She went to the bathroom, washing her face and combing out her hair. After quietly turning on her hair straightener, she ran into the bedroom to throw on some halfway decent clothing. Most of her good outfits were still in Cody, unfortunately. It took a few minutes to tame her hair into somewhat reasonable shape, and she burned her finger in her haste.
Mitch had to wait precisely seven minutes – Kayla knew that because she kept a careful eye on the time.
“Sorry about that,” she said sheepishly. “I wasn’t quite ready for guests.”
He stood up abruptly. “I’m so sorry, I can get out of your hair and let you –“
“No!” She said quickly. Wait – was he making fun of her hair? She decided not to think about it. “I’m fine now. I’d really like to hear about how you found Oliver. Would you like some tea?”
Kayla put on water for tea and spent the next half hour listening to Mitch. She realized that she never heard him talk for this long uninterrupted before – mostly because she was always interrupting him.
As much as he tried to downplay it, he was clearly the reason that Oliver was home safe. He refused to testify unless they found George, and when they found George, Mitch set out to see him immediately.
“I never took you for one to break the law,” Kayla said with a smile after hearing about Agent Simmons’ hint.
He laughed. “What do you mean? My father is a criminal. Like father, like son.”
She scoffed. “Except your father wanted to make billions of dollars, and you wanted to save one yellow dog.”
He looked up from his tea. “Is there much of a difference between the two?”
“Not to me,” she said. “Except I prefer the dog to the billions of dollars.”
“That’s a shame,” he said. “Because I decided to finally take your advice. You’re looking at New York State’s newest billionaire.”
“Shut up!” she blurted out without thinking.
He crossed his arms and his cheeks seemed to flush a little. “I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. It just took me some time to realize that you were right.”
“Did you hear that Ollie? I was right about something!”
Mitch stooped down to pat Oliver on the back. “Now don’t you go teaching him how to gloat, he already is a bit too smug when he’s supposed to bring his ball back for fetch.”
“You’re right,” Kayla replied, feigning seriousness. “I’m sorry.”
They sat for a moment in what was definitely an awkward silence. As much as Kayla wanted Mitch to accept the money, part of her never really believed that he would. And now, sitting across from her dog’s billionaire rescuer, she didn’t know what to say. It was almost as though she felt shy for a moment.
But she had to fill the silence. “So are you still going to live in Cody?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. If I’m going to spend my days funding worthy charities, I might need to spend some time in some bigger cities. I do love Cody, though. I think my first exorbitant purchase will be a little jet of my own.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I never took you as a man who liked luxury. Have I created a monster?”
He laughed. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. As much as I like the convenience, mostly I like the safety.”
“But I thought all of the guys who are out to get us are going to jail?”
Mitch nodded. “Probably all the ones coming after you will go to jail, but I may always be a target. I’ve decided to keep my fake name even though I’ve left the official witness protection program. I’ll probably need to employ my own security for the rest of my life. It’ll be a small expense, comparatively.”
“I’m not surprised that you left the program,” said Kayla with a dry tone. “Now that you’re rich, you can’t be forced to live in that shack the Marshals gave you.”
“No, in fact, I should probably level it and start over.”
They both laughed. She couldn’t think of a single person who would be less spoiled by money. She was thinking of how to respond when her phone rang. “Sorry about this, it’s my mom, one second.”
“Take your time,” he said.
Kayla answered the call. Her mom wanted to remind her that she agreed to come over for lunch before her flight back to Cody.
“Well Mom, I’ve got some good news. I have Oliver back…” She was interrupted by her mom’s squeals and slew of questions.
“Yes, I’ll still come over for lunch. Okay, I know.” Kayla sighed impatiently. “I told you, I’ll pick some up on the way.”
She closed her eyes. For some reason, Mitch seeing her barely able to get a word in was mortifying. It took her a few minutes for her to convince her mom that she would remember to bring over tortilla chips, as promised.
“I’m sorry about that,” said Kayla after she hung up.
Mitch stood and carried his tea mug over to the sink. “No, it’s time for me to get going anyways. It was nice seeing you again. Let me know if you ever need anything?”
Kayla forced herself to smile. “Yeah, of course. You too. And I didn’t get to thank you properly before, but…thank you so much for everything. For saving Oliver, and for saving me from being kidnapped.”
Mitch paused, looking deeply into her eyes for a moment. She felt her heart skip a beat.
“It was the least I could do,” he said. “But you’re welcome. Have a good rest of your day.”
The moment passed. He turned to walk to her front door.
“Thanks, you too,” she said lamely.
Kayla opened the door for him and watched him walk to his truck. He got inside and waved goodbye before he pulled away.
After she closed the door, she stood there for a moment. It was like a hurricane just blew through or something. She felt off.
