(2 Book Box Set) Loving The White Billionaire: 2 & 3

by Monica Brooks

  “Lucas?”

  “Yeah, Jaida, can you hear me?”

  “Yeah, is everything ok with Dad?”

  “Yeah, he just woke up. I thought I’d let you know so you can come and see him.”

  “I’m on my way!” I said, and hung up the phone with a quick thank you.

  “Your dad woke up?” Axel asked excitedly.

  “Yes, we have to hurry before he goes back to sleep!” I said getting in the driver’s side before Axel got in.

  Backing out of the parking space, I barely drove within the speed limit. I weaved in and out of traffic, and ran every yellow light. Nothing was going to stop me from seeing my dad. When we finally arrived at the hospital, Axel suggested that I pull up front, while he stayed behind to find a parking space.

  Complying with his great suggestion, I jumped out of the car, and ran through the doors of the hospital. I tried not to run through the halls like a child, but my excitement was way too strong. When I finally got in the room, my dad was laying on the bed with his eyes on the TV.

  “Daddy,” I said as I came closer.

  “Hey baby!” he said weakly, but excitedly.

  “Oh, I’m so glad I got to see you before you fell asleep again.”

  “Well, you caught me just in time. This medicine they have me on is whipping my butt,” he said before taking in a huge yawn.

  “She came back as soon as I told her you were checked in,” my mom said. I hadn’t even noticed the other people in the room.

  “Your Aunt was in here just a few minutes ago. She said she was upset that she missed you, and that she wants you to go by when you can.”

  “I will, I also want to swing by and see Josie.”

  “Josie…now that’s a crazy child right there,” Dad said as I held his hand between my two.

  “She is. Are you getting tired again?” I asked as his eyes began to drift away.

  “Yes, baby, I’ll wake up around dinner time, just swing by and see me. I love you.”

  “I love you too Daddy,” I said before laying his hand down by his side.

  “You have a good rest, honey,” Mom comforted before he closed his eyes and sleep.

  “Have the doctors said anything else?” I asked after sitting down next to dad on the bed.

  “He has to have surgery. There’s a lot of plaque building up; they need to get it out before it becomes too severe.”

  “Oh no, when is it scheduled?”

  “Friday at eleven.”

  “How is insurance covering everything?”

  “Barely; his stay is going to cost us our mortgage.”

  “No! maybe there is something else we could do? I can help out with the hospital bill.”

  “Open heart surgery costs three hundred and twenty-four thousand dollars.”

  My eyes bugged out of my head when I heard that. I was so focused on the price that I hadn’t realize that Axel was standing in the doorway. Apparently neither did anyone else. As Axel walked through the door. I heard Samuel take an exaggerated deep breath and watched Luke look away. I rolled my eyes as they curtly exchanged hellos. My mom was more polite, but still wasn’t as polite as she could have been. It seemed forced.

  “I went back to the apartment to get Axel once he woke up.”

  “I didn’t know that, none of us did, you just walked out without telling any of us anything,” Sam started.

  “Don’t start with me Samuel,” I said dismissively.

  “Where did you two go?” Mom asked.

  “We just stopped in at Denny’s for a bite to eat.”

  “And you didn’t think to offer anything to us?” Sam asked in a manner that told me he was just trying to get under my skin.

  “Don’t think I didn’t smell the French toast when I first got here,” I pointed out.

  “Why can’t you all just shut up for once? Your differences in opinion should not dictate how you act in your relationships with each other,” my mom interjected.

  “Thank you, mom,” I said sincerely.

  “Now I want peace and quiet, if you have anything to say to each other, it better be something nice. If you don’t have anything nice to say, shut the hell up.”

  With that, the room went silent, which wasn’t a completely bad thing. It was actually nice for a change to hear only the sound of the TV, and occasional laughter. By the time six rolled around, my dad still hadn’t woken up, but the rest of us were, and we were getting hungry.

  I offered to go and pick up some food, and Samuel and Lucas decided to tag along with me. At first I thought Axel may feel uncomfortable staying with my mom, but he seemed at ease. So I left with confidence knowing that Axel would be all right.

  When we got to the Chinese food store, Samuel ordered and paid for all of our meals; including Axel’s and would not accept the money that Axel had offered. It was definitely a big show in pride. Though there was no contest, Samuel still had to show that he was a man.

  “I don’t need his money. I got my own. This is my family, not his. Just because I’m not rich does not mean I can’t afford some damn Chinese food?”

  “You know what, you’re really ridiculous. What is your big issue?” I asked.

  “The man is white Jaida! Since when have you dated white men? There’s enough good black men in San Francisco?”

  “It’s not like I sought him out! We just happened to meet,” I said crossing my arms in aggravation.

  “What I don’t get is the fact that you so easily went out with this guy! Especially just after calling off your wedding! It’s not like you and Ethan dated for only a short time! You guys were together for so many years!” he stated.

  “And things went sour and they ended! Things like this happen all the time! Why am I even having this conversation with you? I don’t have to explain my love life, my life decisions, or my priorities to you!”

