The Billionaire's Secret Regret

by Brent, Tara

  Benny gasped and was instantly excited at the containers and paints and glitters, at the colorful paper and card that was hiding inside.

  “Let’s make a thank you card for your nana and grandad. How does that sound? It was very nice of them to look after you for so long, wasn’t it?” I prompted him. “And you had such a wonderful time with them, right?”

  “Yes,” he agreed, but I was sure that he didn’t know what I was telling him.

  “We can do a nice big one with lots of sparkles and stickers on it.”

  “Okay, momma,” he agreed, immediately reaching for his favorite giant blue crayon.

  I sat with him for a long time, helping him make a card by drawing around his hand and it was a lovely distraction from all the hectic craziness in my life. For a moment I just sat with my son and colored. It was simple and I found that I actually forgot all about Rick and his stupid Christmas party.

  I was surprised to hear my phone ping and when I looked at it, I had been sitting drawing with Benny for over an hour.

  Jesus, I am such a child.

  Well, at least I had a cute card to give my parents that they would love. They were complete suckers for this type of sentimental thing. There was still mine and Josh’s embarrassing artwork around their house and our grade cards pinned to the side of the fridge. I used to think it was embarrassing until I had a child of my own. Now I was just as bad. How could I not when I had such a perfect child?

  Chapter Twelve

  Rick

  I drove back to the office with a smile on my face that wouldn’t shift no matter what happened. I was pretty sure that I was walking on sunshine. I couldn’t believe that I was going on a date with Samantha. Well, it wasn’t exactly a date, I mean, it was a company party... but at this point I would take anything, I was just happy to have the chance to see her again.

  I felt like this was a good chance to clear the air between us - to get all those things out that needed to be said. I wanted things to be good again and I knew it wasn’t going to be right away but a night to sit and talk, have a drink with her at least. That sounded amazing to me.

  When I got back, Josh was exactly where I had left him, tapping away on his phone and all.

  “Please tell me you’ve got everything sorted,” he greeted me as I walked in. “You’ve been gone for ages.”

  “Yeah, of course I did, I also found out that Samantha is back living here,” I told him, smile still in place as I fantasized about the best way to dispose of his body. Sometimes it was all too tempting...

  “What? Oh really?” he asked with a big fat smile on his own stupid face. “Oh, no! I had no idea!” he exclaimed falsely and overdramatically. “Someone should have said something. I look like a right fool not knowing anything about my own sister’s living arrangements. What must you think of me?”

  I felt like punching him a little, but I just rolled my eyes.

  “Do you just like to see me make a fool of myself?” I asked him because he was setting some kind of record here with fucking me over when it came to his sister.

  “Yes, actually. I find it quite amusing.” He laughed. “I thought it would take longer than this to be honest. I’m surprised you figured it all out so quickly.” He shoved his phone in his pocket and then stood to stretch his legs. Now I was back, he would probably go out for his lunch.

  “Well,” I replied, flopping down into my office chair, “I didn’t exactly figure it out. Your mom told me. It’s nice to know that not all of you seem to be ganging up against me.”

  “Yeah, because my mom’s an angel. She couldn’t lie for anything,” Josh replied.

  Yeah, she was a terrible liar. “Well, at least your mom loves me.”

  Josh laughed. “Do you want anything?” he asked, as he hovered at the door. “I’m going to get some donuts from around the corner.”

  “Ohhh, what’s got you in such a good mood?” I asked.

  He shrugged mysteriously. “Nothing,” he replied, with a secretive smile.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Josh, I will murder you one day. Please don’t tell me there’s something else that you’re leaving me in the dark about. What are you up to?” I knew he was up to something, I just didn’t know what.

  My friend just shrugged at me and then left the office cackling.

  ***

  It was one of those days that I spent watching the clock tick around, and the atmosphere was the same in the whole office. No-one was really getting much work done as excitement buzzed in the air. Everyone was too excited knowing that they would all be going out tonight and having a good time and it was clear that the weekend had already arrived.

  Once it ticked around to four o’clock, Josh and I gave up and decided to lock up and leave early. With it being a Saturday, we normally closed at five, but we hadn’t scheduled any appointments. The calendar was clear. We could tidy up anything left over on Monday morning.

  With that in mind, I stood and decided I’d had enough for the day. “Lexi? Are you and Sally almost finished up?” I asked.

  “Of course, Mr. Carson, just give me five minutes and I can finish up,” she replied.

  She batted her eyelashes towards me and for a moment I smiled. Lexi was my assistant and she had been since the beginning. She was a cute blonde thing who had always had a bit of a thing with me, but it was nothing serious. Just a bit of harmless flirting and honestly, I wasn’t interested, the only person I was interested in was Samantha.

  “Right, let’s just get out of here then, shall we?” I asked the room in general and I didn’t need to ask twice, everyone immediately grabbed their bags. I laughed. “Okay, then, I guess I’ll see you all tonight!”

  I said my goodbyes and then I headed over to my car, ready to run home and grab my things for the evening. I checked in at the hotel early. I was so glad that I had decided to have a drink tonight and relax, and that I would spend the night at the hotel and take advantage of a big comfy bed and a full breakfast. But now Samantha had been thrown into the mix and I could not contain my excitement.

