Not Another Billionaire: A Clean Second Chance Romance (Billionaire Tech Tycoons & Titans Book 2)

by Gigi Marlowe

  “You okay?”

  With him holding her?

  “Never better.”

  They flew up and away over the beautiful lower Hudson River Valley, where the tree-covered hills rolled down to the rocky cliffs along the river. Small boats cruised the water below them. Before long Kylie could pick out the New York City skyline, and she watched as it took on a more definite shape. She and Scott took turns calling outbuildings by name as they got closer, his firm body still hugging hers from behind. The sun began to set, casting about an incredible orange glow that made the city glitter like a thousand jewels. As clouds turned pink, then purple, hinting at gray, they began their slow descent. Kylie was glad the pilot knew how to control the landing location as he glided over the widest part of the Hudson Bay, headed for New Jersey.

  “That was amazing!” Kylie exclaimed the minute the giant basket touched down, more gently than she was bracing herself for. The balloon collapsed into a heap of deflating nylon behind them.

  “Experiencing it with you was the most amazing part.” Scott gazed at her, intense admiration etched on his face. “I love everything we do together.” He brushed his thumb back and forth across the back of her hand, sending shivers down her body with the simple touch. “I’m so glad you fell in my lap on that Filipino ferry. Because that’s when I fell for you.”

  At the end of the week, Scott and Kylie boarded a private train car for the 90-minute ride to Philadelphia. They discussed their outing last night to Governor’s Island while dining on lobster frittata, a meal which Kylie knew for a fact had cost a pretty penny.

  “Did you enjoy the string quartet?” Scott asked, setting his soda can down next to his plate, the New Jersey landscape flying by the large windows in a blur. “I know it’s not your favorite genre.”

  Last evening they had relished the ferry ride to Governor’s Island, then walked around the lovely premises, ending the evening at an open-air string quartet concert.

  “I did, in fact. Especially the renditions of pop songs. They performed several of my favorites, you know.”

  “I noted that.” He shifted closer to her in the seat. “My time in New York with you was well-spent. I don’t regret a single moment.”

  Kylie smiled at the proper wording. “Me neither. Spending time with you is the best investment I’ve ever made. Now tell me. What were you like as a kid?”

  He blinked at the sudden topic change. “A disaster. I mean that in a good way. I was the nerdiest kid in the whole school, and at home, I was always experimenting with one of my computers. And I say one, because I had at least three at any given time.” He smiled fondly at memories. “My mom didn’t know what to do with me. A single mom with a techy son who had his head in electronics all day. I’ll never forget the look on her face when I told her I’d made my first invention and that I was going to be rich one day.” He grew somber. “I wish she could see me now.”

  Kylie was almost afraid to ask. “What happened to her?”

  His jaw clenched tightly for a few seconds. “She died when I was in high school. My dad left when I was four, and I never saw him again. My aunt took me in when I was sixteen.”

  Kylie reached a hand to his still-tight jaw, rubbing her fingers along that strong, familiar jawline tenderly. “You’ve had so much loss in your life. But you’ve risen above it all.”

  He met her eyes slowly, and she saw shadows that made her wonder...something. What, she didn’t know. “I’ve tried,” he finally said and quickly changed the topic again. Kylie wished he would open his soul to her a little more. Maybe it was just a man thing, but he certainly didn’t like to talk about his painful past.

  She was surprised when the limo that picked them up at the train station took them to a mansion in an upscale Philadelphia suburb. When she slid out of the backseat, she stopped to stare up at the huge contemporary design.

  Scott held out a hand to indicate the house. “My home. Come.”

  Okay. He was way wealthier than she’d realized.

  She swallowed a slight flutter of nerves. It looked like she was staying with him this time. This was new.

  He gave her a tour of the premises, which included an Olympic-sized pool and a personal gym. A Japanese garden took up several acres in the backyard, and the house itself was impeccably decorated in the latest modern style of furniture, art, and architecture. It was complete with a large hall for parties, a second kitchen for catering, and a 30-person theater room. Kylie had never seen anything like his place before.

