Secret Series: A Stealthy Billionaire Romance Box Set

by Gabrielle Snow

  “Nothing,” Nick admitted. “Except that he thought it was my fault for coming back. Apparently, he’d been getting ready to tell you the truth when Grandpa Parker died, then I showed up, and it was all a mess.”

  I grimaced. “That’s hardly an excuse to go into destructive mode.”

  Nick exhaled. “I know, but you should hear the way he talks about you. He really does love you, Gwen. I know it’s not what you want to hear right now, but he genuinely believes he’s doing the right thing by you.”

  I shook my head. “By hurting the ranch? By almost hurting you?”

  “He thought I was upstairs when he set the fire. Apparently, he didn’t see me asleep on my desk.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like a convenient excuse.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say, Gwen,” Nick observed. “He’s your father.”

  “That’s the problem,” I lamented. “He is my dad, and he’s a criminal. I remember coming here as a child and playing with you for hours.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, and I remember coming back when I was fifteen, but you barely spent any time around the house by then, so you didn’t notice me,” I pointed out.

  He shrugged, having the grace to look sheepish. “I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t need to be,” I assured him. “We were younger then, and life was simpler. Before you left for college, I thought we’d become something like friends.”

  “Yeah?” Nick brightened. “That’s good.”

  I laughed. “I’m not sure, considering you don’t remember.”

  He groaned. “What can I say? I was an ass back then.”

  “Back then?”

  “I still am sometimes,” he allowed teasingly. He reached for me and wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face in my hair. “I’m sorry I don’t remember.”

  I breathed deeply. “It’s okay. Your grandparents were my family, Nick. I don’t know if you can understand that, but I loved them as if they were my parents. Lorraine in particular made me feel at home here.”

  Nick pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I’m glad.”

  “What is happening here?”

  I drew back only to find Mr. Owens standing at the foot of the door, shaking with barely-concealed fury. He was shooting Nick murderous glances, and I stepped forward, placing myself squarely in front of him.

  “That’s none of your business,” I asserted, folding my arms across my chest.

  “After everything I told you?” Mr. Owens demanded. “You can’t even appreciate what I did for you?”

  “You didn’t do anything for me,” I replied, calmly. “You did it because you were afraid and jealous of Nick. Instead of telling me the truth, you ruined any chance we could’ve had at a relationship.”

  “No, I didn’t,” he protested, eyes widening in surprise. “That’s not possible.”

  “Yes, it is,” I informed him, matter-of-factly. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. I love Nick, and we’re going to be a family.”

  Mr. Owens’ eyes bulged, practically popping out of their sockets. “You’re pregnant?”

  Nick wrapped his arms around my abdomen, and I placed my hand atop his, forming a shield around our baby. “Yes, I am, and there’s no room in my life or the baby’s for lies and sabotage. Do you understand?”

  He nodded curtly. “I understand, Gwen.”

  Chapter 6

  NICK.

  “I made you some tea,” I announced, setting the mug down in front of her. Steam rose up and evaporated in an instant, obscuring her face only briefly. Gwen sat on a chair facing the kitchen counter, her head resting between her hands.

  For the past hour or so, she’d been mumbling under her breath, pausing every few minutes to press her fingers to her temples and shakes her head, as if trying to shake some sense.

  Honestly, the whole thing didn’t make sense.

  My parents died when I was a little boy, so I didn’t remember much about them. But my grandparents had never made me feel like I was missing out on something or that what I wanted didn’t matter.

  In short, I was fairly certain that Mr. Owens wasn’t behaving the way a father should – not now and definitely not back when the first attack started. For Gwen’s sake, I wished he’d come clean sooner, allowing himself the long-awaited reunion he’d fought hard for.

  Instead, he’d allowed his own insecurities to sit in the driver’s seat, steering him towards a head-on collision with no kind of safety. He had no one to blame for himself for the wreckage left in his wake.

