The Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad Next Door Romance

by Sarah J. Brooks

  “Thanks Chris, send out an email after your visit and we can see if we can set up a meeting with them. I’m not even sure how much they might need in capital, so find out the details while you’re there please.”

  “Will do.”

  My phone started ringing and I noticed it was Ashley. If she was calling I had to answer it. She hardly ever called me unless our daughter had been hurt or Ashley needed more money for something. In fact, I hadn’t actually talked to Ashley in nearly a year; instead, she had sent a few text messages and her parents had been there when I went to drop off Izzy’s Christmas presents.

  “Hey Ashley, give me just a second,” I said as I put the call on mute. “I’ve got to take this. Edward, will you go ahead with your presentation on the company from the last month?”

  “Sure thing Devin,” he said as I left the room.

  “What’s up? Is Izzy alright?”

  “What? What do you mean?” Ashley said with slurred speech. “I’m not calling about Izzy. I’m calling about what you did to me. You made me love you and then forced me to leave. You made me like this.”

  “Ashley, what’s going on? Are you alright?” I asked as I became worried.

  “I’m not alright. I’m stuck raising a daughter alone while you bone every skirt you see. You don’t deserve to party all the time and I am forced to be responsible. That’s bullshit.”

  “Where’s Izzy at?” I asked. “Are you drunk?”

  “She’s at school stupid. If you were involved in her life you’d know she goes to school.”

  “Ashley, are you home? Can I call your parents for you? Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine, you’re not calling anyone. I just wanted you to know what a mess you’ve made of everything.”

  “I’m sorry things didn’t turn out between us. I’d be happy to be more involved in Izzy’s life but you said you didn’t think it was good for her. Do you want me to come and get her? I could have her live with me in Chicago for the school year if that would help you?”

  “No! You’re not taking her from me. You just don’t want to pay me what you owe for her. I’m not giving her up just so you can keep all that money for yourself.”

  It was clear that Ashley wasn’t as sober as I thought she had been. Her slurred words and belligerent tone of voice reminded me why we were no longer together. She wasn’t a nice drunk, which was something I remembered very well.

  “I don’t care about the money Ashley. I really would like to build a relationship with Izzy. She only sees me twice a year and anytime I call you’re always telling me she isn’t around.”

  “She doesn’t want to talk to you.”

  “Okay, that’s fine. But you’re saying it’s hard to take care of her and I want to help.”

  “You don’t want to help. You’re too busy working and traveling everywhere to care about her.”

  “No, I’d gladly stay home if you’d like to have her come out here.”

  “I don’t think so. She doesn’t want to live with you. She hates you.”

  Her words cut through me like a knife. I suspected Izzy had never said such a thing and it was just the alcohol talking, but I still felt the pain of even the suggestion that my own daughter hated me.

  “If you’re alright, I’m going to let you go. Would you like me to call your parents to come and get you? Are you somewhere safe?”

  “I’m safe. Why are you even pretending to worry? This is none of your business!” She screamed.

  “I’ll call you later tonight to talk with Izzy.”

  “No, she hates you. Don’t call.”

  “I’d really like to talk to her.”

  “Well, you don’t always get what you want in this world, do you?” Ashley said as she hung up the phone.

  My hand shook as I put my phone back in my pocket and went outside to walk off the adrenaline that was rushing through my body. I wanted to just get on a plane and go to Ashley’s house right that moment. I could go to the school and take Izzy out and bring her back to live with me. If this was what Ashley was like now, there was no way Izzy should be around that. But then I had to wonder what Ashley had been telling Izzy about me? Did Izzy really hate me?

  If her mother had been spewing hateful remarks for the last year, or more, surely Izzy would have developed a different opinion. She would only have heard bad things and nothing good about me at all. My stomach continued to rumble as I thought about the hateful things Ashley had probably been telling our daughter.

