The Billionaire's Student: A BBW, Alpha Billionaire Romance

by Sana Chase

  She might have been on the petite side, but I could tell by the look on her face that if anyone ever tried to give her any trouble, she’d let them have it. In all honesty, I was a bit intimidated by her and wondered if I shouldn’t look for a job somewhere else.

  However, when she reached me, she smiled and patted my hand, and the scary little lady transformed into a kindly grandmother.

  “Hello, child. Jenny says you were asking about the job posted?”

  So her name really was Jenny. Still, I’m glad I hadn’t addressed her by name. You just never knew.

  “Yes m’am,” I replied but in the middle of answering her my voice broke.

  “In a bit of trouble, are you?”

  Wordlessly, I nodded. At that moment, I couldn’t have talked even if I’d wanted to because there was a big lump blocking my throat, and hot tears burned my eyes.

  She inspected me with her eyes.

  “It doesn’t involve the police, does it?”

  I shook my head, and managed to whisper, “No.”

  She nodded as if she already knew exactly what my problem was.

  “A man problem, then. I should’ve guessed right away, a pretty little thing like you in here all alone and so sad looking.”

  Looking at me thoughtfully, she continued, “I don’t guess you’ve got any experience waiting tables?”

  “I’m sorry, no. But I learn really fast.”

  “Well, it ain’t rocket science, that’s for sure. I tell you what. You can start during the slow shifts, and Jenny here will train you. Once she thinks you can handle it, I’ll move you to busier times.”

  “Oh, thank you so much.”

  “Now just remember that how much you make really all depends on how good of a waitress and how friendly you are. We get mostly regulars in here, and if you’re good to them, they’ll be good to you.”

  I nodded my head in understanding.

  “Can you start right now?”

  I nodded my head. I had paid the motel clerk for two nights, so I wouldn’t have to check out until tomorrow.

  “Well, come on back and let’s see if I’ve got a uniform that will fit you.”

  As I came around the counter, she glanced at my tennis shoes.

  “Those will do for now, but you’ll need to get some non-slip ones as soon as you’re able. For now, just be careful when you walk around so you don’t fall.”

  “Yes m’am.”

  She led me to a small break room in the back and rummaged through a rack of uniforms hanging up in one corner.

  “I reckon you’re not from around here…do you got a place to stay?”

  “I have a room at the motel over there for another day.”

  “So in other words, no. I’ll talk to Jenny about you rooming with her. She’s been looking for someone to help split the bills.”

  She found a uniform that fit me and put me to work. I didn’t tell her or Jenny about the baby right away because I was afraid she’d fire me. By the time, I’d discovered Ruby was not that kind of boss, I’d already started showing, so they’d glommed onto the reason I was “in trouble.”

  Ruby didn’t pry into my business. She was happy to just get to know the present me and not worry about the past. Jenny, on the other hand, wanted to know every sordid detail—and I finally told her. It felt good to get it off my chest.

  Some days were easier than others. For a little while, I’d forget about Jace and happily chat with my regulars about their day and what was going on in their lives. However, those little rays of sunshine never lasted very long.

  No matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t seem to get over him. Jenny kept telling me it was because I was actually carrying his baby in my womb, and that it would get better once the baby was born. Ruby would just shake her head and say “the heart wants what the heart wants.”

  Over the next few months, the diner and its people became my family. Jenny was the only one who knew the whole story, but all of the regulars immediately sided with me no matter what. There was more than one comment about the “deadbeat” who left me alone and pregnant. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that Jace didn’t even know about the baby.

  In the small apartment that Jenny and I shared, there wasn’t an extra room for an actual nursery, but we fixed up a corner of my room and Ruby gave me a crib she’d used for her last grandbaby. Since I didn’t make a lot of money, I got on government assistance and insurance. Unfortunately, this meant that I couldn’t get an ultrasound. It wasn’t considered necessary, so I had no idea if I was carrying a boy or a girl.

  By the time I’d reached a couple of weeks within my due date, I’d slowed down considerably at work, but my customers were all understanding and supportive.

  “You just take your time, darlin’. I’m in no hurry.”

  I smiled at Henry, who came in every morning without fail for breakfast and patted him on the shoulder.

  “You’d spend your entire day in here if you weren’t afraid Harriet would come storming in here and drag you out by the ear!”

  The other men seated in the booth with Henry erupted in loud guffaws.

  “What can I say? That lady of mine is scary!”

  I laughed and waddled off to put in Henry and his friends’ orders.

  “Here, Katie.”

  Our morning busboy, Derek, thrust some bills into my hands.

  “The Pearsons wanted to give it to you in person, but they couldn’t wait any longer. Mrs. Pearson had an appointment this morning with her heart doctor.”

  I looked down at the bills and gasped in surprise. The Pearsons always were good tippers, but never like this! The tip they’d left equaled almost two hundred dollars!

  “They told me to tell you it was for the baby. They know you’re getting close.”

  “Thanks, Derek.”

  I’d noticed, especially with my regulars, that my tips lately had seemed to grow proportionately with my belly. The bigger my belly got, the bigger my tips got. I knew it was their way of trying to help me with the baby.

