The Billionaire's Accidental Bride (12 page)

"You're such a cynic!" Natalie half-laughed. "Why are you holding back from him? It seems to me like he's really making an effort to show you that he wants to be there for you and Alice."

"I know he does, but the question is
in what way
does he want to be there for us?" Annaya sighed heavily and stirred her coffee absent-mindedly. "I guess I'm just worried that he's in this honeymoon phase and reality hasn't struck him yet. I mean, look at his life and the women he's had. How long until he gets bored of me and Alice? And what will I do if he tries to shrug us off?"

"Do you think he will?"

"I just don't know."

"I think you're being paranoid. Take a risk Annie, for once in your life, and I don't mean skinny-dipping or skydiving or any other of those ‘risks’ you're so proud of. I'm talking about actually doing something that scares you. Stepping into a situation when you know you've got something to lose. You've been the same forever. You never give guys a fair chance."

"That's not true. I just don't waste my time when I know it's not right. When you know, you know, right?"

"And what about Jack? Do you
know
?"

Annaya sighed again. She thought she knew. Then again, thinking she knew wasn't the same as
knowing
she knew. What did she actually know? Only that she trembled when he was near her and that she missed him every day that he was gone. She avoided the question and its difficult answer.

"What was it like with Daniel?"

"I knew," Natalie chuckled. "It was just the way he made me feel."

"Like?"

"Like I was beautiful and smart and wanted. Butterflies. Mad about him. I don't know, Annaya. It was just all those things you read about in romance novels. Fireworks, and all the rest. I went weak at the knees every time I saw him and wanted to spend every second of every day with him. I was more scared of losing him than any other guy I'd ever been with."

Everything Natalie said rang true for Annaya. Jack made her feel all those things and more, and the thought of the handsome billionaire finding a younger, more adventurous or more glamorous woman to replace her made her stomach clench in fear. She never wanted to be without him. Why was she holding back?

In reality, she knew why. It was because right now, while their relationship was undefined, nothing was on the line. She still had the choice to dive right in or pull away without doing too much damage. Yet, if she
did
choose to dive in and put everything into her and Jack, then she created the possibility that she could lose it all.

If they found that, once together, they got under each other's feet, or argued all the time, or had problems, then she'd risk losing what they had right now; as lukewarm and difficult to understand as it was. She could lose him altogether to resentment or anger or nostalgia, and Annaya just didn't want that to happen.

"You have to take a leap of faith sometime, Annaya," Natalie advised kindly. "Besides, this would just be a visit, right? Go out there for a few weeks and see how you feel."

"You're right. I'll go there. Meet his father again. See what Vegas is like with a newborn. See what Jack is like with a family. God, Natalie, the whole thing terrifies me."

"That's a good thing," Natalie laughed. "It means it's something you really want to work out. I've got my fingers crossed for you, Annaya. I hope it does work out. He's just like Prince Charming."

Chapter10

Annaya cringed as she stepped into the foyer. The last time she'd been here, Jack had proposed to her. The memory of him down on one knee for all the wrong reasons still made her feel embarrassed, but at least now she could look back on it and laugh, knowing that he'd done it out of panic and noble intentions. She looked up at the tall ceilings and those chandeliers and marveled again at just how much she'd turned down when she'd said no.

This time, she wasn't alone when she stepped into the mansion. Jack had come all the way to California to help her fly out with Alice and all her baby things and they arrived together at the Casali Estate, which still took Annaya's breath away, although Jack navigated his way around the palatial home with aristocratic ease.

It was remarkable how comfortable he was in these surroundings and Annaya had to admit that there was something very attractive about a man so comfortable in luxury. It gave Jack an air of sophistication and power that was very appealing, although Annaya knew him well enough by now to know that there was always more than what was on the surface.

She wouldn't be staying at Jack's place this time, but in the mansion itself with Jack's father, Alice's grandfather. The thought made Annaya's mind boggle. Although she and Jack were not anything defined right now and she had no right to any of this extravagance, her daughter was related to all of it by blood. Her grandfather was the billionaire who had commissioned this glorious building and brought in millions of dollars month after month. Her father was the one who would take it all after Brandon died.

Yes, Annaya's little girl had an incredible life ahead of her and it made Annaya's head spin to wonder at how she was going to manage to raise a daughter with a foot in both worlds. How would little Alice ever appreciate her mother's home-cooked meals and pot plants when there was a swimming pool and horses at Daddy's house? It made Annaya uncomfortable to think that she'd ever had to compete with Jack for her daughter's affections, but they were the sort of worries that came to the surface when surrounded by such incredible wealth.

