The Billionaire's Baby (Key to My Heart Book 3) (2 page)

"Macy!" Alissa's shrill voice ricocheted off the ice sculptures lining the grand entrance of the hotel ballroom, threatening to break them with her earsplitting falsetto.

She rushed forward as though we were actually friends, as though she hadn't tried to steal my husband right out from under the ring on his left hand finger, wrapping her arms tight around me like a cobra going in for the kill.

Her perfume was overpowering, scent of rose and lilac invading my nose and threatening to send me into a real puking fit. At least I wouldn't have to fake it.

I awkwardly patted her back, stiffly taking a step backwards.

"Hello." I mumbled, as she swept Sebastian into an equally overzealous hug.

Her delicate pianist fingers swept over my husband's strong back, not missing an inch as she tilted her head up to gaze into his eyes.

"I'm so glad you could be here." She murmured, batting her fake, full eyelashes at him.

"I told you when I made the reservation." Sebastian replied with a clear of his throat, all but prying the woman off of him like a pancake stuck to a hot griddle.

Alissa, completely undisturbed by his stiffness, turned her attention back to me as she swept my hands into the grasp of her fingers. It was as though the woman was made of ice, though perhaps that was just her heart.

"I see you're wearing pink..." She winked with imitation demureness, "Giving us a hint, are we?"

"We don't know the gender yet." I replied, glancing towards Sebastian as his shoulders went slightly rigid, “It’s too early.”

Talk of the baby always set the man on edge. I wasn't sure whether the billionaire was uncomfortable with the very existence of said baby, or just other people making such a big deal about it.

Had we ever spoken of our feelings, perhaps I would have had a clearer idea.

"I think it's a girl." She whispered into my ear, lightly tucking a stray hair of mine behind my ear, "I'll make sure she gets her step-mummy's sense of fashion though." She added with a sharp giggle as I struggled with all my might not to roll my eyes.

‘Be nice to the bride,’ I reminded myself firmly, ‘be nice!’

It was going to take all of my might to make it peacefully through the dinner. Really, the scarlet haired woman was impossible. What in the world possessed George to leave Karina for her?

As she walked away though, waving frantically at another unsuspecting dinner guest, it all became too clear.

The interior decorator was dressed with surprising modesty this evening. Her white dress clung to her mid-thigh instead of mid-asscheek. Her sparkly heels were high and her hair big, much more typical of Alissa’s sense of fashion.

"Is she going to keep working for you?" I asked curiously, turning to face Sebastian, whose bored blue eyes were wandering around the room with a yawn, “After she’s officially a married lady?”

"I hadn't thought about it." He replied, tapping his chin, "She hasn't said anything, so I have no idea."

I hummed slightly, following him around the side of the room. Fortunately enough, he seemed not to know everyone in the room for once, which let us fade into the background. Usually, we had to sit through a million repetitive conversations while simply trying to find out seat.

"Alright everyone!" Alissa called from the center of the room, "If you'd all go ahead and look for your name cards we can get this dinner on the road!"

"We're over here." He whispered in my ear, guiding me towards the center of the room.

George and Alissa sat at their own table, right in the center so that all could gaze at their glory, while the rest of the tables fanned out around them.

We sat down at a small table just to the betrothed couple's right, where a few empty chairs waited. Each round table had flowing ivory drapes with matching chairs, a large gardenia centerpiece in the middle. Shimmery pebbles reflected the lights overhead. It was beautiful, as was expected of Alissa’s talented decorating skills.

As Sebastian passed me a bread roll, another couple that I did not recognize approached, greeting us.

"You must be Sebastian!" The woman exclaimed, leaning forward. Her familiar red hair swept over her shoulder as she batted eyes in an uncomfortably recognizable fashion.

"Oh, Mrs. Grant. Hello there!" Sebastian replied cheerily, reaching out to softly take her hand as her husband lingered behind her.

Despite both Mrs. Grant and Alissa being gorgeous beyond all measure, Mr. Grant on the other hand, was a terror.

