The Billionaire's Baby: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance

by Ditter Kellen

  Piper nodded, the dark circles under her eyes tearing at Ethan’s heart.

  She turned without speaking and slowly made her way back down the stairs.

  Ethan spent the next few minutes straightening the bathroom and cleaning up the blood from the sink.

  Satisfied that everything looked okay, he hurried back downstairs to find Piper sitting at the bar eating a donut.

  “You should probably eat something more nutritional,” he began, opening the fridge and taking out the makings of a turkey sandwich.

  He poured Piper a glass of milk and set it in front of her on the bar. “I know you’re tired, Piper, but we really need to talk.”

  Piper paused, took a drink of her milk, and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I agree that we need to talk, but now’s not the time. I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I’m scared. I need to think, Ethan, and I find that hard to do with you here.”

  Her words cut Ethan to the bone, though he didn’t blame her for how she felt. “Do you want me to leave?”

  She merely nodded, not meeting his gaze.

  The hardest thing Ethan had ever had to do was walk out of that kitchen, but that’s exactly what he did.

  He stopped at the edge of the living room, unable to make himself leave without telling her how he felt.

  With his back to her and a lump the size of a tennis ball in his throat, he quietly confessed, “I can’t help what I am, Piper. If I could change it, I would. For you, I would. That baby you carry beneath your heart is part of who and what I am. We created a life together, a beautiful life, innocent of any wrongdoing. Please don’t punish me by keeping the two people from me that I love the most in this world. Please, Piper…”

  The sound of silence destroyed Ethan’s soul. He’d lost her. He’d lost Piper.

  Striding to the door, he gripped the knob and left the house before he did something he would regret. Like toss her over his shoulder and take her home with him against her will.

  But then he’d be no better than Foster.

  * * * *

  Linda Peterson tapped on Ethan’s office door and entered without waiting to be invited in.

  She set a fresh cup of coffee in front of him, the morning paper, and a sausage biscuit.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Peterson, but I’m not hungry.”

  “You can’t continue on this path,” Linda gently scolded, refusing to budge. “You’ve lost weight, you haven’t returned any of your calls, and your eyes are starting to sink into your skull. Billy’s worried about you too, sir. He calls and checks on you every hour.”

  Ethan picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip. “I’m fine, really. Thank you for the breakfast.”

  With one last look of despair, Mrs. Peterson left the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

  Rubbing at his gritty eyes, Ethan stared down at the newspaper, reading the headlines with no satisfaction. Local Mercedes Benz purchased by Seaborn Industries.

  This should be a day of celebration for Ethan. He’d swooped in and snagged the Mercedes Benz right out from beneath Steinberg’s nose. Yet, Ethan felt no joy in his accomplishments. None of it mean shit without Piper.

  Ethan hadn’t heard from Piper in nearly a month. She hadn’t returned any of his texts or calls. She didn’t answer her emails or her door for that matter when Ethan stopped by every other day.

  He’d lost her.

  “Your grandfather is here,” Linda announced over the intercom on Ethan’s phone.

  “Send him in.” Ethan didn’t want to see Wallace at the moment. In fact, he didn’t want to see anyone but Piper.

  The door swung open, and Wallace Seaborn marched into the room. “What the hell are you doing, boy?”

  “Pardon?” Ethan responded in a soft tone. No one spoke to him in that manner. Not even his grandfather.

  Not stopping until he stood before Ethan’s desk, Wallace flattened his palms on its surface. “Are you going to sit here and drown in your sorrow, or are you going to go after what’s yours? You’re a Seaborn, damnit, start acting like it.”

  Anger reared its ugly head. “Because you’re my flesh and blood, I’m going to let that slide. Once.”

  “Threaten me all you want,” Wallace shot back. “But from what I’ve heard about that girl, she’s as stubborn as they come. She’s not going to simply come running back, Ethan. She’ll have to be dragged back. Kicking and screaming if necessary. She’s your mate. Go claim her!”