She was thrilled to have Oliver back, and Mitch behaved rather heroically in finding him. Never in a million years did she think that he would break the law for any reason. Clearly, she was wrong in thinking that he was angry at her. Yet she was clearly also wrong in thinking that he liked her.
At least she had his phone number now in case she had any needs for a low key burglary or bankrolling another fundraiser.
Somehow none of that seemed like much of a consolation. She was going to miss him terribly.
Oliver hopped onto the couch and then stared at Kayla with a guilty look on his face. When she approached him, he started slowly wagging his tail, as though he was asking if his move to the couch was allowed.
“Oh it’s okay. You’re a good boy.” She stroked his head and he perked up. “We’ve been on quite an adventure, haven’t we boy? I guess it wasn’t all bad.”
Oliver took a satisfied breath before rolling over to expose his belly. Kayla sat next to him and obliged him with some belly rubs.
There was a knock at the door. Ollie leapt from the couch, barking ferociously. Kayla’s heart rate shot up – who could that be? Maybe she wasn’t entirely safe from the goons after all.
She strained her neck looking out of the side of the window to see who it was. It looked like Mitch. He must’ve forgotten something.
“Hey, what’s up?” she asked as she opened the door.
“Uh –” He was somewhat breathless, staring at her with his mouth open.
She scrunched her eyebrows. “Are you okay? Come on Mitch, use your words. Is someone after you?”
“No, everything’s fine,” he said. He took a deep breath. “I just forgot to tell you something. Silver said something to me that made it sound like you thought I was angry with you. I was never angry with you, just worried.”
“Oh,” she said, “I know. And I’m so thankful for everything. Just that – you know, for everything you did for Oliver. And my mom and dad wanted to thank you too.”
He took a step towards her. “You must know, everything I did – with Silver, with Oliver – it was all for you. I love you,” he blurted out. “And I have for a long time. I don’t expect anything from you –
but I couldn’t live with myself if you didn’t know.”
Kayla stood in her doorway, mouth hanging open.
He smiled. “Okay, well, uh, see you later.”
Mitch turned to leave; he was halfway to his car before Kayla realized what was going on and ran after him.
“Wait!” she called out. “Don’t go yet!”
He stopped and turned towards her.
She had to think of something. “You don’t even know my real name!”
He gave her a puzzled look and they both burst into laughter.
“Well, what is it?” he asked.
“It’s Alex. Alexandra Small.”
He took a step closer to her. “Well Alex, it’s very nice to meet you.”
“And I love you too,” she said breathlessly. “I’m so sorry about all of the – ”
In that moment, his lips met hers. It felt like a jolt ran through her chest. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
He was an amazing kisser.
It made sense that he would be. All evidence pointed to those strong, silent types being better with actions than words.
Epilogue
Her last patient of the day was Mrs. Higgins; she was the picture of health, as usual, and the appointment finished five minutes early.
“Now you make sure to take some of these cookies to that husband of yours,” Mrs. Higgins said sternly. “I heard that last time he didn’t get a single one!”
Alex laughed. “Only because the girls ate them all! But I’ll make sure to sneak him a few.”
“Good,” she responded, satisfied.
Mrs. Higgins always demanded to see pictures of Mitch so she could coo and say, “What a handsome young man! You’re going to have beautiful babies.”
Alex always smiled and thanked her. She didn’t tell any of her patients – or anyone, for that matter – that they started trying to conceive as soon as they were married. It wasn’t an easy thing for her to talk about because they hadn’t had any luck. Alex hoped that their luck was about to change.
She left the clinic in a rush to make it to her doctor’s appointment. Mitch was going to meet her there – he was flying in from New York City after attending a meeting to discuss funding allocation for some of their charities.
Despite hurrying the whole way there, Alex made it to the clinic two minutes late. She felt bad about being late and told the receptionist that she was sorry several times. After checking in, she sat in the waiting room for 15 minutes before being called back to a room. At least Mitch was later than she was, she reasoned.
The nurse took her weight and blood pressure, then gave her a gown to change into. Mitch came in not long after, concerned that he missed the doctor.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “They’re running even later than both of us.”
“That’s a relief,” he replied.
After a few minutes, Dr. Choi knocked gently on the door.
“So I heard that we might have some good news?” she said, shaking both of their hands.
Alex looked at Mitch, then back to the doctor. “I hope so.”
Dr. Choi turned to her computer and clicked around for a moment. “Well, your hCG levels are rising. That’s a very good sign.”
Alex squeezed Mitch’s hand but said nothing.
“Shall we have a look? I’ll get our ultrasound technician Brenda to come in.”
Alex held her breath. She still didn’t believe it to be true. Not yet at least.
Brenda came into the room, introduced herself and squirted some gel onto Alex’s abdomen. She expected it to be cold, but apparently they kept it in some sort of a warmer. How fancy.
