She chewed her lip and nodded. “I didn’t know how to tell you,” she whispered.
His heart squeezed. How scared she must have been this entire time. Hiding this secret like it was something terrible. It hurt that she felt as if she couldn’t tell him. How terrible of a person was he to make her feel as if this was something she needed to hide.
“You could have told me,” he said as he smiled at her. He wanted to tell her that everything was okay.
She chewed her lip as she studied him. “Thanks.”
Joshua cleared his throat. “Well, isn’t that nice. I’m happy that the two of you could talk.” He stood and walked over, extending his hand toward the bear. “It was nice of you to bring this by.” He shot Reed a triumphant smile. “Anything else you want to say to Lillian?”
Reed cleared his throat as he ran his gaze over Joshua. Man, he did not like this guy, but he was right. If Lillian was going to be happy, the best thing he could do was step aside. If all she had ever wanted was a family, then he wasn’t going to stand in the way of it.
“I’ve decided to come clean to my grandfather and tell him about the contract. If he uses this as a reason for me not to be CEO, so be it. I’ve been contemplating the idea of starting my own company.” It hurt to speak those words out loud, but he couldn’t work for Mason if his grandfather decided to allow him to inherit. Besides, he was done with contractually binding a woman to him. The next time he fell in love, it would be for that alone.
When he met Lillian’s gaze, his stomach sank. She looked so small and fragile. She was blinking as she nodded. “I understand.” Then her lip quivered. “I’m sorry I disappointed you.”
Reed took a step toward her, but Joshua beat him to it. He sat down on the bed next to Lillian and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “I think you should go now,” he said, narrowing his eyes at Reed.
Not wanting to stand there and break Lillian’s heart anymore, he nodded and made his way out of her room and into the hall. He paused, leaning his back against the wall. He was fighting the tug that he felt to go back into the room and confess everything to her.
He wanted her to know that he loved her. That he didn’t care about the contract. She was the person he was meant to be with. And her having a baby was just the whipped cream on top.
But it wasn’t what she wanted. When she looked at him, all she would see was the contract she had to sign to be with him. If she could make a family with the baby’s father, then Reed wasn’t going to stand in the way.
He pushed off the wall and made his way down the hall. When he stopped in front of the elevator, he heard someone call his name. For a moment, he allowed the hope that it was Lillian. But he groaned when he saw Joshua running to catch up to him.
When he stopped in front of Reed, he clasped his hands together. “This is a bit awkward, but Lillian wanted me to check with you to make sure you were still going to compensate her for her efforts.” He shrugged. “After all, you’re the one calling this all off.”
Reed raised his eyebrows. Lillian wanted this? Of course. That was all women saw him as. A bank account. For some reason, it didn’t quite feel right, but what did Reed know. He was beginning to think that he might not ever understand women.
“She will get what the contract said.” He would be true to his word even if she couldn’t.
Joshua smiled. “Wonderful.”
The elevator doors opened, and Reed stepped onto the car. As the door closed, Reed blew out his breath. He couldn’t believe that his relationship with Lillian was ending. It was done. Over. Well, he felt with one heartache, he was a pro by now.
Chapter Nineteen
Lillian sat on the hospital bed the two days later. She was dressed and ready to get the heck out of this place. She was tired of the constant nurses and doctors. And if she were honest with herself, she was tired of Joshua’s insistence that he stay. She was ready for some space from him.
Plus, she was having a hard time forgetting Reed. Every time someone knocked on the door, her heart skipped a beat that it was Reed coming back to tell her that he was sorry, and he couldn’t live without her. Which was something she had realized that she couldn’t do. She couldn’t live without him.
But, he’d pulled away when he found out she was pregnant, just as she feared. She’d broken his trust and she doubted that he would ever be able to forgive her. It was all her fault.
Joshua walked into the room and smiled at her. “Doc says you’re good to go,” he said, grabbing her overnight bag the Tamara had brought her and slung it over his shoulder.
