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The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 11
I sit with my siblings in silence for a moment, then I say, “Matt, I’m sorry.”“For what?” He scrunches his eyebrows together as he gets off the floor and sits in the chair Mom just vacated.“For how hard I came down on you and Dad when Mom fell. It wasn’t your fault nor Dad’s. I know that. I was just scared.”“It’s okay…” he says.“No, it’s not okay. I was such an asshole. Neither one of you deserved that.”“Yes you were, and no we didn’t, but we understood where you were coming from. You haven’t exactly had the easiest time with all of this.”“None of us have. That doesn’t give me the license to treat you guys the way I did.” Matt and Lilly exchange a look, and it doesn’t escape my notice. “What?”Matt puts his hands up in surrender. “Lil, you take this one. She’s bound to blow up at whoever brings it up.”Lily scoffs then turns to me. “We’ve all been having a hard time with this, but none of us have control issues as big as yours. You’re angry with Mom about how she has chosen to f
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 12
TRAVIS “Ihate thinking of you all lonely up there in your ivory tower during the holidays,” Mom says. “Mom, I might be alone but I am not lonely,” I say. “That’s what lonely people say to console themselves.” I laugh. “Mom, really, I’m fine.” “What is it even that’s keeping you so busy over Christmas?” “I just have one or two things I need to do.” “Okay… Well, I’ll stop bugging you. It’s just that, you know your brothers are here, and it would’ve been nice to have all my kids in one place. You know? Before I die.” I roll my eyes. “Even though you’re 79, Mom, I actually think you will outlive all of us.” “Honey, I love you, but the next time you say my age out loud I will come up there and wash your mouth out with soap.” I laugh. “My apologies. Won’t happen again.” “Thank you.” I can hear the humor in her voice. “Just make sure you don’t work too hard. You know, that’s what drove your father into an early grave.” I don’t think you can say a person was driven to
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 13
PAIGEWhy is it that my meetings with Travis always run until it’s only the both of us left in the building?Here we are again, alone in my office. It’s dark outside, and a few lamps light the room, casting their warm tones on Travis, who is sitting in his usual chair.He sits with his legs crossed, elbow perched on his knee as his chin rests on his fist. His lips are pursed as he listens to me go on and on about my ideas for DeLisle’s marketing plan for the coming season.“Not that I don’t love it when you let me get a complete sentence out, but is there a problem?” I ask.“I’m sorry?” he asks, his brows draw close.“It’s just that you aren’t saying anything. It’s unsettling.”“Well, I’m sorry to have unsettled you, but I’m a little distracted today. I’m not exactly in the mood to work. Plus, I figured you’re not going to listen to me anyway. So why say anything.” He smirks.“You know I don’t actually try to be difficult.”“Really? Because you could have fooled me.”“Yes, I know I ca
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 14
TRAVIS That’s it. I’ve made my decision. I can’t keep going back-and-forth with myself. I have tried to take Clark’s advice to heart. That’s why I haven’t made another move on Paige. It’s been a month since our conversation on the golf course, but nothing has changed between us. I have tried, really, I have. However, I am not able to get her out of my blood. I know she wants me. What I don’t know is just how much. Does she want me enough to be with me? I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. Everything happens in such a blur. First, I grab myPorschekeys. The next thing I know I am double parked outside Paige’s apartment. I don’t care if I get a ticket or even get towed. What I need to do is more pressing than any of that. It’s 9 o’clock on a Saturday evening. So chances are the Paige isn’t even home, but I still have to try. I get out of my car and race up the steps to her front door. I take them two at a time. Once at the top, withoutstopping to take a breath, I press her doorb
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 15
PAIGE The past two months have been a whirlwind. I have to admit, that first night when Travis showed up on my doorstep asking me to give us a chance, I was skeptical. Even though I had agreed I would be lying if I said I didn’t panic the following morning when I woke up in his arms, but that dread quickly melted away. It’s almost as if Travis has become a different person, at least with me. We still bicker like cat and dog, but there’s affection beneath it now. I have come to find that Travis is the most attentive partner anyone can ask for. He’s always doing for me, even when I don’t ask. I think acts of service is his love language. I think he actually takes time out of his busy schedule to sit and think about how he can make my life easier. It’s nothing like I’ve ever experienced before, and it is quite overwhelming, but in the best way. We practically spend every waking minute together as we work together during the day and spend most nights in each other’s company. We take e
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 16
I walk around my desk. When I reach him I wrap my arms around his neck. “This is so thoughtful and cute. Who would’ve ever thought the guy who drove me home on the back of his Harley months ago could be so cute?”“First of all, it was a Ducati. Secondly, I’m not cute, I am rugged.”We both laugh and I kiss him.“You know, we really should stop being so lovey-dovey in the office,” I say. “We decided to keep things quiet, and even though we haven’t been caught, it’s only a matter of time if we continue to be this careless.”“We’ve reported our relationship to HR. That’s all that matters. If we get caught, so be it. I kind of like sneaking around with you.”“Do you?”“Yes, I do.” He kisses me on the forehead then pulls back. “Now, you should go pack. We leave tomorrow morning.”“Tomorrow? I can’t just drop everything at a moment’s notice.”“I’ve taken care of it. Both our duties are going to be well taken care of in our absence. So go home and pack.”I stare at him with a smile on my fac
