Unwrapped by The Billionaire

by Joanna Nicholson

  “Where did you go?” he asked, muting the TV. He was glaring at her, with impatient eyes and Nora got the feeling that there was no escaping this.

  “Sam Macaulay’s,” she said and he arched his eyebrows.

  “And why did you need to go to the chemist at nine in the morning?” he asked and she took in a deep breath, trying not to appear too cagey.

  “Are you sick?” he asked and she shook her head.

  “It’s nothing, I’m sure. I just wanted to stock up on some medication for my hay fever. You know how it gets,” she said and a nervous laugh escaped her lips.

  “And if I ask you to show me what’s in the bag, will I find hay fever medication?” he asked in a serious voice and Nora licked her lips nervously. “But because you’re an adult, I’m not going to ask you to do that and just expect the truth from you,” he added.

  “Dad…” she said his name in a whimper.

  “Is it his?” he asked in a somber voice and Nora’s breath caught in her throat.

  “I haven’t taken the tests yet,” she said and he gritted his teeth. “Daddy please, you need to keep calm,” she pleaded with him.

  “I am as calm as I could possibly be,” he said.

  Nora tucked a few stray strands of her blond hair behind her ears.

  “Okay, then I’m going to go upstairs and get this thing over with. You shouldn’t worry,” she said, forcing a smile on her lips.

  “Nora, he has a wife,” he said and she nodded her head.

  “Yes, I know dad,” she replied and Andy shook his head and took in a deep breath. “I thought he was a friend,” he added.

  “And he is. What happened…what happens between us shouldn’t change what you have with him. I’ll leave for New York tonight, dad,” she said and Andy threw her a harsh look.

  “Is that wise?” he said and she nodded her head.

  “I need some distance, and I’m sorry dad, I want to stay with you but I can’t be here anymore,” she said and her hand instinctively travelled to her belly.

  Her father’s face was firmly set and he turned to look back at the TV screen again. She could sense that he agreed. Even though he didn’t really want her to go, he knew that it would be for the best.

  “I know you can take care of yourself, Nora,” he said, still looking away from her and Nora pursed her lips.

  “Thanks dad, that means a lot to me,” she said and then turned and walked up the stairs to the bedroom. This time he didn’t stop her.

  Nora drank two glasses of water from the jug on her bedside table, and sat at the edge of the bed and waited. She didn’t feel anything; she couldn’t capture her own emotions…other than that she knew instinctually that she was pregnant. She didn’t need to take a test anymore to prove it.

  Chapter 24

  All the five tests came out positive for pregnancy, and Nora had started packing her bags. She was carrying Theo’s child. She had a part of him growing inside her, and now she could feel it. Every so often, she stopped and placed a hand on her belly and she couldn’t help herself from smiling. Even though there was no future for them together, at least this way, she would always have a part of him with her. Even if he never knew.

  Now her feelings of impending motherhood overwhelmed whatever sadness she might have felt for leaving home again. She couldn’t be sad anymore, because she was going to have a child in nine months and that child was going to be as much Theo’s as it was going to be hers. Even without knowing, his wish was going to come true. He was going to be a father.

  Nora carried her bags downstairs and left them by the front door. Her father was in the living room, still sitting on the couch, but he wasn’t watching TV anymore. He noticed the change of clothes. She was dressed for traveling, and he knew.

  “What are you going to do, Nora?” he asked, in the same somber voice. She could sense that he had been sitting here, thinking about all this.

  “Nothing different, dad. I’m going to go back to work and live my life normally. I have my own place now and a good job, so stability and money won’t be an issue,” she said, wringing her hands together. This was not the kind of conversation she had planned on having with him on this trip.

  Her father took in a deep breath and nodded his head.

  “So, I’m going to be a grandfather,” he said, a smile creeping up on his face and Nora felt a flood of relief.

  “If everything goes well, then, yes,” she said and walked over to him to give him a hug.

  “I’ll come visit you when I’m fit enough to travel. You don’t need to worry about me, honey,” he said, encasing her in his arms. Nora closed her eyes as she rested her head on his chest and held her father tightly.

  “I won’t. I know you can take care of yourself,” she said and drew away from him. They were smiling at each other, and she was glad that he had taken it so well.

  “You don’t have to return here anytime soon if it’s going to be painful for you,” he said, with kindness in his eyes and Nora nodded her head.

  “Yeah, I might stay away for a while. But there’s always room for you in my apartment, so I’ll see you soon,” she said and he tried to stand but she patted him back down on the couch.

  “You don’t have to stand up dad,” she said and they heard the honk of the cab outside. “My ride’s here. I have to go now. I love you and you take care of yourself,” she said and placed a kiss on top of his head.

  Nora tried to keep her body from shaking as she walked to the door with her bags. She waved at him from outside, as she got into the cab and saw him wave back at her. She couldn’t even imagine if he would ever speak to Theo again, if their friendship was now ruined. But she couldn’t worry about that anymore, she had to think about the human being that was growing inside her.

