The Billionaire & The Barfly (Coming Home)

by Adrianne James

  “I tried to call and ask if she could crash in there, but you never answered. You said you were a call away.”

  “Oh, no, don’t turn this around on me. I’m sorry I didn’t answer, but that’s a whole other conversation that we don’t need to get into.” She wasn’t quite sure she wanted to tell her little brother the situation she had almost found herself in the night before. “You can not hide your girlfriend in my room! What happened?”

  Aubrey was whispering just in case her parents were wandering about. She still didn’t want to be the one to tell them even though it was becoming apparent she would have to be the one to convince her brother to do so sooner than later.

  “They kicked her out. Told her to get rid of it and stop seeing me, or to leave. I thought her dad was going to shoot me.”

  “I was afraid of that. You have to talk to mom and dad. You can’t ignore this. What? Is she going to live up there forever? You never know, Mom and Dad might surprise you. They might be able to help.”

  “Mom and Dad just think I’m a screw up, and they blame her. You get me. You know I can’t turn my back on Mackenna now. Aubrey, I love her but I’m fucking terrified.” She could hear the sincerity in his voice and see it in his moist eyes. She knew that look. He was just a step away from shedding a tear, even though he would never admit it.

  “I know you do, but that doesn’t change anything. She is still pregnant, you still have to tell Mom and Dad, and you still are going to have to grow up. First things first, go upstairs, get your girl, and talk to Mom and Dad.”

  The doorbell rang as Ben stood up.

  “You get that, I’m going upstairs. Come get me when whoever it is, is gone.”

  “I will. And then you will talk to them. I can’t keep this a secret much longer.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  The bell rang again, and Aubrey called out that she would be right there. As she walked through the house to the front door, she saw a familiar bright green sports car in their driveway. A smile spread across her face, and Aubrey went running, flinging the door open, and launching herself into the arms of the very tall, very handsome, and very gay man who stood on the other side.

  “Whoa, there hot stuff. I hope you knew it was me before you mauled me,” Greg’s deep voice chided in her ear. He was the one friend from college she really missed. He wasn’t from her small little town, and while he was only a few years older than she was, it was as if he had lived a lifetime before going to college. She loved hearing his stories about traveling the world and sampling life from different areas.

  “Of course, I did. Who else would drive that thing?” Aubrey pulled back from her hug and pointed at the car. It was very unique, that was for sure. The bright green color was only the tip of the iceberg. It had black flame decals, tires that were about two sizes too big for the car (or at least she thought they looked that way), and the entire back window was replaced with plastic slats that could open and close. Aubrey wasn’t sure it was legal, but it sure was awesome to look at. “What are you doing here?”

  “Just passing through, so I thought I would stop. I hadn’t heard anything from you in a while.”

  Aubrey took Greg inside and told him everything that had been going on in the last week or so. Greg listened and made the appropriate comments when she left an opening for him to do so. It felt good to talk to someone about everything that was going on. By the time she was done, it felt like a fifty ton weight had been lifted from her chest, one stressful worry at a time.

  “Seems to me like you have your hands full. Your boss is being an ass, and your boss’s boss will give you another chance, Henry... hmm, not really sure what to say there, because I know how you get with men, and your brother, wow, he will figure it out. All you can do is to be there for him. Help him when he needs it, but never give him anything without him having to work for it. He needs to learn some responsibility, and if you fix everything for him, he never will. I hate to leave now, but if I plan on making it to my meeting on time, I need to head out.”

  “Thanks, Greg. Let me walk you out.” Aubrey wasn’t sure what he meant about the Henry thing. What did he mean how she gets with men? She is protective of her heart and her time. There was nothing wrong with that. But she also knew he was trying to help, and who knows when she would get to see him again. An argument was the last thing their little goodbye needed.

  Aubrey linked her arm through his as they strolled out the front door. Walking him down the steps to his car, Aubrey clung on. Greg was a good friend, and she didn’t have many of those around her at the time. It was nice to be able to talk to someone about it.

  “Now, when I’m done, I’m going to drive back through here. I want a full report on how you handle Henry. A full report. Got it?”

  Aubrey couldn’t help but laugh and agree. The two embraced and a soft kiss was exchanged. It wasn’t sexual, but simply a show of affection. She had never once thought how it would look to someone else until the moment she pulled away and saw Henry in his car across the street watching—with a jealous gleam in his eye.

  ~*~

  Aubrey said goodbye to Greg and watched him pull away before she returned her attention to the man in the car across the street. When she did lock eyes with him, he opened his door and stalked over to her, irritation clearly evident on his face. When he reached her, he handed over her purse. He must have gone back to get it for her.

  “Who was that?”

  “A friend. And it’s your business because?” He had no right to be irritated with her. She did nothing wrong, they weren’t a couple, and damn it, she thought her lack of interest was evident (even if it was a big fat fucking lie) with the way she left him that morning. Apparently not.

  “Maybe because I fucking care. Apparently, I shouldn’t. It seems like you just wanted to get rid of me this morning so damn fast so you could get with that asshole. What was with that fucking car? Does he have money, too? Is that your end game?”

