The Billionaire's Birthday Wish

by Jenna Brandt

  “Wade, I’m sorry about your mother. I can now see why you reacted the way you did to the painting. I had it all wrong. Please forgive me.”

  “There’s nothing to forgive, Tara. It was a misunderstanding. I’m just glad Ian realized what was going on and stepped in to fix the situation. I’m going to owe that man big time, especially now that he’s agreed to help me set up my new art gallery.”

  “He did? That’s wonderful, Wade,” Tara gushed, reaching out and touching the side of his face with her hand. “I’m so glad you decided to do that.”

  “There’s just one small piece missing from my life, you, Tara. Do you think you can make room for me?”

  “Oh, yes, Wade, I can’t think of anything I want more,” she said, leaning up and placing her lips on his.

  The moment their lips met, it was like a spark was ignited, engulfing them in the heat that had been simmering between them since the moment they met. Wade gathered her in closer, enjoying the feel of her in his arms again. He never wanted to let her go.

  It wasn’t until he heard the buzzing on his speakerphone that he remembered where they were. Reluctantly, he pulled back, saying, “I should probably get that before Frederick barges in here, thinking you’re an obsessed fan and stabbed me to death.”

  “Would he really?”

  Wade nodded. “Believe me, I’ve had my share of crazies come around because of the show.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that. What are people going to think about us dating?”

  “Who cares, Tara? This is about you and me. No one else matters.” He leaned over and pressed the button. “Everything’s fine, Frederick.”

  “Yes sir, I was just buzzing you to remind you that you have a meeting with Corgin Bell.”

  “Thank you, Frederick. If Corgin gets here, tell him I’m with my girlfriend and I’ll be right with him.”

  He let go of the button before Frederick could respond, not wanting to hear any of the questions he knew Frederick would be asking as soon as he let him.

  “Girlfriend?” Tara asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “What? I thought your coming here meant we were going to make a real attempt at being together.”

  “That’s just really fast to jump from a couple of days together, to boyfriend and girlfriend.”

  “You should know from my dossier, I don’t do anything halfway, Tara. Once I’m in, I’m all the way in.” Then realizing there was one thing they hadn’t talked about since she got there, he asked, “Is this about your job? Are you still worried what this means for your career?”

  She shook her head. “I used my career as an excuse to give up on us. I took the job at the Billionaire Birthday Club because I was scared to venture out on my own. I’ve been planning to start my own hotel for years now. Maybe it’s time I finally took the jump and did it.”

  “I know of several old hotels here in Manhattan that could be the perfect start for your empire,” Wade said.

  “I think Manhattan is a little out of my price point,” she said with a smile.

  “Good thing you have a billionaire boyfriend that doesn’t have a problem giving you a loan. After all, he knows first-hand what a solid investment you are.”

  “Is that so?”

  He nodded. “You gave me everything I could ever wish for, Tara Wilson.”

  Wade leaned down and claimed Tara’s mouth with his own. He didn’t know exactly what the future held for them or how they were going to navigate their complicated lives, but he knew there wasn’t anyone else with whom he would rather figure it out.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  Tara climbed out of the back of the Town Car, rushed up the steps and into the front lobby of her new hotel. In just one month, she would be having her grand opening. Today, she was meeting her sister to go over the final steps for the social media push her sister was heading up.

  “Hey there, sis, I’m surprised you were able to make it here on time, considering everything that’s going on with Wade today.”

  “He understands I have my own project to work on. Besides, he’s got everything under control.”

  Claire nodded, causing her blonde bob to swish back and forth as she did. She opened her laptop and clicked a couple of buttons, revealing the new ads she had designed for the various online platforms. “What do you think?”

  “I love them, Claire. Hiring you to come on as the marketing expert for the hotel was the best idea. You’ve really outdone yourself.”

  “I never thought I would say this, but I really enjoy working with you, Tara. The past six months have been the best time of my life.”

  “It doesn’t hurt that Wade introduced you to Samuel, and the two of you are dating now.”

  Claire giggled. “Nope, that’s a real big bonus, I have to admit. Who would have thought that two middle-class sisters from Ohio would end up moving to Manhattan and bagging billionaire chefs in the process?”

  “Not me for sure, but remember, I moved to Manhattan for Wade. I never saw myself starting my hotel company here. I figured it would take me a decade to save up enough money to put one here.”

  “And now it’s going to be your flagship hotel, thanks to Wade giving you an open line of credit. You really lucked out when you met him at your old job.”

  “Luck had nothing to do with it. God brought Wade into my life, and I couldn’t be happier.”

  “The inspector just signed off on the final permits. Everything is really coming together,” Claire said, gesturing around the luxurious lobby that was filled with gleaming white marble, platinum accents, and white and gray decorations and furniture.

  “It sure is,” Wade agreed as he came into the lobby.

  “What are you doing here?” Tara asked, shocked. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for tonight?”

  “I am, but I wanted to be here just in case I needed to talk to the inspector,” Wade said with a wink. “I figured using a little star power couldn’t hurt if things got sticky.”

