I still had fun watching them play. It was nice to see Josh with a friend, even if that friend was my boyfriend. He had been Josh’s friend first. And if it hadn’t been for that, Adam and I never would have ended up together.
87. Epilogue
I pulled her close to me, my arms wrapping around her tightly. “You’re going to be just fine without them,” I told her. I knew she would be. She was strong like her brother had said.
“I know.” She sighed, leaning against me, letting me support her.
My fingers brushed over her back softly. “Anyways, you don’t need them. They should have wanted to be with you because they are family. They should have tried to show you how sorry they are for being crappy parents. And they didn’t, those aren’t the type of people you want in your life.” I placed a kiss on her lips.
“I know.”
I got it. They were her parents, and that didn’t make everything better. I really did understand where she was coming from. I kissed her cheek. “It’s going to be just fine without them.”
I would have been happy to give them money if she had told me to, but since she didn’t, I wasn’t going to offer.
“It’s just … I was so excited at the idea of having my family back together. I always wanted a family when I was little. I always wanted to have a family that did stuff together. And now … I can’t help thinking that maybe it’s just not meant to be for me.”
“What are you talking about, Fee? You do have that.” I pulled away from her, and she stared at me blankly. “You have a brother who is always there for you, and that’s the most important thing. But now you have me and my family. You have Kathrine, and grandma, and Natty. Family isn’t about blood. It’s about being there for each other and supporting each other.” I had learned that the hard way, but it was true, and I wanted Fee to see that. I wanted her to see that she had a whole bunch of people that were here for her.
She bit her lip. “That … that means so much to me,” she whispered.
I couldn’t put into words how much he meant to me. I pulled him close to me, our lips meeting. I had no clue what I would do without this man. All I knew was that I didn’t want to find out.
My fingers tangled in his hair. He was right. I had a family. Maybe not my parents, but I had people who cared about me, and that was the only thing that mattered to me. It wasn’t about blood; it was about people making time for you, caring about you, welcoming you—and Adam’s family had done that.
I thought about the first time we’d really talked—about when he asked me to do this. A job, that’s all I thought it would be.
“Fiona,” his voice was silky smooth as he came to a stop in front of me, “we need to talk.”
My heart skipped a beat. Had I done something wrong?
“About what?”
“What are you doing this weekend?”
“Um, excuse me?”
Was he trying to ask me out or something? I turned to see him standing there. His cheeks turned a shade of pink as he looked away from me. Oh God, he is asking me out.
“I’m attending a family event on the weekend, and it would be best for me if I had … someone with me. I figured … you’re … reasonable looking.”
Gee, that was sweet. I passed for reasonable.
“Of course, I’d be willing to pay you for your time.”
My brow furrowed. “I’m sorry, did you just try to hire me to pretend to be your girlfriend?”
His eyes locked on mine. “Is that an issue? Was I supposed to expect you to do it for free? After all, I thought you were trying to pay your way through school.”
My mouth fell open. How the hell did he know that? I’d never mentioned it to him, had I?
“Of course, I’d pay you for your time, after all it is more like a job than anything else. And of course I’d be willing to provide you a … suitable outfit for each day.”
“Each day?”
“It would be both Saturday and Sunday.”
My heart skipped a beat thinking about it. It would be a little extra money. He was right; I was trying to pay my way through school. Despite how he’d known it.
“How much?”
I couldn’t make a choice without knowing the price, right?
“Seven grand sound fair?”
My mouth fell open. He was going to give me seven grand to pretend to be his girlfriend. Why?
Why not find someone else? Someone …
I cleared my throat. “I’ll think about it.” I turned to the elevator as the door opened.
His fingers wrapped around my wrist, pulling me to a stop. He spun me to face him. “There’s nothing to think about. Will you or won’t you? It’s a simple question, and if you don’t want to, I’ll just find someone else.”
I had wanted to ask why he didn’t just do that. Why he didn’t find someone else to begin with, but I hadn’t because I was scared of the idea of losing out on that much money. That could put me through school for a year, depending on the classes I picked. If I didn’t go to school, it could pay for a hell of a lot of stuff. Stuff that we could use. Food, a new car for Josh—I knew he needed one.
Now, I couldn’t believe it. I had found someone who not only wanted to be with me but wanted to have a family with me. No matter what kind of family that was.
His words played over and over again.
I knew he was speaking from experience. Kathrine was a stepmother to him, but even I could tell she treated him like her own son. Natty and he had never been together, at least that’s what they both said, and despite the fact that the rest of his family had nothing to do with her or her daughter, Adam did. He made it his mission to make sure that girl was taken care of, despite the fact that it wasn’t his daughter.
He knew better than anyone that family was about who you decided was your family, not about blood. It was about who was there for you.
THE END
Interview with a Billionaire: Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 58