A huge man who could probably take two seats all on his own, his bald head reflected under the chandelier lights as he settled down into his seat.

"Alissa never stops talking about you." Mrs. Grant gushed, "She loves working with you so much, Bast."

"Ah, she's the best at what she does." Sebastian replied with a nod, "I'm lucky to have her."

My heart panged as I smiled along forcedly, trying not to look as though I were hating every moment of this conversation. The ease to which he could compliment another woman was almost tangibly heart rendering. Maybe the hormones were making me possessive and jealous.

"And you are...?" Mrs. Grant said, flipping her hair back over her shoulder as she looked at me with much less enthusiasm than she had looked at my husband.

Like mother, like freaking daughter.

"Macy Davis." I replied, prissiness in my voice almost reminding me of my mother in law. I was going to have to work on being more friendly unless I wanted to turn out like her, "We were married last year." I added, flashing a bashful smile at my new husband, one hand rubbing my stomach.

I'd picked up a thing or two about acting like a couple, "What a pleasure it is to meet you, Mrs. Grant." I added, narrowing my eyes on her.

Sebastian was off the market, lady.

"How nice." Mrs. Grant replied through gritted teeth, "Please, call me Shirley."

I couldn't help but to wonder what kinds of things Alissa had told her mother about me. It was quite clear she already knew full well who I was.

"We are so excited to have you all here tonight." Alissa spoke as she stood from the table.

In her perfectly manicured hand the redheaded bride to be clutched what appeared to be a diamond encrusted microphone, no doubt a gift from her parents.

Mr. Grant, silent up until this point, didn't even turn to look at his daughter as he chowed down on the entire basket of dinner rolls. I'd been lucky to have snagged one already, though I could see him eyeing it from across the table.

"Georgey and I are just so excited to embark on this path together through life and we thank all who stand at the starting line with us." She continued, pausing to give a theatrically loving glance down at her husband who looked just as bored to be there as her father.

Both men had apparently been through far too many weddings.

"Tomorrow is the big day, so tonight will just be about having fun and letting loose and having some fun." She continued, lifting up a glass of champagne.

The rest of us followed suit, lifting up the glasses.

Surely a little sip of champagne wouldn't hurt right? Maybe I would just pass off the glass to Sebastian, he looked so uncomfortable right now, and he definitely needed the glass more than I did. He sipped a bit from his champagne flute, glancing around for a waiter to bring over some more.

I couldn't even imagine how weird this must be for him. The billionaire was so distraught when he found out that Alissa and George were engaged, and with the wedding happening so quickly Sebastian had so little time to process it all. He'd blamed himself for the divorce of his parents for a while, and though he no longer spoke of it, it was a definite possibility that he continued to blame himself still.

We’d all known that Alissa and George were having an affair, even Karina wasn't in denial deep enough to ignore it. Yet, no one said anything, no one brought it to light. There was no confrontation and no discussion.

And here they were, George and Karina divorced and Alissa well on her way to a piece of the Davis fortune.

Mrs. Grant probably couldn't be more proud, aside from if Alissa had managed to snag Sebastian. Judging from her own marriage, she’d probably groomed Alissa for this life from the start.

"Of course, I won't be having too much fun." Alissa laughed into the microphone, sending her gaze across the room until she locked eyes with Sebastian, "I am expecting a new baby Davis after all!"

As cries of excitement and surprise erupted across the room, except from the woman's parents, who politely clapped with knowing smiles, Sebastian spat out a shocked rush of champagne. He slid back in his chair, all but dropping his glass back down on the table as Shirley turned to face him.

"Well goodness," She chirped, eyes locking on my own in the same piercing way that Karina's did, "It looks like yours isn't the only Davis baby."

Sebastian stood up stiffly, chair falling backwards, as Alissa lifted her glass to everyone, finally drinking from their champagne as he quickly strode out of the ballroom.

I shot to my feet to chase after him, only catching the faintest hint of a smug smirk from the blushing bride to be as I whirled on my toe and followed after my husband.

My stomach lurched, nausea boiling up inside my stomach. Butterflies wildly danced like tiny little kickboxers all over my insides.