  I had no idea if Gwen was going to be able to forgive him for what he’d done, the web of lies he’d crafted and endangering the lives of the people and animals who inhabited Parker ranch.

  But it wasn’t my place to decide.

  Regardless of her decision, I would do my best to support her, keeping my grievances to myself. At the end of the day, he was still her father, and his blood ran through her veins, so I doubted her decision would be made lightly.

  “Can’t I have something stronger?” Gwen complained, traces of laughter in her voice. “I’d love a beer right about now.”

  I crouched, so I was at eye level with her and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. “I know. As soon as you give birth, you can have as many beers as you want.”

  “As many?” she teased.

  “Within reason,” I corrected.

  She made a face at me. “Party pooper.”

  I laughed. “That’s okay. I don’t mind being called that as long as you’re being safe.”

  She inhaled and pressed her face to my chest, her fingers intertwined with mine. “Thank you, Nick, for everything.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” I insisted, stroking her hair. “Honestly, I’m the one who should be thanking you. Without you, I never would’ve remembered why I used to love the ranch.”

  Miraculously, she’d somehow managed to bring out that side of me again, almost effortlessly, and I found myself wanting to fight even harder for the ranch. But this time, it was for the right reasons.

  It was my home, and I wasn’t about to let it go that easily.

  “I’m glad,” Gwen murmured.

  “I need to talk to both of you.”

  Instantly, I leaped to my feet and took Gwen’s hand in mine, giving Mr. Owens a long and measured look. I respected that he was Gwen father, but it didn’t mean I wouldn’t hesitate to defend her if he tried anything.

  After all, he’d shown no remorse over his questionable actions, and as of this moment, I had no idea what he was capable of. Gwen’s grip tightened on mine, uncertain and afraid.

  “What do you want?” Gwen asked, keeping her voice steady.

  “First of all, I want to apologize to Nick,” he began, his blue eyes a mirror of his daughter’s. “I realize now that I shouldn’t have tried to keep him from you, Gwen. I thought I was protecting you because I didn’t want you to get attached to him, only for him to leave.”

  “That’s not your decision to make,” she pointed out, not unkindly.

  “I know, and I shouldn’t have presumed that I know best,” he added, sincerity ringing in his tone. “After missing out on so much of your life, I wanted to make it up to you.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Gwen’s voice was barely above a whisper.

  “I was afraid,” Mr. Owens replied, quietly. “The Parkers were much better suited as guardians than I was, and I was your own flesh and blood. Also, I was ashamed. I thought it was better to let you think I’d died, than to reveal the truth. That I’m a struggling alcoholic.”

  “Are you drinking now?” she inquired, cutting straight to the chase.

  “I’d been sober for years until a few weeks ago,” Mr. Owens admitted, hanging his head low in embarrassment. “When I saw the way you and Nick looked at each other, and I realized he’d stopped seeing the ranch as his home and was viewing it as an investment, I thought I had to act quickly.”

  And there it was.
r />   The ugly truth.

  At least, he had the balls to own up to what he did. Now, the ball was in Gwen’s court. I glanced down at her, a myriad of emotions dancing across her face, ranging from frustration to understanding.

  “What changed?”

  “I thought about what you said yesterday,” he commented. “And, I’d like to be a better man, a better father for you. Maybe someday, you’ll allow me to be a part of your child’s life.”

  Gwen’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “I don’t know.”

  “Don’t make a decision yet,” he pleaded. “Just let me get my act together, and I’ll prove myself. To both of you.”

  Outside, sirens blared in the distance, coming closer and closer till the blue and red lights flashed outside. Confused, I glanced out the window, surprised to find two police officers coming up the steps.

  “I called the police and confessed to my crimes,” Mr. Owens explained. “I can’t change what I did, but I’m going to try and redeem myself, Gwen. I promise.”

  Gwen stared impassively as they handcuffed her father and took him away, his expression resolute and contrite.