  “That’s sweet of you, but you know I can handle myself,” she teased back, giving him a playful smack in the arm.

  “Maybe, I just used that as an excuse so I could do this,” he said, pulling her towards him and giving her a kiss.

  “Okay, you two, I know you’re like the perfect couple and all, but sometimes it really is sickening,” Claire said, her face scrunching up with disgust. “Give a girl a warning before you go around doing that.”

  Wade released Tara, then turned to face her sister. “Claire, don’t act like you don’t do the very same thing with Samuel all the time. I never thought I would see the day when he was off the market, but it seems the Wilson sisters have a way of taming a man.”

  The group laughed, before they settled down and went over the last part of the plan for the hotel’s launch. Once they were finished, Tara offered to go with Wade.

  “I’d like that, but I have some last-minute errands to run. Why don’t you go get ready for the party?” he suggested, before hopping into his own Town Car.

  “That was odd,” Claire observed. “It isn’t like Wade to brush you off like that.”

  “That wasn’t what happened,” Tara said defensively. “He’s just nervous about tonight.”

  “Okay, little sister, keep telling yourself that. I’m telling you, something is up.” Claire glanced down at her watch, then sighed. “I have to go to the airport and pick up Mom and Dad for tonight.”

  “Okay, give them my love,” Tara said, as she hailed her own Town Car. “I’ll see you later this evening.”

  Wade paced back and forth, nervous about the momentous occasion tonight. He checked to make sure he had everything he would need, then double-checked to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything. When he was certain he was ready, he left his apartment and made his way to his art gallery in the heart of Manhattan’s art district. Tonight, he was hosting his first exhibit. The long list of celebrities and critics that were attending made Wade giddy with anti
cipation. If his art met with positive feedback, it would mean success. With Ian’s guidance over the past year, Wade knew he was ready; but it still didn’t make the knot in the pit of his stomach go away.

  He climbed out of the Town Car and made his way up the steps. Ian was waiting at the top, his friendly smile relieving a bit of the tension building up in Wade.

  “Are you ready for this, Wade?” Ian asked, patting him on the back as they glided through the doors.

  “I think so, Ian. I feel like the paintings I’ve done in the last couple of months have been the best works of my life.”

  “I would have to agree with you,” Ian said with pride as they came to stand in front of the series of paintings with various hands in different poses. “You’ve really outdone yourself with them.”

  “I just hope the critics think so,” Wade said with apprehension. “If they don’t like them, they’re going to blast me publicly. It will be all over page six by morning.”

  “Don’t think about that,” he heard Tara say from behind him. “This is your moment to shine bright.”

  He turned around to face her, grateful she was there to support him. “Thank you, Tara. You always know just the right thing to say.”

  “It’s why we work so wonderfully together,” she said, coming up to him and wrapping her arm through his, pulling his attention back to the paintings. “I have to agree with Ian, though, your newest work is outstanding.”

  Over the next couple of hours, the gallery filled with so many people, it was hard to move around. Collectors were snatching up his work—the fact that Wade was donating the proceeds to a homeless shelter in Manhattan only seemed to make everyone want the paintings more. The best part was that the critics and his fellow celebrities seemed to be responding well to his work.

  “You’ve done a wonderful job, Wade,” he heard his friend Samuel say as he came to stand beside him, Claire by his side.

  “He’s right, Wade, you really are talented. I’ve seen some of your work before, but having it all displayed like this really makes it clear—you’re an artist.” Claire said with awe.

  “I knew it the moment I read his dossier,” Tara said with pride, squeezing his arm. “He just needed a push to remember.”

  “And you did that for me,” he said, turning to face Tara. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”

  “Don’t do that; don’t discount yourself. You made this happen, Wade. Congratulations on your success, I’m so happy for you,” Tara said, giving him her most enchanting smile. “You finally have the missing piece in your life.”

  “That wasn’t all I was missing, though, Tara. The biggest thing I was missing was love,” he said, reaching out to take her hands in his. “Now that I have you, I have everything I will ever need.” This was it, this was the moment he had been waiting for. He knew what he needed to do. Wade went down on one knee and pulled out a black velvet ring box from his jacket pocket. “Tara Wilson, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

  Tara’s hands flew to her mouth, her eyes glistening with tears as their friends and her family surrounded them. “Yes, yes, Wade, I will marry you.”

  He pulled the giant diamond and platinum ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. It fit perfectly. She looked down at it and the tears that had been puddling in the corner of her eyes started to cascade down her cheeks. “I can’t believe you had all of this planned. This was supposed to be your big night.”

  He stood up and pulled her close. “I wanted it to be our night, since you’re the reason all of this is happening. I love you, Tara.”

  “I know,” she said, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you, too.”

  Wade couldn’t wait a moment longer; he dipped his head down and kissed Tara, knowing that now and forever, they belonged together.

