The Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad Next Door Romance

by Sarah J. Brooks

  I did as she asked and hurried out the door and through the security steps to get my things. My heart pounded with excitement as I got into my car and drove back to the hotel. It only took me five minutes to gather my things and then get back on the road to the airport.

  But when I arrived at the airport, I realized that I didn’t have the jet reserved to go home until Sunday. They weren’t in town any longer and I had to go over to the commercial ticket counter.

  The car rental company was easy enough to drop off the vehicle but when I got into the main building I had no idea where to go next. There were dozens of airlines so I picked the smallest line and started waiting.

  My hands were sweating with excitement as I finally got up to the counter of Frontier Airlines.

  “I need to go to Chicago,” I said excitedly. “The next flight. Any seat you have.”

  “You don’t have a ticket?”

  “No, I’ll buy one though.”

  I pulled out my black American Express card and set it on the counter. She knew right away the power that was behind such a card and started typing away. My fingers tapped nervously as I waited for her to find something for me.

  “I’ve got a middle seat in coach for a flight leaving in thirty minutes,” she said as she frowned.

  “That’s fine, I’ll take it.”

  “If you’d like to wait until five o’clock I’ have a seat in first class,” the woman offered.

  “Nope, I can’t wait. I’ll take this one.”

  She plugged in my information and printed me a ticket after looking at my driver’s license. I hurried through the security line and jogged down the terminal to the door for my flight just as they were calling the last group to board.

  By this point, I was drenched in sweat from a combination of nerves and exertion. The woman took my ticket and I boarded the flight. It was easy to see which seat was mine because it was the only empty seat on the plane.

  There was a very large man sitting in the seat by the window and a muscular man in the seat by the aisle. They were both leaking over into the center seat as I climbed into my spot and held my arms close.

  I’d never imagined that flying commercial could be as uncomfortable as that three-hour flight was. The three of us could hardly move as we all sat still and tried not to disturb each other on the flight. We were all uncomfortable. It was like a row of giant sardines had been packed together into a tiny little tin.

  By the time we arrived in Chicago, I felt like I had a new case of claustrophobia. It was impossible to hurry off the plane as everyone stood up at once and tried to get off. I waited patiently for my turn and then filed off the sardine container with the rest of my fellow sardines.

  When I hit the terminal, I grabbed some water from a vendor and drank nearly the whole thing by the time I got to the shuttle service. It took me nearly thirty minutes to find the right shuttle that could get me to where my car was parked by the private jet terminal, but I finally got on the right one.

  The shuttle dropped me off outside the chained link fence and I had to wait for a security guard to come and let me in. Luckily, it was one of the guards who knew me well and he chuckled at the sweat that was pouring down my brow.

  “Had to fly commercial?” He asked.

  “Yep. That was torture.”

  “Welcome to the real world that the rest of us live in,” he laughed as the gate finished opening. “Better not quit your day job.”

  “Oh, I’m going to work harder than ever. I can’t ever do that again,” I laughed as I ran over to my car and hurried out of the parking lot.

  When I pulled into my driveway I was so excited to see that Lilli’s car was in her driveway. Without thinking, I hurried over to her door and knocked hard.

  “Hello,” Lilli’s father said as he answered the door.

  “Um, hi Mr. Baxter, right?” I said as I tried to find the words.

  “Yep. Lilli just went out for a run. I can tell her you stopped by if you’d like?”

  “Um…no…I mean yes. Or, I’ll just call her later.”

  “Whatever you’d like,” he said and shut the door.

  I couldn’t wait though. I ran into my house and changed into my jogging clothes and then took off down the street to see if I could catch her. Then I remembered the route she had taken when we ran into each other, so I went the opposite way, hoping I would find her.

  My muscles tensed from the dehydration I had going on, but I pressed on. I had to talk to Lilli. There was no waiting. I needed to see her right away.

  I was lost in thought as I went around a corner and felt the impact of a collision. It was hard and I was knocked to the ground from the impact.

  “Devin?” Lilli laughed as I noticed she had been knocked to the ground as well. “We have to stop meeting like this.”

  She looked radiant even as she sat on the ground. Her red hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her beautiful blue eyes reflected so much of the sun that they had become hard to look at. She had her tongue ring back in but no makeup on as she smiled at me from the ground right next to me.

  “I need to talk to you,” I said as I took in a big breath and stood up.

  I grabbed her hands and pulled her up as well. For a moment I held onto her hand but she pulled it away from me when she realized I still had a grip on her.

  “I can’t Devin. We can be friends, but even that will take me some time. I better get going,” she said and turned to leave.

  “I told Ashley the truth,” I blurted out.

  Lilli stopped but she didn’t turn around. I had to say something to keep her from leaving, so I continued talking.

  “She was understanding. We worked things out. You were right, I should have told the truth right away.”

  Lilli was still facing away from me and I reached out and grabbed her hand, but this time she let me hold it.

  “That’s great Devin, I better get going,” she said as she tried to walk away but I held onto her hand.

  “Lilli, will you go out with me?” I asked.

