The Billionaire's Email-Order Bride

by Vivi Holt

  Then, finally, the last of them left as the sun dipped beyond the horizon throwing the street into cool darkness.

  Eve leaned her back against the kitchen counter and sipped slowly at the glass of water in her hand. Her head ached, her throat was dry. It’d been a long day.

  The funeral had passed by quickly, she hardly remembered any of it at all. She’d spent the time trying desperately to hold her tears in check, to remember her father and how he’d been when he was strong, alive, happy. She wanted to say goodbye, but the words stuck in her throat when it came to her turn to stand in front of the group of mourners.

  What could she say about him? There were so many things to say, so much left unsaid as she returned to her seat beside John, tears trailing down her cheeks.

  He’d squeezed her hand and she’d leaned her head on his shoulder, so grateful he’d come without her even having to ask.

  She’d been so surprised to see him, and even more surprised by the depth of her joy when he’d appeared in the hospital hallway beside her mother and sister.

  She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed him and just how much she needed him there with her.

  He’d been a rock for the three of them the past few days. Helping organize the service, getting the food they needed, taking them wherever they had to go in the car he’d rented. She was grateful he’d thought to get a driver since she hadn’t driven on the left side of the road in three years. Surely it was like riding a bike? Still, she hadn’t wanted to try it just yet. Not with her eyes still blinded by tears every time a memory of her father drifted across her thoughts.

  Even now, he was outside, putting the bags of trash in the trash can, and setting it all out on the side of the road for the garbage trucks to collect the next day. She never thought she’d see John Russo toting a trash can to the curb in front of her house. The thought almost brought a smile to her face. Almost.

  Chapter 19

  Two weeks later, Eve couldn’t believe John was still there. Still helping, supporting her, making sure she had everything she needed. She’d been certain he’d return to Atlanta after the funeral, but he’d remained in Brisbane, by her side and sleeping on one edge of her narrow bed.

  He hadn’t once complained about the lack of air-conditioning in the house or the fact that her mother kept a cage with two cockatiels in it right outside the bedroom door. Their constant chirping and attempts at the English language would be enough to drive anyone insane. And yet he put up with it all.

  She set the kettle to boil and took two coffee cups down from the overhead cabinet. Then she stood and stared out the kitchen window at the street where she’d learned to ride her bike, where she’d broken her leg rollerblading and where she’d had her first kiss with the only serious boyfriend she’d ever had before her marriage: Brad Compton.

  He’d attended the funeral. She’d seen him sitting in the back of the chapel at the funeral home. Black suit, no tie. Her heart had skipped a beat at the sight of him, then she’d buried her head in her hands and forgotten all about him.

  He hadn’t shown up since. Although she half expected to see him every time she heard someone ring the doorbell, or when she picked up the phone. He lived three doors down. She’d known him her whole life. They’d been friends from the age of eight, and when she turned sixteen, he’d asked her on a date. They were inseparable from that moment on.

  Still, she’d left Brisbane to get away from him. Had he moved back? She heard he’d gone to Singapore as an engineer for a mining company. Maybe he’d come home, or perhaps he was just visiting. Either way, she’d try to avoid seeing him as best she could.

  Three weeks staying with her mother and sister was just about all she could take. It was time to talk to John about heading back to Atlanta. She’d helped Mom sort through all Dad’s things, to deal with the insurance company, the funeral home, government departments, and whatever else came along. Everything had been taken care of, and it was time they went home.

  Though it was strange to think of Atlanta that way.

  This was home. Wasn’t it?

  She rubbed a hand across her eyes and took a sip of coffee. John had gone out for a morning run, and she expected him back at any moment.

  Down the street, she saw a figure wheeling a bicycle across a lawn. Her heart thudded. It was Brad. He’d always been a cyclist, and she’d recognize him anywhere, even at a distance. She bent lower and leaned toward the window, her eyes narrowed. Yes, it was definitely him, and he was in better shape than ever.

  He glanced in her direction, paused, then waved.

  He’d seen her. She jumped backward, knocking her head on the cabinets above. With a cry, she rubbed the back of her head with one hand and steadied her sloshing cup of coffee with the other.

  Well, she was nothing if not smooth. A smile spread across her face and she chuckled at herself.

  Just then, there was a tap at the door. She gasped. It must be Brad. There was no way to get out of it, she couldn’t pretend not to be home. He’d just spotted her through the window.

  “Eve?” His voice was deep, and he spoke in a forced whisper. It was early, no doubt he didn’t want to wake her mother and sister who were notorious late sleepers.

  She tiptoed to the door, then leaned on it with a sigh. With a tug, she pulled it open and offered him the best smile she could muster.

  “Hi, Brad. I was wondering if I’d see you.”

  He grinned, white teeth, full lips, and dimpled cheeks making sweat bead on her forehead. “I didn’t want to intrude. I’m really sorry about your loss.” His smile faded, and he tugged sunglasses from his eyes, revealing his infamous baby blues.

  She’d never been able to resist those eyes. But if he thought they’d work on her now, he’d be sorely disappointed. She’d changed, moved on. She was a married woman, and she had no more need for Brad Compton in her life, with neither his dimples nor his blue eyes.

