“Hi I’m Deborah. Not to rush you but we need to get you changed.” She walked into my apartment and grabbed the phone from my hand. “Fifteen minutes,” she said into the phone before hanging up. “We don’t have a lot of time. Put this on.”
She handed me a dress bag I didn’t notice she had slung over her shoulder, then gently pushed me. It was what I needed. Shocked by everything, my legs had been glued to the floor.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Deborah. Jeez, Drake didn’t mention you were slow,” she said with a crooked smile. “I’m Ashley’s assistant at the museum. I’ll explain everything as you change.”
Nodding, I brought her to my bedroom. I laid the bag on the bed and she immediately picked it up, unzipped it and pulled out an emerald green organza dress and hung it from the closet door. From a small train case she pulled out a measuring tape.
“Can you explain now?” I asked.
She started measuring me quickly. “Drake came into the museum earlier in the week. He has been quite the asshole lately, I’m not going to lie.” She made a face as she measured my length.
“What is it?”
“He described you as about my size but around Ashley’s height. You’re taller which is fine. I didn’t finish the hem but it’ll take me a little longer now because I banked on her height so now I need to redo it.”
“Sorry.”
“No, he’s the idiot. You’re like a goddess you’re so freaking tall.” She laughed. “Anyway, I lost my cool with him and the next thing I know he’s telling me everything. And I mean everything. Just spilling his guts.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Completely opened up. Happens to me a lot. No idea why.” She stood up, done with her measurements and dropped the tape back into her bag. “Anyway he was really upset that you want nothing to do with him. Blah blah you’re pregnant blah blah. You get the idea. So I told him to grow a pair and do something about it. Told him to take what he wants and that I’d help him out.” She shrugged and handed me the dress. “Put it on.” She turned around and dug into her bag again.
I quickly put the dress on. It was a soft smooth material. The dress was empire waist and sleeveless. She wasn’t kidding when she said the word goddess. If the dress was white it would’ve looked like something worn by a Greek goddess. I loved it.
“Ok, it’s on.”
She spun around and began reworking the seams of the dress. She fitted the high empire waist over my small belly bump, disguising it. Then adjusted the straps. Lastly she knelt on the floor as she fixed the bottom hem.
“It’s not perfect but it looks good on you. That is definitely your color. Matches your eyes. At least he got that right,” she said and grinned.
Once she was done I quickly let my hair loose and shook my curls so they untangled and put on a little lip gloss and mascara.
“Sorry, we took longer than fifteen minutes.”
“Oh I knew we would, but every woman should be fashionably late,” she said. “You look beautiful. Go enjoy yourself and don’t make me have to show up here again.” She smiled and gave me a quick hug before we left the apartment.
Deborah hopped into a taxi and waved before it sped away. Drake stood outside the limo looking like a movie star on the red carpet. His tux was perfectly tailored, his dirty blond hair slicked back from his forehead. The shirt collar was open at the top and he didn’t wear a tie. A huge smile spread across his face as he looked at me.
“You’re gorgeous,” he said.
Taking my hand, his kissed my cheek and opened the door to the limo for me to get in. The car smoothly made its way through the streets and I looked down at his hand, still holding mine, and noticed a smudge of pale green paint by his thumb.
“Were you painting?”
He looked at his hand, embarrassed. “I thought I got it all. I saw a few areas that needed touch-up as I was leaving. You do like Italian, right? I remember you saying something once.”
“Yes, it’s my favorite,” I looked at him, trying to figure him out. “You’re acting so weird. What’s going on?”
He didn’t answer. I turned to look out the window and noticed we were on the canyon road heading towards the beach. The sun was just beginning to set, giving the mountains a soft golden glow.
My head spun. Looking down at the dress I couldn’t believe the trouble he went through. I was speechless. Never in a million years did I ever think Drake Winslow would ever do something special for me.
I thought back to all the years I had a crush on him. How I never thought he’d look at me as anything more than some bratty kid with freckles and wished I had a time machine to go back to tell myself to be patient and not so damned stubborn.
The limo stopped. I looked out the window and started laughing when I saw we were on a residential street that ran along the ocean.
“Are you kidding me? This isn’t a restaurant. This is your house!”
The chauffeur opened Drake’s door and once he was out of the car, Drake helped me out. He still didn’t say a word and I began to feel my temper gurgle. I convinced myself to be patient as he brought me into his home.
The aromas from the kitchen were the first thing that struck me. A mixture of garlic, tomato, and cheese filled the air. From the small kitchen a large man in his chef whites stepped out of the kitchen. I recognized him immediately. It was Chef Andolini, one of my idols.
“Dinner is almost ready. I’ve taken the liberty of creating an antipasto for you two to enjoy,” he said in a thick Italian accent I recognized from watching his shows.
I turned to Drake. “Now I’m impressed.”
“There’s more. He’s agreed to stay after dinner and answer any questions you have. If you want he’ll even give you a lesson.”
“That’s incredible! I…I don’t know what to say. I don’t even know how you knew.”
“Come with me.”
He led me upstairs and just when I expected him to take me to his bedroom, he surprised me by stopping in front of a door I didn’t notice the night I snuck out of his house.
He took a deep breath and opened the door. Still holding my hand, we stepped inside. I was blown away.
Drake started to create a nursery. Looking around I recognized the pale green on the walls from what was on his hands. I couldn’t believe he painted it himself.
