Loving my Billionaire Stepbrother’s Baby
Emilia Beaumont
Contents
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Afterword
About the Author
Also by Emilia Beaumont
Teaser excerpt!
Copyright © 2017 by Emilia Beaumont
Published by Elwynn Cottage
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Your support of author’s rights is appreciated.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
♥ ♥ ♥
Please note that this is the sequel to Expecting my Billionaire Stepbrother’s Baby.
♥ ♥ ♥
Don’t miss out! Sign up to my Mailing List to find out when my next book is published and the opportunity to join my ARC team.
Loving my Billionaire Stepbrother’s Baby
The baby she’s always wanted.
Viola has done everything in her power to make sure she was prepared for the birth, but it all goes horribly wrong and the unthinkable happens.
Restricted to bed rest and relegated to her old bedroom away from Drake, Viola struggles to come to terms with the new status quo. It doesn’t help that her husband, who has always been there for her in the past, loyal by her side, is becoming increasingly distant.
Suspicious that he’s being unfaithful she seeks to find out the truth. She feels betrayed, helpless. There’s nowhere to turn. Without Drake by her side, the walls begin to crumble.
Can Viola save her marriage or will she head down a relentless spiral, and end up destroying all that she has come to love and cherish?
Author’s note: Please be aware that the content of this book, while steamy (as to be expected from me), does however deal with some heavy issues and topics that may make you uncomfortable.
This is not your typical stepbrother romance!
If you feel you may be triggered by topics such as suicide or depression, you may want to skip this book.
Chapter One
“The baby!” I screamed. “Where’s my baby?”
Panic infiltrated every cell of my body as I sat bolt upright in a strange bed. Fear clung to me like the cold, damp sheet that had somehow wrapped itself around my legs. Like a coiled snake it had a stranglehold on them, relentless and not wanting to let me go. I twisted, kicked, and shoved the sheet away. My eyes were bleary with tears. Through the haze and with the rapid beating of my heart I knew instinctively that something had gone wrong. I tried to find him.
“Who’s taken my baby?” I said with a horrid cry. Hunching over I gasped for air as I felt it all come undone. Everything had gone wrong and I wailed, struggling to breathe between sobs.
My fists clutched at my nightgown, bunching the material at my chest into my hand as the pain tortured my heart. The small hospital cradle was empty.
He was gone. My baby. Taken, but why?
“Mrs. Millar,” a nurse soothed and entered the room with rapid movements, “it’s okay. Everything will be okay. Just breathe for me.”
With my head raised I peered into her brown, warm eyes. “That’s right, in and out, in and out.”
“My baby?” I said creaking out the broken words, scrunching up my eyes.
“Shhh, now. You’re okay. Baby is okay. You had a bad dream. A nightmare.”
My eyes flew open; I didn’t know if I could trust her, she could be lying. The dream, was that what it was? Felt so real. A woman, dressed in a blue coat, holding him then slipping away into the darkness. But as I tried to pin down the nightmarish images that had broken my heart, they floated away like evil sprites leaving behind only partial tendrils to torture me. Who was the woman? Why had she taken my child?
The nurse in her lavender-scented pink scrubs smiled, held my shoulders, and eased me back into the bed.
“Where is he? Can I see him?” I said as I looked longingly at the empty cradle.
“Of course, I’ll bring him right to you. He was being a little fussy, crying. We didn’t want him to wake you and you so very much needed your sleep.”
I nodded trying to comprehend her words, a little dazed. I hadn’t heard him wake or cry. Surely I should’ve woken up? Known he was upset, known he’d needed me? Only hours old and I’d left him to cry. Guilt swept my empty insides.
“Just lie back and relax, keep breathing. Calmly,” she insisted. “I’ll bring you some new sheets, too.” She unwrapped the twisted cotton bed sheet from around and off my ankle, then grabbed the bundle of sweat-laden coverings into her arms and hurried efficiently out of the room.
I folded my hands in my lap and studied the quiet room, breathing like she’d told me to, not daring to close my eyes for fear of bringing the whole incident back again… or worse, falling asleep and reliving the nightmare. But god, I was so very tired, I felt like I could sleep for a week. Maybe it was the drugs they’d given me?
I supposed it was to be expected. A long difficult labour and the aftermath hadn’t been on the agenda or a part of my birthing plan, but that’s what I was rewarded with. They’d told me it had been touch and go.
But I couldn’t understand it, I’d done everything right, or at least I thought I had. Diligently I’d taken my vitamin pills as soon as I found out I was pregnant, no alcohol, no raw fish like the doctors told me to avoid, although I thought it was bullshit. I’d longed for the sweet and savoury taste of sushi rice topped with fresh salmon the colour of sunrises, but fought the temptation. And though my body had bulged and expanded in more ways than one, I kept in shape by walking and doing yoga every day. Even during that last trimester when I was swollen all over and big as one of Drake’s mansions, I still tried to at least get in a couple of minutes of gentle exercise before wobbling over.
