He looked over at me as if there was something he wanted to say.
I turned my full attention to him. We’d been watching classic TV show reruns all day, and mostly making fun of them.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing …” He bit his lip. “There’s just … something I need to tell you.”
“Okay, spill it.” I sat there, waiting. What could be so hard for him to talk about to me? I mean, he’d told me so many dirty things he wanted to do to me. He’d had me meet his family. Hell, the man told me he was in love with me.
I reached out and took his hand.
“It’s Kurt.”
My heart did a backflip. “Oh. What about him?”
“He’s going to be there tomorrow. You … you need to know why I hate him. You need to know what kind of man he is.”
I sighed. “Okay …” I bit my lip nervously. I had wanted him to talk to me about this for so long, but was I ready to hear it? I didn’t know, honestly, and that kind of scared me. Whatever happens, I need to keep control of myself for him. I needed to be there and support him because I knew that it was hard for him to open up.
However, the way his stepmother had reacted hadn’t been good when he had told her. Whatever happened between him and Kurt …?
“When we were younger, we were actually really close ...” I knew that, but I didn’t point it out, “and we all used to hang out … there were a few of us. And there was this girl. She was my best friend when I was really little, and as time went on …”
“You fell in love with her.” I said it for him.
“Yes. At least I thought I was in love with her. Maybe it was just a little crush. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. Anyways, Kurt … he liked her too.”
My stomach knotted, but I didn’t say anything. Adam looked away from me, sighing deeply. I squeezed his hand, letting him know I was there for him.
I’d support him no matter what. Right?
“Anyways, I … I didn’t realize what had happened. We were all stupid. You know how 14-year-old boys are. They get so caught up in lust, or love, or whatever they think it is. He … they started seeing each other behind my back. She knew how I felt about her; hell, he knew how I felt about her too. I was 14. I couldn’t hide it. I didn’t know how. They … weren’t safe and she …” He trailed off. I waited. “When everyone found out, his family got so mad. They … they were too worried about how it would look if word got out, so they offered to relocate the parents, or to pay for her to … get it taken care of. I got so mad when Kurt told me that. I told him he had to stand up for her, and his child. He just shrugged and said it would be easier if she moved away. Or if she got rid of it. I would have fought him right there if it hadn’t been online. When I saw him next …”
“It was at your birthday party.”
“Yea.”
“And her?”
“She … we still email every now and then.” He looked away from me, his face bright red.
I stared at him, knowing that I couldn’t get mad. It had taken a lot of courage for him to tell me all this, and I knew if I got mad, he would just feel like he couldn’t tell anyone. I thought of what my brother had said to me a while back.
“Look, just think of it this way … I have this friend, and I have no clue what it was like for him growing up, but I know his mom did something … and since then he feels like he can’t tell anyone anything, because why bother? They don’t listen. He doesn’t open up much to me, but he has opened up enough to tell me that he doesn’t bother opening up because it’s pointless. Because people just pay attention to what they want, and they will ignore everything else.”
I wondered if it was about Adam. “Does she still have the kid?”
“Yes. And when I saw Kurt, that was part of what made me so mad. He had given up on his child, and to this day, still doesn’t want her around his family and now … he’s with a girl who has a kid. I just … I know how much she struggles,” he looked away from me, “I’m the one who sends her money if she needs it. And he’s there with another kid at a fair when his daughter just had to celebrate a birthday without her father.”
My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. No wonder Adam hates him so much. I would too. No, I did. Just because I hadn’t been there when it happened, didn’t mean I didn’t hate him down.
I rolled on top of Adam, straddling his hips. My lips touched his chest softly. “So …”
“It’s going to be hard for me not to kill him when I see him.”
“I understand. It will be hard for me not to, and I didn’t even know her. I wasn’t in love with her like you were.”
“My family …” he trailed off, looking away from me. “They have held it against me my entire life. They will be so mad at me if I screw up this dinner. They always hold it against me that I can’t forgive him.”
“Well, too damn bad.” I gave him a smile. My hand reached out for his, our fingers tangling together. “You know, if you just told them the truth … why you hate him so much.”
“They wouldn’t care. All my family cares about is themselves and their family reputation.”
I bit my lip. I didn’t want to agree with it. I wanted to tell him he was wrong, that his stepmother wanted to know, that no matter what, his dad and his sisters would support him.
“Do they know you were in love with her?”
“Of course not,” he snapped. “They were all too busy. Kathrine was in school at the time; my dad was working insane amounts of overtime to keep us living our same lifestyle.”
I could hear the bitterness in his voice. I knew how upset he was about it and hated that there was nothing I could do to make him feel better. I hated that he was hurting, and I couldn’t say a thing because I knew that if I tried to dispute him, he would feel like I was against him too, and I didn’t want that.
What the fuck am I going to do?
It’s not like I could just let him keep thinking his family didn’t care. They do. They would. They wanted to be there for him.
My fingers squeezed his hand gently. I knew that when it came down to it, I had to be careful not to overstep my bounds. I had to be careful not to push him away, and that was going to be the hard part.