  Chapter 7

  NICK.

  “I know you’re going to get tired of me asking this question, but I should still ask anyway,” I began. “Are you okay?”

  Gwen exhaled a long breath that seemed to go on for ages and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “I’m not sure, to be honest.”

  I stepped into her room and hovered near the foot of the bed, eyeing her sympathetically. “It’s okay not to be sure. I mean, that was something else.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t really expect to find out my father was still alive after all these years, only to have him arrested a day later,” she pointed out, confusion lacing her tone.

  Of course, she didn’t add the part about sabotaging the ranch. She didn’t need to. We both knew the truth about what happened, but we intended to keep it to ourselves. Luckily, no one else was around when Mr. Owens was arrested, so we both agreed that we’d tell the rest of the employees on the ranch that he had taken a well-deserved and long vacation.

  Truthfully, I thought Gwen was taking it a lot better than she should, or at least a lot better than I would’ve. If the situation was reversed, I would’ve lost my shit, gone completely crazy over the fact that my father was still alive and going to prison for my sake.

  Yet, I respected and admired him for it. After all, he was doing the right and noble thing, even though it wasn’t easy. Gwen wouldn’t have turned him in, in spite of the questionable things he’d done, and I wouldn’t have betrayed her like that, so his secret could’ve gone to the grave with him.

  However, he’d chosen the moral high ground, by far the hardest choice.

  “Do you want a foot rub?” I offered.

  Gwen raised an eyebrow. “You give foot rubs?”

  “Not to brag or anything, but I happen to give the best foot rubs,” I informed her, sauntering even closer and dropping onto her bed. She lifted both feet up and dropped them into my lap, eyeing me expectantly.

  “Yes because that isn’t bragging, at all,” she commented dryly.

  “I forgive you for not knowing,” I said, chuckling when she shot me a dirty look. She leaned her head back against the headboard and sank deeper into the mattress, giving herself up to me completely.

  I had no idea how I managed to get a woman like her – strong, kind, and smart – but I had no intention of letting her go, twist of fate or otherwise. Now that I knew what I was missing out on, I couldn’t go back to the way things were.

  Slowly, I pressed my fingers to the soles of her feet, pressing hard before I eased my grip, kneading the tense muscles before I moved up then slid back down. Gwen’s eyes fluttered closed, and she let out a soft sigh, her shoulders sagging in relief.

  “You are so good at it,” she observed, her voice a soft whisper. “Where did you learn how to do that?”

  “YouTube,” I admitted, sheepishly.

  She snorted. “Really?”

  “Yeah, really. You can learn a lot from YouTube, actually,” I replied, moving to her other leg and doing the same. Then, I started alternating between the two, watching her to see what she was responding to, her face completely giving her away.

  She was an open book as far as I was concerned.

  “That’s interesting,” Gwen commented. “I just wouldn’t have thought your answer would be YouTube.”

  “What did you think it was? A woman?” I teased.

  She opened one eye, stuck her tongue out at me, then snapped it shut. “You really think you’re a ladies man, don’t you?”

  “I used to,” I confessed. “But I don’t anymore. That life was pretty meaningless, actually. I can’t believe I’m just realizing it now.”

  “What made you realize it?” Gwen asked, quietly, curiosity lacing her tone. Her body was angled towards me, her ears perked, eager to know more.

  “As cliché as it is, being here made me realize it,” I answered. “And, being with you.”

  “Awww, you’re such a cheeseball,” she joked. “Who knew?”

  “How does it feel?” I asked. “Your feet, I mean. How do they feel?”

  “Really good,” she murmured.

  “Good enough to marry me?”

  Gwen sat up, her eyes flying open. “What did you just say?”

  “Marry me,” I repeated, taking her hands in mine and bridging the space between us. “I love you, Gwen, and the thought of losing you kills me. I want to have this baby with you, to watch them grow and play sports or dance. I want to be there for every milestone, and I want to be there next to you, loving you and supporting you as your husband.”

