Best Friend’s Big Brother: Older Man Younger Woman Romance (Tall, Dark and Handsome Billionaires Book 1)

by J. P. Comeau

  But waking up without her next to me was pure torture.

  That morning I had rolled over and went to hold her, only to be greeted by cold sheets. I longed to feel her head on my shoulder every day, peacefully sleeping as the sun began to rise outside of my bedroom window. I wanted to see her look up at me and smile, make a comment about not being able to have coffee, and then watch her get ready for work.

  “I can’t wait for some of that blueberry pie, especially since blueberries are in season right now,” I said, trying to distract her from the silence in the room.

  Margo moaned while polishing off the rest of her lasagna. It reminded me of her moans during sex, and when she saw the look on my face, she giggled.

  “Hey, I didn’t say anything,” I replied while chuckling.

  Margo couldn’t help but be sexy, though, regardless of what she was doing. She even portrayed sexiness when she walked around my house.

  Our house.

  “How was work today, Chase?”

  I took a longer sip of water than was necessary, just to stall the conversation as much as possible. “It was all right. Nothing too major happened. Same stuff, different day.”

  She nodded while helping herself to another serving of lasagna.

  “Yep. Although, that’s not always the case at my job. Every client wants something different, and half of the time, they don’t even know what that is.”

  Both of us burst out laughing, but it wasn’t long before it went back to an awkward silence.

  The upstairs neighbors were now dancing to what sounded like house music, and it got so loud that our dinner plates started to shake. Margo kept her head focused on her plate, slowly eating as we were forced to listen to music so loud my ears felt like they’d start bleeding. I kept thinking about our baby growing up in that apartment, even if it was just for the first year or two. Poor Margo and the baby would get woken up at all hours of the night, and I’d be at home, all alone in an oversized bed.

  “Is something on your mind, Margo? You seem a little quiet tonight.”

  “Nope, just focusing on my food. This pregnancy has been giving me crazy cravings lately.”

  Even though I wasn’t hungry anymore, I put another slice of lasagna onto my plate and slowly forced myself to eat it. The two of us sat in silence for a while, and when I couldn’t bring myself to eat anymore, I folded my napkin on the table. “Well, I am officially full. That blueberry pie will have to wait until later on this evening.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Margo said while taking her fork and biting right into the pie. Both of us giggled as she devoured it, then rubbed her belly. “I do that to tell the little one that it’s for both of us.”

  Hearing her call our baby “little one” tugged at my heartstrings, and I couldn’t take it anymore. Not to mention the dancing was so intense that the water in our glasses was starting to shake.

  As Margo put down her fork a few minutes later, I decided just to spell it out.

  “All right, it’s time we address the big elephant in the room, Margo.”

  She gave me a surprised look, but I could tell that it wasn’t genuine. “What are you talking about?”

  I smiled, reassuring her that it was okay. “Look, you and I both know what’s not being said, Margo, so I’m just going to come right out and say it. Would—”

  “Maybe we could build that guesthouse, and I could help pay for some of it!”

  Her words stopped me dead in my tracks. I leaned back in my chair and stared at her in bewilderment, wondering what the hell she was even talking about. Not once during our relationship did I ever mention building a guest house. In fact, that had never been on my to-do list. Anyone visiting me could stay in any of my guest bedrooms.

  “Margo, what in the world are you talking about?” I chuckled after asking her, hoping to ease the tension in the room.

  She simply groaned while putting her head in her hands. “A few weeks back, Ginger and I were talking in the break room at work. She mentioned that you and I should be discussing our living arrangements, and you know what? She’s right, Chase. I just can’t hold this in anymore, and it’s been eating at me ever since that day.”

  “Margo, I want you to be able to speak to me whenever something’s on your mind. And don't think for one second that I'm going to run. If anything that matters to me right now, it is your comfort, no matter the circumstance.”

  Tears formed in her eyes as she smiled. “Do you really mean that, Chase?”

  I nodded. “Of course I do, Margo. Why wouldn’t I? And I’m not just with you because you’re pregnant, either. I’m with you because I want to be with you. I’m with you because you are the person I’m supposed to be with. And I genuinely mean that.”

  The two of us held each other’s hands for a while, reassuring each other that we weren’t going anywhere. A huge smile formed on her face.

  “You have no idea how much your words have relaxed me, Chase, because I don’t know if bouncing a baby between two places is all that healthy. But I want your opinion. What do you think? And please be completely honest with me.”

  Feeling relieved at her question, I smiled before taking a seat that was much closer to her. “I could make this sweet, or I could make this short, and I don't think either of us can take sweet right now because it has taken us much too long to ask this question.” As tears ran down her face, I kissed the back of each of her hands before blurting out the question. “Margo, will you move in with me?”

  “Yes, Chase! I’ll move in with you!”

