Baby By The Billionaire - A Standalone Alpha Billionaire Secret Baby Romance (New York City Billionaires - Book #3)

by Alexa Davis

  “Oh, yeah, great, thank you…” I could barely get my words out; my head was all over the place, which Justin picked up on right away. Just as I knew he would.

  “You sound distracted; what’s up?”

  “Oh, well, I guess you haven’t heard that my casino got robbed and smashed up.” I hated to burden anyone else with this, but I needed him to understand just why I’d acted so crazy. I didn’t want to just delve right into the part while I was a dick. I needed the explanation in place first.

  “What the fuck? That’s insane!”

  “I know, but it’s all right now. I know who it was and I got it all back. It was a whole revenge thing…”

  “That’s just awful!” He sounded so pissed off on my behalf, causing me to smile a little bit. It felt nice to have someone on my side. It had been a long time since I’d felt that way.

  “I know, but that isn’t the worst of it.” I paused, trying to work out the best way to phrase this. “I left in a hurry, I was in shock about the whole thing.”

  “Understandable!”

  “And in the process, I was kind of a dick to Eliza.”

  There was a beat of silence while he tried to process that statement. “Eliza, the girl who rented you the cabin?”

  “Yes.” Did that make me sound bad? “She had some trouble at her home, and she actually ended up staying with me for a bit.” It definitely wasn’t a normal situation to have to explain. “And as we got to know one another… Well, things just developed.” Oh God, I hated to sound like a dirtbag, was that how it was coming across? Would he think that I’d taken advantage of the situation? I needed to make myself clear.

  “And, well, I like her. More than I’ve ever liked anyone before. She’s just so… perfect for me.”

  “Wow, that’s heavy!” Justin agreed. “I never realized you were going through all that craziness. You should have told me when we hung out.”

  “I know, but I wanted to focus on the business then.”

  “So, what exactly is the issue?” he continued. “Go and apologize to Eliza. Tell her what happened.”

  “But what if she doesn’t want to hear it?” I was whining now, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

  “She will – if she’s as into you as you are her, then she will. Sitting around moping won’t get you anywhere, whereas getting up and doing something might. Surely that’s worth the risk?”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right…” I replied a little distractedly. “I’m such an idiot.”

  I just wasn’t used to anything relationship wise. I’d never had it before. I’d had flings, I’d been head over heels for someone who didn’t feel the same way, but this?

  This was something I hadn’t had before. This was real, it felt fragile, and I was pretty sure if it broke it would take me with it. “Thanks, Justin; send me the details of the meeting, okay?”

  Once I hung up the phone, I turned back to Veil, for some reason wanting his opinion, too. It was weird to think that I’d had him in my life for so long, and I’d never bonded with him like I did now. Eliza had brought that out in me. “What do you think, should we make that long ass drive again to see Eliza? Are you up for it?”

  He barked like crazy, spinning around and wagging his tail, giving me a very clear answer. If that didn’t prove that he could understand me, then nothing ever would. The mere mention of Eliza’s name sent him wild; he adored her, and being apart from her hadn’t changed his mind at all.

  “Okay, well, that was a nice, short visit home!” I chuckled loudly. “But I suppose it’s back out on the road again. Unless you want to wait here and I’ll fly out?” He instantly looked crestfallen at that suggestion, which made my decision for me. If Veil would rather be in the car with me for hours on end than not see Eliza, that had to mean a whole lot.

  She was worth it – whatever it was going to take, she was worth it. I just had to hope she felt the same way about me. There was no guarantee this was going to turn out like I wanted it to, but I had to try. I needed to give it a go or I’d regret it forever more.

  As I raced into my room, I felt good all over again. I’d been feeling like crap because of Eliza, and now I felt amazing to be doing something about it. This was positive, this was me doing something active, and Justin was right. It was much better than sitting around and waiting.

  This was me finally grabbing life by the horns and going for it. This was the sort of action I was looking for when I wanted to turn my whole life around, and it felt incredible to be finally getting what I wanted from life. Finally, I felt like I was living again. It was awesome; it even had me grinning wildly like a madman. I didn’t know where this was going to take me, but at least I wouldn’t have any regrets.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Eliza – Sunday

  The four walls felt like they were closing in on me. This apartment was starting to feel more like a prison than anything else. I absolutely had to get out.

  Much to my surprise, Laynee had let me stay in all day long, and she’d stayed with me. It had felt like a blessing at the time, but now it felt like a curse.

  I forced some clothes on my body, trying not to get too wound up by everything. I would be outside soon enough, and with some fresh air in my lungs, everything would feel easier. I would just head out to the local diner, grab myself something to eat, then decide where to go from there. I had a whole lot that I needed to do; it wasn’t exactly like I could afford another lazy day. I just needed to figure out where to start, and I couldn’t do that while everything felt so utterly overwhelming.

  “Right,” I muttered, barely looking at my scruffy reflection in the mirror. “Time to go.”

  As the cool air whizzed past my cheeks, I could feel a flush building up in my skin, and I started to feel more alive. This had all taken so much out of me, so it was good to have a bit more life in my body. It was exactly what I needed.