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 17
TRAVIS“Bonjour Mademoiselle,” I greet Paige with my arms spread wide open as she steps out of her house.When she sees me standing in front of the limo I hired she smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. Paige isn’t much of a morning person.I run up the stairs and give her a quick kiss then help her with her bags. Once I have all her luggage secured into the trunk of the limo I help her into the vehicle. I climb in after her and we’re off to JFK.I have a bottle of champagne on ice waiting for us in the back of the limo.“Let the birthday festivities begin!” I say as I reach for the champagne, but Paige stops me.“Actually, I’ve gone off alcohol.”My eyebrows draw together. “Since when?”“Since last week.”“Why? And why didn’t you tell me?”“It’s just something I’ve been thinking about for a while. There are a few people in my life who have given up alcohol,and they swear that their lives are so much better.” She shrugs. “So I want to give it a try.”“Okay… That’s fine. We also have
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 18
PAIGE I’m numb as I sit in the backseat of my town car and Jeremy weaves in and out of rush-hour traffic. “Get to the hospital right now. Your mother just collapsed.” The thing that worries me the most is not what Dad said but how he said it. He sounded frantic, more frantic that I’ve ever heard him. It’s been a week since Travis and I got back from Paris. I actually felt guilty about not spending my 30th with my family. Especially considering the very real possibility that this could be the last birthday I have with my mother, but I chose to go anyway. Now the mountain of guilt bearing down on me is excruciating. I told my family I was going to Paris with my boyfriend. Despite their inquiries into who I was dating, I didn’t tell them. That is the other thing I feel guilty about. Mom really wanted to know but I didn’t tell her. Now she may never know. I don’t know what happened or how serious it is, but my mind has gone to all the worst places. It takes a while but Jerem
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The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 55
I held the door for her to get into the car. My dad picked up Makayla so she could give Deira one last hug while I walked around to get into the driver's side. We waved at everyone, and I drove away. As we wove through the grounds of the estate, I kept looking over, stealing glances at Deira as the dappled sunlight flitted over her, turning her hair gold and making her skin glow. I could feel heat pooling in my groin and a desperate need coursing through my veins. I thought again at how long it would be until we got to the hotel that night, and decided it was simply too long.Instead of turning toward the main road, I looped us around toward the back of the estate. I remembered a particularly secluded spot that was perfect for what I had in mind. A few minutes later, I pulled the car to a stop."Is something wrong?" Deira asked, looking over at me curiously."Nothing's wrong," I replied with a wicked grin. "I just don't want to wait until we get to Hawaii." When she realized what I me
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 54
CASSIUSThree Months LaterDeira made a beautiful bride.Watching her walk down the aisle toward me, with all our family and friends present, I knew that I had made the right choice in asking her to marry me. In fact, I knew that every choice I had made since that moment I decided to step into that steam room, despite it unexpectedly being occupied, had been the right choice.It was a simple ceremony, because once I'd proposed and she'd accepted, we both wanted things to move quickly. Neither of us saw a reason to wait. So, our whole wedding party was just three people. Scott was my one groomsman, and Dani was her one bridesmaid, and Makayla was the flower girl. In fact, Makayla was something of a flower empress, having demanded to be put in charge of all the floral decisions for the wedding. When that happened, Deira just laughed and looked at me."She gets this from you, you know," she had said, smirking.For my part, I thought she had made great decisions. The flowers looked beauti
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 53
A few days later,I was standing outside a hospital room, fidgeting with my dress. Cassius took my hand, pulling it away from the floral garment."You look great," he whispered. "Don't worry." We were about to go into his mother's hospital room, where his parents were waiting to meet Makayla and I for the first time. Makayla was bopping excitedly beside me. She had been on cloud nine ever since Cassius and I had explained that she had grandparents, and they were waiting to meet her. I, on the other hand, was very nervous."Ready?" Cassius asked. I took a deep breath, and nodded.It turned out that I didn't have anything to be nervous about. Cassius's father immediately stood up and gave me a warm hug, and his mother insisted I come sit by her so she could hold my hand and talk to me. They both were very kind to me and, more importantly, to Makayla. Just as she'd been with Cassius, Makayla seemed instantly at ease with them. It didn't take long before she was chatting away to them, talk
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 52
