His Big Reveal: An Interracial BWWM Billionaire Romance (BWWM Alpha Males) (19 page)

Theresa shook her head. “Why are you not a detective again?”

“Not enough frosting involved?”

Theresa nodded. “I could see that.”

“Stop stalling. Tell me. Actually, don’t tell me. Let’s go to my house, drink tequila from the bottle and watch bad movies.”

Theresa laughed. “Deal.”

By the time they reached Sonya’s place, Theresa was dying to tell her all about Alex. Instead, she let her best friend get showered and comfortable before she followed suit, settling in a pair of Sonya’s cotton shorts and a t-shirt. Theresa ordered the food, tacos, before they settled into the couch.

“Okay,” Sonya said, licking the juice running down her hand from the lemon, “tell me everything,” she said through puckered lips.

Theresa told her everything from the beginning. How she’d decided to go to the bar alone to have a drink. Running into Alex. Going back to his hotel room. Just the thought of her fingers running over his smooth skin was enough to send her into overdrive.

“That’s so sweet,” Sonya said on her third shot, “it’s like a love story.”

Theresa rolled her eyes. “Who said anything about love? At most, this is a crush.”

Sonya rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say.”

Theresa laughed as they continued drinking. Sonya would forever speak her mind no matter what anyone else thought. It was one of the things that she liked about her, but one of the things that drove her crazy too. Still, she wondered if Alex had been serious. The idea of writing him made her nervous, but she knew she would do it, even if only to quiet her own curiosity. A smile spread on her lips.

“Stop thinking about him,” Sonya teased.

Theresa rolled her eyes, before she elbowed the woman. “And you watch the movie!”

Chapter Two

Theresa measured increments of time in how many months it had been since she’d last seen Alex. First it was one month, then two, then three. The distance between them was very real, but when they talked almost every day, it helped her feel better.

In the first few letters, they’d been shy, gentle. The more they talked however, the easier conversation came. He always had a funny story to tell her and she loved hearing them. By the time his letters arrived, she ripped them open in anticipation.

By the time three months approached, Theresa could feel herself falling for him. She could feel so much in her life changing quickly. She’d already quit her job at the law firm for a job working as a caregiver. After another long day, she found the familiar white envelope waiting for her on the coffee table.

“Alex mail!” Sonya exclaimed.

The woman was sitting on the couch, her hair tied up into a bun. They’d decided to move in together when Theresa quit the firm, it almost felt natural. A grin spread on Theresa’s lips as she slipped a fingernail beneath the edge of the letter and sliced it open.

I’ll be home in two weeks! Can you believe that? I’ll meet you at the bar. -Alex.

It was one of the shortest letters that she’d received from him, but it was the most impactful. Theresa forgot herself for a moment and began bouncing up and down. Sonya glanced at her, an eyebrow raised with the remote poised in her hand.

“What are you going through?”

“Alex is coming home in two weeks!”

“That’s awesome,” Sonya said smiling.

“Hell yeah it is. Oh my god, I have to be ready! I have so much to do,” she mumbled as she wandered away with the letter. She couldn’t stop reading the words over and over again as she went.

“You’re so cute!” Sonya called after her.

Theresa ignored her. She went into her room before she plopped down on the bed. A smile was spread across her face that she couldn’t contain. In two weeks, she’d be face to face with each other.

She was a bit worried, however,  that when they got back together, the chemistry would be gone. It had been so long. With just one night to gauge from, she wondered if it could be a fluke. What if they got in the same room and it was awkward and uneasy?

Theresa pushed that thought aside. No, she wasn’t going to be negative before anything even happened. If he said he wanted to see her, she’d believe it until she saw otherwise. Theresa pressed the letter up to her chest before she slipped it into the drawer of her nightstand. It was already flooded with an array of letters from him. Letters that ranged from the heartfelt, to the silly, to serious, to sensual.

“Theresa! Come watch the show!” Sonya called from the living room.

Theresa laughed. She knew how much Sonya hated to be alone. Pushing herself off of her bed, she trekked over to the bathroom to take a shower. Really, the letter had been the best part of her day. Among her patients she had an older woman who cursed like a sailor. An elderly man that never said a word to her and a man who found fault in everything she did.

It was beginning to feel like the law firm. Although she loved what she did, it was difficult. Theresa could admit, she was looking forward to seeing Alex again. The thing she wanted most was his mouth on hers, his hands exploring her skin. She wanted to see the paleness of his skin contrast with the brown of hers.

She shook her head. At least things were really looking up. Theresa spent the next two weeks getting things ready. She wanted to bring him back to her place, really enjoy the night with him and hopefully spend the next day with him as well.