  And as I entered the diner, and a whole bunch of familiar faces greeted me, my mood began to lift. Not by much – I still had a lot of sadness swimming around inside of me – but with other distractions, I didn’t have to focus on it so much.

  “Hi, a BLT and a coffee please.” I smiled at the waitress. “Thank you.”

  “Ooh, I thought that was you.” I spun around to see Mrs. Edwards smiling at me. “How are you, dear?” She pulled me in for a hug, not giving me the chance to create any distance between us. “I haven’t seen you since the other day in the salon.”

  The other day… the day that Milo left. “Oh, yeah, I’m good, thank you,” I replied evasively. “How about you?” Nope, she wasn’t going anywhere; she was now taking the seat right beside me. There was no way that I’d get away without being asked about—

  “So, how are things with you and your young man?” she jumped in, right on cue. “Did you make any decisions about what you’re going to do?”

  I had to literally choke back a sob. I’d come here to avoid thinking about Milo, not to get dumped right in the middle of a conversation about him. “Actually, I decided against it,” I lied. “Your story made me realize that he wasn’t the one for me, so he left and now I’m just getting on with my own life.”

  She furrowed her eyebrows as if she didn’t totally believe me, but luckily didn’t push it any further. “Oh, well, that is a shame. But a beautiful girl like you, you’ll find the one soon enough.”

  “Yeah, I’m not too sure about that.” I felt myself blush at her words. “If it hasn’t happened yet, then maybe it isn’t going to. But thank you for saying so anyway, it means a lot.”

  The waitress brought over my food, giving me the chance to make my escape, but all of a sudden, I found that I didn’t want to be alone anymore. Instead, I wanted to sit with Mrs. Edwards. She’d been through so much, she’d had such an interesting life, and to be perfectly honest, I wanted to hear about that rather than thinking about myself.

  “So, Mrs. Edwards, you need to tell me more about yourself and that lovely husband of yours. He mu
st have been special for you to sacrifice so much for.”

  “Ooh, you have no idea…”

  ***

  By the time I left the diner, I felt so good that I made a hasty decision that I hadn’t even considered for the day. I was on a high, flying on the amazing love story that had happened to someone I knew in real life, making it possible for me, too. But before that could happen, I needed to clear out the past. I needed to go to the cabin and clean it up.

  It wasn’t going to be easy, I already knew that, but it was a necessity. I had no idea whether I’d be able to rent it out to anyone else, but if I ever made the decision to do so, then I didn’t want to have to tackle it then.

  Admittedly, my strength started to wane as I pulled up the car and I took in the view. I had to remain in the driver’s seat for a while, sucking in calming breaths, trying to cool down my racing heart.

  There were so many memories inside that place, some of them bad, a lot of them good, and I wasn’t quite mentally prepared to face them just yet. Knowing that I had to do something, thinking that I wanted to face it all, was one thing. Actually taking that step was another.

  Still, if I didn’t do it now, if I turned the car around and went back home, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to come back, and I didn’t want to end up selling my grandmother’s cabin over a holiday romance doomed from the start.

  “Come on, Eliza,” I whispered to myself. “Let’s just do this. Remember what Laynee said: you’ve been through worse.”

  But even as I slid out of the car, my steps were shaking. As I pushed the key into the lock, it was with trembling fingers, and as I pushed the creaky door open, nerves were gnawing away inside of me. But still I did it, still I managed it, proving my own inner willpower to myself.

  As I stepped inside, it didn’t quite feel like I had expected it to. I thought it’d feel overwhelming. I thought it’d make me want to cry, but it didn’t feel like anything. It was just another cold and empty building. In a way, that was even worse. It was as if the imprint that Milo had left was only on me, not anything else, which made me even more pathetic.

  I was a fool. I’d been a fool the entire time.

  “Well, best get tidying then,” I said loudly, trying to get some noise and color back into the place.

  As I set about scrubbing and moving things back to where they belonged, I had to sing quietly to myself. I didn’t even know what I was singing, really; I was just making some noise.

  I only stopped as my eyes fell on the ancient coffee pot that I could never get rid of because of my grandma and all the memories came flooding back. There were so many times that Milo and I had shared coffee, mostly in the mornings, and I’d felt our bond growing increasingly with each passing second.

  Shit. I shook my head quickly, shaking that thought from my mind. This wasn’t about that; this was about moving forward. I couldn’t get lost in thoughts about Milo. I just needed to clean up every single trace of him.

  ***

  Two hours. Two whole hours it took me to get through the cleaning of the cabin, but it was done now. I’d managed to get through it, and I had to admit that it did feel good. All traces of Milo were gone, and it was time to move forward.

  As a little celebration, I poured myself a glass of water and sat out on the deck, just embracing the sensation that everything was good. Well, maybe not quite good, maybe I wasn’t totally there yet, but it was certainly much better at any rate.

  I heard a car engine rumbling in the distance, but that didn’t alter the fact that I had my own little slice of Heaven right here. I was away from everyone else, in the most beautiful place on the planet, and no matter how bad things got, it could help me to feel a little better.