I couldn't be sure, however, if it was from the baby or from Sebastian's shocked response to the startling news.

Had that just been surprise in his reaction? I couldn't help but to feel as though there were much more going on behind the scenes of this wedding than I was privy to.

I couldn't help but to feel as though Sebastian were hiding away something deep in his heart.

I woke early the next morning, alone in the room I was supposed to share with Sebastian.

Last night, after unexpectedly hearing the news of Alissa's pregnancy, my husband had all but vanished into a mysterious cloud of smoke. He refused to answer questions, refused to wait for me to catch up with him, and refused to acknowledge what was going on.

In the end, he’d gotten away from me, ignoring my calls of his name. His back remained steadfastly turned. He didn’t even glance in my direction.

Whether or not he was even on this island anymore or had booked a spontaneous flight back home was something I didn't know. I'd slept clutching the cellphone, waking constantly to check if he was beside me, but both the hallway outside our room and the phone in my hands remained silent and unbothered. I'd even worked up the courage to call him myself, dozens of times actually, but those continually were sent to voicemail.

Now I was going to have to go to that wedding all by myself.

Slowly, I spread my arm out next to me, running the length of the undisturbed blanket on the left hand side of the bed.

Why had he left so abruptly?

...Was it possible that he had something to do with Alissa's baby, was that his child growing inside of her?

I turned onto my side, grabbing the pillow and squeezing it against me for dear life, as though it were a life raft and I was slowly sinking into an ocean of despair. What would I do if that was the case? What could I do?

If that was the course of things, there was literally nothing that could be changed at this moment. The only way to keep Alissa from having Sebastian's baby was to go back in time.

No, I'd just have to suck it up and deal with it. Sebastian and I were married, after all, and though there was nothing going on between us that I could speak of, we were bound together in this union forever.

Besides, it could have been George's baby. Though he was an older man, that didn't mean anything. Perhaps Sebastian's reaction was solely of disgust.

After all, he was so distraught when he found out about their engagement... or was that only because he was so attracted to Alissa and had already slept with her?

If that was the case, why didn't he marry her then? Why did he have to marry me and drag me into all of this?

Tears were building frantically inside of me, breath coming short and harsh.

I so badly needed answers, I so badly needed Sebastian to walk in that door and set everything right again.

I didn't want to sit and watch Alissa walk down the aisle all by myself.

My needed my husband, I needed Sebastian right now.

Unfortunately for me, my mental pleading cries did not reach him, and he did not come to me.

Somehow, I managed to gather myself together take a shower. The entire time the warm water rushed all over me, caressing every inch of my exposed body, I listened closely for the swing of the door or the sound of Sebastian's firm feet on the carpet.

All that I could hear, however, was the occasional call of a seagull outside our balcony.

As I dressed in a knee length aqua colored sundress that I'd chosen because it matched the color of Sebastian's eyes, I gazed out the open doors of our balcony, inhaling the salty taste of the air.

I'd always liked the beach, though I'd rarely ever gone growing up. I could count on a single hand how many times I'd stood on sandy dunes, letting the cool rush of water swallow my feet whole.

I could remember, vaguely, going with my parents. They both held my hands, swinging me over waves as I shrieked with laughter.

Would I still remember that fond recollection next time I went to the beach, or would I only think of how painful this experience had been?

I supposed it all depended on when Sebastian returned to me. If at all.

Walking out onto the balcony, I gazed down at the golden sand glittering like yellow diamonds below. Even from up on the balcony, I could see the soft scuttling of a crab creeping away from where a large white arch had been set up. Blue flowers tangled intot the ivory drapes as the softly billowed in the warm wind. I couldn't help but to relax under the watchful gaze of the sun as it kissed my shoulders as gently as a lover, warming me.

It was going to be a gorgeous day for a wedding.

Even if Sebastian had disappeared, I told myself, everything was going to be alright. It had to, on such a beautiful afternoon. I had to somehow cling to that hope. It was all I had right now.