  Though Ethan resented his grandfather’s interference, he knew the older man was right. If he didn’t give it everything he had, he could very well lose Piper forever.

  Pushing from his chair, Ethan rounded his desk, gripped his grandfather’s shoulders, and pulled him into a quick, tight hug. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t take no for an answer,” Wallace called out as Ethan released him and rushed from the room.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Piper sat in the waiting room of her first OB-GYN appointment with Rhonda fidgeting beside her.

  Rhonda had woken up the following morning with more questions than Piper could lie about.

  Piper had broken down and told Rhonda everything, including the part about Isaac’s and Eric’s deaths.

  After many hysterics and several oh my God’s, Rhonda had calmed enough to listen to Piper’s unbelievable story. And for that, Piper was relieved.

  The door across the hall opened, and a couple stepped out, holding hands and giddy with the news they’d obviously just received.

  Piper’s heart ached. She’d had that closeness with Ethan at one time.

  “Ethan really should be here,” Rhonda whispered for the hundredth time. “I mean, he is the father.”

  The man holding the expecting mother’s hand leaned down and brushed his lips across her cheek.

  Tears gathered in Piper’s eyes the longer she watched them.

  She missed Ethan something terrible. So what if he was different, it didn’t change her feelings for him. She loved him, wolf and all.

  Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, her hands shook as she sent him a message. Doctor Segert’s office. 2:45 appt. Come if you can.

  “I’m so proud of you,” Rhonda gushed. “You’re doing the right thing.”

  And Piper believed her. Why had it taken her so long to realize how much she loved him?

  “Miss Hollister?” the nurse called from the open doorway.

  Piper stood, glancing nervously at Rhonda. “They’re calling me back early. And Ethan hasn’t answered my text.”

  “It’s okay,” Rhonda soothed, taking hold of Piper’s hand. “I’ll go with you.”

  Blinking back the damnable tears that seem to spring up at the drop of a hat lately, Piper pasted on a smile she didn’t feel and followed the nurse to a small room in the back.

  The pretty little nurse handed her a gown. “Put this on and hop up on the table. The doctor will be with you momentarily.”

  Piper accepted the gown, stripped out of her clothes, and donned the gown.

  Climbing up onto the cushioned table, she watched as Rhonda secured her clothes to a hook on the back of the door.

  After a couple of taps on the door, an elderly woman wearing a white coat stepped into the room. She shook Piper’s hand. “I’m Doctor Segert. How are you feeling today?”

  “I’m a little emotional, but other than that, I can’t seem to get enough to eat.”

  The doctor sent Piper a smile. “Both are normal in your condition. Just be mindful of what you eat. Be sure you take in lots of nutritional foods for the baby.”

  Pulling on a pair of rubber gloves, the doctor squeezed some lubricant onto her fingers and motioned for Piper to slide down on the table. “Put your feet in the stirrups for me. That’s right. Now, relax and open your knees.”

  Piper stared up at the ceiling as the doctor inserted a couple of fingers inside her while pressing down on her abdomen with the other.

  The exam went by without any problems, with the doctor speakin
g in a smooth, calming tone.

  But Piper could barely concentrate. She suddenly wanted Ethan, no, she needed him. Because of her, he would miss the sonogram of his first child. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

  The doctor had Piper remove her feet from the stirrups. She draped a sheet over Piper’s legs and girly parts before moving around to the side and picking up a small round wand.

  “I’m sorry, Doctor,” the nurse announced opening the door and stepping aside. “He was very adamant about coming in.”

  Ethan stepped into the room.

  Piper’s heart jumped at the sight of him. He’d lost weight, and his eyes appeared tired. But he was still Ethan and still the most beautiful man she’d ever beheld.

  “Are you all right with him being in here?” The doctor asked, her gaze glued to Piper.

  Piper nodded through her tears. “Yes. He’s the father.”

  Ethan’s hand closed around hers, telling her without words what she needed to hear.

