Battle for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #3) (13 page)

“
I
was talking to a friend. I'm just irritated.”

“
When
you ran up and hugged me, you were fine. Once you saw Ethan
everything changed. You got crabby and took off. Is there something
going on? He said you're just mad because he picked on you in front
of that guy you brought over here. Did he do something I should know
about?”

“
You
know he's an ass. I don't need to tell you that. He didn't do
anything wrong. Everything is fine. Don't go all big brother on me.”

The
three of them sat down to have dinner. Becky and Gavin talked about
the meeting he had just gotten back from, while Julie thought about
Ethan and the woman in the car.

“
I'm
glad your meeting went well. Did you miss Becky being there? Who else
went with you?” Julie asked.

She
couldn't help it. She had to know who that woman really was.

“
It
went well. I missed my wife very much, and it was more expensive
without her. We had to get three rooms instead of two,” he
joked. “One of the developers from Ethan's office went with us.
She is working on the project as well. Since Becky couldn't go, we
took her instead. Have you guys noticed anything different about
Ethan?”

“
What
do you mean?” Becky asked.

“
You
know he acted really odd about the baby. He was really worried about
us staying together. He hasn't been the same since. I think something
happened when he left here, but he won't talk to me,” Gavin
said.

“
He
was very worried that day. Something about it really bothered him. He
came over for dinner after that. You weren't here that day Julie. You
had to work. It was strange though. He was here and seemed fine, but
he got up and left as soon as he could. He didn't really say goodbye
or anything. I could tell the entire time he was here something was
going on. It was like he was just putting in his time so he could
leave. I haven't really seen him since. How is he when you guys talk
about work?” Becky asked.

“
He's
been acting strange. You know Ethan is all about work and play. He
works more than any of us. It's all about making as much money as he
can, and he loves what he does. The gaming is really what he's
passionate about, but he gets into every part of his company. I can
tell that he hasn't been focused lately, and I can't figure out why,”
he said, before he looked over to Becky. “You know how he is on
the plane after a meeting?”

“
He
picks the meeting apart and thinks about what he could have done
different. What could he have done to make it better? It drives me
crazy. That's when I put my music on or start to read,” Becky
answered with a laugh.

“
He
didn't say a word the entire flight home. Not a single word. He
stared out the window of the plane.”

Julie
listened silently to everything they were saying. She wanted to hear
as much as she could about Ethan. Becky looked shocked at what Gavin
was saying.

“
What's
wrong with him? Usually, I want to move to a different part of the
plane or do something to shut him up. Did you say anything?”
Becky asked.

“
I
asked him what was going on. He wasn't even focused during the
meeting. It was like he couldn't keep his thoughts in line. He said
it's nothing and that I don't know what I'm talking about. I was just
curious if you guys had noticed anything different?”

“
I
haven't seen anything different. He's still a cocky ass to me. I
really haven't seen much of him lately,” Julie said.

“
I
think it's because of a woman,” Gavin said. “I know that
sounds crazy. He denied it completely. I told him I'm going to figure
out what or who it is. He just kept telling me how wrong I was. I'm
telling you, there's something going on. I can't believe I'm saying
this, but I think some woman is bringing him to his knees. He's never
acted like this before.”

“
If
there is, which I doubt, I can't wait to meet her,” Becky said
laughing.

“
I
agree with you. There's no way anyone is going to change Ethan,”
Julie said.

Gavin
went back to telling Becky about the deal they closed during the
meeting. Julie couldn't get her mind off of their conversation about
Ethan. Would he ever change? She couldn't believe she was even
thinking about it. No, he would never be anything but a player. His
world revolved only around him. There would never be room for anyone
else in it.

Julie
stood up to leave. She hugged Becky and Gavin before she picked her
phone up from the counter she tossed it on.

“
Next
Sunday, Josh is having a little dinner for Lisa at the restaurant by
their place. She didn't want a baby shower, but he wanted her to have
something small with the girls. Be there at noon with a small
present. He said it has to be under twenty dollars. If you want to
come by here, I will drop you and Becky off together,” Gavin
said.

“
I'll
just drive myself. It's out of the way to come here first. That way,
you and Becky can go do something after if you want. I'll see you two
then.”

There
was no way Julie wanted to be stuck somewhere without a way to leave.
On the way home, Julie went by the baby store to get a present for
Lisa. She wanted to make sure she got it while she had the time. It
seemed like now that some of the guys were settling down, there were
more dinners and parties going on. She liked seeing Gavin and Josh in
love with their women. They seemed so happy. The fairytale dream
ended for her a long time ago. Were there really good men in the
world like Gavin and Josh, she asked herself?

Julie
walked around the baby store. There were women putting in for gift
registries and men walking beside some of them. Little babies were
being pushed in carts through the store. She looked around and
thought about herself. Would she ever feel different about men? Would
she ever be able to trust one enough to let her guard down? Would she
ever have a family of her own? Julie felt a tear run from the corner
of her eye. She hurried to wipe it off and snap herself out of her
thoughts.

