Jennifer Probst - All the Way

Instead, she exploded in the papers and high-profile magazines as the hot new reviewer in the city. He studied everything she’d ever written. Her work demonstrated a sharp-witted style, a wicked sense of humor, and an old-fashioned tendency toward fairness.

But Sunday’s column was personal, and Mia Casa took the hit. How much money had he already sunk into the renovations and big-time advertising to build a new client base? A menu overhaul almost put him in the hospital, as each item needed to be argued over with his parents, while his mother mourned the loss of traditional favorites.

The celebrity chef stunt almost lured him to quit. Almost. He demoted Antonio to assistant, and splashed the announcement of the big new hire of a well-known chef from the Food Network. His grizzled appearance and world-weary expertise was impressive. Gavin figured the guy could take any crap his family threw at him and get Mia Casa big exposure.

Wrong.

His family plotted the chef’s demise from the beginning. Expensive truffles suddenly disappeared. The clean and white pressed uniforms the chef insisted on showed up soiled and smelly. The small group of waiters left his food under the warmer for too long, so complaints trickled in about dried up fish and meat. Seven full days, and the Lucianos toppled the big cheese. The chef quit and walked out in an old-fashioned temper tantrum, while Tony threw up his arms and pretended he didn’t understand.

More money down the tubes. And Gavin learned his lesson. He could dump his money, hire who he wanted, but the core group would never change because they were family.

Gavin grabbed for patience as his family continued bickering. When Pop called him and asked for help, he never hesitated. He figured it would be the easiest job of his career.

Not.

His one step forward with the renovations just took five steps back. Now he had to deal with the aftereffects of negative publicity. Why had she picked his restaurant at this time? Had she written the column to guarantee he’d track her down? An unconscious attempt to get him so angry, he’d be sure to initiate another meeting?

Gavin threw back the last of his shot. Hmmm. Sounded good, but he guessed she’d scoff and tell him his massive ego was twisting things again.

Didn’t matter. She’d thrown down the gauntlet and opened the door of the past, whether she knew it or not. He was just going to walk right through.

Gavin scooped up the paper and tucked it under his arm. “I’ll take care of it.”

“How?” Archimedes asked.

“I’ll get her to write a second review.”

Silence settled over the dining room. His family looked at him as if he’d taken leave of his senses.

Brando snorted. “She never does second reviews—that’s part of her style. Once she tags a place unfit, it’s tagged for life. You’ll never get her to do one.”

He gazed at his brother with narrowed eyes. “Watch me.”

He strode out of the restaurant.

…

“Ouch. Stephen, that hurt, you devil.”

The little boy screeched in delight as his pudgy fist came away with a few strands of red hair. Miranda rubbed her scalp where her new bald spot lay. “Manda, do it again!”

She shook her head and swung him high in her arms. “Don’t think so, flirt. If that’s how you show affection for a girl, you’re gonna be in some trouble.”

He kicked his feet and laughed as he played the familiar game of airplane. “Fly me, fly me!”

The doorbell rang, and Miranda made a landing noise as she settled him against one hip. “Come on, flirt. Daddy’s here to pick you up. Said you were going to the zoo today.”

“Aminals!” he shouted. “Daddy said I could see the lion in The Wizard of Oz .”

“That’s right. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.” She grinned and threw open the door. “And here’s your—oh, my God!”

“Oh my God,” the toddler boy mimicked.

Gavin took one look at the toddler perched on her hip and grew pale. “Oh, my God.”

Silence fell between them as they glanced at one another, and Miranda tried to gather her wits. She knew writing the column had been a risk. With Gavin’s massive ego, she bet he thought she wrote it in the hopes he would contact her. Still, revenge had been too sweet to ignore.

But she’d never expected him to show up on her doorstep.

“What are you doing here?” She moved her head away as Stephen reached for another red curl. “How did you find me?”

Gavin’s gaze never left the boy’s face. His voice came out ragged. “I needed to talk to you. We never finished our conversation.”

Miranda snorted. “No, you just can’t handle a woman walking away from you. I was finished with the conversation. I think you’d better go.”

She tried to shut the door but he blocked it with the toe of his leather shoe. “We have a lot more things to discuss.” He studied the toddler. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Stephen must have sensed the growing tension and let out a cry. She spoke softly. “You’re upsetting him. I don’t have time for this right now.”

Gavin’s olive skin seemed to grow a shade paler. He propped himself up against the edge of the door. “I’m a little upset myself.”

“Look, if you have a problem with the review, take it up with my editor. Every word was valid and—what’s the matter?”

He ran one hand through his hair. Oaky brown strands flopped across his forehead. “Can I sit down for a minute?”

She opened her mouth to tell him no, but he moved through her apartment and settled on the sofa. Odd, he looked almost sick as he stared at the toddler. Almost as if…

Understanding dawned. He thought Stephen was hers! The humor of the situation put her back in a good mood. Good. He believed she had a husband tucked away in the back room and a full, happy life. The faster she got him out of here, the better off she’d be. He’d never bother her again. His monstrous ego probably shuddered at the thought she’d moved on without him.

“Are you happy?”

Miranda sucked in her breath as she caught the look on his face. Raw hunger. As if he wished the child was theirs. But of course, she was imagining things. Gavin told her many times he didn’t want children. Another reason she’d never told him the truth or tried to contact him.

She opened her mouth to tell the truth but the doorbell rang.

Miranda took a deep breath and let Andy in. “Hey, sorry I’m late, but Laura’s dance class ran over— Oops, didn’t know you had company.”

“Gavin stopped by to discuss a few things.”

Andy gave him a nod, then crouched and held out his arms. “Come here, buddy.”

The toddler ran toward his father and flung himself into the embrace. Andy swung him up, the look of fatherly pride gleaming in his eyes, but she made sure not to glance back. “You better get going if you want to have enough time at the zoo.”

“Was he any trouble?”

She absently rubbed her head and grinned. “Of course not, he’s an absolute angel.”

Andy laughed. “You’re a great liar. Come on buddy, time to see the animals.”

“Aminals! Bye, Manda.”

She gave the child a kiss and shut the door behind them. Then slowly turned around.

Electricity pulsed and crackled through the air. One very tall, very pissed off male rose from the couch and closed the distance between them. She watched in fascination as he stopped right before her. His jaw clenched with tension. “You should have told me.”

Her eyes widened. “You come storming into my apartment, make the assumption Stephen is mine, and you’re mad at me? You didn’t even give me a minute to tell the truth.”

He frowned. “You know what I thought.”

“What’s the matter, Gavin? Did you really believe I’ve wasted the past few years waiting for you to contact me again? Sorry to disappoint you, but I’ve moved on with my life. Now get out.”