  Henry began pacing back and forth. He kept attempting to speak, but stopped himself. The longer she stood there, the more pissed off she was getting. He wasn’t helping his case any.

  “I have no end game. If you remember, I didn’t know who the fuck you were. I didn’t ever ask you for money or drinks or to pay my damn hospital bill.”

  “That’s right, Aubrey. You didn’t remember me. You were too good for me in high school, and now that you know who I am, you’re pushing me away because you’re afraid that doesn’t work anymore. Heaven forbid your friends find out you hooked up with the biggest geek from high school, right? Well, guess what? I’ve grown up a bit and I go after what I want. I want you. I wanted you in grade school, I wanted you in middle school, and I wanted you in high school. I was too shy, too quiet, and too afraid to actually say anything. Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment because you sure as hell don’t make wanting you easy.”

  “I never asked you to want me.” Aubrey wasn’t sure what to say, but getting pissed at her for his feelings wasn’t her fault. She could care less about who he was in high school, and she sure as hell didn’t like being reminded of who she was at that time, either. She wasn’t the one who lied!

  “Right, because flaunting yourself in high school wasn’t a desperate attempt to make every guy want you? And now? At that bar? The way you move and dance is purely for you, not at all to make guys want you. I think that you need to be wanted, so you can walk away knowing how badly they want you and how much you don’t care. You need to still feel in control and popular. You might think you have changed because you have a job that you love, but as a person? It’s the same shit wrapped in a different package.”

  “Fuck you.” Aubrey could feel the tears as they formed in her eyes, but she refused to look away from him. If he cared so much, he should see what his words did to her. She may have been distant with him, but she was never hurtful.

  “Already did that, remember? So what is this? You know what? Forget that. I have a better idea.” Henry started
pacing again and mumbling to himself. When he finally turned to her, he had this gleam in his eye as if he had figured out the secret key to a puzzle that had been unsolved for far too long. “I will pay you to not sleep with anyone for the next three months. I think a million dollars is a good price for that. What do you say, you stay celibate for three months, and actually take the time to make real connections with people and you get a million bucks. You give in and fuck someone, you get nothing.”

  “I’m not a fucking whore, Henry!”

  “Whore’s get paid to have sex, Aubrey, not abstain from sex. I’m paying you to let go of your old high school bullshit and to grow up, make some real connections with people. When was the last time you can think of that you spent real time with anyone without the end game being sex? And family doesn’t count.”

  Aubrey couldn’t answer him. Even when she went out with Bridgette from work, they always ended up splitting ways to hook up with whatever random man for the night. Henry was the only one she could think of, and she wanted to sleep with him, so she went along with the stupid coffee date.

  “Exactly. One million dollars for three months. You don’t even have to spend them with me if you don’t want. But I want you to see how amazing it can be if you let yourself connect. I think you will realize how lonely your life really is right now.”

  “I’m not lonely. But I’ll take your bet anyway. It will be the easiest money I ever make.”

  Henry smiled at her and shook his head as if he knew something she didn’t. Then, he leaned in and kissed her cheek, promptly returning to his car. Aubrey watched as he drove away in his beat up Mustang wondering exactly what she had gotten herself into.

  Chapter Ten

  Aubrey attempted to put Henry and his ban on sex to the back of her mind. She had more important things to worry about, and they just happened to be hiding out in her bedroom. Aubrey climbed the brick steps back to her front door and ran right into her father.

  “Oh, sorry, Daddy. I didn’t see you there.”

  “Apparently. Two men this morning, Aubrey?” Then he let out a big, obviously disappointed, sigh.

  “It’s not what you think. Greg is a friend, and Henry just stopped by.”

  “Baby girl, you have got to stop seeing all of these men randomly. You are almost twenty five. Don’t you want to meet that special someone? Someone who respects you for you and not for what you are willing to give them? A man like that won’t even want to put the time in with someone who doesn’t want to do the same.”

  Aubrey was sick and tired of hearing how because she doesn’t like relationships she was somehow a lesser person. Screw that. She didn’t need a man in her life. She also didn’t need sex. She could get along just fine by herself.

  “Dad, please, just don’t.”

  “Fine. I’m just trying to help.”

  “Of course you are.”

  Aubrey left her dad standing in front of the door and climbed the stairs to her room. She tried to think of someone, anyone, who she had a real relationship with. The more she thought, the more depressed she got. She had Greg. But did he count when she only saw him once in a blue moon? She never called him to check in, and if they ever got together, it was because he showed up on her doorstep. She didn’t even know where he lived. Did she really have a friend, or were they all acquaintances?

  The door creaked under Aubrey’s hand as she pushed it open. Both her brother and Mackenna jumped at least three feet away from each other. Her bed was disheveled, and so were they.

  “Good grief, you two. THIS is what got you into this mess to begin with! And for the love of— NOT MY BED!”

  “Would you keep your voice down?” her brother hissed at her. Aubrey narrowed her eyes. She was not the one in the wrong, and she would really like people to start freaking realizing it.

  “No. I won’t. Have you two figured out what you are going to say to Mom and Dad yet? Any idea of a plan to make this work?”

  “Right now, we just need to tell them and let them know that Mackenna will be living here now.”

