The Billionaire's Reunion

by Jenna Brandt

  “I know,” Tiffany spat out, narrowing her eyes into slits. “I didn’t account for the fact you two might actually reconcile. It derailed my plans, but I had no idea you were smart enough to figure out where the emails came from.”

  “Tiffany, it’s time to put down the gun,” Bob said, trying to coax her to comply, “before anyone gets hurt.”

  She stepped back and shook her head. “Don’t you get it, Bob? It’s too late for that. They’re going to turn me in, and no one is going to believe I worked alone. Even if they do, this scandal will ruin your career. Neither one of us are going to walk away without being ruined.”

  “There’s nothing we can do about it,” Bob said. “You have to turn yourself in, and then we’ll deal with the consequences.”

  “No, there’s still a way out,” she said, shaking the gun at Molly and Spencer. “We get rid of them.”

  Molly gasped as Spencer stepped in front of her.

  Bob looked shocked by her suggestion, then he looked like he was contemplating his options.

  “It’s never going to work, Bob. Make the right choice,” Spencer pleaded. “People will find out, and you’ll end up spending the rest of your life behind bars.”

  “Then we can make it look like a murder/suicide. Everyone will believe it since they know about your rocky past,” Tiffany suggested.

  “I really hate this, Spencer,” Bob lamented with a sad look on his face. “I’m not a bad guy, but I don’t see any other way out.”

  “Stop apologizing to him, Bob. You’ve spent your whole life living in his shadow. Now it’s your turn to shine,” Tiffany coaxed, handing him the gun. “We have this one little thing left to do, and then the world is our oyster.”

  “You need to shut up, Tiffany,” Molly shouted, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “You’re the most scheming, despicable person I have ever known. What’s worse, is that you destroy everyone you’re with, including both of these men.”

  “How dare you talk to me like that,” she screamed back at Molly. “Shoot her first, Bob, so I don’t have to hear another word out of her mouth.”

  Bob moved the gun from Spencer to Molly, complying with Tiffany’s demands.

  Spencer seized the moment, recognizing his chance to stop them. Like lightning, Spencer rushed towards Bob, tackling him to the ground. The gun went flying, landing on the floor near the girls.

  He knew he couldn’t get to the gun without letting Bob regain his composure, and if that happened, Spencer wouldn’t be able to best him, since he was taller and heavier. Subduing him would be the only way Molly and Spencer could survive this.

  They wrestled on the ground for several moments, their positions changing constantly, both trying to get the upper hand. Spencer wildly threw punches, hoping any and all of them would land a crippling blow. He also felt several of Bob’s punches hit him in the ribs, the face, and chest. Spencer blocked out the pain, and focused on ending the fight.

  A heartbeat later, Spencer’s fist connected with Bob’s nose. The cracking sound of the bone made it clear that it was broken, but the blood that spurted from the wound confirmed it.

  Bob grunted, then slumped over on the ground. The fight had literally been knocked out of him.

  Spencer heard commotion beside him, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Tiffany and Molly pushing each other, trying to get control of the gun that was currently in Tiffany’s hands.

  Molly pulled back her arm, then let it fly towards Tiffany’s face. Her fist made contact with the other woman’s cheek, causing her to stumble backwards as she gripped the tender flesh with her hand.

  “You hit me,” Tiffany shouted in shock, dropping the gun and grabbing her face. “I can’t believe you hit me.”

  “It’s been a long time coming,” Molly stated, rushing to pick up the gun from the ground. “I should have done it ten years ago.” She raised the gun, pointing it Tiffany and Bob. “This is over. Both of you, don’t move.”

  Spencer stood up, and pulled out his phone to dial 9-1-1. When the dispatcher picked up, he explained the situation. She informed him officers were en route.

  Five minutes later, four uniformed cops showed up and entered the house. Molly handed the cops the gun, explained the situation, and handed over the evidence. The cops told them they would also send over forensics to collect any evidence at Bob’s house.

  “Can we call anyone to come get you?” one of the officers offered.

  “No, I can call my parents,” Molly stated, pulling out her phone and placing the call.

  As Spencer watched one of the cars haul off Tiffany and Bob, he silently thanked God for protecting Molly and him. If anything had happened to her, he wouldn’t ever have recovered.

  Spencer turned to Molly and gave her a relieved grin. “Can you believe it’s all over?”

  Molly shook her head. “And to think, this whole time it was Tiffany who was behind the false allegations. I have to give her credit. She’s smarter than I thought.”

  “Wickedly smart, and diabolical you mean,” Spencer corrected. “She’s a complete sociopath.”

  “I think it’s years of never having any consequences. She got away with so many awful things while I knew her, I doubt it changed over the past ten. That kind of unchecked crazy only gets worse over time.”

  “So true. I can’t believe she was seeing Bob this whole time, and no one knew. Not to mention, she got him wrapped around her little finger enough to get him to be okay with murdering two people.”

  “Yes, what’s up with that?” Molly asked, with shock. “I mean, just so we’re clear, I’m not killing anyone for you.”

  They both chuckled. Spencer wanted to tell Molly how much he cared, and how grateful he was for her help. Before he could get the words out though, Molly’s parents showed up.