The night that he was supposed to come in came quickly. Theresa sat in front of the mirror applying her makeup. She’d gotten her black hair piled up elegantly, the smallest of wisps brushing the back of her neck. She slipped into a small, black dress that brushed her knees and hugged her hips. Outside of her window, she could see the rain pouring down.

“Perfect,” she mumbled.

Theresa wondered if it was a sign. The fact that it was raining twice when they were supposed to meet had to mean something. She could see the rain, melting the little bit of snow on the sidewalk. She slipped inside of her coat before she gazed at herself in the mirror. Nervousness was flooding her system for the first time in a very long time. She grabbed her bag before slinging it over her shoulder.

“Off to meet up with prince charming?” Sonya asked, her hands elbow deep in flour and dough in the kitchen.

“Something like that,” Theresa chuckled. “I’m supposed to meet him at the bar in thirty minutes, so I’m waiting on my taxi now.”

Sonya laughed. “You’re going to get there really early.”

Theresa shrugged. “I don’t mind. It’ll give me time to settle in, people watch. You know?”

Sonya raised an eyebrow. “Okay, if you say so. Call me if you need me,” she called as she turned back to the deep, blue bowl in front of her.

Theresa stepped outside. The awning above her kept the cold rain off of her face as she gazed out into the darkness of the night for the lights of the taxi. Her heart was thudding against her chest wildly, it felt as though it was trying to burst out of her.

When the taxi arrived, Theresa slipped inside of the warmth with a sigh. The ride to the bar made her jittery, but she kept taking deep breaths. Theresa kept repeating to herself, over and over again, that it was no big deal. She would meet Alex, they would catch up, that would be the end of that.

The little bar was busy once more when she stepped inside. She waved an impatient hand through the cloud of smoke that hovered in the air before she made her way to a booth in the back where the air was clearer. It wasn’t long before she shed her coat, the body heat from all of the people in the room making it warm.

Theresa pulled out her phone. They’d only been able to talk on the phone two times since he’d been away, but she figured he’d call when he got in. Theresa checked the time. She was still ten minutes early.

“Can I get you something to drink?” A waitress asked with a big grin on her lips.

“Oh, sure. Do you have lemonade? Pink lemonade?”

“Sure, I’ll be right back.”

The woman disappeared into the throng of people around the bar. Theresa sighed. Her belly gave several nervous little flips. What if he wasn’t coming? She hadn’t gotten a letter from him in two weeks, what if he’d changed his mind? Theresa shook her head. After getting to know him, she couldn’t believe that he’d actually do anything like that.

The waitress returned with her drink before she headed off to the next table. Theresa drummed her plum painted fingernails against the table. She sipped on her drink, her eyes fixed on the door.

When he was late by ten minutes, she understood. When twenty minutes passed, she could feel the annoyance reaching a crescendo. After thirty minutes of still no Alex, she became livid. Her eyes had narrowed at the door. She was ready to give him a piece of her mind as soon as he stepped through it.

He never did. Theresa wasn’t quite sure when she realized it, but she went numb. She continued to stare at the door, but she no longer felt as though he was going to stroll through at any moment. Theresa’s appetite withered away as she pushed herself up. She called herself a taxi before she paid for her drinks.

On the drive back to her and Sonya’ place, Theresa tried to keep the tears from brimming to her eyes. Her fingers curled into her palms, leaving nail marks in her skin. She didn’t care, was what she tried to convince herself, but her heart felt like it had been ripped from her chest.
 

Theresa had always wanted a fairytale love, something to tell her grandchildren, but all of that was gone now. She pressed a hand to her belly. On top of that, she would be left caring for a baby on her own.

“How was the date?” Sonya called happily from the kitchen as she poked her head around the corner.

Theresa gave her an awkward smile before she shrugged. She could feel the hot, pinpricks of incoming tears. Nodding to Sonya, she made a quick beeline to her bedroom. If she was going to cry, she would do so on her own.

Theresa knew that she should explain, but she was too tired to form words. The woman crawled into bed, not even bothering to get undressed. She wrapped herself up in her thick blanket. Theresa promised herself that she’d never fall for something or someone like Alex again.

Chapter Three

“New assignments coming in, folks!” Jessie, Theresa’s new boss called.

The woman came in holding a steaming, hot cup of coffee, several files and her cellphone. She plopped everything down on the table. The other caregivers, most young women like Theresa, looked at the folders excitedly. New cases meant a change from routine, something perhaps new and exciting.

