Romance: Unlikely Love Boxed Set - A Billionaire Romance Series (Romance, Contemporary Romance, Billionaire Romance, Unlikely Love Book 4)

by Nancy Adams

  “You also know how I’m not very good with relationships. I don’t know how these things work. I haven’t had a real boyfriend since…” I stopped to think about it. “High school. Oh God, that’s terrible. Anyway, Hugo’s intriguing. I don’t know, there’s something about him that’s so charming. But Ash, he can be charming when he’s not driving me completely crazy. And before the Paris issue, I was planning on ending things with Hugo.”

  “Then why didn’t you?”

  “I don’t know. It’s not like I’m materialistic or only care about what he has to offer me. I just—I don’t know. He seemed so genuine. Like I was really who he wanted and he would do anything to keep me. It just, you know, made me feel special.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with wanting someone to spoil you and treat you like you’re special. I think at some level that’s what all of us want.”

  “Speaking of which…what happened with Harrison? He clearly didn’t murder you. Are you still seeing him?”

  She groaned. “Didn’t I tell you? He’s moving. He got a great job offer and decided to take it.”

  “Oh man.”

  “Yeah,” she said with a shrug, “It sucks. I actually liked him. And his cats were kind of cool. Anyway, it seems like you have a lot to think about, which means we should probably do something relaxing and de-stress a little. Emotions are exhausting. Maybe we should get out the house. Go have a glass of wine somewhere. Or maybe even dinner. It’ll give you time to clear your mind so that you can think logically about everything and make an actual informed decision.”

  I laughed. “An informed decision?”

  “It’s better than an emotional one,” she said, standing up.

  “Aren’t all your decisions based on how you feel at the present moment? You’re more emotional than anyone I know.”

  “Tell me about it. But it’s okay if I make illogical emotional decisions; that’s just who I am. But that’s so not you.”

  I pondered her words as I followed Sarah to her car. She had a point, but I wasn’t sold yet that she was a hundred percent correct. I was good at thinking with my head, but just maybe I needed to start thinking with my heart. We left my part of town and headed to the wealthy neighborhood that Marie grew up in. I never visited unless Marie was in town and visiting her parents. We passed by Marie’s stately childhood home and pulled up to the fancy and quite elitist country club that wasn’t too far beyond it.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked as we pulled into the parking lot.

  “Oh, didn’t I mention it? Marie’s back in town,” Sarah said nonchalantly with a little smile.

  “Marie’s here!” I squealed. I hadn’t seen her in months. “What’s she doing back?” I asked in excitement. “I thought she was head over heels involved with preparing for the wedding.”

  “That’s exactly why she’s here. She’s going insane and needed a break.”

  “Nothing says break like hanging out at a country club, I guess.”

  “It’s actually her rehearsal dinner,” Sarah said and I grimaced. “But obviously she doesn’t want to call it that after what happened last time.”

  “Ughhh, last time…” I shook my head at the memory. Marie’s last rehearsal dinner ended with her husband/fiancé at the time being escorted out by the police. And then Marie had spent hours in a dinky police station where the arresting officer had informed Marie that her intended was nothing but a low-life con artist.

  But things were looking up this time around. Her new beau seemed to be a winner, although I hadn’t met him yet. Just on her description of him alone, I definitely approved.

  Sarah led the way and I followed behind her, trying not to feel out of place as I walked down the quiet halls. Not having grown up wealthy didn’t mean I had a chip on my shoulder, but I did feel slightly uncomfortable at the country club. I didn’t feel intimidated at all as I made my way past the club’s members, but I felt as if I didn’t exactly fit in either. I grumbled to myself that I wished Sarah hadn’t sprung this on me. At least if I’d known about it ahead of time, I would have worn something more appropriate, but Sarah shushed me, saying that Marie had told her it was going to be rather informal.

  “Then she could have chosen a less fancy place.”

  “It was a compromise. Her dad insisted.”

  “Ohhh,” I said, remembering that he had suffered a heart attack about a year ago. As a result, Marie was even more compromising when it came to his demands than usual.

