Billionaire's Best Woman - A Standalone Novel (A Billionaire Wedding Romance Love Story) (Billionaires - Book #5)

by Claire Adams

  As much as I was anxious to get this over and done with, I stopped home to quickly shower and change. Even though I wasn’t on the beach that much, I hated the feeling of sea salt on my body when it dried. Rachel wasn’t home yet, and I sent her a quick text to see what she’d been up to. By the time I left, she still hadn’t texted me back. I called her and she picked up on the last ring.

  “What is it, Parker? I’m about to get my nails painted.”

  “Oh, sorry, I wanted to see how your day was going.”

  She sighed, sounding like a wind tunnel over the phone. “It’s going fine. I got my hair done this morning. It took way longer than anticipated so I had to pay for an extra hour. Then Ophelia was late for us getting our nails done so we had to wait fifteen minutes for side-by-side pedicure chairs.”

  “That sounds awful,” I said, smiling.

  “I hear you mocking me, Parker,” she said.

  “I’m not mocking you. You should try and relax and enjoy your day with your friends.”

  “I would if Holly would stop trying to make this wedding all about her. Apparently, her date can’t get Saturday off. Hello—that’s not my problem.”

  “Can she get someone else to come as her date?” I asked.

  “Parker, were you listening? It’s not my problem. She can show up with a date or not. I don’t care. It’s my day.”

  “Our day,” I corrected.

  “Sure, whatever.”

  “Okay, well I’ll leave you to get your nails done. I’m, um—getting something to eat right now.”

  “Not at the diner, right?” she asked.

  I hesitated. Why would she care if I went to the diner? I decided not to start something over the phone with her, especially being this close to the wedding. “No, I was thinking somewhere downtown.”

  “Good. I have to go.” Then her line went dead.

  On the way to the diner, I gathered my thoughts about what I’d say to Sienna. She could be stubborn, but if she knew how much I wanted to be with Rachel, then she’d have to drop the issue. I needed Sienna to be supportive of this. If she wasn’t then I knew I couldn’t be truly happy in my marriage, not knowing my best friend was against it to begin with.

  I arrived at the diner just before lunch time. I hoped that Sienna wasn’t too busy to talk to me. But from the looks of the empty parking lot, it seemed she wouldn’t have that excuse.

  I went in the front door, not wanting to encroach on her kitchen space. I knew the best way to talk to Sienna in these moods was to approach her on her own terms. When I entered the dining room, loud metal music was blaring from the kitchen.

  My stomach sank. I knew that Sienna hated that music. Shit. Sienna wasn’t around.

  “Hey, Parker!” Tony called out. He pushed through the double doors and came through to the dining room. He shook my hand. “Sienna isn’t here.”

  “I figured that. Does she have today off?”

  Tony inhaled sharply. “No, she skipped out earlier this morning after talking to the Lamontes.”

  “What happened?”

  Tony shrugged. “I dunno, man.”

  “Did she seem like she was in a bad mood?”

  Tony shook his head. “Not really. She seemed a little excited, actually.”

  “Huh.”

  “She told me you’re moving the wedding up to tomorrow.”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  Tony chewed on his lip for a minute.

  I knew Sienna probably told him about the supposed Rachel cheating on me thing. Since this alleged conversation took place in the diner, maybe Tony had even heard it himself. But as I knew he’d always side with her, I didn’t question him about it. I had to trust Rachel if we were going to have a strong marriage.

  “Congrats, man,” Tony said. “It’s a good thing we already did your bachelor party, huh?”

  My stomach lurched, remembering that night, for more reasons than one. “Yeah, I’m not sure I’d be too useful if that happened tonight.”

  Tony let out a big belly laugh. “And I certainly wouldn’t be able to attend. At least not without two strippers on my arm.” He winked at me.

  I knew that wouldn’t happen even if my bachelor party was tonight. Tony was Sienna’s date, and like hell would she allow herself to be replaced by strippers.

