One White Lie: Barrington Billionaire's Series: Book One (19 page)

B
rice had acted so differently after the auction. If she’d worried she would need to beat him off with a stick, she was sorely mistaken. When they returned to his house, he thanked her for joining him and told her to have a good night.
No kiss or hug. What the hell was that all about?

She knew he wanted her. The way his eyes followed her the entire night said so. Even if she tried to deny it, she wanted him to take her, love her the way he had the other night. Her heart was breaking from the wedge he placed between them.

When she suggested earlier they pick up Nicholas today instead of leaving him there another night, he didn’t even argue.
God, he doesn’t even want to be alone with me. It’s time for me to leave. I can’t do this to myself anymore. Why should I?

She called her mother and let her know they would be by shortly. “Is everything okay? You sound sad. Didn’t you enjoy yourself last night?”

“It was lovely. I just miss Nicholas, that’s all.”
And so the little white lies continue.

“Everyone is here, so I guess the timing is perfect.”

Oh great. The last thing I need is to see more people, especially family who know me well. Can I crawl under a rock and hide? All I want to do is return to the time when it was just Nicholas and me. Simple times. Lonely perhaps, but less confusing.

There was no way to get out of it. If she even attempted to grab Nicholas and run, they’d never let her forget it.
Maybe I should be honest with Mom, and she will cut me some slack.
As they pulled up to the house she saw all the cars were still there and realized she would never be that lucky.

Great. Don’t they have anything better to do than get handouts at Mom and Dad’s today?
Getting out of the limo, she didn’t need to knock on the door. Her mother must have been peeking out the window because she opened the door and brushed right past her and hugged Brice.
Nice to see you too, Mom.
She wasn’t happy with Brice and would have enjoyed watching her mother grill him. But that didn’t seem to be in the plan.
Nope, they seem to have welcomed him into the family with open arms. This is only going to make it all the more difficult later.

Brice had never shown affection publicly before so she was surprised to see him smiling and welcoming her greeting.
Well, at least you like one of the Razzi women.

Shaking her head, she entered the house to find the one person she knew loved her.
Nicholas.

“Mom, we can’t stay any longer. We have been here all afternoon. I want to make sure we get Nicholas home before bedtime,” Lena said to her mother.

“Lena dear, Brice has never had my homemade clambakes and white chowder.” Mary turned to Brice. “I’m sure you don’t mind staying a few more minutes, do you?”

“Not at all. I would love to.” He smiled.

Lena gave him a look of bewilderment. Last time they’d been there he’d looked for any excuse to bolt; now he was dragging his feet. He wanted to get Lena back home and back to his bed, but there were still things that had been left unsaid on his part. It had been a long sleepless night, but he knew what he wanted now. It was really what he had wanted ever since the day he had met her all those years ago. He wasn’t a gambling man and solely functioned on facts. But if he had to guess, he would suspect she felt the same way about him. Everyone left and headed for the kitchen. Brice stopped Lena. “What’s the rush?”

“I want to go home,” she answered flatly.

“Miss me that much, do you?” he teased, trying to get her to relax.

She glared at him. “I am thinking of Nicholas.”

“That’s a shame,” he said. “You know, Nicholas really seems to enjoy it here. Maybe I should tell Mary we’re spending the night. I’m sure she would love that.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“I thought you wanted what was best for Nicholas.”

Placing her hands on her hips she stated, “Brice Henderson, I have no idea what is going on with you. Last night you barely spoke to me. You were so distant and . . . cold. Today, you are like . . .”

Tell me Lena. Like what?
“Say it.”

Her voice low so only he could hear, she said, “Like the old Brice. The one I used to . . . care for.”

Used to. Don’t you care for me now?
Had his actions pushed her away for good? Was that why she wanted out of there? This was her family and she no longer wanted him to be any part of it? How could he blame her? The last few weeks he had been giving her mixed signals. He wasn’t sure how she had put up with him this long.
But I’m glad you did.

He wanted to pull her into his arms and show her how much he needed her in his life and that he wasn’t going to let her go. He wasn’t the old Brice, that person didn’t exist any longer. But he wasn’t the same person he was a few weeks ago either.

Brice wasn’t letting her off the hook that easily. He knew this was only payback for what he had put her through. Last night while she slept, he had spent hours speaking with Ernest and Mary. They had a lot of questions and a few concerns as to his intentions toward their daughter. He had answered them as honestly as he could. It had taken a lot of convincing to make them see he was telling the truth.
Why should they have taken me at my word? Everyone knows my family name. Our reputation isn’t something to be proud of. What I told them was the truth, and hopefully you’ll see that too.

“Mary. Ernest. Would you mind coming into the living room for a moment?” Brice asked. It was now time to share those feelings with the one person who held the answer.
Lena.

They appeared on cue, as did her brothers and Nicholas, who was holding something in his hand. Brice reached out for his empty hand and walked him over to Lena. Kneeling down next to his son, he looked up to Lena. “Our son has something for you.”

He whispered in Nicholas’s ear and then he opened his hand up to Lena. Nicholas said, “Mawwe me.”

