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

by Alexa Davis

  “Mom, I love it! Tell Justin thank you!” Rae cried out, before racing into the other room to work her way through some of it.

  “Wow, that’s nice!” Mom hissed to me. “He seems like a really good one. I take it you had a good weekend, despite refusing the investment then?”

  “Well, we did at first, but it got interrupted by his brother. He seems quite troubled; it looks like he relies on Justin a lot, and he ended up in jail. I don’t fully know what happened, but it seems to be drink related.”

  Mom pursed her lips together, clearly unimpressed by this, but to her credit, she didn’t say anything. She could have warned me to stay away from a family with such issues, but she didn’t. She let me make my own decisions, even if they were mistakes.

  “Yeah, so he’s caught up in that for the moment. I don’t really know what’s going to happen after this, but I suppose we’ll work that out when everything is sorted.”

  “Well, I’m glad you had a nice time, and that you’ve met someone you like. I was starting to think that your past had put you off men forever.”

  Of course, she was talking about Rae’s father, which was a conversation that I needed to shut down quickly. I didn’t want her to start asking me if I’d told Rae the truth yet because I hadn't. Luckily, she hadn't brought it up, so I hadn't needed to, but I wasn’t sure that Mom would see it the same way.

  “Me, too, to be honest, which makes me glad I met Justin. Even if it doesn’t work out between us, I’ll always be grateful to him for that.” I was saying that to save face because I desperately wanted it to work out, I just didn’t want Mom to start worrying about me.

  “Well, you look tired, so you girls can stay here tonight, if you want?”

  I did want that, I needed to be near people, but Justin would eventually call me tonight and that was a conversation I needed to have in private. “Oh, I’m sorry, I have work early in the morning, but maybe another time,” I smiled. “Thank you for the offer, though.” I did need to get back to work, so that part wasn’t a lie. I was actually quite looking forward to getting back to some form of normality.

  “Okay, well my door is always open. You girls can stay whenever you like.”

  ***

  It took me a while to get Rae all organized and back home, but as soon as I did, the tiredness became evident in her expression. I didn’t have the strength to argue with her, so I allowed her to get straight into my bed, where I lay with her, tangling her hair around my fingers. She didn’t like being alone at night, and I needed her right now anyway, so I was happy to have her with me.

  I kept glancing over to my phone, to check that it hadn't magically rung and I’d missed a call, but the screen remained frustratingly blank. I needed to speak to Justin, I had to find out if he was okay. I wanted to know what had happened, which was making it incredibly hard for me to respect his space.

  The moment I heard Rae snoring lightly, I couldn’t resist any longer. I had to know, just to check in on him. As the phone rang, my heart pounded loudly in my chest and a tight knot formed in my stomach, and all of that only got worse when he actually answered. He sounded so hurt by all that he was going through that it made me want to reach down the phone to hug him close.

  “Thank you. I appreciate that. And…take care of yourself, okay?” he eventually said, making my heart sink. That sounded far too much like a final goodbye for my liking. Are we done here? Was it just a short fling, and now that the heavy stuff had interfered, he wants to end it? I wanted to ask him, I needed to know where I stood, but I couldn’t bring it up. I couldn’t pile on any more pressure – not while he was going through so much.

  I stared at the phone for a long time after he hung up, wondering what I could have said differently, what I could have done to change things, but it was too late for that now. He was in Portland, miles away, not thinking about me at all.

  I couldn’t help myself. A single tear rolled down my cheek, which I brushed angrily away. I shouldn’t have been crying over something that was so short, but I’d thrown so much of myself into this. I’d allowed myself to be vulnerable when usually I had my walls up high, and now that was being thrown back into my face.

  And, the worst part was Roy had kind of warned me this might happen. He had said that Justin was a good guy, but that his brother could be a nightmare, and he was so right. That was exactly how things had gone.

