by Sandi Lynn
I took the heavy blanket and laid it over us as the coachman handed us each a piping hot cup of cocoa.
“Thank you, sir,” I said.
“Are you two ready for your ride?” he asked.
“Most definitely.” Georgia smiled.
Georgia
As the snow lightly fell, I took in the beautiful carriage ride through Central Park, and I felt like I’d been transported to a magical place.
“Nobody has ever done anything like this for me,” I spoke as I laid my head on Julian’s shoulder.
“I’m happy that I’m the first person who has. I also have something else for you,” he said as he reached into the top pocket of his wool winter coat and pulled out a long white box with red ribbon tied around it.
“What’s this?” I asked as he handed me the box.
“Open it and find out.”
After untying the ribbon, I slowly removed the lid, and inside the box sat two tickets. Taking them out, I studied them.
“Oh my God, Julian! The Rockettes?”
“Isn’t that another reason you came to New York?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed.
“The tickets are for next Friday night and I got the best seats in the place. We’ll go for a nice dinner first, and then we’ll see the show.”
“I—thank you.” I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hug. “This is too much. You don’t have to do all of this for me.”
“I know I don’t, Georgia. I wanted to.”
I broke our embrace and stared into his eyes.
“I want to do all these things with you.” He brought his hand up to my cheek. “And not just at Christmas time. I want to do all kinds of different things with you for a very, very long time. I’m in love with you, Georgia Beckham, and I’m no longer going to keep it a secret.”
Tears filled my eyes as my heart raced out of control.
“Julian,” I spoke in a soft voice.
“You don’t have to say anything. I know I’m kind of just springing this on you and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but—”
“Shh.” I pressed my finger against his lips.
“I’m more comfortable now than I’ve ever been my entire life, and you’re not scaring me off. What I’m trying to say is I’m in love with you too, Julian.”
“You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.” His lips softly brushed against mine for a moment. “So, we’re an official couple now?”
“We totally are.” I grinned as our lips met once again.
My legs wrapped tightly around his waist as he thrust in and out of me. Moans escaped both our lips as total bliss fell upon us. My body tightened as it jumped headfirst into the pool of pleasure.
“God, Georgia. I can’t hold back any longer,” Julian whispered as he halted and let out several moans as my nails dug into the flesh of his back while he exploded inside me.
It had only been the second time we’d had sex, and even though the first time was amazing, this time was even better. It was special because we were in love with each other and the emotional connection between us was stronger.
His body dropped on mine as he pressed his lips against the side of my neck. The warmth of his breath soothed me and turned me on at the same time.
“Ready for round two?” I asked.
He lifted his head and looked at me.
“Can you give me at least fifteen minutes?” A smirk crossed his lips.
“I’ll give you ten.” I arched my brow at him.
He laughed as he rolled over, pulled me on top of him and placed both of his hands on each side of my face.
“I love you so much.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
“I love you too.” I leaned down and softly brushed my lips against his.
Chapter 21
Julian
The Rockettes were amazing, as always. But the one thing I enjoyed the most was watching the look on Georgia’s face as she watched the show. She was truly happy. We both were.
I threw a huge company Christmas party. In the past, the staff would put on a small one, but I never attended. Christmas wasn’t my thing, but now, it was everything. All because of the two special girls in my life. Kevin rented a place in Aspen, and him and Kate were going to spend the holiday skiing. I was happy for him because he deserved a special woman in his life like I had.
Georgia went to do some Christmas shopping, and I stayed home to watch Ella. As we were lying on the bed, I played peek-a-boo with her. She loved it when I played that. The laughs and the screeches that came from her melted my heart.
“You think it’s funny when Daddy plays peek-a-boo with you.” I tickled her and she laughed.
Picking her up from the bed, I brought up my legs and set her against me as I held her hands in mine.
“You know how much I love you, right? My job as your daddy is to always protect you no matter what. I know we kind of got off on a rocky start, and I’m so sorry for that. As you grow up, you’re going to learn that certain things scare you. But no matter what those things are, you need to face your fear and I will be with you every step of way, helping you and guiding you. You will always feel my love for you, princess. And no matter where life takes you, I will always be with you, and I will never let you fall.”
Georgia
I stood to the side of the door and listened to every word Julian said to his daughter. Tears filled my eyes at the poetic heart to heart he had with her. Drying my eyes, I walked into the room and pretended I had just gotten home.
“Hey there, beautiful. All done shopping for the day?”
“I am.” I smiled as I walked over and kissed his lips.
“We missed you.”
“And I missed both of you.” I kissed Ella’s head as I climbed on the bed next to them. “Has she napped today?”
“Not yet. I was just going to lay her down for one when you walked in. Why?”
“I was hoping to have some sexy time with you.”
“Ah. Is that so?”
“I had all these plans in my head as to what I was going to do to you when I got home.”
“And what would those plans include?” He arched his brow at me.
I leaned over and whispered in his ear.
