minutes later, they arrive at the day care, and Cassandra rushes inside. She doesn't even know if Emilio is behind her or not.
"Mrs. Williams," she calls, heading straight to the back where all the kids are.
Mrs. Williams’s voice echoes from the bathroom. "Ms. Miller, come through. He's in here."
When she enters, Cassandra sees her little angel is in the bathtub, crying. She kneels down next to him and touches his little cheeks. He is burning up. His cries escalate.
"He needs to see a doctor. Where are his clothes?"
Hearing murmurs, Cassandra turns around and sees that Mrs. Wiliams and her co-worker are gazing at Emilio. What is he doing here? She was under the impression that he had left.
No time to dwell on that. She needs to dry and dress Alex, even if that means Emilio will now know the truth.
"He must be little Alex's father," Mrs. Williams says.
Cassandra’s hands freeze as she reaches for Alex's diaper. Why can't Mrs. Williams keep quiet? She isn't helping this situation.
Afraid to look in Emilio's direction, Cassandra finishes dressing Alex.
"There is no mistaking the resemblance," Mrs. Williams continues.

***
POV: Emiliano

When Emiliano heard Cassie say “him” on the phone in the elevator, he had glanced at her hand. No ring, so she wasn’t engaged or married. Good, he had thought.
He hadn’t expected this.
When they arrived at the daycare, Emiliano was curious about what she was doing there, so he had followed her inside. Never in a million years had he thought she would have a baby.
Questions race through his head now as the woman from the daycare—Mrs. Williams, Cassie had called her—says he must be the baby’s father. Emiliano notices Cassie stiffen. Why isn't she correcting her?
Emiliano opens his mouth to tell the woman she is mistaken, but the words die when he sees the baby's face. He could swear all the air in his lungs vanishes in that instant.
Cassie’s baby looks just like him. Dark hair and eyes, straight, thick eyebrows, but most shocking of all—a dark birthmark just under his ear. Without thinking, Emiliano reaches up to touch the birthmark he has in the exact same place.
Emiliano’s great-grandfather, grandfather, and late dad all bore that mark. It is a family trait. Is this his baby?
He hears Cassie say, "I have to get him to the doctor, Mrs. Williams. Thank you for calling." Then Cassie turns around, and he can tell she knows he’s figured it out, but she shoves past him and goes outside, concerned only about her son.
Emiliano catches up with Cassie as she tries to hail down a taxi. He pulls her by the arm and makes her climb back into his car, taking the baby bag from her and telling his driver, "Hospital José."