  Arriving early meant that I could hide anything potentially embarrassing and ensure that the room was perfect. It wasn’t like I expected to take Sam back to my room for anything unsavory... but I knew that she would want to talk and being away from any curious overeager ears was always a good idea. Things spread like wildfire in this town and as I’d said before, I wouldn’t want anyone to know the shame of what we’d done years ago.

  With that in mind, I ordered champagne to my hotel room just in case she wanted to relax. I had a feeling we would be having a conversation and that we might need a lot of alcohol.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sam

  When Andrew finally arrived at my house, Benny was fast asleep in his crib and I was peering through my window obsessively waiting for him. I watched him park and then run to the front door. I swung open the door and he immediately leaned forward and kissed my cheek before pulling me into a cuddle. For a moment I just sighed and leaned into the feel of him I hadn’t realized how much I had missed my best friend until that moment.

  “How is it possible to miss you so much when you’ve only been away for a few days!?” he said with a laugh and I joined in too. “Maybe it’s the distance, it’s just too much for us.”

  “I know, it’s completely insane,” I agreed. “Now come on, let me show you around.”

  I ushered him inside and he dropped his bag by the front door. He looked around impressed. “Wow, it looks so much bigger in real life. The pictures just don’t do it justice. This is amazing.”

  “Thanks, I’m kind of in love with it.” And I was, because despite the situation I found myself in and my doubts, I wanted this to be my home and I felt proud that it was mine. “Oh, Benny’s asleep by the way, so just be quiet when we pass his room.”

  “Oh,” Andrew replied disappointed. “I was hoping to see the little man before he settled in for the night.”

  “He’s exhausted. I think it�
�s all the excitement.”

  “How’s he settling in? Has he been sleeping through the night?” Andrew knew how grumpy and dependent Benny could be, we’d shared many a sleepless night with Benny up and crying and wanting to be close for comfort.

  “Please don’t jinx it, he didn’t get me up until six this morning.” To any other parent that would be terrible, but I was lucky if Benny slept for a few hours at a time.

  “I’m impressed. He’s probably much more settled here. I mean, wow, the place is lovely and it’s silent compared to our apartment.” He was right, there had been a lot of noise at night at our old place and the windows were cheap, they’d kept out none of the sounds from the street.

  “You’re right. I hope so,” I replied.

  Like any real friend, Andrew wasn’t shy as he looked around my house, looking into each room almost more excited than I was when I first looked around (if that was possible - though it looked close).

  He stopped nosing around once he saw my room and he instantly face planted on my bed. “Wow, this bed is amazing.”

  “Well, it sure beats a single with springs digging into my back.”

  I sat down next to him and he turned to me. “So, tell me everything. I know you wouldn’t have asked me to come all this way if it was for nothing. Is it Rick? It’s Rick isn’t it.”

  The reminder made me want to cry. “You have no idea. I don’t even know where to begin.” I groaned and grabbed a pillow, burying my face into it. “He’s asked me on a date.”

  That perked Andrew up immediately.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me! What did you say?” he asked.

  How was I even going to explain this? “Urg. I had to say yes. What am I going to do?”

  “Jesus, I left you like for one day. What happened to avoiding him?”

  “He came to my house today and Benny was home. I felt like I couldn’t say no.” I groaned and buried my face into the pillow, hating how I could feel my cheeks flame. “What am I gonna do?” I asked.

  Andrew only raised an eyebrow at me. “Well, obviously you have to go.”

  I sat up, looking at him in shock. “What, why?”

  “Well, the way I see it, you can either tell him to back off, or you can see where this goes.”

  “See where this goes?” I repeated dumbly because he couldn’t be suggesting what I thought he was, right?

  “Sam, I know you’re playing dumb but... Rick is Benny’s dad and you like him. I don't care how much you deny it, it’s clear as day. So only you can decide what you want to do. Do you want to keep on playing these games or do you want to try and fix things? I mean, are you going to do this forever?”

  It was a good question. One that had been plaguing my mind since this whole ordeal had begun. I wish I knew the answer but I just didn’t. I didn’t know what I wanted, let alone what the right thing to do was.

  “I don’t know what I want to do. Honestly, I wish I had an idea. I don’t know what to do. I feel like I’m completely out of my depth here.” My life was completely out of control. I’d never wanted any of this to happen.

  “That’s because you are. Your life is like something out of a sit-com. But in all seriousness, only you can make the decision, Sam. What do you want? You need to have a think about it. Do you want to keep this secret forever or do you want to come clean?”

  Wow, that’s some tough love. But I understood that sometimes that was the best kind of love.

  It felt like a huge question and I guessed it was because it was. Coming clean felt like such a daunting thing to do. I didn’t know what the right thing to do was. I didn’t want to tell Rick and then for Benny to end up getting hurt once Rick got bored with him. What if I told Rick and he didn’t believe me? What if he did? God, my thoughts were all over the place.

  “I don’t know what the right thing to do is. I just... I don’t know what kind of person Rick is anymore.”

