Reluctant Billionaire

by Cheryl Phipps

  “How did I not know this? You never mentioned you’d made a decision.”

  “We didn’t actually discuss names.”

  “You wouldn’t discuss much, as I recall. I asked you several times. We do need to talk about this.”

  Sarah frowned. “Let’s wait for a bit. We have plenty of time and I’m so tired.”

  Eloise came over to the bed and hugged Sarah. “Of course you are. Caris and I will get going so you two can be alone.”

  “I didn’t mean you should go. I want you to stay for a bit longer.”

  “You need to rest,” Christian said.

  She frowned again, and looked like she was going to protest, but she lay back against the pillows. “Fine, but come back later, okay?”

  “We will, darling,” her mother promised, before giving Christian a knowing look.

  So, Eloise had an inkling of his discomfort and his need. Was she on his side, or was she giving him room to make mistakes? He had no idea how to do this, and no idea where they were headed, but he wouldn’t be dictated to. And, he wouldn’t be shut out. Not now his son was here.

  Sarah’s eyes were closed, but they sprang open when he tried to take the baby. She held him tighter.

  “The nurse is coming back to show me how to feed him.”

  “I can hold him until she does.”

  This time she let the baby go, and Christian sat beside the bed.

  “He’s amazing,” she said, softly.

  “He is. Thank you, Sarah, for having him.”

  “Thank you for giving him to me.”

  Christian ran a finger along the softest of cheeks, and the baby sighed. “I want to be in his life.”

  “I know you do. I’m sorry about the name thing. I hadn’t meant to blurt that out, and I didn’t realize until then that I had strong feelings about it.”

  “We can make this work, Sarah, but only if we’re on the same page.”

  She picked at the blanket. “You’re right. What did you want to call him?”

  “Something we both like. Something that’s his own name. Couldn’t Benjamin be his middle name?”

  She looked up and smiled, and took his breath away.

  “That’s a good idea. I know we joked over names, but there must be a few we could short-list?”

  “Tomorrow, when you’re rested, we’ll make that list.”

  They were closer in that moment than they had been for weeks, and Christian had to hold himself back from swearing when in walked Sarah’s brothers, and of course, Andy.

  The four of them filled up a room, without adding anyone else into the equation. Especially a non-family member.

  They fussed over Sarah and admired the baby, and since he was holding him, they were invading his space in a way he’d never experienced. Was this what it was like to be part of a big family? It should have been his and Sarah’s moment. Suddenly, his annoyance evaporated. He was being selfish.

  Sarah was lucky to have a family who loved her the way they did. His son was lucky too.

  Chapter Twenty

  Christian had driven as if he were carrying something precious, and the drive took twice as long as it should have, but Sarah couldn’t complain since she had triple-checked the car seat, and kept turning to check on the baby even though the capsule was rear facing.

  In fact, she appreciated that they were in the same mess of emotions. It made her feel as if she wasn’t alone in this. Although, that brought up its own issues. What would they do now?

  She had agreed to discuss things in more detail once she was home, but now they were here, she still wasn’t ready. Making a big decision was what she thrived on, but making one right now might be a huge mistake when she had hormones racing around inside her.

  Christian helped her out of the car and with Sarah following closely, he carefully extracted the capsule which held their baby.

  Baby. They really had to come up with a name, but it was so hard. She’d known it would be, with two sides of a family to consider. Except one side wasn’t hers. The list of names they’d made in the hospital had nothing on it that gelled with either of them. The ones she liked, Christian wasn’t so keen on and vice versa.

  There were too many serious decisions to make, and for the first time in her life, Sarah was putting them off. Make that the second time. Possibly the third, since she’d met Christian. She looked down at her son, snug in the capsule, oblivious to everything. He was a powerful reason to fear so much more than a name, or visitation. What if she was a terrible mother? The only thing holding her nerves in check was knowing her mother would be near.

  Christian misunderstood her hesitation. “I’ll bring him in then I’ll come back for your bag.”

  The family had heard the car and they were all at the door to meet them.

  Ben came down the stairs and held a hand out to Christian. “Shall I take him?”

  “No. Thanks, but no.”

  Sarah understood Christian wasn’t happy with so many crowding around the baby. His protectiveness was a badge he’d worn since he’d decided to become involved with her, and now it had escalated to encompass the baby.

  But the joy on her family’s faces was heartwarming and she didn’t have the heart to tell them to back off. Christian was going to have to deal with her family if he was going to be a part of it in any way.

  The thought of him being included made her even warmer inside. Until reasoning clicked in. That scenario wasn’t real. He would be involved with her because she was the mother of his son and for no other reason. She and her family would become secondary to his child. A means to an end.

  For a man who wasn’t convinced William was his, he was taking to it like a duck to water. This gave her mixed emotions too. She was glad their son would have two loving parents, but if he turned out to be a better father than she was a mother, what then?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Christian had slept in a guest room down the hall from Sarah and the baby. Now, he sat on her bed while she fed him. She looked like a Madonna, which alone gave him a lump in his throat, without seeing the baby nestled to her breast. Today they would decide his name. He coughed a little.