  I actually considered calling him for a moment, to get his opinion on the whole thing, before realizing that would be crazy. He would think I was some kind of crazy stalker and probably warn Justin off me completely. No, if I was going to talk to him about it, I would have to bring it up causally when he was in the store.

  What I needed to do now was try to forget everything and at least attempt to get some sleep. I really did have to work out what I was going to do with Boffees and while I couldn’t do anything about Justin’s issues, I could do something about that. I needed to make a plan. I needed to decide what my future was going to be for Rae’s sake.

  Did I continue to kill myself trying to find an investor who could potentially take away the core of Boffees, but could secure a good financial future for my daughter? Or did I stop it, like Mom said, and focus on what I had? Whatever choice I made next had to be the right one; I didn’t want to end up with any regrets, which was why I needed to take my time and do it right.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Justin – Monday

  “Here’s your change, thank you.” The kindly woman smiled at me in the bakery as I clutched the pastry close to my chest. I wasn’t quite sure why I’d bothered to get breakfast when I felt sick, rather than hungry. I must have done it instinctually, and now I would have to eat it because I couldn’t exactly take it into the jail cell with me.

  Today, I needed to see Garrett. I had to discuss everything with him, just to get it straight in my mind. I would have to make them understand at the station that I might just go insane if I didn’t.

  “Erm…yeah, thanks, keep the change,” I replied distractedly, before walking out. As I passed the line, I sensed all eyes upon me, as if everyone could tell what Garrett had done. I hadn't brought any newspapers recently, but it was likely that something of the story had been reported…possibly even names.

  Oh God, I don’t want to be dealing with any of this!

  The lawyer had given me a call early this morning to see if I needed him or he could get on with organizing the case, which I instantly told him to do. I wanted to speak to Garrett alone, uncensored, so this was for the best.

  I stuffed the pastry into my mouth quickly as I arrived at the police station, needing it gone. As I stood there for a few moments, chewing frantically, my heart raced in my chest at the thought of my brother in there.

  He was such a spoiled brat, so used to the privileged life, that I wasn’t sure how he would be coping. He would never tell me that he was struggling, but I’d be able to see it in his face if he was.

  Urgh, this was it. I couldn’t put it off anymore.

  “Excuse me?” I asked quietly to the woman behind the desk. There were many people sitting in the waiting room, and now that I’d considered the fact that Garrett was likely in the news, I didn’t want everyone to know that I was related to him. “Is there any chance of me seeing Garrett Gains today?”

  Please say yes, please don’t make this any harder than it already is, I mentally pleaded with her.

  “I will see what we can do for you,” she replied nonplussed. “Please take a seat.”

  I sat in that chair for what felt like forever until someone finally came into the waiting room to call my name. I was led into a small interview-type room where my brother was sitting with a scowl on his face. He had his hands clasped tightly together, revealing only his white knuckles, showing his anger through his body language.

  “I’m surprised you bothered to come again,” he said through gritted teeth. “I thought you had abandoned me.”

  “You know that I’d never do that,
” I sighed sadly, sitting opposite him. We had never been close, but I’d got the impression that our relationship was on the way to improving. Not any more, though; the rift between us was bigger than ever. “I just want you to understand what you’ve done.”

  “I get it, you want to punish me. Job done.”

  It felt like a challenge, like he was leaving the ball in my court, giving me the opportunity to decide what I wanted to do next. “So, do you want to talk about it? You must be feeling something about what’s happened…”

  I needed him to have some kind of remorse for his actions, I needed to know that the front he was putting on was nothing more than a façade. He had to still have some humanity in there somewhere.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” he shot back quickly. “What’s done is done. I just need you to get me out of here.”

  “There isn’t any chance of that,” I told him firmly. “I don’t even know if they would grant you bail at this point, and it definitely wouldn’t be affordable.”

  “Oh yeah, cause you’re so hard up,” he sneered nastily at me. “You’re doing this on purpose. You’ve never loved me, and now that I’ve revealed the truth about your precious father, you can’t stand it.”

