Battle for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #3) (14 page)

“
Maybe it's
that you're embarrassed by me. Is that what it is? Are you
embarrassed that you were with me? Do you feel I'm not good enough
for you?”

Julie
was shocked by what she was reading. Was he serious? Was this part of
his game? How could he go from so cocky one second to upset the next?
She couldn't tell if he meant it or if he was playing her. There was
no way he was getting the upper hand. She shook her head, looked him
in the eyes, and set her phone down as she smiled.

Ethan
slammed his hand on the bar loud enough for everyone to hear and
stormed out the door. Becky and Julie jumped at the same time.

“
What
is going on with him?” Becky asked.

Lisa
walked up behind Julie, bent down by her ear, and whispered.

“
What
are you doing to that poor guy? I have never seen him act like that.
Before you try to tell me you don't know what I'm talking about, let
me tell you that I just watched that whole thing between you two.”

Julie
turned her head and looked up at Lisa with a grin.

“
I
can waddle pretty fast. I'll snatch that phone out of your hands and
go,” Lisa whispered.

Julie
quickly hid her phone in her pocket and laughed. The food began to
arrive at the tables, so Lisa walked over to sit down. They had soup
and salad while each table talked amongst themselves. Julie's phone
rang. She grabbed it out of her pocket and looked to see who it was.
It was a local number that she had never seen before. It could have
been one of her patients or someone from the hospital. She got up
from the table and walked outside to answer it.

“
Hello,”
she said, as she walked down the walkway to the sidewalk.

“
Hello
Julie.”

Her
feet froze in place and fear ran through her body. She felt like her
chest was closing in, as she tried to catch her breath.

“
What
do you want?” she choked out.

Julie
could feel her world caving in around her. Her worst nightmare was
coming true in front of everyone she loved.

“
I
just wanted to say hello. It's been a long time since we've talked.”

That
voice, she thought. She would never forget that voice. It haunted her
dreams every night.

“
Leave
me alone,” she said.

“
We'll
see. I just wanted to say hello.”

Julie
hung up the phone and leaned down with her hands on her knees.
Finally able to catch her breath and pull herself back together, she
stood up and put her phone in her pocket. Maybe he had somehow gotten
a phone in jail. That must have been what it was. She jumped and
turned quickly when she heard a noise behind her. There was nothing
there. She shook her head and walked back inside, trying to figure
out how to get away from the party.

Ethan
walked out from the corner of the building, as he watched Julie walk
back inside. He knew his mouth fell wide open when he saw what had
just taken place. What the hell was that, he wondered? He watched her
from the second she said hello to the moment she hung up the phone.
She was scared. He could see the fear in her body as she froze and
shook. Ethan saw her body actually shake while she had the phone to
her ear. Why did she ask them to leave her alone? Who the fuck was
that? He was going to find out who it was, and he was going to stop
her from being afraid. All of the hurt he was feeling about the way
she was treating him was gone in a second. He was going to protect
her from whatever had just made that happen to her.

He
walked back into the restaurant and sat at the bar where he could see
her. Ethan could see her mind working. She was trying to figure out
how to get out of there. He opened his phone.

“
What
was that about?” he sent.

He
watched her look around before she looked down at her phone. She
looked up at him and smiled.

“
The
hospital called and needed to ask me something.” she sent.

“
Really?”

“
Yes,
why?”

“
You're
lying to me.” he sent.

Julie
put her phone down, leaned her elbows on the table, and put her face
in her hands. He sat watching her reaction. She grabbed her purse and
her phone buzzed just as she went to stand.

“
Sit
your ass back down or I'm getting Gavin.”

He
watched as she sat back down in her chair.

“
It's
no big deal. It was just someone I didn't want to talk to. Drop it
okay.” she sent.

“
You
are going to stay at this party. When you leave, you are going to
drive to my house. We are going to talk about this.” he sent.

“
Don't
try to go all bossy on me. It's not going to work. I'm going home
when I leave here.”

“
No,
you are not.”

“
Yes
I am.”

“
Okay,
I'll be right back.”

Ethan
got up and walked into the other room. He asked Gavin if he wanted to
go sit at the bar and have a drink. Two minutes later he walked back
into the room with Gavin, and they both sat down at the bar. His
phone buzzed and he looked over at her with a smile before he read
the text.

“
Fine,
ass! I'll go to your house. Don't tell my brother on me. You make me
so mad.”

“
You
know you love me.” he sent.

He
saw her smile as she read it. She shook her head and put her phone
away. When the party was over, everyone left. Becky, Gavin, Heath,
John, and Julie stayed to clean up. He stayed with them. They were
all laughing and joking around. Ethan sucked the helium from one of
the balloons and walked over to Julie talking funny. She burst into
laughter. He was happy to see her mood lighten some. She took a
balloon and did the same thing. All of the guys started grabbing the
balloons and having a good time.