Brenda gently pressed the wand gently against Alex’s stomach. “All right…do you see that there?”
Alex and Mitch simultaneously leaned in.
“I think so!” said Alex
“That,” said Brenda with a smile, “is your baby.”
Alex immediately burst into tears. For some reason, she couldn’t allow herself to believe that this pregnancy was real until that moment.
After a few minutes, she regained her composure. Mitch held her hand throughout, and when she looked up at him, she saw that his eyes were brimming with tears.
They received the due date and instructions for the next visit, but Alex was hardly listening. Now she knew how her patients felt when she talked too much during appointments. It was just too much to take in all at once.
She felt like her body was laying there, under the ultrasound wand, but her soul was floating at the top of the room, about to break through the ceiling tiles, through the roof, and into the clouds.
After the appointment, she still felt like she was drifting on a cloud. She and Mitch walked back to his old truck in silence.
He opened the passenger side door for her, helping her into the truck. He always did that. She thought he might stop after they were dating for a while, and then after they were married. But he insisted on it, and though she liked to tease him any chance she got, she’d never complain about that.
“Well,” he said as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “I thought I would never be happier than the day that you told me you loved me. And then I thought I would never be happier than the day that I got to marry you. But somehow, you keep outdoing yourself.”
Alex smiled, still too dazed to think clearly.
“You’re welcome,” she said.
He chuckled and pulled her in for a hug.
“It was all for the money,” she said, her voice muffled. “I never would’ve had you otherwise.”
He pulled away, eying her suspiciously. “Uh huh. I knew that was what you were after all along.”
She grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him in, planting a hard kiss on his cheek. That was a joke they could only do in private, because they tried to keep Mitch’s billions under wraps. After all, he planned to have most of it given away over the next decade.
“You’re the poorest billionaire I know, Mitch Aiken. But I love you all the same.”
He returned a delicate kiss on her cheek before starting the car. “How are we gonna break the news?”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “To our families?”
He waved a hand. “No, not them. They’re easy. I mean how are we going to tell Oliver that he’s going to be a big brother?”
“Oh dear,” she said, shaking her head. “He’s not going to get an ounce of sleep with this new baby human to protect.”
Mitch started the car. “Well, a dog’s duty is never done. He has to guard us at all times. That’s how he earns his keep.”
“That’s right,” Alex added, trying to be serious. It didn’t work and she cracked a smile. “I think Oliver will probably be the most dedicated special agent that our baby will ever know.”
He took her hand. “I think you’re right.”
She sighed deeply, enjoying the moment. Her stomach let out a loud growl.
Mitch looked over at her, a horrified look on his face. “Was that you?”
“Yeah! You’re keeping a pregnant woman waiting for dinner! What are you thinking?”
“Very sorry ma’am,” he said, speeding up the truck. “Where would you like to go?”
She tapped her chin. “Take me out for pizza again. Like we did for our first date when you couldn’t talk to me.”
He smiled. “Done. But I can’t promise that I can keep my mouth shut this time.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “I kind of like talking to you now.”
“Is that right?”
She nodded. “It is.”
“Does that mean you’re going to listen to me, then?”
She laughed. “Don’t push your luck, buddy.”
Author’s Note
Thanks for reading! I’d love to know what you thought, and reader reviews are one of the most influential factors in whether someone will give a book a chance. So, if you’ve enjoyed this book, would you please consider reviewing it?
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Introduction to Veterinarian’s Date with a Billionaire
by Amelia Addler
She needs to save her veterinary clinic. He needs to win her back. An impromptu road trip might be just what the doctor ordered.
Juliet’s in trouble. Not only is her low-cost clinic running out of money, she’s also flat broke. When she enters a competition to save the clinic, she doesn’t expect her car to break down and ruin her plans. She also doesn’t expect her charming ex-boyfriend James to appear out of nowhere and insist on chauffeuring her around.
James can't believe his good luck. He returned to his hometown to win Juliet back and almost immediately gets to come to her rescue. It’s exactly what he needs to show her that he’ll do anything to make up for his past mistakes.
Will Juliet’s theory of “never forgive or forget” be proven right? Or did heartbreak force James to become the better man that she needed?
Veterinarian’s Date with a Billionaire, a second chance romance, is part of the “Billionaire Date Book” series, but can be read as a standalone story. Not intended for audiences who don’t like smart heroines, love-struck billionaires, or cute animals. For everyone else: enjoy!
Excerpt follows:
Chapter 1
It didn’t take long for Juliet to spot her friends, laughing in a booth in a far corner of the restaurant. They didn’t see her coming. A smile spread across her face as she walked toward them.
“Well, well, well,” she said, arms crossed. “If it isn’t the Dynamic Duo of Wayside High School.”
Doctor's Date with a Billionaire Page 17