Being
a pediatrician, she found herself judging many of the items in the
store. Was it dangerous? Was it educational? Julie burst into
laughter. Make a decision, she told herself.

When
she was finished shopping, she picked up a coffee on her way home. It
was time to relax. She spent too much time thinking about Ethan, men,
and families for the day. It was time for a long bath and a book. She
carried her bag and coffee up her front steps. When she went to set
her coffee on her little table on the porch, it wasn't in its usual
spot. Maybe she had moved it the last time she sat outside. She felt
her body grow tense and shook her head. Knock it off, she thought.
Stop letting your imagination get to you. She let herself in and
locked each lock on her front door.

The
rest of the week went by as usual. Each day she found herself
relaxing a bit more. Everything was just fine.

Sunday
morning, Julie got up excited to celebrate with Lisa. It was her
special day. With her family not around, all she had was the small
group of friends, Josh's family, and the firefighter families. She
didn't want anyone spending money on her. Josh was able to give his
son everything he would need. Lisa knew if they had a shower people
would spend money they needed for their own families. Josh was
surprising her with a little girl time. He put a limit on the dollar
amount of their presents. That way, she would have the whole
experience and not feel guilty about the money they all spent on her.

When
Julie walked into the restaurant, she was shocked to see men and
women all around. There were balloons and streamers around the room
and a cake in the corner. She added her present to the ones on the
gift table and went to find Lisa and Becky. Lisa hugged her and
thanked her for coming. It was so cute to see her having such a good
time. Her belly was getting so big and perfectly round.

“
You
look so cute. I think you're getting bigger by the day. I can't wait
to meet the little man,” Julie said. “I thought it was
going to be girl time.”

Becky
and Lisa laughed.

“
Josh
decided to invite everyone. He said it wouldn't be the same without
the guys. He knew Lisa wouldn't be happy if all of the firefighters
had to stay home while the women had fun. The guys are going to stay
in the other room with a television to watch the game, and the girls
are all going to stay in here and talk about baby stuff,” Becky
said.

“
Josh
knows me well,” Lisa laughed. “I told him I wasn't real
happy about gifts. He said I would like them all.”

Julie
looked over at Becky and saw sadness in her eyes. When Lisa walked
off to say hello to a woman who had just walked in, Julie hugged
Becky.

“
You
okay?” she asked.

“
I
am actually. I'm so happy for Lisa. She's going to be a great mom.”

“
It's
been a few weeks. You need to go back to see your doctor again. I'm
just happy that everything is going well. You won't have to get the
procedure done since your body worked everything out on its own.
That's a good thing. I'll go with you if you want,” Julie said.
“Where do you want to sit?”

The
two of them found seats and sat down. Julie asked Becky what she
wanted to drink and walked over to the bartender to get them both
something. She stood waiting for the drinks, when she felt someone
next to her. Julie shivered as a warm breath brushed against her ear.
She knew who it was without even looking. He was the only man that
could get away with being that close to her, without her body
freezing up and fear running through her veins.

“
Hello,
Ethan.”

“
How
the hell did you know it was me?” he asked.

“
What
are you doing here?” she snapped.

“
The
same thing as everyone else. I'm celebrating with my friends. Is that
not okay with you?” he snapped back.

“
It's
totally fine,” she said.

“
I'm
glad that I have your permission. Are you having fun at your baby
shower over there?” he asked.

“
I
was,” she snapped.

Gavin
walked up to grab a beer for Josh. He looked over at Julie and then
back at Ethan.

“
Are
you two okay over here? It looks like your both about lose it,”
Gavin said.

“
We
are just fine. I was just asking Julie about her boyfriend. I'm
surprised you didn't invite him to the party Gavin. If he's going to
be around, we should all get to know him better,” Ethan said.

“
He
wouldn't have come,” Julie interrupted.

“
Is
he too good for us?” Ethan asked. “You can always sit on
my lap if you want.”

“
There
is no way I would sit on your lap,” she said.

“
Are
you sure about that? I think if you gave it a chance, you might want
to sit on it every night.”

“
Ethan,”
Gavin snapped.

“
No,
thank you. I don't think it would be all that great,” Julie
answered.

She
grabbed the two drinks that had just been set down on the bar and
walked away. Ethan pulled his phone out and opened a text. Julie knew
it was coming her way. He stood at the bar, talking to Gavin. She
knew the second he looked up at her that her phone was going to go
off. As she opened the text, she looked him in the eyes before
looking down to read it.

“
What
the fuck did that mean? Are you trying to make my blood boil? Was
that comment supposed to be funny? Is this some kind of game you want
to play in front of Gavin? I can play if you want. If you need a
reminder, I can show you just how good my lap feels.”

She
saw him watching her read his text. Her phone buzzed again.