Battle for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #3) (31 page)

“I
do want kids. I know that we were meant to be together. We will make
it through anything life throws our way. You are going to be an
amazing mom and I will be the best dad I can. With you, I know that I
can do anything I want. I know that I won't be like him. I'll be like
me. Our kids are going to have everything they could ever want. They
are never going to go without. I'll make sure of that.”

“I
would love to have a place here. This has been the best week of my
life. I'm the luckiest woman in the world. I've found my best
friend,” she said.

They
made love one last time before they left. He made her promise to look
for a house with him right away.

When
they got home, Julie decided she wanted to have everyone over for
dinner. She was so excited. Gavin, Becky, Josh, Lisa, Baby Jack, and
Heath were all there. The guys all hung out in the manly living room,
which Gavin was very happy Julie had not changed. The ladies all
stayed in the kitchen. Julie was so proud of her home and being
Ethan's wife. John showed up just as dinner was being served. He was
on duty and was hoping to be there long enough to eat. He told Julie
how happy he was to have her as his sister. She hadn't really thought
about that. Gavin had a new brother and John had a new sister. Just
as she was putting dessert out, John got a call. He hugged them all,
and ran out the door.

***

John
got to the accident as quickly as he could. There were multiple cars,
and the scene in front of him looked pretty bad. He got out of his
car and ran to the car closest to him. John worked hard trying to get
the door open. He could see a woman inside but wasn't sure of her
condition. Finally, he was able to get through the door. He moved the
woman back in her seat to check on her, and could not believe what he
saw. John felt like he couldn't breathe. No matter how hard he tried
to catch his breath, he felt like his chest was caving in. His eyes
went immediately to hers. She had the most beautiful blue eyes he had
ever seen. There was no mistaking who they belonged to. John worked
to get her out of her seat belt. She shifted her body and slowly
opened her eyes. He heard her gasp as her body froze in place.

“John,
is that you? Could that really be you?” she asked.

The
End.

Watch
for my next novella, part 1 of a 3 part serial –
His
Assistant Part 1
coming in December.

The
one person I loved most in the world was gone. What was I going to
do? I had given up the last two years to take care of my mom and be
with her until her last breath. She was my best friend.

At
twenty-one, I was going back to school. That was what she had wanted
for me. I was determined to own my own company one day. It was
important to her that I finish school, and I wanted to make her
proud. My father had passed away before she could tell him she was
pregnant. She had given up so much to raise me alone. I knew she
would have done anything for me.

The
day after her funeral, I found a box in the attic with my name on it.
She told me about the box the day before she passed, but I promised
her I would wait to open it. When I opened the box, I found a letter
on top. There was nothing that could have prepared me for what I was
about to read. As I read the letter, tears fell from my eyes. I
dropped the letter to the floor and tore through the box as I sobbed.
My life would be changed forever. How could she have lied to me? How
could the one person I trusted most have kept such a big secret from
me?

There
was only one person who could answer the questions I had, and I could
only think of one way to get to him. I had to get a job, and there
was only one company to work for. The only thing on my mind was
getting answers.

One
thing I didn't need were distractions.

Then
he came along.

He
was tall, built, tattooed, and oh so sexy.

In
a suit he looked amazing, but in jeans and a tight t-shirt he was
unbelievable.

Just
when I thought he couldn't get any sexier, I saw him on his Harley.

I
was in trouble.

I
couldn't keep my thoughts straight.

He
was cocky, full of himself, and held my fate at the company in his
hands.

One
minute I couldn't stand him, and the next I wanted him more than I
had ever wanted anything.

Would
I be able to get the answers I desperately needed before tall, dark,
and sexy turned my world upside down?

Be
sure to watch for my next novel -
“Rescue of Love”
(Bachelor Billionaire #4)
.

Please
continue on for Chapter 1 of “His Assistant - Part 1” and
Chapter 1 and 2 of “A Love Rekindled” (The Game of Love
#1).

Other
Stories by Sharon Cummin

Romance Series

Romance
and a... Series: The Complete Collection

Billionaire
Romance Series

Finding
Love, Keeping Love, and Saving Love

Bachelor
Billionaire Series

Sea
of Love (Bachelor Billionaire #1)

Sea
of Love is a complete, stand-alone novel. It is #1 of a 5 novel
series.

Hot
for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #2)

Hot
for Love is a complete, stand-alone novel. It is #2 of a 5 novel
series.

The
Game of Love Series

The
Game of Love Boxed Set

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http://www.amazon.com/author/sharoncummin

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His
Assistant – Part 1

Prologue

Brooke

As I
sat in the front row of the funeral home, I could not help but think
about her life. My mom passed away just two days before. A chill ran
through my body, as I sniffed in the smell that surrounded me. I was
glad there were only three flower arrangements delivered. It would
have been hard to get any more than that back to the house. People
came in and out of the room, letting me know how sorry they were.
They all stood around telling stories about my mom. The entire room
acted as if they knew her so well. She had been such a good friend to
each of them, they claimed. I had to laugh, as I listened to the
bullshit going on around me. None of them knew her. Not a single one
of them were there for her. I can't remember any of them offering to
help me through those two long, painful years. If they were such good
friends, where the fuck were they when I needed help?