“Everyone can take one. Theresa there was someone was specifically requested you,” she said handing her the file.

“Seriously?”

Theresa flipped open the file. Hector. She gazed over his chart, picking out the pertinent information quickly. Sixty-two year old, pretty healthy, except for the broken foot slowing him down. He only needed short term care. Theresa nodded.

“Sounds good to me.”

“I set you up an appointment for this morning. Go over, say hello. I hear Hector's pretty independent. He’s only needed us once before, but even then his son hired us.”

“I’m on it,” Theresa said as she pushed her chair out.

Theresa walked out to her car before she slid behind the wheel. It had been a month since she’d last talked to Alex. Six weeks if she counted from the time of his last letter. She shifted the car into drive before she eased out of her parking space.

February snow was nothing new in Michigan, but it still freaked Theresa out a little driving in it. She took her time, trying to push back the thoughts of Alex that were inevitably filling her head. Absentmindedly, she ran a hand over her belly. Beneath the floral patterned scrubs that she wore, there was the tiniest bump from her belly.

As usual, damn him, came into her mind. She pushed the thought away. There was too much on her mind to deal with thoughts of Alex. She pulled up in front of Hector's house.

It was a small, one story house made of brick. The little white gate in the front was pushed open from the snow. Hector's neighbors were a good distance away from him, no sidewalk separating the space between. Theresa pushed her way out of her car, trudging through the deep snow until she reached the porch. She shook off her boots before she knocked.

The door was pulled open quicker than she’d been expecting. Theresa’s head was buried in the file that she held in her black, gloved hands. When she looked up, a smile on her lips, she froze.

Alex looked back at her. His dark, green eyes ran over her before he smiled. The man pushed the door open for her, but Theresa stood in place, frozen.

“What are you doing here?” She finally asked.

“Alex? Why are you letting my heat out? Shut the door!”

Alex ushered Theresa inside of the house and this time she stepped over the threshold. He held her slip out of her heavy coat before he hung it on a hook in the hallway. He waved her down the hall a bit, out of earshot of Hector who was watching the news on tv, a cup of coffee held in his hands.

“Are you going to answer me?” Theresa whispered furiously.

“That’s my dad, you didn’t recognize the last name? I hired you guys when I heard he was injured, but I wanted to stop home too. Check on him myself.”

Theresa rolled her eyes. “And?”

“And I can’t talk about the rest now. I don’t have time. Look,” he said, gripping her arm as she began to turn away, “I can’t tell you everything that’s going on, but I am sorry. And I’m going to make it up to you. That’s why I asked for you to watch him. That way when I come back, I can see both of you. Okay?”

Theresa scoffed before taking her arm away from Alex’s grip. “Whatever. I have a job to do,” she said as she brushed past him.

Despite everything that told her not to, the woman glanced over his shoulder. Alex’s eyes were wide as he stared after her, but he didn’t make a move to stop her from walking away. Instead, he spoke to his dad briefly before he disappeared out of the door and into the now falling snow.

Theresa finished up her job before she headed home. It had been a long day and she was craving the comfort of her own bed. Her mind drifted back to Alex. He’d been so secretive, hadn’t really told her anything besides sorry. She slipped out of her scrubs, tossing them into a nearby hamper when she heard something shift in her room.

The woman froze. She hadn’t turned the lights on, the full moon illuminated her room just enough to move about it freely without having to turn a light on. Quietly, she walked backwards when she heard the rustle again.

“Who’s in here?” She called.

“It’s just me,” Alex said, stepping from the corner of the room.

Theresa’s heart was pounding against her chest. She shut the door to her room completely before she stepped forward. Alex was dressed in black from head to toe when he stepped closed to her.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She asked through grit teeth. “You can’t just break into my room like this.”

“We didn’t get the chance to talk earlier,” he said calmly.

“I don’t care!” Theresa pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. “Get out, just get out.”

“I wanted to explain things to you,” Alex insisted.

“There’s nothing to explain. I sat at a bar, looked like an idiot and went home. There’s no other explanation than that,” she said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’m sorry,” he began.

Theresa shook her head. “I don’t want to hear it. Get out.”

Alex nodded softly. “I understand, but I’m still going to try to get through to you. I’ll be back soon.”

Theresa watched him climb out of the window quickly. He was gone by the time she ran over to look after him. She couldn’t understand why he was trying so hard. Sighing, she closed her window before she settled into her bed. There was no way he’d be back, that she knew for a fact, he just liked to hear himself talk.

Only, he did come back. Every night in fact. Theresa got used to the fact that every night he would show up in her room. Every night she would try to brush him off, but it was becoming harder and harder.