  As the two of us embraced, right there at her kitchen table, I slowly moved my face down to her stomach. I rested my chin on her little pouch, thinking about our little one growing inside of her. Everything in my life was coming together. This was exactly what I had been missing: a family. All of my long hours at work would finally mean something. I wouldn’t just be making a lot of money because I could but because I had obligations. And maybe my friends who were absentee fathers would take a hint and get more involved in their own children’s lives.

  The rest of my life was finally slipping into place. I pushed my chin a little farther into Margo’s pouch, and for the very first time, I felt the baby move. Tears streamed down my face as I realized that maybe, just maybe, our son or daughter knew that I was next to him or her on the other side.

  “I felt that too,” Margo said while running her hands through my hair.

  I might have become one of the most successful tech titans in the world and had the ability to buy pretty much anything that I wanted, but nothing was better than what I was experiencing in that moment. Margo and the baby were all that mattered to me and would be for the rest of my life.

  Epilogue

  Margo

  One Year Later

  I slowly opened my eyes and stared up at the wall. It was still hard to believe that Chase and I lived together, and everything had been going so well. Usually, I’d roll over and hug him, but my intuition told me to look at the time. Something felt off, and when my eyes landed on the alarm clock, I realized why: it was eight o’clock in the morning and I was just waking up. Joanna usually woke me up with her crying long before eight, which meant she was probably crying in her nursery.

  I jumped out of bed, looked for my slippers, and then stubbed my toe on the edge of the dresser. After yelling a few profanities, I gave up the search for my slippers and settled for Chase’s house shoes. He always left them right in front of his dresser, and even though they were considerably larger than mine, they would have to do. My feet had always been unusually cold, which Chase found adorable. Not once since I had moved in did he see me walking around the house without slippers on my feet.

  How could I have slept through Joanna crying? Gah, I am the worst mother!

  I dashed toward Joanna’s nursery, continuing to chastise myself for sleeping through her cries. Every morning she woke me up, and I hated that I couldn’t sleep right next to her crib. But Chase reminded me that we were just
fine, especially since we had the baby monitor to alert us when we were needed. The moment she let out any kind of noise, I jolted up and out of sleep and was at her crib within seconds. Chase also found that funny, remarking that just because Joanna made a sound didn’t mean I needed to check on her.

  By the time I got to Joanna’s nursery, I was an emotional wreck. All I wanted to do was wrap her in my arms while apologizing profusely, telling her that Mommy would never sleep through her cries again. Ever since I had given birth to her, I was obsessed with doing everything I could to protect her. If it were possible, I would hold her in my arms all the time. Just knowing I hadn’t been there for her that morning was killing me.

  But when I got to the nursery, I stopped dead in my tracks.

  I peered around the doorway, and all I heard was cooing. My eyes landed on Chase, who was holding Joanna in the air. She looked delighted to be back in the arms of her daddy, and it was clear as day that he was just as happy to be with her. When I moved to Miami Beach after graduating from college, a over a year ago, I never imagined that I could be so utterly happy. And yet there I was watching the love of my life take care of our daughter so I could sleep in a little later.

  I leaned against the doorway and stared at them both, not wanting to ruin this precious moment.

  The past year had been a whirlwind of changes. Right after moving in with Chase, he did everything he said he would do. He turned the nearest guest bedroom into a nursery and even hired a professional decorator to pull it all together. He took care of all of my doctor appointments, making sure they were scheduled when I didn’t have morning sickness and rescheduling them when I just didn’t feel like going. Chase didn’t like it when I canceled because I was tired, but I reminded him that hormone fluctuations did that to a woman.

  Once we knew we were having a girl, we had the nursery painted a soft white with pink trim. The crib I wanted had sold out, so Chase contacted the seller directly and asked that they make me one. At first, they declined, saying that it was a limited edition, but he paid them a pretty penny to have it made. I joked that after spending so much money on a crib, that we’d be passing it down to our future children. Chase may have come from money, but I hadn’t, and I repeatedly told him that just because you have money doesn’t mean you should spend money. The custom crib was a good investment, though, and Joanna seemed to enjoy sleeping in it.

  Our home was also fully stocked with everything we could ever need. At all hours of the night, we had access to diapers, baby powder, baby formula, and anything else that little Joanna relied upon.

  He had even found lotions that I hadn’t heard of before, mainly because they were top-of-the-line, and as a result of Joanna never had a diaper rash. Her skin was always baby soft because he researched the very best baby soap and shampoo and then made sure that we had plenty of it on hand. The only thing I wanted was more time with both of them, although we were almost always together. By the time little Joanna was born, I was head over heels in love with Chase Bowers.

  He had stepped up to the plate and proven to be the father that she deserved. Sometimes I just sat back and watched the two of them interact. Even though she couldn’t talk yet, he was continually talking to her with the hopes that she’d speak earlier than most children. He wanted to see her succeed in life, and often told me what colleges he wanted her to go to. I told him to relax and enjoy her childhood years because they’ll go fast.

