Falling For the Billionaire

by Christina Tetreault

  Her mouth fell open, mock outrage on her face. “I don’t know if I can be with someone who thinks pie is better than chocolate cake. I’m going to need to think about this.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yep. If someone would rather eat pie than chocolate, there must be something wrong with them. It’s a proven scientific fact.”

  He knew she was only joking around, but it’d taken him this long to find her. He didn’t want anything coming between them. “What about chocolate peanut butter pie? I love that.”

  Paige pretended to wipe sweat off her forehead. “Thank goodness. For a minute there I thought I’d have to stop seeing you.” She leaned closer to the table and dropped her voice. “I mean, no matter how good the sex, I can’t be with someone who avoids chocolate. Sorry.”

  The sex wasn’t good. It was the best he’d ever had, and he’d had his share of partners. When they made love, it was more than insert tab A in slot B. Emotion encompassed them and wrapped around them.

  “For you, I’d give up pie and switch to chocolate cake all the time.” A few months ago he wouldn’t have inconvenienced himself for any woman he knew outside his family. Now, he couldn’t think of anything he wouldn’t do for Paige. Life changed quickly.

  With her brother not expecting them until much later, they returned to their hotel for beach supplies after lunch. Unlike earlier in the day, lounge chairs and sun shelters dotted the sand now. While many people relaxed, soaking up the sun, others chose to swim or toss around footballs, and not far from the giant statue of Neptune a group of people had a soccer game going.

  Stepping off the concrete, he took off his flip-flops, the hot sand immediately warming the bottoms of his feet. “Where to?”

  “How about over there?” She pointed to an empty area not far from a lifeguard chair.

  Two smiling children around nine or ten years old darted around them carrying boogie boards as they ran toward the water. A moment later a man jogged by, calling to the children to wait for him and not jump in the water without him.

  “I don’t think they’re going to wait.” Paige removed the shorts she’d thrown on over her bikini and stretched out on the beach towel she’d spread out. “I’m not even sure they heard him.”

  Neither child paused when they reached the water’s edge. Instead, they raced in and got ready to ride the next wave. “Do you blame them? I wouldn’t have waited either.”

  Paige lowered her sunglasses and peered over the top of them at him. “So you were a disobedient child? Why am I not surprised?”

  “Just the usual stuff kids do. Tease younger sisters and cousins. Tell my parents I’d be at one place and go somewhere else. You know the kind of stuff I mean. I never got into real trouble. And I stayed away from drugs.”

  “No younger sisters to pick on, and I never lied to my parents when I went out. If I told them I was going to a friend’s house, that’s where I went. Joe gave my parents enough headaches.”

  “You never did anything wrong?” Propped up on an elbow, he leaned over her. “Come on, I don’t believe it. No one’s perfect.”

  “Once I snuck out of school. My brother found out. One of his friends, who’d also skipped, saw me and told him. Joe threatened to tell Mom and Dad if I ever did it again. For some reason he thought it was okay for him to skip school and sneak out of the house, but not me. Go figure. Anyway, missing a day of school wasn’t worth getting grounded.”

  She was so close he couldn’t keep from touching her. “Huh, I guess you two didn’t have a great relationship.” Scott ran his fingers over her shoulder and down her arm. When he reached her wrist, he reversed his path.

  “Just the opposite. But he’s always been protective, which is part of why we’re seeing him tonight. He makes sure he meets every man I get into a relationship with. He started doing it when I was in high school.”

  “Nice. And I thought you just wanted me to meet your family.” He understood the protective big brother thing. Growing up, if anyone had tried to harm either of his sisters, he would’ve paid them a visit. Even now he’d consider doing the same thing, depending on the situation. He didn’t go so far as to meet everyone Courtney and Juliette dated; one, he didn’t have the time, and two, he trusted their judgment. Both were smart women who made good decisions.

  “I do want you to meet my family, Scott. If I didn’t ,I would’ve told Joe we were too busy when he asked. And I was thinking the next time you visit we could get together with my parents.”