  We approached the private room where the event was being held, and I could already hear a ton of voices from the other side of the door. I was surprised by that—Marie and her family weren’t a rowdy bunch—and even more surprised when we entered and didn’t recognize anyone there. The individuals laughing and having a great time seemed to be a motley crew. There were guys there who looked a little out of place with their long beards and funky haircuts. I guessed they were Marie’s friends from the resort; either that, or they were friends of the groom, whom I excitedly looked around to meet. Just as I spotted Marie, she spotted us as well.

  “Hi ladies!” she called, and we made a beeline towards her, showering her with hugs when we reached her side. She grabbed our hands and led us to a man whom I guessed was Ezra. He didn’t look like a cowboy at all! I thought to myself. Tall and gorgeous, he radiated calmness and strength. I could easily see how he had wooed Marie. The man gave off a vibe that he could protect you, take care of you and kill a rattlesnake for you if he had to. He just seemed capable, but more than that, he seemed kind.

  “Ezra, this is Sarah and Libby.”

  He smiled and extended his hand to Sarah first, and then to me.

  “So I heard you have a monster truck?” I said getting straight to the point.

  “I’m afraid that’s true. It’s a requirement in Texas,” he joked.

  I nodded as if he were serious. “I’ve always wanted to drive one. Do you think maybe sometime during the wedding festivities I could drive your truck? Like maybe I could drop you guys off in the front of the church or something.”

  Marie shook her head. “No way. You’ll probably run into a barn or something.”

  Ezra shrugged. “Most of our barns should be torn down anyway. I think it’s a great idea. We’ll arrive to our wedding in style.”

  “Or show a complete lack of style,” Marie said stiffly. “Pay no attention to Libby, Ezra. The first time I met her she tried to get me to let her drive my car.”

  “Hey, you can’t blame me for trying.”

  “Who are your friends?” I heard a voice say next to us. It was one of the bearded men.

  “Mark, these are my best friends Libby and Sarah. This is my friend Mark. He works at the co-op. And that’s our other buddy Tony. He works with Mark, too.” She was referring to the other guy who came to greet us. He kept pulling at his tie as if it was strangling him. He seemed more uncomfortable than I was, but he shook our hands happily.

  “By work, we use that word loosely. It’s more like they sit at the receptionist desk all day long talking until the drum circle ideas they have.” Ezra laughed.

  “Drum circle?” I asked curiously.

  “Yeah, there’s going to be one at the wedding,” Mark said happily.

  I looked at Marie and said, “I’m sorry, are we actually talking about your wedding? So instead of doves we’re going to have a drum circle?” I asked incredulously.

  “Yes and it’s going to be epic,” Marie said decisively.

  “Who are you and what have you done with my friend?”

  “I was just saying the same thing,” Marie’s mother said, coming up to us and giving Sarah and I air-kisses near our cheeks. Ever since I’d met her, she’d been extremely formal and not very demonstrative, but I noticed a change when Marie’s father had the heart attack. It seemed to make her softer somehow.

  Someone cleared their throat loudly, and as we turned around to acknowledge the interruption, we saw Marie’s father in the flesh, standing t
here, looking down his nose at everyone until we all grew silent.

  “Thank you all for coming!” He was back to his usual self: formal, stiff and intimidating; even his thank you sounded forced. It was good to have him back. “I’m very happy to welcome you all today to celebrate my daughter’s upcoming nuptials. Hopefully, we’ll see you all in Texas in a few weeks for the actual wedding.”

  I started to clap and cheer, and Marie’s friends from the resort joined me, clapping and cheering as if we were watching a football game. The rest of the guests looked at us as if we were abnormal. I smiled. It was nice having the not-so-eloquent crew with me. It made me feel less out of place when I had a band of questionable characters on my side. I wondered how Marie’s parents felt having to host such a rambunctious crowd.