Theresa knocked on Hector’s door before she let herself in. It was easy taking care of Hector. He mostly did everything he could for himself, the only things she had to do were to cook and clean. That came naturally for her. She sat a plate of food in front of him on a tv tray, a cup of coffee beside it.

“Thank you,” the man said before his eyes went back to the television, some show on antique cars played that he liked to watch everyday.

“What about my lunch?”

Theresa jumped. Alex was sitting in a chair in the living room, leg crossed over the knee of his other leg, a smile on his face. Theresa shook her head.

“You don’t get any.”

“That doesn’t seem fair,” he said as she pushed himself up and followed behind her into the kitchen.

“What are you even doing here?” Theresa asked impatiently.

“I came to check on my dad and his favorite nurse. Besides,” he said as his face went serious. “I have to do something very important, but very dangerous tonight. I just wanted to make sure that both of you are safe.”

“Are you even supposed to be doing this?”

There was concern in his eyes as he shook his head. “No, but I had to be sure both of you were okay. I’ve been careful. If everything goes alright, I’ll see you tonight. Okay?”

Theresa wanted to say no, but she nodded. As much as she tried to pretend that she didn’t want to see him, she knew she couldn’t help it. He grasped her hand in his before he left. She sighed.

‘That boy has never done what he was told,” Hector said as he limped into the kitchen on his crutches.

Theresa helped him sit down in a chair. “He definitely seems stubborn,” she mumbled.

The man laughed. “That he is. Still, he’s always there when you need him.”

Theresa wasn’t so sure that she could agree. As much as she wished that it was easy for her to put him standing her up behind her, it still hurt. Theresa pushed the thought out of her head. She had other things to focus on, other appointments to keep.

“I have to get going Mr. Hill. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bring me that mail before you go, will you?”

Theresa nodded. “Sure thing.”

The woman dropped the mail off in front of him before she left with a wave. She sighed as she drove, leaning forward over the steering wheel to peer through the heavy, white blanket of snow that was falling. Several times, she felt her tires slide across the road dangerously before she could correct it. Her heart thudded against her chest.

By the time she finished her appointments and errands, she was exhausted. The sun had disappeared out of the sky quickly, leaving her to navigate her way to the house by the light of the street lamps. Theresa flipped on the hallway light, the light illuminating the darkness a bit. Sonya still wasn’t home.

Theresa carried two big, brown bags into the kitchen before she deposited them on the counter. Slipping out of her boots and coat, she decided to put away the picture she’d gotten from the doctors office. The small, black and white image showed her son, healthy and growing. She ran a hand over her belly.

Sonya had already found out the truth a few weeks back when she’d stopped drinking. Now, all she had to do was tell Alex. That thought was terrifying, they barely knew each other. She stuck the picture firmly into the bathroom mirror, before she went back into the kitchen to put away the food. A knock on the door interrupted her.

“You really did come,” Theresa said as she gazed up at Alex.

“I told you I was. Can I come in?”

Theresa stepped out of the way. Alex stomped his boots onto the mat, the snow falling off in clumps as he slipped out of this thick jacket. When he was done, he gazed at her with a smile on his face. Theresa had a hard time not returning it.

“What do you want?” She asked as she walked to the kitchen.

“Still waiting for you to accept my apology, of course.”

“Why do you want it?”

Alex caught her hand. He pulled it up to his lips before he brushed a kiss  over the smooth, brown skin of her hand. Her heart flip flopped.

“Don’t worry,” he said when she didn’t speak, “I’m a patient man.” He took a step closer to her. “To a point.”

Theresa felt that feeling flood her once more. The shiver that passed down her spine made her want to lean against him, to press her lips against his. Alex must have seen something in her eyes because his smile returned, brilliant and sweet.

“I have to put these away,” Theresa said hurriedly.

“Okay, I’ll help you. Do you mind if I use your bathroom, first?”

“Go ahead. It’s across from my room.”

Despite her initial anger, Theresa had to admit, even if only to herself that she was glad he was there. He genuinely seemed sorry about his absence too. She wondered if it was too stupid to give him another chance.

“What’s this?”

Theresa looked up. In Alex’s hand, there was the picture she’d gotten earlier. The one that showed her little boy. She stumbled over her words.

“It-well, I mean, it’s a baby of course.”

“Who’s baby?” Alex asked slowly.

“Mine.”

Alex rolled his eyes at her. “And who else’s?”

The look on his face said he already had a sneaking suspicion, but she said it anyway. “Yours. He’s yours.”