  She was silent and my heart felt like it might explode out of my chest. Lilli had to agree to go on a date with me. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing her after everything. I pulled on her hand to get her to turn around.

  When she did turn around there were tears streaming down her face. She could barely contain them as she looked down at the ground and tried not to look at me.

  “Devin,” she said and then stopped.

  “Lilli, hear me out. I know I was wrong and you were right. I was a giant ass for not listening to you and for going along with the lie at all. I’m not asking for you to commit to anything more than a date. Maybe a couple dates,” I said playfully as I shrugged “I mean if you want to.”

  “Can I talk now?” She asked as she wiped away the tears and smiled at me sweetly.

  “Um, yes. Unless you’re going to say no, then I should keep talking and try to convince you.”

  “Yes, I’ll go on a date with you,” Lilli said as she smiled from ear to ear.

  “Yes?”

  “Yes!” she said and I wrapped her up in my arms as soon as the word processed through my brain.

  “A real date. You pick me up at my house. I wear a pretty dress, all that normal stuff,” she insisted.

  “Of course.”

  “And you have to meet my Dad.”

  “Done, I just talked to him a few minutes ago. I think he likes me,” I said playfully. “Should we bring my new drone to take photos to document the date?” I asked as I turned and pointed to the drone that had been following me on my run.

  “What is that?”

  “It’s my new venture. I bought the company out and I’m going to sell these. Aren’t they cool?”

  “You’ve got your own company now?” She said with a sweet smile as she hugged me and looked up at the drone. “That’s pretty damn cool.”

  “This is by far the best day I’ve had since Izzy was born,” I said as I leaned in and kis
sed Lilli softly. “I can’t wait to wow you on our second date.”

  Lilli and I both laughed at the thought and cheekily posed for a photo as the drone hovered nearby. My life was finally getting started the way I wanted it to be, and I had Lilli to thank for it all.

  Epilogue

  Lilli

  “I will never get used to this part,” I said as I grabbed on tight to Devin’s hand.

  “You’ve been in this plane at least a hundred times over the last three years. How is it possible that you still get nervous?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t explain it. But I’m clearly freaking out,” I said and closed my eyes to try and relax until the plane leveled off at the normal flying height.

  “Lilli, it’s fine. You’re being a baby,” Izzy said as she sat cross-legged listening to her music and ignoring the fact that we were jetting up quickly into the sky. “You do this every single time. I can’t believe you’re still so nervous.”

  “Hey, young lady. I know you’re a teenager and know everything, but I can’t help it,” I laughed without opening my eyes at all.

  “You’re doing alright Izzy?” Devin asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m not a baby,” she said with that familiar teenager tone we had become accustomed to. “Will my mom be at the airport?”

  “Yep, I talked to her this morning and she’s coming over with your grandparents,” Devin said as he let me squeeze his hand tightly.

  Ashley had finished serving the three years from her plea deal. At first, three years seemed like it was going to be forever, but the time had flown by. Izzy was having a blast with Devin, and I’d been staying over there more and more. My schedule was busy with school though, and this trip was the first time in the last three years that I’d felt relief from all my homework and tests.

  As the plane finally leveled off at our cruising altitude, I opened my eyes and let the tension leave my body. Devin laughed a little at my relief, but I couldn’t help how nervous I still got on our flights.

  “I really thought you’d finally be able to relax now that you’re officially a nurse,” Devin said as he rubbed my leg.

  “No, I’m not a nurse yet. I still have my licensing exam to take at the end of summer. I’m going to be busy studying all summer long,” I insisted.

  “Maybe not all summer,” Devin said as he played with the ring on my finger. “You’ll need to wait until after the honeymoon at least.”

  Devin was right. We were on our way to pick up Ashley and her family and then heading to Paris for our wedding. Of course, I was going to try and relax and enjoy the next couple of weeks. We had a huge wedding, and then Devin and I were going to travel around Europe for a few weeks on our honeymoon.

  I’d given him a list of all the places I wanted to see and he’d planned out an itinerary that allowed us to see every single one of them. I leaned into his chest and cuddled up next to him. He was the man I’d always dreamed of and I was the luckiest woman in the world to have him.

  “Gross, get a room you two,” Izzy playfully taunted us.

  “Oh, yeah?” Devin said as he grabbed my face and kissed me passionately. “How about that?” He teased.

  “Dad!”

  “Ew, I know. It’s so gross. Don’t you ever go kissing any boys,” Devin said as he leaned down and kissed me softly.

  “I love you Devin Graham,” I said softly as I looked up into his eyes.

  “I love you too.”

  Our flight was relatively uneventful as we landed in Jacksonville and had to fuel up before heading overseas. Izzy was watching out the window as we pulled into our spot and she waved excitedly when she saw her mother and grandparents.

  “It’s her. She’s right there. Oh, my gosh, I can’t believe this,” Izzy said as she unbuckled her seatbelt and ran over to the door before they had even fully stopped.

  “Izzy, wait until it stops the next time,” Devin demanded.

  “Dad, there will never be another time when I’m waiting to see my mother after she’s spent three years in jail. Give me a break,” she said and rolled her eyes.

