Billionaire Romance--Plus Size Romance

by J. L. Ryan

  He smiled, “Think so, huh?”

  She nodded, confidently. “I actually have some things that I want to discuss with you.”

  “Hm…” he replied. “I thought this impromptu supper was because you missed me.”

  She shrugged, “Well, that’s true too.”

  “Okay, I feel a little bit better,” he spoke with a laugh. “I actually have some things that I want to discuss with you too.”

  “You do?” She asked, surprised.

  “I do, but I thought maybe we could wait a little bit before I delve into that. So, feel free to begin.”

  She waited for a moment, trying to figure out how she wanted to proceed. She had been rehearsing the way she was going to tell him for several weeks now, but it all seemed to go out of her mind. “It can wait. How’s your family been?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “That’s changing the subject, but they have been doing really well. Sid just started at the University and Bryce is a senior this year.”

  “Wow. That’s hard to believe. I remember when they were just—“

  “Pests…bothering us relentlessly?”

  She laughed, “I was going to say that I remember when they weren’t even in school yet. I feel old.”

  “Tell me about it,” he replied, chuckling.

  The waitress came with their food and they fell into an easy silence as they started to eat. "I really am excited that you’re here.”

  She smiled, “Me too.” She took another bite and figured she would wait until they were done eating, before bringing up the reason she was in town. “Has work been going okay?” She asked, stopping to take a drink.

  “Busy as ever, but loving every minute of it. I should ask you how your jobs going? After all, working at a big time ad agency must have some perks.”

  She nodded, but barely made eye contact. “It’s been great, but I actually quit there two weeks ago.”

  His jaw dropped, “Must not be that great. Why did you do that?”

  She shrugged, “Had my reasons.”

  He put down his slice of pizza. “We have known each other for almost twenty years and have been best friends for fourteen of those years. You aren’t going to get away with that. What happened?”

  She groaned, taking her last bite of pizza. “I’m moving back to California.”

  “What? Are you serious? When were you going to tell me that?”

  “Tonight,” she replied nonchalantly. “I was waiting for the perfect moment. Are you surprised?”

  “Um…yeah, I’m surprised.” A smile is on his face, but then he starts to frown. “May I ask why? I mean you seemed so happy when you made the decision to stay there. What changed?”

  She knew that it was the moment she had been practicing for. “Well…my fiancé is getting transferred.” That wasn’t exactly how she envisioned telling him, but it got the point across.

  He stared at her and then shook his head, “I’m sorry, I thought you just said that your fiancé is getting transferred.”

  “That’s exactly what I said. Surprise…I’m getting married.”

  She couldn’t read his mind to see how he felt about the news. She knew that he wasn’t expecting it, when she had only been dating Erick for a month. She hadn’t even told her family or Scott that she was seeing someone. “When did this happen?” He asked.

  “He proposed a couple days ago, but he asked me to move to California with him two weeks ago.”

  “I’m sorry that I am finding this a little hard to believe. I mean, up until about five seconds ago I didn’t even know you were dating anyone. Now, to hear that you are moving to California with your fiancé? It’s a lot to take in.”

  “I know,” she replied quietly. “I didn’t plan it. One day I was meeting him, the next day he was telling me that he loved me, then he was saying that he was getting transferred to California, and asking me to go with him. It just all happened so quickly, but I do love him.”

  “You do?” He replied softly.

  She didn’t need time to consider it. She knew that in her heart she felt love for him. “He gets me in ways that not too many people do.” She looked down at her empty plate, “Similar to ways that you get me.”

  He nodded, taking another bite of his pizza. “Wow…I am just in shock.”

  She knew he would be, because outside of the occasional dating she never really was too involved with boys. She never seemed to have time for them, when she was too preoccupied with other things going on in her life. “Are you happy for me?” She asked, carefully considering the question.

  He slowly nodded, but then added a smile. “Of course I’m happy for you. It’s just going to take some time to get used to.” He hesitated, looking down at the table, “When am I going to meet him?”

  “He’ll be in town in a few days.” She said. “I wanted to prepare my family…and you, before you met him.” She replied, but part of her still wondered why she was worried about what they would thing…especially Scott. She couldn’t explain it, but she was most worried how Scott would react to him.

  ***

  Scott had to process the news. The minute Tiffany told him she was getting married, he found himself sick. They went on with their meal, like nothing was happening inside of him, but he was finding it difficult to concentrate. He wanted to be happy for her, but the thought of losing her to another guy was too much to bear.

  “I am so relieved that you took the news this way.” She was saying.

  “Oh…why’s that?” He asked, taking a drink.

  She shrugs, “I don’t know. I guess you’re opinion matters to me.” It was a simple response, but he questioned if that was all. “It was actually more difficult telling you, than it will be to tell my parents.”

  Scott slowly nodded and then glanced down at her finger. He didn’t even want to bother asking why she wasn’t wearing the ring. He figured she did that so that she could tell people, without having them see the ring first. “Maybe it’s because I was your first husband.” He frowned, “Come to think of it…did we ever officially get divorced? You might want to check into that, before you say you’ll marry this guy.”

