Second Chance For The Billionaire: A Billionaire Second Chance Secret Baby Romance

by Alice Moore

  “I don’t think so? I love you- I would’ve said ‘yes’.” Mindlessly answering, I reached down to thread my fingers through Roark’s hair. I wasn’t stupid; Roark had dropped at least three hints over the past month and a half that he wanted to have that conversation. The open browser on his laptop showing an assortment of baby clothes gave me a clue.

  But we weren’t ecstatic. We were resigned to being together, entwined in a love designed for fairy tale books.

  “… I have a gyno appointment next week.” Speaking up into the peaceful silence, I lifted my head as Roark did the same, and his eyes sparkled and watered when they met mine.

  “Let me know when you go to find out the sex. I’ll go for that.” Grinning at the obvious tease, I rested my head back down before Roark sighed heavily and pressed his lips to my abdomen. “Next time, make sure to tell me and not let me get around to figuring it out on my own, okay? If we weren’t moving, I probably wouldn’t have known until your water broke.”

  “Next time I will, yeah.”

  Disbelief wove through my voice, and I heaved a sigh before Roark crawled up my body. His mouth curved into a smile when it met mine, and he nestled between my legs with a deep, growling noise.

  “It’s been almost four months. I want a four-month-iversary once we move into our new place.” Snorting a laugh at the seriousness in his voice, I groaned as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  “We’re not having a stupid four-month-iversary, Roark.” Even as I protested, I knew I couldn’t stop him from doing whatever he wanted. “We can celebrate the pregnancy.”

  My mind cycled through all of times I’d heard a crazy, worthless reason for an anniversary over the past month; the craze had been sweeping through the school like a wildfire. Julianne had first introduced it to me for whatever reason, asking if Roark and I were going to have a three-month-iversary.

  But I would never let him have an any-month-iversary.

  “Okay. Time to go back to work. My dad should be here soon.” Climbing off me, Roark went back to whatever he was packing and left me to watch. My thoughts turned to his father, and I still had a hard time believing how easily he’d accepted me. After grilling me at our first meeting, he never failed to treat me like the daughter he never had. Truly, it was kind of sad; he couldn’t bring himself to love Julianne, but I pushed the notions away.

  I couldn’t fix something like that, and I wasn’t going to try. Resting my hand on my belly, I smiled when Roark glanced over at me, and he offered a little, content smirk of his own. We’d never have the distrust and boredom of two people that had fallen out of love, and there was nothing better than that.

  -The End

  Sneak Peek of The Mountain Man’s Baby

  Title : The Mountain Man’s Baby ( A Billionaire Secret Baby Romance)

  Enjoy!

  Caroline

  Holding my camera to my eye, my grip firmed as a smile stretched my lips. Carefully I adjusted my lens until everything in my field of vision was perfectly clear, and my smile only grew at how patient my subjects were. The bunnies were still, as if they knew I was watching them, and I took a slow, deep breath before my fingertip flirted with the shutter button.

  I zoomed in on each bunny individually, taking a few shots each as they anxiously glanced around while chewing their clovers. Wild tufts of short hair stuck every which way, giving them a cuteness that domesticated bunnies didn’t have. Releasing a hot breath, I lowered my camera to finally glance away from the half-dozen group.

  “Kiki- tszt.” Fondness struck my chest as my dog crawled forward at my buzz, and I sat back on my butt to watch her. Images of the first time I saw her flashed in my mind’s eye; her partner had been killed in action only four months after being deployed, and no one could get close to her. Her dark brown fur blended in with the forest around us, making her less visible as she stalked up to the bunnies. Each move was fluid, practiced, and I grinned as I shuffled my camera in my lap.

  Even my father had been impressed with how well I’d trained Kiki- Hell, he wasn’t the only one. For months I’d been worried she wasn’t taking what I was trying to give, but that all changed a year ago. I’d taken her on a hike, and everything I’d taught her seemed to click in her brain.