In the corner of the room stood the only piece of furniture, an old wooden crib with ornate carvings. It looked recently stained. I walked over and touched it.
“This is amazing. It’s stunning. Is it an antique? Where did you get it?”
“From my parents. It was my crib. I wanted our child to use it too.”
I was touched that he put so much time and thought into this. Just the fact that he went through so much to surprise me. I understood why he didn’t call after the shower, he was just a little bit busy.
“I know we haven’t technically dated but we know each other,” he said. “I’m confident we can make this work. I’ve never felt so strongly about anyone before. I love you, Sam. I want you to move in as soon as you’re ready. I want us to start a life together.”
Speechless I smiled at him, feeling like the love sick puppy I was as a kid again. I was sure I looked like an idiot with the dumb grin on my face, but I didn’t care. He smiled softly at me and then wrapped his arms around me, engulfing me in his warmth.
For the first time I didn’t think about pushing him away or if he was full of crap or planning to use me. I knew Drake was sincere. Deep down I knew he loved me. Closing my arms tightly around him, I finally relaxed. I was where I was meant to be. I was home.
“I love you too, Drake. I always have.”
Epilogue
Ashley
The room was dark when I woke. I felt more rested than I had in a while and that made me worry. Something’s not right. I wasn’t used to waking up on my own.
Since Jacob had been born eight weeks ago, I consistently woke at 5:00 am each day just be
fore he wanted his first feeding. I squinted and rubbed my eyes as I looked at the amber glow of the digital clock. 5:10 am. That can’t be right.
I leaned over to peek into the bassinet Jacob slept in beside our bed and my stomach dropped. A tightness seized my chest and I couldn’t breathe. The baby was gone!
Sitting up, I looked over at Xander’s side of the bed to wake him. He was missing too. Could Jacob have woken up without my hearing him?
I smoothed down my purple knit teddy which hit about mid-thigh, and headed down the hall. As I approached the circular study I saw the gentle glow of the sun rising begin to lighten the room.
It brought me back to my days working for Xander. My mornings started by watching the sun rise up from behind the trees that lined The Manor’s enormous property. The study hadn’t changed since then. The oversized armchair still sat in the middle of the room facing the rear dome-shaped window.
As I focused on the armchair I saw Xander, his head tilted to one side as he looked at Jacob. He laid in Xander’s arms asleep with the sweetest smile on his angelic face.
Xander held him with his blue and yellow duckie blanket wrapped loosely around him. His small chubby arms stuck out from the blankets, showing the pale blue sleeves of his sleeper. His tiny hands laid over the blanket with his fingers sticking straight out. Beside Xander, between the chair and his thigh, was an empty bottle.
I walked over quietly, not wanting to wake Jacob. As I approached Xander looked up and smiled.
“I heard him fidget a little and wanted to let you sleep,” he whispered, his voice husky yet soft.
“You didn’t have to. I know you’ve been busy working with all those new investors wanting to do business with you. Plus we have Drake and Samantha’s wedding later.”
“The investors aren’t important. They’ll always be there. This is fleeting. We’ll never get this time back and before we know it he’ll be too big to wrap in a blanket. I’d give it all up just to be here with the two if you.”
My eyes filled with tears and I turned away embarrassed that I was still so emotional. I heard Jacob begin to fidget and turned back to catch him let out a big yawn.
“He’s just like his mommy. Wakes up on time to watch the sunrise,” Xander whispered. “Are you going to join us?”
Opening his arms, he easily held the baby in one arm as he grabbed my hand with the other. I curled up on his lap and then took Jacob from him. As I held him he nestled into me and fell back into a deep sleep as Xander wrapped his strong arms around us.
Resting my head on Xander’s shoulder, we watched as the sky slowly lightened from deep purple to blue as the sun made its way up from behind the trees. So many mornings the sunrise brought me comfort of what my new life could be.
Now the sun began the first of many new days with my perfect family. Yes, I married a billionaire. Yes, my life completely changed from what I ever dreamed it would be, but that was only because I never dared to dream I would find the kind of love Xander and I shared or that that love could create anything as extraordinary as our son.
Our happiness had nothing to do with our wealth. It was about each other. Xander’s beard softly scratched my forehead as he kissed the top of my head and stroked my hair. I knew I was smiling. I couldn’t remember the last time I didn’t smile. My life was perfect and nothing would ever change that.
The End
Thank you so much for all your support with His Every Whim. It means a lot to me!
The world of His Every Whim will continue in June as we follow Deborah’s pursuit of her dream in fashion and the mysterious alpha male client she can’t get her mind off of.
Author’s Note
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xoxo,
Liliana
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Choosing Him #3 & full series
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About The Author
Liliana Rhodes writes romance with fun, engaging characters. Blessed with an over active imagination, she is always writing and plotting her next stories. She enjoys movies, reading, and listening to music. Liliana lives on the east coast with her husband, son, two dogs who are treated better than some people, and two parrots who plan to take over the world.
Copyright
His True Fortune
Copyright © 2013 by Jaded Speck Publishing
Cover by Liliana Rhodes
Photography: ©Depositphotos / danielkrol85
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Table of Contents
His True Fortune
Author’s Note
Liliana’s Links
About The Author
Copyright
His True Fortune - His Every Whim, Part 4 (BBW Billionaire Erotic Romance Novella) (Billionaire Romance) Page 6