Annaya picked up her daughter from her pram and cradled her closely to her chest. Thank God she was still so small and innocent and too young to care for diamonds. Thank God that she was still just a baby who wanted nothing more than her stuffed giraffe to keep her happy and an occasional hug from Mummy.

"Should I take her for a while?" Jack offered.

The new mother had been incredibly protective of her daughter throughout the flight. Annaya hadn't like the way that the poor little baby had howled at the discomfort of the plane's altitude and had felt wary of everyone else in the lines at security, as though strangers wanted to do her daughter harm. Annaya was a lioness when it came to her baby girl and she hadn't even relinquished Alice to Jack on the journey. Now her father was holding out his arms expectantly, wanting to help and have his own chance to be close to his child.

Annaya smiled and gently passed the little bundle over. Jack's eyes still lit up in awe every time he caught sight of his little girl and his strong, powerful arms became a cradle for her when he held his baby. The second he took Alice into his arms, his polished, playboy billionaire exterior dropped off like an old coat, and beneath it was a natural father and family man. Annaya still wasn't sure which was the real Jack, or how long this family man would remain.

"She loves her daddy," she said softly, smiling at the sight of Jack cuddling his daughter.

"Daddy loves her. I know who else is going to love her, too. It's time for Alice to meet my father."

It made the guest nervous to know that she would be coming face-to-face with Brandon again. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the man. He'd been so hospitable and welcoming when she'd last been here, but then she'd come to find that he'd been manipulating the situation the whole time, trying to nudge her into an engagement with his son.

She had no idea how he would feel about her now that she'd said no. She wanted to hold onto Jack's hand for comfort as they headed towards the sitting room to meet him, but the father of her child had his arms full with Alice, so Annaya had no choice but to let her own hands fall loosely at her sides and to bite down nervously on her lip, awaiting her second introduction to the original Casali billionaire.

Brandon was waiting for them in the sitting room and he was not as Annaya remembered. The last time she'd seen him, he'd been a picture of health and brute force: a large and sturdy presence, with a steady stance and broad shoulders. Now he seemed like a shadow of that man: weak, shaky and hunched over. He'd aged a hundred years since she'd last seen him and was sitting in a wicker chair by the window with a blanket over his now thin legs. She looked up at Jack questioningly and he lowered his voice to explain to her.

"He's not in good health."

"I know that, but I didn't expect..."

"I know."

Annaya suddenly felt a surge of sympathy for Jack. She’d always taken her own family for granted, but she could understand now why Jack was so keen to have her and Alice around. It was bad enough to be on your own in life, but how much lonelier must it feel to be on your own and rattling around in a place as big as this?

Surely it must have been weighing on Jack's mind that soon his father would be gone and then he'd be in Vegas all in his own in palaces not built for one. She laid a hand on the back of his arm comfortingly and he seemed surprised at her touch, which was the most tender she'd offered in a while. He smiled at her gratefully and then carried his daughter over to his father.

"Dad, this is my daughter, Alice, and you remember Annaya."

"How could I forget? A pleasure to see you again, my dear."

"Nice to see you, Brandon."

They greeted each other like they were old friends, even though the last time they had met had been a strange occasion, which had ended in an even more bizarre twist. It seemed that they'd all chosen to put all that behind them now and they sat together around a low, ornate coffee table. They had  a  conversation that could have been had between any man and his son and daughter-in-law on any ordinary day. Annaya wasn't sure how to react to such a familiar greeting, but she decided to smile and act like this was the most normal thing in the world: just her, her billionaire lover and his dying father, and her newborn daughter, who would be heiress to it all.

*

Jack's duties hadn't stopped just because Annaya was visiting and while she and Alice were at home with his father, it was down to him to get on with business. That was how he'd found himself at the country club on a Wednesday afternoon to meet with a shareholder. The meeting went well, but it was after the shareholder had left that the trouble started.

The billionaire's ex, Hannah, was there again and Jack rolled his eyes. It didn't surprise him that the gold-digging woman had nowhere else to be in the middle of the day than to hang around the country club in the hopes of attracting the attention of a handsome man. She spotted Jack from a mile away and the petite blonde slithered across the lobby to sidle up to him.

"Jack!" she cooed. "Darling, it's good to see you. I wanted to apologize for my awful behavior last week. I'd had a difficult couple of weeks, what with mother going through her divorce and everything and, well, I suppose I took it out on you. Will you forgive me?"

"Forget about it."

Jack didn't have time for Hannah and her antics. At home he had a beautiful woman waiting for him who had come all the way from Bakersfield to spend time with his father and he didn't want to be away from her for a second longer than necessary.

"I heard about your father taking a turn for the worse. I'm sorry for the sad news, Jack."

