Saved by the Billionaire
Page 11
“Yes. And I’ve been communicating with my investigator on the ground there. With the information he has, combined with these confessions, we have enough to prove that Derrick is the mastermind of this whole kidnapping scheme. And that my dear, means that we can convince the court to terminate his parental rights. So, as soon as my legal team can make it happen, I will be able to adopt Aiden. I’m torn between wanting to give Derrick the thrashing he deserves and sending him a thank-you note. If he hadn’t been so stupid, he would have had a much stronger case than we did.”
“Why do you think he did it?”
“Once he knew we were in international waters, he no doubt thought that we would keep Aiden away from him by keeping him out of the country.”
Kara thought this all over and knew that Warren had to be right. But as soon as that was settled in her mind, a much more pressing question arose. “Warren?”
“Yes?”
“You want to adopt Aiden, right?”
He smiled. “Nothing would make me happier. I’ve become very attached to that little boy in the last few days. And I might be a little conceited, but I think he’s attached to me too.”
Kara laughed. “He is!”
“Now, to finish our conversation, I believe you were telling me how much I need you.”
Kara looked up at him and rolled her eyes. “You know very well you do.” Warren pulled her into his arms, making it hard for her to focus. “Don’t try to deny that you’re madly in love with me.”
Warren grinned. “Okay, I won’t. I’ve been madly in love with you for years.”
“Years? What the heck? Do you mean that I spent all that time believing I didn’t have a chance with you when I actually did!” She glared at him. “Warren Xavier Drake! Do you know that I only fell for Derrick because he was the closest thing I could find to you?”
His mouth dropped open “Are you serious? That guy?”
“Well, obviously I was completely wrong about that, but he looked the part. Kind of. He was good-looking and rich and confident and powerful. I just didn’t know he was missing all your other qualities—the ones that I actually loved.”
“Finally. I was hoping you’d get to the part where you say you love me too.”
Kara bit her lip, determined that she wasn’t going to laugh at a time like this. “You know I love you. And I’ll have you know that it has nothing to do with trauma or being vulnerable. But all those things made me realize like never before how truly good you are—how I would give anything to just spend the rest of my life with someone who wanted me and respected me and would never betray me.”
“You don’t have to give anything to have me,” Warren said. “I’m already yours.”
He bent to kiss her, and thinking it was about time, she raised up on her tiptoes and gave him the kiss she’d been holding back since the hot tub fiasco. But as ardently as she kissed him, she was still swept away by the consuming intensity of his. Never had she experienced a kiss that was at once so passionate and so deeply emotional. All the fears and terrors from this morning, the ones of losing her chance at happiness, came back to her mind. Overwhelmed with gratitude to be here, in his arms, safe and finally free to be his, she gasped and pulled back just so she could see his face.
“Kara?”
She didn’t have words for what had flooded her heart and soul. Instead, she asked the last question haunting her mind. “So, we’re doing this then?”
Warren’s eyebrows rose, and he grinned. “Well, that was certainly my intention.” He kissed the end of her nose.
She blushed, not because she was averse to the idea but because that wasn’t what she meant. “No. I mean, yes…but, I mean—I just need to hear you say that this is a real marriage now. The lifelong kind, not a temporary one, right?”
“This might come as a surprise to you, but I never intended this to be temporary. For me, when I said I do, I meant it to last forever.”
Kara’s eyes flooded with tears, and her throat tightened. “I wanted it to be, I just never dreamed it could be.”
Warren smiled, and then grew solemn. “Kara Drake, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband from this day forward, so long as you both shall live?”
Kara gave a watery chuckle. “I do.”
“Excellent,” he said, his eyes glinting down at her. “I’m calling for a redo on what had to be the absolute worst wedding night any man has ever suffered.”
“But this isn’t our ship and it’s the middle of the afternoon and I probably look terrible—”
“Do you know what I see when I look at you?”
“What?”
“I see your delicate skin glowing with health, your eyes sparkling and free of shadows, your head held high…and best of all, I see your smile. Nothing has ever been more beautiful to me.”
As his words sank into her heart and filled her soul with sunshine, she at last allowed herself to believe in happily-ever-afters.
Epilogue
Six months after returning home to L.A. after the eventful trip to Cabo, Warren had a hard time believing they were actually here, in a courtroom, about to finally make their family official. He held Aiden on his lap so he only had one arm free, but that was all he needed to pull Kara against him on the wooden bench and hug her close.
The judge looked up from the paperwork in front of him and glanced around the courtroom. “Well, you’ve had a lot of people come out to be with you today, haven’t you? And I’m going to try to get an autograph from most of them, or at least shake hands in some cases.”
Warren chuckled and looked back over his shoulder at Kara’s parents, Chris and Veronica Sanderson, Prince Alexios, and several other celebrities. Emmeline was there too, of course, along with her whole family, as well as Mrs. Garth, Abe, Ronin, and Captain Fitch. His throat tightened as he looked around at all their friends and family, many of whom they wouldn’t be here without.
