Spinning away before he could answer, she raced back to the baby’s room, the room where Glenna slept, too. Without him.
Strange how he’d been on board with an analytical decision when it came to himself, but hearing that same need for logic come out of Glenna’s mouth was hard to accept.
Eyes averted, she closed the door behind her, making it clear he was not welcome.
* * *
Glenna gave up trying to sleep by five in the morning.
She’d been tossing and turning restlessly all night. The silence in the cabin was deafening. Her fault. She’d kept to her room after her argument with Broderick, stepping out only to get supplies for Fleur. However, the time alone gave her too much room to think. And feel guilty for the way she’d rejected him out of hand.
With heavy, burning eyes, Glenna glanced at the baby. Fleur still slept, her little breaths providing a steady rhythm to the early morning.
Dragging heavy limbs from bed, Glenna wondered again what to think of all this. She made her way to the crib, drinking in the peaceful scene.
She had enough financial means to make it as a single mother if Fleur became her responsibility. But if Fleur was Broderick’s… Sadness slid into her throat, forming a lump at the thought of losing daily contact with the child.
In such a short amount of time, she’d become bonded to the baby. She enjoyed Fleur. And sharing the baby’s smiles and sweetness with Broderick.
Thinking back to Broderick’s proposition had her stomach moving like an out-of-control Ferris wheel. Perhaps…perhaps they did make a pretty good team.
Was his suggestion of attempting a real relationship just ill timed?
On tiptoes, she walked out of the room with a rumbling stomach. In the still dark hours of the morning, she made her way toward the fridge.
The stress of the last few nights translated into a sweet tooth. Time for leftover tiramisu and a glass of milk.
She could hear it calling her name.
Lifting the container from the fridge, she caught movement out of the side of her eye. For a terrifying moment, Glenna convinced herself there was an intruder.
As her vision adjusted, she recognized the form. Broderick sprawled out on the sofa.
Relief washed through her.
“Oh my God, you scared me. I thought you’d gone to bed.” Her free hand covering her mouth, she willed her heartbeat to return to normal.
He sat up, stretching, a blanket around his waist. “I fell asleep here.”
The sexy timbre of his morning voice stirred something inside her, reminding her of things he’d whispered in her ear last night. The sweet litany of lover’s words that made her feel beautiful. Desirable.
“I’m sorry to have woken you.” Sheepishly looking at her plate of dessert, she raised it to him.
“Is the baby okay? I can feed her.” All remnants of sleep left his face.
“She’s sleeping well. I’m the one who was hungry.” She held up a spoon. “Tiramisu for breakfast. Want some?”
“I’m good for now.” He stoked the embers in the fireplace back into a blaze. “Thanks.”
Broderick tossed two thinner logs into the grate. The dance of the flames reflected on his bare chest, turning the rippled muscles to burnished bronze.
Glenna sat on a bar stool, the leather cover creaking as she settled. She traced the wood grain along the breakfast bar, circling the food in front of her. “I owe you an apology for the way I behaved last night. And a thank-you for all you’ve done to help since we got here.”
“No apologies or thanks necessary.” His gaze fixed hard on the fire.
She tipped her head to the side. “Ah, come on. Your mother’s stew recipe was epic.”
Rising, he grinned. Half a grin, anyway. “Glad you enjoyed it.”
“I liked hearing things about your family, too. Those stories make it easier for me to envision how the business is going to work after the merger. How we can all make it work.” She hoped, anyway, because there wasn’t a choice. The company merger was going to happen.
And a merger—a personal partnership—with Broderick?
She was still considering it.
“My dad had this annual tradition for the family. We all spent a winter weekend camping out in glass igloos. Sure, they were temperature controlled, but still it was the ultimate blending of sleeping outdoors under a clear sky with all the luxury of a hotel.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“It was. Dad did it for Mom, in recognition of her heritage, ours, too. You remember my mother was a quarter Inuit?” He shifted over on the sofa, making room for her.
His gesture inviting Glenna to sit with him touched her. Abandoning her breakfast, she slid from the stool and plopped down next to him. She tucked her feet by her side and positioned herself to face him. Even now, electricity hummed between them, adding fire to their conversation.