This is Love (High Stakes Billionaires)

by C. J. Thomas

  Looking back toward the lake, he said, “My life is hectic. It’s nearly impossible to clear my head.”

  “Then what’s on your mind?” I asked, curious to know what a glimpse into Nolan’s head looked like.

  He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Lots.” He turned to me with a furrowed brow. “You. My family. Work.” The he let his gaze travel over the buildings and into the mountainous backdrop. “The difference between coming here now as an adult is that, as a kid, I always had this wild notion that life would get easier as we grew up.”

  “Expectations never die,” I murmured, thinking of my own situation.

  He looked at me like he knew exactly what I was saying. “It only gets harder.”

  I wished it wasn’t true. But we both knew that believing anything else was only a lie. “Nolan, I know Audrey’s family is also your brother’s biggest contributor to his campaign.”

  He turned his head and raised his brows with a grin curling his gorgeous mouth. “Did the internet tell you that, too?”

  Reaching up, I touched the necklace he had given me. “If you knew the risks, why did you take me to the fundraiser?”

  Sitting back, he lifted his arm over my shoulders and caught my chin in his opposite fingers. Tilting my head up, he looked me directly in my eyes and said, “Because I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that you were someone I wanted to know.”

  My heart fluttered inside my chest as I felt my breath hitch. “Nolan, I don’t want to be the cause of the earthquake.”

  He lowered his lips to mine. It was a sexy but gentle kiss that had me squeezing my thighs tighter together. And when he pulled away he murmured, “You’re not.”

  I clenched my fingers onto his stomach, taking a piece of fabric between the tips. I wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe that he knew what he was doing and that Audrey wasn’t as crazy as she made me believe she was. Because I liked Nolan enough that I didn’t want this to stop.

  When he lifted his head, I watched his eyes go wide before squinting. Something had caught his attention over my shoulder and when I watched his face go pale, I was afraid to look. But he left me no choice when I suddenly felt this strong man shrink into a timid boy.

  Turning my head with blood racing through my veins, I fixed my eyes on the man approaching. He was older, dressed well, and looked exactly like—

  Nolan.

  The man stopped in front of us with his hands buried inside his pants pockets, shifting his knitted gaze between us. He looked at me like he knew who I was, but I hadn’t seen him before. Then he turned to Nolan and said, “Mom had a feeling I might find you here.”

  33

  Sophia

  Nolan stood and cleared his throat.

  That glimpse of a boy I had just seen was gone in a flash. Nolan was back to normal. Standing tall with his chest out and chin up, he met his father’s eyes and then glanced down to me.

  I wasn’t sure what to do as I found myself sitting beneath the shadow of these two very powerful men. My insides jittered and I had the sudden urge to disappear. His father’s icy stare kept me glued to the bench. Clenching on, I didn’t want to let go. Too afraid to move. I had a sickening feeling that Nolan’s father was only here because of me. What I’d done to break the family apart. And this was exactly what I had feared would happen—just not like this.

  “Do you mind if I have a moment alone with my son?” Nolan’s father’s firm voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

  “Of course,” I said in the smallest voice possible.

  Nolan reached his hand out, offering to assist me on my feet. It took every bit of energy I had stored up inside to peel my fingers away from the bench and allow my hand to rest inside his palm. But from somewhere deep inside me, I found the courage to stand and, one by one, each finger released its hold as time slowed to a crawl and my arm began to lift above my shoulder. Gritting my teeth, it felt heavier than usual and I struggled to bring it anywhere near Nolan’s with my eyes continuing to roll over to his father. Nolan must have recognized my struggle because he met me halfway, closing his fingers around my knuckles and pulling me up with ease.

  His father took a step back but continued to stare at me as if I had two heads.

  I felt mildly dizzy, weak in the legs, as Nolan turned to face me away from his father’s incredulous stare. Wrapping his big strong arm over my shoulder, he guided me away. Together, we headed to a nearby tree where Nolan said, “This will only take a minute.”

  I peeked around the tree, unable to stop myself from caring what his father thought of me. I couldn’t help it. It was that look—the look worth a thousand words—that kept me on edge. Nolan masterfully took my face between his hands and said, “Sophia, right here. Look at me. Don’t worry about anything else.”

  When our eyes met I wondered if he could see the fear pulsing inside my pupils.

  “Are you going to be okay here?” he asked.

  Wetting my lips with my tongue, I nodded. But I wasn’t sure if my response was true or just a reaction.

  He smiled and lowered his lips down to mine. “If you need anything, just call.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I said, appreciating that Nolan was doing his best to make me think this wasn’t about me. But I knew better. I wasn’t stupid. And I couldn’t stop myself from asking him, “Nolan, what’s this about? Is he here because of me?”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing.” He stepped back, releasing my hands as he left. “Don’t go anywhere. I still expect you to finish our walk when I’m done with my father.” He flashed me a smile sexy enough to make my core throb. Then he turned back around and jogged to where his father was waiting, leaving me to decide if this was worth sticking around for or not.

  34

  Nolan

  “Can’t say I’m surprised to see you here,” I said as I approached my father.