“Now, how about if someone brings that baby up here to see me so I can ask his approval?” The judge’s eyes twinkled as Kara took Aiden from Warren and took him up front. “There now,” he said, “How about if you hold the gavel, young man. Now, what do you think about this guy, Mr. Drake being your dad?”
Warren waved at Aiden, who then grinned and reached the gavel toward him. “Da!” he announced, clear as a bell. The whole courtroom laughed.
“That’s good enough for me,” the judge said.
Excited by the reaction around him, Aiden started banging the wooden hammer with enthusiasm. At a year old, he was definitely capable of putting some force behind it, so Warren just hoped he didn’t decide to hit the judge with it.
“Wait a minute, son. I have a few things to say first.” The judge laughed and then went through all the legal process that would officially complete the adoption. He had just finished when Aiden whacked the gavel down with near perfect precision. The roar of laughter in the courtroom took all the attention away from Warren, which he was glad for so he had a minute to wipe his eyes.
“I think this calls for a picture,” the judge said. “What do you say?”
Warren took Kara’s hand and together they took Aiden back and held him between them for a picture. Then the judge invited the rest of the group to join them, giving Warren a moment to think about how fortunate he was to have a family like this.
Later that evening, after a celebratory party, Warren stood watching as Kara tucked a blanket around Aiden.
Hopefully, the boy would never suffer too much from the knowledge of what his biological father had done and been—or the fact that he had gone to prison for a whole litany of crimes Warren’s team had exposed. So had Aiden’s grandma, Mrs. Fenton. Determined that no one in that family would be free to threaten Aiden or Kara again, Warren had been relentless in bringing their whole crime network down. But he still worried about the future, when Aiden was old enough to learn about it all.
Would his love be enough to make up for all of it?
“You’ve
got that worried look on your face again,” Kara whispered, turning out the lamp and leading him out the door.
“I can’t help it.”
“It’s done, Warren. You’re his father legally now, and you have been filling that role for over half of his life. It’s time to just enjoy our future together.”
He smiled down at her. “How do you feel, now that it’s all official?”
Holding his hand and swinging it back and forth as they walked back to their room, Kara let out a deep, satisfied sigh. “I admit that I’m exhausted, but there is a peace inside me that I’ve never had before. And I can never thank you enough for that.”
He shut their bedroom door behind them and kicked off his shoes. He tossed his wallet onto the dresser and took off his tie and cufflinks. As he unbuttoned his shirt, he turned and saw that instead of undressing, Kara had gone out onto the balcony.
Going towards her, he put his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. They didn’t speak, just stood there in the quiet with the cool breeze sweeping over them.
“Warren?”
“Yes?”
“I didn’t want anything to detract from Aiden’s special day, so I haven’t said anything, but I think it’s time now.”
“Time for what?” She took his hands and moved them down from her sides to her waist. “Are you saying you want to have a baby? Because, I’m not going to argue about that at all.”
She laughed. “It’s a good thing too. I hate to disappoint you, but no further action is required on your part. We already are.”
“What?” He turned her to face him. “Really?”
She nodded, grinning up at him. “Really.”
“Huh!” He let the thought of it sink in. He grinned as a wave of excitement washed over him. “I don’t even know what to do.” He picked her up and swung her around. “This is amazing. Is that why you’ve been looking so tired and sort of green the last week or so?”
“Thanks a lot.” She pushed at him. “I thought I was hiding it pretty well.”
He cupped his hand around her face. “I notice everything about you. I just hadn’t thought of a diplomatic way to ask you why were looking a little, well, haggard.”
Kara rolled her eyes and stepped around him to go inside.
He couldn’t help but smile as he went after her. Teasing Kara was way too much fun. “In fact, I think you should go to bed right away.” He took her hand and led her over to the edge of it and then took her in his arms. “And I’m going to have to keep you there all morning, just to make sure you get plenty of rest.”
She laughed and put her arms around his neck. “You know, for a guy as good at business as you are, you are totally transparent.”
He dipped his head and kissed her, pouring all of his joy and love into it. He pulled back slowly, watching as her eyes slowly fluttered open. “I’m not trying very hard to conceal my true motives. And you know I can’t get enough of you, love—not even close.”
***
Don’t miss the first book in
The Rich and Famous Romance Series
Saved by the Rockstar
Coming Next: Read Alexios’s story in “Saved by the Prince”
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Also try The Trouble with Billionaires
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my family, as always, for their love and support.
Thanks to my critique partners, Amy Meyer, Victorine Lieske, and Judy Corry.
I love working with all of you, staying up late with you, and podcasting with you. (Even though my phone pings a lot.) Also, thanks for another great cover, Victorine!
Special thanks to my editors Cara Seger, Arielle Bailey, LeNore P Merritt, and Tabitha Kocsis
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