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chapter 17
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 18
RyanI wasn’t certain if I should even go to my tux fitting, as there was a good chance that I was no longer Jason’s best man, but on the off chance he forgave me enough to keep me in the wedding, I drove downtown to the rental shop.It wasn’t until I’d parked that I realized the tux shop was right across the street from Sam’s bookstore. That wasn’t the most surprising thing waiting for me, though.Jason stood on the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, glowering at me as I got out of my car.“We need to talk,” he said.I just stopped myself from rolling my eyes. How many times had I heard that phrase since arriving in town?“What is it?” I asked, moving to stand in front of him. “Come to tell me you’re kicking me out of your wedding?”He clenched his teeth, and I couldn’t decide if he wanted to actually talk to me or just punch me in the face and get it over with.“I should kick you out,” he snapped at length. “I should tell you I never want to see you again, but that’s harder to actually
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 19
SamanthaThe store was busier than usual, but I wasn’t complaining as I hurried around restocking shelves. It kept me busy and distracted, which was all too welcome at that point in time.I was rearranging one of the middle table displays when I heard the store bell ring for about the fifth time in less than an hour.Smiling, I turned to greet the new customer, but I tensed and frowned when I realized it was Ryan.He looked at me with a determined expression as he practically marched toward me.“Sam, I need to speak with you,” he said in a low tone..I glanced around the store, taking note of my other customers before telling him, “I’m sorry, sir. As you can see, it’s a rather hectic day today. Do you need help finding a book?”“You know that’s not why I’m here.”I shrugged. “Showing up at my place of work to demand a conversation on my employer’s time? Sorry, no can do. I’ve got a little mouth to feed, remember?”He clenched his jaw and appeared to want to argue the point, but to my
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 20
She had to be the most stubborn, most infuriating woman I’d ever met.It was early evening, and I was still stewing from my encounter with her earlier that day at the bookshop.I paced through my house, a glass of bourbon in my hand that I’d been nursing for nearly half an hour at that point.I couldn’t stop thinking about our conversation, or the fact that I’d almost kissed her again.She’d have let me if we hadn’t been interrupted. I’d seen it in her eyes. There’d been blatant desire and want swimming in her gaze.I knew it was a bad idea for us to become entangled with each other at all, yet with each encounter we had, I seemed to grow more and more obsessed with her.I couldn’t seem to stay away from her.Along with my growing desire and fascination with Sam was irritation and frustration that she had refused my offer to help her buy the bookshop.She’d dismissed my assistance so easily that it actually had pricked my pride.Whatever the cost of the shop would be barely a dip in t
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 21
Samantha“Three, two, one, shoot!”I lifted my shot glass and tipped it back into my mouth. The tequila burned as it slid down my throat. I shivered before sticking the lime into my mouth to suck.“Woohoo!” Mandy exclaimed, already well beyond tipsy. “Another round!”Letting out a laugh, I grabbed her hand, tugging her away from the bar.“Let’s take a breather,” I said. “We don’t need you passing out before midnight.”Mandy blinked at me and nodded. “Oh! You’re right! Thanks for looking out for me, Sam.”I led her to a table and sat her down before turning back to get her some water from the bar.The other bridesmaids made their way over to the table to gather around her, but Jessica stayed back and met me as I reached the bar. She was part of the bridal party as well, though it wasn’t surprising.We lived in a small town, after all. Everyone was pretty much friends with everyone.“How’re you feeling?” she asked me with a grin.I chuckled and sighed. “I’m good. It’s been a while since
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 22
Ryan I felt oddly angry as I glared at Samantha.It hadn’t taken long upon arriving at the bar to realize the women were there as well.They hadn’t noticed us at first, and Jason and I had broken off from the rest of the bachelor party to sneak up on the ladies and surprise them.My eyes had been locked on Sam.I hadn’t been able to tear my gaze away from her, but as we drew near, I could hear what she was saying.She’d rather be celibate than ever sleep with me.Ouch. Why did that sting so bad?She spun around and looked at me with wide eyes.“Jesus, Sam,” Jason declared, though I could hear mirth underneath his scolding tone. “Do you have absolutely no filter? Super classy.”Her face turned bright red, and her eyes darted around nervously.“I-it was a joke,” she muttered, averting her gaze from me.“Bullshit,” Jason scoffed.Sam licked her lips and scratched at her cheek. The awkwardness in the air was palpable.Deciding to take some pity on her, I said, “I want to talk to you. Alo
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 23
SamanthaWhen I woke up the next morning, I briefly wondered if I’d died and gone to hell.That’s how shitty I felt.My head was throbbing, and my stomach churned.I thought I was going to be sick, and I struggled to build up the energy to even get out of bed.At length, I forced myself to open my eyes. Flinching at the muted sunlight coming in through my thin curtains, I slowly pushed myself so I was sitting upright. Slipping my feet to the floor, I sat on the edge of the mattress for a moment as I fought not to vomit on my floor.After several seconds, I felt stable enough to stand, and I staggered to my bathroom. I reached the toilet just in time and emptied my stomach into the porcelain bowl.It took me a while to feel stable enough to push back up to my feet. I washed my face and brushed my teeth, then went back into my room and got dressed.Feeling somewhat normal again, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen and started brewing a pot of coffee. I needed to finish sobering up b
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 24
RyanI heard the sound of little feet and a child’s voice rushing toward the kitchen.Sam shoved me away with wide eyes.Henry was home, and I was still there. It was not what I’d planned, and it was definitely not what Sam wanted. I watched as her shock quickly turned to panic. She grabbed the front of my shirt and shook me.“You can’t say anything,” she insisted in a hiss, her gaze a little crazy. “You can’t say anything to Henry about who you are, okay? Please, Ryan. Promise me!”I was stunned by how anxious she was. It was almost fearful.Not wanting her to lose her shit completely, I nodded.“Okay, I promise,” I assured her. “I won’t say anything.”She closed her eyes and released a breath of relief. Opening her eyes again, she pushed away from me and slapped a big smile on her face.At that moment, a little boy came barreling into the kitchen.“Mama! Mama! Grandpa and I went fishing yesterday! I caught three!”The boy, Henry, stopped next to Sam and I. He beamed up at his mother
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 25
SamanthaI watched as Henry led Ryan out of the kitchen. My chest tightened at the sight, and once again, I found myself trying to push away any thoughts about what could have been if anyone had known that Henry was Ryan’s.It didn’t matter now, though, as I couldn’t go back and change the past. I knew the best thing for everyone going forward was for me to let those thoughts go and focus on the here and now.My parents didn’t stay much longer and didn’t ask me any questions about Ryan, which I was thankful for.Once they’d left, I made my way upstairs. I was curious to see what Ryan was like with Henry. I could hear my son chatting as I neared his bedroom door, and when I peeked inside, I couldn’t help but grin.Henry had Ryan sitting on the edge of his little, twin-sized bed and was holding up one of his trucks to show it off as he explained every single feature of it in detail.“When you back it up, you have to say beep, beep, beep, so everyone knows, okay?” the little boy said in
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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
