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

by Sarah J. Brooks

  “I think it’s impossible for me to forget everything,” he said with a mischievous smile. “But I remember the wild days of partying. Why are you drinking and partying so much? Just because of your boyfriend breakup?”

  I searched my mind as I tried to remember if I had actually told him about my boyfriend. There was no memory that rushed to the front, but I figured I must have said something about the whole thing.

  “I’m not some lush. I still work and I’ve never missed a day at my job,” I said defensively.

  “I’m not saying it’s bad. There’s a time and place for partying and it’s probably exactly where you are in your life.”

  “You don’t like to go drinking with your buddies?” I asked as he took a step away from me.

  “Most of my friends are old and married now,” he laughed and went back to making our sandwiches. “But I do still go out with my coworkers occasionally.”

  It was the perfect opportunity for me to ask him questions and try to figure out more about the guy. He was a huge mystery and I’d played so many possibilities in my mind that I couldn’t wait to hear about what he actually did for work.

  “So what is it that you and your coworkers do for work?”

  “It’s a boring job. Trust me, you wouldn’t be interested at all. How about you? I’ve seen you wearing a uniform, are you a nurse?”

  “No, I’m like a nurse’s assistant. I do twice the work for half the pay,” I laughed.

  “Do you like it?”

  “No.”

  “Then why are you doing it?” He said as he handed me my sandwich and jumped up on the counter next to me.

  “I’m an adult. I need a job. Nothing deeper than that going on here.”

  Devin ate his sandwich but seemed just about to say something a couple times as we sat there in an awkward silence. Even though I felt extremely awkward around Devin, I did have the feeling that my bright red face was calming down and I might actually be making sense as we had our conversation. And even with the awkwardness, there was a sense of calmness between Devin and I that I hadn’t expected.

  “You seem like a responsible young lady,” Devin finally said.

  “I am.”

  His phone started to ring and relief washed over me as the attention was taken away from me for a moment. He hopped off the counter and pulled his phone out. Devin’s face scrunched up like he didn’t want to talk to whoever was calling, but he answered the phone anyways.

  I heard the screaming voice of a woman on the other end of the line, but couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. Devin remained calm and smiled as he took a few steps away from me, probably in the hopes that I wouldn’t hear what was happening on the other end of the line, but I could still hear the loud yelling that was going on.

  “Ashley, I can’t understand you if you’re screaming like this,” he said calmly to the woman.

  The passion coming from the other woman just made me smile. They had clearly dated or been in love at some point, no woman got that upset with a man if she hadn’t loved him. Devin remained calm and let the woman yell and go on for nearly five minutes before he was able to finally get a word in.

  “I actually have a friend at my house right now Ashley, could I call you back in a little bit? Can I call your parents and make sure you get home alright?”

  The woman yelled for another minute and Devin covered the phone and mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry. Just a second.’ As he tried to get another word in edgewise as the upset woman continued to yell.

  “Ashley, we’ve been separated for nearly seven years. I actually don’t think you have a say in who I have over to my house. I’m going to give your parents a call and I hope you feel better soon.”

  He hung up the phone and then came over to me. A look of exhaustion covered his face and I realized I was in the middle of a big drama in his life. It felt like a special window into who Devin really was and I imagined that not many women got to see this side of him.

  “It’s okay, take care of your life. I should get going.”

  “No, please stay,” he said as his hand wrapped around mine and my heart stopped working. “I just need to make one more quick call. Please eat your sandwich and I’ll be right back.”

  I froze in place and was definitely not going anywhere as he walked into the other room to make his call. My breathing stopped and I stared at the spot on my arm that he had just touched. The warmth of his skin against mine was still there and I smiled at the thought of him wanting me to stay there so we could talk more.

  “Mrs. Edwards, this is Devin. I got another call from Ashley and I could hardly understand her. If you could check on her and get back to me I’d really appreciate it. And if there is anything I can help with please don’t hesitate to call me.”

  Devin slid his phone back into his pocket and walked straight over to where I was sitting. This time he let his hand rest on my thigh as he stood next to me and I could hardly think as he talked and I tried to answer appropriately.

  “Sorry about that. My daughter’s mother is having a hard time. I’m not sure what is going on. They kind of keep me out of the loop.”

  “You’re a Dad?” I asked.

  It surprised me because I’d never seen his daughter coming or going from his house. Although, I admittedly wasn’t watching his house 24 hours a day. Devin also didn’t really seem like the fatherly type. He was way too hot and certainly nothing like any Dad I’d ever seen…except maybe that hot hunk that Anna had a crush on.

  “I’m not a good Dad, but yes I’m a Dad.”

  “You seem pretty good if you were willing to listen to that yelling for the last ten minutes I laughed.”

  “Sorry, Ashley is a wild one, but I use to be wild too,” he said as he crinkled his nose and squeezed my thigh a little. “Probably even wilder than you were last night,” he winked and grabbed his sandwich.

