The White Billionaire's Baby (BWWM Interracial Romance) (12 page)

I rolled my eyes and thought to myself, ‘I bet you do wish that, especially now that I’m marrying Kyle.’ I didn’t want to be closed off to her, but it’s hard to trust people’s intentions when money is involved. She was one of the meanest and selfish people that I’d ever met, so the change of heart was a little suspicious.

“You grew to be successful in spite of me and not because of me,” she continued, “I should have been a better mother to you, and I don’t blame you if you never want to see me again after today. I don’t want anything from you or your husband, I just wanted to be able to share this day with you. That is all Camille.” she said.

I fought back my tears and said the only thing that I could think of, “You look really good.”

She smiled, “Thank you. I went into rehab 4 months ago, and Kyle helped me get permission to come here.”

“
How did he know where you were?” I asked.

“He didn’t tell you? He came and found me at my friend’s house and offered me a chance to turn my life around. He was tough on me, but everything he said was true. He gave me the option right there and then to come with him, and I did. He flew me out to a rehab in California, and it’s been a rough process but a much needed one. I won’t ever be returning to Chicago, and I want a better life for myself. I just hope that you can be a part of it, I want the chance to really get to know you,” she said.

“So when did Kyle tell you about the wedding?” I asked.

“He told me about 2 weeks ago and he invited me last week. There’s nothing I would love more than to be able to give you away today. Will you allow me to do that?”

I almost slid off of my bed at her request. My chest heaved with a little bit of anxiety and I tried to cram some real self-reflection in about 20 seconds. I was impressed that Kyle had reached out to my mother and helped her clean herself up. It was something that she’d always refused when I suggested it. I didn’t have to ask how she was doing in the program because she looked great, so it was obvious that she was doing well. I was experiencing a lot of emotions at one time. Kyle really is full of surprises, good ones at that.

She was telling me all of the things that I longed to hear from her since I was a child. She was my mother and I used to crave her approval. She’d finally seemed to come around, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to love her while she was displaying sanity. Her change of heart may have originated from my huge lifestyle change but did that make it any less real? I had to give her a chance. She was pretty much the only biological family that I had left. Her parents had passed away when she was younger, and she was the only child. We had extended family, and they were at the wedding but I didn’t know them very well. They all lived in Virginia, and  me and my mother never went to our family reunions.

I was going to cry, and I fought back my tears because I’d cried enough and I didn’t need to torture the make-up artist any further, “Yes, I would like that a lot.”

“Can I hug you now?” She asked timidly.

I laughed, “I would like that too.” I stood to my feet and closed the space between us. She rose to her feet, and we embraced. I couldn’t remember the last time that I hugged my mother. So much was communicated between us in that one hug, and I had the feeling that my life had finally come full circle.

“Okay, let’s get you back out there so that you can start getting ready. You also need some champagne in your hand.”

“
I can’t,” I said, “I’m expecting.”

Her eyes grew big and the tears that she’d been holding on to spilled down her face, “I’m about to be a grandma?”

I nodded shyly, “Yes you are.”

“When are you due? Not for another 6 months and so we have some time,” I said.

“I will be more than happy to be there if you’ll let me,” she said.

“If you keep on the path that you’re on, I won’t have any problem with that.”

Her face expressed gratitude, “I am, I promise.”

In that moment I believed her. Some people had a problem with their parents breaking promises. Their parents will give them an endless stream of promises that they never intend to keep. My mother never promised me anything ever. She always told me what she wasn’t going to do, and she made no apologies for it. The person that I was seeing before me was a stranger that I couldn’t wait to get to know. Her past had been filled with hurt and pain. She was trying to work through it, and maybe she would finally let me in.

We walked back out into the common area, and Sandy and Cynthia’s eyes bored into me. They didn’t have to ask the questions verbally because I knew them already.

“You both were right about Kyle,” I admitted, “He’s excited about the baby and he’s a little upset that it took me so long to tell him.”

“
Told ya,” Cynthia said.

“
When in the hell did you get to be so damned mouthy?” I asked her.

She took a few moments to think, “I think it happened when I became a manager. I had to learn how to speak up because they were trying to run all over me. I don’t play around with my paper and anyone standing in between me and my money has to get dealt with. Now it’s spilling over into other parts of my life. Sorry girl, I’ll simmer down.”

“No need for that, I actually like it. It’s great to know what’s happening in that big ass head of yours,” I grinned.

Sandy laughed obnoxiously loud, “Her head is big.”

“Shut up,” Cynthia responded and rolled her eyes.

“
I think the opposite is happening to me. I’m learning how to motivate people by using different forms of communication,” Sandy said, “I had to tone my personality down a bit because I’ve made a few of those bar tenders cry.”

I laughed, “Yeah I heard about that but you were right about what you said so I didn’t say anything. But your team seems a lot happier now, and they’re happy to be on your good side.”

“I came in guns blazing so they’re all afraid of me now. I put that fear in them early and now I don’t have to worry about em’,” she responded.

“
I may as well tell the both of you now. Kyle wants you two to take over the complete management of all three of the Chicago properties. We’ll be discussing salary within the next two weeks,” I said offhandedly.

“
What!” They both shrieked simultaneously.

“
You heard me. So congratulations on your promotions,  they’re well deserved.”