  The cab drove through the streets towards the airport, and Nora stared at the town passing her by. When was she going to visit again? Another seven years might go by before the pull of her hometown might become too overwhelming. She wouldn’t want her child to never visit its grandfather. Would Theo still be there? Nora pressed her eyes close, trying to not think about him anymore. She knew she was always going to be in love with him and this child would be a testament to it.

  She still had her eyes closed and squealed when the cab came to a screeching stop.

  “What the Hell, man!” the cab driver banged the door open and jumped out. Nora looked over the seat with widened eyes and saw that an Audi had parked itself right in the middle of the road, blocking the cab’s path. There could have been an accident!

  Theo was getting out of the front seat, facing up to the driver and Nora pushed the door open and got out.

  “Just relax!” Theo was yelling back at the cab driver and then he caught Nora’s eye and rushed towards her.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Theo?” she screeched at him, confused and still in shock.

  “Nora, you can’t leave right now,” he said, grabbing her roughly by the shoulders.

  “You could have gotten us killed!” the cab driver was screaming behind them.

  He was staring into her eyes as he held her, and she was aware that they were holding up traffic. That people had stopped on the pavements to stare at them.

  “We have to get off the road right now, Theo,” she said, flaring her nostrils at him.

  “Just hear me out, okay?” he said and Nora looked around her, at the surprised faces of locals on the street.

  “Nora, look at me…look at me!” Theo’s voice was ringing in her ears and she was beginning to feel sick again. Her knees were buckling as he held her, she was going to collapse. Theo grabbed her waist and pulled her up against himself, before she could react, he had pressed his lips to her and Nora gasped, kissing him back furiously. She clutched a fistful of his shirt in both hands and clung to him, as his tongue parted her lips and he devoured her. Dizzy with desire and feeling overwhelmed with her happiness, Nora kissed him back. She didn’t care anymore who was looking.

&n
bsp; Chapter 25

  “Come here,” Theo had hooked his fingers into the loops of Nora’s jeans and he tugged at her, positioning her off the road. He grabbed the side of her face, kissed her on the lips again and then ran over to his awkwardly positioned car and parked it correctly on the side of the road.

  The cab driver had abandoned Nora’s bags on the pavement and Theo picked them up and brought them back to her. Then he was standing in front of her, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Did you speak to dad?” she asked, searching his eyes for clues.

  “Yeah, I was at your house just now and he told me that you’d left for the airport,” he said and Nora wondered if he knew. He didn’t seem like he did.

  “I was coming to tell you that I’ve kicked her out, Nora,” he said excitedly and reached for her shoulders.

  “Kicked who out? Violet?” she asked and Theo was nodding his head.

  “We had a huge fight over you. I didn’t want her to go around threatening you and then I ended up admitting that we’d slept together. She lost her mind, even though she’s done it herself countless number of times,” Theo was half laughing as he spoke, and Nora could feel her own bubbling excitement.

  “And then she asked me if I loved you, and I told her I did. Because that is the truth, Nora. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you that day at your dad’s birthday party,” Theo said and pulled her into his arms again.

  She was staring at him with disbelief. She didn’t think he was capable of loving her. She never thought she deserved a man like him. He was always the ideal…an ideal that she could never reach.

  “Nora, say something…” he whispered, drawing his lips dangerously close to hers.

  “I’ve been in love with you for years now, Theo…maybe ten, I don’t even know,” she said to him, her words choking in her throat. He was smiling at her again.

  “Violet is out of my life. I don’t want to waste any more time with someone I don’t care about, just for the sake of keeping a marriage intact,” he said and his fingers gripped her waist tightly as he thrust himself towards her. She could feel the throbbing warmth between his legs. She could sense what this could immediately lead to, and a giggle rose in her throat. She would have never imagined them even touching in public.

  “Will you be with me, Nora? Can we start over? Do this right?” he asked and she was smiling. She threw her head back and pressed her eyes close against the glare of the sun. Didn’t he know that she would have done anything for this?

  “But first, we need to speak to Andy. He needs to hear about it from us before he finds out from someone else,” he said and Nora’s eyes sparkled as she met his gaze again.

  “Dad knows already. I don’t know how. He may have figured it out or someone told him…he knows exactly what’s going on,” Nora said and Theo’s brows crossed in surprise.

  “And he’s still talking to me! He hasn’t tried to punch me yet!” Theo barked and she laughed.

  “I can’t say he’s thrilled, and he did warn me against you…but he’s not mad either. It might take him some time to get used to the idea, but I know he’ll come around,” she told him and they were kissing again.

  When she finally pulled away from him, her lips throbbing from the intensity of their kiss…she dropped her gaze to the road and he instantly knew that there was something else on her mind. He hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her face up to his.

  “What is it, Nora?” he asked and she bit down on her lip.

  “I was leaving today, Theo…because I found out something that I didn’t want to face here,” she said and his brows crossed again. “I found out this morning that I’m pregnant,” she said and felt the tightening of Theo’s grip on her waist.

  “Are you serious?” he asked, his face crestfallen and darkened. Nora couldn’t tell if he was just in shock or upset to hear the news.