  “Thank you. I appreciate it. I saw you at the funeral. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to say hello.” Her cheeks were coloring, she could feel them do it. She willed them to stop. The last thing she wanted was for him to think he could still make her swoon. That was a long time ago, she wasn’t the same person anymore.

  “That’s okay. I understand. It was a lot…”

  She nodded, unable to speak at the memory. Then, “Sally’s not here, if that’s who you were looking for.”

  His eyes clouded over, and he set his hands on his hips. “Nope. I was looking for you. Saw you through the window just now and thought…I was wondering if maybe we could grab a cup of coffee. Catch up?” He leaned against the door frame, dangerously close to her.

  She inhaled slowly. “Uh, that would be really nice, but I don’t think I’ll have time. We’re leaving soon, heading back to Atlanta.” She waited for the anger, the stabbing pain that she’d felt when she’d found out what he’d done. But it didn’t come. Instead, she felt only genuine affection. She’d finally moved beyond it. She was over Brad Compton and what he’d done to her heart, something she’d never thought possible.

  “Yeah, I heard you got married. Couldn’t believe it. I never thought I’d see the day when the amazing, driven chef, Eve Partridge, would settle down.”

  She frowned. “I haven’t settled down…and what do you mean by that?”

  “Oh, nothing. Just that you and I didn’t work out because you were always so fixated on your career. But you know that…”

  Her back straightened. “Right. Except, that’s not why we broke up if that’s what you’re trying to say.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “It’s not?”

  “Of course not. It was your affair. Or should I say affairs.” She folded her arms over her chest and tapped one foot.

  This conversation was not going the way she’d intended it to, but now he’d made her mad. How dare he suggest that their six-year relationship had come to an end because of her, because of something she’d done. It was all him. His fault. His affairs. His betra
yal.

  Her eyes narrowed.

  He chuckled. “You’re right. Of course, that definitely didn’t help things. If it makes you feel any better, I deeply regret it. All of it.”

  Her shoulders relaxed. “Thank you. I do too. I mean, I wish things hadn’t ended so badly.”

  He laughed. “There you go. That wasn’t so hard. Was it?”

  She exhaled sharply. “No, I suppose not.”

  “It’s good to see you.” His eyes twinkled. “I’m sorry it’s under such sad circumstances.”

  “Thank you. And yes, it is nice to see you as well.”

  Footsteps pounded on the pavement and John came running into view. He stopped at the gate, bent to rest his hands on his knees, breathing hard. Then set his hands on his hips and strode up the path through the front garden to where Brad stood.

  He glanced at Brad, then at Eve, and back again. “Hi,” he said.

  Brad stuck out a hand in John’s direction. “Hi, I’m Brad, an old…friend of Evie’s.”

  Eve’s breath caught in her throat. Things could get very awkward. She’d have to make sure Brad didn’t say too much. Not that John would mind meeting her ex-boyfriend of course, but she never knew just what Brad might come out with. He had a habit of knowing just what to say to make her feel uncomfortable.

  John shook Brad’s hand with a wide smile. “Oh, pleased to meet you. I’m John, Eve’s husband.”

  His strong accent hovered in the air between them, and Brad grinned. “What accent is that you’ve got?”

  John grimaced. “I’m afraid it’s a bit of a mash-up. I’m a New Yorker originally, and now I live in Atlanta, so it’s a bit of this and that all mixed together.” He chuckled. “And where are you from?”

  Brad peered down the street and waved a hand in the direction of his house. “I live just down there. Or at least I did. Now I’m based in Singapore, just home for a few weeks.”

  So, he was still living in Singapore. For some reason that gave her a sense of relief. He’d be leaving before long as well. There was nothing to be anxious about, everything was going great. They were old friends, catching up, nothing more.

  “In fact, I was hoping to see Evie while I was home. We left things a bit up in the air last time I saw her.” He caught her gaze with a sneer.

  She bit down hard on her lip.

  “Really?” John’s eyes narrowed. “How so?”

  “We dated.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that.” John glanced at her, one eyebrow raised.

  “Yep. Six years. Almost got married too. But you know Evie, already was married to the job really. So…”

  Eve’s mouth fell open. She wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind. Irritation swept over her like a wave.

  “Well, things change,” replied John gently. “She’s a different person now, I imagine.”

  “Is that so?” Brad studied her with those bold, blue eyes. “Interesting. Maybe you’re the reason for that.”

  John shrugged and slid an arm around Eve’s shoulders protectively. “Might be. Although she’s a pretty independent woman, I don’t think anyone could convince her to change unless she wanted to.”

  She sensed a shift in John’s demeanor. He’d been open, warm when he thought Brad was an old friend. Now that Brad had shown his true colors, John’s voice had taken on a hard edge.

  “Well, I won’t keep you two love birds.” Brad turned and jogged down the path. A row of hedges lined the inside of the picket fence, and a sparrow stood on one of the branches, pecking at something, then swooped by Brad’s head. He turned back to look at them. “Oh, and I’m having coffee with Evie tomorrow, you’re welcome to come with us if you like. Just catching up, you know? It’s been a long time.”