  “Are you all right?” her mother asked, rushing up to her and placing her hands on either side of her daughter’s arms. “I couldn’t believe what you told me over the phone. I always knew Tiffany was a horrible person because of what she did to you, but this is beyond anything I could ever imagine.”

  “I know, Mom, but I’m okay,” she glanced over at Spencer, and added, “We both are.”

  “And she didn’t get away with hurting you this time,” Molly’s father said as he came up to join them after talking to the cops. “She will finally get what’s coming to her for all the years of being an abusive bully to everyone around her.” Ken patted Spencer on the back as he added, “Thanks for protecting my little girl this time.”

  Spencer shook his head. “It wasn’t me. Your daughter was the one who saved me. Not only out here on the cliffs, but also by finding out the truth of what Tiffany had been doing.”

  “She’s fiercely loyal when she cares about someone,” her mother observed. “You should count yourself lucky she fought so hard for you.”

  Molly glanced over at Spencer and a look of sadness crossed her face. “Can you guys take me home now? I’m really tired, and just want to rest.”

  Her parents nodded.

  As Spencer watched Molly walk away, he realized they still had unresolved issues between them. He cared about her, but with everything going on, he hadn’t told her he still wanted to try to make a relationship work between them.

  Considering how tired they were, it might be best to have that conversation tomorrow once they both rested. He didn’t want to accidentally do anymore damage by pushing a decision when they both had gone through such a trying ordeal. He would have plenty of time to tell Molly he was still in love with her.

  Chapter 14

  As the adrenaline left Molly’s body, the reality of the situation hit hard. Either or both of them could have died. What would she have done if it had been Spencer? The thought made her blood run cold. She would have been devastated, because she was in love with him.

  Even though she felt that way about him, it didn’t mean it was reciprocated after what had happened between them. After all, he had plenty of opportunities to
tell her he cared before she went home with her parents, but he never broached the subject.

  Perhaps he was simply grateful for the help, but the romantic feelings for her were gone. If that was the case, there was no point in sticking around Crystal Cove. She had promised her boss a great story, and now she had one. It was time to get back to Miami and make good on her promise.

  Molly packed up her bags with her mother’s help.

  “Promise me you won’t stay away so long this time,” her mother begged, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

  “I won’t, Mom. There’s no reason to stay away now. With Tiffany locked up, and Spencer and me on friendly terms, it’s not hard coming home anymore.”

  “What do you mean by ‘friendly’ terms?” her mother probed. “I thought you guys were back together.”

  “I messed things up this time. I ruined our second chance,” Molly stated with regret.

  “I think you’ve got it all wrong,” her father stated from the hall. “That boy has always been crazy about you. Some things never change.”

  “It can if you make a big enough mistake, which I did,” Molly corrected. “He forgave me, but I can tell he only wants to be friends now.”

  Her father adamantly shook his head. “You’re wrong this time, Molly. You get your stubbornness from me, and sometimes it’s a good thing because it makes you work hard and not give up, but it can also cause you to be blind to the truth.”

  “I appreciate both of your concerns, but I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I need to finish getting ready for my flight back to Miami.”

  Her parents left and Molly continued to pack the last of her clothes. Though she didn’t like to admit it, she had enjoyed being home. Enough that if things had ended differently with Spencer, she might have considered moving back.

  She shook her head, trying to push the what-could-have-been thoughts out of her mind. It just didn’t work out the way she wanted, and she needed to find a way to make peace with it.

  Molly placed her laptop and cable into her bag, then glanced around the room a final time before switching the light off. She closed the door to her old bedroom and padded down the hallway.

  She glanced at her phone and realized she still had two hours before her train left. Should she pull out her laptop and work? If she did, and got into a flow, it would be difficult to quit. Better to wait until she was settled back in at her home office in Miami. She considered watching a bit of a movie, but she hated starting one she couldn’t finish, so that didn’t appeal to her either.

  Her phone buzzed and she glanced down. A text from Spencer appeared.

  Can we meet?

  I need to talk with you.

  Molly contemplated her response. Part of her was thrilled at the fact he had reached out to her, but the other part was scared of being disappointed again. Maybe he just wanted to say goodbye. Could she gracefully handle that in person? She didn’t think so, as images of her crying her eyes out and running from Sunset Grill flashed through her mind.

  It was better to walk away with a clean break rather than ending up hurt again. She ignored the text and decided watching a movie was her best bet.

  She sat down on the couch, and flipped on the television. She scrolled down the guide, hoping to come across something she had already seen. Most of the movies were sci-fi, which she didn’t care for, or action films which often gave her a headache. She wanted to watch a comedy, hoping a few laughs would lighten her melancholy mood.

  Her eyes caught a familiar title. Fool’s Gold. The Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey romantic comedy made Molly think back to the first time she watched that movie.

  It had been one of the few times that Molly and Spencer had gone on a real date while they were secretly together. They had snuck over to a neighboring town and watched the flick at their movie theater.

  Her fingers couldn’t click to the next channel. Soon, an hour had passed and her alarm on her phone buzzed, reminding her it was time to go.