  “Yes, I took five pregnancy tests and I’ve been sick all morning. I’m sure that it’s actually happening…but Theo, I don’t want to force you into fatherhood if you don’t want it. I love you and I want us to start over, but you don’t have to if you don’t want the responsibility,” she said and Theo released his grip on her waist, to take her face in his hands.

  He was peering lovingly into her eyes again and Nora felt dizzy with love for him.

  “Nothing’s changed, Nora. Nothing about my feelings for you have changed. And if we’re going to have a child together, it still doesn’t change anything. I still want to give our relationship a chance,” he said in a softer voice and she threw her arms around him and pressed her cheek to his chest. He was stroking her hair, weaving his fingers through the golden strands as he held her in his arms.

  “I can’t believe this is actually happening, Theo,” she said, choking up on her own words.

  “You deserve nothing less than everything you want, young lady,” he said and in one swift motion, he had picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder. Nora squealed with joy and surprise as he carried her and her bags to his car and threw her in with care.

  She couldn’t stop laughing as he strode around to the driver’s seat and got in, and planted a long wet kiss on her lips.

  “Do you realize that everyone in this town is going to know exactly what happened here, in matter of a few minutes,” she said and Theo shook his head indulgently as he started the car.

  “As long as Violet finds out, I don’t care about anything else,” he said and Nora stifled another laugh.

  Chapter 26

  Rosalind Heffernan, was born two days early but right on time, and was cradled directly into the loving arms of her father while her mother watched on proudly.

  “She has your eyes, Theo,” Nora said, her face glowing with perspiration and excitement as she watched Theo cling to his daughter like he was afraid of her blowing away.

  “And she has your hair,” he said, stroking the thin tuft of shining golden hair on the baby’s perfectly shaped round head. He walked back over to Nora and placed Rosalind back in her mother’s arms and stood watching his two favorite women with pride.

  Nora cradled the baby in one arm and reached for Theo’s hand which she held tightly.

  “Your father is here to see you,” the nurse poked her head in around the door to say and in the next moment, Andy had bounced into the room, pushing the nurse aside with excitement. He was carrying a huge gift basket in one hand, stuffed with chocolates and toys and confetti. In the other, he was gripping the strings of a bunch of pink balloons.

  “Let me see her,” he came charging towards the baby, and gently tugged her out of Nora’s arms. He cradled the baby’s head for support as he rocked her in his arms.

  “Jeez. She’s got my girl’s looks. Thank God for that!” Andy remarked and looked up at Theo to laugh at him.

  “My thoughts exactly!” Theo walked over to admire his creation from a new angle now.

  Nora looked at the two men huddled together, cooing and baby-talking to Rosalind. A smile formed on her face, as she remembered what her life was like before she came back to this town. Her father looked over at her and smiled.

  “My hands are occupied honey, otherwise I would have hugged you,” he said and rocked the baby some more. Nora could see her father growing attached to his granddaughter already.

  “They’re going to have to take her away and give her a wash, dad,” Nora scolded, but Andy didn’t seem to be in a hurry to let go yet. Theo and she exchanged happy looks as they watched Andy bond.

  It had taken a few months to get used to seeing his daughter and his best friend together. Being the gentleman that he always was, he didn’t make any scenes or argue over it, but he had made it abundantly clear to Theo that their relationship wasn’t going to be the same. Adult or not, Theo had betrayed a “bro-code” and Andy wasn’t about to forgive him that easily for it.

  Although now, as Nora watched her father and Rosalind together, his face glowing with familial love, she could sense that maybe in a few months…
even in a few years perhaps, their friendship might have a chance of returning to normal.

  Theo loved her with fury, he was stubbornly possessive of her…showering her with affection and love and attention. It had been nine months since they had been in a relationship, but Nora could have sworn that they had been together all their lives.

  Her life in New York was a distant memory now. The apartment remained, which she rented out and it worked out as a handy monthly income for her during her months of pregnancy. Theo was insisting on investing in a magazine of her own, which she could run from their home till it grew and they needed bigger office space. Nora was toying with the idea, although for the next few months, she knew all her energy would be spent in caring after Rosalind.

  “She’s an angel, honey,” Andy interrupted her thoughts as he handed the baby to a nurse. Then he walked over to Nora and kissed her forehead. Theo was holding her hand on the other side, and Nora looked from him to her father and then back to Theo again.

  “Andy, I had something to ask you, and I wanted to take this opportunity to do it,” Theo said and Nora’s brows crossed. She wasn’t expecting another surprise, but her father and Theo had their gazes locked and she wasn’t sure she was in a position to interrupt.

  “Go on,” Andy said and Theo cleared his throat. Nora nearly laughed at his nervousness. Theo was the last man on Earth to feel nervous about anything! What was going on?

  “Andy, I wanted to ask your permission before I went down on my knees and asked your daughter to marry me,” Theo said and there was a pin drop silence in the room. Nora wasn’t expecting it. They hadn’t spoken about marriage, not even for a second. She had no idea that he was even thinking about it. “I know I would expect the bastard who steals my daughter away, to do me the honor of at least asking me first, so that I can kick his ass,” Theo added.