  Chase saw me standing in the doorway. “There’s Mommy, Joanna! Do you wanna see Mommy?”

  As she blew spit bubbles, Chase handed me our daughter. His voice was enough to bring me out of my trance, and I clutched Joanna tightly to my chest while Chase kissed my cheek. He smelled so good, regardless of the time of the day. I often told him that he had cologne embedded in his DNA.

  “Good morning,” I said to him.

  “Good morning to you, too,” he replied while spanking my butt.

  It was those small moments of affection that I truly enjoyed about our relationship. The ones in between the more significant romantic gestures, like when Chase sent me roses out of the blue or took me out to dinner. Just knowing that we truly loved each other was enough for me.

  The three of us made our way downstairs, where Chase cooked the two of us breakfast, and I nursed Joanna. I loved sitting at the table, watching him cook first thing in the morning. He had that sexy stubble on his face, and seeing him take care of me filled me with love. Chase was also one hell of a chef, and I appreciated that he never had another slice of bacon in the kitchen. He had even sworn not to eat it outside of the house because he didn’t want me to have me smell it on his breath.

  I had always had a strong sense of smell, too.

  Joanna continued to nurse while Chase flipped the pancakes. I didn’t know what he did to make them so good, but they were some of the best I had ever had. He said it was because he used fresh whole milk and made the batter from scratch. Whereas I always used the box kind.

  It worked for me.

  I smiled as Chase put out some fresh fruit to go with our breakfast. He took plenty of notes at our doctor’s appointments when I was pregnant, and he often reminded me that as long as I was nursing, it was imperative that I consume as many nutrients as possible. He was constantly having fresh fruit delivered to the house, which I didn’t mind. Florida had some of the best fruit I had ever tasted.

  He started to plate up the pancakes just as Joanna finished nursing, which was perfect because I was starving. My stomach had been growling since the moment I woke up and only continued to get louder as the smell of pancakes wafted throughout the kitchen.

  The great thing about Chase’s job is that it allowed him to work from home, and he had been doing that a lot since I gave birth. He always wanted to be on hand to help with the baby. He even told me on numerous occasions that I never had to work again, but of course, I didn’t take him up on that offer. Being a beautician had been my lifelong dream, and as soon as Joanna was older, I had every intention of going back to work and rebuilding my clientele. By that time, Chase and I decided that we’d hire a nanny, and of course, he insisted that she’d be the best nanny in the business.

  I loved his attention to detail.

  As Chase and I sat down to breakfast, I reminded him about the party that evening. “Remember the party tonight, Chase. Guadalupe’s throwing a party to celebrate Ginger graduating from college, and all of the spa’s clientele will be there too. Plus, Guadalupe wants to celebrate Ginger becoming their new accountant."

  “I haven’t forgotten. Guadalupe's niece is going to watch Joanna, right?”

  “Yep,” I said while taking a bite of my pancake. “And don’t worry, Guadalupe’s niece is fully qualified to take care of her while we’re at the party. She’s a sweetheart and has all of our contact information.”

  Chase moved closer to us and smiled, right before kissing the top of my head.

  “What’s going on,” I said while staring at him quizzically.

  “I have something for you, Margo.”

  “Chase, you need to stop buying me gifts. I told you that I’m perfectly happy with everything I have, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

  “I beg to differ.” Chase pulled out a small velvet box and then nodded at me to open it.

  As soon as I did, the biggest, most beautiful diamond ring stared back at me. Tears welled in my eyes as I looked at it and then again at Chase.

  “Chase, what is this?”

  “Margo, I love you with everything inside of me. In fact, I don’t even think ‘love’ begins to describe how much you mean to me. It pains me to know that our daughter has my last name, but you don’t.”

  I giggled while staring into his mesmerizing eyes. “Well, maybe I’ll keep my last name and take the ring anyway.”

  He held his hands up and laughed back. “Look, as long as you marry me, I don’t care what the hell you do with your last name!”

  “Wait,” I said, “are you serious, Cha
se? Are you asking me to marry you?”

  Chase stood up, took both the baby and me into his arms, and stared into my eyes. “Yes, Margo. That’s what I’m asking you. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes, Chase! I will marry you! Yes, yes, yes!”

  Chase slipped the ring onto my finger and kissed me several times.

  “I was waiting for the party day to give you the ring since it’d be the perfect place to show it off. I know it’s to celebrate Ginger graduating from college, but she won’t mind. Besides, she’ll be thrilled that we’re getting married.”

  Both of us burst out laughing, and right at that minute, Chase’s phone rang.

  As he talked with what sounded like Jorge, I went back to eating my pancakes and nuzzling Joanna.

  “Jorge,” Chase said into the phone. “What’s going on?” Pause. “Oh, really?” Pause. “So, you’re back in town and will be at Ginger’s graduation party tonight?”

  My cellphone went off with a text message alert, and I looked down to see that it was from Ginger.

  Ginger: Guess who I just got a text from?

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