DEIRALeave it to Cassius to make a dramatic entrance, I reflected as I stared at him from afar. Whether it was barging into my steam room or crashing into my car or running through the airport yelling my name, he never did anything subtly. I looked at him, standing there breathing heavily. Had he run through the airport looking for me?I glanced back at Dani, and she raised an eyebrow. She didn't have to say anything more for me to understand the question she was asking. That raised eyebrow said, well, what are you going to do? It might as well have said, well, Deira, what do you want? I hadn't expected to have to answer that question at the airport, right before we went through security, but apparently, that's what was happening. Now I had two choices.I could turn my back on Cassius, take Makayla's hand, and walk through the security gate toward a totally new life, or I could go over to Cassius and ask him why he was here. I could give him one last chance to be part of my life. It
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 51
CASSIUSThough my mother was doing well, I still spent the next week or so in the hospital. Now that I'd reconciled with my parents, I wanted them to know that I was there for them. But also, I knew that once I returned to my real life, I would need to talk to Deira, and I wasn't ready. Not because I wasn't sure what to say—in fact, the opposite. I knew that I wanted Makayla and Deira to be part of my life now, and forever. But we'd had such a rocky path, I was a little scared of how Deira would respond to me.So, I put it off for days, until my mom finally prodded me to leave the hospital."You've been here forever," she said. "Go home, get a shower, and get a good night's sleep. And then, once you're refreshed, maybe talk to your girlfriend about us meeting our granddaughter." She winked at me."She's not my girlfriend, Mom," I protested, feeling like a teenager."But you like her, right?" my mother asked, and all I could do was grin in response. "See," she continued. "You have to g
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 50
The next morning, Dani took Makayla to school on her way to work, letting me sleep in. I laid around her apartment all morning in my pajamas, then went for a quick run before getting myself some lunch. I was very consciously not thinking about work, or Cassius, or anything else. I had half-expected him to call me at some point, but he didn't, and I couldn't help but be relieved. I didn't think I could talk to him until I decided what to do about Mr. White.In the afternoon, I picked up Makayla from school and took her to the park to play. That night, the three of us made pasta and played board games. It was nice to have some time to just have fun, without thinking about all of the stress of the past few months. The next day, after dropping off Makayla at school, I found myself thinking about my blog. I hadn't thought about it in months. I went to the home page and started looking over some of my past entries. Before long, I found myself writing down ideas for new posts. It had been ye
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 49
DEIRA I had hurried inside after getting out of Cassius's car, but I didn't want to go back to Dani's apartment when I was so upset. I waited until I saw Cassius drive away, and then I went back out to take a walk around the neighborhood. I had meant to calm down, but I found myself reliving our conversation and soon I was crying. Cassius not believing me about Mr. White hurt even more than I had let on. I'd let out all my anger on him, but beneath the anger was a deep pain and a sense of betrayal. Why did he think I would make something like that up? What did I have to gain from that? And did our relationship mean so little to him that the word of an employee he barely knew was better than my word? That last part stung more than I wanted to admit. For all the ups and downs of our relationship, it had never felt meaningless to me, but it seemed for Cassius this always came second to his job. He believed Mr. White over me, just like he had taken a business call instead of watching
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 48
After I got my dad calmed down, I went to find the doctor. I wanted a clear understanding of the accident and my mother's injuries. The doctor confirmed that the coma appeared to be because her body had been through a trauma, and that there was nothing worrying on the scans. All her other injuries were minor, especially considering the severity of the accident, but we wouldn't know her true status until she woke up. I made sure he understood that I was the point person now, and that my mom was to want for nothing. He nodded and reiterated that there was nothing to be done but wait. The waiting was excruciating.I found myself wanting to call Deira, but remembering the look on her face as she'd slammed the car door, I didn't think that was a good idea. I called Scott instead. He offered to come to the hospital, but I asked him to take care of the business instead. That way, I could concentrate on taking care of my parents."Of course, man. Whatever you need. Anything else I can do?" he
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 47
The address wasn't far, and I made it there in twenty minutes. Deira was just taking Makayla inside when I pulled up. I waited in the car and a few minutes later she emerged. I was going to get out and meet her, but she walked right to the car and got into the passenger seat."I can't talk long," she said. "But I realized storming off like that earlier wasn't helpful, so I wanted to try to explain." She fidgeted, like she was nervous."I did talk to Mr. White," I said, wondering if what he said was true, and now she was nervous because she regretted her actions. At his name, she glanced over at me sharply."Did he admit what happened?" she asked, seeming surprised."He told me his side of things. Why don't you tell me yours?" At the phrasehis side of things, her face fell. She looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. Finally, she spoke."He accused me of sleeping with you to get my job," she said quietly."What?!" I hadn't been expecting that at all, and I was so shocked I fel
