The Billionaire's Secret

by Lorana Hoopes

  Justin looked up but said nothing. Max took that as his cue and placed his hand on Justin’s shoulder, closing his eyes and opening up his heart. “Lord, my friend Justin is hurting. Please give him peace and insight into how to handle this problem. Forgive us our past sins and help us to follow the path you want us to be on. Amen.”

  “That’s it?” Justin asked.

  “That’s it,” Max said, smiling. “God knows what’s in our heart, so the words aren’t as important as the intention. Besides, nowhere in the Bible does it say we should pray long, flowery prayers. It just says to pray unceasingly, but this prayer isn’t a cure-all. It isn’t going to make your problem go away, and you’ll have to decide if you want to make the life change, but if you do, you are always welcome to come to church with Alyssa, Peyton, and me. We’d love to have you with us.”

  “You’re still with that girl?”

  “Yep, in fact, I’m asking her to marry me tonight.” Max pulled the black box out of his pocket and opened it up.

  Justin shook his head. “Wow, I never thought I’d see the day. Maxwell Banks officially off the market for good.”

  “And happier than I’ve ever been,” Maxwell said softly. “I think you could be too if you gave up this lifestyle.”

  Justin pulled his shoulders back and put his hands on his knees. “I’ll think about it, but, uh, thanks for the prayer man.”

  Max’s heart was heavy as he watched Justin leave. He had hoped Justin would see the light, that a scare like this one would be enough to cause him to re-evaluate, but it looked as though Justin was more stubborn than Max thought.

  Unable to do anything further now, Max gave the matter to God and gathered his things again. He’d have to take a quick shower in order to pick Alyssa up on time.

  Once home, he gave Peyton a hug, promising to talk more once he was dressed. Then he jumped in the shower, letting the warm water calm his nerves.

  After drying off, he picked out a blue shirt that brought out his eyes and tucked it into his black slacks. He decided to let his hair air dry to give it that tousled look. Before leaving the bedroom, he grabbed the black box from his work pants and shoved it in his left pocket.

  “Wow, Daddy, you’re handsome,” Peyton said as he entered the kitchen.

  “Thank you, Bug.” He planted a kiss on her forehead. “Tonight is a special night. I’m going to ask Alyssa to marry me.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “You mean, she’ll be my new mom?”

  “If all goes well,” Max said with a laugh. “And you get to help. Helen is going to bring you to dinner tonight and you are going to bring this box in,”–he pulled it out of his pocket — “and ask Alyssa to marry us. Can you try that for me?”

  “What’s in the box?” Her small finger reached out to touch the black velvet.

  Max opened the lid and enjoyed the delighted surprise that spread across her face.

  “It’s so pretty.”

  “Yes, it is, so you have to be very careful with it. Now, do you remember what you’re going to say?”

  Peyton nodded, her eyes still large. “Aunt Lyssa, will you marry us?”

  “Perfect,” Max said, ruffling her hair. “I’m going to let Helen hold this ring until it’s time, okay?”

  Peyton’s smile turned down into a small pout. “Daddy, I’ll be careful.”

  “I’m sure you will, but I’ll feel better if Helen has it until it’s time.” He looked to Helen, who nodded.

  “I know exactly what to do. Don’t you worry your pretty head,” she said.

  “Right.” He handed her the box, holding it just a moment longer than necessary. His hope was that this proposal would dispel any lingering fears Alyssa might have but letting the ring out of his sight was way out of his comfort zone.

  “We’ll see you at seven,” Helen said, tucking the box in her purse.

  “What is the matter with you?” Alyssa asked as the waitress sat them. “You seem jumpy and distracted.”

  “Oh, just a hard day at work.” It was not exactly a lie as the information Justin had shared still weighed on his mind.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” The therapist in Alyssa began to show as she folded her hands together on the tabletop and regarded him.

  “I do, but it’s not dinner talk, so let’s do it later.” He reached across to grab one of her hands. “Why don’t you tell me about your day?”