  “Set it up, and I’ll be there. I don’t anticipate any more travel for several weeks.” A breeze blew over them, sending hair across her face. Scott brushed it away before she could react. “So your brother is protective. What else should I know about him before we get there?”

  ***

  Paige picked at her fingernail as she watched Scott and Joe talk. She saw no reason the two men wouldn’t get along, but she’d been wrong before. When she and Benjamin had started dating, she’d expected Joe to love him. They’d had a lot in common and were only months apart in age. However, her brother disliked her ex-husband more than any other guy she’d dated. He’d even tried to talk her out of marrying him when she’d told him about their engagement. He’d insisted it wouldn’t last. At the time she’d laughed at him. After all, what did her brother know; he’d married his college sweetheart. In hindsight, maybe he’d seen something she hadn’t. She really didn’t want that to be the case tonight.

  “Aunt Bebe sure has good taste,” Trish, her sister-in-law, said, pulling Paige’s attention away from the men in other room. “I still can’t believe she bought him for you. I love her and think she’s great, but she doesn’t know anything about boundaries. But maybe this one time we can forgive her.” Trish looked into the other room. “Since you’re on vacation with him, I’m guessing it’s going well.”

  “Almost too well.”

  The oven timer buzzed, and Trish walked away from the counter. “What’s that supposed to mean?” She left the tray of stuffed mushrooms on the stovetop and returned to the counter. “Things are either working or they’re not. There’s no such thing as too well.”

  “So far everything’s been perfect. We don’t argue. He calls all the time. He travels to Rhode Island from wherever in the world he is to see me.”

  “And you’re worried why?”

  Paige shrugged. She couldn’t explain it, but unease had bothered her since he’d said he loved her. “Nothing stays perfect forever.”

  The sound of Gabby moving around in her crib came through the baby monitor on the counter. “Relationships aren’t about perfect. There about loving someone enough to work through the tough patches,” Trish said, just as the additional timer she’d set for the crab cakes went off. “Do mind getting Gabby?”

  “You twisted my arm.”

  When she carried Gabby into the living room, she found Scott sitting alone. “You look like a natural holding her,” he said, his eyes following her across the room.

  “Years and years of babysitting.”

  “It’s more than the way you carry her. There’s something about the expression on your face too.” Scott touched Gabby’s arm. “I don’t spend a lot of time around babies. Whenever I see them, I’m amazed by how small they are.”

  “Do you want to hold her?”

  “I’ll give it a try. Last time I held my cousin Callie’s son, he spit up all over me.”

  Paige transferred Gabby into his arms. “She hasn’t eaten yet, so you’re probably safe.” A golf ball formed in her throat and her heart literally ached at the sight of him holding her niece. “How old is your cousin’s baby?”

  “James will be one in September. My cousins Trent and Jake have children too. Jake’s son, Garret, was born in March, and Trent’s son, Kendrick, was born in June.”

  She remembered reading about all three births. “Looks like the family name will be carried on.” Some men like her ex-husband got obsessed with the idea of their family name being carried o
n.

  “It’s not the end of the world if a family name ends.” Scott smiled when Gabby wrapped her hand around his finger. “If I have only daughters, that’ll be fine. It’s more important that they’re healthy.”

  The man came from a large family, it made sense he’d want children. The unease lurking inside her pushed forward. She’d have to tell him soon. “You want kids?”

  “Not tomorrow, but yeah, eventually.” He looked up with something close to concern etched on his face. “You don’t?”

  “Oh, I do.” I just might not be able to. She tried not think about the fact too often, but it looked like she needed to start. Nothing stays perfect forever. Hadn’t she just told Trish that? Most of the time she liked being right. For once she wished she’d been dead wrong.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Joe said, entering the living room and going straight for his daughter. “She usually cries her head off when someone other than family holds her.” Joe shot her a look, which she interpreted as “I like him and approve.” “She even lost it when Tim held her,” he said, referring to his brother-in-law.