My
mom was an amazing woman. She was a single mom at only twenty. I have
no idea how she raised me alone. My father passed away in a car
accident before she even had the chance to tell him she was pregnant.
She admitted that I was a product of a one night stand but still
planned on letting him know. There were no pictures of him for her to
show me, and she didn't really know anything about him. My birth
certificate did not list anyone as my father. How sad right?

I
always loved to watch my friends with their dads and wished I could
have met mine. I was always Brooke Smith, the little girl without a
father. There are so many kids in the world with only one parent, but
all of my friends had two.

My
mom worked her ass off making sure I had what I needed. Sure we
struggled all the time, but she made sure I had the necessities. I
knew there were times she went without, so that I could have
something I really wanted. She had more than one job at a time for as
long as I could remember. I know she was often tired, but she never
let it show. Dinner was always ready. I might have had to heat it up,
but it was there when I got home from school. Thinking back, I don't
ever remember her dating. She was always so busy working and raising
me. It was just the two of us, but we made it work.

When
I was fourteen, we moved to Michigan. That was where my mom's parents
lived. We had only visited a few times when I was younger, so I
didn't really know them very well. I talked to them on the phone
sometimes, but that was about it. They seemed nice enough. We moved
into their house with them. My mom said she wanted to be there to
help them, because they were getting older. I really think she was
tired of working so hard, and it was cheaper to live there. They were
very loving right from the start. My grandmother made sure I ate well
and rode me every day about my homework. It was nice to have two more
people to love.

Everything
was great for four years. My mom worked one job, so I was able to see
her more. It was nice to see her with her parents. They seemed so
happy to have her home. I often wondered why she moved away in the
first place. Mom always said it was better for us to live where we
had. I thought it would have been better with them. She must have had
her reasons, right?

My
high school years were great. Keeping my grades up was difficult, but
I did it and was looking forward to college. I wanted to go into
business and planned to eventually own my own company. Working for
someone else didn't appeal to me at all. It was going to be great. I
would be able to take care of my mom one day. Then she wouldn't have
to work. She would be able to do all of the things she never had time
for while she was raising me. I had been accepted to University of
Michigan. It was going to be awesome to live in the dorms and be on
my own.

Two
days after my graduation, my grandparents were killed in a car
accident. They were hit by a drunk driver who had crossed over the
line. I never understood how people could make such bad decisions.
Why risk other people's lives? I get that they want to drink, but why
get behind the wheel of a car? My mom had a very hard time with their
death. I did too. She felt bad for not being there for them before
and regretted staying away for so long. It was horrible. I had just
gotten to know them. They were such wonderful, caring people. I
really missed them and always would. It would have been nice to have
known them longer. We should have been there.

They
willed the house to my mom and me. We wanted to stay there. It was
where she had grown up and where I had gotten to know them. I decided
to stay home and commute to school, so my mom wouldn't be alone. It
wouldn't have been that long of a drive each day, but my mom as
adamant that I still dorm my first year. She didn't want me to miss
out on experiencing the fun side of college life. I knew I would make
sure to go home most weekends. It was going to be strange being away
from her.

I
jumped when I felt someone touch my leg. It was the funeral director.
I had almost forgotten where I was. It was easy to block out all of
the noise around me. I wanted the day to be over more than you can
imagine. It was so hard to sit there while everyone talked about my
mom like they knew her. They were all going to leave that day and go
on with their lives. By the time they got home, they would be done
thinking about her and be busy thinking about what they were going to
make for dinner. She deserved better than that. I was relieved when
the director asked me to go into his office to sign something. It was
tiring being around all of the fake people surrounding my mom's
ashes, pretending to care.

The
viewing would be over in fifteen minutes. Then, I would take my mom's
urn and ashes home where they belonged. Before she passed, we agreed
to only one day of visitation. I wanted her to have a large funeral
and burial, but she refused to agree with me. She wanted to be
cremated and have just a short visitation. I know she thought it
would be easier for me. After sitting all day in a room full of
strangers, I had to agree with her. It would have been too hard for
me to sit with her body in front of me for longer than a day.

I
know it wasn't fair of me to think negatively about all of the people
who came to pay their respects, but that didn't change the way I
felt. She had worked with some of them. A few of them were my
grandparents' friends. Some of my mom's high school friends came. I'm
not sure how they found out. I didn't put anything in the paper. My
mom was strict on her direction for that. It was not to happen. I
couldn't figure out why. Again, I'm sure she had her reasons.

She
was never one to explain her feelings. All she ever said was “I
have my reasons.”