  Sneak Peak of The Billionaire’s Reunion

  Ten years had passed since Molly left her hometown on Echo Island in utter despair. In that time, she completely overhauled her life, leaving her troubled past and adolescence behind.

  Today, she was returning with a college degree, an established journalism career, and her hot, new boyfriend, Rick, an elite Miami plastic surgeon.

  As he drove his rented, red Corvette through the streets of Crystal Cove, Molly realized little had changed with the small town where she had grown up. Main Street was still filled with the same handful of restaurants and half dozen hotels, along with the grocery store, coffee shop/bakery, and salon.

  She watched as people moved along the wide sidewalks next to the stucco buildings. A handful of people were sitting on the benches, which had flower pots on the side of each one. The residents had on shorts and short-sleeved shirts, due to the weather remaining warm year-round on the tropical, Florida Keys island.

  “So, this is the town you grew up in?” Rick asked her, the disapproval obvious in his tone. “When you said small, I had no idea you meant this. You said it was a regular tourist destination, but I can’t imagine how anyone would even find this place. It’s so far from the airport,” he pointed out with shock.

  She forced herself not to show her irritation with his condescending judgment. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her anyway, considering that when she left a decade ago, she had convinced herself she was better off leaving the provincial place behind.

  “That’s the charm of the town; people come here to escape their regular lives,” she explained, though she had ran as far away from the place as she could get only ten years prior.

  He let out a small chuckle as he turned onto the small road that led to her parents’ house. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were upset. I know that can’t be the case considering how you’ve never wanted to come back here to visit until now.”

  “I never had a reason until my boss gave me this assignment.”

  “And your reunion has nothing to do with it? You’re not coming back here to show off your awesome life?” He reached out and patted her arm. “Otherwise, why would you have invited me along?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not saying it won’t be nice to show the people from school they didn’t break me; however, it’s just a bonus. The reunion will be the perfect cover for my real reason for being in Crystal Cove.”

  “Right, you’re investigating some lawyer from here.”

  Molly stiffened, not liking how casually Rick threw around her real purpose for returning. She didn’t need him ruining her chances of finding out the truth for her story. She had spent hours online going over Spencer Wilmington’s social media and newspaper articles after years of trying to forget about him. She knew all the public details of the past ten years of his life, including the fact that he went to the University of Southern California where he created his social app that subsequently made him billions. Then there was a two year blimp where he partied and was seen running around LA with vapid blondes and a slew of Hollywood A-listers.

  The part that didn’t make sense was that shortly after those two years where he seemed to have left college in the past, he transferred to Stanford law school. Considering he could have gotten a job anywhere, there was no mention of why he returned to Crystal Cove to take a position as a local defense attorney. It was one of the pieces she needed to figure out. Perhaps it would reveal a connection to the district attorney, Jeremy Jacks, the other person secretly accused of unethical conduct. She had looked into him too, not finding anything out of the ordinary. Until she figured it all out though, she needed Rick to stay quiet.

  “Remember, we discussed how we need to keep my work part of the trip a secret. If anyone gets wind of the real reason why I’m here, they won’t talk to me, and my whole investigation will be over before it starts.”

  “You’re so dramatic. You act as if everyone in this town cares about what happens to this guy.”

  “You say that in jest, but you have no idea how right you are,” Molly said, pushing her long, brown hair behind her ear. “Spencer Wilmington is the darling of Cry
stal Cove. He has been ever since we were kids, despite the fact he was an awful person.”

  “Wow, you really don’t like the guy, do you,” Rick stated. “I mean, every time he comes up, you become hostile. What’d he ever do to you?”

  “Nothing I want to talk about,” Molly stated adamantly. “It’s in the past, anyway.”

  Without her wanting it to happen, her mind drifted back to the first time she met the handsome billionaire’s son.

  Oh, goodness, there was Spencer Wilmington coming through the front doors of the town’s public library. Molly saw him every day in the school hallways and in two of her classes, but she never talked to him. He was popular, being rich as well as the varsity football quarterback—and Molly was most decidedly not part of the “in” crowd.

  He looked good, really good, with his thick, sandy-blond hair and his blue and white letterman jacket hugging his body in all the right ways. He had his backpack slung over one shoulder, and his hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans.

  Her blue eyes drifted to his perfect pair of lips, and for a moment, she let herself wonder what it would be like to kiss them. She knew she wasn’t the only one to imagine it. Every girl in school was obsessed with Spencer Wilmington, but she had made it a point to avoid his crowd. They were mean, and made it a point to pick on anyone unpopular. Even though she knew all the reasons that she shouldn’t have a crush on him, Molly found herself doing it anyway.

  “Stop it,” she chastised herself. “Spencer Wilmington is completely off-limits. Besides, you don’t want to be with someone like him. Just keep this about tutoring.”

  As Spencer approached the table, he looked annoyed, like he didn’t want to be there. Good, I don’t want to be here either, she thought to herself.

  “You’re late,” Molly stated with frustration, pushing her long bangs out of her eyes. “If this is going to work, you have to be on time.”