Her Big Fat Dreamy Billionaire Ex (Billionaire Series Book 4)

by Victorine E. Lieske

  Aiden exhaled and tapped his leg. Maybe she was telling the truth. There was no bravado left in Brittany. She looked like a completely different person. She looked...dare he say...normal. “Some temp agencies have aptitude tests you can take to see where you might be a good fit. Maybe try a temp agency for a while.”

  Felicity brightened. “See? I knew he’d have a good suggestion.”

  Brittany twisted in her chair. “What’s a temp agency?”

  “Some businesses hire them for jobs that aren’t permanent. But you can find great work through a temp agency, and sometimes if the business likes your work, they will hire you on permanently.” Felicity nodded her encouragement. “I think you could get hired.”

  Brittany smiled, and for the first time, Aiden didn’t get the impression she was forcing it. “Okay. I’ll give that a try.”

  They sat silent for a few moments, looking at the ocean waves. Brittany squirmed a bit then stood up. “Hey, thank you for the help. I feel awkward being here. I’m sorry for coming here and being weird. I shouldn’t stay and bother you guys anymore. I’m going to try to get an early flight out.”

  Aiden stared at her. Was she sincere? It was difficult to swallow after what had happened earlier. Felicity stood up and gave Brittany a hug. “You can do this. I know you can.”

  Brittany sniffed and nodded. “Thanks.”

  After she left, Aiden squinted at Felicity. “You think she really is penniless?”

  Felicity seemed contemplative. “Yes. I do.”

  “So, you think she kissed me today because she was desperate?”

  Felicity’s gaze snapped to his. “She kissed you?”

  Oh. He hadn’t told her that part, had he? Oops. Now he had to confess. Aiden nodded and shifted in his chair. “Yeah. Right before you joined us in the cave.”

  Her gaze softened. “Well, you’re right. She was desperate. She was running out of money and didn’t know what to do. She just wasn’t thinking straight.”

  “I hope so. I’d hate to think she’s planning some other scheme.”

  A look crossed Felicity’s face, like she was considering it. “I really don’t think so. What could be gained by asking us where she could work?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe she was trying to get me to hire her.”

  Felicity slowly shook her head. “I don’t think so. She seemed genuinely happy with the temp agency suggestion.”

  “You’re right. And if she really leaves, I guess we’ll know for certain.” Aiden breathed in the night air, content to let the conversation end.

  Silence settled in between them, but it wasn’t strained. He glanced at Felicity, her face lit up by the full moon. “It’s a peaceful evening.”

  “Yes. I don’t know how you stand it here.” She grinned at him and he laughed.

  “I know. Such a rough place to live.”

  She reached out and took another cookie from Gram’s plate. “This really is the life.”

  She was right, but even living on a resort in Belize was empty without her. Aiden winced. Why was he allowing a thought like that to creep in?

  He must have let the time spent pretending to be in a relationship with Felicity get to him. Holding her. Kissing her. It all felt too real. Like he really did love her.

  Pain washed through him as he realized the truth. He did love her. He’d always loved her.

  He heard a bark and sat up, letting the sound interrupt his thoughts. A little white dog came running along the beach toward them. “Mabel?”

  A series of barks answered him and he whistled. “Come here, girl.”

  Mabel scampered up the steps to the deck and he lifted her to his lap. “What are you doing out this late at night?”

  “We were just going for a walk.” Grams’s voice came from the beach and Aiden could now see her dark figure.

  “Come join us, Grams,” Felicity called.

  “Oh, I don’t want to be a bother.” But she kept walking toward them anyway.

  Aiden chuckled and shook his head. Grams was not very subtle, was she? “Come on. We were just enjoying the night. You can eat one of your cookies.”

  Grams came up the steps but didn’t sit down. “Did you like them?”

  “Delicious as always, Phoebe,” Felicity said.

  “I’m headed toward the supply shed. I want to transplant my orchids in the morning, so I’ll need a trowel and gloves, and maybe a few other things.”