  Oh God, we were back at that. “That isn’t the case at all,” I told him seriously. “Do you not think that I’ve proved my love for you with everything I’ve done for you over the years?”

  When he didn’t answer that, I decided that there was no harm in digging deeper. The wedge between us was already gigantic, what more damage could I do? “Now, I think you really need to think about what you’ve done. The victim was a teenage girl on her way back from college. She had a family, a life, now she’s gone—”

  “So you’ve read the papers then? Made up your mind from that?” He folded his arms across his chest and actually dared to roll his eyes at me. Why the fuck am I trying to reason with someone who so clearly doesn’t give a shit? I was trying to find some empathy, some sympathy, when there wasn’t any.

  “No, I read the lawyer’s court report. I haven’t seen the news at all,” I replied coldly. “So do you want to tell me your side of the story or not?”

  “Not,” he didn’t surprise me by saying. “Why don’t we talk about your faults, instead?”

  “What the hell are on about now?” I asked wearily. This was typical Garrett, always turning the blame around, and as our vicious cycle always went, I was allowing myself to get sucked right in.

  “Well, you are your father’s son, after all. Why are you getting so deeply involved with a woman when you’re only going to cheat on her and break her heart?”

  “Oh my God, are you serious? First off, my personal life is none of your business—”

  “But it’s all right for you to get involved in mine?”

  “And secondly, even if what you told me about Dad was the truth, then why would I follow in the same path? I’m my own man, you know?”

  “None of us are,” he shook his head as if he was pitying me. “The Gains gene is a bad one. We’re all fuck ups; we don’t deserve anything good to happen to us. We’re all born lonely, and we die that way, too.”

  Is that why he didn’t seem to give a shit about any of this? Is he depressed? Maybe this wasn’t about me being like Dad; maybe this was him being like Mom. Maybe he was the one who had carried on the genes. Maybe he stepped into that car drunk, wanting to die; maybe the only thing he was upset about was being alive. Maybe that was why he wanted to get out so desperately…

  All of a sudden, the air felt thick and the walls started to close in on me. I couldn’t stand it – my lungs began to constrict like they couldn’t get enough air. “I’m sorry, I have to go,” I managed to gasp out as I stood up. “I will get the lawyer to contact you.” My eyes were swimming, my heart racing, I didn’t know anything except for the fact that I needed to escape.

  Garrett looked like he didn’t give a shit about what he was doing to me. He simply shrugged his shoulders and turned his eyes away, making it easier for me to leave him alone.

  As I staggered outside, and I gasped in deep fresh breaths of air, my mind raced with unpleasant thoughts. What am I going to do if my brother is suicidal? How am I going to cope with losing the last remaining member of my family? And, if Garrett does have Mom’s genes, then do I have Dad’s? Will I turn out like him, even if I don’t want to?

  I couldn’t go home. I couldn’t cope with the idea of being alone with only my thoughts for company. I had to head into the office where I could have work to distract me. I needed something to do to stop me from all of this worrying. So I got into my car and headed towards work.

  As I wandered through the halls of the office, I felt like I was in a dream world. People called out to me, but all I could manage was a small smile as a reply. Maybe it was a mistake coming here; maybe being in the office was actually the worst thing that I could have done, but it was too late now. I was here.

  “We’ve missed you,” Marie called out in that overly flirty tone of voice. “Where have you been?” I didn’t want her to come near me. I couldn’t stand the idea of her even touching me in the mood I was in, so I was grateful when my PA Lucia stepped into view, taking my attention away from her.

  “How are you, boss?” she asked grimly. I’d told her an edited version of what had happened, only because I needed her to reschedule all of my appointments. Luckily I knew that I could trust her enough not to say anything…not that it mattered at this point. Everyone probably knew everything now.

  “I’m…okay,” I lied. “I just came in to see if there’s anything I need to do.”