  “I like Callan.”

  She looked up. “No. What about Devan?

  “No. It should be a strong name. Michael?”

  “Nope. I went to school with a Michael, who was always pulling my hair. Sean?”

  “I have a cousin called Sean. Let’s not talk about him. Harry?”

  “I’m pretty sure our baby isn’t a red head, but since we’re talking royalty, what about William?”

  His head was shaking no as he was thinking of other names, but he remembered an uncle who had been kind to him when his father had walked out on the family. And it didn’t hurt that it was the name of a future king. “Wait a minute. I like it.”

  Her eyes widened. “You do?”

  “Yes. Why? Aren’t you serious about choosing a name today?”

  “I am. Like you said last night, calling him baby isn’t right. Apparently, you don’t bond properly until they have a name.”

  “Rubbish. We’ve bonded.”

  “Even so. William? William Benjamin Knight.”

  Christian took him from her to burp him, while Sarah covered up. “We had decided the baby would have my name.”

  “I know. It just doesn’t feel right.”

  He didn’t want to be angry. He didn’t want to make this harder. He only wanted to be a father. He took a deep breath. “If you’d married that Marcus guy, you’d have changed your name, wouldn’t you?”

  She shrugged. “He insisted.”

  “I see. You didn’t want to?”

  “No. I was an obliging fiancé. As it turned out—too obliging.”

  “I’m not Marcus.”

  “And we’re not married.”

  “You want me to marry you?”

  “Hell no.”

  “Charming.”

  “Sorry, but you know we can’t marry. We hardly kno
w each other.”

  “I’d say we know each other more than a lot of other couples.”

  “How about we leave it at William for now and we can decide the last name when we fill out the paperwork.”

  “We should do it sooner rather than later.”

  “Don’t push me, Christian. I’m not going to be railroaded into anything.”

  “Is that what you think I’m doing?”

  “I don’t want to argue.”

  “I’ll take him for a walk in the garden.”

  “Why? He’s due a bath.”

  “I can bath him.”

  She threw her hands in the air. “You must have something else to do.”

  “I’d rather be with William.”

  “Fine. Take him for a walk. His pram is downstairs. I could use a shower, but don’t be long.”

  Christian felt he’d won a small victory as he took the now sleeping William downstairs and out into the garden.

  “Morning.”

  It was Benjamin Knight, coffee in hand as he stood on the verandah.

  “Morning.”

  “Where’s Sarah?”

  “In the shower.”

  “Does she know you have the baby outside?”

  “I’m taking William for a walk, and I don’t have to ask permission to do what I want with my son.”

  “You can certainly do what you want, as long as Sarah agrees. Does she know or not?”

  “Mind your own business.”

  “This is my house. If you want to stay here, you’d better not upset my sister.”

  “I don’t want to stay here, but this is where William is. End of story.”

  “No, it’s not the end of it. If you can’t live here peacefully, you can’t live here at all.”

  “Are you telling me to leave.”

  “You can take it that way.”

  Christian turned the pram around and took his son back into the house. When all his instincts told him to walk through the front door with his son, he carried William upstairs and placed him into his crib. He ran his hand across the fair downy head.

  “I will make this right, William. I promise.”

  Then he went down the hall to pack his bag, and without saying goodbye to anyone, he left. It was the only way to preserve his sanity. Plus, he had plans to make.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The doorbell brought Christian out of his reverie. His housekeeper was around somewhere, so he stayed where he was until he felt a presence in the room. Sarah was in the doorway, holding William.

  He jumped up from his chair. “Is something wrong?”

  She gave him her look. “Yes, something’s wrong. You left this morning and didn’t say goodbye.”

  “I can’t compete with your family, and every day that’s how it felt.” He sounded like a petulant child, which annoyed the hell out of him. He didn’t think he’d been petulant a day in his life until he’d become involved with the Knights.

  “I don’t want you to.”

  That took the wind from his sails. “What do you want, Sarah? I don’t feel like you’ve ever told me. Our relationship has been one big holding pattern, with assumptions wrongly made about where we would land.”

  She further surprised him when she placed the sleeping baby in his arms. “I want to give William the best chance in life. I want to do that with you.”

  He sighed, as William, in his sleep wrapped his tiny hand around Christian’s finger. “I can’t live at your place. I gave it my best shot.”

  Sarah nodded. “I know. Mom told me what Ben said to you. She was in the garden, and she gave him a telling off the whole family heard. I can’t believe he said what he did, but he’s seeing sense now and Ben asks for your forgiveness.”

  Christian snorted. “Does he really?”

  Sarah grinned, and in that moment, she looked like the woman from Rarotonga. “In a manner of speaking. Look, I respect that you didn’t want to upset me, but I’ve never needed my hand held. I can deal with my family when I need to.”