  Devin was about to say something to Izzy about the eye rolling but I grabbed his arm and held my finger up to my lips so he wouldn’t.

  “She’s just excited. Let it go this time,” I urged.

  “Just this time,” he agreed.

  Devin and I moved over to the other side of the plane and watched out the window as Izzy ran down the steps and jumped into her mother’s arms. It had been three long years since the two of them had been able to embrace without a guard yelling at them and telling them there was no touching. I cried as I watched the sweet moment between them.

  Devin was also in tears and Izzy’s grandparents were a blubbering mess as we finally got off the plane to greet them all. There were hugs all around as our little family finally got to the end of what had been and amazingly difficult journey.

  Ashley had finished her time with more dignity than I could have mustered in the same situation. She was diligent about reading books with Izzy and they sent letters back and forth, talking about all the details of their current reads. Ashley also worked on studying and decided she wanted to be a drug and alcohol therapist after she got out. It suited her perfectly and she clearly was going to have a lot to share with people going through similar struggles as she had gone through.

  “Thank you for taking such good care of our daughter,” Ashley said as she hugged me.

  I couldn’t hold back my emotion as I balled at her words. I did feel like Izzy was my daughter. I loved her like she was my own and always did everything I could to ensure the last three years were as good as they could be, given the situation we were in.

  “Thank you Ashley,” I said through my tears.

  “Wow, who would have thought I’d be happy to see you some day,” she said as she hugged Devin. “You look good. I think this marriage thing is going to suit you just fine.”

  “Yeah, I feel pretty damn good,” he said. “How are you doing? You look pretty good for an ex-prisoner,” Devin joked.

  “Hell, best three years of dieting and working out I’ve ever had. They should sell the prison diet, people would love it,” she laughed.

  “Ten more minutes,” the Pilot said as he stood at the top of the stairs. “I’ve got another co-pilot joining us as well and a stewardess, if that’s alright.”

  “Yes, that’s fine,” Devin said as he turned to talk with the pilot. “Can you have them make sure we have some champagne on board? We are celebrating a very special day today.”

  “Of course sir,” the man said before he turned and went back onto the plane.

  It was a special day and despite all the tears, I was so overcome with joy. Ashley was out of prison, she was reunited with Izzy and they were going to spend two weeks getting to know each other again while Devin and I traveled.

  Devin offered to have Izzy move back with Ashley right away, but the three of them decided it was best for Izzy to stay with Devin for a little while longer. That way Ashley could take some time to get herself back on her feet. She had ongoing counseling to do and she wanted to get a job and go back to college, which was a lot to take on. Although I was confident she could do it, it was a bit of a relief that she and Devin had worked it out so Ashley could take care of herself for just a little while.

  “So I hear we are going to Paris?” Ashley said to Izzy as the two of them jumped up and down with excitement.

  “My friends at school are so jealous,” Izzy said. “I am going to SnapChat and Instagram the entire trip.”

  “I have no doubt that you will,” Ashley laughed. “Should we get on board and get comfortable?” She suggested.

  “I’m pretty excited too,” Mrs. Edwards said to Izzy as we all climbed back up the stairs and got onto the plane.

  It was a fun flight as we all talked and caught up during the ten hours over to Paris. Even when Izzy and her Grandparents finally fell asleep, Ashley, Devin and I continued talking all the way
until the morning.

  Although Ashley and I were clearly much different people, I was bonded with her. My relationship with Devin and Izzy ensured that Ashley and I had something in common and I relished that relationship and how it grew on our flight to Paris.

  “Are you nervous?” She asked me when Devin stepped away to grab us some snacks.

  “No. I thought I would be. But I have never been so sure of something in my entire life.”

  “Will your friends and family be there?”

  “Yes, Devin sent them all on a flight yesterday and I heard they are all checked into the hotel and catching up on their sleep. My friend Anna is loving Paris already and I think she might decide to stay there for a little bit if her parents agree.”

  “I want you to know I’m genuinely happy for you and Devin. I know that he and I weren’t meant to be, and seeing him with you actually makes me feel better. It’s clear that he’s the man he always wanted to be when he’s around you. I can only hope that I’ll find a match like that someday too.”

  “You will Ashley. I know it.”

  “Thanks,” she said as she gave me a quick hug and Devin rejoined us.

  “Now this is what I like to see, two of my three favorite women getting along,” Devin said quietly.

  “Who’s your other favorite woman?” Izzy asked as she opened her eyes a little bit.

  “You sweet pea. You are my most favorite woman,” he said softly and got up and kissed her on the forehead.

  “Dad, I’m not a woman. I’m a kid.”

  “Well, you’re almost a woman and you are my favorite.”

  “I love you,” she said sleepily and went back to bed.

  When we landed in Paris it was morning and we had missed out the chance to sleep. It had been worth it though to laugh and catch up with Ashley and it gave me a closure that I needed before Devin and I were to get married.

  There was only a day before we walked down the aisle and so much needed to get done. I was frantic when we finally arrived at the hotel and I heard that the florist hadn’t confirmed their delivery yet.

  “What? Oh, I can’t get married without flowers,” I moaned as I tried to figure out what to do.