  “You ready to head out,” her mother asked, picking up her keys and purse.

  Molly stood up and grabbed her belongings. “Yes, I’m ready.”

  The drive to the airport passed with her mother talking about Molly coming home for Thanksgiving. Molly was polite, answering when there was a question, and agreeing with whatever her mother said, but her mind wouldn’t stop thinking about Spencer.

  Molly kept wondering if she was going to regret not agreeing to meet with him. She would never know what it was he wanted to talk to her about, and more importantly, she was walking away without telling him she was in love with him.

  She flip-flopped between telling her mom to turn around, and to continue to the train station. Not knowing what to do, Molly sent up a silent prayer to God, asking Him to give her guidance.

  When they arrived at the airport, Molly thought she had her answer. Nothing had stopped her or made her change her mind. She climbed out of the car and hugged her mother goodbye, before grabbing her bags.

  “Thanks, Mom, for everything. I love you. Tell Dad I love him too.”

  Her mother nodded, trying to hold back the tears.

  Molly repressed a smile, still amused that her whole life, her mother cried at a drop of the hat when it came to events in her life. Today was no exception. Trying to comfort her, she said, “Don’t be upset, Mom. I’ll be back in a couple of months.”

  “I know. I’m just going to miss you,” she stated through tears.

  “You’re not the only one,” Spencer’s familiar voice said from behind her.

  Molly spun around to find Spencer standing a few feet away. “Your dad texted me, and told me you were leaving.”

  “I’ll let you two talk alone,” her mother stated. “I’ll go see about getting a refund for your ticket, Molly, since it looks like you’re going to be staying now.”

  Molly didn’t argue with her mother, but instead continued to stare at Spencer. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was stupid once for letting you walk out of my life, I’m not going to do it twice.”

  “I get it, you want to be friends. You don’t want there to be bad blood between us, but you don’t have to worry about that. We both forgave each other, and now we can move on with our lives.”

  “That’s just it, Molly. I can’t move on with my life if you’re not in it. I couldn’t let you leave without telling you how I feel, so much so I want to beg you to not give up on us.” He reached out and took her hands, looking deep into her eyes. “I should have said this yesterday. I was stupid not to, but I thought it could wait. I was wrong. I love you, Molly. I’ve loved you for over ten years now, and I’ve never stopped. You were and are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Tell me you’ll be my girl so we can start our lives together,” he begged. “I want to be able to shout it to the whole world.”

  Molly couldn’t believe she was finally hearing the words she had wanted to hear for over ten years. Spencer Wilmington loved her, wanted to be with her, and wanted the whole world to know his feelings.

  “Okay, I’ll be your girl,” she whispered. “How can I refuse the man I love?”

  “You love me too?”

  She nodded. “I have since we were kids, but I pushed it away because you hurt me so bad. When I saw you again, the love came bubbling right back to the surface, scaring me half to death.”

  “You don’t have to be afraid anymore. This was always meant to be.”

  Spencer reached out and pulled Molly towards him. He cupped the side of her face with his hand, as he leaned in and claimed her mouth with his own.

  Molly’s heart raced, beating wildly like thundering horses galloping towards a cliff. She couldn’t help but wrap her arms around his neck and melt into his embrace. In that moment, she knew she was right where she was supposed to be.

  Spencer looked at the blue velvet box in his hand and imagined Molly’s reaction as he popped the question. The design of the engagement ring was like her, classic an
d beautiful, with a large, single flawless diamond in the center and a gold band. He added one extra touch by engraving it. The inside of the band simply read: our second chance.

  As he waited just inside Molly’s new apartment in Crystal Cove, he could feel the anticipation rising in him. They had been dating long distance for the past three months while Molly sold her condo in Miami. She finally moved everything into her new place this past weekend.

  He was glad the situation with Tiffany and Bob was finally behind them. Both of them had pled guilty in order to get a shorter sentence. Spencer was relieved they wouldn’t have to go through a lengthy trial to see justice met. Molly and Spencer could move on with their lives without all of that worry and stress hanging over them.

  Tonight, Molly thought they were going on a regular date like any other Saturday, not knowing that it was going to change both their lives forever. He couldn’t wait to put the ring on Molly’s finger after she said ‘yes.’

  Molly entered the room wearing a blue spaghetti-strapped dress with lace along the neckline and bodice. It flared out and ended just above the knee, revealing her gorgeous legs and black heels.

  “You look amazing,” Spencer said with a smile.

  “Thanks,” she said, grabbing her purse.

  They made their way outside and took off in his car for their date. As they drove over, Molly was texting on her phone.

  “Who are you texting?” Spencer asked out of curiosity.

  “Oh, just my mom. She wanted to know what I was doing tonight since I was in town.”

  “Was she disappointed you couldn’t hang out? Did she say anything else?” Spencer asked with apprehension. He had asked Molly’s father last week for his blessing, and he was worried her mother might let it slip.

  “No, she understands we have plans. She told us to have a good time.”

  Spencer relaxed, grateful the surprise engagement wasn’t ruined. He should have known they wouldn’t say anything, since they helped him plan the whole evening.