  I hadn’t realized that we were yelling until Lucas finally interjected. He placed his hand gently on my shoulder, and nudged me a little bit to snap me back into the moment. Samuel turned abruptly and collected our food before storming past me and out of the store.

  Apologizing to the owners, I turned around, and made my way towards the car with Luke. When we got in, the smell of freshly made Chinese food permeated throughout the car and into our nostrils.

  “I don’t want you to hate me, sis. I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Sam said softly.

  “Stop worrying about me, I’m an adult now, I’m not a little baby anymore.”

  “I’ve seen interracial relationships fail one after the other and all of them due to the fact that they deal with too much stress. Society will never accept the fact that you are a black woman dating a rich white man. You will be judged and teased and ridiculed for it. I can’t protect you from that, and that bothers the hell out of me,” Sam said sincerely.

  “We’re not telling you what to do here, Jaida, we’re just hoping that you’ll make the right decision,” Lucas pointed out calmly.

  “Thank you for your concern. I know you two love me, but you have to calm down with the protective brother instinct. Axel is a god guy. Just focus on that, please, that’s all I ask,” and before they could respond, I got out of the car and made my way towards the building.

  Chapter Seven

  On the way back home from the hospital, I found myself fixated on the words my brothers spoke from their hearts. They were trying to save me. Though they went about it the wrong way, I knew that they were just trying to protect me like they did when we were younger. When we finally got back to the apartments, Axel turned off the ignition, and sat still with me.

  He was waiting for me to say or do something. Finally, I turned my head in his direction. He smiled a small smile before he reached over to touch his lips to my forehead. I smiled a ghost of a smile back, before I unbuckled my seat belt and got out of the car.

  As Axel unlocked the door, I stood silently as I waited. Once we were inside, I walked straight to my bathroom, and closed the door
behind me. Axel didn’t bother me at first, but after thirty minutes he started to ask questions.

  “What happened, Jaida?”

  “Nothing, I’ll be out in just a minute.”

  “Ok.”

  After ten minutes, I finally got down from the counter and faced Axel in the room. He was sitting up in the bed, his eyes locked with mine before I broke eye contact. Though I did sit down close to him on the bed. Our fingers wove together as we shared the plush space.

  “My brothers are just really getting on my nerves; that’s all.”

  “Look, how about we go to your best friend’s house, Josie was it?”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, how about it?”

  “That does sound like a good idea; I haven’t even called her since I’ve been here.”

  “There you go, just give her a call, and we’ll head over there tomorrow.”

  “She always did help me out when it came handling my overbearing brothers,” I said.

  “Well good then, we’ll make a trip and get your mind off of them for a while. You should call your mom to ask her to keep you informed on your dad; keep you posted on when he’s awake.”

  “Sounds like a good idea,” I said after taking a deep breath.

  “Let’s get some sleep, and then in the morning you can decide what you want to do.”

  I nodded my head in agreement, but I didn’t say anything. Instead I got up, and got myself ready for bed. When I finally lay down, it was while Axel was still in the shower. I decided that I wouldn’t wait up for him; I was too tired and too emotional. It didn’t take me long. Axel was still in the shower when I fell asleep.

  When I woke up, it was almost as if I’d just fallen asleep. I didn’t feel energized at all. I felt more like I’d never gone to sleep. I felt sluggish and weak from exhaustion. It was probably a mix of stress, and all of the unhealthy food I had been eating over the past few weeks.

  “Hey, I made some fruit smoothies. I figured that we’ve been eating a little too much fat, so I went out and bought turkey bacon and fruit.”

  “Wow, did you wake up feeling exhausted too?” I asked.

  “A little bit. I need to go running or something.”

  “We could go later on tonight if you want. I like to run on the beach after the sun sets.”

  “Ok sounds great, I also got some other health foods, I found a ship that I’m pretty sure you’re familiar with that sells health foods.”

  “Yes, I go there often,” I said stretching before standing up.

  Heading to the bathroom, I decided to hop in the shower real quick and freshen up before breakfast. I could hear Axel saying something, but felt as though he wasn’t talking to me. He carried on with his conversation, although I never responded.

  “I didn’t know you were in the shower. I’ve been talking to myself the whole time.”

  “Oh, sorry. I just came straight in here,” I said wrapping a towel around myself before stepping out of the shower.

  “How did you sleep last night?”

  “I slept fine.”

  “Do you want to tell me why you keep giving me short answers without giving me direct eye contact?” he asked.

  “What?” I felt so embarrassed that I didn’t know what to say.

  “I know that your brothers gave you a hard time last night, but why are you taking it out on me?” Axel asked.

  “I’m not. I’m just…not,” I said turning away to face the sink.

  “Talk to me, Jaida.”

  “My brothers are only trying to protect me, Axel.”

  “What are you talking about? Protect you from what? Me?”

  “From society and how they will treat us. They don’t dislike you; they just dislike the stress that it will bring on me.”

  “I can understand that, but just because something is going to be hard, does not mean that you should just avoid it.”

  “I’m just so confused about what I should do, Axel. I mean, when the doors are closed and it’s just us, we’re in a perfect little world. But then we go out and we get stares and people looking down their noses at us! My family is giving us crap even when I’m alone and you’re not there! What’s the point in having the perfect relationship if we can’t even celebrate it with our families?”