  The rustling of bunnies scattering broke my reverie, and I pushed myself up to my feet to dust off my butt. Kiki’s vicious growling followed the sound of a struggle, and goosebumps rose on my arms. Glancing around, my breath caught in my throat as my dog slunk between the trees with a white and brown bunny between her teeth. He was big, with the short, fine fur of summer, and his lifeless ears dragged along the ground.

  “Give…” Trotting up to me with high ears and a doggish grin, Kiki dropped the rabbit at my feet with a whine. Reaching to pet her roughly, I scratched the top of her narrow head before grabbing our dinner. “Good girl. Let’s head back.”

  My boots crunched loudly on the dry leaf litter, and with each step the smells of the forest wafted into my nostrils. Huge pine trees rose on either side of me, tall and majestic, to block out most of the sun. Streams of gold managed to break through the thick layers of needles, but they fell in the background of my scope of comprehension.

  “I wish I could find a really big, old buck… Then I could be happy with this trip.” The low grumble sounded loud in the silence, and I heaved a sigh as I turned my eyes to my camera. Easily worth more than my car, the device contained more than just pictures; my entire career was encapsulated in the massive memory card I’d bought for it. Pausing my trek to uncap the lens, I stared at my reflection with narrowed, searching eyes.

  “… I should find a stream to clean up in… I don’t want to grow roots, do I, Kiki?” Softly Kiki whined, and I shook my head before capping my camera lens again. “That’s right! Let’s hurry up or we’ll be eating in the dark.”

  Applying another layer of bug spray as the sun cast shadows between the trees, I sat on a rock to stare at the fire before me. My life flickered in the flames, and I breathed deep, steady breaths as I watched them dance. A small smile lifted my lips at my father’s image- of the discomfort on his face when he first told me about ‘girl things’. Of his tunnel vision as he restored a car for my 16th birthday. Of his excitement when I told him I got a dog, and that excitement turning to annoyance when Kiki appeared to hate him. Of his expression and aura when he told me the story of my mother on the day I turned 18 years old.

  Propping my cheek on my fist, I sighed only for the fire to spew heat into my face, and I blinked hard. Bugs chirped in the growing darkness, but there were no other sounds; it was the perfect scene in which to think back onto how I got to this point.

  “I wonder what that woman would think of me…?” Mumbling into the fire, I reached with my free hand to turn my rabbit spit before rubbing Kiki’s back absently. “Dad said she was a crazy, high maintenance bitch- in not so many words, of course- but you have to wonder. I mean, they were in their 20s… I can’t imagine women carry their teenage angst that far.”

  I could hear my father’s voice ringing in my ears, and I closed my eyes briefly to take a deep breath.

  Not all women are as level-headed as you, Caroline. Don’t assume that because she made you, you’re just like her.

  “Hmm-…” Thinking of that night over a decade ago still gave me chills, forcing my eyelids apart as Kiki twisted and groaned in contentment. “It’s a good thing I take after you, then, Dad.”

  Huffing a laugh, I shook my head before uncurling myself to grab the spit. Eying the rabbit carefully, my mouth watered at the crispy looking skin, and I carefully twisted a back leg until it popped from the hip. Kiki’s eyes bored into me as I set it down on a metal plate, shaking my hand to get rid of the burning before doing the same to the other leg.

  “Here you go, my good girl.” Such a polite dog. Kiki was careful not to snatch the bunny, her big, hazel eyes sparkling in thanks before she shuffled to her paws. She was short; I couldn’t remember the exact breed she was, b
ut my mind always went to German Shepard. Rolling the cooked animal around with her muzzle, she snapped open the rib cage to release a huge puff of steam. Smart as Hell, too.

  Groaning as I took my first bite, I closed my eyes to savor the salted taste of rabbit. Hunting was a hit or miss most of the time, but this was definitely a hit. “God- that’s good…”

  Kiki’s eating sounds echoed around mine, as if she was enjoying the top half as much as I enjoyed the bottom. The rabbit's legs had been big and muscular, and two were more than enough for me. Pausing to lick the juices from my palm and forearm, I couldn’t help but grin a little crazily at what my father would say if he was here.

  He’d fight me for one.

  “I’d kick his ass, right, Kiki?” Twisting to watch my dog gobble furiously, I nodded to myself and took another bite to talk around it. “Damned right, I would.”