  As he leaned against the opposite counter from me I couldn’t help but laugh at how absurd I had been the night before. I’d basically invited this man into my bed before I knew a single thing about him. The interesting thing was, I’d invited him into my bed again if given the opportunity. Yet, I didn’t have the nerve to say such a thing to him while I was totally sober.

  “It’s nice that you’re trying to help your ex. What’s your daughter’s name?”

  “Izzy, she’s ten years old.”

  “Do you have any pictures?” I asked.

  His face went from happy to sad in a split second and I quickly realized that I had hit a very sore spot. Devin paused for a long time and seemed to be searching his mind to remember if he did have any pictures of his daughter.

  “Actually, I’ve only got this one,” he said and pulled his phone out and scrolled through some messages until he finally found what he was looking for. “It was her seventh birthday. I flew in to give her that present. I visit her every year on her birthday, but I don’t think I took any other photos the last few years.”

  “Where does she live?”

  “Florida. Her mother and grandparents live out there. I think we should change the subject though. This is a little raw for me right now.”

  “Of course, of course,” I said relieved he had offered the change and I didn’t have to.

  But now I had absolutely no idea what to say to him as we stood in his kitchen finishing our sandwiches. It seemed like a good time for me to make my exit though as I remembered Anna’s advice and how I shouldn’t have even been talking to him without my plan in place.

  “Actually, I should get going,” I added. “I’ve got to shower and get ready for work.”

  “Oh, okay. It was nice talking to you again.”

  “You too. I hope everything works out with your ex. You seem totally able to handle things though,” I laughed and awkwardly started to walk toward the door. “I mean you seemed cool and controlled while she was upset. Um, I mean, you know. You’re cool. Crap, okay, I’m going to go,” I finally muttered as I made my way to the fron
t door and fumbled with the lock.

  It was unlocked but as I pulled on the door it didn’t open, so I flipped the lock and of course it still didn’t open.

  “It’s a tough door to open,” Devin said from behind me as he reached around and unlocked the door and pulled it open.

  His breath was only inches from my neck and my knees actually went weak at the sound of his voice. I gripped the side of the door and leaned on it as he pulled it away and then nearly fell right into his arms because of my clumsiness.

  “Um, okay. Well, I’m going to go before I end up knocking you to the ground,” I laughed.

  “Enjoy your day Lilli,” Devin said as he stood in the doorway.

  “You too. See you around,” I said without turning around.

  I had managed to remain pretty cool and collect right up until that last few minutes. It was the best I could do and despite being totally embarrassed, I was actually proud of myself. I’d managed a decent conversation with the man and even learned a little bit about who he was. Devin seemed like a pretty good guy and much kinder than I’d expected him to be.

  Chapter 6

  Devin

  “Mrs. Edwards, I’m just calling back to check in with Ashley. She hasn’t answered her phone since yesterday and I really have no idea what is going on. Could you please call me back,” I said as I left another voicemail for Ashley’s mother.

  It had been a whole day since Ashley’s crazy call to me and I was officially worried. She wasn’t answering her phone and it seemed to be dead as all of her calls were going to voicemail. Ashley’s mother and father weren’t answering my calls either and the red flags were going off all over for me.

  Instead of waiting any longer though, I called a private investigator friend of mine to check into what was going on. Ashley sounded very out of it but her family seemed to know what was up and they were keeping it from me. I wasn’t okay with this level of secrecy when it involved my daughter.

  “Ronald, how the heck are you?” I said as he answered his cell on the first ring.

  “I’m good. What’s up Devin? Need another CEO investigated?”

  “Nay, this is a personal assignment. Do you have some time?”

  “For you I always have time.”

  Ronald Standard was a high profile investigator who charged way too much money, but because he always delivered the information people continued to pay him his crazy high rates. When information was needed on a company or CEO, it was often the difference between a billion dollar deal and a million dollar deal; so it was well worth the investment to hire Ronald.

  “My daughter lives with her mother in Florida. I’ve been getting some strange calls from the mother, Ashley and I think there’s something going on out there. No one is returning my calls any longer and I’d really like the details of what’s up.”

  “Is it for a custody case?”

  “No. I mean, I’m not sure I guess. I’ve always thought Ashley was a really good mother, but if she’s not taking good care of our daughter I might have to go to court. Can you just find out as much as possible?”

  “Of course. Send me the information you have on your ex. I’d love it if you have a birth date and social security number. Address, phone number, and anything else you have will be helpful.”

  “I could get you all of that. I’ll send it right over.”

  “Do you want a wiretap and full contact list of who she’s talking to?”

  For a moment I had forgotten the level of investigation Ronald was capable of. He could literally trace every aspect of someone’s life and give you each and every gory detail if you paid him enough.

  “I don’t need all that. Just anything important to my daughter’s safety. Thanks.”

  “Sounds good. Send me her information and I’ll get you updated by the end of the week.”

  “Thanks Ronald.”

  “Anything for you Devin. We will talk later this week. Take care.”

