My Billionaire Crush: A Peachtree Billionaires Novel

by Remy, Cate

  “Angie and I have spoken a few times already.” Trina gave her a genuine smile. “I’m excited to welcome her into the family, too.”

  Max got back into the game and put his arm around Angie. “Patience, ladies. She and I actually have to get married first.”

  Mrs. Kelly and Trina giggled, but Angie almost winced. Something felt wrong. She didn’t want to keep misleading his family, yet she couldn’t say anything to give their sham engagement away. Her mouth went dry. “Excuse me, I’m going to go find a cup of water.”

  She pivoted to return to the refreshment table. To her shock, there was Jordan, talking to Steve and Charley.

  * * *

  Max saw Angie tense up as soon as she turned to find a drink of water. He followed her line of sight to discover Jordan McKinney fifteen yards away. The deadbeat was trying to schmooze it up with Preston and Landers. The previous landowners did not look happy to be talking to him.

  “Max, is something the matter?” He heard his mother ask.

  “Mom, you and Trina stay here with Angie.” He put his hand on his fiancée’s shoulder as he walked past.

  People were suddenly in his way. He couldn’t tell if he said “excuse me” when he went between them or simply barreled through. All he knew was one moment he was chatting beside his fiancée, and the next he was facing down Jordan.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Howya doin’, Max? I was just talking with these two philanthropic gentlemen.”

  “You’re trespassing on private property.”

  “You gonna tell that to the local press and residents who came out to watch you dig up dirt?”

  “They were invited. You’ve done enough dirt slinging for one day, don’t you think?”

  Jordan gave him a cold smile. “You mean the email? Angela is a gold digger. When did telling the truth become a bad thing?”

  Max balled his fists. “You’re a liar, Jordan. Nothing truthful has come out your mouth since you arrived.”

  “This man just told us he’s the father of your fiancée’s child,” Charley said. “Is it true?”

  Max unclenched his hands. “It’s true, sir, but Angie didn’t keep any secrets from him. Jordan chose to not be a part of his son’s life.”

  Steven frowned at Jordan. “What kind of man neglects to support his son?”

  “And insults the mother of his child?” added Charley. “Why are you here?”

  Jordan blinked, visibly thinking of his next answer. Max didn’t want to hear another word out of his mouth. “He’s here because he’s trying to blackmail me. He said he’d tell people that my engagement to Angie isn’t real if I refused to pay him hush money.”

  “You’re a disgrace,” Steven remarked.

  Jordan shook his head. “You and Mr. Landers are known for doing business with family guy types. You should know Max’s engagement to Angela is fake.”

  “Do you have anything to prove it’s not real?” Charley folded his arms, visibly losing his patience.

  “Call it quits, Jordan,” said Max. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”

  Jordan’s neck grew red just above his shirt collar. He cut his gaze to glare at Angie before he looked at Max again. “Angela grew up poor.” Then he yelled, “She got pregnant on purpose. She likes money and will go with any sponge dumb enough to-”

  Max couldn’t take it anymore. He slung his fist across the man’s face. Jordan swayed once on his feet before falling in the grass.

  Gasps arose from the small crowd. Rob ran up to him. “Max, what are you doing?”

  Max watched Jordan get up. “You came here to start trouble.” He curled his fist again. “I could have you arrested.”

  “No.” Jordan wiped his nose. “I’m leaving this backwoods town and signing away my parental rights. You and Angie won’t see me again.”

  Rob peered at Jordan, wrinkling his nose as though he scraped him out of the bottom of an old fish barrel. “I’ll make sure he actually leaves this time.”

  Max let his attorney take it from there. It was just as well. If Rob hadn’t intervened, he likely would’ve punched Jordan again.

  He became aware of TV cameras shifting to capture Jordan walking away. Several cameras panned to him. This wasn’t the kind of publicity he wanted to attract. He turned around and saw his mother and Trina, both shocked by the spectacle. Then he observed Angie. She gaped at him with wide brown eyes.

  He knew he messed up.

  * * *

  Angie couldn’t take her eyes off Max. She saw what he did after Jordan yelled all those nasty, horrible lies about her in front of everyone. She never felt so humiliated in her life.

  “Angie?”

  She felt all the condescending eyes on her. People heard what Jordan said. Even if it was a lie, the damage was done to her reputation and Max’s ceremony.

  “Angie?”

  She realized Trina spoke to her. Max’s sister tapped her on the arm. “Mom and I can drive you home.”

  She gave a rapid shake of her head. She couldn’t be in a car with Max’s family and either sit in uncomfortable silence or answer embarrassing questions about her past. “I’m not who Jordan said I am.” Did Trina and her mother hear her? She barely understood the words when they tumbled from her mouth.

  Max ran to her. His hair was disheveled and sweat beaded on his forehead. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

  Her voice was a half-step above a whisper when she replied, “But it did.”

