Millionaire Hero (Freeman Brothers Book 4)

by Natasha L. Black

  Passionately, his lips crashed into mine, and he spun me down to the bed. His hands still under me, he held me in place as he fucked me hard, a long stream of sound growling from deep in his belly. As the tension released and the wave crashed over me, he came, exploding deep inside me, and we sang together the song of our mutual orgasm. As his body jerked and his cock emptied into me, my legs vibrated and tightened around him until we were both spent, sweaty and collapsed into each other’s embrace.

  28

  Nick

  It took another round of fantastic sex to get the urge out of our systems. When we were both satisfied, at least for the time, we got dressed and settled in to finally have that talk. I brewed more of the decaf coffee and brought it into the living room with a plate of cookies. She eyed them, then looked at me.

  “I feel like there’s a theme with your family. There’s always food around,” she said.

  I nodded, laughing. “That is definitely the truth. Mom always says she had to feed our father first, then she raised four boys, and after having a house full of five boys, she never knew when to stop. Everything warrants massive amounts of food. Good things. Bad things. Neutral things. Things that aren’t really things. All of them… food.”

  “Things that aren’t really things?” Bryn asked. “Like what?”

  “Like Tuesdays,” I said, and she smiled.

  “Well, this is something I could definitely get used to. Maybe not so much the decaf coffee. I miss the caffeine. This one isn’t so bad, though. A lot of decaffeinated coffees just kind of taste like bitter water,” she said.

  “I’m glad you like this one,” I said. “If you’re going to have to get used to not having regular coffee, then I am, too.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Bryn said. “Just because I have to be without caffeine doesn’t mean you do.”

  “Yes, I do. You didn’t make that baby by yourself, and you’re not going to go through caffeine withdrawals by yourself.”

  “That’s so romantic,” she said with a teasing lilt in her voice. “But, seriously, I appreciate you even considering doing that. It means a lot to have your support.”

  “Of course you have my support. You have anything you need from me. I want to know everything. Starting with why you didn’t tell me sooner. Why didn’t you call me from the doctor’s office? Or come see me after the appointment?” I asked.

  The smile melted away from her face, and Bryn shook her head. “I should have. I know I should have. If I knew someone who was going through a situation like this, I would absolutely say she should have told the father immediately. But looking at somebody else’s situation from the outside and actually going through it yourself are completely different.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Like I said, I didn’t even consider the idea that I could be pregnant. I was feeling sick and tired, but that’s exactly how I felt when I had the stomach virus. It wasn’t anything different. And because of my birth control, my periods tend to be irregular. It isn’t so uncommon for me to have a month where it’s really light, or even barely noticeable. I figured that’s what was happening. There wasn’t even a second when the thought crossed my mind that I would walk into that doctor’s office and she would tell me I was going to have a baby,” Bryn said.

  “I’m sure that was a shock,” I said.

  “That’s an understatement,” she said. “I just sat there, trying to get it through my head. Then suddenly she was handing me a bunch of information, giving me the name and contact information for a prenatal care program, giving me a prescription for vitamins. Everything was happening so fast. I barely even had a chance to process it before everything was coming down on me.”

  “I still don’t understand why you didn’t call me,” I said. “I get that it was a lot coming at you, but that seems like even more reason to call me. You shouldn’t have had to deal with all that alone. From that first moment, you should have had me there with you so we could try to figure everything out together. I would think we had built up enough of a friendship at least that you could have done that.”

  “That’s the thing, though,” Bryn said. “Had we?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Things were going well between us. We were getting along and having fun together. I felt comfortable with you. It was almost too good, and then that’s exactly what it ended up being. Things went too far, we ended up in bed together, then you went radio silent. Everything became about the investments. Which is fine. There was never any expectation that we were together or anything. But that scared me. I didn’t know how you were going to react, or if you would think I got pregnant on purpose,” she said.

  “I would never think something like that about you,” I said.

  “I wanted to think that. But, again, our relationship was in such a strange place. I didn’t know if we were friends or just business associates. And if one of them would be better than the other in this type of situation. It’s not like I had ever gone through this before. It was completely unprecedented. You had already done so much for me, and I felt like somehow, I had messed things up.”

  “You never should have felt that way. I can understand that you were scared. I’ve never been through this, either. But I wish you had talked to me. I wish you had just come to me and let me be there for you. And, damn it, I wish I had reached out and talked to you. If we had just been grown-ups and actually talked to each other, then the last months of us both wanting each other wouldn’t have happened,” I said.

  “It wouldn’t have?” Bryn asked, sounding slightly breathless.

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “Because here’s the thing. I didn’t want it to just be one night with you. To be totally honest, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted. Except to spend more time with you. But I didn’t want to push you, or to make you feel like I was putting any type of pressure on you. Considering you had just gotten out of a not so great relationship, and that was actually how we met in the first place, and that we had a business arrangement, I didn’t want things to be uncomfortable for you.”