She nodded and stood. The last thing she wanted to do was go anywhere with Joshua, but she couldn’t go back to Reed’s place and her old apartment was already rented out. She needed a place to stay while she figured out just what she was going to do before the baby got here. Which could happen in the next month or so.
Her fingers found their way down to her stomach. She’d gotten attached to this little girl from all the ultrasounds they’d done on her. Lillian had been able to see her tiny toes and fingers and watch her heart beat. She was very much alive, and Lillian had fallen in love with her.
Joshua lead the way out of the room and down the hall. They boarded the elevator and rode it to the lobby. When they got to the front doors, Joshua held up his hand.
“I’ll grab the car,” he said, walking through the automatic doors and out to the parking lot.
Lillian nodded and sat on the bench just inside the doors. Her phone chimed, and she pulled it from her purse. It was a text from Persephanine, Reed’s assistant.
Lillian’s heart picked up speed as she clicked on it.
Reed would like to compensate you for your trouble. Please send me the routing number and bank account you would like the funds deposited into.
Lillian swallowed as she read the words. Seriously? Reed wanted to pay her? Had he not felt the same as she did? Tears stung her eyes as she scoffed and glanced up to the ceiling. She was such a fool. Reed didn’t feel anything for her. It was all about the contract, and Reed didn’t seem like the kind of guy to go back on his word.
Emotion took over and she typed how she felt.
Tell him no. I don’t want to be paid. I didn’t fulfill the contract so he doesn’t owe me anything.
She hit send and waited for a reply. It took what felt like ages before her phone chimed.
Okay. I will let him know.
And just like that, Reed was out of her life. She doubted he was even thinking about her. He’d probably already convinced his grandfather to will him the company without the stupid stipulation. She wasn’t there to drag him down anymore. And if his grandfather decided to keep with the marriage requirement, she was sure Reed was going to do just fine on his own.
Without her.
“Lillian?”
Desiree’s accent startled her. Lillian turned to see her contagious smile peering down at her. Without thinking, Lillian stood and wrapped her arms around Desiree. She couldn’t believe how much she missed everyone. Desiree, Cassie, Harold, Bert. All these people who had become such a part of her life. People who Reed so graciously shared with her.
Lillian saw them as family.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Desiree said, returning the hug. “I heard what happened. Mr. Reed’s been stomping around the flat all morning.”
Lillian pulled back to studied Desiree. “What are you doing here?”
Desiree motioned toward the bench and they both sat down. She wrapped her hand over Lillian’s. “My nephew, the dork. Tried to jump from a picnic table to a low hanging tree branch. Let’s just say, he didn’t make it. Now he’s being seen for a cast.” She rolled her eyes.
Lillian glanced around. “I’m sorry. Do you need to go to him?” She didn’t want to inconvenience her.
Desiree shook her head and smiled. “No. His mom is with him. Besides, I want to talk to you. I’ve missed you. Reed. That man. I swear. He’s a bear without you there.” Her expression turned serious. “He’d
never say it, but that man misses you. More than you know.”
Lillian’s heart soared. Was it true? She couldn’t allow herself to believe it though. If she hoped, then her heart would break even more then it was right now. She decided to brush off her comment. “I’m sure he’s just sad he didn’t get the company.”
Desiree shook her head. “He actually went to his grandfather and gave his blessing to Mason.” Desiree laughed. “The old man kept to his guns and so Reed decided to break away. Start his own company.”
That broke Lillian’s heart a bit. She could have stopped all of that.
As if sensing her reaction, Desiree patted her shoulder. “It’s okay. I think it’s for the better. Reed’s up for the challenge and he’d going to do great things.” She gave Lillian a sly smile. “I get to sit back and watch that ridiculous Mason run the company into the ground.”
Silence fell around them. Lillian glanced up to see Desiree staring at her. “What?”