  Wait! That engine was getting closer – there was no doubt about it. No car ever got that close unless it was coming to the cabin, and I definitely wasn’t expecting anyone. There were no bookings, considering there was supposed to be someone still here, and aside from Laynee, who didn’t own a car, I didn’t think anyone would even begin to guess where I was.

  So who the hell is it?

  I stood up with my mind racing, wanting to see the car at the first opportunity. It wasn’t long before it came into view, sending that wobble through my body all over again. I’d just decided to get over Milo, to start moving on. I’d just taken action toward that... and he was here.

  I should have been mad. I knew that I should have still been very angry at Milo for his parting words, but I just couldn’t quite make that emotion happen. I was far too stunned for that. What the hell is he doing here? What is he going to say?

  He parked, and I found my legs frozen to the spot, as if my limbs had been consumed by lead. I wanted to run up to him, or race away – I wasn’t quite sure which one, but I couldn’t do any of it. I was just stuck here, staring at him like an idiot.

  As he moved out from the car, I could instantly see regret in his gaze. At least that told me what he was here for, but I still wasn’t totally sure how I felt about that. He could have messaged me, he could have called, he could have spoken to me a million different ways, but he’d decided to come here to do it face to face.

  “I’m sorry,” he started, moving closer to me. “I’m so sorry. I should never have left the way I did.” The closer he got, the more defensive I felt. Finally, my arms crossed over my chest. “I know I was an asshole. There’s no excuse for what I did.”

  “Why did you do it?” I gasped, my tongue loosening. “Why did you go like that?”

  “Well, it isn’t any excuse, but my casino had been robbed…”

  “What?!” Okay, so it was a business thing, but why didn’t he just tell me that at the time? Why did he tell me that I wouldn’t understand? That didn’t make any sense at all.

  “Yeah, five million dollars was stolen and a few machines were smashed up.”

  I staggered backward, totally taken aback. It didn’t excuse his behavior, but it did begin to make sense. If I’d lost that kind of money, I’d have been acting like a dick, too. “That’s insane. What are you going to do?” I couldn’t even imagine having five million dollars, never mind losing it!

  “It’s fine now, it was all part of a complicated revenge plot by the security company; actually, you probably remember me talking to them.” I nodded. I recalled it all too well. “But I’ve got it back under control.”

  “How?” I asked, before shaking my head. I didn’t think I wanted to know. “So, what are you doing back here?”

  I didn’t want to hope that it was all for me, but my heart couldn’t help it. I expected him to say that it was for Landon, but I prayed it was for us, too. The complications were still there, and I probably shouldn’t have been so easy to forgive him, but life was too short to hold on to something so silly.

  "I’m here to take you back to Nevada with me,” he said simply, as if it were obvious. “I can’t be without you anymore. I need you in my life, and I want you to be with me.”

  What… the… hell!

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Milo – One Week Later

  I hummed happily to myself as the coffee pot brewed at lightning speed. Things looked different now, the whole of Nevada was much brighter, and that was all because of the woman lying in the other room, sprawled across the bed like an angel.

  Okay, so she hadn’t totally made her decision to live in Nevada permanently, but this felt good. It felt like a positive step in the right direction. We were only doing this as a test, to see whether or not Eliza could actually leave Florence, but at least we were finally moving forward.

  And if she decided Sun Valley wasn’t for her, then maybe we could spend the majority of our time in Florence, instead. It would make my business dealings a little more difficult, but that was a sacrifice I would be more than willing to make. If that didn’t work, either, then maybe we could split our time between the two places… However we needed to do it, it’d be okay.

  There were a lot of issues to get over before we mad
e that final step. Eliza had her apartment, which she rented, so actually, she could easily give that up, and her grandmother’s cabin.

  Plus, there was her hairdressing business. For the time being, Laynee was running it for her, which could be easily done due to the low number of customers that they currently had, but things would need to be made clearer in the future…

  But I wasn’t worried about any of that. For now, I was just enjoying seeing where things were going to go. I had Eliza, she’d forgiven me for my awful behavior, and we were both working toward a future that involved each other.

  “Morning,” she said as she joined me, an adorable grin plastered across her face. “How are you feeling?”

  “Much better.” I pulled her in and kissed her on the top of her head. “It feels so weird to have you here. I feel like I’m combining both my lives and… Well, I’m just glad, that’s all.” I didn’t even know what I was talking about. I was trying to express myself in a terrible way.

  “So, what do you have planned for us today?” She took the coffee from me and moved to sit on the couch, already looking like she felt very at home. That was good. I wanted her to feel at home, especially if she was going to live here. “What exciting adventures lie ahead of us today?”

  I didn’t like the idea of having to go into work, but I needed to check in on the casinos. I’d been getting very regular updates from Bill but needed to put in much more of an appearance after everything that had happened. “Interested in going to the Las Vegas strip today? I could use a moment to check in at work… I don’t want you to be bored?”

  “Ooh, I’d love to!” she gasped excitedly. “I’ve never been to Vegas. I wanna see the flashing lights. I want to play some of the games. I want to check out the shops!”

  Oh, good, she isn’t bored of Vegas like me. “Sounds great; I’ll get you some chips for my place, and you can practice gambling there.”