  Bryn laughed quietly. “And I wanted to put the ball in your court. I didn’t want you to feel like I was on the rebound or taking advantage of you. I figured you would let me know if you were interested in anything else. When you didn’t, I decided that meant we were just going to put that night behind us and work together.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, at least now we know we need to communicate a little bit better. I promise I will do my best.”

  “So will I,” she said. “I’m sorry I hesitated. I really would have liked to have you be a part of it from the beginning. Nobody else knows. So I’ve just been kind of going through the last couple weeks figuring it out on my own.”

  “Moving forward, I don’t want you to ever hesitate to call me. I want to know everything. I want to be there through everything,” I said.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  An idea popped into my head. “So, as you can probably imagine, I’m sure my family is champing at the bit to find out everything they possibly can. We’re having a family dinner tonight. Usually we have them on Sundays, but things got thrown off this week because of different schedules, so we’re doing it tonight. This week it’s at my parents’ house. I’d like you to come with me.”

  Bryn looked hesitant. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’m up to something like that quite yet. Not after the embarrassing scene I made at the compound. I feel like I just need a little bit more time to overcome that before I face all of them again. Maybe I could talk to them a couple at a time, rather than having the entire group together like that.”

  “I understand,” I said. “They can be a lot. Especially when you’re the center of attention, which I promise you would be. Take your time. They can wait.”

  “Are you sure? “Bryn asked.

  “Absolutely. When you’re ready, you can see them. And, honestly, after what she pulled, I feel like I should pr
obably have a talk with my mother before you see her again,” I said.

  We spent a little more time together before Bryn got dressed and I brought her back to her car. She looked tense as we drove onto the compound. Her eyes looked back and forth like she was looking for a member of my family to pop out and ambush her. But no one was there that day, so she got to her car without incident.

  I pulled her in for a tight hug, enjoying the way she wrapped her arms around me in return. As I held her close, I thought about the incredible reality that while I held her, I also cradled our baby. It was still so tiny, such a long way to grow, but it was there. Nestled within Bryn was our child, and I felt a sudden incredible surge of protectiveness.

  As soon as she drove away, I headed for my parents’ house. But I wasn’t looking forward to a nice, relaxed dinner together with everybody. In fact, I hoped the other members of the family weren’t there yet. There were some things I needed to say, and the rest of the family didn’t need to be there for it.

  I walked into the house and noticed the sliding glass door leading out to the backyard was standing open. My parents’ voices drifted in, and I knew they were out with the grill getting the food ready. I walked straight outside, and my father waved a pair of tongs at me from across the patio.

  “Hey, Nick,” he said. “You’re early. That means you get food prep duty. Grab a knife.”

  “Hey, Dad. I’m actually not planning on staying for dinner tonight,” I said.

  “You’re not?” he asked.

  “No. I just came by because I have a few things I need to say to Mom.”

  “To me?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I said, walking over to where she sat on one of the cushioned lounge chairs.

  She sat up straighter and looked at me with wide-eyed anticipation. “Is this about the baby? Bryn isn’t with you? Oh, I was hoping you would bring her along. I want to know absolutely everything. And I have some tips I can give her. You know, when we were talking the other day, I had a feeling there was something she was hiding. A little secret. Women can just tell these things.”

  “Mom, stop,” I said firmly.

  “What?” she asked, sounding startled.

  “You need to stop,” I said again. “Stop all this nonsense.”

  “Don’t speak to your mother so harshly,” Dad said.

  I ignored him. “You need to understand just how unhappy I am right now. I’d like to know why you thought it was funny to spam a girl I’m not even dating with wedding crap. Especially right after she went through an awful breakup. And after I specifically told you I’m not ready to settle down right now. It’s not okay. It really upset Bryn. You need to let me make my life decisions for myself and accept that I might not always make the ones you want me to.”

  “That’s really enough, son,” Dad said. “Whatever your mother might have done, she’s still your mother. You shouldn’t speak to her that way.”

  “It’s fine,” I said, holding up my hands. “I’m done. I said what I needed to say.”

  My mother didn’t say anything, and there were no signs of tears in her eyes. I still felt a hint of guilt as I walked away, but it needed to be done. I needed to protect Bryn and our child at all costs. That included making sure she felt safe and respected.

  The confrontation with my mother over, I headed back home. I wanted to look even more into how I could grow Bryn’s investments. I was more than capable of supporting both of them, but I had a feeling she wouldn’t accept that. She was far too independent, now more than ever, and she would want to feel capable of taking care of herself and the baby on her own as much as possible.

  But maybe I could convince Bryn to use a good portion of her returns for a college fund.

  29

  Bryn

  Monday morning came, and everything felt fresh. A fresh day, a fresh week, and a fresh perspective.