  Only when the sun was about to set did I push myself up, and my full belly pushed a soft groan from my lips. Resisting the urge to wipe my hands on my clothes, I grabbed an empty bucket to shuffle heavily from the fire. The night was warm and moist, and I only briefly debated putting the flames out before abandoning the idea.

  Trickling water entered my scope of comprehension, giving me a direction that I followed aimlessly. The stream wasn’t even deep or wide enough to encase my palm, but there was plenty of water to wash my hands and forearms. Cool and brisk, the clear, clean liquid smelled fresh, and I cupped my greaseless hands together to draw it to my lips.

  “Where do we go tomorrow, huh?” My question wobbled as I rubbed my cheeks roughly, and I swiped away water and grime to glance at Kiki. Her keen eyes wandered, ears stiff and alert, and I smiled as I shook my hands wildly. “I guess we’ll just get there when we get there.”

  Taking the 150 feet or so back to camp slowly, I stared down at my steps from under furrowed brows. Big, red welts rose around my ankles where my socks had rubbed away my bug spray. Every short advance made the bites itch, and I let out an irritated sigh and shoved my hands into my shorts’ pockets.

  The night was quiet, and I crawled into my tent before my watch read 10p.m.. Snuggling into my sleeping bag, I stared at the plastic dazedly to loosen my mind. I only had two days left out here, and then I would be going back home. Against the front of the tent, Kiki laid down to send a groan through the tent poles.

  “I could stay out here forever, you know, Kiki?” Closing my eyes, I nestled into my bag with a heavy sigh. “But then I’d go insane. It’s only been a week and I talk to myself all the time.”

  Kiki didn’t answer, and I listened to the sounds of the night in a stillness I couldn’t feel in the city. There was nothing better than this, I knew; there was no sweeter smell than pine, and there was no better sound than the chirps and rustling that floated through my tent walls.

  “Wake me up in the morning and we can go for a run, okay?” My mumble was met with silence, and a huffed a laugh. If it wasn’t for Kiki, I’d probably go insane out here; there was no other way to put it. Without my father around to talk to, she was the next best thing.

  It’s kinda messed up to compare a person and a dog, but they’re basically the same. Quiet. Pushy. Anywhere is a good place to pee.

  “Good night, sun. Good night, moon. I hope to see you both real soon…” Humming softly, I nestled into my bag to make an earnest effort to go to sleep.

  Caroline

  Time lost meaning out here where no one was telling me when to wake up or what to do. My eyes opened to the light of the sun, discolored by the pale orange of my tent. My ears twitched with the sounds of birds calling to each other into the warm air. No alarm clock blared, leaving the gentle noises of nature to work their magic on a body and mind that had become used to them.

  And yet- they never ceased to awe and amaze.

  For a long while I stayed in my sleeping bag, content to listen to the activity around me. Staring at the top of my tent through bleary eyes, I let my mind wander to what might happen during this last full day in the wilderness. Tomorrow I would be heading back to my truck and then an airport, and then I finally get home.

  To my white picket fence house in a quaint, little city bristling with military personnel. Sucking in a deep, hard breath at the thought, I shook away the images that blossomed in my mind’s eye. Home was such a relative word; it could be interpreted so many ways. The forest was my home- the place where I felt the freest and almost weightless. My house is where I was loved- by my father, my dog, and my handful of neighbors that greeted me whenever we were outside at the same time.

  Sluggishly pushing myself up to sit, I groaned loudly as I reached to swipe my hand through my hair. Against my feet, Kiki lifted her head to watch me stretch, and I scratched my scalp absently. Warm, stale air caressed my bare arms, and for a moment I was content to just sit.

  Grabbing my camera, I kicked my way out of my sleeping bag to crawl out of my tent. As usual Kiki wiggled her way beyond the flap first, and I winced at the harsh flash of the sun that spears my eyes. Shuffling into the open air, I scrambled to my feet to stretch tall, flexing my toes and tightening my grip on my camera strap.

  “Oh-h! Fudge!” My back popped loudly, and I slumped as my groan echoed around my campsite. “God- that’s the good stuff.”