  The next day was Independence Day, and after a brunch that Scott made himself‒“My, my, aren’t you just full of surprises?” had been Kylie’s reaction to him flipping blueberry pancakes in an apron‒they made their way to Oscar and Olivia’s house.

  “How long have you known them?” Kylie asked curiously as Scott parked his car in the wide, circular drive.

  “We went to college together.”

  That meant they had known his wife, had been there for him when he’d lost her. She was glad. She’d hate to think of him going through such pain alone.

  Joseph threw himself at Scott with much the same exuberance as at their previous visit, and Olivia welcomed Kylie with the same warmth, waving away the gift Kylie pushed into her hands.

  “Oh, you didn’t have to bring anything!”

  “I know. That’s what makes it special. Or so my friend Cass likes to say.”

  Olivia gave in with a peek into the gift bag. “Oh, I do love a beautifully scented lotion. How ever did you guess my taste?”

  Oscar was the quietest one in the group, but Kylie had determined last time that it was simply his way. She caught him in a serious conversation in the corner of the room with Scott later in the day and wondered what that was all about.

  “Let’s get those steaks going, gentlemen, shall we?” Olivia called out mid-afternoon. They had gathered around the Fernandez’s outdoor barbeque patio, and the ladies sat back and watched the guys do their thing.

  Kylie accepted a plate from Scott’s hand gratefully. “You make pancakes, grill steaks, launch rockets...anything you can’t do?”

  He gave her a lazy smile. “When I discover something, I’ll let you know.”

  After lunch, Scott took Joseph into the big yard to play ball. He patiently demonstrated to the tot how to hold the foam bat, helping him practice his swing. When Scott tossed a wiffle ball in his direction, Joseph made a valiant attempt, although missing by several feet. He was still showered with praise from Scott, and Kylie shook her head slightly, fascinated by his bond with the boy. Their interactions continued much of the afternoon, even when they moved back into the house, tired of the thick humidity hanging in the air.

  As Kylie watched Scott design a tower for Joseph out of wooden building blocks, she wondered where Joseph had gotten his blue eyes. The light brown hair could be a combination of Olivia’s blond and Oscar’s black. But neither of them had blue eyes.

  That was unusual. Then again, maybe it wasn’t. She didn’t know spades about genetics.

  The little boy looked up at Scott and laughed before turning himself around to plop onto his lap. With Joseph’s head positioned just below Scott’s, Kylie got a good view of their profiles, side-by-side. And it nearly took her breath away.

  Their profiles were almost identical. Head-on, she wouldn’t have noticed. Different eyebrows, perhaps, and Joseph’s eyes were set a little deeper. But from the side, Joseph was the spitting image of Scott, to the shape of his nose and the cut of his jaw, both so familiar to Kylie.

  Kylie swallowed hard. Was she going crazy? She lifted a hand to her forehead. No fever.

  She discreetly studied Olivia and Oscar, then Joseph again. How had she missed it the first time? He looked like nothing like his parents.

  Her breath caught again when Joseph tried to jump off Scott’s lap, and Scott pulled the toddler back, encircling the boy with an affectionate hug. It was more than an “Uncle Scottie” move. It was a fatherly gesture.

  �
��Olivia?” She delicately cleared her throat. “How old is Joseph?”

  Olivia glanced up from the Sudoku puzzle she was working on, her brow furrowed with concentration. “Almost two.”

  Kylie forced herself to smile. “He’s adorable.”

  Almost two. Hadn’t Scott said his wife had died almost two years ago? It wasn’t possible. Was it? Too bad life had taught her that anything was.

  “I don’t mean to be forward, but I can’t decide which one of you he takes after. I would almost guess he’s adopted?” She let her voice inflection drift upward, hoping for a clear answer.