  “Let them know? Are you stupid? You need to ask. You can ask if she can stay here but don’t be surprised if they say no. What’s the backup plan?”

  “We don’t need one. Mom won’t let her grandchild live on the street. She’ll agree to Mackenna living here.”

  “Just remember to keep calm. Don’t yell. Don’t curse. And don’t be an ass. You are the one asking for help. You are the one who screwed up. Not them. You.”

  Aubrey knew her parents would never agree to that, but they might do what they could to help her with her parents, or help finding her a place to live. But then again, they might surprise her.

  “Mackenna, I suggest you keep quiet unless they ask you a question. Then be honest and direct but keep the attitude to a minimum. Our parents have their cool moments, but don’t be surprised if they aren’t cool enough for this. It’s not like the two of you are the pillar of honesty or anything.”

  “Right. Can we get this over with?” Mackenna asked, her leg bouncing and her pierced lip being gnawed between her teeth. The girl was scared, and rightly so. Aubrey just gave her a soft smile and nodded. She was grateful that she never had to be in Mackenna’s shoes. She wasn’t even ready for a kid at twenty four, let alone if she had gotten pregnant at fifteen.

  The three of them walked down the stairs in silence. Ben and Mackenna went into the living room and sat on the couch holding hands. Aubrey went to collect her parents.

  “Mom, Dad? Can you come into the living room? Ben needs to talk to you both.”

  “Sure, but what is this about?”

  “Just promise me you will listen.”

  “You are scaring me, Aubrey.” Her mother stood quickly from the desk chair and moved past her. She must have known it was no use pressing the issue with Aubrey. Her father, on the other hand, was a different story.

  “What are we walking into?”

  “It’s not my place to say anything. It’s Ben’s.”

  Her father let out another one of his sighs and stalked past her, following her mother. Taking a deep breath of her own, Aubrey followed them into the living room.

  ~*~

  Aubrey stood in the doorway and watched the horrific scene unfold before her. The minute her parents walked in and saw Mackenna sitting there, so early in the morning, they knew what was going on. They knew what Ben had to tell them.

  Before Ben could even confirm their suspicions, their father laid into them. Screaming and yelling about ruining lives and being irresponsible. Their mother just cried. Mackenna sat there, tears flowing from her eyes, but her fists balling up in her lap. Aubrey knew she was pissed at what was being said. But much to her surprise, Ben remained silent. Staring into his lap and waiting for his chance to speak.

  Aubrey was quite proud of her little brother for that. At fifteen, she wouldn’t have been able to hold her tongue. She was always a handful, doing stupid shit to disappoint her parents. Never a pregnancy, but she had her fair share of hangovers and skipped classes.

  When her father had let it all out, he sat beside their mother and just stared at them. Ben looked up from his lap with red rimmed eyes and locked eyes with their father.

  “I know we screwed up. I know that we made our future so much harder. I know all of that. I also know that Mackenna doesn’t want to have an abortion. I love her, and I will love this baby. Her parents kicked her out when we told them last night. I want her to live here, with us, so she isn’t homeless.”

  He didn’t ask like Aubrey told him. She tried to get his attention from behind their parents. She tried to mouth the word ask at him. But he didn’t see it. He had listened to everything she told him to do. Up until that point. He could still walk out unscathed if he back peddled and asked. But she knew he wouldn’t. She shook her head, and then let it fall against the frame of the door with the rest of her body.

  “You want her to live here. Well, I wanted you to have a normal childhood. I wanted y
ou to be an adult before being a parent. I wanted you to meet and marry a good girl, not someone like that! We don’t always get what we want, do we?” their father yelled.

  “Like what?” Mackenna asked, eyeing the man with a ferocity not usually scene outside of the wild.

  “Like a girl who will sleep with a boy at age fifteen. Like a girl who puts holes in her face and colors her hair wild colors and has no self-respect. A girl who has caused nothing but trouble for my son since she met him. Mackenna, I am sure you could be a good girl but right now, you just aren’t. If it were up to me, my son would never have gotten involved with you to begin with.”

  “Apologize to her.” Ben demanded. Aubrey stood straight and watched the group carefully. This was going over like a lead balloon, and she couldn’t think of a single thing to say to help ease the situation.

  “Excuse me?” their father said with a tone laced with poison. Aubrey knew that tone. She had been on the receiving end once or twice before. If Ben were smart, he would stop talking.

  “I said, apologize. You can’t attack her like that.” Ben, apparently, wasn’t smart.

  “Shut your mouth, Ben,” their mother finally said. She had done nothing but cry and watch until then.

  “How can you say that? You were a teen mother. I know you were. I saw the pictures in the attic!”

  Her mother’s eyes widened in shock and looked to their father quickly who looked just as concerned. Aubrey watched the two with real confusion. Her mother wasn’t a teen mom. She was married and twenty when Aubrey was born.

  “Yes, I was. And I made the right choice to keep my future intact. I let the baby be adopted. That is something you two should consider if you don’t want to ruin your chance of a real future.”

  Aubrey couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had an older sibling out there somewhere. Was it her father’s kid or someone else? How old was she when she had the first baby?