Brice watched as her eyes went wide open in shock then glossed over with tears. She didn’t take the ring, so he took it from Nicholas’s hand. Reaching for her left hand he said, “Lena, I’ve been an idiot. Watching my father die while still bitter and angry taught me something. We have lost so much time; I don’t want to lose anymore. Three years ago, I fell in love with you. I was a foolish man then, pushing you away. I was thinking you would be better off with someone more deserving of your love and gentleness. But when fate brought you back into my life I knew the only thing time had done was make my love for you even stronger.” Holding the ring up he said, “Three years ago I said nothing was more important to me than my future. That hasn’t changed. My vision of the future has changed though. My dreams are nothing if you are not by my side. If you would do me the honor and be my wife, I promise to spend the rest of my life loving you, proving to you again and again that you are, and always will be, the most important person in my life.”

Lena’s hand trembled and she looked around the room as though looking for confirmation, to know she wasn’t dreaming. He couldn’t blame her. He’d done nothing to earn her trust or her love and forgiveness. He only hoped he wasn’t too late. He was willing to do anything he needed to do to convince her, his words weren’t empty, his love for her was real.

After much persuasion, he was able to get her parents’ blessing. Now there was only one person left, the most important one.
Lena. I don’t deserve you, beautiful girl, but please take a chance on me.

“Brice, are you sure?”

She looked at him with a wary expression. Tears were in her eyes, and he watched helplessly as a few fell over her soft cheeks.
How could I have walked away from you and hurt you so deeply? God, I’m so sorry. I promise baby, I’ll never do that again.
If she took the ring and threw it at him, he knew it would be well deserved, but instead she looked at him with love, as she always had. He hadn’t deserved that, but he would do anything it took to be a better man, a better friend, a better husband. He didn’t want to see that look in her eyes again. He didn’t want to cause her pain anymore, just the desire of her heart.

Her words echoed through him again. “Brice, are you sure?”
Never have I been more sure of anything in my life.
He stood up and cupped her face in his hands. “You are the only thing I am sure of. I love you. I love our family.” He kissed her lightly then asked again, “Will you marry me, Lena?”

“I love you too. I always have. That’s not the issue. I don’t know if I could bear it if you—”

He knew what she was going to say. “I won’t. That was a dark time in my life. I was full of anger and pushed everyone I loved away from me. I thought it was best for you. I still regret that decision. I won’t make that mistake again.” He’d never begged for anything in his life, but this was going to be the one exception. “Please baby, trust your heart. You know I love you. Let me give you the family you want. The family we both want.”

Lena looked at Nicholas then back to him. “Yes. Brice. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her firmly. He slipped the diamond ring Nicholas had been holding onto her finger. Brice picked Nicholas up into his arms, holding him as he kissed Lena again. The flashes from Mary’s camera didn’t stop him. Outside of seeing his son for the first time, this was the greatest moment in his life. It was the day he let go of the past, held solely to the present, and looked forward to the future.
Their future.

T
his was going to be the first of many family dinners at their home. Brice couldn’t think of a better way to introduce the Razzi family to the Hendersons than over a Sunday dinner. Zoey had stopped by earlier to help Lena make everything, as the ladies said, “perfect.” As far as he was concerned, the moment Lena agreed to be his wife made his life already perfect.

Although they kicked him out, it hadn’t stopped him from popping his head a few times into the kitchen to make sure all was going smoothly. It shouldn’t have surprised him how welcoming and loving Zoey was to her soon to be sister-in-law or her new founded nephew. Even when he told Zoey about Nicholas, her only reaction was to throw her arms around him and say “About time.”

When he called his brothers and invited them to dinner, their reaction was all the same.
What’s wrong?
It had been too long since any of them had gathered for the pleasure of just seeing each other. Lena had insisted that if they were going to be a family, that meant the extended family as well. She was right, and it was long overdue. Their reactions to the news was more of shock. Why shouldn’t they have been. He himself had no idea how a woman as amazing as Lena could ever love him.
But thank God she does.

They had chosen to bury their father privately as they each needed to face their pain in different ways. But now was the time to start some healing. He had a clear understanding of what he wanted for his future. He had let go of so much of the pain inflicted on him in the past. It was time the others did the same. Maybe through seeing the love he and Lena shared, they too could change the path they were on.
God knows I couldn’t have done it without Lena.

He held Lena’s hand in his as he carried Nicholas in his arms. “Are you ready for this?” Brice asked as they approached the door.

“I have to admit, meeting your brothers for the first time scares me a bit, but with you two by my side, I’m ready for anything.”

Brice leaned over and kissed her softly. “Trust me, Lena, they are going to love you.”

“Me too. Wuv me too.” Nicholas chimed in.

“Yes Nicholas, your uncles are going to love you too. Just like Daddy loves you.”
I can’t imagine my life without you, little man.

Nicholas wrapped his arms around Brice’s neck. “Wuv you, Daddy.”

It was the first time he heard his son say those words. It hit him like nothing he had ever experienced. Lena had given him so much: her heart, her love, and a son. His life was complete.
Except for maybe a daughter.

“What are you laughing at?” Lena asked as he began to open the door.

“I was just thinking of a princess bed I had seen online.” When she went to ask him about it, he brushed her lips again with a light kiss. “We can discuss it later in bed.”

The End

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