  Her eyes got big, but then she smiled and started to laugh. “The playground marriage, who could forget that?” She shrugged, “I’m pretty sure the marriage was dissolved the day that you carried Sissy Baker’s books to her class in ninth grade.” She shook her head and acted like she was crying, “It broke my heart.”

  He smiled, “She was a tough girl. She threatened to beat me up if I didn’t carry her books.” He winked at her and she laughed. “I was only trying to save my life.” He thought on what he wanted to say next and his mind drifted back to his dream that he woke up to. “I have actually been thinking about that marriage.” He admitted.

  She smirked, “You have?”

  He nodded, “Yep and it occurred to me that I don’t even remember how it came about.” He shrugged, “I guess it really doesn’t matter, but it’s something that I have wondered.”

  “You mean…you don’t remember the undying love you had for me?” She took a piece of her pizza and shook her head, “I am hurt.” She took a bite and he could see her smiling.

  “I have to admit, I did have a thing for girls in pigtails.” He replied, laughing.

  She snickered and nodded, “I figured.” She looked down at her plate and he could see that she was thinking about that day. “Don’t you remember? You wanted to play on the monkey bars and I told you that I would only let you do that if we got married.” She smiled, “I was pretty tough back then.”

  He thought about that and then the realization snuck in. He laughed, “That’s right. The monkey bars get me all the time.” He turned quiet and then looked at her, “You know, that was really the start of our friendship.”

  She raised her eyebrows and then nodded. “We’ve been close ever since.”

  He could see that there was something on her mind and he decided to try to find out what was going on. “I can tell
something’s bothering you.”

  “This won’t change anything, Scott. We’ll still be friends.”

  The way she said that, caused a knot in his chest. “I know we will. Just not best friends, because that will be reserved for your husband. I get that.” He told her everything that he needed to tell her, but in his mind he was fumbling with the words. He was going to have a hard time getting over this.

  ***

  Tiffany laid in bed, her eyes were focused on a picture of Scott and her that they had taken in a mall photo booth. She wanted to believe that everything was going to be alright when it came to their friendship, but her head was telling her that nothing was going to ever be the same. Things at her parent’s house went fine. They were happy for them and no doubts were left behind.

  She heard her cellphone ringing and she reached it from the bed. She glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Erick. She answered the call. “Hello?”

  “Hey, babe.” He said. “How was your first day back?”

  She looked at the picture and then placed it on the hotel nightstand. “It went well.” She smiled to herself, “When does your plane arrive?”

  “Well, that’s one of the reasons I was calling.” He said. His voice sounded apologetic.

  “Yes?” She asked.

  “I just found out that the transfer isn’t going to be finalized for two more weeks.”

  The phone nearly fell from her hands. “Are you serious?”

  “I’m sorry Babe, but I have to stay here until that becomes definite.”

  She couldn’t believe this was happening. “I came here now, because I thought that you would be following shortly behind.” She looked around her hotel room, “What should I do here while I wait for you to arrive?”

  “Well…maybe you could start looking for a house for us to live in. Plus, you still have to find a job.”

  She nodded slowly, “Fine,” she said, knowing that the disappointment was there.

  “Babe, don’t be like that.” He says. His voice held concern, but she wasn’t at the point of worrying about that. “We will be together soon and it will be like we were never apart.”

  “I know,” she sadly replied. “I will see what I can do without you here.”

  “I love you,” he replied.

  She let out a breath, “I love you, too. Goodbye.” She hung up the phone and turned to the picture of Scott. She dialed up his number, hoping it wasn’t too late. He answered quickly, showing that it wasn’t a problem. “Hey, Scott.”

  “Hello…miss me already?”

  She smiled to herself, “Not quite.”

  “Ouch, I’m hurt,” he teased.

  She rolled her eyes, “I was just calling to see what you were doing this weekend.”

  There was a hesitation on his end and she wondered if maybe she was too quick to jump to the conclusion that he wouldn’t be busy. “Well, I…” he started, but she quickly broke in.

  “I am sure you are busy. I didn’t mean to be insensitive. You have a life. We can get together later.”

  “Tiffany, are you through?” He asked. She closed her mouth and didn’t say anything else. “I have a lunch meeting with a client, but after that I have no plans. Did you want me to meet your fiancé? I hope,” he replied, laughing.

  “Well, not exactly. It turns out that he won’t be coming back for a couple more weeks.” She paused, “long story. I just thought that maybe we could go to some of the old places we used to go.”

  “Well, I think that that would be a fabulous idea.” He replied. “I could pick you up at the hotel about two o’clock. If that works for you?”

  “That would be great,” she agreed. “See you in a few days. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight,” he said, as they disconnected the call. She put the phone back on the nightstand. She knew that beginning the following week she would need to start looking for that perfect job. She laid back in bed and closed her eyes. She would have plenty of things to do to keep herself busy, until Erick was arriving in California.

