Southern Charmed Billionaire (31 page)

No, you savor that baby. You inhale, you sip. You taste. That is what I was determined to do in this moment now. Not rating the tasting score, the overall bottle, vintage and year; no.
I
’d s
avor
,
j
ust be in the moment.
 

Moment
,
here I come.
 

Here I am.
 

With you.
 

Here.
 

Me.
 

You.
 

Us.
 

Fucking.
 

In Bali.
 

Hell yes.
 

Chapter Thirty-Three
 

Kate
 

The light island air was delicious and sweet. It kissed my morning cheeks with gladness
as we dined
on the table
placed
on the soft pristine sand
. It
fac
ed
the dazzling sea
, creating a scene that
was mesmerizing, peaceful
,
and calm.
 

Atticus reached for my hand
with
a concerned look across his face. Oh no.
 

“Kate, I’ve made myself not ask you this one bit on this getaway. But I
can’t wait any longer. I
want to ask you
—
again
—
the question that I asked at my Granddaddy’s birthday party.”
 

I couldn’t let him get down on one knee and propose. I just couldn’t. It was too fast.
 

“Atticus, wait. I can't be your fiancé, but I will be your girlfriend. Your
‘
for
real
’
girlfriend. No pretending. No fake anything. No payments. Nothing.”
 

I couldn’t believe I said it:
girlfriend
. I could be his girlfriend!
 

"I like it when you're bossy. It turns me on.”
 

“I’m serious, Atty.”
 

“Atty, I love the sound of that nickname coming off your gorgeous lips.”
 

“I’m serious!”
 

“You’re really cute you know.”
 

“I’m glad you find my determination cute.” I cocked my head and glared playfully at him.
 

“I find it very cute. If I can’t take fiancé, I’ll at least settle for girlfriend. And I’m going to treat you like no one has ever before. I’m going to love you like no one else. And I’ve been thinking about your cupcake line predicament.”
 

I burst into laughter. Men were cute sometimes, so cute. “It’s not a line, silly. It’s a food business.”
 

“You know what I mean, darling. And I know what to do. I’ll call Kim and get you an exclusive interview in Modern Luxury magazine. She’s the Creative Director and we can get you shot in a gorgeous setting with you dressed in one of those swanky tight dresses that fits your bangin’ body like a glove. And you can be holding a tray of cupcakes. A golden tray, with the most exquisite crystal platter.” His eyes glazed over in
thought of his vision
, his hands spreading in demonstration.
 

I
could
totally see
the image in my mind
as well; but
as much as I appreciated what he was trying to do—this company
, my company
—needed to be fully me. I’d have to find a way to explain it to him.
 

“But you’re not actually going to be working in the bakery
,
are you?” He
asked
in an appalled manner, as
if I
were
cleaning homes
instead of making pastries
.
 

I scoffed.
 

“Of course I am! It’s my baby.”
 

“But
…
.
”
 

“But what? Are you going to break up with me because you’re dating a bakery chef?”
 

“I’m not going to break up with you, ever.” His possessive hand reached over the table and clutched my hand.
 

“The only way to see this bakery through is to oversee everything.”
 

“Why can’t you just franchise this? Just go bigger right away and hire managers. Free up your time that way.”
 

“Because I like the day
-
to
-
day interaction of customers in a small setting
. I love being
in a community. I
love
seeing people’s faces light up. I love
the nostalgia of
getting to know regulars and hearing about what’s going on in their life
,
much the same
way old business used to
do
. I love that
,” I replied emphatically. He really needed to understand this.
 

“
I don’t want to be a princess locked away in an ivory castle. And I feel like it may be hard for you to understand this. But here is the truth
:
back in Brooklyn, you know like I told you, I was really, really,
really
poor. And I felt like the red
-
headed stepchild among my aunt and uncle
,
so to speak
.
N
ot that there’s anything wrong with red
-
haired children or stepchildren. You’ve heard the saying right?”
 

He nodded.
 

“Okay, well, I used to spend my life pretending. I knew that dreaming mattered. I’d take my spare money and instead of saving for new clothes so the mean girls wouldn't laugh at me at school, I'd spend my money to take the subway to Manhattan and stroll the
quiet streets of the sparkling elite neighborhood
,
just hoping to catch a glimpse into their magical world.
Those hours nearing
sunset
were
always the best because I'd see the houses transform
from
chaos
to a settling calm. Sometimes
,
windows would be open
, and
I
’d
hear a mother ask her child how school was over a plate of spaghetti as the father picked a meatball o
ff
his plate.
 