  “I’ve met Tim. She’s got good taste.” Right now she wouldn’t think about anything serious. Instead, she’d enjoy an evening with her family and the man she loved. Tomorrow would be soon enough to tell him what she needed to. Or maybe the day after that.

  Chapter 11

  His ringtone came through his earbuds. After work, Paige planned on going out with her mom. She’d promised to call afterward, so he doubted it was her calling now. Slowing down, Scott checked the smartphone strapped to his arm. The name Nicole greeted him. She’d called him Monday afternoon too, but he’d been too busy to answer. When he’d tried returning the call, it had automatically gone to voice mail. He hadn’t tried again. He figured if she needed to talk so badly she’d call him back.

  Scott pulled out his earbuds and moved off the jogging path. “Hello,” he said, winded from his run.

  “Hi Scott, it’s Nicole.”

  Using the back of bench for support, he stretched out his left calf. Since he had to stop anyway, he might as well work on the cramp in his leg. “What’s up?”

  “Are you still traveling or are you home?” The same nervous hitch he’d detected in her voice during their last conversation came through the phone today.

  “At the moment, I’m in Central Park.” He switched legs. His right leg wasn’t bothering him but when he stretched he liked to do both sides. “But I can cut my run short and head home.”

  “I’d appreciate it. I’ll be over in thirty or forty minutes. You haven’t moved, have you?”

  “Same place. I’ll tell security to let you up when you get there.”

  “Thank you, Scott. See you soon.”

  He put his earbuds in again and headed back the way he’d come. Other than right after her first call, he hadn’t wasted his time wondering what Nicole could possibly want. He had more important things to concentrate on. Now, though, his curiosity kicked in. Not to mention his gratitude. Friday afternoon Paige arrived for the weekend, and he’d prefer not to have his ex-girlfriend stopping over no matter what she needed.

  Showered and dressed, he grabbed some leftover pizza and checked his e-mail while he waited. After dating Nicole for five months, he knew thirty to forty minutes to her was more like fifty minutes to everyone else. While he waited, he might as well get some work done and empty out his in-box, maybe saving himself some time tomorrow.

  His phone chirped before he answered the first e-mail. Miss you, the message read, bringing a smile to his face.

  Can’t wait to see you Friday. Paige’s second message read.

  Call me when you get home. He typed the message while he ate.

  Okay, love you.

  Before he typed a response, the doorbell rang. In one motion he tossed the pizza onto his plate and stood, typing a reply as he walked.

  Until four years ago Nicole Sutton had been a little-known actress who played small roles in movies and on television. After playing Mia Troy’s sister in a summer blockbuster, Hollywood really took notice, and her career skyrocketed. Since the movie with Mia Troy, she’d landed the leading role in three others. They’d met at a premiere party for one of them. He’d been talking with his friend Anderson Brady, Nicole’s costar, when he noticed her standing by the bar. She’d had on a skintight, bottom-skimming dress with mile-high heels. He’d watched her while she flirted with the guy next to her. Then she turned her ample cleavage, on display for all to see, toward him and smiled. He hadn’t hesitated to join her.

  The woman standing at his door now resembled the one he remembered from that night a year ago. Except today, she wore shorts so short the bottom of the front pockets hung below the hem, and a tight yellow T-shirt with a deep V-neck. Not at all what he’d expected. He’d read somewhere the woman was pregnant. While she looked perhaps a little heavier than the last time he’d seen her, she didn’t look pregnant.

  “Hi Scott,” she said. Today she didn’t give him the well-practiced smile she usually gave people. In fact, she appeared nervous.

  He stepped back so she could enter and tucked his phone into his back pocket. “Come on in.” Scott watched her walk past him. Yep, everything about her remained the same except her voice. “Can I get you anything?” Playing a proper host was just another one of those things drilled into him by his parents.

  “A glass of wine would be awesome.” She tossed her long hair over a shoulder before slipping her hands into her back pockets.

