The Tycoon's Vacation (Baby for the Billionaire - Book Two) (9 page)

“Your work is beautiful. You have a real gift,” he told her, as she worked on the bouquets. They were stunning. She had a real eye for the flowers she used and just the right amount of greens. He was thoroughly impressed.

“Thank you, I really enjoy doing it,” she said. She loved the praise when someone appreciated her work. They continued to chat easily together as she finished with his order. A few customers came and went as he sat down on a stool and continued to visit with her. She was enjoying it far more than she should. She knew she should’ve asked him to leave but it was nice having him there. The time was passing quickly and they were getting along so well. She knew they should at least be friends because of the baby. If she could manage to tamper down on the hunger she felt every time she was around him that may be a possibility.

“I need to close down for a bit and make some deliveries,” she finally told him. She normally did her deliveries at the end of her shift but there was a funeral she had to get her biggest order to.

“Why don’t I do the deliveries for you so you can go ahead and stay open,” he offered. She had been busy and it would be better to leave the shop open but she didn’t want to feel like she’d owe him anything. “I don’t mind really, I have some stops to make anyway,” he finished.

“If you really don’t mind,” she finally caved in. He got the address information, loaded up her orders and took off. She was a bit sad to see him leave. She had to shake it off, refusing to get attached to him being around. The phone rang so she picked it up, grateful for the distraction.

Drew was gone for a few hours and the shop got really busy, occupying her wandering mind. By the time he walked in the door, holding a sack with delicious aromas coming out of it, she realized she was starving. He set the sack on the counter and she practically ripped it open, in her intensity to see what was inside. She pulled out a tray with her favorite pasta dish and could feel the saliva building up in her mouth.

She dove in with real enthusiasm. She didn’t say anything to him until she was about halfway finished with the meal. When she finally looked up, he was staring at her with a huge smile on his face. She was slightly embarrassed at her own behavior.

“Sorry. Sometimes I get so busy I forget to eat and when I see food I go a little crazy,” she said with embarrassment.

“You were like that on the island,” he said as his eyes darkened. Her own body reacted to thoughts of the resort. It had been such a tropical paradise and she hadn’t thought of anything but pleasure. The pleasure of the sun, the water, the food and most especially, the pleasure of her body when he was touching her.

“That was a million years ago Drew and I’m back in the real world now and have real world responsibilities. I do appreciate your help today and the lunch but we are over and you need to accept that,” Trinity said. She was trying to convince herself of that fact as much as she was trying to convince him.

Drew’s expression never changed. He continued to stare at her, with longing in his eyes, which was doing funny things to her stomach. She tried to focus on the food but had lost her appetite. She picked at it some more and finally gave up and shoved it aside. Drew took her hand in his and waited until he had her full attention.

“I’ve decided you’ll be my wife. I’ve never felt about a woman the way I feel about you and you’re carrying my child. We’ll stay together. I understand you’re scared. I understand you’re angry I mislead you but you’ll learn soon you can’t live without me,” he said with complete confidence.

She was left breathless and without any words. It was almost impossible to argue with the man but as she thought about what he said, her temper flared a bit. How dare he demand such things of her? She wasn’t some school girl there to please him.

“Drew sometimes in life you simply have to accept when you can’t have your own way. I’m not a possession you get to choose to keep or cast off. You can go away now,” she said, with some venom in her tone. Drew laughed; she could not believe the man actually laughed.

“You’re so good for me, Trinity. I need people in my life who aren’t afraid to tell me how it is but nonetheless we’ll be together,” he said. “I have a few errands to run this afternoon but I’ll be back before you close,” he told her, then almost as an afterthought, gently kissed her before walking out the door.

Trinity stood for several minutes after he left, with her hand pressed against her still tingling lips. The man had a way of affecting her, unlike anyone before him. She finally shook it off and got back to work. When he came back she’d have to be firm and not let him affect her.

About an hour before closing, the bell on the door rang out, letting her know someone was coming in. She looked up nervously and let out a sigh of relief, followed by a pang of disappointment, when it was a woman and not Drew.

The woman seemed to be around her age and was carrying the most adorable little girl. Just the sight of the baby made her heart skip a beat. She couldn’t wait to hold her own daughter in her arms.

“Hello, how are you this afternoon?” Trinity asked the woman.

“I’m great and how are you?” the woman responded.

“I’m glad it’s closing time soon but other than that I’m wonderful,” Trinity said.

“My name is Jasmine and this little one is Britney,” the woman said, as she held out her free hand.

“It’s great to meet you Jasmine, my name is Trinity, how can I help you?” she asked. She loved customers like Jasmine, who were happy and friendly. She also loved getting to know her customers because they would come back and she could learn exactly what they liked, making sure to do an excellent job.

“I wanted to meet you; I’m married to Derek, who is Drew’s cousin. I call him my brother-in-law because they are more like siblings,” Jasmine said.

“Oh…well…umm…” Trinity stuttered, not knowing what to say.

“I know I shouldn’t have just barged in here on you but when Drew told us he was going to be a father, I had to meet the woman who had finally gotten ahold of him,” she said with humor in her tone.

“We aren’t together though…” Trinity tried to say before she was interrupted again.

“You’re carrying a Titan child, so you’re pretty much together, believe me. You can try and fight it but these guys really care about family. My husband and I had a very rocky start but I love him so much and am so grateful he fought for me because now we have Britney and Jacob and I’m disgustingly happy all the time,” Jasmine said.

The baby was squirming in her arms and Trinity wanted to hold her so badly but didn’t even know this woman and couldn’t ask her to hand over her child. Jasmine saw the look of yearning on Trinity’s face and handed Britney over.

