Billionaire In Hiding: The Complete Series (Alpha Billionaire Romance Western Love Story) (48 page)

CHAPTER
FORTY-FIVE

Jack

I
knew that what I was about to do was risky, but I also knew that if things went
the way I hoped they would the payoff would be worth the risk. As Jimmy drove
us through Brooklyn, Leah and I discussed the future plans for Baby Steps and
what we hoped to accomplish with the expansion. There was a nervous energy
underlying our conversation, but neither one of us was willing to be the first
to acknowledge it.

I knew Leah had to
be curious about where we were going, but to her credit, she kept her questions
to herself, occasionally looking out the window to gauge where we were and
where we were headed. I wanted to keep the destination a surprise, so I just
kept talking.

We finally pulled
into the circle drive in front of a red-brick house with a wraparound porch and
white trim.
 
I got out and went around
opening Leah's door, only to find that she was halfway up the walk already.

"Wow, this is
pretty spectacular, Jack," she said as she noticed the brightly colored
flowers that lined the walk and breathed in the scent of freshly cut grass.
"Ahh, that's summer to me! Hey, we're not far from your mother's, are
we?"

"She's less
than a mile away," I nodded as I followed her lead and inhaled deeply.
"If you think the outside is amazing, just wait until you see the inside."

We walked up onto
the porch, and I quickly slipped the key into the lock and pushed open the
front door. I motioned for Leah to go in first, and I was rewarded by her
reaction to the interior.

The whole house
had been gutted and most of the walls on the lower level had been removed.
There was a large winding staircase that led to the second floor, but aside
from that the entire first floor was an open space that flowed from one room to
the next. The wood floors had been polished to a high shine, and the walls were
an earthy taupe accented by white crown molding. As she moved from the living
room and its floor-to-ceiling front windows to the kitchen where stainless
steel appliances and white cabinets gave the area a professional but welcome
feel, Leah just shook her head.

"Is this your
new home?" she asked turning around to look at me.

"Something
like that," I nodded as she ran her hands across the marble countertops
and admired the modern silver hardware on the drawers.

"I can only
imagine what it will look like once you've got furniture in here," she
said, moving on to the dining room and then standing at the top of a small set
of stairs that led down into a den area with a fireplace on one wall and a set
of French doors that led out to the back patio across from it.

"Want to see
the upstairs?" I asked, knowing it was unlikely that she'd say no.

"Of course I
do! Lead the way, boss!" she grinned as she followed me toward the
staircase. Our footsteps echoed on the wood as we climbed to the second floor,
and I let Leah take the lead as she made her way through the upstairs, opening
doors and looking into various rooms.

"This is
really quite lovely, Jack," she said as she peered into a room that had
been custom built as an office full of cubbyholes and shelving. "You've
picked very soothing colors and clean lines."

"Check this
out," I said, opening the door to the master bedroom. It was an enormous
space that took up the entire back half of the upstairs and looked quite
similar to the downstairs den, complete with a fireplace on one side and a set
of French doors that led out to the balcony which overlooked the pool and the
yard stretching out behind it. Leah stood staring out at the scenery for a long
time before turning around and leaning against the rails of the balcony.

"You've built
an incredible house, Jack," she said looking up at me. "I'm sure
you'll be very happy here."

"Thank you.
It is quite a house, indeed," I said as I walked toward her. "But
it's not a home yet. It's still missing something important."

"Yes, well,
furniture will definitely help that!" she laughed as she looked away.

"That's not
what's missing," I said as I reached out and took her hand. She looked up
with a confused expression as I continued, "Leah, I know you don't want us
to date while we're working together, and I respect your reasons. But since the
moment I met you I knew you were different, and while the past few months have
been a challenge, they've also made everything much clearer to me."

"How
so?" she asked, holding my gaze.

"I knew I
wanted you, but I didn't know what I was willing to do to earn you," I
admitted with a wry grin. "I've been used to getting most anything I
wanted, and you showed me that there's an advantage to working for some
things."

I looked down into
Leah's blue eyes and took a deep breath before I continued.

"I don't like
the distance between us, and I want to do something about it," I said.
"So, I renovated this house in the hope that you would..."

"You think
I'm just going to pick up and move in with you because you have all the money
in the world to buy things that you think I might like?" she asked.

"No, I didn't
…" I began.

"Look, it's
nice of you to offer, and the house that you've picked is definitely a nice
one, but I'm not interested in some kind of live-in arrangement," she
sighed. "Six months ago, I might have jumped at the offer, but now … well,
now I want something more. You've shown me that I am capable of getting
more."

