Battle for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #3)

by Sharon Cummin

  She moved onto the bed next to him and felt empty as he pulled out of her. He grabbed the blanket and pulled it over them. She rested her head on his shoulder as she curled her body in against his. With one arm over his chest, she was happier than she had ever been.

  “I love you, Julie. You're mine. I will always protect you. I'm so happy.”

  She looked up at him with a concerned look.

  “What are you thinking, baby. Talk to me,” he said.

  “What happens when you don't want me anymore? What happens when I'm not enough for you? I'm scared Ethan. I have had a crush on you since I was in high school. I've truly fallen for you. I know you don't want a family. I know you don't ever want to get married. You're my prince charming. You're my knight in shining armor. I don't want to get hurt when you realize that you want to be with someone else. I don't want you to break my heart.”

  He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes.

  “Julie, I have never felt this way before. I am in love with you. There will never be anyone else. I will never get tired of you or want someone else. You are the only woman I have ever put before my business. You've made me realize that there is more to life than money. You make me want more out of my life. You make me want to live for more than just work. I want a family, baby. I want that with you.”

  She tightened her arms around him and felt herself drifting off.

  “Can I tell you something?” she asked.

  “Of course.”

  “You're the only man I've been with since college and all of that. I dated here and there but never let anyone get close to me. I was always afraid. I have never felt that way with you. I've never been afraid. I always feel safe with you. I'm so glad you saved me. I'm so happy you came after me today. Thank you for knowing me better than I know myself.”

  He held her tight and kissed her forehead as she fell asleep right where she belonged, safely in his arms.

  Chapter 28

  The weeks passed quickly. She had spent some time in his computer cave with him. He had shown her some of the games his company created. She couldn't believe they were his. Julie had seen them in stores and heard about how popular they were, but she had no idea they were his. He set up a computer just for her to play on. She found herself getting more and more into the games. He joked about her staying up late to play them. She laughed and told him she would always put him first. It made her feel good to see how proud he was of the things he had accomplished.

  Julie enjoyed working in her new kitchen while Ethan was at work. She made dinner each night and baked during the day. It was so relaxing to her. She could definitely get used to living there. Was he really in love with her? Would he really want to be with her for years to come, or would he decide that he really didn't want to be tied to one woman?

  He came in each evening and wrapped his arms around her.

  “I could get used to this. Are you sure you want to go back to work? You could stay home and make me dinner every night. I wouldn't mind a bit, but I would have to work out way more than I do now.”

  “I can't do that. I love you, Ethan. You know how important it is for me to help children. I can't let you take care of me. That's not who I am. I have to be able to take care of myself. That's important to me.”

  Ethan looked into her eyes, and she knew he could see right into her very core.

  “I want to take care of you, Julie. I want to know that you're waiting for me to come home. It has felt so amazing knowing that you were here each day. I knew you were safe. I'm not going to change my mind about us. You mean so much to me. At the wedding, it took all I had not to take you in my arms. I was so mad that you were with that guy. I wanted you so bad. Julie, I love you. I would like to be able to take care of you. I hope you will change your mind,” Ethan said, as he kissed her on the forehead.

  She believed he loved her, but she needed time and hoped he understood.

  “I can't do that. You have worked so hard for everything you have. I need to contribute to our home. Maybe one day I'll be able to cut back my hours. You travel so much anyway. I need something to do beside sit at home alone.”

  “I'm not going to travel as much. I want to be home with you. There's no way I'm leaving my woman home alone. You should come with me. I think you would enjoy it. We could aggravate your brother together,” he said with a laugh.

  “I can't wait for you to get your cast off, so I can get you out in the hot tub,” she said. “Only a few more days.”

  “Nice job changing the subject,” he said. “I get it.”

  The next day, Ethan was at work when Julie got a text from Becky.

  “Hey Julie, I know we are letting you two have your space, but I wanted to ask you something.”

  Julie laughed when she read the text.

  “What's up? We don't need space. Gavin needs space.”

  “I haven't gone back to the doctor yet. I was kind of waiting to go through a cycle so I wouldn't have to cancel the appointment if it happened. It still hasn't happened yet. I didn't want to bother you with everything that was going on. Just out of curiosity, I took a pregnancy test. It came out positive. Does that mean something's wrong? I haven't said anything to Gavin. I didn't want him to worry over nothing.”

  Julie decided to call Becky. She explained to her that it could mean she still had something going on from before. Julie didn't want Becky to get her hopes up by telling her she could be pregnant again. She told Becky that she was going to pick her up and take her to the hospital she worked at. That way they would have a quick result. Becky made her promise not to tell Gavin.

  Becky was ready to leave when Julie arrived at her house. The whole drive to the hospital, Becky talked about Julie and Ethan and how she couldn't believe they were a couple. Julie knew it would be hard for their friends to accept her being with Ethan. They didn't know what she knew about him. All they knew was the man on the outside of the walls he had built to keep his heart safe.