  Maybe it was out of spite, or maybe it was out of genuine concern for Ashley, I wasn’t really sure, but I dialed her mother’s number. I had to let someone know what sort of state Ashley was in or I’d feel really bad if something happened to her.

  “Mrs. Edwards, this is Devin,” I said just in case she didn’t have my number in her phone. We didn’t actually talk very much so I wasn’t sure.

  “Hi Devin. What can I help you with?”

  “I just had a concerning phone call from Ashley, she sounded drunk and…”

  “She’s had a rough couple of weeks. I’ll head over to her house and check on her. Thanks for calling,” she said and hung up the phone before I could get another word in.

  Obviously, it hadn’t been a surprise to her that Ashley was drunk. She hadn’t even seemed surprised that I was the one calling her. But Mrs. Edwards didn’t like me and I wasn’t about to call her back and push the subject. She was going to check on Ashley, and that was enough for the time being. I made my way back into my meeting and listened while Edward finished the numbers of our last investment.

  “Everything alright?” Jacob whispered.

  “Just stuff with Ashley. Hey, can you get me that number of the lawyer you suggested?”

  “Sure, you going to try for custody?”

  “No, well, I don’t know. I just want to lay out my options.”

  “I’ll text it to you.”

  “Thanks.”

  As our work day continued on, I couldn’t stop thinking about Izzy. I’d stayed away for so long because it seemed like it was better for her. Now, I had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to be there for her. But I had been gone from her life for so long, it was going to be hard for me to step up and be the Dad I thought she needed me to be. After my trip to Bali I was going to stop by Jacksonville and see Izzy, she needed to see more of me. I had decided she had to see me in order to know I loved her and was always going to be there for her.

  Chapter 3

  Lilli

  “I’m coming over to get you,” I said to Anna as I slipped on my tennis shoes and got ready for my run.

  “I’m not going running. You’re crazy if you think I’m going running.”

  It had been nearly a week since our last big night on the town and I hadn’t been able to find the time to hang out with Anna. Between my work schedule and helping my mother with her new rose garden, I was exhausted. Planting and caring for roses wasn’t at all a priority on my list, but my mother liked it when I helped out and spent time with her and I liked to make her happy, especially since I was at home now and not even paying rent.

  “I’m literally walking out the door and will be at your house soon. Get ready,” I said as I hung up the phone.

  Before leaving my house I looked toward Devin’s place to see if there were any signs of him. It had been several days since I’d run into him on the street and I hadn’t seen or heard from him since. The curtains in his bedroom were in the exact same spot they had been days before and I had to assume he was off on some sort of a business trip or something like that.

  Anna only lived a few blocks away from me so it was a great warm-up as I took my time jogging over there. The sky was overcast and looked like some rain might happen at any moment, so I wanted to get Anna out with me before she had yet another excuse not to work out. Not like she needed to work out, she was thin with hardly an extra ounce of fat on her body, but I still liked to get her out and exercising whenever I could. It helped me relax to t
alk to her and I know she felt better too.

  Anna’s house was just as large as mine and just as empty. She was the youngest child and had four brothers, all of which were at college or off living their lives as adults. As the only girl, Anna was spoiled, more than even I was. She got to do whatever she wanted and her parents never even checked up on her. They traveled often and just left her lots of money for anything she might need. She drank more than I did, partied harder than I did and talked like a sailor.

  “I’m not running,” Anna said as I rang the doorbell and found her standing there in full workout gear.

  “That’s a nice outfit, for someone who isn’t running.”

  Anna had on a brilliant pink sports top that looked to be a size too small as her breasts were exploding out of the thing. She had a pair of black leggings on and her hair was pulled back in a delicate ponytail. If she was going to be taking a yoga class she looked perfectly dressed, but for running I didn’t think she was going to be all that comfortable. Her boobs would be bouncing all over the place with the tiny sports bra she had on.

