by Jolie Day
I stood in surprise and felt tears prickling at my eyes. I hadn’t expected that, but it warmed my heart with so much hope, which Charles couldn’t even begin to understand. I hugged him once more and held on tightly. I felt Miles’ hand on my back. He understood my emotion.
For the first time, Helen stood speechless by her husband’s side, fighting her own tears. I loved her. She was a true romantic, just like me, and just like Aria, Miles’ sister, whom I’d come to love just as dearly. She hadn’t been able to attend the wedding in person, because of bad weather in LA, which had ruined her travel plans, but we’d already started to bond at another, family event—Christmas. We’d been in contact ever since. She had the sweetest personality, a wonderful quirkiness, and a million freckles, which she must have inherited from Miles’ mom. Who was now my mom, too.
“Oh, Rose dear, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Charles said, rubbing a hand on my upper arm.
“No, it’s okay,” I sniffed and wiped my face, for probably the fifth time today (okay, fiftieth). “Just an emotional day, is all. Thanks, Dad.” I smiled up at him before turning to my husband and wrapping my arms around his waist.
Miles put his arm around my shoulders and held me tightly to him. “Thanks, Pops.” He looked at his father. “For everything. Without your ultimatum, I don’t think I would’ve had the courage to let myself fall for this amazing woman.” He smiled and kissed my head.
“I’m glad, son. I’m still sorry that I had to be so harsh on you, but now,” he looked at both of us, “I’m happy that I was.” He patted Miles on the back. “Now, where’s my beautiful wife? I need to ask her to dance with me.”
“Charles, I’m right here,” Helen said.
“There you are! You’ve been so silent, I thought you’d left.”
“I was just so touched! Oh, my darlings! I couldn’t be happier!”
“Thank you, Mom.” Miles leaned over and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Thank you for believing in me.”
“I knew it was true love the second I saw you two walk in,” she said. “Luckily, this grouchy bear saw it, too.” She nodded her head in her husband’s direction. “Not right away, but, he saw it.”
“Told you she’s a hopeless romantic,” Charles said to Miles. “Now, who’s ready to shake a leg?” He wiggled his eyebrows at Helen, and they were off.
We enjoyed a big hug from Juliette and a nice chat, before she excused herself to get another drink.
“Shall we?” he asked, his hand held out for me.
“We certainly shall,” I said, curtsying slightly and taking his hand.
He led me to the section of the beach that was the designated dance area.
The Hawaiian band, with their drums, guitars, and beautiful voices, was singing only to us—that’s how it felt. There were others dancing, but the musicians sang to us, while we held each other, hummed along, and swayed to the beat. I rested my head against Miles’ shoulder and enjoyed the happiness coursing through me.
I’d stayed in my new apartment for about two months, before we decided that Miles should move in with me this time. The new place had a better view and—of course—an elevator that worked, and even if it didn’t, the lights stayed on.
Needless to say, I’d declined the long-term job opportunity in the UK. We found a better solution which had seen me traveling to the UK for just one week, to coach the team. What with planning this wedding trip and creating a new home for ourselves, to say we’d been busy was an understatement. But I loved it. My life was so full of new things, new activities, and new friends. I’d never felt so loved before in my life.
However, Princess Muffin Patch, the poor thing, had hated the new place, and I couldn’t understand why. I was devastated. She would disappear, and I’d look for her for ages, all freaked out, only to find her under the furniture or, on one very stressful day, up on the roof of the building. I still don’t know how she got up there. However, once Miles moved in, she stopped hiding, and we realized that she’d just been missing him. So cute. We’d formed a happy little family.
Later in the evening—a beautiful moonlit one—our guests were quietening down and either slow dancing or sitting having quiet conversations. Some of them had even gone back to their chalets. Juliette was sitting with a handsome Hawaiian waiter, and she turned her head to me, giving me an excited look and an inaudible “he’s so freaking hot!” mouth gesture. “Hung!”
I gave her an “OMG!” mouth gesture back.
“Baby, let’s go walk by the water.” Miles squeezed my arm, amusement in his eyes, clearly having seen the whole interaction.
Just when we were turning to leave, we heard Oliver’s voice, Laney by his side. “Are we off for a quickie on the beach?” he asked, joining Damon at a table with fresh drinks for them.
We laughed at him, and I buried my head shyly against Miles’ chest.
He pointed a finger at Oliver—yep, that finger. I saw Damon chuckle behind his hand.
“I still can’t believe he proposed in the elevator, of all places. Who proposes in an elevator?” Oliver said to the group. “And, it actually worked. What the hell?”
“We’re married now, asshat,” Miles said. “It worked. It worked like a charm. I got the girl, so shut up. And now, we can have as many quickies as we want, wherever the fuck we want.” He dropped his hand.
Oliver winked at Miles.
“Actually, the idea isn’t half bad,” Miles whispered to me, “You wanna, Baby?”
I nudged him in the side. “Later, but not out here. First, let’s just walk.”
“All right.”
We turned back to the darkness of the vacant beach and strolled down until our feet were in the shallow water, with small waves lapping at our ankles. There was romantic music playing over a speaker from the reception area at the top of the beach. I felt bliss at that moment, with the stars shining brightly above and the sea murmuring beside us.