Here it was. Her real motive. Women like Hannah, who were raised to be the wives of rich men, could sniff out an inheritance like bloodhounds. Jack could sense the gold-digger preparing to pounce on him and his impending fortune and he tried to conceal a scowl. This was precisely the reason he cared for Annaya so much. The woman he had at home had far too much self-respect to ever throw herself at a man just because he had an impressive bank account. Her feelings were rooted in sincerity and not switched on and off again at the prospect of rich living.

"He's really not all that bad, Hannah. No reason to worry yourself."

"Oh, really? I'd heard he'd had a stroke."

"News travels fast around here."

"It's a concern, Jack. We care about your father and, of course, you. You know, if you ever wanted to talk about it, I'd be happy to lend an ear. I know it must be tough now that your mother's gone..."

Her tactics were blatant and it made Jack's skin crawl. There wasn't any genuineness or integrity in the woman at all. He couldn't believe that he'd wasted time on women like Hannah when there were women like Annaya in the world.

"I'm fine. Really."

"What about that baby that was on the way? How has that all turned out?"

"Again, there's no need for you to worry about it."

"I heard that there's a woman staying at your father's house. Is that her?"

"What is this, Hannah? Are you having us followed?"

The blonde let out a light little laugh that sounded more like a cackle to Jack's ears and he frowned. "Followed, Jack? Don't be so dramatic! Of course not. You know how word travels in small circles. The gardener probably told someone, or the maid. Word got around to my mother. I heard it from her."

"Well, ignore the gossip. It's not true."

Jack felt guilty to be lying about Annaya's presence in the mansion and denying that she was around, but he was doing it for her own protection as well as his own. Neither of them needed a flock of journalists around them right now and it was simply better for all concerned if their private lives could stay private, especially around opportunists like Hannah.

"Isn't it? If I was your girl, Jack, I wouldn't want you to be keeping me behind closed doors."

"It's not like that."

"No? You're keeping her quite the secret."

"Yes. Yet, it got out into the press somehow, didn't it?"

"That story that was in the magazines? Yes! Shocking, isn't it? I read about it. Those journalists are vultures, aren't they?"

Hannah's face was revealing nothing, but Jack knew damned well that she was behind the story being leaked and he hated that he had to be on his best behavior in this country club for the sake of his reputation rather than putting the conniving woman in her place with a few home truths.

He sighed heavily. "I'm done here. Nice seeing you again."

"You too, Jack. You know, you should bring that mystery woman of yours here sometime. We're all dying to meet her."

"Perhaps."

Jack left the club feeling unsettled. He was sure that Hannah had something on her mind, although he had no idea what it was. Undoubtedly, she was aware that very soon Jack would inherit everything and she wanted to get as close to him as possible for when his ship came in. It sickened him to think that there were women in the world with those kind of motives when an old man was dying, but at least he had Annaya to vent to when he got in again.

"She was practically dancing on his grave already, Annie!" he fumed when he'd returned to the mansion later that evening and the two were putting Alice to bed together. "All she wants is to stick her nose in now that he's on his deathbed to try and get in on his fortune. It's disgusting."

"I can't believe anyone can behave like that," Annaya agreed, laying Alice down. "I hope you told her where to go."

"Of course I did. I have no interest in women like that. She wanted me to bring you into the club. Heavens knows why. She's plotting something."

"Oh, don't worry, Jack. I wouldn't blow your cover like that."

Annaya said it in a voice that was crossed between amusement and disdain and she raised her eyebrows at him in slight irritation. Jack knew why. Ever since she'd come to visit him in Vegas, he'd practically kept her under house arrest out of fear that her name and face would end up in the papers and throw her life into the spotlight. He saw it as protecting her, but he knew that she felt like he was ashamed of her. He laid a hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

"It's not about blowing my cover, Annie. It's about stopping the vultures from swarming all over you. Once they've got your name, they won't leave you alone. They'll follow you everywhere with cameras and microphones in your face, and Alice, too. Do you really want photographers crowding around our baby? I don't want her to be exposed to all that."

"You're right," Annie sighed, looking down tenderly at the face of her innocent newborn. "It's just, something's got to give eventually, Jack. You can't hide her forever... or me."

"I'm not hiding anything," Jack insisted again. "I'm protecting you. You know that I have nothing but respect for you. I'm proud that you're the mother of my child. Seeing Hannah again just drove it all home. You're miles above all the women I've ever known, Annie. You're special to me."

The billionaire caught her eyes earnestly and he could almost see Annaya's heart flutter. Her eyes widened with emotion when he said those words to her.  But she was too strong to be swayed by sweet nothings and she took a short, sharp breath and busied herself with folding Alice's tiny little romper suits.