  I got up and went into the kitchen for a cup of the decaf coffee Nick sent home with me. It was hilarious to see the full shelf of bags of the coffee lined up in his pantry. It looked like he’d bought a stash that would get us through the entire pregnancy. That was when I learned Nick preferred to buy whole-bean coffee for his house. He ground the beans every morning before making his coffee.

  When he offered me a couple of bags of the coffee to bring back to my house with me, I told him I didn’t have a grinder. That seemed to shock him and measurably so, as if he couldn’t imagine anyone who considered themselves a fan of coffee to go about life with only pre-ground beans. He packed up his own grinder to send home with me, saying he would just stop and get another one.

  It made me laugh at the time, but now that I stood in the kitchen grinding beans for the second morning in a row, it felt more meaningful. Not only did the coffee taste much better, but just breathing in the smell of the beans as they were ground reminded me of Nick. It made my heart warm, and I felt taken care of. He really was trying in every way he could to let me know he was there for me.

  I was still upset about Minnie and the stunt she had pulled with the wedding planning, but I felt much better about everything else after my conversation with Nick. I could feel myself falling for him a little more every day. But I was in no way ready for a wedding. Not to anyone. And certainly not just because I was pregnant. What we had right now was nice. It was thoughtful and fun.

  That was enough for me right then. I was happy about the way he reacted to the news about the baby. It was better than I’d even allowed myself to consider, and for now, I was going to take that as a blessing. I just wanted to live in the moment.

  The taste of the decaf coffee did well tricking my body into thinking it should be awake, and I was relying on that lasting throughout my pregnancy. With one mug already in me, I poured another and started breakfast. As I ate, my mind went to Trish. After much soul-searching, I’d come to the conclusion over the last few days that she really was my best friend. Which meant I should call her.

  I wasn’t planning on revealing the baby news to anybody but Nick for a little while. My plan was when I told him about the pregnancy, I would tell him I wanted to keep things quiet for at least the next couple of months while we worked through the situation together. Not revealing the pregnancy until the three-month mark was already considered traditional, so it made sense.

  But blurting it out in the middle of the kitchen at the racing compound in front of almost everybody in his family, save only his father, Gus, kind of threw that plan right out the window. It was all out in the open now, so it was probably time to go ahead and tell Trish. I didn’t want her to hear it from someone else and be upset I didn’t tell her myself.

  “Bryn! I’m so happy to hear from you. How are you doing? Please tell me you’ve just been so busy heating up the sheets with Nick Freeman you haven’t been able to come up for air.”

  “Not exactly,” I said. “But I do have a lot to catch you up on.”

  “Oooo, that sounds juicy,” she said.

  “Why don’t we have lunch tomorrow? Are you available?” I asked.

  “Of course I am! You just tell me where and when, and I’ll be there,” she said.

  Right as she was saying it, I heard a knock on my front door. I held back a massive sigh so she didn’t think it was a commentary on her and rubbed my eyes with my fingers. Minnie up to her tricks.

  “I’ll shoot you a text in the morning and let you know,” I said. “But right now, I’ve got to go. There’s someone at my door.”

  “See you tomorrow!” Trish said happily.

  I was tempted to not even open the door. The delivery driver would just leave whatever it was this time sitting on the porch and head on his way. I’d still have to deal with it one way or another. Unless I called Nick and told him what his mother did. Then he could deal with it. Or call her and make her come pick it up.

  There was another, softer knock, and I walked over to the door.

  Standing up on my toes, I looked through the peephole, hoping to catch a glimpse of what the
driver was holding. But I didn’t see a delivery driver. And I didn’t see a box sitting on my porch.

  I stepped back from the door and took a few seconds to gather myself and figure out how I was going to handle this before opening the door. Minnie lifted her head and looked at me. Her expression was chagrined and remorseful. In front of her she clutched a large pale yellow gift bag filled with tufts of mint green and creamy ivory tissue paper.

  “Minnie,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

  She looked up at me. “You have every right to tell me to leave if you want to. I wouldn’t blame you. But I would appreciate if you didn’t.”

  I wish I could say I immediately stepped back and let her into my home. But I didn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to. After what she put me through, I was hesitant to let her get any closer to me. But she truly did look like she felt bad, so I finally let out a sigh and stepped back, gesturing for her to come inside.

  “Come in,” I said.

  “Thank you.”

  I shut the door behind us and gestured for her to follow me into the living room. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No, thank you. I don’t want to take up too much of your time,” she said.

  “I’m just going to make myself some tea,” I said.

  My stomach was starting to ripple a little bit, but I couldn’t tell if it was from the morning sickness or just the nervousness and anxiety of being around Nick’s mother without him there as a buffer. I went into the kitchen and put the pot on to start warming the water. Searching around in my cabinet, I pulled down a box of raspberry chamomile tea.