  Olivia’s hesitation was obvious as her eyes darted to Scott, who had frozen with a block in his hand, although he didn’t look in their direction. Now it was Olivia’s turn to clear her throat.

  “Joseph has been entrusted to our care by‒by a dear friend. But we are raising him as our own and love him as such.”

  “I see.”

  She saw a lot more than she wanted to see.

  How could Scott have kept this from her?

  Chapter Eight

  Scott had experienced this feeling more times than he cared to count: his life was about to fall apart. He’d long ago learned that no amount of money could hold it together. The look on Kylie’s face made his bones ache as he turned back to Joseph.

  She had found out his secret.

  Finding it impossible to return to his carefree play with Joseph, Scott decided it might be prudent to leave now. As much as he adored Olivia and Oscar, he didn’t want to have such a personal discussion in front of them‒or Joseph.

  Pain shafted through him as he looked at his son happily stacking square blocks.

  His son. But the boy didn’t even know it.

  He rose to his feet, suddenly feeling old as his knee joints crackled. He should see his doctor about that.

  “Well I think it’s time for us to head out,” he heard himself say to the room in general.

  Kylie’s head bobbed in agreement, but she didn’t meet his eyes. Olivia gave him a worried, “I-told-you-so” look as she walked them to the door. He wasn’t surprised when Kylie acted like nothing was wrong in her goodbyes to his favorite family, but the moment the door closed behind them, she shut down again.

  He took his place behind the wheel. Being chauffeured was a nice perk of his lifestyle, but he’d never give up the freedom to drive himself around.

  He turned the key in the ignition and glanced at Kylie. Her face looked pale. What could he say?

  He didn’t know where to start. So he didn’t try. The silence almost hurt his skin as he navigated the roads back to his personal palace. When at last he put the car in park and cut the engine, Kylie spoke.

  “He’s your son. Isn’t he.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Yes,” he said softly. How could he explain to her why his own son didn’t know who his father was? That he’d given him away in a haze of grief and still lived in the same haze, only now it was guilt that blurred his vision? He could explain the intricacies of a rocket’s composition, but his own choices he could not.

  When Kylie turned to him, he expected anger, even fury. That would have been preferable to the intense hurt lining her face as she looked him in the eyes. Her eyes looked watery, but she stalwartly did not let them overflow.

  “How could you have kept this from me? And for so long?”

  He closed his eyes, unwilling to look at her pain for another second. “I’m sorry, Kylie.”

  “You call me ‘girlfriend’ in front of NASA, but you can’t tell me you have a child?”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t know what to say except more murmured apologies.

  “Don’t you trust me?” she asked in an anguished whisper.

  He did, didn’t he? No, trust wasn’t the issue. Then what was it? Not something he knew how to explain.

  “I do trust you. So much.” He tried to take her hand, but she jerked it away.

  “This doesn’t feel like trust. Having a child is a huge secret to hide, especially from someone you’ve been seeing for months.”

  Scott sighed and let his shoulder slump. “I agree. I honestly don’t know what to say to redeem myself. How about we go inside and talk about this later?”

  Kylie didn’t respond, silently following him into the house. He worried when she remained aloof and quiet all evening. She didn’t bring up the topic again, so neither did he. In fact, they barely spoke at all, and Scott decided to rinse the stress off in a hot shower.

  When he came out, Kylie was gone. He searched the house and found a bright yellow sticky note on his kitchen counter. It said simply, “Thank you for the nice time. Exceptional as always. I’m going back to New York. We’ll talk soon.” That was all.

  Scott groaned, letting a rare swear word slip from his mouth as he clutched the sticky note in one hand, and at his chest with the other, which suddenly hurt so much he struggled to breathe.

  He couldn’t lose Kylie. He loved her too much.

  Kylie thanked the Lyft driver and found her way into the almost-deserted train station. No wonder. Most people were at family gatherings waiting for fireworks to start.