  “Jaida, I know this is new for you, this is new for me too, but you know what, I”m not giving up on this. I am not giving up on you.”

  “Axel,” I sobbed.

  “You listen to me, Jaida, if you feel anywhere near as much for me as I feel for you, then you’ll stay with me, and we’ll get through this together.”

  “Do you really think this is worth it? Being uncomfortable around family members and out in public?”

  “Yes, Jaida, you are worth it to me,” he said sincerely.

  I didn’t say anything; all I did was look into his eyes. The truth was written in them, all I had to do was accept it. A tear rolled over my eyelid, but didn’t get far as Axel caressed my cheek. My eyes closed lightly before I rested my head against sturdy muscles.

  “Let’s get something to eat, Jaida. And then we can get our day started,” he said against my forehead.

  “Ok, what kind of fruit did you get?”

  “Melons, bananas, strawberries, and kiwi fruit.”

  That sounded delicious to my healthy side, and cheered me up to the point where the tears ceased to roll. I lifted my head from Axel’s chest, and smiled when he kissed my cheeks. At that moment, the familiar rumble of my stomach caught our attention before we headed out and into the kitchen.

  As I sat down at the small dining table, I watched Axel as he got to work preparing food for his baby, as he called it. As I leaned back against the hardness of the chair, I reached across the table for a soft fruit. The brown fuzz of the kiwi felt like I was holding a tuft of fur.

  I brought it to my nose, tickling the tip with the texture. Taking a deep breath, the strong aroma of citrus cleared my sinuses and rejuvenated my senses. I heard Axel say something, but I missed it. Turning to focus on him, I opened my mouth to speak when he placed a big mug of fruit smoothie down on the table next to me.

  “Did you get these at the food store?” I asked while I admired the flowery design in the glass.

  “Yeah, do you like them?”

  “I do, I’ve never seen mugs this huge!” I said before taking a sip.

  “How do you like your smoothie?” he asked as I closed my eyes from the full flavor.

  “Oh yeah!” was all I answered before dipping my head to take another full swig.

  “Good, I used raw honey as a sweetener, and there’s also avocado mixed in.”

  “Oh, good choice,” I said licking the foam off my lips.

  “How about some bacon and cheese?” he said before setting the plate down in front of me.

  “Wow, Axel, you really know how to make healthy foods huh?”

  “That’s my specialty,” he answered before sitting down to join me.

  “We should definitely keep this up; I’m already starting to feel much better.”

  “That’ good. After we visit your father, we can go running on the beach if you want,” he offered.

  “Oh yeah, I’d like that.”

  “Good, I thought I could make us some lunch and then follow it up with dinner out.”

  “Sounds good, where?”

  “Sushi?” he asked.

  “Ooh! Yes, sushi! We can go to this restaurant that I’ve been dying to go to since it opened about three months ago!” I said.

  Well then, sushi it is.”

  “I’m so glad that I met you, Axel, regardless of all the negativity,” I said softly.

  “I am too, Jaida, I am too,” he said with a gentle voice of his own.

  “I mean, you like the same stuff I do, you’re so attentive it’s almost unreal. Truly, I’m waiting for you to prove that you’re not perfect. Have you killed anybody in your past?” I asked taking another sip.

  “Of course not!” he
said mockingly suspicious.

  “Sure, because that wasn’t suspicious at all.”

  “I’m too nice of a person to commit murder,” he said.

  “You know, you’re right. So far you haven’t had any explosions of anger so; I believe that you’re too nice to kill. We’ll see how long that lasts,” I said with a wink.

  “You’re something else, you know that?”

  “I do.”

  “Alright, hurry up, let’s get you to your friends before I rip your clothes off.” he said.

  “Ok, Ax.”

  Jumping up from the table feeling brand new, I made it back to the room to throw on some shoes and a jacket, before I reached my phone. Punching in the appropriate numbers, I waited three rings before the other line picked up.

  “Hello?” my mom answered.

  “Hey mom, how are you doing this morning?” I asked.

  “Just fine, I went home last night upon request from your father. I got some good sleep for the first time in a few days.”

  “That’s really good to hear, Mom. We don’t need both of you to be sick and in the hospital.”

  “That’s exactly what you’re father said!” My mom said through a chuckle.

  “Are Sammy and Luke there?” I asked.

  “No, they’re on their way though.”

  “Oh ok, well I was going to stop by there later in the evening. I wanted to go by and see Josie, and maybe Aunt Florence.”

  “Oh! That sounds like a great idea. Maybe Josie can come up, I would love to see her, and I’m sure your father would too,” she said.

  “Yeah, I’m going to call her now and see if she has anything planned today, being that it is Thursday.”

  “I thought she was off Thursdays?”

  “You’re right! Ok mom, I’m going to call you back later on in the day, please let me know if Daddy wakes up. I love you.”

  “Love you too, baby, bye bye.”

  Pushing a few buttons on the screen, I ended the call with my mom before calling Josie. She didn’t answer on the first try, but called me back before I could redial. She had me on hold for the first few moments of the call, but finally answered with a chipper greeting.