  “So, Sienna is at home?” I asked.

  “I think so. You should call to make sure.”

  “I’ll do that, thanks, Tony.”

  “Anytime, man. See you tomorrow and good luck with everything.”

  I nodded and left the way I came in. Other than me dragging Sienna out for wedding stuff, she rarely left work early. I wondered what the Lamontes had said to her, if anything. Maybe she had a doctor’s appointment that she didn’t want to tell Tony about. Woman stuff, or something like that.

  I hoped she was home, though. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to last without clearing the air between us.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Sienna

  After a rough night of non-sleep, I decided to go to work on Friday with a new outlook on life. My days of getting into Parker’s business were over. If he was going to make the biggest mistake of his life by marrying a gold-digging cheater, then that was his problem. Not mine.

  It was no surprise to see a lack of texts or phone calls from him. He didn’t believe me, and that was his fault. I’d tried my best, and now we were going to go through the motions of this wedding a day from now.

  When I arrived at Sunny’s, I wasn’t surprised to see Tony sitting on the back steps waiting for me. I got out of my car and strolled over to him with a big smile on my face.

  “What’s in your mouth?” I asked. He was chewing on something. I hoped he hadn’t switched to chewing tobacco. I was sure to give him shit about that, too.

  Tony held a toothpick in his hand and flicked it as if it were a cigarette. “I was sick and tired of you yelling at me.”

  “Aww,” I said and patted his cheek. “You really do care about living a full and happy life.”

  “I dunno about happy; cigarettes made me happy.”

  “Trust me, once your withdrawals are over, you will feel a million times better.”

  Tony stood up. “Yeah, yeah. What I’m craving right now is a stack of flapjacks.”

  “I can make that happen.” I preened at him. Him quitting had totally made my morning. And after the shit night I’d had, I needed a boost like this to get me through the day. I tried not to think about how hard it was going to be to get through tomorrow at Parker’s wedding. I shoved the thoughts away. I’d deal with that when it came up.

  I unlocked the door and we went inside. I hung my bag from the hook by the door.

  I shivered at the arctic temperature in the room. “Shit, did we leave the air conditioning on last night?”

  Tony went into the dining area and checked the thermostat. “Yup.”

  My head had been a mess after learning about Rachel cheating on Parker. I wondered what else I’d forgotten to do.

  “I’m sure when we start cooking it will heat up in here,” he said.

  I hoped so. It was warm outside, but not warm enough to warrant the chilly temperature in my restaurant.

  “So, did you talk to Parker?” Tony asked, coming back into the kitchen.

  I sighed. “I did.”

  “And?”’

  “And he didn’t believe me.”

  “What?”

  “I know! He said I was being jealous and I was stooping to a low level by accusing her of cheating.”

  “But you heard her friend,” Tony said.

  “And he’s choosing to ignore it,” I said.

  “I really find that hard to believe.”

  “Do you? He’s been dating her for a year. If he hasn’t wised up to her lies by now, then he’s a lost cause.”

  “You don’t really think that.”

  “What else am I supposed to think?” I asked, starting to get annoyed. Not with Tony, but the situat
ion as a whole.

  “Are you sure you tried to convince him? He doesn’t seem that blind.”

  “When it comes to Rachel, he is.”

  Tony grabbed the large carton of eggs from the refrigerator and I took the thick package of bacon.

  I headed over to my workstation. “Oh, and get this, he moved up the wedding to tomorrow.”

  Tony cracked an egg a little too hard over the side of the large metal mixing bowl. “Are you serious?”

  I nodded. “He said it was their idea, but I know it was hers. And conveniently it happened after I dropped by there.”

  “Sienna, you have to try and stop this,” Tony said. “He’s making a huge mistake.”

  “What else can I say?” I asked, turning to face him with my hand on my hip. “I told him what I heard, and he’s choosing to be an asshole about it.”

  “Well, I don’t know if it’s that easy,” Tony said, attempting to be the voice of reason.