  Aiden squinted at her. “Why are you doing that?”

  She put her hands on her hips. “Because I’m a woman and I want to have flowers on the other side of my villa. Is that terrible?”

  Felicity giggled and tucked her legs under her. “You should be able to have flowers wherever you want them, Grams.”

  “See? This one understands.” Grams pointed to Felicity. “It’s my prerogative.”

  “All right. Go ahead. But we do have a gardener for that kind of thing.” Mabel squirmed and he let her down onto the deck. She walked to Grams, her nails clicking on the wood.

  “I want to do this myself.” Grams paused for a minute then scratched her chin. “You guys wouldn’t be available to help me gather up the tools, would you? Some of them are hung quite high. I’m not sure I can reach.”

  Felicity stood and moved her deck chair back to the table. “Sure, we can help.”

  Aiden wasn’t sure what Grams was up to, but he joined Felicity. “No problem. We were done out here anyway. After we gather the tools, we can call it a night.”

  Grams nodded, a strange look on her face. “Thank you.”

  Mabel followed after them as they headed toward the supply shed. “I appreciate the help,” Grams said. “I know it sounds silly, but I just want to get everything ready so I can start on this project in the morning.”

  “We don’t mind.” Felicity glanced at him and he shrugged his agreement.

  “Did you enjoy the cave tour, Felicity?”

  Felicity’s eyes flashed. “It was fantastic. There’s a fully preserved skeleton down there, from when the people used to perform human sacrifices. The guide showed us how you can tell it was a woman. It was fascinating to hear about.”

  “I’ve never taken the tour, I think if I went down there, I’d end up like that skeleton. But Aiden told me all about it the last time he went. Did you get any pictures?”

  “I didn’t take my camera because of the water. And I thought since it wasn’t an excursion from the resort, I didn’t need to.” Felicity got a worried expression on her face. “You didn’t need any, did you?”

  Grams shook her head. “No, you’re right. I just thought maybe you had taken some for yourself.”

  “I didn’t want my camera to get wet.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  As they approached the shed, Grams pointed to the door. “I think all the supplies I need are high on the back wall.”

  Aiden opened the door, but it was pitch black inside. There was no light in there, just a small window, but it barely brought in anything. He took a step in and waited for his eyes to adjust.

  “You’ll have to go in further,” Grams said.

  Felicity walked in past him and turned on the flashlight on her phone. The light reflected off the metal tools. “Which ones did you want?”

  Grams gave Aiden a strong shove and he stumbled into Felicity’s back. “Hey—”

  The door slammed shut and the lock clicked. Stunned, he just stared at the back of the door. “Grams?” he called.

  “I’m not letting you out until you two have talked,” she said, her voice muffled through the door. Mabel barked outside.

  Felicity’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “I know you two aren’t really back together. You need to work through some things. I’ll be back in the morning.”

  Aiden’s shock turned into panic, and he pounded on the door. “Grams! Let us out!”

  When she didn’t answer, and Mabel’s barking faded away, he pounded harder. “Grams!”

&n
bsp; Felicity grabbed his arm. “Just hold on. Let’s see if we can reason with her.”

  “What do you mean? She’s locked us in the supply shed.” He wanted to bust the door down and take Grams in to a mental hospital. What in the world was wrong with her?

  Sure, they’d pretended the relationship, but what gave Grams the idea that locking them in the shed was a good plan? She was mental.

  Felicity calmly swiped her finger over her phone and then put it up to her ear. “Just hold on. I’ll talk to her.”

  The light from the back of her phone shone bright on the shelves beside them. Felicity waited a minute before saying, “Hey, Grams. What’s up?”

  She nodded and listened for a moment. “Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Aiden and I have talked.”

  Felicity nodded at something Grams was saying. “Right. But we’ve worked through all that.”

  Then her face fell. “Well...I, uh...”

  Grams spoke again and Aiden strained to hear what she was saying, but he couldn’t make out any words. Finally, Felicity’s shoulders slumped. “Are you really going to make us spend the night in a shed?”