“You know … I’m always here for you. If you need to get away from them when we are having dinner, just …” No, we couldn’t use a code word. That was too extreme. They would realize if he was just shouting out random words. I stared down at him, my eyes roaming over his body as I mulled it over. What are we supposed to do?
“Yes?” He shifted his weight, our fingers still intertwined as he moved his hand above his head.
Light bulb.
I grinned widely.
“Just squeeze my hand three times, and I’ll say that I need some fresh air, to call my parents, and I will ask you to join me.”
His eyes lit up. “You’re perfect—you know that, right?” He rolled me over onto my back, settling down between my legs. His lips crashed against mine, the kiss soft and passionate. “You have no idea how lucky I am to have you. I hope you know that.” His fingers tangled in my hair.
“So … you like the idea?”
He laughed softly. “I love it. I love you.”
My heart did a double backflip when he said it.
I still wasn’t used to it.
He pulled away from me, his cheeks turning the shade of a tomato. I knew what I was supposed to say. I knew he wanted me to tell him that I loved him too, but I didn’t think I could.
“I …” care deeply about you? No, that wasn’t right. That was supposed to be ten times worse than not telling someone you love them, right? So what was I supposed to say?
His finger touched my lips.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. I get that it’s all … a lot for you. You … just entered this relationship, and you just started having feelings for me. I …”
“Why didn’t you just tell me from the get go?”
He raise
d an eyebrow. “Really? I mean, come on, you’re Josh’s little sister, not to mention I don’t have a very good track record with being in love with girls.” He didn’t dare meet my eye.
I gave him a soft smile. “Well, I’m not like most girls, so that might tip the odds in our favor, right?” I pulled him down into a quick kiss. “Anyways, just for the record. I really like you. I might not be ready to tell you that I love you, but I do really, really like you.”
“Really?”
I grinned. He sounded so hopeful. “No. Not really. Really, really.”
He smiled, letting out a soft laugh. His face buried into the groove between my neck and my shoulder as he pulled me closer, taking a deep breath.
I couldn’t begin to tell this girl how much she meant to me.
Sure, I could try, but it wouldn’t be right. I could tell her that I loved her, but that didn’t do it justice.
For the first time since I could remember, I felt … comfortable to open up to someone.
I’d tried therapy.
I’d tried ignoring it. I tried moving on with my life, and none of it worked. I had been able to put it all in the past but hadn’t been able to move on from it. Not really, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to move on from it.
“So … this girl …”
My heart stopped for a fraction of a second. “Yes? What about her?”
“Do you, like, see her and stuff?”
I should lie. I knew I shouldn’t tell her the truth. I knew that she didn’t want to hear the truth, but if I lied to her, that would be even worse, right? I mean, it was beyond wrong to lie to her, and that would just make her question me all the time. Lying wasn’t right, as much as I wanted to.
“Yes.”
It took everything I had to tell her the truth. I could see how unhappy it made her. I could tell that it hadn’t been the answer she wanted.
I finally risked glancing over at her. She didn’t look thrilled, but it didn’t look like I had to worry about her killing me in my sleep.
“I know that’s not what you want to hear.” I gave a soft smile. “But I’m not going to lie to you. I love you, and in a way, yes I love her. But not the way I used to. She’s like a sister to me. She’s been through so much, and her parents passed away a year ago. Now, I’m the only one she has. I mean, guys don’t go for a girl with a kid, no matter how old they are. I wish I could tell you otherwise, and I totally understand if you don’t like it; I know I wouldn’t. But I can’t stop. I told her I would be there to help her. I’m the only one they have. I’m the only one who takes them out to celebrate birthdays, and I’m the only one who they can invite over for Christmas ...”
“That’s not true.” She cut me off, whispering the words.
“What?”
“You’re not the only one she has. Not anymore. There’s two of us now.”
I stared at her, speechless. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard her say. I knew I would never be able to say that if I were her. I would hate me if I were her.
“You ….”
“I mean, this girl is important to you, right? They both are. And she has a daughter. I can’t expect you to just drop them. I can’t expect you to stop supporting them. Anyways, I’m sure she’s really nice. I’m sure she has a lot to say about you, too. Could be interesting to meet her.”
I tried to make it sound like I was cool with everything. Of course I wasn’t. Of course I hated this.
I hated the idea that there was another woman in his life. It’s sweet he wants to take care of them, I reminded myself. Being cool about it wasn’t easy; as rational as it was to understand where he was coming from, I didn’t want to be rational. Anger simmered in the pit of my stomach, and honestly, jealousy tugged at me. It wasn’t something I liked admitting, but I was a little jealous because I knew that if he ever had to choose between me and them, he would pick them, even though she wasn’t his daughter.
“I mean, this girl is important to you, right? They both are. And she has a daughter. I can’t expect you to just drop them. I can’t expect you to stop supporting them. Anyways, I’m sure she’s really nice. I’m sure she has a lot to say about you, too. Meeting her could be good.”
It would be cool to meet her, and it would be great to show Adam that I wanted to support him. I just wasn’t sure I would be able to keep my emotions in check.
