In His Arms

Chapter 8

Okay, you've thought this through...it's for Danny...you're doing this for Danny....as a matter of fact, it's a wonder how the baby has survived this long with such a hopeless father...

Three weeks after my discharge from the hospital, I find myself pacing just outside Mr King's office door, in my right hand I hold a crushed envelope, trying to muster enough courage to go into Mr King's office. I can do this...I can do this! Clenching my fists, I go for the translucent glass door.

My fingers are centimetres from the handle when the door swings open, jumping backwards, I end up tripping on my heels and landing on my butt. Cursing my two left feet, I hear a loud disapproving 'tsk' in front of me and I am pulled onto my feet.

"Be careful," a mean criticising familiar deep voice hisses, as the owner sets me on my feet. "Clutz."

Blushing a deep red, sighing heavily I mutter a quick thank you before rushing back to my office, giving up on going into Mr king's office. Fumbling through the papers that have piled up during my brief stay in the hospital, I nearly groan out loud when one of the other junior editors adds more papers to the pile.

I am still not cut out for this job...

"Hey," the same mean and criticising voice growls, a large long-fingered hand slamming on the stack of papers in front of me. "Weren't you going to hand in your letter of resignation today?"

Sighing once more, I look up meeting the pair of cold grey eyes and shake my head, "You want me to hand it in? I don't want to quit my job. I can take care of Danny and work at the same time, Mr Holt."

"I can provide for both of you," He starts his face inches from mine. "You don't need to work and you easily overwork yourself. You may have forgotten the scare three weeks ago but it's still pretty prominent to Lucifer and me."

Looking away from his intense gaze, I look down at the desk and begin to sort through the things I missed. After one week in the hospital and two weeks of medical leave in all that time, we made it a point to know more about each other and that's how he came to learn why I work two jobs and still agreed to take up looking after Danny which to him is stupid.

He didn't even reveal anything that wasn't on Wikipedia or the general internet...not to mention he didn't say anything about his ex-wife, a rising Vogue magazine model, Lilian Lane, cheating on him.

I'm marrying the richest bachelor in the United States and I want to work when he can easily provide me with everything I can wildly dream of. To the public, I must be either mentally deranged or too independent but the thing is, I'm not marrying him for love, I'm marrying him for the sake of his baby, Danny, and once he's is old enough I'm calling for a divorce.

"If you're going to divorce me anyway, I'd like to have some money I can fall back on when you're gone," I murmur, flipping through an approved manuscript." Besides, I can support myself in this marriage, I don't need you."

Over the last three weeks, we managed to somehow come up with only two major ground rules we will have to follow during this marriage, both for my sanity and his ego.

No attachments. No cheating.

I came up with the cheating one because we agreed that until we are more acquainted with each other will we consider intercourse in our marriage though in my mind I have zero intention of ever sleeping with him besides the press will have a field day if it were to be revealed that Mr Holt is cheating or being cheated on.

Searching for what happened to Lilian Lane after it was found that she was cheating, I felt really bad seeing the gruesome graffiti done by Mr Holt's 'fans'. Words like 'slut', 'whore', 'gold-digger' were all spray-painted on her apartment door and her car in striking blood red.

Shaking my head to rid the images, I remind myself that thinking about things like this won't help with the workload and you may have to work overtime to clear this mess which means no spending time with Danny...Oh right! Danny!

"Mr Holt," I look up frantically to him, as he reads over one of the stray manuscripts by the edge of my desk. "Where's Danny?"

"Danny?" He asks, putting down the papers, and giving me a confused look. "Why do you ask? Wasn't he with you?"

My mouth drops open at this. Where the heck is Danny?! I left Danny with him this morning since I was in a rush to get back to work but if he's in here bothering me, where is he?! Don't tell me he left the poor baby at home! "Mr Holt! I left him with you this morning!"

"Nope, didn't see him," He murmurs, picking up the stack of papers he was reading, his eyes clouding over as if he is deep in thought. "Hmm..."

Standing up, I place my hands on top of my desk, looking at him expectedly, waiting for him to tell me he's joking but what comes out of his mouth causes my anxiety levels to blast out of the building.

"What do you feel like eating for dinner?" He asks suddenly, looking over at me. "I'll order takeout."

WHAT?! "Mr Holt! Where's Danny?!"

He smirks at my overanxious reaction to his question. Jabbing his thumb towards the closed office door, my eyes widen as I scamper to it, my heart racing and my palms sweating. What if someone kidnaps Danny?

Opening my office door rather loudly, I cause all the chattering between the interns and junior editors to cease as I look around for the blue stroller. Zeroing in on it just beside Katlyn, an intern, I sigh with great relief before literally jogging towards the stroller, picking up the sleeping infant, hugging him to my chest, thanking heaven that he's okay.

The junior editors and the interns watch in shock as their supposedly single and unmarried lady boss cuddles a sleeping infant or so I thought.

"MR HOLT!" I yell from my spot, effectively waking up Danny who, unlike normal babies who would start crying from being startled awake, gurgles happily when he sees that he's being held by me."YOU COME OUT RIGHT NOW! I AM SO MAD AT YOU!"

My office door opens casually and Mr Holt walks out with his hands in the pockets of his suit pants, his fringe covering his eyes, his signature smirk that I have grown to hate over the last three weeks living with him is plastered on his face.

"LEAVING A BABY OUTSIDE WITHOUT EITHER ONE OF US TO WATCH OVER HIM?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" I screech at him, holding Danny closer to my chest. "WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"Um...Ms Summers?" One of the newer assistant editors chips in, pointing at Danny. "The baby...his shirt..."

Looking down in irritation at being interrupted, I feel my cheeks heat up when I see that Danny is in a blue onesie with the words 'Mummy will you marry Daddy' written on the front, glancing behind I read 'Please say yes...for my sake?'

"Is this some kind of joke?" I ask looking to Mr Holt who has gone down on one knee in front of me as Danny passes me a drool-covered black box with the words 'Cartier' written in cursive on the top with a big toothless smile.

He planned this...

"Janette, we may not have known each other for long," He starts, his voice full of emotion but his eyes as emotionless as ever. "I am a terrible father, and I only realised how much I needed you in my life when you fell unconscious and I had no idea how to take care of Danny."

"Danny needs you," He continues with a short pause as if he's hesitating to say something else. "I need you. Will you marry me?"

Rolling my eyes, I already know what's my answer to this and I am about to say yes when...

"Janette?"

I freeze. Crab...no. Turning to the elevator and there stand my eleven older brothers.

Crabs just hit the roof!