The Billionaire's Baby (Key to My Heart Book 3) (6 page)

Though the baby had not spent a single second in the giant mansion that we returned to, the home felt so empty without her.

I wanted so much to have her with me. How was it possible to love something so much that you only just met?

Sebastian had set me up in his own room as opposed to mine, as it was a bit more spacious and closer to the stairs.

I lay in the middle of his giant bed, inspecting the paintings that hung on his walls. They were all rather sunny pieces, made of reds and oranges and yellows, and I couldn't help but to wonder if he'd chosen them all himself or if they were chosen by Alissa. She was an interior decorator after all, though I couldn't see her appreciating the artwork either.

To tell the truth, I was bored out of my mind.

I couldn't sleep, not while our baby was so far away, and Sebastian was clearly avoiding me again since I'd snapped at him.

I felt a bit remorseful now that I'd had more rest, but in all honesty, what I said was the truth. It was about time someone around here was honest.

I did feel abandoned, I did feel as though I were playing second fiddle to Sebastian’s work, and while I never expected to be the priority, his child should be. Yet, I couldn't tell if Sebastian were ready for such a commitment yet.

In the end, I had to do what was best for her.

'Her.' We hadn't even named her yet. We hadn't had a long enough conversation to even begin putting that together.

Did he lay awake at night as I had, pondering hard over names and what kind of future the child would have?

Karina had been so set on a boy baby she'd only made a list of male names. Her eyes hadn't been disappointed in the slightest the first time she held that baby girl though.

I'd heard her on the phone with Harry, gushing about the baby's beautiful blues. It wouldn't be a shame at all if she looked just like her gorgeous father.

She was a Davis after all, she'd no doubt be brilliant and beautiful.

I rolled onto my side, staring at Sebastian's end table.

On it sat the book he'd been reading the night I burst into his room. The night before he'd disappeared for five months.

I picked it up slowly, turning the cover to face me.

‘
So, you're going to be a Daddy
?’ It read on the cover, face of a smiling little child beaming at me.

I sucked in a small, surprised breath, running my fingers over the dog eared pages. How many times had he read this book over? It was startling, really, because he'd avoided so many conversations about the topic.

A soft knock at the door turned my attention.

It was probably Tricia, bringing me some tea. She’d kept a steady stream of peppermint coming to me.

I sat up, book still in my hand, as Sebastian peeked cautiously into the room.

"You're awake." He murmured, sliding in with a small tray of toast and orange juice.

"Did you bring me breakfast in bed?" I asked incredulously as he approached and set the tray down.

"Was it a bad idea?" He asked, frowning. He looked guarded, as though he were waiting for me to start yelling at him again. I didn’t blame him, it seemed as if that was what all of our conversations devolved into lately.

With a sigh, I patted the space next to me, watching him as he slowly sat down beside me.

"We need to talk." I finally said, handing him the baby book.

He took it, staring down at the baby girl on the cover. His shoulders sagged as though he were struggling with a huge weight on his back.

"I know." He murmured, "We've been needing a talk for quite a while."

"Why did you leave me for so long?" I asked, reminding myself to stay calm this time, "How could you just up and vanish? Without a phone call, without...anything...?"

I stared at him, desperate for an answer, desperate for the truth.

He turned to me, lips tense. His face, so gorgeous and so tortured, was miserable.

Still, he didn't speak.

"Is it because you're having a baby with Alissa?" I finally managed to ask, those words that had been tossing and turning and burning inside of me finally spewing forth, with them came a huge heaviness I hadn't even known I was bearing.

He gaped at me, shocked.

"Karina told me George can't have children, and the way you reacted..." I trailed off, tortured by his continued refusal to speak.

If he couldn't have this conversation with me, then I already knew the answer, and I knew what I had to do.

"It wasn't me." He responded, with such vigor that I almost fell over, "Macy, I didn't sleep with Alissa. I promise." He said, shaking his head as though it was painful to think of, "But I already knew my dad couldn't have any more kids. My mother always told me I was the only one they’d ever have."

"Why did you run out? Why didn't you come back to me?" I asked.

I felt weak, dizzy, as though we were talking in circles and never coming to a decisive answer.

"I still blame myself Macy, I couldn't stand the thought of my Father building a new family, of leaving my mother behind. It's not even his child that Alissa is having, why is he with her instead of my mother?" He bit his lip, unaccustomed to speaking so freely about the thoughts he carried inside of him.

"Why did you leave me, Sebastian?" I cried, "Why are you gone so much? Why didn't you come back to the hotel that night, why were you gone for my whole pregnancy?"

He stared at me, blue eyes wide, and hands balled tight in fists. Every inch of his body was strained. His lips didn't move.

"Where were you when I needed you? Why didn't you call? Why didn't you care?" Tears brimmed my eyes but I was too exhausted for them to even fall.

His arm snapped out, grabbing my hand so quickly that I flinched, though his touch was as tender and warm and gentle as ever. His fingers felt so perfectly against my own that it was as though electricity coursed through my veins.

"Macy, I care about you more than I have every cared about anything in my entire life." He whispered, "It...it is terrifying, the amount of feelings that I have for you."