“Come on, Ella. It’s nappy time for you!” he said as he jumped off the bed with her in his arms. “You keep thinking those thoughts and I’ll be right back.” He pointed at me.
I let out a laugh as I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it on the floor.
I had just finished making the last batch of Christmas cookies when I looked at the clock, and it was almost noon. I was meeting Julian at the office for a Christmas luncheon he put on for the staff, so I needed to get changed and get Ella ready to leave. As I climbed into the cab, I sent Julian a text message.
“Hey, handsome. We’re on our way.”
“Excellent. I can’t wait to see my two favorite girls. I love you.”
“I love you. See you soon.”
“Hey, Jane.” I smiled.
“Hi, Georgia. Hey, Ella.” She grinned.
“Is he in there?”
“He got pulled into an emergency meeting, but he shouldn’t be too long. There’s a woman waiting in there for him.”
“Who is she?” I asked with concern.
“She said her name is Rebecca and that Mr. Cambridge will want to see her. Do you know who she is?”
A feeling of sickness overtook me.
“She’s Ella’s mother.” I swallowed hard.
“Oh my God. I didn’t know that.” She panicked.
“Calm down,” I said as I placed my hand on her arm. “There’s no way you could have known.”
“Excuse—” Rebecca opened the door. “Ella! Give me my daughter.” She demanded.
I quickly backed away as I held Ella’s head against me.
“I said give me my daughter. Who the hell are you?”
Shit. I didn’t know what to say. Well, I knew exactly wh
at I wanted to say, but I wasn’t about to say it in front of all the employees who were watching.
“Jane, call security.”
“I’m on it,” Jane said as she picked up the phone.
“No. Don’t.” Rebecca said. “I’m sorry.” She put her hand up.
I saw Julian running down the hall.
“What is going on? Rebecca?” He looked at her with a shocked expression. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I came to see our daughter.”
“Get in my office,” he told her. “My God. Are you okay?” he walked over to me and kissed my head.
“I’m fine. What is she doing here?”
“I have no idea, but I’m about to find out.”
We stepped into his office and he shut the door.
“Please, just let me hold her. I’ve missed her.”
“You’re not holding her,” Julian snapped. “You left her in my care with a note that said you couldn’t do it anymore. So you lost your right to hold her.”
“Who is she?” Rebecca asked.
“Her name is Georgia and she’s my girlfriend. She’s been more of a mother to that child than you ever could be.”
“How dare you!” Rebecca spoke in anger.
“How dare me?! How dare you!” Julian shouted as he pointed at her and Ella began to cry.
“Okay. Everyone just calm down.”
“You honestly didn’t think I would let you back into her life after you dumped her on me because you got sick of her, did you?”
“I did what I thought was best for her! I was having some issues, and I needed a break.”
“A break? That’s the one thing you don’t get when you have a kid! Now leave my office before I call security and have you thrown out.”
“I’m getting my daughter back, Julian. You’re not fit to be a father. Even with your fancy little girlfriend here.”
Julian picked up the phone that was sitting on his desk.
“Don’t bother calling security. I’ll leave, but you’ll be hearing from my attorney. I want my daughter back.”
“Good luck with that,” Julian spoke.
As soon as she walked out, Julian took Ella from me and held her tight. I was in shock and didn’t know what to say. He pressed the intercom button and called Jane into his office.
“Yes, Mr. Cambridge?”
“Get Elijah Wolfe on the phone for me. Tell him it’s an emergency.”
“Will do, sir.”
“Who’s Elijah?” I asked.
“My attorney. There’s no way Rebecca is taking my daughter from me.”
Chapter 22
Julian
“Julian, good to see you.” Elijah extended his hand. “Have a seat.”
“Thanks for seeing me on such short notice, Elijah.”
“No problem. You know I’m always available when you call. What’s going on?”
“Rebecca is back in town and she wants to take Ella away from me.”
“Shit. Really? Hold on, let me get Aspen in here.”
A few moments later, Aspen walked in.
“You summoned me.” She smiled. “Hey, Julian. It’s good to see you.”
“Hi, Aspen.” I kissed her cheek. “I wish it was under better circumstances.”
“What’s going on?” she asked as she took a seat in the chair next to me.
“Ella’s mother is back in town and she threatened to sue for custody,” Elijah said. “I’ll need you to co-chair this one with me.
“Sure. Of course.”
Elijah and Aspen took down as much information as I could give them.
“You still have the letter she left you, right?” Aspen asked.
“Yes. I kept it just in case.”
“Good. We’ll need to see that. Other than that, I think we have everything we need for now. I’ll start digging in on one Rebecca Hayes.” Aspen smiled as she stood up from her seat. “Don’t worry, Julian. Ella isn’t going anywhere,” she spoke as she placed her hand on my arm.
“Yeah. Don’t worry. By time we’re finished with her, she won’t stand a chance on getting custody or even visitation rights.” Elijah smiled.
A Few Days Later
Georgia and I headed to Elijah’s office. When we arrived, we were taken to the conference room where Elijah and Aspen were waiting for us.