I looked at both of the stylists, “I’m so sorry for the hold up and the drama this morning. I’m ready to get started.”

“It’s your world,” the hairstylist said brightly.

“
Don’t worry. We have enough time to get the job done,” the other attendant stated.

“
Wait, so everything is okay with you and her?” Cynthia said as she gestured towards my mom.

“
Yes we’re good, and she’s giving me away today,” I smiled as I hugged my mom to my side.

“
In that case, welcome back mom!” Sandy squealed as she clapped her hands together.                

“
Okay, now I’m ready to get married!”

“
Well sit down then and let them work,” Cynthia scolded.

I began to rethink my thoughts about her new bossy attitude.

*

I could only smile as I watched Camille leave my suite.

There were some things about her that I just couldn’t get enough of. I was about to marry that over analyzing woman, and I’d never felt luckier. We were about to become a family and the baby was the icing on the cake. I thought that I wasn’t going to be ready for children for at least another 8 years but once she told me that she was pregnant I was filled with anticipation.

I was inundated with thoughts of our future. In a couple of short months Camille would begin to swell, and I couldn’t wait to place my hand on her stomach and feel our baby kick. I was going to be able to be a part of the process without wondering if the child was mine, or missing the few years of its life. Everything had come together perfectly, and I could only shake my head at the universe in awe. Soon I would see my child, it would take its first steps, and Camille would be its mother. I didn’t know what I’d done to have gotten so lucky, but I wasn’t going to question it.

All of my reservations went out of the window. I felt like I didn’t deserve children because of my past. I’d gotten my previous fiancé to abort what could have possibly been my child, and I never forgave myself for that. She wasn’t the person that I was meant to spend the rest of my life with but I wonder every now and then if that child was my own. My brash thinking and my hurt feelings made me lash out at her. That’s partially why I was a little excited about the possibility of Jacob being my own son. When I found out that he wasn’t I had a mix of relief and sadness.

I just hoped that I could be a better father to my child than my father had been to me. My father was the typical over achiever who spent more time working than he did with his family. I understand that businesses take a lot of work to maintain, but he was only interested in talking to me when we were talking about school and future plans. He never got the chance to get to know me outside of my accomplishments and work ethic. My dad was so set in his ways that I doubted he would ever change, and I’d come to accept that as being a part of him.

When my child was born it would know just how much I love him or her. I planned on not just being present financially. I had a chance to get it right, and I was going to make the most of it. It was a little surprising that Camille had kept the news from me for so long. But I didn’t have the best track record when she delivered me bad news. She probably immediately thought about the time when I asked her to leave, and my sister telling that story certainly didn’t help. I should have told her about that part of my past, but I didn’t want her to look at me differently. I’d grown a lot since that time in my life, and I was over that kind of behavior. Everyone makes mistakes.

I thought that when Camille came to the door, she was coming to chew me out about her mother. But she hadn’t mentioned it and so I knew that she hadn’t seen her mother yet. I hoped that she would receive her mother well. I’d learned to appreciate my family a lot more by looking at Camille and her small family. The things that I hated and complained about seemed trivial when I put them all into perspective. At the end of the day I knew that my family loved me. Camille didn’t have that luxury. Even though they weren’t as present as I would have liked them to be I was always taken care of. I had no clue what it was like to come from absolutely nothing, and I don’t think that I would have made it if I had to be my parent’s caretaker.

Camille had taken the initiative and created her own family. That was a true testament to her resilience and her will to thrive. I’d learned so much from her since I met her, she made me a better person and I would love her forever. I never thought that I would have so much to learn from a person like her, but she proved me wrong time and time again.

That’s why I knew that going to find her mother and giving her an ultimatum was the right thing to do. Although Camille would never speak about it anymore, it hurt her to her core to not have her mother present in her life. If her mother could get on the straight and narrow path she would be able to forgive her. I didn’t know what to expect when I approached her mom, but I knew that it was something that I had to do. I was pleasantly surprised when her mother came with me. I sent my personal assistant with her to California, and he set her up in a rehab facility the exact same day.

I didn’t tell Camille because I didn’t want to get her hopes up. There was a very real possibility of her mother dropping out of rehab, and that would have crushed Camille. I decided to give her mother a chance to get it right without the pressure. I maintained contact by calling her every week and checking on her progress. She had a few rough patches, and that was to be expected but she’d done very well considering the circumstances. Detoxing is a very difficult thing to get through from what I hear and so she was on the right track. She was determined to get her life together not just for herself but for her daughter as well. She knew that she wasn’t a very good mother, and that contributed to her drug and alcohol use. Not to mention that she had a pretty fucked up childhood herself.

Family is important, and she doesn’t have much of it, so it delighted me to help bring hers back together. Her mom would possibly walk her down the aisle, we had a baby on the way, and my judgmental family was present. It was going to be a great day indeed. Some things may never change, but I had all that I needed to be happy. I counted my blessings every day, and I couldn’t wait to see her walking down the aisle towards me.

I wanted our wedding day to be perfect, not just for me but for my bride to be. She had a rough morning, but she’d gotten through it with flying colors. Now we could enter into our marriage without old baggage hanging over our heads. We deserved each other, and we deserved to be happy. Our happy ending was long overdue, and I was going to do my best to make sure that Camille lived her happily ever after. I’m far from a prince, but I would be willing to give it a try for her and our new family to be.