  Rhonda backed toward the door. “I’ll just wait out in the lobby.”

  The doctor waited for the door to close behind Rhonda before she began. “This is going to be cold.”

  She squirted some cool, clear gel onto Piper’s skin, turned the monitor toward them, and placed the sonogram wand onto Piper’s abdomen.

  The sound of a fetal heartbeat immediately filled the room.

  Ethan squeezed Piper’s hand in a near painful hold. “Is that…?”

  “The heartbeat, yes,” the doctor confirmed, dragging the wand up a little higher. “See that?”

  Piper stared in awe at the tiny heart pumping on the screen. She glanced up at Ethan to see tears sparkling in his eyes.

  He moved in closer, still holding her hand in a death grip.

  The doctor spoke again. “And here’s your baby’s face.”

  The sight of the tiny profile on the screen filled Piper’s heart with so much love she couldn’t contain it any longer.

  “He’s beautiful,” she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks.

  The doctor smiled, before turning her attention back to the job at hand. “It’s too soon to tell the sex of the baby, but I can tell you that I see ten fingers and toes, and a strong heartbeat. Your baby looks great.”

  Moving to stand, the doctor printed off a couple pictures of the baby and handed them to Piper. “I’ll give you a minute to get dressed. Be sure to stop at the front desk on the way out to schedule your next appointment.”

  Piper waited for the doctor to leave the room before sitting up and throwing her legs over the table to face Ethan. “You came. I wasn’t sure of you would.”

  “Are you kidding?” he whispered, dropping to his knees before her.

  He reverently kissed her stomach and then turned his face to the side to nuzzle her. “I love you, Piper. Nothing could have kept me away.”

  Piper’s hands went to his hair. She found it difficult to speak through her tears. “I love you, Ethan Seaborn. I’m so sorry for how I’ve acted. I’ll never leave you again.”

  Rising to his feet, Ethan cupped her face in his hands. “That’s good to hear because I won’t let you leave me again.”

  “Let’s go home,” Piper whispered, anxious to be alone with him.

  “My place or yours?”

  “Yours.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Ethan decided he genuinely liked Piper’s friend. Rhonda apparently knew everything about Ethan, and yet she still supported his role in Piper’s life.

  Rhonda had agreed to drive Piper’s car home so that Piper could go back to the penthouse with Ethan.

  Stepping off the elevator, Ethan picked Piper up and carried her up the stairs to his bedroom.

  He gently set her on her feet, moved around the room, and lit the candles on his nightstand and then slid open the drawer.

  Plucking the black velvet box from its depths, he returned to Piper and knelt before her.

  The warm, golden glow of the candles only enhanced Piper’s exotic beauty. “You are the most incredibly beautiful creature I have ever beheld.”

  Opening the box, he tugged the diamond ring free and took hold of Piper’s trembling hand. “Piper Hollister, would you do me the honor of being my wife and my mate?”

  The tears sparkling on her lashes reminded him of the diamond nesting in the ring he held. “Please say yes…”

  “Yes,” she whispered, staring down at him through her tears. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Ethan Seaborn.”

  Ethan slipped the ring onto her left hand and rose to his feet. “You just made me the happiest man alive.”

  “I’m glad,” Piper breathed, going up on her tiptoes. “Because I never want to be without you again.”

  “And you never will.” Ethan covered her beautiful mouth with his, loving the taste of her tears on his tongue.

  Piper’s hands came up between them to the buttons on his shirt.

  Ethan broke off the kiss. “Can we?”

  “I’m pregnant, not broken. I need you inside me.”

  His cock hardened at her words.

  Backing up a step, Ethan ripped his shirt off, toed off his shoes, and stepped out of his pants. All the while watching Piper as she undressed in front of him.

  He divested himself of his boxer briefs, scooped her up into his arms, and deposited her in the center of his bed. “Foreplay will have to wait for round two. I need you now.”