“
You
all look like a bunch of little kids,” Lisa said.

They
all looked over at her and laughed. Josh walked up to her and
whispered something in her ear in a silly voice and she started
laughing.

Julie
sat down at the bar with John. Gavin made a comment about something
and John said something back. Ethan couldn't hear exactly what they
were saying, but he could tell they were messing with each other.
John said something louder about money and Gavin. Ethan knew Gavin
was going to say something. He hurried across the room.

“
At
least I worked for my money. Not all of us have rich dads to give us
theirs,” Gavin snapped.

Ethan
saw Julie's eyes widen as her mouth dropped open. She looked at him
with a questioning look. He could see her wheels spinning in her
head. Shit, he thought. She knew him and John had the same father,
but he had not seen his father since he was ten. He had just told her
weeks earlier about it. Ethan shook his head at Gavin.

“
Enough
about money. We are here to celebrate with Josh and Lisa. Money
should not be any part of our conversations today. Leave John alone
man. He can't help that he was a daddy's boy. At least he has built
his money up and not blown it. John shouldn't have said anything.
Knock that shit off,” Ethan said.

He
watched Julie out of the corner of his eye. She was just getting
ready to say something. What was she going to say?

“
Hey
Gavin, can you come over here and move these tables with me?”
Ethan blurted out to cut her off.

Gavin
got up and followed Ethan across the room.

***

Julie
sat at the bar watching Ethan move tables. Why was he so damn sexy?
She could the muscles on his arms tighten each time he lifted a
table. There was no way she missed the ass fitting jeans he was
wearing again. Had he worn them on purpose, she wondered? She had
told him that night they were together how much she liked them.

Lost
in thought, she had forgotten John was even sitting there. Her mind
was so torn about Ethan. He was cocky and an ass, but he was sweet
and caring as well. She knew he cared so much for his friends. They
were his family. They were all he had. She had never known that
before. He opened up to her about his past. It made her heart hurt,
thinking about what he had been through. What if John wouldn't have
taken care of him? Where would he be? She had always seen him defend
his brother. Now that she knew more about them, she understood why he
was so protective of him. All she could see in her mind was him as a
little boy afraid and alone. Julie felt a tear on her cheek. She
snapped from her thoughts, wiped her face, and looked over at John.

“
Are
you okay?” he asked.

“
I'm
fine, sorry. I was lost in my thoughts.”

“
Sure,”
he said.

“
What
does that mean?” she asked.

“
It
doesn't mean anything,” John said. “You're good for him.
He's really not as bad as he seems. Ethan has walls protecting his
heart. Someone just needs to take the time to see him for who he
really is. I hope someone can break through one day. It scares me how
he lives his life. He could have so much more.”

“
What
do you mean, I'm good for him?”

“
I'm
not stupid. Just because I never say anything, doesn't mean I don't
see things. I've seen it for years from both of you. I just sit and
hope that one day the two of you will see it too. He's a good man
inside,” John answered.

“
I
won't be that woman. Years ago maybe, but not anymore. Did you really
get your money from your father?” she asked.

“
Yes,
I did.”

“
Is
that how Ethan got his money?” she whispered.

“
No”

“
I
don't get it,” she said.

“
If
you want to know about that, you need to ask him. I will tell you
anything you want to know about me and how I got the money I have. I
can't tell you anything about him. If he wants you to know, he'll
tell you. He keeps most of his past to himself. He knows I won't tell
anyone anything. The guys know that my father gave me money. When he
passed away, he left me everything. I invested the money and have
more than I will ever need,” John said.

“
Why
do you work? Why don't you just spend your days relaxing on an island
somewhere?” she asked.

“
I
became a police officer when I quit college. I enjoy what I do. I
love to help people. There are things about it that I don't like, but
the good definitely outweighs the bad. I'm not married. I enjoy being
around all of you, and I would never leave my brother. I spend money
on nice trips, but I would never quit my job. Not everything is about
money.”

“
Why
did you quit college?” she asked, hoping he would give her more
information about Ethan.

“
I
had something much more important to take care of,” he
answered.

“
Have
you ever been in love? Do you believe that there is someone we can
completely trust to be there forever without hurting us?” she
asked.

“
I
was in love once. I would have done anything for her. She wasn't
willing to do the same for me. We were very young. I don't blame her
for wanting a life I could not give her. I'm not sure how I feel
about love anymore. I see Gavin and Josh with their women. It seems
pretty real. They would each move the world for their wife if they
needed to. I don't think it's for everyone. I just think it takes
finding the right person at the right time. Both have to align at
exactly the right moment. I guess I do think it's possible,”
John said.