  He’d been thinking more along the lines of coffee or water, but he had wine too.

  “You haven’t changed anything,” she said, looking around the apartment.

  “I don’t spend enough time here to change anything,” he said from the kitchen. After pouring a glass of Moscato and grabbing a beer for himself, he joined her again.

  Accepting the drink, she took a sip of the white wine. “You remembered,” she said, smiling for the first time. She moved closer to him, and he caught the scent of her perfume. Something flowery he’d always found too sweet.

  “I’ve got a good memory. You said something about needing to talk to me?” He moved away from her and sat in the leather chair across from the sofa.

  She took in a deep breath and sat opposite him, pulling at the loose threads on her shorts rather than look at him. “I’m not sure how to even say this, but I might need your help with something.”

  Nicole drank from her glass, the light reflecting off the emerald and diamond ring on her right index finger, the only jewelry she wore. It was something else he found odd. He knew he’d read she was engaged.

  “You probably know I was engaged to Jordan Lee.” She finally looked up at him as she spoke.

  He picked up on the “was” in her sentence. He hoped she wasn’t here hoping to get back together. Even if Paige and he hadn’t been involved, he wouldn’t have any interest in seeing Nicole again. They’d had some fun together, but she wasn’t the type he could ever be serious about. “I read it somewhere. And I thought I read you two were expecting a baby.”

  “We were. I had Cooper four weeks ago.”

  She didn’t look like a woman who’d just had a baby. “Congratulations.”

  Nicole drained her glass. “Do you mind if I get some more? I remember where everything is.”

  Actually, he’d rather she say what she’d come to ask, but he’d play the good host. “Help yourself.” Scott took a swig from his bottle and waited while Nicole refilled her glass. When she joined him again, he spoke, intending to get to the point. “What do you need my help with?” He’d learned from their time together that sometimes Nicole needed help staying on topic.

  “Jordan was thrilled when he found out I was pregnant. And since I’ve never had regular cycles, I assumed the baby was his.”

  Scott groaned. He did not want to hear about her or anyone else’s monthly menstrual cycle.

  “When I took the pregnancy test, I guessed I’d just gotten pregnant beca
use up until then I’d felt fine. I only took the test because I hadn’t had a period in six months and my nipples had been sore. When I told my trainer, she said that can be a symptom of pregnancy. Since Jordan I never used condoms, I took one of those home pregnancy tests.”

  Considering she sat in his apartment, he didn’t like where this story was going.

  “I guessed my due date was the end of July or the beginning of August. After the ultrasound, the doctor said considering the size and development of the baby it was probable. So we went with it. Cooper was born four weeks ago. One week before my estimated due date.” Nicole took another healthy sip of her wine. “Everything was great. Jordan flew in from Italy where he was working on a movie for the birth, and I was only in labor for eight hours. Or at least great until his parents visited from Japan. They immediately pointed out how much Cooper doesn’t look like Jordan.”

  Scott pinched the bridge of his nose and refrained from commenting.

  “And it’s true. Cooper doesn’t look anything like Jordan or me. He has brown hair about the color of yours. Jordan’s hair is jet-black and mine’s naturally blonde.” She pulled at a strand of her dark red hair. “And Cooper’s eyes are blue, although I’m told a lot of babies are born with blue eyes so they might change. His skin tone doesn’t match either of us. Jordan’s skin is more of a pale brown, and without makeup, I’m white as a ghost. Look.” Nicole handed him her smartphone, which displayed a photo.

  He couldn’t argue with her. While cute, the baby looked nothing like Jordan Lee, who’d been born in Japan and only moved to the United States to pursue a movie career or Nicole. He handed the smartphone back to Nicole. “Why are you telling me?” Scott asked, fearing he already knew the damn answer.

  “After his parents’ visit, Jordan demanded a paternity test. We should have the results soon.”

  In a similar situation, he might do the same, even though babies didn’t always look exactly like their parents.