  I quickly gathered the information that Ronald needed and sent it over the secure email system he had set up for our previous cases. There was a bit of relief knowing that Ronald was working on the case, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was going on with Ashley.

  I’d also been distracted by what was going on with Lilli and I. As much as I’d expected not to get along with her, we had actually had a nice little conversation. She was stumbling and adorable as she left though and it really did make me realize the force of my attraction to her.

  Lilli was unique and not just some party girl living off her family and that intrigued me. Even in the middle of my little family emergency, I couldn’t stop thinking about Lilli and how I had willing turned down an evening of fun with her. Was turning her down the wrong idea?

  It was the right thing and I knew it, despite how much my body longed for her and how badly I wanted to let my lips kiss every inch of her delicate skin. The longing and desire were new for me. Honestly, I’d never gone more than a day without getting a woman that I wanted. So this little dance between Lilli and I was fun for me; torturous, but fun.

  I’d expected to get a little flirting or at least a flash of her sexy ass body after she had returned home, especially since she had mentioned she needed to shower. But unfortunately, she kept those damn blue shades pulled tight and I hadn’t had even a glimpse of her in the last 24 hours.

  The vehicle that had been in the driveway was gone, so I had to assume she was at work or out doing something for the day. I decided against going for a run and instead did my domestic duty and fired up the lawnmower for the afternoon.

  Only a few years before I would have laughed if someone had told me I’d own a house and actually enjoy mowing my own lawn. It was wild, crazy, and exactly the pace I had become accustomed too. My days of partying were long gone and I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when they had stopped being fun. Even a year before when I purchased my home I hadn’t expected to want to actually be here. Instead, I hoped that I could have a stable place to store my things while I continued to travel the world and enjoy the exotic woman and locations I was used to.

  But life has a funny way of twisting things around and bringing you right where you needed to be. I did like the domestic life. I enjoyed buying groceries and cooking, although I liked it better when someone else was around to cook for. I liked the menial tasks of taking care of my lawn and all that came with the new stability of my life.

  I blasted the music as I put my earphones in and started mowing my front yard. Thirty minutes later I finished and moved to the backyard when my phone rang and I saw that it was Ashley’s mother.

  I let the mower turn off and quickly answered the call as I stood in the middle of my lawn.

  “Hello Mrs. Edwards,” I said calmly. “How are things going?”

  “I know you were worried about Ashley and I just wanted to call and assure you things are alright. She has decided to go into rehab and Izzy is staying with us for a few weeks.”

  My heart sank at her words. Going to rehab wasn’t a little deal, it was huge. Ashley wouldn’t have given up her time with Izzy to go away to rehab unless things were really out of control. When she was pregnant, Ashley had stopped drinking cold turkey without any problems.

  “I could come get Izzy and she could stay with me while Ashley does her treatment.”

  “Absolutely not. Izzy is in school and we don’t want to disrupt that for just a few weeks. Ashley will be out in no time. Plus, I’m sure Izzy will want to see her mother on the weekends.”

  “Mrs. Edwards, no offense to you and your abilities, but I am her father and I should be there for her if Ashley is not able to be.”

  There was a long pause and for a brief moment I thought that Mrs. Edwards might agree with me and let me pick up Izzy. But of course, it wasn’t going to be so easy and Mrs. Edwards wasn’t willing to forgive and forget the past me she knew.

  “Devin, you’re just as irresponsible as Ashley and I’m not going to let you take Izzy. She nee
ds stability and neither of you have been living very stable lives. All the partying and traveling you do, that’s no place for a little girl.”

  “Mrs. Edwards, that’s not my life now. I have a home and a stable life in Chicago.”

  “I think your idea of stability and mine are different. Now Ashley gave me temporary physical custody and of course you still have joint legal custody, but I really don’t think a big argument would be helpful to Izzy at all. Do you?”

  She was right about that, I had never thought arguing with Ashley’s family was a good idea. They were also Izzy’s family and causing a big scene with them wasn’t what I wanted my daughter to know me by.

  “I am a different man than I was when Ashley and I were together. I really wish you would give me the opportunity to see Izzy and be there for her while her mother is getting better.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Mrs. Edwards said and then hung up the phone.

  I was livid. So angry that I could barely see straight as I stood in the middle of my lawn and tried to figure out what to do next. I needed more information though and that was going to take a few days for Ronald to gather things. It was bound to be a very long week of waiting.

  ***

  I didn’t call Ashley’s family all week long, mainly because I wanted to hear what Ronald had to say before I called them back. When I finally saw Ronald’s name on my caller ID I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say.

  “Tell me what’s going on,” I said as I answered the phone.

  “It’s bad Devin, really bad.”

  “I heard she’s in rehab, but it sounded like she would be out in a few weeks.”

  “Ashley was picked up for a DUI about a year ago. She got another one six months ago and then two weeks ago she got her third. Florida has some mandatory sentencing laws that related to DUI’s and felonies. It’s possible she could spend ten to twenty years in prison.”