Desiree shrugged. “I just don’t get it. Why did you run back to your ex-husband when you had such a thing going with Reed? And don’t say you don’t care about him cause you’re not that good of a liar.”
Lillian’s stomach twisted what was she supposed to say to that? “Reed wanted out. I didn’t want him to feel like it was his duty to stick around.” Lillian waved toward her body. “I’m a mess and being with me would be messy.”
Desiree folded her arms, tapping her finger on her arm. “Yeah. I can see that.” Then she sighed and reached out and placed her hand on Lillian’s shoulder. “But honey, love will always be messy. If you go into thinking you’re going to come out clean, you’re just going to be let down. But our purpose in life is to find that person we want to be messy with.”
“But. . . I’m pregnant.” The words came out lower than a whisper. It was still hard to admit even though she was pretty much in love with the little nugget growing in her stomach.
Desiree nodded. “Reed told me.” She leaned forward and met Lillian’s gaze. “Trust me, Reed’s the one you want beside you through this. That man will love that baby more than you could know. He already does, and do you know why?”
Lillian’s heart raced so fast, she could hear it in her ears. “Why?”
Desiree leaned back, taking her sweet time to answer. “Cause he loves the momma. And that’s all you need. Reed will never leave you. He’s more loyal than a German Shepherd. He won’t run at the first sign of stress. Unlike some people I know.”
Lillian could only assume she meant Joshua. But Joshua was back and said he wanted to be part of the baby’s life. She couldn’t discredit that. “I don’t know.” Lillian couldn’t think right now. Her mind was too mixed up.
Desiree reached out and patted her hand. “Well, Lillian, don’t wait too long. That man will only wait around for a while. And trust me, he’s one you don’t want to lose.”
Just as she finished speaking, Joshua walked through the sliding doors. His gaze fell on them and he gave her a quizzical look. Lillian straightened and waved to Desiree.
“This is Desiree, Reed’s friend. Desiree, this is Joshua. He’s my ex-husband.”
Joshua reached out his hand to shake. “Well, we’re talking about the ex part.”
Desiree eyed him and then shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Joshua. You better know what you’re doing with our Lillian here. That girl is family, and if you hurt her, you’ll have a world of pain come down on you.” She narrowed her eyes.
Lillian swallowed. She was family to Desiree. Something she’d wanted forever. And nothing had sounded so good.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Joshua said, motioning toward Lillian. “We should get going.”
Lillian nodded. She gave Desiree one more hug—and whispered that she’d call her—and then followed Joshua out the door and into his rattling Malibu. Once she was situated, he shut the door and rounded the hood.
He slid the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. Lillian leaned back in her seat but couldn’t ignore the uncomfortable feeling that grew in her stomach. This wasn’t right. What a stark contrast between sitting with Reed and sitting here with Joshua.
With Reed it was comfortable and easy. With Joshua, it was painful. All she could remember were the awful times they’d had together. How he broke her heart during the loss of the first baby and through pretty much this entire pregnancy.
Why had he even come back? Why did he suddenly want to be a part of her life.
Then realization dawned on her. The money. Why didn’t she see it before? Probably because she was so desperate to have family in her life, she’d take back someone who treated her bad just to be close to someone. What a fool she’d been.
Determined to prove her theory, she turned to Joshua. “Funny thing. I got a text from Reed’s personal assistant.”
Joshua glanced over at her. “Oh, really? What did she say?”
Lillian shrugged, hoping to come across as relaxed. “She wanted to know where to send the money from Reed.”
Joshua’s grip tightened on the wheel. “And?”
Lillian brushed her skirt down. “I told her not to send it. I didn’t feel right keeping it. Besides, you’re here and can help me take care of the baby.”
Joshua whipped his gaze over to her. “Why did you say that? Are you an idiot?”
He slammed on his breaks a bit too forcefully as he stopped at a stoplight. Lillian had to brace herself with her hand on the dashboard. She glared at him.