She let go of my
hand and walked across the deck toward the bedroom. Her shoulders slumped as if
she'd had all the air let out of her.

"Leah!"
I called causing her to turn around. I could see that there were tears welling
up in her eyes. I inhaled and swiftly crossed the deck to where she stood. I pulled
her into my arms and held her tightly against my body. "I wish sometimes
that you would hear me out before you jumped to conclusions."

"It's just
that I can't …" she began as she choked back a sob.

"Leah, I
wasn't asking you to move in with me," I said as I reached up and ran my
fingers through her curly dark hair. "I love you, and I was asking you if
you'd be interested in something more permanent. Oh, say, like marrying
me?"

"Wait,
what?" she said swallowing hard and looking up at me, again, confused.

"I'm asking
you if you'd consider marrying me," I repeated as I watched her struggle
to comprehend what I was asking.

"But what
about Riley?" she countered.

"Well, funny
you should ask," I said as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small
blue box. "She helped me pick this out."

I flipped open the
box to reveal a perfect diamond in a traditional Tiffany setting. Once I had
talked with Riley about what I wanted to do and gotten her approval, she and I
had spent an afternoon shopping for rings. I wasn't sure how Leah would feel
about the fact that I'd discussed things with Riley first, so I held my breath
as I offered her the ring. I
 
said,
"Leah Walsh, will you do me the honor of accepting this ring and agreeing
to be my wife?"

"Jack!"
she cried as she stepped back and buried her face in her hands. For a moment, I
thought I'd made a mistake and dread began to take hold, but then Leah looked
up with a smile on her face and tears running down her cheeks. She simply said,
"I love you, too. Yes."

I swept her into
my arms and swung her around in circles as she buried her face in my shoulder.

"You silly
man, of course I'll marry you!" she laughed once I put her down and
slipped the ring on her finger.

"Phew, I
thought maybe you were pissed at me," I admitted.

"Why would I
be?"

"Because I
basically asked a twelve-year-old for your hand in marriage," I said,
sending Leah into a fit of laughter as the reality dawned on her.

"Well, I know
what you were aiming for, so it's all okay," she said with a smile.
"But don't do it again."

"Yes,
ma'am," I said as I smiled and saluted. "Shall we go tell the
world?"

"I'd like
that, Mr. Yates," she smiled as she took my hand and walked with me out to
the car.

Jimmy stood next
to the vehicle, beaming from ear to ear. When I'd closed Leah's door and walked
around the car, he looked at me and simply said, "Your father would have
approved."

I smiled, nodded,
and climbed into the car next to Leah as Jimmy drove us toward our future.

CHAPTER
FORTY-SIX

Epilogue

After
Jack's surprise proposal, we headed to his mother's house for an engagement
party he had asked her to plan. Betty had invited a small group of friends and
family. She'd convinced Patrick to come to the party and had arranged for a
nurse to accompany Mama.

"This is all
quite the to-do, isn't it?" Mama said when I went to hug her. "It's
pretty fancy."

"It is,
Mama," I said leaning down to hug her and feeling sad when she leaned away
from me.

"Remind me
who you are again, would you?" she said.

I didn't have the
heart to tell her, so I simply smiled and repeated that it was so good of her
to come. Mama stayed for a short while before being transported back to the
retirement community. She'd become agitated because she was away from her familiar
surroundings, and it was a reminder of how far she'd slipped away from us. I
was still glad that Betty had asked her and that she'd been able to be there.
Riley seemed unworried by the whole ordeal with Mama and cheerfully called,
"Bye Gram! See you soon!" as the nurse loaded Mama into the car for
the trip home.

Once Mama was
gone, Patrick pulled me aside and said that he'd tried to find out more about
the envelopes we'd found in the house. Mama had only said that she knew Molly
was gone.

"How did she
know?" I asked.

"I think the
letters were Molly's way of letting her know she was okay," Patrick said.
"Once they stopped, I think the assumption was that Molly was gone for
good, but we'll never really know for sure."

"Can't we
hire a detective to follow her trail?" I asked.

"Leah, I've
already done that," he sighed. "The trail went cold in Florida, and
he wasn't able to find out anything more. She simply disappeared."

"I don't
accept that," I said stubbornly. "There's got to be a way to find out
what happened to her, and I'm going to figure it out."