  Whatever Grams was saying made Felicity blink, and it looked like she was getting emotional. “Grams. Please,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.

  But then she took the phone away from her ear and shook her head. “She’s not going to let us out. Not until morning.”

  “Then I’ll get someone else’s attention.” He banged on the door again. “Help! We’re stuck in here!”

  Felicity put her hand on his arm, and he stopped. She shook her head. “It won’t do any good. No one will hear you. It’s late enough, everyone is in their villas for the night.”

  She was right, but Aiden felt helpless just giving up. He gave one last pound on the door. “This is stupid.”

  Felicity shined her flashlight around the space. “Grams said she put two sleeping bags and a set of pillows in here.” The light rested on a shelf in the corner. “There they are.”

  Aiden stared at her phone. Duh. She had a cell phone. What was he thinking? “Give me your phone. I’ll call Derrick.”

  Felicity frowned at him. “Grams said that would be pointless, but go ahead. Maybe you can convince him to let us out.” She handed over her phone then reached to pull down the sleeping bags.

  He dialed his resort manager’s number and pressed send. When Derrick answered, he smiled. “Hey, I’m so glad you picked up. Sorry for calling this late, but I seem to have locked myself in the supply shed. Could you come let me out?”

  Derrick chuckled. “Yeah, I know all about your plan, and it won’t work. Phoebe warned me about it.”

  He blinked. “What plan? I just need to be let out.”

  “Right.” He laughed. “You’re not getting me on this one.”

  Great. “What did Phoebe say? Because she’s locked me in the supply closet with Felicity and has some crazy idea about—”

  “Wait, I thought you said you locked yourself in. You have to keep your story straight if you’re going to get anyone to believe you.”

  Aiden pinched the bridge of his nose. “Derrick, this is not a practical joke. I swear. Just come let me out.”

  “Nice try. See you tomorrow.” The phone went silent and Aiden swore.

  Felicity gently took the phone away from him. “Sit down.”

  He noticed she’d spread out the sleeping bags and pillows on the floor. The shed was small, but there was enough room for both of them to lay down. Aiden frowned, not ready to give up just yet. “Let me call Derrick back. Maybe if I explain the whole thing...”

  Felicity shook her head. “You’re not going to win this one.”

  He looked up at the window. “Maybe if I lift you up, you can get through the window.”

  She gave him a flat look. “I couldn’t even squeeze my head through that. Let’s just sit down and talk, like Phoebe wants.”

  “Wait, what?” He pulled his eyebrows together. “What did Grams say to you?”

  Felicity tugged on his arm until he gave in and sat on his sleeping bag. She crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap. “Grams knows we aren’t really together.”

  “That’s what she thinks. But if we—”

  “If we what? Lie some more? Aiden, this isn’t working. Grams wants us to talk this through. And she does have a point. We’ve never fully dealt with any of this.” Felicity broke her gaze and stared at the floor. “I should probably tell you about the day I left.”

  Chapter 21

  Felicity stared at her hands, the light from her phone casting odd shadows around them. She felt exposed with the brightness of it, so she dimmed the light. It softened the space between them. Made her feel more comfortable.

  “What do you mean?” Aiden asked, his voice low.

  What did she mean? She bit her lip, trying to find the right words. “Grams wants me to tell you. Everything.”

  “About the day you left? What more is there to tell? I was late, and you got mad and left. I called. You didn’t answer. That’s pretty much it, right?”

  His words felt like a slap to her, but she shoved aside the annoyance, knowing if she didn’t talk to him, Grams would never let them be. “It was more than that,” she said quietly.

  In the soft glow from her phone, she could see Aiden lean closer. “Okay. Then tell me. What else was it?”

  Felicity suddenly got cold feet and started picking at a loose thread on her sleeping bag. The whole thing was embarrassing enough. Did she really have to tell Aiden about it?

  He reached over and placed his hand on hers. The warmth of his skin penetrated through her and she made the mistake of looking into his eyes. “Tell me,” he urged.

