An awkward silence settled between them. Aiden rubbed his thumb on his palm. “Have you ever wondered what our lives would be like if you hadn’t left?”
Felicity’s gaze jerked to him, and he regretted the question. Why had he asked that? How could he have let that come out of his mouth? But he couldn’t take it back, so he waited for her answer.
She blinked and looked away. “No.”
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “No, it’s okay. I guess I have thought about it a little. We’d probably still be in Chicago.”
Aiden had thought about it a lot. And he was sure they’d have moved. With his money, they could live anywhere in the world, and Felicity loved nature. But he wasn’t about to say any of that to her. “Maybe.”
She looked at him. “You disagree?”
He shrugged. Now he was stuck. He wasn’t sure what to say. “I don’t know. We would have had the means to go anywhere.”
Felicity cocked her head to the side, like she was just remembering he was a billionaire. “Oh. Right.”
Aiden loved that Felicity was never into money or status. She didn’t care about those things. He picked up his glass of milk and took a sip. After he set it back down, he looked at her. The light from the fire flickered across her features. He could easily fall back in love with her.
The thought scared him, and he shifted closer to the edge of the couch. He went through so much after Felicity broke his heart. Depression weighed so heavily on him, he thought he’d never dig himself out. And now, finally, he was seeing some light. Things were good.
He couldn’t slip back into his old self and allow Felicity to break him.
She tore the corner off the package of M&M’s and poured some into her hand then extended it to him. “I’ll let you pick out all the brown ones.”
He chuckled as he picked three out. “I know you think I’m silly.”
“They taste the same as the rest.”
“They totally taste more chocolaty.”
She wrinkled her nose. “It’s psychological.”
“Are you calling me a psycho?”
“No. But come to think of it, you do kind of have that look about you. And you own a resort that is kind of like a motel.”
“Really? You’re stretching it.”
“As long as I don’t find Grams all shriveled up in a rocker, I think you’re okay.” She flashed him a smile and he couldn’t help but grin back at her.
“Grams would be highly offended by this conversation.”
Felicity laughed. “You’re right. Here, have some more.” She shoved her M&M’s at him.
He picked another brown one out of her hand.
“You’re such an M&M snob.” She poked him in the side, and he jumped.
“Hey, watch it. I’m ticklish there.”
“Oh, yeah? There?” She poked him again but this time, he grabbed her hand.
“No,” he said, like he was scolding his dog.
She giggled and wiggled out of his grasp. Then she poked him again.
“That’s it. You’re toast.” He came at her, tickling her sides. She twisted and laughed but couldn’t get away from him.
“Stop. Can’t. Breathe.”
He wasn’t sure if she was faking it, but he stopped tickling her and let her catch her breath. He sobered, his face inches from hers. He could smell her sweet breath on his cheek and feel her heart beating against his chest.
Her gaze dipped to his lips. Time slowed and Felicity moved closer to him, ever so slightly. Their lips were only millimeters apart when he realized he was about to kiss her and jerked back.
What was he doing? He couldn’t close the distance. He couldn’t allow that. He stood up suddenly.
Felicity jumped off the couch. “Well. I better go to bed.”
“Right.”
“I think you have everything you need.”
“Yes. I should be fine.”
She practically raced out of the room, shutting her bedroom door a little too forcefully.
Aiden sank back down to the couch. What had he almost done? If he had kissed her, it would have been a huge mistake. Seeing her at all was a big mistake.
Why had he said he could take her on the excursion in the morning? He was in so much trouble. He closed his eyes and tried to forget about Felicity for the night, which was almost impossible with her sleeping just beyond the wall.
Chapter 9
Felicity stood in her bedroom, her back pressed against her door, her heart racing. How could she have almost kissed Aiden? Had she lost all of her senses completely? She touched her lips. Was it horrible that she wished she’d just done it?
She took a shaky breath and slipped into her pajamas, scolding herself in her head. There was no way she could fall back in love with Aiden. It just wasn’t anywhere in the realm of possible. He crushed her heart, and she couldn’t forget that. Their relationship had been like fire. It felt wonderful and warm at first, but she’d gotten too close and it had burned her.
The sheets were soft as she climbed into bed. She wrapped herself in them. Even though she was tired, it took a long time for her to fall asleep. She lay there, listening to the storm outside, and wondered what she would do tomorrow, spending the whole day with Aiden.
She awoke to an eerie silence. A light in the bathroom told her the power was back on. Felicity peeked outside of her bedroom and found the couch empty, her comforter folded up. Aiden wasn’t in sight. A note sat on the counter in the kitchen.
Felicity,
I’m going to check out the damage to the resort. I’ll come back to get you for the excursion to the jungle. I should be back by ten.
Aiden
She had a couple of hours, so she took a shower and dressed in good hiking clothes. She left her villa to get breakfast at the restaurant. The resort had been hit hard. Palm branches were everywhere, along with trash, broken shingles, and other pieces of debris. The workers were already out cleaning up the mess. Aiden must be helping them. That’s one thing she liked about him. He was a billionaire, for heaven’s sake, yet he was out picking up tree branches with the rest of the crew.