  Then he was gone, through the gate. He disappeared behind the hedges then re-emerged as he strolled toward his house.

  Eve released the breath she’d been holding in her lungs. She looked up at John to find his eyes on her.

  “Sorry about that,” she said. “You don’t have to come with us if you’d rather not.”

  “Do you want me to?” he asked, his eyes dark.

  She nodded. “Sure.”

  “I’d love to get to know some of your friends,” he responded.

  She smiled. As he walked away her smile faded and she inhaled slowly. This would be interesting.

  Chapter 20

  John stepped out of the car and helped Eve out behind him. Crisp autumn air had finally arrived the previous evening, pushing away the heat that had plagued them the last few weeks. He wore jeans and a T-shirt with a sports coat over the top, but already he was considering removing the coat.

  “Does it ever cool off around here?” he asked with a grunt.

  She laughed. “Not really. You can wear jeans, but thick coats are out. Unless you’ve lived your whole life in Brisbane, like that woman.”

  She pointed to a woman bustling by wearing jeans and a puffy jacket, knit cap, and scarf as though she were braving an Alaskan winter.

  He laughed. “Ah, I see.”

  “Are you okay about this?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I already told you, the last three times you asked, I can handle people like Brad Compton. I do it every day.”

  She smiled but he could see she was chewing the inside of her cheek. She did that a lot when she was anxious. He’d never noticed it in Atlanta. She also played with her wedding ring more here than she had before, twirling it round and round on her finger. And more than once he’d noticed she didn’t wear it at all when she’d caught up with girl friends from the past in recent days.

  He hadn’t said anything. It was her business whether she wanted to wear the ring. And he’d noticed she wasn’t wearing it today. Either way, he knew something was up. Maybe it was time to head home.

  Still, she hadn’t broached the subject of their return to Atlanta and he wanted to make sure she had plenty of time to mourn her father. He’d been working these past weeks off his laptop and cell phone, but it was getting frustrating with the time difference and he had a feeling things were sliding out of control back at the office. He felt completely out of the loop.

  Chris assured him that he was on top of everything and John should take as much time as he needed, but he’d have to go back soon. He was the CEO of a multinational company. He couldn’t afford to be out of touch with what was going on for too long.

  “So, where exactly are we?” he asked, taking in the winding street dotted with cafés, art galleries, and boutique clothing stores.

  “This is Paddington,” replied Eve. “Actually, I used to work at a small restaurant just down the street from here at a place called Mosey. I think it’s still there. Maybe we could drop by when we’re finished having coffee? I’d love to see my old boss. She was always good to me.”

  He nodded. “Sure, it’d be nice to see where you started out. We could get some lunch there.”

  She grinned. “Perfect. They serve a killer salmon dish, or at least they used to.”

  Brad was waiting for them at the café. He’d claimed a table on the sidewalk with three chairs. And before long they all had coffees, and Eve and Brad were catching up on everything they’d missed over the past three years and reminiscing about old times.

  John sat back in his chair, sipped his coffee, and listened, only joining in whenever one of them addressed him. Birds chirped as they flitted by, stopping beside tables to tap their beaks at crumbs dropped by hasty customers. The sun continued to warm up the day. He removed his coat and hung it over the back his chair, then crossed one leg over the other.

  Eve’s cheeks were flushed and her voice soft. She seemed unsure of herself, younger than the woman he knew. As though she’d traveled back in time to be the girl who was smitten with the boy next door.

  He sighed and set his coffee down on the table just as Brad turned to face him.

  “And what do you do, John?” he asked.

  “I run a development company.”

/>   Brad arched an eyebrow. “Sounds fancy.”

  John chuckled. “I suppose. Though it’s mostly pretty mundane work. And I have a good team I work with, so I’m lucky that way.”

  “I’ll bet. The harder you work the luckier you get, right?” Brad laughed and raised his coffee cup as though in a toast.

  John inclined his head. “Right.”

  “And there’s no one who works harder than this woman right here.” He turned his attention back to Eve, whose cheeks flushed red.

  “I don’t know about that…” she protested.

  He set his coffee down and leaned forward in his chair. “No, it’s true. You’re the most dedicated person I know. A workaholic, actually. At least you used to be, though John here assures me that you’ve changed.”

  John’s eyes narrowed.

  Eve bit her lip.

  “It’s a shame really, to give up on love because of a job.” Brad’s voice took on a hard edge.

  “That’s not what happened. I didn’t give up on love. You gave up on me!” Eve stood to her feet, her eyes flashed, and her voice quavered.

  “No, I never gave up on you. You just wanted a career more than you did a husband, and now you’ve settled for him, when you know it should’ve been us,” spat Brad, waving a hand in John’s direction.

  John inhaled slowly. Then stood to his feet.

  “I didn’t want a career more…or maybe I did. But you were the one who had the affairs. You were the one who betrayed what we had and broke my heart. Not the other way around, so don’t pretend it was me. It wasn’t my fault! You didn’t even have the decency to find a stranger to betray me with!” Eve was shouting now, and the other patrons in the café stared as the place fell silent.