Drake? Where was he? Why wasn’t he here? My breathing became rapid again. I forced myself to think of something else and let my eyes drift over the four walls of my room.
The private hospital room could’ve been any room in a five-star hotel. “Nothing but the best,” Drake had said, and though my waters had broken early, he pulled every string he could to get me into a serene, calming room. If that meant promising a new wing for the hospital? Sure, that wasn’t a problem for him.
Maybe it was more like a four-star hotel, reducing its rating down a notch, I thought as I took the room in and sniffed in deeply. The bed was comfortable but not plush; it was still standard hospital issue, and the smell wasn’t what I would call luxurious. Though I had to admit as I continued to breathe, the clinical tang I’d normally associated with hospitals was diminished quite a bit; layered with a mask of artificial air-freshener. The perfume from the bouquets of flowers helped, too, I supposed. Lined up upon a glossy white sideboard were several vases of colourful sprays. I had absolutely no recollection of how or when they’d gotten there.
Usually bursts of colour, especially in the form of flowers—the more garish and exotic the better—would make me smile from ear to ear, but those offerings had no effect whatsoever. I was numb. Balloons and teddy bears with blue trim and little bowties were perched all around, too. The room was practically filled with things that should have made me smile, but there was no joy. And all I wanted was to see my baby.
The door swung open and the nurse from earlier, her arms laden with a precious bundle, entered. A gentle smile pulled at her lips. Her head was bowed slightly looking upon the face of my boy, and I sat up in anticipation wincing slightly at the pain, but ready to see, for the first time, the little bug that had given me so much trouble.
He squirmed as she passed him over to me. My arms were trembling. I didn’t understand why I was nervous. I tried to rationalise the feelings. This had been my dream for so long. A little baby of my very own, and with Drake as the father, too. Had it really been so long ago that I thought that this day would never come? And finally it was here. Why had I been so worried?
The nurse took a step back and watched me closely as I manuevered carefully into a comfortable position. I winced again but tried not to let the pain show.
“Here we go then.”
He was finally in my arms, his weight heavier than I expected. I gathered him up to my breasts, tight and secure.
Safe.
No one would take him from me. Not even my nightmares.
Looking at the pudgy new life, his button nose and smooth, delicate cheeks I waited for him to open his eyes and for my heart to burst and sing.
Dreamily he fluttered his long lashes and peeked out from within his cosy blankets. I stared back at him waiting for the blank slate of emotion to start etching love across my soul.
He had Drake’s eyes. Though they were a brighter grey with a tinge of blue, the colour of the sea on a wintry day.
He must have realised something was different, taken from the little nursery, and became unsettled in my arms. Tiny fists beat against their cotton prison of his blanket and he opened his mouth to wail.
“Shhh, little bug. I’m your mama, don’t cry,” I whispered and ducked my head down to his. Taking in his scent as I tried to rock him gently in my tired arms, his cries pierced my ears.
Another nurse, with tight grey curls came into the room and the two of them bustled around the edge of the bed placing a new blanket over my bare legs. Out the corner of my eye I could see them stealing glances at me. Watching. Waiting for me to soothe the baby. Perhaps even judging me.
I stroked his warm soft cheek. I’d never touched anything so soft. But his face began to flush, colouring to an angry pink as his wails grew louder.
Lifting my head I saw the two of them watching me like the hens they were, beady little eyes peering at me. Accusing eyes that told me I was incompetent, unable to make him stop. The older of the two gave a weak smile, almost a grimace and left the room.
“What am I doing wrong?” I asked anxiously.
“Nothing, babies cry,” said the remaining nurse over the din. “Don’t worry, we’ll help you get him settled. He might just be hungry.”
I waited for my motherly instincts to take over, to tell me what I needed to do next, but my head was filled with angry static, like an old television set buzzing with black and white specks; unable to think.
“You want to try breastfeeding him?” she asked as she moved back to the side of the bed.
I nodded as unwelcome and unexpected tears began to coat my checks. This was supposed to be a happy time, why on earth was I crying?
“C’mon, let’s give it a go, shall we?” she said with an encouraging nod. The nurse reached over the baby and popped the first few buttons of my nightie.
As the baby continued to cry she tried to explain what to do. But after minutes of frustrating attempts, the baby just wouldn’t latch on, more content in screaming the place down.
Shaking my head I muttered under my breath, “I can’t. I… it’s just—”
“It’s okay. Not everyone gets it on the first go,” she said kindly. “And you’re tired.”
I nodded, accepting defeat.
Without asking she took him from my arms, and rocked him. “You get some more rest and we can try again later.” And before I could agree she left, taking the squealing baby away, his cries echoing down the hallway on the other side of the wall.