  A soft bark broke my small pleasure, and I tilted my head to watch Kiki circle twice. Smiling at her impatience, I slipped my camera strap over my head before taking my first step of the day. Slinking into the sparse trees, Kiki nosed and wandered as I followed leisurely. Birds fluttered and chirped with activity above my head, and I spied a particularly sturdy looking tree just as my bladder began to strain.

  Jerking up my pants after relieving myself, I took a large step away from the tree to scan the forest. The sun was already climbing high above the canopy, and I squinted slightly before glancing at my watch.

  “10:33a.m…. Like I could do that anywhere else…” A small huff of a laugh escaped me; peeing against a tree and waking up after 10a.m. were both socially unacceptable. There wasn’t even a reason for the latter, and I adjusted my camera straps before making my way into the wilderness beyond my campsite.

  There was an actual campsite a mile or two away, but I didn’t want to be second-hand involved with the stench of beer and burning marshmallows. I had no interest in being kept awake all night, listening to drunken stories I couldn’t even imagine.

  My boots crunched dry leaves and sticks with each step I took, and the sound reverberated up to the roots of my hair. Shaking my head wildly, I glanced around through narrowed eyes as sweat glazed the back of my neck and under my arms. The forest around me was quiet, peaceful, and even Kiki’s near silent presence wasn’t enough to disturb it. She trotted alongside me, ears high and tail rigid, and every so often her coarse fur brushed against my bare calf.

  A tiny movement caught my eye, and I whirled around to watch a chipmunk scurry from one tree branch to another high above my head. He was fast, small, and before I could even get my camera to my eye, he was gone again. Disappearing among the vast shades of brown, the chipmunk didn’t even squeak to give away his position. Holding my breath as I stared through the lens at the last place I’d seen him, I pursed my lips together tightly before slowly lowering the device from my cheek.

  “Dammit. Chipmunks always sell well.” Grumbling to myself, I swiped back stray strands of hair in irritation before turning away from the tree. The large trunk was wider than my shoulders, and I frowned at the leaves above for a long, heated second. “I wish I could just get that shot…”

  My mind’s eye blossomed with color as I continued on my aimless journey; every photographer wanted that shot. Anyone that had ever held a camera dreamed of snapping that one, incredible, life-altering photo that would change the world. It could be taken on accident or fully intentional; it could take hundreds, even thousands, of shots, or be taken on the spur of the moment.

  But I can’t even find a deer to take a picture of. Great, Caroline- getting lost
in delusions of grandeur again. Good for me. Awesome.

  “Ugh!” Kicking a rock with my steel-toe boot, I clenched my hands into fists as my groan ricocheted off the trees around me. Beside me Kiki let out a soft woof, as if she sympathized with my frustration, and I wrapped my hands around my camera to slump my shoulders. “I just have to try harder to find a buck. I just want one- so, I’m going to get it. Do you think you can find a buck for me, Kiki?”

  Turning my gaze to my dog, I smiled when Kiki cocked her head inquisitively. Maybe she understood what I wanted, or maybe she didn’t; in this moment, I didn’t really care.

  “Let’s go. Tzzt.” My soft sound sent Kiki into action, nose to the ground and ears twitching for the slightest sound, and I followed with tense legs. Watching her work, I couldn’t even begin to understand why she’d been rejected by the Marines. The adoption officer had mentioned during the interview that Kiki was prone to violence, but never once did she so much as twitch a lip at me.

  My father and his Army buddies were a different story, though. I knew the Army and the Navy had a love-hate relationship, and it must’ve extended to service dogs. Otherwise there was no reason for Kiki to hate my dad so much. At least living together was easy since they both seemed to ignore each other most of the time.

  A quiet, throaty whine pulled me from my thoughts, and I blinked hard to return to the present. Laying stiff close to a tree, Kiki glanced back at me as I ducked to crouch next to her. Peering through the undergrowth, my eyes narrowed on the half dozen deer that stood, fat and lazy, in the sun. There were four does and three fawns, and I reached to scratch between Kiki’s ears before lifting myself a few inches.