  She blinked. “What about your life in the city?”

  “It doesn’t mean anything to me anymore. I’ve lived that life and I’ve experienced it all. And I’ve realized that it doesn’t mean anything without you by my side. I want to stay here on the ranch and fix the place up.”

  She shot me a look.

  “Not too much,” I assured her. “Just enough, so it’s back up on its feet. I’ve been giving this some thought for a while now. What my grandparents did taking us both in.. I want to pay it forward. And once we have the ranch back up and running, I want to open up an orphanage here. I feel like it’s the least I can do to honor my grandparents. And we have plenty of space.”

  Gwen’s eyes filled with tears, and she gulped. “Nick, I... Are you sure?”

  I took both her hands and pressed them on my chest, atop my heart, hoping she could feel it underneath the tips of her fingers. “I’ve never been surer of anything, Gwen. This is where I want to be, right here with you and our baby boy or girl.”

  Gwen smiled, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I love you, too, Nick, so much.”

  “So, does this mean you’ll marry me?” I questioned, hopefully.

  She paused. “Well, I’ll have to think about it.”

  My eyebrow climbed to my hairline. “No more massages for you, then.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “Of course, it’s a yes, silly. Come here.”

  Gwen patted the spot next to her, and I crawled over and placed my head atop her stomach.

  Chapter 8

  GWEN.

  I ran my fingers through Nick’s hair, smiling as he made soft noises under his breath and muttered to our baby, talking about anything and everything he could think of. At that moment, I realized how relieved I was that he had come around.

  At the end of the day, no one, least of all me, wanted to raise a baby alone. Naturally, I would’ve rolled up my sleeves and gotten it done if I had to, but I was relieved that I didn’t.

  Nick tilted his head back to look at me. “You’re awfully quiet.”

  “I’m just happy,” I responded. “I can’t believe we’re having a baby.”

  “Me neither,” he admitted. “And, I can’t believe we’re getting married. I do have the ring, by the way, or at least I should by tomorr
ow. The delivery is a little late.”

  I giggled. “I don’t need a ring, Nick. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

  “I know that, but I want to,” he pointed out. “Do you want to have the wedding before or after the baby?”

  I paused. “I’m not sure. There’s one thing we completely forgot about, though.”

  “What?”

  “The ranch. You have all these plans, and we’re supposed to live here, but it isn’t even yours yet. The executor still hasn’t made a decision,” I reminded him.

  I hated being the bearer of bad news, the one to hold up the mirror and point out the obvious flaw, but someone had to do it. Nick was obviously distracted. Instead of keeping both feet planted firmly on the ground, his head seemed to be in the clouds.

  Truthfully, it was both endearing and refreshing to realize that he wasn’t as clear-headed and logical as he made himself out to be. Deep down, he was a big old softie just like I was. My heart glowed with the knowledge, doing an odd little sputter when he hugged my middle tightly.

  He sighed. “You’re right, but I’m not worried.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “No?”

  “I have faith in us,” he decided. “So, you, my incredibly sexy fiancée, have nothing to worry about.”

  I smiled. “You’re being biased right now. There’s nothing sexy about this.”

  I gestured to the rest of my body, sprawled out across the bed, with my hair tied up in a messy bun on top of my head and the faint smell of grass lingering.

  “Everything is,” Nick corrected, crawling forward, his lips claiming mine. I sighed as I melted into the kiss, my fingers gripping his hair. I angled my neck and pressed myself forward, careful not to put too much weight on him.

  Nick made a low guttural noise in the back of his throat and pushed me back so my head hit the pillow. Gently, he nudged my legs open and settled in the middle, using his elbows to prop himself up, his mouth never leaving mine.

  A slow burn began in the pit of my belly, molten desire coursing through me. I was crazy about this man, every single thing about him, and those feelings overwhelmed me, a tide washing over me.