  “It is a nice outfit isn’t it?” She spun around, half admiring her own choice in clothing. “We can walk if you’d like.”

  “Walking doesn’t burn any calories Anna. Put a normal sport bra on and let’s go for a jog.”

  “I can’t. Jason might be around.”

  I looked at her in total confusion. I couldn’t remember any guy named Jason that she liked and especially didn’t think there were any that lived around her house. My confusion must have been evident in my eyes as she smiled and pointed to her neighbor’s house.

  “Mr. Hartley,” she laughed.

  “Oh my God, do you still have a crush on that guy?”

  “Hey, you’ve got a crush on your neighbor,” she retorted.

  “My neighbor is a hot single guy. You have a crush on a married father of a toddler.”

  “He’s not married. Their divorce is final now. I heard some of the other women in the neighborhood talking about him. He’s a hot single Dad and all the women want him, but I’m going to have him before any of them.”

  “Can we talk about this while we walk?”

  Anna was an expert at having crushes. She was all hot and bothered about any and every good looking guy that crossed her path. It was honestly hard to keep up with all the men she liked.

  “Fine, but let’s walk around this way so we can come back on his side of the street,” she insisted.

  Our neighborhood was pretty empty during the afternoon when I liked to work out. Everyone was either at work or in their houses. Even the stay at home mothers tended to be busy with their children from ten o’clock to noon. Anna and I made our way north on one of the side streets and walked toward the paved bike path at the back of our neighborhood.

  “So how are your parents?” I asked just as we reached the bike path.

  “Shhh, don’t say a word, then laugh like I said something funny?”

  “What?”

  Anna grabbed my hand and held it firmly as a man and his son approached us on the path. When they were a few feet away from us she squeezed my hand firmly.

  “Ouch.”

  “Laugh,” she demanded with a huge smile on her face.

  “Oh, haha, Anna you’re so funny,” I played along.

  “Hey, Jason how are you and Clyde doing today?” Anna asked as she turned away from me and gave him all of her focus.

  “Hi Anna, we are doing well. Clyde was a little sick today so I stayed home with him but of course he started feeling better. Isn’t it funny how that works?”

  “Oh yeah, those little guys can get better really quickly. You remember to call me if you need a babysitter. I’m available any time of day. Even if you just want some extra hands around so you can get things done around the house,” Anna offered.

  She was standing with one hand on her hip and her breast pressed out toward him. He couldn’t help but look at her, and who could blame the guy. She was practically offering herself up on a silver platter for him.

  “Thanks Anna, I’ve still got your number. You two enjoy your walk.”

  “Actually we were going for a run. Have to keep looking good,” Anna said as she started to jog in place. “See you around.”

  “Have a nice day girls,” Jason said as his eyes fixated on Anna’s bouncing chest.

  I followed Anna’s lead and jogged down the path with her until we turned enough that he couldn’t see us. Then Anna stopped and put her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. It was clear that she wasn’t in shape at all.

  “Well, he’s handsome.”

  “Isn’t he dreamy? I’m going to screw him until my legs shake and I can’t see straight.”

  “Wow, okay,” I said at her graphic vision of her time with Jason.

  “Isn’t he like the best looking single dad you’ve ever seen? I mean come on that blonde hair and those blue eyes. Wow, I’m wet just thinking about his hands on me.”

  “Maybe you should actually have sex before you start seducing single fathers?” I suggested.

  “Just because I’m a virgin doesn’t mean I don’t know what to do. I’m so ready to do this guy. I could seduce him right now if I wanted to.”

  “How about you wait and we finish our walk?” I laughed. “I think you need to have some sex, but find a nice guy your age so you can have an actual relationship. That guy isn’t going to be someone that stays around.”

  Anna huffed at my suggestion and started to speed up as we walked the path. She had her heart set on losing her virginity, but always talked about these older guys. I couldn’t even remember a time when she’d talked about a boy her own age.