  Alyssa narrowed her eyes at him but began to fill him in on her day. Of course, she couldn’t discuss actual patients, so it was more about what she was learning by sitting in on sessions.

  “Welcome to Se’bon, I’ll be your waitress, Tamara. Our special tonight is—” She stopped suddenly, and Max looked up, his heart dropping into his stomach. “Maxwell? Maxwell Banks?”

  Max nodded. This couldn’t be happening again. Not tonight. “Hi, Tamara.”

  As Alyssa looked from the red-headed waitress to Max, he felt her hand tighten its grip on his.

  “Well, I certainly never thought I’d see you again.” Tamara’s voice had lost all friendliness and now dripped with venom. “I see you got a new flavor of the month.”

  “It’s not like that,” Max protested. “I’m sorry for what I did to you, but I’ve changed. I’ve been seeing Alyssa for months.”

  Tamara flashed Alyssa a cursory glance. “What does she have that I didn’t?”

  “God,” Max stated simply.

  Tamara’s head dropped forward, and she looked at him like he had two heads. “I’m sorry, did you say God?”

  “I did. Alyssa showed me what a relationship with Jesus was about, and I realized that my behavior was because I was missing something in my life, something I thought women could satisfy, but it turns out only God can.”

  Tamara rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’m not waiting on you, but I’ll get you another waiter.”

  As she spun and walked off, Max turned to Alyssa, ready to plead his case yet again. “I’m so sorry,” he began.

  “Stop,” she said, shaking her head. A small smile played at her mouth. “I’m proud of you. You shared your faith tonight. That’s not something you would have done a few months ago.”

  “But the reminder…”

  “The past is the past, remember?” She squeezed his hand, filling him with assurance. “Yes, it’s unfortunate that this will probably keep happening for a time, but I knew that going in, okay?”

  Max swallowed the emotion in his throat. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, but I love you, Alyssa Miller.”

  “I love you too.”

  Max almost wished he had the ring with him to propose right then. Instead, a male waiter with dark hair appeared at their table.

  “My name is Pierre. Our special tonight is coq au vin paired with seared vegetables and a pomme puree. Would you like another moment?”

  “No, I think we’re good,” Max said after glancing at Alyssa.

  “Very well then, for the mademoiselle?”

  “I’ll have the special,” Alyssa replied.

  “And for the monsieur?”

  “The same and a bottle of your best red.”

  Pierre nodded and glided away.

  “Is it another special occasion?” Alyssa asked.

  Max kicked himself. He knew Alyssa only drank on special occasions. He would have to make up something quickly to ease her suspicion. “It is, but it’s a work thing. I want tonight to be about us, so I’ll tell you later, okay?”

  “Sounds intriguing,” she said with a raised eyebrow, but thankfully she didn’t push the subject.

  The waiter returned a moment later with their bottle of wine and salads. Max’s heart beat faster with each passing moment. He stole furtive glances at his watch whenever he thought Alyssa wasn’t watching.

  Finally, it was time for dessert. As they ordered a chocolate mousse, Max spared one final glance at his watch. Five till seven. His throat dried, and he swallowed repeatedly before picking up his glass and taking a large swig.
/>   “Are you sure you’re alright?” Alyssa asked. “You’re acting weird.”

  He cleared his throat. “I’m fine. Just a tickle.”

  “Okay, if you say... Max, what is Peyton doing here?” Her eyes had left his and were focused over his left shoulder.

  He turned and sure enough Peyton was meandering through the crowd waving at the other patrons. Helen followed behind her, smiling and shaking her head.

  “Peyton, is everything okay?” Alyssa asked when she reached their table.

  “Oh yes, Aunt Lyssa. I just needed to ask you something.” She turned to Helen. “Can I have it now? She wouldn’t let me hold it, Daddy.”

  “It’s okay, Bug,” Max said, smiling.

  Helen handed over the black box discreetly and Peyton covered it with both her hands before turning back to Alyssa.

  “Aunt Lyssa, will you marry me? I mean us.” She opened her hands and held out the black box.

  A gasp escaped Alyssa’s mouth as she turned to Max. “Is this the special occasion?”