“R-really?”
“Yea, I mean …” I shrugged. What else was I supposed to say? Maybe it could wait a few months, though. Long enough for me to get used to this whole idea. Yes. A nice long time. Christmas was a few months away. That sounded like the perfect time to meet them.
Adam stared at me, his eyes sparkling. “My God, I don’t know what I did to deserve you. Thank you, Fiona. Thank you so much.” He bit his lip, and for a second, I thought he was about to start crying.
I shrugged it off like it didn’t mean anything, but honestly, seeing his reaction right there made playing it off cool so much more worth it. Seeing how happy and excited he was almost made my jealousy go away.
“You’ll love them both. They are both so sweet. Sam is just this little bundle of joy and excitement. It’s always something new. She always has a billion things to tell me and gets so caught up in everything that she changes topics so fast.”
“And … Sam’s mom?” I assumed Sam was the daughter.
“You two will get along well. You’re both strong and don’t take shit from anyone. And you’re both pretty much the only women who lose your shit on me.” It was my turn to blush. He laughed softly, his lips touching my neck. “She hated me so much when she first met me.”
“I wouldn’t say I hated you when I first met you. I mean, maybe if you hadn’t been such a demanding asshole, I would have liked you more. And maybe if you hadn’t called me a maid.”
His eyes sparkled when he looked at me. “But you are. You’re my maid.” His lips lowered to the part of my neck he’d realized I loved being kissed. My body arched as his teeth grazed my skin gently. “I should get you a naughty little maid costume for you to wear.”
“Not at work!”
“Ohhh, but I could have so much fun with you at work,” he whispered, his breath hot against my neck. “just think about me bending you over my desk after calling you in to clean my office.”
My heart raced. I loved the idea of it, though I wouldn’t admit that to him.
“I’ll just ask to have my schedule changed around, again.”
He laughed softly. “Won’t happen as long as I keep saying no.”
“Wait, you’re the reason I never got moved?”
I shouldn’t have been surprised. I should have expected it honestly.
“Maybe … depends on if you will be mad at me if I say yes.”
I snorted. A week and a half ago, I probably would have been, but not today. I didn’t want to be mad at him. I didn’t want to ruin this wonderful day.
“No, for now, I won’t be,” I whispered as his teeth grazed my neck again. A soft moan passed through my lips
.
80. Chapter Twenty-eight
I couldn’t believe that we spent the entire day in bed. But it wasn’t just about the sex. It was about so much more than that. It was about the fact that we were actually together. In a relationship. Hell, I wore his shirt to bed! That was all I wore. I rolled over just in time to see his eyes open the next morning.
“Hello, beautiful.” His eyes sparkled as he pulled me into a soft kiss.
“Good morning, handsome,” I whispered back as he rolled away and slipped out of bed. I watched as he pulled a pair of sweatpants on over his morning erection. “What’s the plan?”
“First things first, coffee. Then you.”
“Me?” I raised an eyebrow as he turned to give me a grin. “Does that mean I should stay in bed and get myself warmed up for ya?”
His eyes shone as he watched me reach between my legs, and I saw him take a deep breath.
“I’ll only be
gone for a couple of seconds, try not to have all the fun without me.”
He hopped to his feet and almost ran to get the coffee started.
I let out a loud moan, making sure he could hear me from the kitchen.
After sex, coffee, and a shower, I was beginning to feel pretty amazing. It was a shame we were going to have to leave the house at some point today.
“So, what time are we meeting your family?”
“I said we’d be there around 3:00. Is that alright with you?”
“Yup.” I gave him a nod, reaching for my cell phone. I was surprised to see that I had a few texts. One, of course, was from my brother. Mostly, just checking in on me and making sure everything was alright.
I let him know that I’d slept in and that things were good. I wonder what he will say when we tell him. I tried not to panic about it. I mean, it wasn’t worth panicking. Whatever was going to happen would happen. And he won’t kill Adam, so that’s a plus.
Okay, so that was a crappy way to comfort myself, but whatever. I checked the other two text messages.
Both from my mom. One asking if I wanted to get lunch, the other saying it could be dinner, coffee, or anything else. Maybe shopping.
I replied to her, letting her know I was busy for the weekend, and set my phone down, reaching for my backpack. I pulled out a pair of jeans and slipped into them.
I was in the middle of buttoning them up when my phone rang.
I snatched it up without even looking at the name or number. “Hello?”
“Hi.”
My mom sounded so excited. I, on the other hand, was almost scared.
“Mom. Hi. What’s up?”
“I just thought I’d call so we can make plans.” I could almost hear her smiling on the other end of the phone. I bit my lip, wondering how I was going to get out of this. I couldn’t just keep using Adam’s parents as an excuse. Could I? It would be wrong. I knew that, but it wasn’t a bad idea, was it? I mean, it could work.
That would be the important part when it came down to it. I sighed. No, I should hang out with her. I was scared they just wanted to take advantage of Adam, but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t give them a shot. I had waited my whole life for my mom to want to hang out with me.
Interview with a Billionaire: Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 54