  “If someone told me that my boyfriend was cheating on me, especially if it was Parker, I would at least investigate and not call him jealous.”

  “It’s pretty obvious you are jealous.”

  My jaw dropped. “No, I’m not!”

  He gave me a look.

  I let out a groan of frustration. “I’m done talking about this. Parker’s getting married tomorrow and I’m going to be his stupid best man, and then I’ll probably never see him again. And that’s that.”

  I turned away from Tony and I could feel his eyes on my back. I chose to move on and not be egged on by him anymore.

  Later that morning, my saving grace, the Lamontes, came in for breakfast. I handed over the reins to Tony and went into the dining area to greet them.

  Kenneth was a slow mover this morning but I accompanied them to their table. He groaned when he sat down, pulled his handkerchief from his pocket, and hacked into it.

  “Let me bring you some water with your coffee,” I said leaving them to retrieve the drinks.

  When I returned, they thanked me.

  “So what big plans are going on for you two today?”

  Harriet smiled. “Not much, dear. We have a few doctor’s appointments.”

  I stuck out my lower lip. “That doesn’t sound very fun.”

  “We’re going to Bingo tonight,” Kenneth said then hacked into his handkerchief.

  I slid the water closer to him and he nodded in thanks, taking a long swig of it before clearing his throat.

  “Speaking of fun,” Harriet said. “Any fun wedding plans this weekend?”

  “Actually, I’m attending a wedding.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful,” Harriet said, clasping her small, wrinkly hands together. “Whose?”

  “Parker’s.”

  Harriet’s thin eyebrows rose. “I thought that wasn’t for a little while?”

  “He and his fiancée decided to do it sooner rather than later.”

  Her shoulders dropped and she shook her head slowly. “I thought you’d have more time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Harriet looked up at me with her soulful eyes. “It’s obvious you care for Parker.”

  “He is my best friend,” I agreed.

  She gave me a knowing smile. “Everyone but you two can see that it’s more than that. The love you two share deep down only comes once in a lifetime.” Harriet reached across the table and took Kenneth’s hand.

  As much as I wanted to deny it, this was Harriet. She was the keenest older woman I’d ever met. Lying to her would be disrespectful. “I don’t want to lose him as a friend. I’d rather that than risk it.”

  “Darling,” Kenneth said. “If Parker gets married to someone else, you’re going to lose him, anyway. You might as well go out throwing punches.”

  I stared at him. He was absolutely right. My stomach churned with the thought of losing Parker for good. If I allowed this wedding to happen, I knew he’d be out of my life. I’d fought my way through my business but never my personal life. We were getting down to the wire, and I had a choice to make. Could I really do this? The only way to convince Parker to not get married was to tell him how I truly felt. The feelings that I kept locked away needed to be freed, no matter what the cost. I had nothing to lose since Parker had one foot out of the door of our relationship, anyway.

  “I’m sorry,” I said to the Lamontes. “But I have to go.”

  Harriet winked at me. “Good luck.”

  I squeezed her arm then kissed Kenneth on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  I pushed through the kitchen doors. “Tony, something just came up. I have to go.”

  “Okay?” he said.

  Before he could grill me, I grabbed my bag and keys and sprinted for the back door.

  On the way home, I tried to think of what I was going to say to Parker. I only had one shot at this, and I needed to plan accordingly.

  When I got home, the weight of the situation pressed on my body. What the hell did I think I was doing? Was I really going to try to break up a wedding? I knew deep down that Rachel was no good for Parker, but who was I to think I’d be the one for him? And who was I to say that he even thought of me that way? My confidence from Harriet started to fade. Then I did something I hadn’t done in years. I grabbed a pen and paper and started to write down my feelings. I knew I was going to burn the paper when I was done, like hell would I allow anyone to read it, but it helped organize my thoughts about Parker.

  The more I wrote, the more tingles fluttered through me with the knowledge that I was going to put it all out there for him. I found myself reaching for more pieces of paper and writing until my hand cramped.