  When they got to the hospital, Julie had Becky take a pregnancy test. It showed positive. They took blood from Becky to check some of her levels. The fastest way to see if what Julie suspected was correct was through an ultrasound. Enough time had passed, that if Becky was pregnant again they would know for sure. One of Julie's friends took Becky to a room and got her ready. When Julie watched the screen, her eyes widened. She looked up at her friend with a smile and the girl nodded. Julie pointed to a spot on the screen and looked down at Becky.

  “Do you see that?” she asked.

  Becky shook her head unsure of what she was seeing.

  “That's your baby. You're pregnant again. There's a heartbeat. You're going to have a baby. I'm going to be an aunt.”

  Becky's eyes widened.

  “Are you sure?”

  “You're going to be a mom. My brother's going to be a dad,” Julie squeaked with excitement.

  She went on to show Becky the baby on the screen and explain everything to her. Seeing that there was a baby and a heartbeat, everything looked great. Becky began to cry as she looked at the screen.

  “Do you really mean it? Am I really going to be a mom?” she asked.

  “The best mom in the world,” Julie said, as she wrapped her arms around Becky.

  They left the hospital with a few pictures of the new baby.

  “I want to tell him,” Becky said.

  “Can I be there when you do?” Julie asked.

  “Do you want to go to the office now?” Becky asked. “He had a meeting, so I know he's there.”

  “He's going to flip out.”

  Julie started her car and was getting ready to pull onto the road when her phone beeped with a text.

  “Are you home?” Ethan sent.

  “No. I went out for a bit. What's up?”

  “I was just going to have you look for something for me but that's okay. I didn't know you were going out. I'll just get it later.” he sent.

  “Is it not okay that I go out?” she replied.
/>   Julie could feel herself getting worked up. Instantly, she felt defensive. She didn't realize she had to ask to leave the house. There was no way he was dictating her every move. She had let that happen once before in her life, and it would never happen again. Julie felt her hands shake.

  “I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry.” he replied.

  She looked over at Becky and shook her head.

  “Are you okay?” Becky asked.

  “I'm fine.”

  She pulled out onto the road. The entire drive, she was torn between being happy for her brother and worried about herself. Ethan had to understand that she had to keep control of her life. She was so afraid that he was going to change his mind about loving her. He had already mentioned her not working. There was no way she could let herself depend on someone else completely. What was that text about, she wondered? The more she drove, the worse she felt. He probably didn't mean anything by it. She was overreacting.

  She knew Ethan would never hurt her. He put his life on the line and his business at risk to help her. It was time to trust him, she thought. She had known him for years. He loved her and she needed to give their relationship a real chance. It was time to stop looking for bad things to happen. She needed to concentrate on the things.

  Julie parked her car in the lot at the building Gavin had his office in. Becky looked over and smiled at her. She knew Becky was so excited, so she put on a happy face as they walked through the door.

  His secretary Jenny jumped up and hugged Becky and Julie.

  “Is Gavin here?” Becky asked Jenny.

  Julie had not been to her brother's office in months.

  “I haven't seen you in so long, Julie. You look amazing,” Jenny said.

  “You look great too,” Julie replied. “How have you been?”

  “I've been great. Gavin's in a meeting with Ethan. They're in the conference room. That is one fine looking man. I wouldn't mind spending some time with him. Can you guys put in a good word for me? He's been coming by more and more lately,” Jenny said, as she went back around her desk to sit down.

  Becky looked over at Julie's expression.

  “Sure,” Julie replied. “I'll put in a good word for you.”

  Becky burst out laughing.

  “Knock it off,” Julie snapped as she walked away.

  Julie stood outside the conference room door and waited for Becky. She could not help but look at her sexy man as he leaned back in a chair with his feet up on the table. How did she get so lucky, she thought? He was truly one fine looking man. She couldn't blame Jenny for checking him out, but that shit needed to stop. Becky walked up behind her and laughed.

  “Are you checking out that fine looking man for Jenny?” she whispered in Julie's ear.

  Julie shot her a look that made her laugh harder before she pulled her back from the doorway. Ethan must have heard them, because he turned in his chair to look toward the door.

  “What the hell's going on out there? You let your staff have to much fun, Gavin.”

  “That's not my staff. I know that laugh. Get in here,” Gavin said loud enough for them to hear in the hallway.

  Becky was still laughing as she walked through the door, pulling Julie behind her. Gavin stood to hug Becky, as Ethan pulled Julie down onto his lap.

  “What are you ladies doing here?” Ethan asked.

  “We wanted to come by and talk to Gavin,” Julie snapped, as she pushed out of his arms to stand up. “Jenny informed us there was one fine looking man in here with him. She asked me to put in a good word for her.”

  “Actually,” Becky said looking at Gavin. “I wanted to give my husband something.”

  She handed him the picture and watched his face.

  “This is an ultrasound picture,” he said.

  “Yes,” she said. “You're going to be a daddy.”

  Gavin's eyes widened as he looked between her and Julie.

  “Everything's fine,” Julie said pointing to the picture. “There's the baby. We found the heartbeat. You're going to have a baby. I'm so happy for you two.”

