Addicted (A Billionaire Romance Novel) (9 page)

Oh, a lawyer to find me for you, Chad thought. I guess we’re being pretentious. We wouldn’t want that little doll face thinking ugly things about her mom, would we?
 

The girl looked at Chad again. “So you’re really my daddy?” she asked, studying his face.
 

“I am,” he admitted. “And I’d like to get to know you better, spend more time with you,” he
looked at Christina. “If that’s all right with your mom.”
 

Christina nodded, “That’s right. We think it’s important to have both parents in your life.”
 

Yeah, as long as your dad’s a billionaire, he thought.
 

“I don’t have to leave with him, do I?” Kayla asked, worried that the strange man—now her dad—was going to take her away.
 

“Not if you don’t want to,” Chad interrupted Christina. “We can hang out here with your mom until you feel comfortable with me. I know this is new for you. It’s new to me, too. We can just get to know each other until you feel better about me.”
 

Kayla smiled as it began to sink in that she had a dad and that he wanted to spend time with her. “I’d like that. Can you play with me?”
 

“Sure!” he grinned at her.
 

He spent the rest of the evening hanging out with Kayla and her mother. It was odd at first, but the little girl quickly became the focus of Chad’s thoughts. He liked being a dad; at least, so far. Kayla invited him to stay for dinner, which he graciously accepted. While they laughed over dinner, he learned all about her favorite music, movies, and things to do. Christina remained nearby to make her daughter comfortable but allowed some space and distance so that she and Chad could get to know each other a little better. She was also learning a great deal about Chad too; he wasn’t the guy she remembered when she’d
dated him. It was refreshing to see Kayla have her dad in her life.
 

During his drive home that evening, he reflected on his night with Kayla and how amazing she was. Smiling most of his drive, he envisioned the two of them going places and doing things once she felt more comfortable with him. The thought of Audrey also crossed his mind. He felt guilty for lying, hiding his daughter and for enjoying his own child while she longed for hers. It was a terrible position to be in, but Chad was only at the tip of the iceberg.
 

Chapter Six
 

Audrey tried calling and texting Chad the entire evening that he was with his daughter, Kayla. Unable to reach him, she became frustrated. She understood that his head hurt and he had a lot of work to do, but to not even respond to a simple text message was unlike him. No matter how busy he was, he’d always slip in a quick reply, even if it were to acknowledge that he’d received her messages. She also noticed how different his behavior had been.
 

The last six months they’d been together, he’d totally committed himself to her and their relationship. It made her begin to wonder what had changed. Was he suddenly disinterested in her? Was he bored with their relationship? Had he never changed at all and it was all an act? If it were an act, she thought, it was awful to put me in
this type of position, especially after knowing everything I’ve gone through. Is this some kind of joke? It’s not very funny. Don’t you worry, Chad Wetzel, I will figure out what you’re up to; you can count on it.
 

Surprisingly, he texted her while she was at work, shortly after she’d debated their relationship and his sincerity. She shook her head, she couldn’t believe that he was actually following through with their plans after he’d blown her off the last few days.
 

Hey baby doll, are we still on for tonight?
 

Baby doll? Seriously? She took a deep, weighted sigh before responding.
 

Are you sure you’re up to it? I know your head’s been killing you.
 

Yeah, let’s see how he responds to that, she thought, pursing her lips as she tucked her hair behind her ear.
 

Of course! I’ve missed you. Are you mad at me or something?
 

Oh, now he’s trying to figure out how pissed I am. Let’s see. You ignore me for days, you lie to me—and I know you’re lying because you never work nights—and you’ve put quite a bit of distance between us. But why would
I
be mad? Oh, no, honey. I’m not mad at all!
 

I tried calling and texting you last night, but you just ignored me.

 

Let’s see what he comes up with next. You know, I’d thought you changed, Chad Wetzel. I
think you showed me a whole lot of smoke and mirrors, without the mirrors! I might be a mess, but I’m not stupid.
 

I know, I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you tonight.
 

She sat down on the stool behind the front counter of the gas station and rested her feet on a shelf where they kept their clean rags. Crossing her arms, she stared at her phone. Should I even give him the chance to make it up to me? Other than knowing he’s lying to me, I don’t have any evidence or proof that he’s cheating or anything like that. Maybe I should just give him a break.
 

Audrey?
 

He texted again while she was mulling over her options. Hoping things would continue working in her favor, she responded.
 

Sorry, was busy. Yeah, that’s fine. We’ll still on for dinner and a movie, right?
 

He replied almost immediately.
 

Yep! I’ll see you in a few hours.
 

Waiting on the line of customers that were coming in, she contemplated how things might go wrong with her and Chad’s relationship. Twisting her necklace as she slumped back down on the stool, she wondered what had gotten into him lately. She remembered how he’d distance himself back in college, and that usually meant that he was seeing someone else. As she tried to dismiss these negative thoughts, her chest tightened. All she could do was hope for the best.
 

That evening, Chad picked her up right on time as promised. Maybe he really has just had a headache the last few days, she thought, as they drove to the restaurant.
 

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” she remarked as she carefully gauged his reaction.
 

“Me too! That was a bad headache. I haven’t had one like that in a long time, but I’m glad that it’s gone now,” he said, staring straight ahead, not giving any reaction.
 