  He took her hand and attempted to steer her away from his mother, sister, and the rest of the small crowd. “It feels like a big mess right now. By tomorrow, everyone will forget about it and be onto something else.”

  Did he hear himself? She stood in the middle of the field with him, the crowd several paces behind them. “No, they won’t. When this is all over, people will think you called off the engagement because of what Jordan said.”

  “I’ll say we parted ways because we’re busy with other projects.”

  She would’ve laughed if she didn’t feel so bitter inside. “That excuse only works when both people are wealthy.”

  He exhaled, frustration showing in the creases of his brow. “Our agreement worked. Why does it matter what they think now?”

  Max had he been living among the affluent for so long that he forgot what life was like in a small town. She gave him a crash course education. “I still have to raise my son in this town. I still have to find a job.”

  “You can. You will.”

  The last thing she needed from him was an insincere, useless pep talk. “How do you know?”

  He pushed his fingers through his messy hair. “Because I know you. You’re resilient. You’re smart and a good person.” He looked at the ring on her hand. “That’s yours to keep or sell. Do what you want with it.”

  Angie bristled. Was this his solution to all her problems, to simply hawk her engagement ring? Just like that, he could shake off anything. She didn’t know if he was being helpful or callous. “You don’t know me at all, Max. You never have. You never will.”

  She walked fast to get to the nearest waiting cab on the street. She rattled off her address to the driver and closed the door before her fiancé could get off the grass and come to her. The cab drove away.

  Angie leaned forward and put her forehead in her hands. Max got what he wanted out of their deal. Why should he care what happened to her after all was said and done?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Max could only stare at the back of Angie’s cab as it drove away. He never could find the right words to help her. The more he talked to her, the more he made things worse. Why did he keep screwing up?

  “We’ll see you at the house,” said his mother. “Tell your fiancée she’s welcome to come by anytime she wants company. The poor girl.” She and Trina went to their car, both looking sad.

  Steve broke away from the people and came to him. “We’re all worried about Angie.”

  So was he. “She’
s upset by Jordan’s lies.” He only added to her pain. “I wasn’t going to ask her to stay.”

  “Of course not. Just between us, I don’t blame you for socking the deadbeat in the jaw. If he talked about my wife, well, let’s just say I’d have to retire my nice guy reputation.”

  Max shoved his hands in his pockets. His right hand still hurt from where he hit Jordan. “I’m not a nice guy. My father was. He would’ve handled this differently.”

  Steven weighed his point. “Your father may have chosen more restraint, but you have passion. You defend the people you love.”

  Max lifted his head. Love? He knew he cared about Angie and her family. There were times when it felt like Raymond was his own son. He admired the strength and quiet dignity he saw in her grandmother, the same qualities Angie displayed. He’d do anything for Angie if it meant seeing her smile at him.

  Was Steve right? Did he love her? His answer came in the form of an ache when he thought of having to move on after the contractual engagement ended. Time was running out. “Excuse me. I have to follow my fiancée.”

  Steven gave a sage nod. “Better get moving if you want to catch up with her. Charley and I can handle this crowd.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice. He nodded his thanks to Steve and jumped in his Jag. I’m coming, Angie. Please wait for me.

  * * *

  Angie asked the cab driver to take her to the Cedar Pavilion in Harper Park. She wanted time to collect herself before going home to speak to her grandmother.

  She paid the cab driver her fare once she reached her destination. He looked at the charge on the meter and then at her, perplexed. “You don’t want me to wait?”

  “I could be here for a while. It’s fine. I’m within walking distance of my house.”

  The driver cast another dubious gaze, this time at the heels on her feet when she got out of the cab. “If you say so.” He drove away.

  She stepped onto the grass and took off her tight-fitting shoes. Sunlight warmed the tops of her feet while the grass tickled her toes. Heels in hand, she strolled the path to the pavilion. A couple months ago, this was where she and Max took their engagement pictures.

  She looked out at the empty pavilion. She remembered the pretty off-white dress she wore for the pictures. She walked closer and saw the spot where one of the columns was lined with ivy and creeping moss. The photographer had her and Max stand there for several poses. That was where Max took her in his arms for a kiss. She still had her copy of the picture. Why did she decide to keep it?

  “Oh, who am I kidding?” she mumbled aloud. She still had feelings for Max even after all these years. She let herself get carried away again, and just as before, there was nothing she could say or do about it to make those feelings go away.

  The rumble of a convertible tore her gaze away from the pavilion. Max parked his Jag, engine still running, and jumped out of the car. “Angie, there’s something I have to say to you.”

  She shook her head. “I know I shouldn’t have left the ceremony. You don’t have to tell me.”

  “I don’t care about the ceremony anymore. I care about you.”

  He looked so athletic and handsome, even with his suit jacket wrinkled and his hair out of place. There she went again, letting her attraction to him get in the way of good sense.

  “Angie,” he went on, “I’m sorry for acting like a jerk. Today and before. I want to know if you’re going to be alright.”