The buffet line was short. She grabbed a bowl of fruit and a yogurt and sat down at a table. Pulling out her phone, she checked her Facebook group. Brittany had posted.
How are things going with Aiden? Are you getting back together with him?
Felicity pressed her lips together and answered.
No. That ship has sailed.
Brittany answered right away.
I heard he has money. Is that true?
He’s a billionaire.
Felicity hit post before she thought about it then wondered if that was a good idea. Aiden wasn’t the kind of guy to go around boasting about that kind of thing. Maybe he didn’t want her spreading that around. But it was too late. She’d already posted it and couldn’t take it back.
I’m coming to stay the rest of the week with you!
Brittany added a smiley face to her post, and Felicity snorted. Wouldn’t that be a nightmare.
Haha, funny, she posted.
Felicity closed the app. Brittany kind of annoyed her, but maybe she needed to give the girl some slack. Her divorce had been hard on her. Brittany was the kind of girl who had a hard time if she didn’t have a man on her arm. Some girls were just like that.
After she ate, she left the restaurant to go back to her villa to wait for Aiden. She picked her way over downed branches and bits of trash. As she slid her key card, her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and stepped inside.
“Hello?”
“Aiden’s a billionaire? Are you kidding me?” Amy’s voice came through all high-pitched and fast, like she’d been sucking helium.
“Calm down, girl. You’re going to hyperventilate.” Felicity laughed and curled up on the couch.
“Calm down? You almost married a billionaire. You could have been the next Paris Hilton.�
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Felicity scoffed. “Do you think I want to be the next Paris Hilton?”
“All right, bad example. I’m just saying, holy Batmobile. A billionaire.”
“I know.” Felicity sighed. “It’s almost too much money to think about.”
“Honey, it’s not too much for me to think about. Aiden could have retired. Think of all the places you could have gone with him.”
Felicity ran her finger along the seam of her jeans. There was a tiny worn spot that would soon become a hole. “That’s just it, Amy. Aiden isn’t like that. He’s too involved with whatever he’s doing. He sold his drone, but then he bought this resort and now this has become his work obsession.”
“Maybe he needs a woman to help him learn to relax.”
Felicity glanced at the clock. It was five minutes after ten. The same disappointment she had known so well all those years ago settled in her gut. “You’re joking, right? He’s actually supposed to meet me right now and guess what, he’s late. What a big surprise. Nothing’s changed.” The words were hard to say, but she knew it was true. Aiden would always put her second.
“Wait, you guys are seeing each other again?”
Felicity stiffened. “No. It’s not like that. Grams hired me to take photos and he’s taking me on an excursion so I can do my job.”
Amy hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Couldn’t you go on your own?”
A foolish feeling swept through Felicity. “I guess I could, but I’d have to go find a ticket, and I’m not sure where they meet or what time the bus leaves.”
“Call the office.”
“I could. It’s just...Aiden and I spent some time together yesterday and...well, maybe I did think he was coming around. But that’s obviously not the case. He’s the same old Aiden. Late again.”
“Aw, sweetie. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She steeled herself. “It seriously wasn’t a big deal. It’s not like a date or anything. We really aren’t getting back together. Instead of going on the excursion, I’ll just go find some pictures to take around here.” Felicity cringed, thinking of all the debris outside. “But I don’t know what I’ll photograph. We had a storm last night and the place looks pretty bad right now.”
“Then go relax on the beach. When Aiden is done with his work, he’ll take you hiking.”
Relaxing on the beach sounded nice. “That’s not a bad idea.” She had brought her swimsuit.
“There you go. Have fun. Take some you time.”
Felicity brushed her hair over her shoulder. “You’re right. There’s nothing else I can do anyway.”
“Okay. Have fun. I’ll call you later to see how things went.”
“Thanks, Amy.”
Felicity hung up and stared at the ashes in the fireplace, a hollow feeling spreading through her chest. Why had she thought anything had changed? Aiden was still Aiden. He put his work first. She supposed that was why he was a billionaire.
She sighed and tossed her phone on the couch. She’d go change into her bathing suit and take a walk along the beach. Aiden could come find her when he was done with everything that was more important than her.
AIDEN’S HEART RACED as he walked along the shoreline, searching the underbrush. “Mabel!” he called. His voice was hoarse from shouting. He didn’t want to think about all the things that could have happened to Mabel out in the storm last night.
When he’d entered his villa this morning and seen his grandmother’s face, he’d known something terrible had happened. Grams had run to him and buried her face into his chest, sobs wracking her body. When he’d finally coaxed out of her what had happened, his heart had stopped. Mabel had gotten out last night right before the storm had hit. She hadn’t come back.
Aiden had pulled on some boots and gone immediately out to look for her. But there was no sign of her. Now he was beyond the resort property line and had no idea if he was even close to where Mabel had gone. She could be anywhere. She could be...no. He didn’t want to think about it.
Why had she run off like that? She usually obeyed when they called her to come. Maybe since he wasn’t home, she’d gone looking for him. The thought made his stomach clench. This might be his fault.
He lengthened his strides. “Mabel!”