I looked up at the man of my dreams. “Ducky,” I said.
“Yeah?”
“I’ve got a proposal for you,” I said, matter-of-factly.
He looked down at me with a curious expression. “You’ve got a proposal for me?”
“Yes.”
“And what would that be?”
“But…don’t freak out.”
“Me? Never.”
“Never say never.”
“When have you ever seen me freak out? You know I’m not the freak-out-kinda-guy. Nothing freaks me out. Ever.”
“Well, let’s hope so…”
“What’s the proposal?”
“To be a daddy.” I smiled.
“What?” he asked, his head leaned to the side. His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
I put my hand on my belly. “I don’t think you have much of a choice now, though. It’s a bit late.”
Miles stood with his mouth hanging open. “You’re pregnant?” he asked, immediately grabbing my hips and pulling me closer.
“Yes.”
“Baby.” Miles wrapped his arms around my waist and twirled me through the night air as he joined in the laughter. “I’m freaking the fuck out.”
The water splashed all around us, warm droplets hitting me, and I screamed and laughed hysterically. He put me down and grabbed my cheeks, pulling my face to his to give me a wonderful kiss. When he pulled away, his eyes were filled with love and adoration, and I thought I’d melt right there. I ran my hand along his jaw and through his hair, staring into his eyes with very much the same emotion.
I was so happy. Madly happy.
We heard Juliette calling to us. “What happened? I thought I heard Rose scream!”
With a smirk on his face, Miles turned toward Jules. The other guests had joined her, even some of the staff, all staring in our direction with concern on their faces.
Miles looked at me, and I nodded excitedly.
He turned back to them and cupped his hands around his mouth before shouting at the top of his lungs.
“She’s pregnant!”
BONUS EPILOGUE: MILES
Months later
Rose laughed at something Juliette or Laney said—I imagined it was something along the lines of “men” and “clueless”—and my breath still caught at the sight of Rose and our baby.
The little man. Charlie. He’d changed my life. Just like Rose had. I couldn’t wait for the day I could start teaching him how to sail, and how to ski, and how to do all the things I’ve come to love throughout my childhood and adult years. I knew now already that I’d tell my son one day not to be afraid of heartache. Having the right person in your life can change things for the better, and you’ll never look back. I sure as hell won’t.
Rose had gotten up to get something, and I grabbed her arm, stopping her, and pulled her body to mine. She smiled and pouted her lips at me for a sweet peck.
“Uuuurgh, guys! Don’t gross me out here!” Oliver complained from right behind me. “Get a room.”
He was sitting with his hands behind his head and his legs up, chilling in the beautiful weather, as he usually did when we were sitting on our balcony. Rose had created a small garden-like jungle out here, basically turned the space into a tropical paradise. Oliver’s sunglasses were on, and I’d assumed he was asleep.
“Sorry, brother, not sorry. I love this woman too much to ever apologize for touching her.” I turned to him. “Stop fucking staring, you creep.”
I caressed my son’s hair, and Rose gave me another kiss on the cheek before she walked back inside to Juliette and Laney, who were playing with Daisy.
“Dude,” Oliver sat up on his elbows, interrupting my thoughts. “I was thinking the other day.”
“Really?” I asked, sarcastically.
“Yes, dude.”
“Uh-oh.” I sat down next to him, grabbing us two iced Cokes. After I opened one, I handed it to him.
“I just remembered everything that you went through in your freshman year… and…”
“…and?” I asked.
“I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry, man.”
I frowned at him. “For what, bro?”
Oliver sat up straight and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I feel as if I could’ve been there for you a bit more. Maybe you wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand. When Rose came along, you became a better man, just when I’d begun to assume you were incapable of change. I wanted to let you know I’m sorry for that.”
I nodded my head. We knocked fists.
“It’s okay, man,” I said firmly—well, kinda. “You were the best brother I could’ve asked for, always joining me on my crazy expeditions. You didn’t tell me I was crazy, you just said as long as you were with me, it’d be okay. That’s all that counts. If you hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t have so many great memories. Also, I don’t need another Damon in my life.” I grinned.
“That’s true.” He grinned back at me. “Too bad he couldn’t make it today.”
“Anyway, we have some great memories. Like the time we took Dad’s yacht out without asking… threw that crazy sea party and had five other boats pulling up to join us. So ballsy!”
So ballsy.
“You mean… crashing into us to join us?” I asked. We were both chuckling now.
“Yeah, that’s what I mean,” he said. “And then Dad came over in that fucking company helicopter to shout at us in front of everyone.”
“Making our balls shrink to peanuts.”
“Literally.” Oliver and I howled in laughter.
Anyway.
Speaking of Dad, I had a shit-ton of work. My idea of focusing on old industrial warehouses and empty office buildings had taken off—no surprise there, the insider tip I received had helped to acquire property for peanuts (not literally)—and there was as much work as I could handle and more. People liked the idea of rejuvenating the city and using the available resources rather than tearing down and building again.