  Gavin wrapped Becky into a huge hug. Julie felt Ethan looking at her. He told Gavin and Becky congratulations. Julie could feel the tension coming from his body. She walked over to him and hugged him.

  “Everything's going to be okay for them. It's not the same as last time,” she whispered in his ear.

  Julie thought about how caring he was toward his friends. How could she doubt him? They were in the middle of a hug, when she felt him quickly pull away from her and move toward the door. At the same time, she heard a woman's voice in the hallway.

  “I'm here to see Ethan. I just need to give him his keys.”

  Julie watched from inside the conference room as a tall, beautiful blonde handed Ethan the keys to his Ferrari. She could not hear what he said back but noticed the smile on his face as he took the keys from her hand. The woman smiled and turned to walk away. Julie felt as if her head was going to explode. She looked at Gavin as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “Julie wait,” Gavin said as he reached for her.

  She pulled her arm hard from his, walked out of the room, pushed past Ethan, and headed for the door. He reached out to grab her but she shook her head.

  “Why did I think you could change? How could I think you were different? You know what I really want to know? Why would you stand in front of my brother and tell me you loved me? Did you just want to get to him? Is that what it was all about? I can't believe I was so stupid.”

  Julie pushed the office door open and took off.

  “What did I do?” he asked.

  “Think about what she just saw. Julie showed up here without telling you. You asked her why she was here. A woman comes in asking for you. Gives you keys to your Ferrari, which you have only let her drive one time. You have a big smile on your face when she leaves. You didn't even try to hide it. I can't believe you Ethan. How could you do this to her? Why tell her you want to be with her and only her, if you couldn't even wait a couple of months to be with someone else?” Becky asked.

  “Oh shit!” Ethan yelled, as he turned and ran for the door. “Tell her Gavin.”

  Ethan caught up with Julie just before she got into her car. He grabbed her arm and stepped in front of her door.

  “Stop!” he snapped. “You need to listen to me.”

  “Get out of my way, Ethan. I don't know how I could have been so stupid,” she said with tears all over her face. “You're good. I must admit that. I totally bought it. I don't understand why you even helped me. I really don't. I'm glad you did. I will always appreciate every moment of my life. I owe that to you. I can't believe I let myself fall in love with you. I knew it was a bad idea. You let me into your life. I thought I meant something to you. My heart is broken. I never thought it was possible to hurt more than I did because of what Jason did to me. I was wrong. Seeing that woman give your keys back and the huge smile on your face hurt worse than anything I have ever felt. You've only let me drive it once. I know that doesn't matter, but it makes it even worse. You didn't even feel bad for doing it in front of me, right in front of my face. I don't know why I believed you had changed. I will never let my guard down again. I will never trust a man again. You need to get out of my way. I'll have my stuff out of your house tonight.”

  When he didn't move, she wanted to punch him so hard. Who did he think he was? She knew she couldn't hurt him just to get even. The tears came quicker. She slid down the side of her car to the ground and put her face in her hands.

  “Are you done telling me what a piece of shit I am?” he asked.

  He leaned down in front of her and pulled her chin up so he could see her face.

  “I couldn't figure out why you stormed out of there until Becky explained what you had seen. I didn't ask you why you left the house earlier so I could keep tabs on you. I would never try to control you. I know what you've been through, Julie. I would never hurt you. I am going to keep telling you that until
you believe it. Living with you has been the best time in my life. I can't wait to leave work to get home to you each night. My employees probably love you for that.”

  She let out a huge breath as she stared at him.

  “I had something being delivered to the house, but you didn't answer the door. I was worried about you. That was why I asked you. I came to see Gavin because I wanted to show him something. When you and Becky walked in, I was happy to see you but didn't want to ruin the surprise. That woman bringing me my keys was business. Come with me for a second.”

  Ethan reached for her hand, but she didn't move.

  “Please,” he added.

  She let out another breath and reached for his hand. He pulled his t-shirt up and dried her tears. When he led her through the parking lot, they walked past his car.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Keep walking,” he said in his demanding tone that always sent a shiver through her entire body.

  They rounded the front of the building and Julie stopped as her eyes widened. She looked back at Ethan's car in the lot and then back to the front again.

  “What's going on?” she asked, as she wiped her fresh tears away.

  “These are my keys,” he said as he pulled keys from his pocket. “These are yours.”

  Ethan handed her the keys the woman had handed him.

  “They tried to deliver your new car earlier today, but you weren't home. The dealership called me, and I had them bring it here. Gavin wanted to see it. We were going to have Becky bring you here so I could give it to you. I know how much you like mine. You said you wanted one. I hope you like it,” he said. “I love you, Julie. That's not going to change, so you better get used to it. You're mine and I'm never letting you go. If you keep pushing me away, I'll just keep proving myself to you. It may take me fifty years, but one day you're going to realize it's the real deal. I hope you like your new car.”

  Julie stood there in shock. Gavin and Becky emerged from the building as Ethan pulled Julie to his chest. She was speechless. After a few minutes, she looked over at the car.