  Max shrugged. “It is pretty special. I mean, if you’ll say yes.”

  “Open it,” Peyton shouted.

  Alyssa opened the box and her eyes widened even further. “Max, I…”

  Max’s heart dropped at her pause. Was it too early? Was the ring too big?

  “Of course, I’ll marry you.”

  “Yay!” Peyton’s loud voice and clapping drew the attention of the other patrons who also joined in clapping.

  Max rose from his chair and pulled Alyssa up, wrapping his arms around her waist and twirling her lightly in a circle. “You’ve made me the happiest man alive,” he said as he stopped the spin and placed his lips lightly on hers.

  Another cheer erupted from the surrounding patrons and Alyssa pulled back, her face red. Peyton hugged her next and, after Alyssa sat back down, climbed up in her lap.

  The waiter appeared a moment later with the dessert.

  “Can we get two more chairs?” Max asked. “And another one of these to share?”

  “Of course, Sir. I’ll be right back.” He placed the mousse on the table and turned, returning moments later with two more chairs.

  “Sit,” Max motioned to Helen. “Join us.”

  Peyton had already picked up a fork and begun digging into the mousse, but no one seemed to mind. Smiles were shared across the table, and Max knew this was a night he would never forget.

  Chapter 24

  "Do you have everything ready?” Aunt Sandra asked. She and Callie had come up a week early to help with the final preparations for the wedding.

  “I think so,” Alyssa said. She began to list everything on her fingers. “Catering, cake, flowers, venue, dress. Those are all done. I still need to get Peyton’s flower girl dress and a dress for you, Callie, and my roommate, Roxy.” She glanced down at her watch. “She should be arriving any minute.”

  As if she had heard Alyssa’s statement, Roxy hurried over to them out of breath. “Sorry, I was helping Justin get his tux, and I lost track of time.”

  “Uh-huh.” Alyssa smiled at her friend. Shortly after her engagement, Justin had begun attending church with them. His conversion had been even faster than Max’s, though she attributed his STD scare to that. A few weeks later, Roxy had approached Alyssa as she finished up the invitations.

  “Do you have ‘find Roxy a new roommate’ on that list?”

  Alyssa jumped at Roxy’s voice and looked up. “You’ll be fine. You’ve always been so self-sufficient, but I’ll help you look for sure.”

  Roxy pulled out a chair and sat next to Alyssa at the table. “Actually, I’m not sure I will be. I’ve never said anything, but you’ve kind of been my moral compass. I know I don’t believe like you do, but I think I’ve changed for the better just being around you.”

  Alyssa was speechless for a moment. Though she’d been praying for years to reach Roxy, she had never any sign she was making a difference. “Well, I’ll still be in town and you’ll be welcome at our house any time.” She paused at the mention of the word ‘our.’ It felt odd but nice on her tongue. “You could also come to church with us. In fact, this week would be a great week to come. Max’s friend Justin has just started attending too.

  Roxy’s brow wrinkled. “Wait, Justin, isn’t he the one you said gave you the creeps?”

  A laugh escaped Alyssa’s lips as she nodded. “One and the same. I guess something made him see the error of his ways, and he’s thinking of changing course.” She, of course, knew exactly what the something was as Max had brought it up in one of their nightly devotionals, but it was not her place to share the news, so she kept it to herself.

  “So, your God has not only managed to change Max, but possibly his buddy Justin too?”

  “I guess so.” Alyssa had never thought about it that way, but she could see how an unbeliever might see it like that.

  “Hmm, okay.” Roxy shrugged, as if that answered her question.

  “Okay, what?” Alyssa asked, confused.

  “Okay, I’ll go with you to church.”

  Alyssa was flabbergasted. She had never thought this day would come, and now both Justin and Roxy were planning on attending church with them. “I’ll tell Max we’ll meet him there this week then.”

  “Cool. I’m gonna go run.” With that, Roxy got up from the table and grabbed her keys before heading out the door.

  Alyssa stared after her. “Lord, I don’t know what that was, but thank you.” Her words were quiet, almost a whisper.