“She’s so precious,” Trinity coo’d at her.

“She’s pretty amazing and incredibly spoiled,” Jasmine said with real fondness.

“Why don’t you sit down over here with me and we can chat?” Trinity said as she moved over to the love seat she had brought in when she found out about the baby. She knew she’d want a comfortable place to rest.

“That sounds perfect, tell me all about how you and Drew met and please don’t leave out any juicy details,” Jasmine said to her. Trinity could feel the heat suffuse her cheeks, as she thought about those details. She didn’t know what it was but she liked Jasmine instantly. She was just so friendly, how could you not?

Trinity found herself opening up and telling her about their time on the island and then about the last few days. Jasmine listened the whole time, nodding her head in understanding.

“Seriously, I know he’s behaved like a complete moron but he’s a terrific guy and if you give him a chance you’ll see that,” Jasmine said.

“I’m sure he’s great but I’ve sworn off all business men. I haven’t had good experiences with them. I won’t try and keep the baby from him but I just can’t get into a relationship with the man,” Trinity said and hoped Jasmine would understand.

“I’m sure it will all work out,” Jasmine told her. The bell rung again and in walked the man in question. It didn’t take him long to spot the two women.

“There’s my beautiful girl,” Drew said as he approached. Trinity was starting to blush and then he plucked the baby out of her arms, who immediately started to giggle. Trinity felt a little embarrassed, thinking the comment had been for her and hoped he hadn’t noticed.

“Uncle missed you, Precious,” he cuddled Britney and continued to talk to her. She looked up at him like she could understand everything he was saying. She reached her small hand up and was patting his cheek. Trinity was impressed with how well he handled the baby. If he was half as affectionate with his own daughter, she’d always know her father loved her.

“You have a lot to make up for Drew,” Jasmine said as she glared at him.

“What?” he said and looked from one to the other. They both looked at him like he was dumb, so he shrugged his shoulder and continued to talk to his niece, who adored him. “At least you don’t look at Uncle that way,” he said to her.

“I can’t believe what a moron you were at the resort. Seriously, you bonked her in the head and then had the gall to lie to her. No wonder she’s giving you a hard time,” Jasmine continued. “It was so great to meet you, Trinity. Please come have lunch with me on your next day off. I want to get to know you more and I really want the kids to grow up together,” she said.

“I think that sounds wonderful. I’ll be off on Sunday and Monday, if either of those work for you,” Trinity responded.

“Sunday will work perfectly. Come any time after ten, here’s my address and my phone number. I can’t wait to see you,” she finished. She then gathered the baby up and headed out. Trinity looked at the clock and was relieved it was closing time. She counted out her till and started shutting things down.

“Can I take you to dinner, please?” Drew asked her. She knew she should probably say no because it sounded great. She found she really wanted to spend time with him, which was scary. She was trying to get the words to come out of her mouth and was a bit surprised by her own answer.

“That sounds fine,” she replied. They walked out of the shop and he immediately grabbed her hand. She fought for a moment to pull free but he was holding firm, so she gave it up. It was much easier to let go of the smaller battles, so she had the energy for the bigger arguments.

Chapter Seven

Sunday came quickly and Trinity found she was really excited to see Jasmine, again. She’d always had a hard time making friends because she was so busy all the time and she was painfully shy. She was also always the practical one. When other kids had been out partying, she had been the one studying.

It had all been worth it, though because she now owned her shop and was on her way to her goals being accomplished. She was about ready to leave, when there was a knock on her door. She knew who it was before she opened it up.

“Good morning,” Drew said and she could smell the warm scent of muffins wafting through the bag he was holding. He felt a compulsive need to feed her all the time.

“I can take care of myself, you know?” she told him, although she grabbed the bag and started munching on the delicious pastry. She didn’t know where he bought his pastries but they were heavenly tasting and she soon found herself half-way through a second one.

“I know you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself but I enjoy feeding you and checking up on you. I’ve never been a father before and I feel a need to make sure my daughter is getting all she needs,” he explained. Trinity rolled her eyes but allowed him to walk with her down the stairs.

“I’m visiting Derek today so we can ride together,” Drew said as he steered her towards his car. She decided to let it go; at least she wouldn’t have to struggle to fit behind the wheel, which was becoming harder with each day.

They rode to the home, chatting a bit. As they made their way through the gate and started up the driveway, Trinity was awed into silence. When the home came into view she gasped out loud.

“This is their house?” she asked him in amazement. It looked more like a resort than someone’s home. Her eyes were drawn to the huge front door and the seemingly endless walls. She didn’t know how they managed to find their way to different areas of the home.

“I know it’s very large. I gave Derek a heck of a time when I first saw it but Jasmine has made it really homey,” he told her. She didn’t see how it was possible to make the mansion look homey, it was simply too massive.

He pulled up by the front doors and they climbed from the vehicle. The door opened up and a young boy came rushing out. “Uncle Drew, you’re here,” he said, as he launched himself into Drew’s arms. He certainly had a way with children.

“Hey Buddy, I think I’m going to whoop you today in some water basketball,” he said, as he ruffled his head.

“No way, I’ve been practicing. You’re going down,” the boy told him. Trinity smiled as the two of them bantered back and forth.

“Jacob, this nice lady is Trinity and this young lad here is my nephew, Jacob,” Drew introduced them.

“It’s nice to meet you,” the boy said politely.

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” Trinity said. He was adorable and well mannered.

“Mom is excited for you to come. Follow me, she’s in the kitchen,” Jacob said and ran ahead of them into the house. Trinity couldn’t stop looking everywhere. The home was huge and beautiful but Drew was right about it seeming homey. Jasmine had done a great job at making the place comfortable.