Let’s just say, Dad wasn’t unhappy at all that I’d got my life and work together, and I was fine with that.
And before you ask, no, I never told Rose that “Ducky” saved the inheritance.
I was saving that for our next anniversary.
Or maybe the one after.
Or, until I found a better reason to invoke spanking rights. This one was just too good to let go.
We spent the rest of the day cracking up and enjoying spending time as a family.
That was how I was planning on spending the rest of my life.
Later, I held my wife as we watched the moon and stars. Never again would I miss a chance to kiss her and tell her how much I loved her—ready as I could be for our next elevator ride.
The End
Thank you for reading my novel. Damon’s book will be released in early 2022!
In the meanwhile, if you LOVED Faking It with the Billionaire Next Door, make sure you check out Billionaire Baby DADDY, available on Amazon.
I’ve included a sneak peek on the next pages.
BILLIONAIRE BABY DADDY SNEAK PEAK
OMG…I’m pregnant with a billionaire’s baby!
Two years ago, I had a one-night stand with a hot stranger.
Billionaire, Marcus Willingham.
Powerful, irresistible blue eyes, completely off-limits.
He couldn’t get to me before those two thugs grabbed me, but luckily, he was able to chase them off.
It was just supposed to be one night.
No love.
No feelings.
Certainly, no regrets.
Six weeks later I was staring at a positive pregnancy test.
He never called back, and my heart was broken.
Long story short, I married somebody else.
And that somebody else is now my ex. (Talk about a hot mess)
He’s demanding custody of a child that isn’t his.
There’s only one way to solve my problem.
I have to find the real father.
The man I swore I’d never see again.
I need to call Mr. Billionaire—and ask for his DNA.
Easy-peasy, right?
Excerpt:
This is a stupid idea.
My mind already knew it, but for some reason, my legs just kept moving forward. I searched the streets for taxis, but had trouble differentiating them from other cars. I sighed and wiped soaking-wet strands of hair from my face, heading down the street and looking for the quickest way to get home.
What a perfect ending to an already crap day, I thought.
I turned a corner at a light and continued, trying to think of what I was going to do when I got home.
Change my clothes, warm up with a mug of hot coffee, and then immediately head for bed. Sounds like a good plan.
A firm hand seized my upper arm and knocked me out of my daydream. I gasped as I was yanked backward toward the corner of two buildings. The moment was a flurry of blurred images, droplets of rain, and someone’s rough hold snatching my hair and dragging me into a darker place.
From the muted sounds of the rain, I assumed it was an alley.
I cried out in panic—the hand in my hair freaking hurt. I tripped in my shoes, attempting to struggle, and lost a heel in the chaos. Because why not? I was in a B-rated horror flick as the chick who lost a shoe and died. Was this my end? My attacker threw me to the concrete, and I tensed before my head could crack against the hard ground, buffering my fall. I scrambled to get away but nearly ran into a burly figure just behind me.
Although the rain was torrential, I clearly made out the powerful muscles and beady eyes of one of my assailants. I turned around to run but realized I was trapped by the first man who’d grabbed me. He had longer hair that hung around his face and shoulders in a stringy mess. His face was hollow, and his eyes were glazed over and full of … lust. Gross. He and his buddy were devouring my bare legs with their disgusting gazes, and my now-exposed cleavage that was heaving in br
eathless fear through my thin blouse.
“I told you one would come around.” He bumped his elbow into his muscled partner.
“Give us your money!”
“Hey, hey, it must be our lucky day.” The scraggly-looking man pointed and narrowed his eyes. “Damn. Look at those legs.”
“We should strip her down so we can make this easy. Then get her into the van.”
Like hell they would!
I panicked, struggling to find a way around my attackers. I screamed at the top of my lungs but feared my voice was lost in the pounding of the rain. I backed away, breathing heavily. I was not going to die tonight, not in a dirty alleyway, and not at the hands of dick-bags like this. Nope, I was twenty-five and had my whole life ahead of me. Screw this shit. I searched in the darkness for something I could use as a weapon, but I was immediately cut short…
A heavy motor ripped through the alley and a blast from a headlight washed over the dark space, scaring away the shadows. My attackers were lit up, and they shielded their eyes from the blinding light. A powerful motorcycle tore through the small area, forcing the two men to back away. Within seconds, the biker leapt off the seat of his ride and threw himself toward the men.
“I suggest you keep your hands off her.” His deep voice growled loudly.
The men sized him up, seemingly unimpressed at first, then I saw them staring at the MC logo on his jacket. “We ain’t got no quarrel with you, brother.”
He took a step closer. “Well, if you touch her, then you do.”
Muscle Head hiked his thumb toward me. “This your woman?”
“Yes.”
They nodded and left me to make their getaway back into the shadows.
I was left shivering and half-stooped due to a missing shoe—yes, a bit terrified—okay, a lot, and yet hopeful that the man on the bike was there to save me—and not, you know, mug me like the other two assholes. I watched in shock as he took two steps past me, staring hard into the darkness where the two men had run, and then turned toward me. He eyed me up and down for a moment, saying nothing, and then walked back to his bike and motioned for me to join him.