Below me, I could see people beginning to drift out onto the sand of the beach, heading towards the chairs. A small band with a violin began setting up to the left of the decorated arch

It was time to be seated for the wedding.

Still, I lingered for a second, intensely observing the tops of the guests' heads. None of them matched my dark haired husband.

Sighing to myself, I turned, slowly exiting the room. With a long, minimally anticipative glance up and down the hall, I retreated to the elevator and sank to the lower floor.

Listlessly, I followed the small crowd of people onto the beach and found an empty seat. I set my purse beside me, just for the chance that Sebastian would decide to join me last minute.

I'd been fortunate this morning, I realized, as I sat down and glanced around at the strangers, I hadn’t experienced any morning sickness at all. It was a miracle really, or perhaps I was finally leaving that stage of my pregnancy behind. I was approaching the second trimester after all.

One of my hands pressed to my belly as I crossed my leg over knee. I'd start showing soon. Maybe then Sebastian would be more willing to talk about the pregnancy instead of turning slightly green. Or maybe he would just vanish all the more, afraid to look at me.

Or maybe he was still shell shocked over the whole situation. He definitely wasn’t expecting a baby to come of the only time we slept together, though neither was I. Frankly, I was pretty surprised that it was myself that was the one handling this with grace, though I had no choice. It was growing inside of me, I couldn't deny its presence even when I was alone.

In a few weeks, no one would be able to deny its presence to anyone at all.

The band started playing, breaking through my thoughts like a ship crashing violently through the ocean’s wake. I straightened, hands folding in my lap, as I did my best to appear to pay attention to what was going on around me.

The last thing I needed was to give Alissa any ammunition to hold against me.

George walked down the aisle first, clad in a snow colored suit. Beads of sweat from the burning sun were already clinging to his reddened forehead. He stood at the altar, staring out towards the ocean. He only turned to look down the aisle when the priest nudged him.

As the music began to change, a flower girl pranced down the aisle, tossing white rose petals everywhere. She was adorable, blond hair in pigtails, little white dress bouncing around her.

If we had a girl, would she be as joyful as this little one?

The seat beside me creaked suddenly, purse set in the sand as I glanced to my side.

None other than Sebastian Davis sat there, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees. He glanced at me, giving a half smile before turning his full attention back to the aisle where people were beginning to turn expectant of the beautiful bride.

I stared at my husband instead, who was still dressed in the clothes from the night prior, refusing to make eye contact with me. He still had that smile plastered on his face, pretending nothing at all had happened.

Where had he been all night? What had he been doing?

All of these secrets, they were too much to handle, they were too much for one marriage to bear. I was growing tired of always concealing, always pretending. I couldn’t deal with this anymore.

I could suddenly feel it, that rope of mine that I'd been clinging to in the hope for our relationship. It was starting to fray. I could only hold on for so much longer without any help from the man who had put this ring on my left hand finger, from the man who had vowed to be with me in sickness and in health.

Though I was well aware those vows were not made in love, did they mean anything at all?

Would I ever receive honesty from Sebastian?

People stood as Alissa walked up the aisle, and though I was surrounded, I could not bring myself to stand. Though I luckily had the excuse of pregnancy, it was as though my heart had slowly sunk to my feet, turning into cement in my shoes. I was bolted in my chair, frozen by the emptiness I could feel growing inside of my heart. I'd never felt so smothered and neglected at the same time in my entire life.

Sebastian leaned back in his chair as everyone sat, his arm slipping around my shoulders. His touch, the same gentle slip of his fingers against my flesh that made me bloom with heat and searing tenderness, now made me flinch.

Had his fingers always been this cold?

The priest was speaking now, of the immense love of Alissa and George as they gazed at each other, holding hands. Even Mr. Davis was beaming ear to ear.

Alissa looked the image of perfection in a billowing sleeveless white dress that naturally ended above the knee, flowers tangled in her red hair like a forest nymph.

Did they believe the words being said? Did they think their marriage would be different from George's previous vows to Karina? Did they think it would be different form the meaningless vows of Sebastian and I?

Did a marriage mean anything at all?