  “Maybe he’s more mature? You won’t know unless you give him a chance.” Andrew suggested.

  “Maybe,” I agreed unsurely. I didn’t know. But at the same time, I would never know until I actually told him. Even the most predictable person could react in unexpected ways. I’d already learned that in the worst possible way.

  “Just... go on the date and test the waters,” Andrew suggested. “It’s not like you have to decide right this second. You can see how it goes. If he’s still an immature dick then you can just move on and say, ‘well at least I tried’. But, you never know. He might have changed. He’s older. You’ve had some time apart.”

  Of course, Andrew was right and this was why I loved him so much. He was never afraid, to be honest with me. He told me the things that needed to be said despite the consequences. He was a good friend.

  “You’re right. You’re always right.” I sighed. “But what am I gonna do with Benny? My parents are all going to this party... I don’t want some stranger watching him.” That sounded awful.

  “I’ll watch Benny, he’s already in bed,” Andrew replied like it was obvious and I guessed that it was but I didn’t want to assume things and take advantage of my friend.

  “But you’ve come all this way to see me - I can’t just disappear for the night!” I exclaimed. What type of friend would I be to disappear to a party and leave my friend at home babysitting my kid?

  “I can see you tomorrow,” he argued. “I’m here until Tuesday. Maybe now is the best time to do it while I’m here? You don’t have to admit to anyone what you’re doing, just... go and try to have some fun, scope it out and see how it makes you feel. I mean, you’ve got to do something about this, you can’t ignore it forever.”

  I looked at him in disbelief and I hated that he was right. I needed to at least try and fix this. I had changed so much in the last three years, here was hoping that Rick had too.

  “Then if it all goes to hell then you can come home and I’m here to listen to you bad mouth him or we can go toilet paper his house or whatever.”

  This made me laugh and finally, he had convinced me to go. “Are you sure?” I asked him, even though I knew that he was.

  He shot me a look.

  “Fine,” I sighed. “But I don’t even have anything to wear,” I groaned dramatically. Most of the clothes I had were definitely not suitable for a party. I couldn’t even remember that last time I’d been to something that wasn’t intended to entertain babies.

  Andrew rolled his eyes. “Of course you do, you just need to be confident. You’ve got loads of dresses that you always buy and then never wear. Or if you’re not feeling that, you’d look fine in some jeans and some cute heels.” And by cute heels, he meant the only pair of heels that I owned, that he had actually bought for me so I would have something pretty to wear at graduation.

  “Yeah, because I think the dresses look good and then I just don’t feel right in them.” I always lost my confidence and ended up second- guessing myself.

  “Well, tonight you will. Come on, I’ll help you, let’s get you all made-up for your date.”

  It wouldn’t be the first time that Andrew had basically pinned me to a chair and went crazy with my make-up. He’d done a year of beauty therapy in college and though he had never stuck with it, he liked to do makeup in his free time for his Youtube channel which I had made many appearances on as his puppet.

  “You just want more views,” I joked.

  He laughed. “Yeah, well, there’s always that.”

  ***

  Staring at my reflection, I could hardly believe that it was myself who was staring back at me. Andrew had always done crazy, bright makeup on me, so that was what I was expecting. But this... no, he’d actually made me look beautiful and I stared in amazement. My skin now looked flawless, and my eyes dark and smokey with a silver shine across my eyelids, and my lips a deep dark red. I looked amazing.

  “Wow, I... thank you,” I said, feeling a little speechless. “I look... I look...”

  Andrew smirked at me. “You look hot,” he s
aid and for the first time in my life, I couldn’t help but agree with him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Rick

  That evening, I stood in my best three-piece Armani suit, my shoes shining, and my hair slicked back to perfection as I prepared myself to welcome my employees into the large grand ballroom of the hotel. Since I’d seen it this morning, I would have never guessed that it was the same room. They had really outdone themselves and I was sure that I’d be using this same hotel next year if the night continued to go just as smoothly.

  The room was beautifully decorated, the balloons that I had collected looking far less tacky than what I had expected, the pink, white and rose gold blending together and fitting in perfectly with the clean white and shiny gold of the theme colors. I was so glad that I had trusted the party-planner, I’d never been much good at this type of thing.

  I stood at the grand ornate door and greeted each employee as they arrived and was sure to thank every guest who arrived. It wasn’t just my employees that were attending, after all, it was all the contractors that had helped us over the last twelve months, fixing up properties and decorating for us, landscaping gardens and build the houses that we had made into homes. I appreciated their contributions so much. There was no way that I would have been able to do all this without them. J&C Realtors just wouldn’t have made it without their constant support and unwavering services. I just hoped that I had not got any of their names wrong and not made a fool out of myself. Their ongoing contributions were vital to the success of the business.

  “Rick!” my mom, Anne, exclaimed as she walked up the steps to greet me, her shoes clicking on the steps. Her face was flushed as she beamed up at me, clearly proud of me and it made me smile.

  “Hi, mom,” I greeted, pulling her into a hug and kissing both sides of her face. “Thanks for coming.”