  I started around the corner of the counter to check on my orders when a slash of pain sliced across my belly. It took my breath away, and I hunched over, grabbing my belly.

  Jenny rushed up to me.

  “Contraction?”

  “I…”

  I started to answer, but another pain slashed through me.

  Oh god, something was wrong. Contractions didn’t feel like someone was slicing your belly open with a large knife.

  I shook my head.

  “Something’s wrong.”

  Just then, I felt a splash of hot liquid course down my thighs.

  “Oh my god. Ruby! Call an ambulance.”

  I looked down and my eyes widened in horror. Blood ran down my legs in rivulets. I suddenly felt light headed and my legs gave way. Luckily, Jenny’s screams had caught the attention of several of our regular patrons who had come rushing over in time to catch me before I hit the ground.

  What happened next all went by in a blur. I was vaguely aware of Ruby wiping my face with a cool wet cloth and murmuring to me to keep me calm. When the paramedics arrived, they took stock of the situation and hurriedly strapped me onto a gurney.

  “Don’t worry! Jenny’s going to follow you to the hospital!” Ruby shouted as they rolled me out of the diner.

  In the ambulance, I overheard some of the conversation between the paramedic and the hospital they were taking me to. When I heard “operating room, stat” I went into full panic mode.

  “Operating room? Oh my god, how bad is it? Am I going to lose my baby?”

  Despite his reassuring pat, the look on the paramedic’s face was grim.

  “Just try to stay calm m’am. Getting upset isn’t going to help you or the baby. Right now, you’re both in danger.”

  Both? The meaning of his words sank into me. We could both die.

  What if I died and the baby lived? What would happen to my baby? Would he or she get put into an orphanage? I
knew I couldn’t let that happen.

  By this time, we’d arrived at the hospital, and they were wheeling me inside. Instead of taking me to the ER, they headed straight for an operating room.

  A nurse came running up beside me. I didn’t know if it was due something the paramedic had given me or because of blood loss, but I could feel myself floating away.

  “Katie, is there someone you’d like us to call for you?”

  I corralled my strength and managed to get out the information. I couldn’t let something awful happen to my baby if I died.

  “Yes, please! Jace Weatherton. He’s the baby’s father.”

  The world around me went gray, and my last conscious thought was that I hoped the nurse had heard me.

  24.

  As the world slowly came back to me, I heard someone singing.

  Was I dead? For a moment, sheer panic ran through me, and my heartrate accelerated.

  Then I realized I couldn’t be dead. I could actually hear a beeping in tune with my heart, which meant I was still alive.

  I lay there for a moment with my eyes closed, listening to the voice singing and tried to make sense of it.

  “And if that mocking bird won’t sing, daddy’s going to buy you a diamond ring.”

  Oh my god. I knew that voice. Jace!

  Forcing my eyes to open, I saw him a few steps away, holding a wrapped bundle and bouncing it as he swayed and sang. I tried to call for him, but my first attempt was nothing but air.

  “And if that diamond ring turns to brass, daddy’s going to buy you a looking glass.”

  I tried again. This time I managed to croak a sound that resembled his name.

  “Jace.”

  He turned, his face etched with hard lines of concern. Rushing over to the bed, he sat down on the side of it, and ran his fingers down my cheek.

  “Oh, Katie.”

  I was shocked to see tears welling up in his eyes.

  “Thank god you’re awake. Oh, thank god.”

  He did something then that I never thought I’d see Jace Weatherton do. He covered his face with his unused hand and started sobbing.

  Ruby seemed to appear from out of nowhere and gently took the baby from Jace’s arms. She smiled down at me.

  “You’ve got a beautiful daughter.”

  “Is she okay?” I whispered.

  “She’s perfect,” Ruby responded before moving out of sight and leaving me and Jace as alone as we could get.

  “Jace.”

  He looked at me then, and now that we were up close, I could see what months of strain and loss had done to him. Worry lines were etched in his handsome face, and he’d lost at least twenty pounds. The muscles that used to define him with athletic grace were gone.

  Pain radiated from him as he spoke.

  “Oh Katie, why on earth did you run away instead of telling me?”

  I fought to keep my eyes open. There was no way I was slipping away again before we hashed this out.

  “How could I tell you I was pregnant with your baby when I knew you hated children?”

  Shock spread across his face, and his eyes grew wide.

  “I what? Katie, I don’t hate children. What gave you that idea?”

  I licked my lips. My mouth and throat were so dry.

  Jace noticed and reached over to pick up a small cup from the rolling tray beside my bed.

  “Here, small sips.”

  When I’d wet my throat a little, I answered him.

  “When we were at the ball. You saw a pregnant lady and made a really horrible comment about her having a baby. The tone of your voice was so venomous.”

  Jace shook his head and took my hand in his and squeezed it.

  “Oh Katie, I’m so sorry. That’s not what that meant at all. I didn’t mean I hate children. I meant that particular woman had no business bringing another child into the world. She already has three she foists off on nannies. The poor kids probably don’t even recognize their mother when they see her since she spends so little time with them.”