  Ethan crawled up over Piper’s body and nudged her thighs apart with his knee. “I love you, Piper. With everything that I am, I love you.” Gripping his fully erect shaft, he slowly penetrated her.

  Piper moaned, wrapping her legs around him in a tight hold. She was so wet and warm, Ethan nearly came.

  He dropped his face against her neck, licking his tongue over the pad of her shoulder. He would mark her before the night was over, leaving no doubt to the world who she belonged to.

  “Say it,” Ethan growled, slowly pulling back and sinking into her depths once more.

  “I’m yours…”

  Epilogue

  “Push,” Doctor Segert commanded from her perch between Piper’s raised knees.

  Ethan held Piper up with one arm, while his other arm tightened behind her leg. “One more push, baby.”

  Sweat dotted her forehead, and her lips felt as if they would split at any moment.

  “The head is out,” the doctor informed them, working furiously to free the baby from the birth canal.

  Piper bore down, pushing with the last bit of strength she possessed.

  Relief poured through her the instant the baby slipped from her body.

  A cry rent the air, and Piper’s heart exploded with joy.

  “My baby,” she cried through her own tears.

  The doctor nodded to Ethan. “Would you like to cut the cord?”

  Ethan removed his arm from behind Piper’s head and let go of her leg. He accepted the surgical scissors the doctor handed him and cut through the umbilical cord. “Oh Piper, she’s perfect...”

  “She?” Piper gasped, holding out her arms.

  Ethan carefully took the baby from the doctor’s arms and gently laid her on Piper’s chest. “Our daughter.”

  Piper had never felt as much love for another person as she did in that moment. She laughed, cried, and cried some more.

  In a voice weak from exhaustion, Piper raised her watery gaze to her husband. “Ruth. Her name is Ruth…”

  ~The End~

  Read Below for a Sneak Peek into the Pages of Ruby and the Beast – A Beauty and the Beast Tale.

  This book contains Adult Scenes. Must be 18 or older to read.

  Chapter One

  Ruby Atwood stepped off the plane at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in Kenner Louisiana a little before noon.

  She glanced around at the familiar scenery with a heavy heart. Though Louisiana would always be her home, it would never be the same after today.

  Trailing off toward baggage claim, Ruby f
ought the tears that had been threatening since landing. She’d been notified by the New Orleans Criminal Investigative Division that a man resembling Charles Atwood had arrived in the morgue after a shooting at Barone’s Gentlemen’s Club the night before.

  As her father’s only living relative besides her nine-year-old brother, Cameron, it was left up to Ruby to identify the body. And she had little doubt that it was her father lying in that morgue. She’d been frantically calling him all night and morning to no avail.

  Poor Cam, Ruby thought, grabbing her bag and heading toward the front to hail a cab. He must be terrified.

  Cameron’s mother, Lucy Peters, a known prostitute and heroin addict, had left only days after Cameron’s birth, leaving Ruby and her father alone to raise him.

  The fact that Cameron hadn’t suffered any obvious adverse effects from the drugs his mother had taken during her pregnancy was a miracle in itself.

  “Excuse me,” a woman murmured, pulling Ruby out of her reflecting. “Do you have change for a dollar?”

  Ruby shook her head. Growing up in New Orleans, she knew just about every scam that could be run. And this woman was definitely a con. “I’m sorry, but I don’t carry cash.”

  Without bothering with a thank you, the woman scurried off in search of her next victim.

  The hot Louisiana sun baked the sidewalk with its scorching rays as Ruby made her way outside in search of a cab.

  Keeping her fingers wrapped tightly around the handle of her bag, she brought her hand up and flagged a taxi that sat along the curb.

  The cab driver quickly pulled forward and rolled down the window. “Where to?”

  “Southside Medical Center on Canal Street,” Ruby returned, climbing into the backseat.

  The cab took off with a jolt, darting in and out of the airport traffic like a seasoned NASCAR driver. “Here for a visit or heading home?”

  Ruby met the cabbie’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “That all depends on what I find when I arrive.”