  He tilted his head and eyed me through narrowed slits. “You gave me no choice, Nolan.”

  We turned and faced the lake, taking small steps away from Sophia as we talked. I didn’t want her hearing anything that was about to be said as it was difficult enough for me to guess what Dad already knew and his intentions.

  “The least you could have done was introduce yourself to the woman who has the entire family thinking I’ve lost my mind,” I said, stuffing my hands deep inside my pants pockets, trying to get Dad to laugh.

  Dad ignored me and kept walking with his eyes glancing around the world in front of him. I was surprised Mom hadn’t mentioned they were back in Colorado. Their vacation was planned until mid-week, so him being back only meant one thing—he thought the company needed him.

  “What brings you out here, Dad?”

  “Mom mentioned that you two talked.” He slowed down just long enough to twist his spine in my direction.

  My head spun with assumptions. It had always been like that with Dad. He was a tough read. And I knew that he was going to make me work for it. “What else did she say?”

  Dad turned his shoulders forward and continued to walk down the path. Naturally, I followed as I always had. He was the one we all looked up to. The one we turned to when we needed business advice. It hadn’t always been easy, but Dad managed to get most of his children to follow him down the path of entrepreneurship.

  “Do you remember me taking you here as a kid?”

  “Too many times to count,” I said, thinking how Dad could be tough on us at times. Especially when we were kids. But now that I was older, I knew that his actions and discipline were always rooted in love. Every choice he made, he made with his family in mind.

  He glanced at me and snickered. “And do you remember what I used to tell you?”

  When I closed my eyes, I could hear his words—the words he would remind me of constantly—filling my ears with big dreams. “That our dreams are only as small as we allow them to be.”

  He flashed a knowing grin and turned his gaze away.

  I knew he was looking at the b
uilding that housed the family business—Foster Enterprises. World Headquarters, as we sometimes liked to call it. He continued, “Before you were born, I remember coming here, standing in a similar vantage point to the city, and imagining working in one of those buildings.” He paused as if transporting himself back to an earlier time in his life. “It seemed impossible with the background I had.” He rolled his eyes over to me. “But that seed was planted and I never lost my vision. Every day I watered the idea and nurtured it into what it is today.”

  It was hard not to admire my father. Not a day went by that I didn’t ask myself what he would do if he was in my shoes. Because he was a business tycoon whose shoes were going to be impossible to fill. And I didn’t take his hard work for granted. What he was able to do in a lifetime was more than most people would accomplish in ten.

  He turned to me and lifted his hand to my shoulder. Squeezing it, he said, “Nolan, I know the weight that has found its way to your shoulders. It doesn’t matter that you’re a big man. The responsibility that I have entrusted you with is far heavier than what most men can endure.”

  “It’s a burden I’m willing to hold,” I said with absolute confidence.

  His hand dropped away and he turned back to the city, letting his gaze travel north along the Front Range. Nodding, he said, “I know, son. It’s why I picked you to lead the company into the future. You have what it takes.”

  Confusion lined my brow. I was unsure what he was getting at or why Mom had sent him to speak with me. Perhaps my parents thought I could use a pep talk, or that this was only the lead-up to the lecture I was soon to receive. But then the next words out of his mouth stopped my heart.

  “But you have been making some rather poor choices lately.”

  When he turned to look at me, my throat closed making it hard to breathe. The sudden disappointment I felt flooded me with guilt, and if Dad hadn’t been there—been the one to have said it—I would have drowned in my own remorse.

  “That girl,” he nodded toward Sophia, “is less than Audrey.”

  I stepped forward, putting my face closer to his. “What are you saying, Dad?”

  Without missing a beat, he said, “Audrey is what our family—what your brother—needs right now. Not her.”

  “This isn’t only about political gain,” I argued. “I’m not interested in dating Audrey. That woman’s name is Sophia. And she’s incredible. She’s the one I’m interested in. The one who has my head spinning.”

  “Look—” Dad stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Nolan, sometimes sacrifices have to be made in order to do what is best for the family. Understand?”

  Taking a step back, I didn’t understand. As much as I looked up to my father, there was a clear difference between him and me. A difference that was dividing us. Dad only saw the world in terms of winning or losing and, right now, according to him, me being with Sophia was causing Cooper—and our family—to lose.

  “Did Mom also tell you what Audrey did?” My brows raised. “She fooled me into thinking that her father was having a heart attack just so she could go after and attack my girlfr—” I stopped short of calling Sophia my girlfriend. But that was what she felt like. And the more I had to fight to make others see how special she was, the more I needed to make sure that she did become just that.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Nolan.” Dad’s expression pinched. “Lose this girl…Sophia.”

  Rubbing my hand over my face, I said, “You know I’m not going to do that.”

  Dad stepped in front of me, squaring his shoulders as he locked his gaze with mine. “Tonight, I need you by Audrey’s side.”

  “Tonight?” My voice shot up an octave. “What’s tonight?”

  “The family dinner I organized with our guests—”

  “—the Rothschilds.”

  Dad raised his brows above a satisfying smile filling his face.