  Her father was a retired headmaster and her mother ran an art gallery. Marie once upon a time had inherited a sizeable chunk of money from a relative, but her con-artist fiancé had stolen the majority of it. I looked at her and I hated to sound cliché, but she was glowing. She looked radiant and happy. More than that, she looked relaxed. To be frank, Marie had always been high-strung and a little neurotic, but as she leaned against Ezra, who wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her forehead as if they were the only ones in the room, she looked serene and well-loved. And I was sure Ezra had a lot to do with that. As I studied them, I noticed for the first time the cowboy boots peeking out from under Marie’s maxi-skirt. I smiled to myself: Going to Texas sure had changed her. I was glad she hadn’t listened to me and had decided to go. At the time, I thought the idea had been crazy; after all, she had just gotten over the con artist fiasco. I hadn’t expected for her to find love again so soon after that incident, but it had worked for her. She had taken a risk and it had paid off.

  It reminded me of my own situation. I still didn’t know what to do about Hugo. Would it be crazy for me to go to France with him? I thought it would, but if I learned anything from Marie’s example, it was that sometimes doing the unexpected led to great results. But if I were honest with myself, what I really wanted…what I didn’t want to admit…was that I was pretty sure that I was falling for Ash.

  I had been so deep in thought that it didn’t occur to me that Marie had stopped talking until Sarah tugged at my arm.

  “You completely spaced out, didn’t you?” she asked.

  “Yep.”

  Suddenly, Marie’s mother was by my side. “Libby, can you do me a big favor? Can you check with the caterers to be sure they enter through the right door? Last time, the caterers parked their really gaudy van in front of the club’s property and I heard about it for weeks. It was so embarrassing. Can you run outside and make sure they park behind the club near the service entrance?”

  I wanted to ask her what was so scandalous about a gaudy truck being parked outside the club, but I figured it would be best to behave myself. So instead I said, “Sure.”

  I was lost in thought as I walked out of the room and ran right smack into the person I least expected to be there.

  “Hi,” I said, smiling up at him. “What are you doing here?” I noticed that Ash was wearing a suit and looking mighty dapper. “What are you doing here all dressed up?” I reached up and tugged at his tie teasingly and smiled.

  He took my hand and removed it from his tie. I raised my brows, wondering what that was all about. Did he not want me to touch him? “Hi, Libby. What are you doing here?” His words were neutral, but his tone served to upset me.

  He looked uncomfortable, and before I could say anything, a tall brunette walked over and wrapped her arm around his. She looked down her nose at me as if I were a bug that was annoying her. She was dressed expensively and looked flawless. Her skin was flawless. Her smile. Everything about her seemed to yell moneyed and privileged. I hated to admit it, but she made me feel a little out of my element.

  “This is my ex-wife, Elizabeth. And this is Libby,” Ash said stoically.

  “Libby? I didn’t know that you knew a Libby,” Elizabeth said in a tone I knew was meant to make me feel inferior. Her ploy didn’t work. I didn’t feel inferior; I actually felt angry and suddenly jealous.

  “And I didn’t know Ash still hung out with his ex-wife, so I guess we were both in for a surprise today,” I said, giving her a bright smile even though my words were anything but innocent.

  “You’re direct, aren’t you?”

  “There’s no reason not to be,” I said, placing a hand on my hip. For some reason, I felt that I needed an explanation, but it definitely didn’t seem that Ash was about to provide one.

  “Ash, our table’s ready,” she said. Apparently, she was dismissing me. She walked away from us and Ash sighed. I could tell he was about to say something when I beat him to it.

  “So your ex-wife is in town?”

  He didn’t get a chance to respond as Marie came walking out the event room, apparently looking for me. “Oh my gosh, Libby. You’re still here! I thought Mom said you were going to help make sure the caterers found us. We’re all starving. Well, my friends are. Mom’s friends from the gallery like to pretend that eating is for the weak.”

  It was then that she noticed Ash and said, “Hi, Ash. How’s it going?”

  I looked at Ash and then at Marie. “You two know each other?”

  “Yes, of course. Our families have known each other for years. How do you two know each other?”

  “Oh, we’ve been dating…I think,” I said, not even giving Ash an opportunity to answer.

  Marie smiled, “Really? That’s great!”

  “It’s good to see you again, Marie. I’ll call you, Libby.” And with that, he was gone.