  “How’s your old man flirting thing going?” Anna asked as she changed the subject back to me.

  “He’s the last thing on my mind right now. I have to save money for a new apartment. My car went to crap yesterday and is literally sitting in some police impound because I couldn’t pay for a tow off the highway. I swear I work hard and never seem to make enough money.”

  “That sucks. I’m sure your parents would help you get into an apartment though.”

  “Of course they would, but I’m a friggin adult. I have to get my shit together and I’m not going to ask them for more money.”

  “Do you want to go out tonight?” Anna asked as if drinking and partying were the solution to the troubles I was having.

  “Going out drinking isn’t exactly going to solve my problems.”

  A few raindrops hit us and we both looked up at the clouds and turned around to head home. We picked up the pace, in an effort to make it back to Anna’s house before we got totally soaked.

  “So you do want to go drinking?” Anna laughed.

  “Yes, actually I’d love to. But I’m inviting Monica to come too. She really needs to get out of the house.”

  “Invite whoever you want. I’ll pay,” Anna offered.

  She had a credit card from her parents and no limit on her spending. I wasn’t one to take advantage of her generosity, but sometimes I really didn’t have the money to pay for drinks.

  “Just this time. I’ll pay you back,” I offered.

  “Lilli, you don’t need to pay me back, it’s fine.”

  We picked up our pace even more as the rain started to fall faster and we turned the corner back toward Anna’s house. The cold raindrops spread out over my skin and goose bumps popped up all over my arms. It was a relatively warm afternoon with the temperature around sixty degrees, but once the rain started it seemed to cool off rather quickly.

  “Race you to your house,” I said as I started running as quickly as I could.

  Anna tried to keep up with me but she was nearly a block behind as I ran up her driveway and punched in the electronic code to her front door. I really wished my own parents would invest in the electronic door code so I wouldn’t have to fumble with my key all the time, but my parents weren’t very into the technology world at all.

  �
�Geeze woman, how can you run that fast,” Anna said as she fell into her doorway and collapsed onto the ground.

  “I actually practice. You really should work out every now and then. You know being skinny doesn’t mean that you’re healthy, right?”

  “I’m nineteen Lilli. I don’t care about being healthy. What happened to your car? I thought your parents gave you the old one they had?”

  “They did, that’s the one that totally crapped out on me. So my ex-boyfriend has the car we bought together, my parents gave me a car that is a piece of junk and now I’m totally car-less. I’m going to have to get someone to drive me to work or take the train.”

  Anna looked at me with shock on her face and I burst into laughter. The idea that anyone would have to take the train was beyond her. If she wasn’t driving somewhere she took an Uber. It was her only other way of getting around and showed the level of spoiled lifestyle that she had. But her parents didn’t care at all; not once had I heard she was in trouble for spending too much money or buying something that she wasn’t supposed to buy.

  “The train? Why would you do that?”

  “Anna, some people need to work. I can’t always expect my co-workers to give me a ride. I can take the train, it’s not that big of a deal. You know it’s just four blocks that way, right?”

  “But you work until midnight some nights?”

  “Yep and conveniently enough the train runs until two o’clock in the morning.”

  “No, absolutely not. I won’t allow it.”

  She protested as she climbed up to sit on the stairs with me. She had become a good friend, but Anna certainly had a different lifestyle than I did and I felt pretty lucky in my life. At least I lived in a nice neighborhood and the train was nearby. One of the girls at work had to literally walk a mile just to get to the train and it was through a really rough neighborhood.

  “It’s okay Anna, I’ll be fine. I’m sure I’ll have enough money to get my car fixed in no time.”

  “You just call me and I’ll come and get you. I don’t care what time it is.”

  It was a nice gesture, but Anna partied a lot more than I did and she was often way in North Chicago with some of her old high school friends that moved up there. I knew I couldn’t rely on her to give me rides, but I also would be stuck arguing with her for hours if I didn’t agree to ask her.