  “Is that why you’re back? Why you cut your vacation with Mom short? Because you thought I couldn’t handle it?”

  His smiled vanished in a flash. “There are relationships that need to be repaired.”

  “I’m working on it.”

  Dad glanced toward where I knew Sophia to be. “Really? Because it looks as if you’re only making matters worse.”

  35

  Sophia

  Holding my breath, I tried not to eavesdrop.

  But I couldn’t help myself. And when I heard what his father said—

  Panic struck as I hid behind the tree, not wanting them to see me.

  My chest heaved with what I’d heard. What his father was telling Nolan to do. It was what had plagued our relationship from the very beginning. We were never meant to be. There were too many people telling me to leave.

  I turned my back to the tree and let my shoulders fall back onto the bark. Slowly, my knees bent as my shoulders slumped. It was heartbreaking but true. I couldn’t be with Nolan. There were so many reasons why it wasn’t right.

  The bark dug deep into my shoulders but I couldn’t feel the pain.

  My knees threatened to go but I didn’t care if I fell.

  I struggled to bite back the tears. I knew that if Nolan saw me crying again, our relationship would really be over. I needed to move on. Be okay with forgetting about him and how amazing he was. And how I’d fooled myself into thinking that my future could be as wonderful as it was when it was only us.

  I turned my head and listened to see if they were finished talking.

  I hoped they were because I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stand here and wait. It would be easier if I didn’t have to face Nolan, if I could pretend like I hadn’t heard his father tell him I was basically worthless.

  An empty feeling washed over me as I stared straight ahead with dull, dry eyes.

  I didn’t need this in my life. Not now. Not with having just left the job I thought I loved. But I couldn’t escape the thoughts of wondering if Nolan really was worth the pain and anguish that caused all this inner suffering.

  My hands fell down to my sides as I pressed the flats of my palms hard against the jagged tree bark.

  I wanted to believe that what we had was real. That it wasn’t just some fluke. We’d slept together and survived the night and, more impressively, the morning after. And before the surprise arrival of his father, I couldn’t stop coming up with reasons why he was right for me—why, despite the odds, we could make this work.

  Slowly, I turned and faced the tree when I thought I heard their voices go quiet. Crawling my fingers across the bark, I peeked around the tree only to quickly pull back when I saw Nolan marching straight for me.

  He looked angry.

  Worse than when he’d pulled that creep off of me the night of the fundraiser.

  And with the crease between his brows deepening, I had a sinking feeling that he didn’t know what to do. Who could blame him? I knew his words of endearment weren’t a lie. He liked me. Wanted to take our relationship to the next level. But I had a feeling family was something he couldn’t turn his back on. At least not as easily as he could me.

  I stood with my back pressed up against the tree, preparing myself to meet his eyes.

  My heart raced as I pursed my lips and blew out anxious breaths of air.

  Just before he arrived, I stuffed my trembling hands inside the pits of my arms, keeping him from seeing the nerves racking through my body. Because then he would know. Know that I’d heard. Heard that his father specifically told him to leave me for that bitch, Audrey.

  “Hey,” he said in a husky voice as he came around to where I was hiding.

  “Hey,” I managed to squeak out.

  Lifting one arm, Nolan casually leaned against the tree, hovering over me. His eyes were soft and kind as they skirted over my face. It was impossible to tell if he saw what I was thinking—what I was feeling—because the man looking at me now wasn’t the man I’d seen walking over.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked with a racing heart.

  His
gaze fell to my chin as I watched the small grin disappear from his face. Pushing off the tree, he turned around and shoved his fingers through his hair. It was clear he was looking for his father. I didn’t have it in me to see if his father was still there or not. Because I didn’t care. His father’s intentions were clear as day. He didn’t want me around—didn’t want me dating his son.

  Nolan turned back to me and said, “What do you say we get out of here?”

  My mind was dizzy with possibility. I wanted to leave, curious to know how Nolan was going to handle the secret he was deliberately keeping from me. Slowly, my head began nodding as I dropped my hands to my sides.

  Nolan turned around and started walking toward where we’d parked.

  Inside my head, I wished he would offer me his hand. I needed to know where he stood. If this was it. But, instead, he continued marching, leaving me to decide if I should call it quits so that he didn’t have to.

  Nolan’s strides were wide and I struggled to keep up. He’d forgotten about the romance he had sparked when we were eating our ice cream cones peacefully by the water. Forgotten about me. And, soon, I drifted back inside my own head, not even noticing the joggers I dodged or the geese that flapped their wings as I walked past.

  It was a cold and revealing walk back to the car. So unlike when we’d arrived.

  We didn’t speak.

  The tension felt higher.

  And without realizing it, I wrapped my arms around my body and hugged myself warm. Despite the outside temperature rising, I still shivered. I wanted to believe that everything would be all right. That I could get through this week feeling better about the choices I had made. But now I wasn’t so sure I could.

  Nolan’s head was still down as he marched. His hands had made their way into his pockets and it seemed to take us forever to get to his car. But when we finally did, he pulled his key fob out of his pocket and unlocked the doors.