  Marie looked confused. “Did I say something wrong?”

  I silently shook my head.

  “Okay. Then that was a little abrupt.”

  “Yeah, no kidding. So you know Ash well?”

  “Yes, he lived in a lovely home down the street from my parents during his grade school years and then he came back to town briefly when his father became ill. I heard he and his brother were placed in charge of a few of their family businesses after Ash quit the pros.”

  It was then that I realized how little I knew about Ash. And for some reason, it made me feel silly for falling for him. “Family businesses? Plural?”

  “Yes, definitely. They’re loaded. They come from a long line of bankers. As in, they make my parents look like paupers. I’m pretty sure between Ash and his brother, their net worth is in the billions.”

  “You’re kidding me,” I said in shock. “But he hangs out chopping cucumbers and actually, you know, working in his restaurants for a living.”

  “Ash and his brother have an awesome work ethic. For a couple of guys that come from extremely well-connected and affluent parents, they’re pretty down to earth and never snobbish or elitist like a lot of people I went to school with. Whenever their businesses needed an extra hand, they never had a problem stepping out on the frontlines when they actually should be in the boardroom. They’ve always been really hands on, just like their father was. They don’t mind working hard.”

  She paused and thought to herself before continuing. “There’s an import/export business, I know for sure. And they own several high-end restaurant chains. He probably helps out at one of those. After he quit soccer, I know he needed to find something to do with himself.”

  “Do you know why he quit?”

  She shrugged. “No clue. There were rumors that he got hurt and the injury ruined his career, but I honestly don’t know. But I’ll tell you what I do know, I saw his ex around here earlier and she’s a snake. Of the worst kind. She made my high school years miserable.”

  I shrugged. “I know Ash seeing her again should set off alarm bells in my head, but honestly, I’m pretty sure they’re over.”

  “Then why is he here with her?” Marie asked, with her hands on her hips. That, I thought to myself, was the million-dollar question.

  Later on that night, I called Ash. I wasn
’t going to sit around and wait for him to call me. Marie had been right: if his marriage was really over, why was he meeting with his ex? Why would someone willingly meet with their ex unless it was a meeting to reconcile?

  My grandmother was visiting, after having spent most of the day running from one doctor appointment to another, and I didn’t want her to overhear my conversation, so I snuck into my bedroom while she watched TV and dialed Ash’s number.

  He picked up immediately. “Hi, Libby. Can I call you back?” he asked.

  “Okay,” I said, not liking the tone of his voice. He hung up quickly, but not before I heard what I was sure was another woman’s voice.

  I wasn’t stupid. I knew whose voice it most likely was. My shoulders sagged and I fought back tears, not wanting to believe what was plainly evident. Feeling defeated, I sniffled and wiped at my nose and told myself to get it together. He had gone back to his ex. That was clear. And I didn’t have a right to get upset. After all, we had just been dating, nothing more. But as much as I told myself that, I knew it wasn’t true. Ash had taken up space in my heart. I had let him in and it hurt to think that I would have to move on.

  I found my grandmother sitting on the couch still, so I joined her and tried to appear chipper.

  She wasn’t fooled for a moment. “What’s wrong?” Her gaze studied mine and she looked concerned by whatever she found in my eyes when she searched them with her own.

  I shrugged nonchalantly, trying to downplay the pain I felt. “I think something’s going on with Ash. I think he’s seeing his ex again.” I told Grandma about what happened at the country club and also about hearing a woman’s voice in the background when I called.

  Grandma shook her head. “I think you’re overthinking it. If he’s done with her, he’s done. Don’t get yourself all worked up over nothing.”

  I wanted to believe her, but I knew the man I ran into today was nothing like the Ash I knew. That alone spoke volumes. I dropped my grandmother off at her house and tried to see things from her perspective. It wasn’t working though. It had been hours since I had last spoken to him, and I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe I was too arrogant. Too sure of myself, enough that I had deliberately ignored what was right in front of me. Maybe he had intended to reconcile with his wife from the very beginning. Maybe I had just been a passing fancy to him. After all, she was from his world and I most certainly was not.