And for a split second I caught myself feeling relieved.
No. This was not how it was supposed to go. I wasn’t supposed to be a failure; unable to provide what my baby so desperately needed. I wept and placed my head on the pillow and cried myself to sleep.
The next time my eyes fluttered open the room was dark. Thankfully there hadn’t been a repeat performance of the earlier nightmare and I’d been able to actually get some decent rest.
A figure, shrouded in shadow, sat forward in the chair facing the bed. There was a glow emanating from the thin strips of recessed lighting wrapped around the wall above my head. The light touched gently upon a forehead, straight nose, and cheekbones. I knew who it was without even having to focus. I’d spent so many hours studying his face that I was confident if someone gave me a pencil and piece of paper I’d be able to recreate his portrait even with my eyes closed.
“There you are,” Drake said in a whisper and leaned further forward, reaching out a hand to caress the side of my face.
“Hey, you.” I swallowed the remnants of sleep and yawned.
A smile crept upon his lips. “I thought you were going to sleep forever, like Aurora.” I matched his smile at the thought. Leah was in a bit of a princess phase and Drake and I had been subjected to countless replayings of the classic Disney movies, her favourite being Sleeping Beauty with the tiny three fairies.
“That’s okay,” I said with a croak trying to find my voice. My throat was dry. How long had I been asleep? I wondered. “My prince would’ve woken me up with a kiss.”
Drake edged closer, taking my chin between his finger and thumb and our lips met. “There, how’s that? Better than a cup of coffee?
“Much better,” I replied as my eyes seemed to clear a little more.
“You’re so beautiful, you know? That princess ain’t got nothing on my brave wife.”
I smirked. “You’re so full of shit. I’m a mess, a drained, tired mess. You shouldn’t even look at me. I’ll turn you to stone,” I said managing a weak chuckle.
“Nonsense. I’m in awe of you.”
A blush found its way upon my cheeks and I almost gave in and looked away from him. But the intensity in his gaze had me pinned.
“You had me worried. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost you.” His grey eyes flooded with stormy tears.
“Don’t say that. You’ll have me crying again.”
A crease etched itself into his forehead. “Again? You’ve been crying? Why?” He sounded angry even, ready to protect me from anything. “Were the nurses okay with you? I’ll have them fired if they upset you.”
“No, they were fine. I was just worried.”
“I’m sorry. I was only gone to get a shower and a quick shave. I really didn’t want to leave you.”
“Oh, sweetie, it’s okay. It’s nothing,” I said. I really didn’t want to him to fret about me. We had more things to concern ourselves with, like getting our little boy home.
“Did they mention when we’ll be allowed to go? I don’t know how long I can stay in here.”
“Soon,” he said with a grimace. “You have to stay a few more days yet. Baby, you need to recover. Get your strength back. But don’t worry I’ve taken care of everything back at the apartment.”
It was not the answer I wanted to hear, but I nodded and he squeezed my hand.
“Did you finally get the crib put together?” I asked biting my lip trying to hide a smile. He’d been battling with it the day before we’d had our appearance at the courthouse to finalise my adoption of Leah.
&n
bsp; “I’ll have you know it is structurally sound.”
“You had Sigrid do it, didn’t you?”
“Maybe. Can’t get anything past you,” he said and sneaked me a quick kiss. “You know I’m more of a tech guy.”
I nodded and sighed, wondering if the nurses would bring the baby in soon. “Have you seen him?” I asked and marvelled at his reaction at the word him.
“Oh, he’s beautiful, Vi. Of course I’ve seen him. They couldn’t keep me away. I’ve been bouncing between the nursery and your room for the last few hours. They said he was perfectly healthy, little on the grizzly side, but then maybe he takes after me. I always was a light sleeper.”
His grey eyes sparkled as he continued to talk about the baby. He was so proud and I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous about all the time he’d been able to spend with the baby when I’d been stuck in this bed, trapped in the land of unconsciousness. But I was determined all that would change. I’d make up for lost time and he’d be back in my arms soon enough. I was going to do it right, everything was going to be fine.
Drake hesitated and his eyes darted away for a moment.
“What is it? You’re not telling me something,” I asked.
“They say I can take him home if we agree. He doesn’t need to be in the hospital…” Drake glanced at me, his eyes flickering to mine waiting for my reaction, he obviously knew that I would be upset. And goddamn right I was. I was furious.
“You’re going to take him home? Without me?” I shook my head. “No, Drake.” Fuck that shit. No one was going to take my baby away from me, not even his father.
Chapter Two
“Drake. I’m serious you can’t do this. It’s not happening. If I could move properly, my foot would be on the floor right now.”
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Loving my Billionaire Stepbrother's Baby Page 1