  “You mean; you don’t hate kids?”

  “Of course not.”

  I felt like the stupidest woman on the planet. I’d run away for no reason whatsoever. It had been a simple misunderstanding. I could have avoided the entire heart-wrenching past several months if I had just stayed and told Jace the truth.

  “Oh my god. Oh Jace. I’m so sorry. I ran away because I thought you’d throw me out once you found out I was pregnant.”

  Tears leaked from my eyes and rolled down my face.

  “Never. I could never throw out the woman that I love, and especially not if she’s carrying my baby.”

  The enormity of what I’d done threatened to swallow me whole. How could he ever forgive me?

  As if sensing my inner torment, he reached out and held my face in his hands. The warmth of his skin radiated through me.

  “I love you, Katie Darling. When you left, I died inside. I couldn’t understand why you’d just up and leave. For months, I just moped around the house. I put all of my business decisions off on my underlings. I stopped going out.

  “Then I get a call from this hospital telling me that the mother of and my unborn baby were in distress, and I needed to get to the hospital right away. I thought at first it was someone playing a prank on me, but then they told me your name. I jumped in the car and raced here as fast as I could. When I got here, they told me the baby was fine, but there’d been further complications in the operating room, and that they’d almost lost you twice. The doctor said he didn’t know if you’d ever wake up.”

  His last sentence came out with a choked sob.

  “I decided right then and there that if you survived, no matter why you ran away I’d forgive you. For the first time in my life, I fell on my knees and prayed. I prayed that God wouldn’t take you away from me now that I’d found you again.

  “I’ve already forgiven you, Katie. I just want you back with me. You and the baby.”

  He leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

  “Now get some sleep. I can tell you’ve been fighting it hard the past few minutes.”

  I drifted off with my hand held firmly inside his.

  25.

  I sat in the cracked vinyl booth and stared at the gorgeous man across from me as he held our daughter, whom we’d named Hannah, after my late mother. I was still a bit weak, but after a two-week hospital stay, I’d been more than ready to get out of there. It had been Jace’s idea to stop at the diner before we started on the three-hour journey home.

  Upon our arrival, we’d been immediately crowded by all the regulars, who’d been told ahead of time by Ruby to be there. Apparently, she and Jace had set it all up before we’d left the hospital. The regulars warmly greeted Jace, and I knew that Ruby must’ve filled them in on what had transpired and let them all know that Jace wasn’t the monster deadbeat everyone had assumed him to be. After they’d all cooed over Hannah and given us their well wishes, they’d faded back to their booths and left us alone to eat breakfast.

  Jace looked up from adoring our daughter and caught me staring. A smile creased his face, which was no longer marred with worry lines. Hannah started to cry right then, and he laughed.

  “I think our little girl wants her mama.”

  He got up and brought her around to my side of the booth and put her in my arms. I could only hold her for short periods of time because of being so weak, but I did it as much as I possibly could. However, instead of going back to the other side of the booth, he got down on one knee beside me.

  I almost laughed at the incongruity of the billionaire in his expensive tailored suit kneeling on the greasy floor of the diner, but then the reality of the position he held struck me.

  Surely he wasn’t?

  He pulled a black, velvet box from the pocket of his suit jacket.

  Oh my god, he was! He was freaking proposing!

  The entire diner fell into a hushed silence.

  “Katie, I love
you and our daughter more than life itself, and I can’t live a moment without you. Will you marry me?”

  In that moment, my wildest dream had come true. Out of all the beautiful, skinny women he could have chosen, Jace Weatherton chose me instead. He chose curvy, chubby, me.

  With tears streaming down my face, I cried, “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”

  The entire diner erupted into cheers.

  Jace, mindful of Hannah, leaned down and crushed his lips against mine. When we finally surfaced from the kiss, my lips felt bruised, and I could barely breathe. He grinned and slipped the ring on my finger before sitting back down on the other side of the booth.

  Smiling wickedly, I whispered, “Am I going to be punished for running away?”

  Jace’s eyes sparkled and he burst into laughter.

  “No—well, not unless you want to.”

  He waggled his eyebrows at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “The baby and my love for you changes things somewhat. I had a hard time admitting it to myself, but the first night we made love, I actually felt more satisfied and connected to you than I have to anyone in a long time.”

  A cloud passed over his handsome face.

  “Is that what drew you into that type of sex? A woman did you wrong in some way?”

  “Honestly, Katie, until I met you, I had no idea what love truly is. My parents weren’t demonstrative emotionally, and the first woman I developed a serious relationship with was only using me for my money. After her, I closed myself off and sought other ways to find satisfaction. Sex to me was simply a game for pleasure. Now I understand what it feels like to be in love.”

  “So no more fun and games in the rec room?”

  “I think we can keep it for now, don’t you? I seem to recall you enjoying my rec room as I much as I did.”

  I could feel my face turning red.

  “However, since I find enjoyment in just being with you normally, I think we can find a balance between the two. I will probably still bend you over my lap now and then.”