  She turned her back to him. “Like you said, people will eventually stop talking about what they heard and move on. I’ll get over it, too, the way I get over everything else.”

  She heard his footsteps. He got in front of her. “What do you mean?”

  Her stomach tightened. She dropped her shoes on the ground. “I had a big crush on you in high school. I wanted you to notice me and you never did.” She looked left, then up at the sky, any place except his searching blue eyes. “You probably think I’m immature for even mentioning it, but those feelings are still there. I tried to get rid of them. They’ve just grown up and evolved into something deeper.”

  “Angie, if you’re immature, then I’m just a big kid, too.”

  She met him eye to eye again. “What are you saying, Max?”

  He took her hands in his. “I know everything happened fast with the engagement. I kept dragging you to event after event, but I enjoyed those times with you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. I’ve seen a different side to you each time. You’re kind, sweet, and funny. Not to mention you make my eyes fall out of my head each time I see you in a new dress.”

  “Wow, there’s something I’m comfortable envisioning.”

  “There’s the humor I’m talking about.” He gave her hands a squeeze. “Angie, I was dense in high school, but I like to think I grew a couple brain cells since then.” He smiled, and he almost looked bashful while doing it. “What I’m saying is, I’ve fallen in love with you, too.”

  She felt elated and a little lightheaded at the same time. “We’re alone now. Kiss me like you mean it.”

  He pressed his lips to hers and gave her a kiss that sent tingles up and down her spine, the kind of kiss that told her in no uncertain terms how he felt. The sun warmed her back and neck, feeling almost as good as his arms wrapped around her.

  She hated when the kiss ended. “Oh.”

  “What?” He kept his arms around her waist.

  “There’s still our little pretend engagement to deal with.”

  “It doesn’t have to be pretend. I don’t know about you, but I can keep this up forever or at least until November seventeenth when the wedding’s scheduled.”

  “Let me change my shoes first.” Angie stepped back into her heels with a grimace. “These bad boys weren’t made to go the distance.”

  He offered his arm to help her to his car. When they got in, he took her left hand, interlaced his fingers with hers, and kissed it. She settled in the seat, bracing herself in case he decided to hit the gas.

  This time, Max took it slow. The ride beneath the sunny June sky was nice and easy.

  Epilogue

  A year and a half later

  Angie stood under the swirling disco ball as the lights dimmed and a slow R&B song came on. Couples gathered on the dance floor of the gymnasium.

  “Excuse me, Miss,” a very familiar male voice came from behind. “Would you like to dance?”

  She smiled without turning around. “Sorry. I’m saving this dance for my husband. It was the number one slow jam in high school.”

  Max came around to her side, a puzzled look on his face. “I don’t remember this song being number one on the charts when I was in school.”

  “Probably because you had graduated already. We underclassmen still needed these little thrills.”

  “If you’d dance with me, I’d be thrilled.”

  She went out on the floor with him. He drew her in close. “Whose idea was it to go to an adult prom?”

  “Mine. I wanted to relive the experience with you.”

  She laid her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and followed his rhythm in time to the music. “Somebody is turning into a diehard romantic.”

  “Somebody has that effect on me,” he whispered in her ear, producing a tickling sensation. “It got much worse after the honeymoon in Belize.”

  Angie inhaled his scent. He smelled good as always. “Hard to believe we’ve been married for a year. Where did the time go?”

  “You mean, between buying a house in Atlanta, Raymond’s soccer games, and adding a home theater for your grandmother’s monthly Star Trek fan club meetings? I have no clue. Oh, wait. I might have an idea.”

  “Hush.” She put a finger to his lips to quiet him. They danced for another minute. “I can’t stay out too late tonight.”

  “Who gave you a curfew without telling me?”

  “I have student orientation tomorrow, remember? I start classes at Georgia State next week.”

>   Max rubbed her back. “I’m proud of you, Angie.”

  The song finished. She stayed in her husband’s arms even as the music changed from 2000s R&B to a Whitney Houston classic. “I can stay for a few more minutes, though.”

  They danced to their own beat. Max lifted her chin with his finger. “We have to do this again. What do you say we make it a yearly tradition?”

  Prom night forever with the man she loved, who used to be her high school crush. Angie smiled and stood on tiptoe for a kiss. “How can I say no?”

  Afterword

  Thanks for reading My Billionaire Crush. I’d appreciate if you could leave a review on Amazon. Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to learn about new releases. You can do that at http://eepurl.com/dlDy4j

  Books by Cate Remy

  My Billionaire Crush (Peachtree Billionaires)

  My Royal Billionaire Boss (Peachtree Billionaires)

  My Secret Billionaire Bodyguard (Peachtree Billionaires)

  About the Author

  Cate Remy loves quirky characters and happy endings. She lives in Texas with her football fanatic husband and little toddler princess. When she’s not writing, she can be found engaging in all kinds of fantasy geekdom and 80s nerdery.