  ***

  Scott picked her up at two o’clock sharp. He didn’t want to question why her fiancé wasn’t going to be there until later. He didn’t really care. He was happy to step in and show her a good time. He walked up to her hotel room door and knocked. She opened up the door instantly. Her smile always caught him off guard. She left the hotel room and glanced up at me. “Thank you for wanting to get together.”

  “Of course.” They fell into an easy stride with one another.

  “How did your meeting go today?” She asked.

  He was always surprised with how much she seemed interested in what he was doing. “It went well. I signed him on with a contract.” They left the hotel and walked to his car. He stood at the passenger side, opening the door for her.

  “Thank you!” She replied, getting into his car. He hurried around to the other side. “Where are we going first?” She asked.

  “I have my preferences, but I suppose it can be your choice.” He said, hoping she would choose their favorite ice cream shop.

  “You want dessert?” She asked.

  He laughed, “You read my mind.” He put the vehicle into motion and they headed toward their destination. “So, you were rather vague on the phone. Why isn’t your fiancé coming to California yet?”

  She looked out the window, like she didn’t want to make eye contact. “His work put a delay on his transfer.” She shrugged, turning to face him. “I guess that it gives me time to sort out of my life here. I have to find a job and I can start looking for houses.”

  “Alone?” He asked, trying not to butt in.

  She nodded, “It might not be the best scenario, but I can always send him pics of what I find and get his opinion. Right?”

  He could tell that she was trying to be stronger about it than she was letting on, but he couldn’t make her feel worse. “Of course.”

  She smiled, turning back and glancing out the window. He felt for her and couldn’t believe how her fiancé would be willing to wait this long to meet up with her. He had a hard time being that far away from her and they weren’t even dating. He pulled into the ice cream shop and her demeanor instantly changed. She seemed happy. “This is exactly what I need. Marla’s famous double scoop fudge—“

  “Peanut butter ice cream sundae,” he finished for her.

  She nodded, “I can taste it already.” They got out of the car and headed into the small building. The minute they were seated, the teenaged girl approached them.

  “Hello, my name is Noelle. Would you like a menu?”

  They both shook their heads, “That won’t be necessary,” Tiffany responded, ordering the two desserts. “Thank you!” She said, watching the girl walk away. “Remember when I worked here?” She asked, turning back to Scott. “The outfits haven’t changed.”

  He laughed, “This place was hopping on Friday nights after football games, but you seemed to love it.”

  She nodded, “I did.” As her words came out, he spotted Marla heading their way. Tiffany looked up and jumped to her feet. “Marla…” she pulled her into a hug. “I have missed you.” When she parted, it looked like she had tears in her eyes.

  “We have missed you too, When I saw the order, I just knew that it would be my two favorite customers.” Marla spoke with a smile. She turned to Scott and nodded. “Scott, good to see you too.”

  “Thank you Marla…likewise.”

  “So, what brings you back to California?” Marla asked, focusing back on Tiffany.

  “Well, I am moving back to town.”

  “Her fiancé will be joining her shortly,” Scott said. When Tiffany looked at him, he wasn’t sure if it was anger or shock that he said anything. He was leaning more toward anger.

  “Fiancé?” Marla asked, looking down and noticing the ring on her left hand. Her jaw dropped. “Holy cow…what does he do for a living?”

  “He’s a lawyer and he is transferring the branch in town.” She held out her hand
and Scott caught himself looking at it again. Each time he thought about the fact that she was getting married, he cringed. He looked up, forcing himself not to look at her engagement ring. There was a smile on her face, but there was also sadness in her eyes. He could feel it.

  “Well, congratulations.” Marla turned back to me and smiled, “I must admit, I always thought maybe the two of you would end up together.” She laughed, “Apparently, I am not destined to be a psychic.” She grinned, “Glad to have you home.”

  She walked away and Tiffany took her seat. Her face was red and I watched her for a second, before clearing my throat and trying to lighten the mood. “It must be that darn wedding when we were ten. It has people all confused.”

  She looked up and laughed, “Is that it?”

  He shrugged, “Makes perfect sense.” He looked up and saw the ice cream heading to their table. “Perfect timing.” The girl put the ice creams down. “Thank you,” he said, handing Tiffany a spoon. “Dig in.”

  They each took a bite as Tiffany sighed. “Heavenly.”

  He took a bite and nodded in agreement. This was something that would take away all worries and doubts and nothing was going to change that.

  ***

  Tiffany waited by the car, as Scott disappeared. He gave no explanation, but said he had a surprise for her. They had just finished at the ice cream shop and it definitely took her mind off of the fact that Scott wasn’t going to be there.

  She saw Scott heading back to the car. He was on the phone as he approached her. “We’ll be there. Thank you Veronica.” He disconnected the call, “Get in.”

  “Who was on the phone?” She asked, inquisitively.

  “We are going to pick you out the perfect home.” He replied with a smile. “I’ll explain on the way.” Tiffany wasn’t sure about that, but got in anyway. He began to explain immediately. “Veronica Baylor is one of my clients and one of the top notch realtors in the area. I called her and asked her to put together a list of houses and we’re going to meet her at one of them.”