  She took in a deep breath and sighed. “You probably already know I asked Grams to be there at the courthouse.”

  “Yes. She told me she was there.”

  Felicity resisted the urge to pull her hand back from him. “I asked her not to tell you anything else. I didn’t want you to feel bad because of what happened.”

  “Why? What happened?” His voice seemed strained. Anxious.

  She swallowed back the emotion threatening to fill her eyes with tears. She had to go through with this. Grams wouldn’t let her back out. If she didn’t spill, Grams would just find another way to force them together, and she didn’t want to think of what she might do next.

  “That day...you had planned a surprise for me. Well, I had planned a surprise for you as well.”

  Aiden got a worried look on his face. “You did?”

  “Yes. I know we’d decided to elope, but I didn’t want us to regret that decision years down the line. I didn’t want us to think back on that day and wish we’d had some family there. Or some pictures of the event.”

  His brows furrowed. “You hired a photographer?”

  She couldn’t stand the tingles from the physical contact any longer and withdrew her hand. “Yes. And Dad was there. And my Aunt Lia.”

  Aiden sucked in a breath. “What? You flew Lia in?”

  She blinked, the memories from that day coming back and choking her. Shaming her. But she had to push through and tell him. “And I bought a dress.”

  Aiden stared at her, his mouth hanging open. “A dress?” he said, his voice sounding a little strangled.

  Thinking about the mermaid cut dress with the lacy overlay made it hard for her to breathe. It was perfect. And it had cost her almost a thousand dollars. She didn’t want to admit it, but she still had it hanging in her closet. She stuffed it in the back so she wouldn’t get emotional every time she opened the door. “Yes,” she said, the word barely audible.

  Guilt flashed across Aiden’s features and his shoulders slumped. “Oh, no.”

  Felicity tried to get herself under control, but seeing Aiden look so pained made her get choked up even more, and her vision blurred. She blinked and a tear ran down her cheek.

  Aiden reached out and wiped it with the pad of his thumb, his warm finger
s wrapping around to the back of her neck. “I’m so sorry, Felicity.”

  She involuntarily snuggled into the palm of his hand, the familiar touch sending cascades of energy through her. He moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. She melted into him.

  “Don’t cry. Please. You’re ripping my heart out.” He pressed his lips to her forehead and her heart began beating an erratic rhythm.

  She breathed in the smell of his freshly laundered shirt mixed with the scent that only belonged to Aiden, and all the old feelings surged in her. This was what had made her feel complete. And this is what she’d lost all those years ago.

  “I thought it was no big deal,” he whispered, his breath hot on her forehead. “Meet at the courthouse and fill out paperwork. We’d been engaged for a year and were no closer to planning a wedding. It just seemed like the best idea. I’m so sorry I...”

  His voice cracked and Felicity closed her eyes. Aiden pressed his cheek to hers and she felt his tears mix with her own. “I didn’t mean to leave you like that. Waiting for me. In a wedding dress.”

  She pulled away and placed her hands on his cheeks. “I know.”

  He stared at her, an expression on his face she couldn’t quite identify. “If I had known—”

  She put a finger to his lips to silence him. “It happened. We can’t change it. But we can learn from it.”

  He swallowed and she let her hands fall, his gaze intense. “You’re right.”

  She squirmed under his scrutiny and finally pulled away from him. She stretched out on her back and laid down on top of the sleeping bag. She set her phone on the floor beside her. “I’ll tell Grams tomorrow that we talked. Really talked. I think she’ll finally be appeased.”

  Aiden followed her lead and laid back as well. He turned to her and rested his head on his hand, his elbow on the floor. “Why did it take you so long to tell me about that?”

  She looked up at the rafters above them. “I was hurt. And I didn’t want you to explain it all away. I finally saw our relationship for what it was.”

  He paused before saying, “And what’s that?”

  She swallowed, unsure if she wanted to say it out loud. She didn’t want to hurt Aiden, but she had to be honest. “Poisonous,” she whispered.