  “I’ve left you some documents that need signing on your desk, but that’s it. Everything else is taken care of.” I knew that was because of her; she was a miracle worker when I needed her to be. “Why don’t you get that done quickly and head home? There isn’t any reason for you to be here.”

  “Thank you,” I replied gratefully, knowing that she was being kind. “I’ll lock myself away for a while and get that done.”

  As I locked the rest of the world away, I let out a breath I hadn't even realized I was holding. This was too much to handle right now, but I could just about cope with signing my name on a few pieces of paper. They would have been vetted by Lucia anyway, so I didn’t even have to read them. Luckily, because my eyes were not in the mood to focus.

  Once I’d gone through the five minutes of work she’d left for me, I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes for a few moments. I couldn’t quite face seeing everyone again yet, so staying in here really was the only option.

  “Why don’t we talk about your faults instead?”

  “The Gains gene is a bad one.”

  “We’re all fuck ups; we don’t deserve anything good to happen to us.”

  “We’re all born lonely, and we die that way, too.”

  Garrett’s words circled around and around in my mind, damn near driving me insane. The more I thought about it, the more it felt like his words might have a lot more truth and weight to them that I’d first assumed.

  I didn’t really know anything about our family history because Dad pointedly never talked about anyone, and now I was starting to wonder why. Maybe we were just a bad lot.

  Ring, ring…

  As my phone rang, and I noticed Annie’s name pop up on the screen, I felt my heart fluttering sadly. I couldn’t speak to her, not now, not while I wasn’t even sure whether I was coming or going. She deserved better; she deserved the world. And after it seemed like she’d been hurt in the past, I really wanted that for her – and it wouldn’t be me that could give it to her. Not right now.

  What I needed to do was take a step back, to reevaluate everything. I was aware that I could lose her along the way, that she could meet someone better, but that was a sacrifice I would have to make, for her sake. I didn’t want to be like my dad if he was a cheat – I didn’t ever want that title – so I hoped that by putting Annie first, I was taking a step in the
right direction.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Annie – Thursday

  “What’s wrong, Mommy?” Rae asked me, shaking me from my thoughts. I’d been washing the dishes, and somewhere along the line I must have gotten lost in my thoughts because I was still scrubbing the same pan ten minutes later. “You seem sad.”

  Oh God, I was doing my best to hid my emotions, but it seemed that I wasn’t doing the best job. Of course, Rae was extra perceptive, she’d always been that way, but I was still shocked that she’d seen through all of my fake smiles. I’d assumed that I was doing quite well.

  I leaned down to her level and took her hands in mine. “I’m okay, sweetie. I just don’t feel very well,” I half lied. I hadn't been feeling great for the last couple of days, and as Justin still hadn't called me back from that missed call, it had gotten worse. “Maybe I should take the day off work, and hang out with you and Nancy all day?”

  “I would love that!” Rae exclaimed, throwing her hands around my neck. “That will be so fun! I love it when you stay home with me.”

  “Okay, when Nancy arrives I’ll pop out to put a note in the window at Boffees, then we can do whatever you like. We can have a super fun girly day.”

  Luckily, I knew that my customers were loyal enough to still come in if I was closed for one day. That occasionally happened when myself or Rae was really sick, so it wouldn’t come as a huge surprise to anyone. “What do you say?”

  “I want to watch movies and eat ice cream!” she jumped up and down with a beaming smile on her face. “I want to have a tea party with my dolls and paint your nails, too.”

  “Okay, I’ll pick up ice cream, too. Oh!” I heard a rapping at the door. “That’ll probably be Nancy; let’s go and see what you want to do.”

  As my friend walked through the door, her expression turned to confused the moment she saw me, as if she could see through the mask, as well. “Rae just told me that you aren’t well, but it isn’t really that, is it?” Okay, yep, she could see right into the depths of my soul. We’d been friends for long enough for her to just know that all was terrible with me.