“
I lived for
seeing
and hearing
those
family moments
. It wasn't the wealth I sought
;
it was the ease of dinner
,
showcasing a happy meal.
Wealth
was
simply
the means that provided downtime to relax around a table and actually
talk
, a
ctually listen. Food did that.
Food
brought
people to the table, brought families
together. That's what I believe lured me into cooking
:
happy
music, happy tunes, laughter
.
I promised myself I would do whatever it took to have that. And to have that is connected to these hands.” I held them up
,
showcasing my moneymakers.
 

“So to give up something that means so much to me, I wouldn't be able to. Not even if my boyfriend was richer than the
Catholic Church
or if he was a king. I'd still cook. I
’d
still tie my apron.”
 

“You know, I don’t understand it. Most women would love to just be free and not work
, just enjoy
a life of ease.”
 

“I’m not most wom
e
n, Atty
.
I need a purpose beyond being eye candy on a rich man’s arm.”
 

He nodded. “But I love you and I love what makes you happy. Are you still going to be m
y eye candy
on my arm at night?”
 

“That depends on the night. I’m going to have almond flour on my face a lot
;
chocolate in my hair during the day
.
B
ut this is my passion, Atticus. I’m a working woman and that’s never going to change.”
 

“Can’t you at least oversee it?” Was he not listening?
Hello
? Or was he just used to getting his way? Of course
,
it was the latter.
Billionaires.
 

I shook my head. “This is me. Space is healthy. You know that. And besides, I’d never take your music away from you.”
 

“When you put it like that, I understand.”
 

“Exactly.”
 

“I’m sorry that I cannot be the perfect southern junior league woman that’s
expected to be with you.”
 

“I don’t want any other woman but you.”
 

“Well, we’ll just see how you feel about that months later.”
 

“Okay, you will see then.”
 

Not wanting to psych myself out about the future, I stayed on track
and continued
conveying my heart
to him
. “Well now
,
until then I'm going to hustle, Atticus. I'm going to network
,
and have sample tastings
,
and share yummy goodies for free while renovations happen and I find the right place.”
 

"So you won't take off the free time you have
now
and travel with me? I'll take you anywhere you've always wanted to go. Eat
,
drink
,
and be merry."
 

 "As
amazing
as that sounds
– and it sounds incredibly amazing -
I have a business to attend to. And a lot of planning to do."
 

 "Will you at least allow me to take you away every once in a while? You have to take some time off. I mean, how ludicrous and time
-
consuming can cupcakes be?"
 

 "Are you joking? I'm going to pretend you just didn't say that."
 

 "Say what?"
 

 "Nothing. I'm attempting to come up with as many flavors as possible and explore."
 

 "Well I want to explore every possible way our bodies can move with each other."
 

 “Okay, then.
Y
ou can do that
,
Mr.
W
ilderness
B
oy
,” I playfully retorted.
“But you
may have to move back into the city to do just that."
 

My tone resumed its serious edge as I said,
“But Atticus, I have to warn you
:
I'm
serious
about succeeding. I want to do things right. This is my new baby.”
 

"But Granddaddy? Are you not going to pretend anymore with me?"
 

It
pained
me to know I knew the secret but couldn't tell anyone.
 

"I’ll triple what you've asked
,
"
he pushed.
 

"Atticus, I want to be your girlfriend and not your employee. All forms of payment from you are going to have to drop. I mean it. If you're serious about me like you say you are, this is the way it's going to have to be."
 

Chapter Thirty-Four
 

Kate
 

We landed from paradise and I hit the ground running. From business meetings, to design planning, to taste testings, I didn’t have a spare moment to lose!
 

While getting ready one morning
,
the local morning news caught my attention.
 

 
“Shocking rumors are surfacing
this
morning from the billionaire
Branch Estate. I heard this old money family is causing quite the stir with these revelations,” the anchor announced.
 

My heart stopped.
 

Please don’t let this be about me!
 

I turned up the volume and sank on the lov
eseat
,
clutching my morning coffee for dear life.
 

“Really
?
T
ell me more. Pray tell!” The bubbly blonde asked her co
-
anchor.
 

I rolled my eyes. “They’re real people, too! Just because they’re celebrities,
doesn’t mean
they
don’t
have feelings too!” I called out to them as if they could hear me.
 

“Well, Kim,
here’s what I’ve got so far.
Billionaire Atticus Branch the
F
irst, the sole proprietor of the Branch
E
nterprises
, has allegedly
made up an interesting lie. He faked having cancer
,
le
a
d
ing
his family and loved ones to believe he only had three months to live.
Apparently, this was a
ll
done
in hopes that his grandchildren
used the limited amount of time they believed he had left to snap
back into action and walk with a new spring in their step.” She enthusiastically reported as if they were discussing the Queen of England!