Over the course of dinner, they hardly spoke. Chad was ashamed of lying to her. She’d been so good to him, as usual. He’d always referred to her as the one who got away, but he couldn’t stop thinking about his daughter and Christina. He felt horrible that she’d been a single mom all these years with no help either financially or physically.
Chad also felt terrible that he’d let Audrey go and that she’d had such a rough life.
 

“You're awfully quiet,” Audrey said as she noticed him picking at his food.
 

“I’m sorry. I just haven’t been myself lately. We’ve got a lot of upcoming changes to our software and I’ve had to reject several of the propositions. I’ve just been so stressed lately.”
 

“That almost sounds like it’s one of those ‘it’s me, not you’ talks,” she joked.
 

“No, it’s nothing like that. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said, as he instantly pictured his beautiful daughter.
 

“You’re so sweet,” she smiled as she leaned over to kiss him. “What movie are we going to see?”
 

“I thought I’d let you pick when we get there.”
 

“Actually, there’s this horror movie that’s playing. I checked the times and if we hurry, we can get there before the next show starts.”
 

“I better chow down, then, huh?”
 

By the time they were on their way to the movie theater, Audrey was feeling relieved about their relationship. It was silly for me to think he was just blowing me off. I should’ve known better. At the movies, they held hands as they stood in line to order buttered popcorn and soft drinks.
 

“I don’t know how much of this I’ll be able to eat,” Audrey said as she patted her stomach. “I’m pretty full.”
 

“I know, but what’s a movie with no popcorn? I’m sure you can pack a little away, right?” he said as he kissed the top of her head.
 

After the movie was over, he drove Audrey home in silence. Taking the long route back to her house, he contemplated telling her the truth and what was going on in his life. He thought better of it as they passed the graveyard where Alex was.
 

“That’s the cemetery where Alex is buried,” Audrey pointed out the dark window towards the dimly lit burial grounds.
 

“Really? I never knew that,” he said as he began rubbing the back of his neck.
 

“Is something wrong babe? You just seem so tense and you’re acting like something’s bothering you. You know that you can always talk to me, right?” she asked him.
 

That comment almost made him confess everything to her, but he didn’t have the guts to do so. “I'm okay. Really.”
 

She crossed her legs and tucked her hair behind her ear. “If you don’t like me talking about Alex, all you have to do is say so.”
 

“Are you talking about the cemetery? That doesn’t bother me. I told you, I’m under a lot of stress right now.”
 

“You’re not lying are you?” she asked with a smug look on her face.
 

“No, I’m not lying. If talking about Alex bothered me, I’d tell you, but it doesn’t. I actually like it when you talk about him and describe him to me,” he gave her a reassuring smile.
 

Pulling up in front of her house, he put his truck in park and walked her to the front door.
 

“I had a great time tonight. I’m glad we got to spend some time together,” she said, standing on her tippy toes to kiss him.
 

“Me too,” he commented as he bent down to kiss her. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”
 

“I wish you’d come in and hang out for a little while,” she said, pouting her lips.
 

“I wish I could, but I have to get up early tomorrow to crunch some things on the computer and figure out what changes we’re going to approve for the launch of the new software.”
 

Ever since he received those court papers, his whole life had been turned upside down. It was driving him crazy. He drove around for a while before going home; he needed to think and clear his mind. The drive was pointless. He was just as confused now as he was before. For a moment, he considered his relationship with Audrey and how wonderful things had been between the two of them since they started dating. Then he mused what having a relationship with Christina might be like. It would be fantastic for Kayla to have both of her parents together, living as a family. He also still needed to speak with an attorney to find out what his rights were in the matter and determine
if he was going to petition the courts for 50/50 custody.
 

Arriving at home, he got ready for bed and stared at the ceiling as he tried to fall asleep. When he closed his eyes, he pictured Kayla’s sweet face and how happy she was to meet him once she finally opened up. As happy as he was with Audrey, he hated to think of Kayla shuffling back and forth between his and Christina’s house for visitation. Certainly, he thought, I should at least file for joint custody; but if I do that, how will Audrey handle that. What will she think of me? Would she applaud me for stepping up or would she condemn me for not being there during the first eight years of Kayla’s life?
 

As he drifted off to sleep, images of Kayla and Audrey plagued his mind. When he woke up in the morning, he felt stiff and sore. He’d slept horribly
as he tossed and turned all night. Looking at himself in the mirror, he noticed that he needed to shave. He also appeared to look about 10 years older than he actually was. Is it possible, he wondered, for the stress to be taking its toll on me so drastically? Geez.
 

After he shaved and showered, he slipped on his business suit and headed into the office. Barely able to concentrate, he took an extended lunch. During his lunch break, Audrey tried calling him to determine when they’d see each other again. She was surprised to learn that he wasn’t in his office; frequently Tina, his secretary, went out to pick up his lunch if it wasn’t being catered in. Distressed, she dialed Tina’s extension to ask where Chad was.
 

“Wetzel Software Design, how may I direct your call?” Tina answered the phone.
 

“Tina, this is Audrey. Do you know where Chad is? I tried calling his office and cell phone but haven’t had any luck,” she explained.
 

“Um,” Tina thought for a moment, caught off guard that Audrey was calling her. “I believe he went to lunch. He left about 45 minutes ago, so I’d imagine he’ll return shortly. Would you like to leave a message?”