"Why don't you ever show it?" I asked, desperation fizzling.

How dare he throw these feelings at me all at once, how dare he be gone for so long and then say this? Didn’t he realize how much and how long I struggled to find those feelings? How long I combated my own feelings for him?

"I tried, Macy!" He cried, jerking my attention back with the raw pain in his British voice, "I read all of these books."

He released me only long enough to grab his suit case, dumping it out. Though there were a handful of clothes, it was mostly more dog eared books on how to be a good parent and partner.

I stared at them, shaking my head.

"Books don't replace your presence, Sebastian. How will I explain to the baby why you're never around?" I said sadly, rubbing my tired, aching head with my hand, "How will I explain to her that you just go gallivanting off whenever you want to?"

He sank to his knees in front of me on the ground, his hands on my knees. He clung to me, staring up into my face.

Sebastian had always been the most stoic, cool mannered man I'd ever met...and now, as he gazed at me, I could see a storm churning in his eyes.

A bewildering typhoon of urgency and passion. It was as confusing to me as it was to him.

Inside of me, my own storm was brewing. How was I to believe the words he said? How was I to know that he wouldn't up and leave me and the child?

"The reason I went overseas so suddenly," He began, fingers tightening against the flesh of my knees, "Was to sell the overseas branch of our business."

"What?" I gasped, staring at him in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"A buyer came up and I had to leave. It's what I've been planning since I got the news you were pregnant. It's what I've been planning since I met you." He added, breath trailing off.

His arms slid up my body to cup my cheeks as his body slid between my knees. Our chests pressed to chests, and I could feel his heart thundering.

He was nervous, he was desperate… Sebastian was in love.

Confusion swirled ever more strongly within me.

"You really sold it...?" I asked, again, "You won't have to leave again?"

"I'm never leaving your side, Macy." He said gently, "I'm never leaving you alone again, I will never let my child fall asleep at night without a kiss."

"But you never said anything, you never talked to me, and now you care so much?" I sputtered, struggling to make sense of everything, "If you thought so much of me, why didn't I hear from you?"

"I'm a coward, Macy." He finally said, tone defeated, his fingers tenderly dancing against my cheek, "I was afraid to tell you how I felt. I was afraid that you would reject me. When I saw you in that room, with Lewis, I knew I had to speak up."

"You're jealous of Lewis?" I asked, startled.

"I know you have feelings for him." Sebastian said softly, "But I know that you have feelings for me too. I'm your husband, Macy. Let me treat you how I should have treated you from the very beginning."

I swallowed the thick lump in my throat, struggling to hear him speak over the whirring of my brain and the pounding of my heart.

"I need to rest." I finally said, as Sebastian stood up.

"I'm not leaving." He said firmly, "Let me stay with you. Please."

For a moment I pondered rejecting him, but in the end I allowed him to stay. Maybe I was willing to see how he’d act, maybe I was just too tired.

He climbed onto his side of the bed, laying on his side as he stared at me.

Uncertainly, I turned my head to gaze back at him.

"I'll prove it you." He said softly, his fingers on the crook of my elbow, "I'll do anything for you, Macy."

I turned to face him, studying the solemn waves of his perfect eyes.

Though he meant what he said, I wasn't sure how long it would take for me to believe him.

His arm slid from the crook of my arm to the dip of my waist. He gazed at me, pulling me closer against the deep warmth of his chest, the safe feeling of his embrace.

It was within his hold that I felt truly at home, it was within his hold that I felt truly at rest.

When he was with me, it felt as though everything was going to be okay.

Was that a weakness or a strength? It was all so confusing.

Right now, my heart was with my child in that cold hospital room. It was only when she was home safe that I would finally be able to make my choice.

Sebastian, cool, sexy, and irresistible, was the father of my child and my husband. Lewis, though, was warm, sweet and never endingly loyal.

Just who was I supposed to choose? Should I believe the words that Sebastian spoke? Should I believe the promises he made? Or should I choose Lewis, who’d always been there for me?

Just who was the key to my heart?

The End, Key to My heart Book 3.

The final installment of the series will be released shortly!

Thank you for reading!

Continue on for Bonus Content!

For updates, info, and further reading, check out Ella Cari’s author page at
http://www.amazon.com/author/ellacari

Readers can contact the author at [email protected]

Also by Ella Cari:

The Billionaire’s Betrothed

Key to My Heart Book 1

Macy has all but run her bakery into the ground. Crippled by loss and a heavy heart, she has accepted the defeat of her dreams.

Then, one summer evening, Sebastian walks into her bakery and flips her world upside down.

A sexy but entitled billionaire, Sebastian is willing to make all of Macy’s dreams come true…with a catch. Sebastian needs a bride, and he needs one now.

The Billionaire’s Burden

Key to My Heart, Book 2

Now that Macy Brooks has walked down the aisle with sexy, young billionaire Sebastian Davis, she finds her problems are only just beginning.

Marrying for money and convenience has its price, and Macy is unsure how to navigate her newfound relationship with her cold but wealthy husband.

Between a vile mother-in-law, a lecherous father-in-law, and the other woman lustfully eyeing Sebastian, Macy is in over her head.