“Ah. Oh my gosh. She’s adorable!” Aspen said as she walked over to me while I held Ella.
“Thank you. She’s definitely my little princess.”
“I know how you feel, Julian. I have one of my own.” Elijah grinned.
“I’d like you both to meet my girlfriend, nanny, and the love of my life, Georgia Beckham. Georgia, this is Elijah and Aspen Wolfe, my lawyers and my good friends.”
“It’s so nice to meet you both.”
“And you as well,” both Elijah and Aspen spoke at the same time.
“Nanny?” Elijah’s brow raised. “Really, Julian?”
“It’s a complicated story, and one I will tell you about over drinks sometime.”
“Deal.” Elijah smiled. “The reason we called you in here today is to tell you that we completed our investigation on Rebecca.”
“And?”
He smiled as he picked up the phone, dialed a number and put it on speaker.
“Bud Connell.”
“Bud, it’s Elijah Wolfe. I’ve got Aspen here with me.”
“Hello, Bud,” Aspen spoke.
A heavy sigh came from the other end.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I recently found out you’re taking on a client. Her name is Rebecca Hayes.”
“How do you know that?”
“Bud, come on. I know a lot of things. Anyway, the man she is suing for custody of their daughter is a very good client and friend of mine. He came to me the other day with some disturbing information about how your client barged into his office. Now, I want to give you some much needed information in case you don’t know. Your client, Rebecca Hayes, is and will be proven in court an unfit parent. Between her drug use, violent tendencies, an arrest record from two weeks ago, and abandonment, you don’t stand a chance of winning. Oh, and not to mention the fact she doesn’t have a dime to her name. Also, I have the name of her drug dealer if you want it. Because I will make sure to subpoena him as a witness after I have him thrown in jail for drug dealing.”
“Enough, Wolfe. I’ve heard enough. You’ve made your point. I will not be representing her. Have a good day.”
“You too, Bud.” Elijah smiled as he hit the end button on the phone.
“You found all that out about her?” I asked.
“We did,” Aspen spoke. “You don’t have to worry about this anymore. No lawyer that would take her case is going to go up against us in court. They’ll drop her the second they see the Wolfe name.”
“My suspicion is Rebecca came to town seeking money, not Ella. She was most likely going to use Ella as an excuse in hopes you would pay her off. She knows you’re rich, Julian, and she’s a drug user and will use your money to her advantage.” He slid a file folder across his desk to me.
“What’s this?” I asked as I picked up the folder and opened it.
“A legal document relinquishing all her parental rights to Ella. I want you to meet with her, pay her off and have her sign it. I’ll file it with the court, and you won’t ever have to worry about this again.”
“You really want me to pay her off?” I cocked my head at him.
“Yep. What’s a hundred grand to men like us? It’s pennies, Julian. Nothing but pennies. We’ll hold the meeting at your office, so she doesn’t get suspicious. I’ll get her to sign the document and then you hand her the check.”
“Won’t I just be contributing to her drug problem?”
“Probably, but what she does with the money isn’t your problem.”
“In all honesty, Julian. This is the only way. We’ve dealt with people like Rebecca before. As long as she still has
parental rights, she won’t stop,” Aspen said.
“What do you think?” I turned and looked at Georgia.
“I think it’s a great idea. I never want to see that bitch again.”
“Okay then. When should we do this?”
“Well, saying as though Christmas is in a few days, let’s get it over with quickly so the two of you can move on in peace,” Elijah spoke.
“I don’t even know how I’d get a hold of her. I don’t have her number.”
“We do.” Aspen smiled as she handed me a small piece of paper.
“Should I call her now?” I asked.
“Sure,” Elijah spoke. “The sooner the better. Oh, make sure you tell her you want to work something out.”
I took in a deep breath as I handed Ella over to Georgia. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed Rebecca’s number and put it on speaker.
“Hello,” she answered and sounded as if I had just woken her up.
“Rebecca, it’s Julian. Listen, I gave it some thought, and I want to work something out. Can you meet me at my office tomorrow morning at ten a.m.?”
“Will Ella be with you?”
I looked at Elijah, and he nodded his head.
“Yes. She’ll be with me.”
“What about that fancy little girlfriend of yours?”
I looked at Elijah again, and he shook his head.
“No. It’ll just be me and Ella.”
“Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow at ten. I’m glad you finally came to your senses.” Click.
“Wow. She sounds like a real peach,” Aspen said.
“I swear if I ever see that woman again,” Georgia huffed.
“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. You won’t have to. After tomorrow this will all be over with.”
After saying goodbye to Elijah and Aspen, we climbed in a cab and headed home.
“Elijah and Aspen are excellent lawyers. How did they get all that information about Rebecca so fast?” Georgia asked.
“You don’t want to know.” I smirked.
The next morning, I was stressed to the core over having to meet Rebecca. After holding a brief meeting in my office with Elijah, I told Jane to send Rebecca to the conference room when she arrived. It was a few minutes past ten when the door opened and she stepped inside.