  She purchased her fare and waited to board. Scott had already tried her cell four times, and she was bracing herself for the very real possibility that he might show up before she got on the train.

  How could he have hidden something from her like that? She’d given herself body and soul to the man, and he had been keeping an enormous secret from her the whole time. How did one come to terms with something like this? How could she forgive him? How could their relationship ever be the same again?”

  “But he didn’t even tell me he has a kid!” She nearly shrieked into the phone twenty minutes later. As soon as the train departed the station, Kylie had dialed Cass, nearly in hysterics, which wasn’t something she could say she’d ever experienced before. Cass was still trying to calm her down.

  “What bothers you more-that he has a child, or that he didn’t tell you he has a child?”

  Kylie took a deep breath through her nostrils, counted to ten, then let it out in a big whoosh that crackled in the phone mic. “Him having a child is a whole dynamic I never thought of, and it could potentially change my life a lot, but I think it’s something I can accept and be totally fine with. However, him keeping a secret of this magnitude from me has me wondering if he is as trustworthy as I believed, and it makes me wonder if there are other things he would keep from me. I feel like he doesn’t trust me. Like I don’t matter enough for him to take an emotional risk for me.”

  “Okay. Now you’re making sense. I was worried about you at first when you called. I think you need some time to process and then hopefully you can talk it over with Scott and find out more about his reasons for keeping the truth from you.”

  Her friend was wise, Kylie acknowledged, feeling a bit guilty that she had just taken off from Scott’s house without so much as a goodbye.

  It was just that his lack of transparency had touched on some insecurities deeply stowed within Kylie. It had been years since she had felt serious self-doubts, and she hadn’t missed the feeling.

  She looked out the window in time to see fireworks explode across the skyscape. Fear thudded in her chest. Had her relationship with Scott exploded? She hoped not. She hoped so. She didn’t even know what to hope.

  Chapter Nine

  “For some reason, I didn’t think you were coming back until tomorrow.” Alex looked at her quizzically when he walked into the office and found Kylie at her desk.

  “I wasn’t. I came back early.”

  “Oh?” His eyes lingered on her, but she ignored him, clicking through her inbox to delete the messages she knew were merely subscriptions. She didn’t have time to keep up with everything. She had a propensity to sign up for anything PR-related and then regretted the flood into her inbox.

  “If you need to talk…” she vaguely heard Alex say, and she nodded her head absently. Scott had stopped tr
ying to call her around ten o’clock the previous evening. This morning she had awoken to a video message he had left late last night. He’d looked exhausted and upset as he apologized again and asked her to please talk to him. She would. Just not yet. But she had the decency to write him a quick text, thanking him for the message, and let him know she would be ready to talk tonight.

  That part was a lie. That she’d be ready. But she’d talk anyway.

  She tried to keep herself from spacing out during work, hoping the routine tasks would pull her out of her funk, but it was a lost cause. When Alex found her staring out the window for the third time before lunch, he gently pushed her by the shoulders to the chair in front of his massive desk and took his own seat, lounging back comfortably.

  “What’s going on, Ky? In general, you are a rather subdued person, but this extreme doesn’t seem like you. Please tell me what happened.”

  When she met his eyes, she was surprised by the concern and compassion in her ex-boyfriend’s dark eyes.

  “I assume this has to do with Scott Ryan.”

  She pressed her lips together at his probing. What would talking to Alex accomplish? She really ought to hear Scott out before she sought the opinion of another.

  “I just want to help,” Alex’s deep voice rumbled. It was all she needed.

  “If you knew about Scott’s wife’s passing, then you must know he has a son.”

  “Aha.” Understanding dawned across his face. “He just told you.”

  “No, not really.” She shook her head with bewilderment, wondering for the thousandth time why he hadn’t thought to tell her. “I figured it out myself. He never even told me. I confronted him, and he admitted it, but he still didn’t explain anything. Why does he keep it a secret? Why is Joseph living with his friends? Why didn’t he tell me?”