  And when my doorbell rang, I nearly fell off the chair. I had zoned out my surroundings while I delved deeper into my thoughts about Parker.

  “Coming!” I said and went over to the door.

  I opened it and sucked in a breath when I saw Parker standing in my doorway.

  “Hi,” I said, frozen to my spot.

  “Hi,” he said and scratched his chin. “I went to the diner, but you weren’t there.”

  “I’m here,” I said.

  He chuckled. “Obviously. Can I come in?”

  I muttered something and moved out of the way. He walked in and my palms started to sweat. Since when had I ever been nervous around Parker? I guessed admitting how I felt about him on paper had opened up something inside of me that I had buried for years.

  “I want to talk to you about what you said,” he said.

  I held up a hand. It was now or never. I didn’t want Parker to leave me angry again. I had to lay it all on the table and let him make the choice.

  “Can I talk first?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Sure.”

  I took a steadying breath and glanced at the pieces of paper scattered across the counter.

  “I don’t understand why you won’t believe me about Rachel—”

  “Sienna—”

  “Wait,” I said, “please let me get this out.”

  He opened his hand to indicate me to continue. “Rachel aside. I think you deserve more. You deserve someone that appreciates you for who you are, and not how much money is in your bank account. You love to smile, laugh and joke around, and you should be with someone who loves that side of you. Someone who won’t put you down, but build you up. Someone you can come to in any situation and not worry about being judged.” I poured my heart out to Parker, and as much as I’d been nervous about it, the more I said, the better I felt. I was finally free.

  “Where are you going with this?” he asked.

  I took a steadying breath, willing the heat behind my eyes to subside. “That someone is me, Parker.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. The steady rise and fall of his chest slowed. He blinked a few times.

  I let out a laugh and took my own slow breath. “It’s news to me, too. But after a lot of thought, I want you to consider me. Instead of Rachel. I can—”

  “Stop,” he said.

&n
bsp; My lips pressed together. I was unable to read him.

  “It’s too late, Sienna.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  He laughed sardonically. “Yes, it is. I’m getting married tomorrow.”

  “To someone who doesn’t love you.”

  “Rachel loves me. Everyone expresses it differently. Even you. You bottled up these emotions for who knows how long.”

  He had me there. “Even if you don’t want me, you can’t marry her. She’s a liar and a cheater.”

  “Yes, I can. And I’m going to.” He wiped a hand over his face. “Jesus, Sienna. I came over here to fix things with you. And you’ve made everything worse.”

  “By telling you how I feel?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  “I don’t see it that way.”

  “I have to go,” he said.

  “Parker, wait. Just tell me if you feel the same way. If you do, then we can figure this out.”

  I thought I saw a glimmer of a “yes” in his eyes. “I don’t,” he said firmly.

  I inhaled sharply; I must have been mistaken about all of this. Wow, did I ever feel like a total ass. And the fact that he could be so callous with my feelings hurt even more.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t come tomorrow,” he said and turned away from me. I watched him walk out the door and out of my life forever.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Parker

  The streak of sleepless nights continued into the morning of my wedding. I hadn’t returned home until late last night, unable to face Rachel, or anyone for that matter, after hearing Sienna talk about us being together. Why the hell did she decide to bring this up the day before my wedding? Did she not want me to marry Rachel so badly that she’d make up lies about wanting to be with me? If she had, it was the cruelest thing I’d ever heard.

  Sienna never opened her heart to anyone, so as much as I tried to deny it or make excuses for her losing her mind, I had a feeling she was telling the truth. I didn’t understand the timing. She had years to tell me how she felt. What had changed in the last day? Tony had said she talked to the Lamontes, maybe Harriet had said something. She was a sweet older woman, but she had a tendency to meddle. I hoped she didn’t encourage Sienna to confess her feelings for me. I bet Sienna told Harriet about how Rachel “cheated” on me; then I’d understand them trying to break up Rachel and me. But Sienna was wrong.