  The attraction between Roxy and Justin had been evident from their first meeting, and while both Max and Alyssa had worried that Justin would slip back into his old ways, he hadn’t so far. Even Roxy, who, while not as active as Justin, had been with her fair share of men through her relationships over the years, had agreed to try waiting this time around.

  Alyssa couldn’t be prouder of her friend or happier that the two seemed to be growing together in Christ.

  “Well, now that you’re here, I’d like you to meet my friend Callie and my Aunt Sandra.”

  Roxy waved to the women. “Hi, I’m Roxy.”

  “Good, now that that’s out of the way, let’s pick your dresses. Max gave me the gold card, so money is no object today.”

  Alyssa smiled as she fingered the gold card in her purse. Though her mom’s family had money, Raquel had tried to raise Alyssa more modestly and, after her death, Alyssa hadn’t been as close to her grandparents, so she was glad not to have to ask them for money. Besides, Max had insisted on purchasing them as a wedding gift to her.

  The women headed to the back of the store where the bridesmaid dresses were kept. She and Max had decided on a color scheme of pastel pink and blue, but Alyssa hadn’t wanted to force the women into one particular dress, so she had opted to let them pick their dress as long as it matched the colors.

  Callie and Roxy went to work flipping through dresses while her aunt and Alyssa looked at flower girl dresses.

  “I think this one is perfect,” Alyssa said, holding up a pastel pink dress with rosettes across the front.

  “It is beautiful,” Sandra agreed.

  With that task done, they turned their attention to Callie who was modeling a simple pink number in front of the three mirrors.

  “What do you think?” Callie asked.

  “I love it,” Alyssa said, and Sandra agreed.

  Roxy stepped out of the dressing room a moment later in a powder blue empire waist gown. “Will this do?”

  “It looks great.” Alyssa couldn’t believe how easy this process had been. She had been expecting it to take hours to find the perfect dress.

  “So, who is Maxwell’s other groomsman?” Callie asked after changing back into her street clothes.

  “His brother. I’ve never met him because he lives in Scotland—he’s a photographer—but I guess he’s flying over for the wedding.”

  “Should be fun,” Callie said, as they headed to the checkout.

  As the morning o
f the wedding dawned, Alyssa’s stomach fluttered as if a swarm of butterflies were playing tag inside it. She had slowly been moving her items over to Max’s, so all that was left were the clothes she planned to wear today and her shower items. The bed she was leaving for Roxy in case she wanted to forgo a roommate and make it a guest room.

  A bittersweet feeling descended as she looked around the room she had called home for the last three years. It wasn’t that she’d miss the room exactly, but she would miss the camaraderie with Roxy—the late-night ice cream binges and movie nights. Though she and Roxy planned to stay friends, she knew it would be different.

  She grabbed the lone shirt still hanging in the closet and pulled it over her head. A pair of sweats were folded on the end of her bed, and she slipped into those as well. Her wedding dress was in a dress bag on the couch as she would change into it at the church after her hair appointment.

  Roxy was at the table as Alyssa entered the kitchen. “You ready for your big day?”

  “I think so. I’m nervous though.” A pang of grief hit her as she added, “I wish my mom was here.”

  Pushing the sadness aside, Alyssa grabbed a plate and helped herself to the left-over eggs and bacon in the skillet. She set the plate on the table and poured herself a cup of coffee with creamer.

  As she prayed over her food, she found her mind wandering to other prayers. She prayed for the day and for Stewart, Maxwell’s brother. Though they had seemed happy to see each other, she could tell there was something else going on between them. She prayed for her father who was supposed to have arrived last night, but she still hadn’t heard from him. They hadn’t been super close since her mother died and last year he had remarried himself, which distanced them even further.

  After breakfast, Alyssa packed up the last of her remaining items and took a final look around before following Roxy out to the car.

  With her hair done and her makeup fixed, Alyssa entered the church behind Roxy, Callie, and Sandra. They had been given a small office on the left side of the church to change in while the men had another small room on the right side.