"Suit
yourself, Leah," Patrick shrugged. "But I'm not going to spend my
time chasing after pipe dreams. I'm going to accept that she's gone and move on
with my life. You really should do the same."

I turned and
walked away from my brother, muttering under my breath about how I'd find our
sister and then I'd show him what determination could accomplish.

"Why the sour
face?" Jack asked as he caught me by the arm and pulled me into the
sitting room away from the rest of the guests. I told him what Patrick had
said, and he reminded me that having lots of money had its advantages.
"I'll hire someone to do some checking. Now can we get back to celebrating
this happy occasion?"

I laughed and
assured him that we could, but before we left the room, I turned to him and
said, "That was quite a risk you took planning the party before you knew
my answer. How did you know I'd say yes?"

"It was a
risk," he admitted. "But I had faith in you … and in us."

And with that, he
leaned down and kissed me before taking my hand and returning to the party.

*

"
You
look beautiful, Leah," Riley said
as she adjusted my veil one last time and handed me my bouquet. "You're
the perfect Irish bride."

"I couldn't
have done it without you, kiddo," I said, leaning over and kissing her
cheek. I’d had a seamstress replicate Mama's white lace wedding gown as best as
she could from what I remembered, and it fit me like a glove. The sweetheart
neckline dipped just low enough to give me a hint of décolletage, but not so
low that I felt self-conscious. The bodice cradled my breasts before sloping
inward to give me a waist where it joined with layers upon layers of Irish lace
that fell to my feet and stretched out behind me in a cathedral length train.
On my head, I wore Betty's wedding veil. It was fitted on a tiara of crystals
and fell just above my ankles. I felt like a Disney princess come to life when
I looked at my reflection.

"I wish Mom
could be here to see this," Riley said quietly as she fussed with the
robin's egg blue sash on her dress, trying to get it to lie flat against her
waist. I set my bouquet down and fixed it, and said a small prayer of thanks
that she hadn’t fought me on wearing a dress for the wedding.

"I wish she
could be here, too," I said as I wrapped my arms around my niece and
hugged her tightly. "But at least we know she's in peace."

Jack's
investigator had followed Molly's trail of letters and had done some digging
into what had happened once she arrived in Florida. A week before the wedding,
he'd sent Jack a full report of his findings in which he'd detailed Molly's
last weeks and her death. According to the coroner's report on Jane Doe
#473-229, Molly had overdosed on alcohol and cocaine and been buried in a
pauper's graveyard at an old church in Tallahassee.

For two days after
we'd learned the news, Riley was silent, and on the third day, she came down
for breakfast, smiled, and thanked Jack for finding out what had happened. I
asked her if she wanted to talk about it, but she shook her head and poured
herself a bowl of cereal. Later, Jack asked if we should send her to see a
counselor, but I told him it would be better to wait and see what Riley wanted
before forcing her to do something. He agreed, and so we waited.

"Now that Mom
and Gram are gone, you're my only family," she said looking at me. I
nodded and bit my lip to hold back the tears. Mama had passed away in her sleep
a month after the engagement party, and while it had been a relief to know that
she wasn't suffering from the years of hard drinking and poor health, I still
missed her.

"We've got
Patrick," I interjected.

"He's a
priest," she said rolling her eyes. "He doesn't count."

"Don't tell
him that!" I chuckled as I took one last look in the mirror and nodded at
my reflection.

Patrick had agreed
to officiate at the ceremony, and although Jack and Lincoln had made peace
after the blow out over Baby Steps, Jack hadn't wanted him to be his best man.
So Riley was doing double duty as best man and maid of honor. Norma, Betty and
I had helped her pick out a dress that wasn't too girly, but was appropriate
for a summer, backyard wedding. She looked lovely with her hair done and a hint
of makeup on her face. I was happy that she'd turned out okay after all the
drama, but I also knew we had a long road ahead of us since she would soon turn
thirteen.

Jack and I had
decided to keep the wedding a small affair and had only invited immediate family
and our Baby Steps friends. We'd had the wedding organizer set up casual
benches for the vows. And we decided to turn the backyard into a dance floor
over the pool and had an outdoor barbecue rather than have it be a formal
affair. Jack had decided to wear the suit he'd worn the day he'd met me and had
suffered the accidental nosebleed. I wore my mother’s dress. Everything seemed
perfect.

"You look
impeccable," Riley said as she linked her arm with mine and said,
"Let's go show Jack!"