“What was that about? Do you want to hurt me? The baby?” She wrapped her arm around her waist out of instinct.
Joshua ran his hand through his hair. “You call her back. You tell her right now you want that money.” His eyes were wild as he glanced around. He must have seen her reaction because his faze softened. “I mean, we need that money, hun. For the baby.” He reached out to touch her stomach, but Lillian slapped his hand away.
“How dare you,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “You are a snake and will only be a snake. You came in talking about how you want a part of this baby’s life. I should have known better. You just saw it as an opportunity for a quick buck.” She folded her arms. “That’s all I ever was to you. I wasn’t your family. I was someone you could use and cast aside.”
Shouldering her purse, she pulled on the door handle and climbed out of the car. Horns were honking behind them as the light turned green.
Rain started to fall around her, but Lillian didn’t care. She wasn’t getting back into the car with that jerk. He was officially out of her life for good.
“Get back in the car, Lil,” Joshua said, leaning over the seat and motioning to her.
Lillian turned and waited for an opening in traffic.
“Get in the car, Lillian,” Joshua said, this time with much more aggression then she preferred.
“Good bye, Joshua,” she said, taking the break of cars as her opportunity to race across the street. Logan yelled some profanity and something else about her missing out, and then sped away.
Now alone, she wrapped her arms around her chest and glanced around. She really wasn’t sure what she was going to do now. The only thought that entered her mind involved Reed. And how much she wanted to see him right now. Then she groaned. She’d left her phone in Joshua’s car and she was pretty sure he wasn’t going to bring it back to her. Determined to not let that derail her, she studied the people walking by.
A portly man with an umbrella caught her eye. She reached out her hand and touched his shoulder.
“Excuse me, sir. Do you have a phone I could borrow?”
The man stopped and looked her up and down. He must have taken pity on her because he reached into his suit coat and handed over one. “Make it quick,” he said.
Lillian nodded as she dialed Reed’s number.
It took four rings for him to answer.
“Hello?”
Butterflies erupted in Lillian’s stomach. His voice was so familiar. The cadence cause shivers to
race across her skin. At this moment, all she wanted to do was see him.
“Hey, Reed.”
There was silence on the other end.
“Lillian? Whose phone are you calling me from?”
She glanced over at the balding man who raised his eyebrows as if to signify he was running out a patience. “A really nice man on the side of the street.”
He scoffed and motioned for her to finish up.
Reed cleared his throat. “Where’s Joshua?”
Lillian chewed her lip. “He’s. . . gone.”
“Gone?”
She closed her eyes, praying that he’d go along with what she was asking. “Can you come get me?”
More silence. “Where are you?”
After giving him the cross streets from where she stood, Reed said he’d been there in a few minutes and hung up. The man took his phone and left here standing there, in the rain.
Now alone, she had minutes to regret just what she’d done. Why did she call Reed? What was she going to say to him? She shivered as she pushed herself farther under the building behind her. Fearing what Reed would do if she left to find more protection, she stayed.
Finally, his car pulled up to the sidewalk and he jumped out of his car. Running over to her, his gaze ran over her. “What are you doing out in the rain?” he asked, shrugging off his coat and lifting it over her head.
“I had to talk to you.” She glanced up at him, hoping he’d see just what she was trying to say.
He hesitated, meeting her gaze. “What about?”
“I didn’t take the money,” she blurted out.
Water dripped off Reed’s hair as he continued to study her. She probably looked like a drowned rat, but she wasn’t going to move. She had Reed right where she wanted him and there was no way she was going to let this moment pass. She was going to tell him just how she felt.
“Why?” he asked.
She stepped closer to him, judging his reaction. He didn’t move to get away from her which she took as a good sign.
“Because it didn’t feel right. To me, there was no more contract.” She took another step toward him. “Because I fell in love with you.” She raised her gaze to meet his. What she saw took her breath away.
Marrying a Billionaire Page 15