She had to be somewhere. He couldn’t accept she was gone. He’d find her. He had to. Maybe she’d found her way back home. He pulled out his phone to check with Grams.
“Hello?” She answered on the first ring. “Did you find her?”
Disappointment crushed him. “No. I take it she didn’t come home yet.”
“No.”
He exhaled. “All right. I’ll keep looking.”
“Aiden?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll find her.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Right.”
He hung up with Grams and noticed the time. Eleven? How did it get to be so late? He was supposed to be back at Felicity’s villa an hour ago. He called her cell phone, but it just rang until voicemail came up. Frustrated, he left a quick message about not being able to go with her and hung up.
Felicity would understand, wouldn’t she? His dog meant the world to him. And Felicity wasn’t a completely unreasonable person. Except for the day she left him. That had been unreasonable.
He let out a frustrated breath. Felicity was going to hate him. But he couldn’t stop looking now. He had to find Mabel.
He saw a flash of white and ran to a large bush. He crouched down. “Mabel?”
A white grocery bag was tangled up in the branches. He yanked it out and wadded it up, a bitter taste in his mouth. This was going to take forever.
Memories from when Grams had first gotten Mabel surfaced and he rubbed his temples. The little dog had taken to him right away. He’d never had an animal snuggle with him like Mabel had. He’d be sitting on the couch and she’d climb up on his shoulder. She was smaller then, just a little puppy, and she’d fit perfectly there. She would fall asleep and make cute little dog snoring noises.
She was such a small dog. The wind last night had been horrible. How could she have survived? He shook his head and resolved not to think about what might have happened. All he needed to do right now was focus on finding her. That’s all he could do.
With his heart in his throat, he continued to call for his dog.
Chapter 10
Felicity stretched out on the beach towel she’d spread out over the sand. It was a cloudy day, but every once in a while, the clouds parted and the sun peeked through. The sound of the ocean waves relaxed her and she slipped off her swimsuit cover and closed her eyes. At least she’d get a little use out of her swimsuit. It was brand new, purchased at the end of the season last year for eighty percent off. It was the nicest one-piece she’d ever had, blue with white stripes. It looked good on her, if she did say so herself.
Aiden’s face popped into her mind and she tried to shove it away. He was over an hour late now. So typical. How could he always make her feel so low? So unwanted?
A shadow crossed her face and her eyes flicked open. She sucked in a breath to chew Aiden out for being so late, but then she realized it wasn’t Aiden. A man she didn’t recognize stood beside her wearing long shorts and flip flops, a lounge chair tucked under one arm.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” The man took an awkward step back. “If you want privacy, I’ll go to the other side of the beach. I just thought I might as well introduce myself to my neighbor, if that’s okay.”
Felicity stared up at the man. He looked harmless. He reminded her of those guys at the Geek Squad, all gangly arms and legs. Thick glasses adorned his face. She motioned. “It’s fine. Have a seat.”
He set his chair down and sat. “Thanks. I’m Harold.”
“Felicity.”
“Where are you from?”
“Texas. And you?”
Harold brushed a patch of sand off his chair. His dark hair was thick and curl
y. He looked to be in his late-twenties. His skin was pale, like it hadn’t seen the sun in a long time. “Arkansas. Near the border, actually, so I’m not far from Texas.”
She squinted at him. “Huh. Small world. I live a few miles outside of Dallas. What brings you here?”
“Nothing too exciting. I was about to lose my vacation time if I didn’t take it, so I tossed a dart on the map and it landed on Belize. I’ve never been, so here I am.”
Wow. A man who could stop working and take some time off. She tried not to throw her hands up in the air and shout hallelujah. Instead, she said a very subdued, “Good for you.”
“I assume you’re here on vacation as well. You here alone?”
“Actually, I was hired to take pictures of the resort. Since it’s kind of in shambles right now, I’m just relaxing a bit.” She ignored the question about being alone. Harold seemed nice, but she wasn’t looking for a relationship, and certainly not a vacation fling. Plus, things were too weird with Aiden there at the resort.
Not that she was considering getting back together with Aiden. Sure, he made her insides melt, but she’d gone down that road before and look how that had turned out. She shifted on her towel. Maybe she shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Harold.
“Oh, so you’re a photographer?” he asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.
“Yes.”
“And they paid your way here?” His eyebrows rose high on his forehead.
Felicity tried not to snort. Right. If he thought all photographers got gigs like this, he was delusional. She should have known something was up when she was hired. “Yes.”
“Well, that’s quite the setup.”
That explained it exactly. A setup. Felicity turned the conversation around on him. “What is it you do?”
Harold’s lounge chair squeaked as he moved. “I’m a systems analyst. I know, it sounds glamorous, but it’s not really. I pretty much work with computers all day.” He grinned at her.
He was funny, in his own nerdy way. She smiled back. “It probably pays well.”
“Not too bad. At least I can afford a vacation like this every once in a while. I’d love to work for myself someday. I know what these companies pay for me to go in and fix their issues. It’s way more than I get paid.”
Her Big Fat Dreamy Billionaire Ex Page 6