I descended the
stairs with Riley's help, and as the music began to play, I lifted my chin and
walked confidently toward our new life.

*

"
Close
your eyes," I whispered as I started up the
steps. It was well past midnight when I carried my bride up the staircase to
our new bedroom so she could see the surprise I'd been working on for the past
few months.

We'd agreed not to
live in the house until after the wedding ceremony, but I'd spent many evenings
overseeing the installation of our new furniture and custom made cabinetry in
the bedrooms. I pushed the door open and stepped inside, setting her gently
down on the carpet and closing the door behind us. I said, "Okay, open
them."

Leah slowly opened
her eyes and looked around the room. I watched as she took it all in, her eyes
growing wider with each discovery of something new and amazing. I'd created a
seating area around the fireplace where we could sit and talk, or just relax
with a book. The plump sofa and chaise were made of the softest microfiber in
muted, earthy tones and draped with plush angora throws that accented the
colors.

I'd had the
workmen create walk-in closets for us on either side of the enormous turquoise
tiled bathroom. In Leah's closet, there were enough drawers and shelves to
accommodate her growing wardrobe, and a dressing table that lit up so she could
put on her makeup or do her hair in private. Like the rest of the bedroom, the
floor was highly shined wood with a few thick throw rugs placed around the
room.

But the crowning
glory of the room was the bed. An enormous four-poster bed with a canopy that
draped across the posts, giving the area an exotic feel. The bed was covered in
a thick duvet that was embroidered with our intertwined initials in the center.

"My God,
Jack, it looks like we live at the Ritz," she exhaled as she turned in
place and took in the entire room.

"Then you
like it?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"I love
it," she said smiling as she turned and wrapped her arms around my neck.
"And I love you, Mr. Yates."

"I love you,
too, Mrs. Yates," I smiled as I wrapped my arms around her and softly
kissed her lips. "I live to make you happy."

"Already
done," she said, kissing me back.

My fingers fumbled
to find a zipper on the back of her dress before realizing that she was buttoned
in. I sighed as I turned her around and began the onerous task of sliding each
one of the delicate pearl buttons through its corresponding loop with one hand.
I slowly ran the other hand down the front of her dress. Leah sighed as I undid
the last button and slid the dress off of her shoulders, letting it pool around
her feet.

I quickly shed my
tie and shirt before turning her around. She looked lovely bathed in the low
light, and I breathed deeply as I bent and scooped her up, carrying her to the
bed. Leah moaned softly as I ran my tongue up the side of her neck before
setting her down. I slipped out of the rest of my clothes before I knelt on the
bed between her legs and finished undressing her.

Although we'd made
love many times between the engagement and our wedding day, when I reached down
and positioned myself at the edge of her wet opening, I felt a sense of
reverence as I slid inside her. I moved slowly inside her, feeling every warm,
wet inch enveloping me, losing myself in the sound of her deep moans as I
stroked her closer and closer to the edge.

"Jack,"
she cried as I reached between her legs and pressed my finger against the spot
that made her body sing. "I can't … oh my God …"

"You feel so
good," I whispered into her lips as I gritted my teeth and slowed my
thrusts even more. Leah cried out, begging me to speed up, but I wanted the
moment to last forever. I continued my long slow thrusts, knowing that I wasn't
going to be able to keep this up for much longer. The need in me was rising, and
the feeling of Leah wrapped around my aching shaft drove me almost to the edge.

"Oh, oh,
oh," she moaned as my fingers combined with the pressure and the movement
to send her flying. I could feel her orgasm starting deep within her as she
began to pulse around me. Two more strokes. She cried out as she pushed her
hips up against mine and let go. She groaned, "Now, harder! Harder!"

I lifted her hips
up off the bed and thrust into her as hard and fast as I could, over and over
again. I could feel my own release just out of reach until she moaned, "Oh
God, yes, Jack, that's it! Take me!" I pulled back and then plunged deep into
her as I felt my body let go and release everything I'd been holding back. My
face went cold as the waves of pleasure rolled through my body and released
inside of her.

I held her tightly
as I lay on top of her, feeling her relaxing under me as I kissed her face and
lips. Leah looked up at me with her blue eyes soft and gentle. She caressed my
cheek.

"I love you,
Mr. Yates," she whispered, then kissed my lips. "This has been the
best day ever."

"I love you,
too, Mrs. Yates," I said, smiling down at her.

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The
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The
Complete Boss Romance Series

By
Claire Adams

This
book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are
products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not
to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual
events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.