  “I’m sure that’s true, but Ben wasn’t the only issue. I need to have my own place. I wish you’d seriously consider living here.”

  She blushed, and unusually awkward. Then she pushed back her shoulders. “I wish you’d ask me again.”

  He was confused. “Ask you what?”

  Her cheeks flushed deeper, and the grin wavered as she waited.

  He was an astute surgeon. He solved cases others couldn’t, but he hadn’t seen this coming. With his hands suddenly damp, he hoped he wasn’t misreading the situation, but the risk was definitely worth it.

  Carefully, Christian got down on one knee, conscious of not having a ring. Talk about unprepared, but his heart was singing. “Sarah Knight, will you marry me?”

  Her eyes twinkled. “Why do you want to marry me?”

  He looked at his son, then he looked at Sarah. A brightness shone around her. It was only a prism of reflected light, but this was how he always saw her.

  “Because I love you, and I love our son, and together we are a family.”

  “I will.”

  He loved how she did that. Her decisiveness was instant, and a constant surprise, when prior to this, she’d brushed him off so many times to get to that point. But Sarah was worth all her little quirks. She made his heart fill, and his body yearned for her.

  She knelt beside him and Christian kissed her with everything he had, careful not to squash their son. When they eventually came up for air, they moved into the sitting room where it was more comfortable, their arms still around each other.

  “Am I allowed to ask why the change of heart?”

  She nodded. “When I heard what Ben had said, I realized how selfish I’ve been all these months. Wanting things my way, by living with my family, because I was too scared to trust this. Trust us. And there you were with fears of your own, yet you stood by me and let me be a pain in the butt.”

  “Is that it?”

  “Well, it doesn’t hurt that you’re incredibly sexy and a pretty fine lover.”

  Christian laughed, delighted by the turn of events, and enjoying having the teasing, sassy Sarah back. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  “I’ll hold you to that. And there is one other thing.”

  “Mmmm?” Christian nuzzled her neck.

  “I love you, Christian Grayson. I have for so long.”

  He took her chin in his free hand and looked deeply into her eyes. “I wish I’d known. It’s all I’ve ever needed. Not knowing if you could love me was the only reason for my reluctance in asking you before.”

  “We’re such idiots,” she said, as she kissed him back.

  “We certainly have been, but no more.”

  Sarah touched his face, rubbing her thumb across his lips. “I should have said a couple more things to you.”

  “Hells teeth, I don’t think I can take much more.”

  “Not even this?” Sarah leaned over the arm of the chair and pulled out an envelope from her bag which she handed him.

  Confused, he opened it and pulled out a sheet of paper. “William’s mine!”

  “You might want to sound less surprised, especially when I told you that six months ago.” Sarah said wryly.

  “Sorry, but thanks. This is perfect.”

  “A piece of paper?”

  “We can add it to the marriage certificate.”

  That earned him a few more kisses, and as things were getting steamy, Sarah pulled back and took his chin.

  “Soon, my love. Let’s go tell everyone our news. Mom will be dying to know.”

  Sarah jumped up and Christian sighed. “First tell me why you changed your mind about the paternity test. Then tell me how you managed it.”

  “The how was easy. Andy’s a professional at stuff like that and you two spent some time together.”

  Things began to fall into place. “I did wonder at his insistence on having a drink together one night, since he rarely drinks anything stronger than ora
nge juice. Now the why.”

  Sarah stood by the picture window, smiling down at them. “I do love you. I realized that when you agreed to move into our home knowing Ben wasn’t happy about it, because you wanted to be near us. Unfortunately, my stubbornness wouldn’t let me admit to anyone how I really felt, but I hoped even if we didn’t work out, that you would be the father you promised. Mom saw through me like she does, and it was her idea to come see you. I was scared, until I walked through the door and saw you. I knew I had to take the risk, and when you proposed without knowing the truth, I was sure.”

  It was hard to reconcile this beautiful woman with the scheming she was capable of. “It was a test?”

  “Sorry, Christian. I wanted to be sure you really loved us. Is that so terrible?”

  He thought of the plans he was formulating to get his own paternity testing done and recognized the hypocrisy. “In the scheme of things, I guess not, but I will have my revenge when you are fit and well.”

  She laughed. “Bring it on, Doctor Grayson.”

  Christian’s heart was overflowing. They were finally united and the family would have to accept it. As he would have to accept them. When Jessica, who’d been so excited about having a baby around, came home in a week or two, his family would be complete. William was a very lucky boy.

  “Fine. Let’s go tackle some Knights.”

  Thank you

  Thanks so much for reading Reluctant Billionaire the third book in my Billionaire Knights series. I hope that you’ve enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. the Knight family have grown on me so I am writing a few more and you can find them all on my website or via the links at the back of this book, plus an excerpt of Restless Billionaire.

  As a way of saying thank you to all my readers I am giving away a free short story to everyone who signs up to my mailing list. I promise not to spam you, and to only keep you informed of new releases, or promotions I am running.

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