Read The Billionaire's Baby (Key to My Heart Book 3) Online
Authors: Ella Cari
The Billionaire's Baby (Key to My Heart Book 3)
Copyright 2016 Ella Cari
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews – without permission in writing from the author.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover Image courtesy of photoCD at bigstockphoto.com
Table of Contents
Every day was more complicated than the last.
I sank backwards against the cold tile floor, miserably pressing a damp towel against my forehead while covering my eyes with shaky fingertips. My head pounded, my stomach lurched nastily, threatening to puke up everything I hadn’t been able to eat in the past few days.
What did this creature inside of me want?
Guiltily, I lowered the wash cloth from my face and slapped it on the side of the tub. Easing my back against the smooth edge of the wall, I ran my fingers down my belly.
“I didn’t mean to call you a creature.” I murmured gently, stroking my flesh as though I were stroking the growing head of my child within.
It was about three months along now. Three months since that night with my aloof billionaire husband…
I shook my head, struggling not to think too much about it. Sometimes, though, it was all I could think about.
Sebastian Davis, my reserved but sexy as hell husband of just six months was untouchable but irresistible. I still couldn’t believe how much my life had changed since last year when he waltzed through the front doors of my closing bakery and all but demanded my hand in marriage.
Alright, maybe ‘demanded’ was the wrong way to put it. I certainly needed his help as much as he requested mine.
Without a wife, Sebastian stood to lose all that he had worked so hard for, all that he had spent his life dedicated towards achieving. His extremely lucrative family business would have been taken underhandedly from between his deserving fingers, and I would have lost the bakery my parents loved so dearly.
Though I hadn’t seen my mom and dad for too long before their unexpected passing, I just was completely unable to let their dream be sold to the highest bidder. I’d firmly believed that I needed it stay under my care. I’d attempted, rather unsuccessfully, to run the place myself. Unfortunately for me, I was neither a baker nor a business woman, and I almost lost the entire shop.
Sebastian saved it for me, and I, in turn, saved his wealth. All that was needed was a simple little wedding certificate. Easy enough, right?
We hadn’t meant to sleep together, that’d never been part of the plan. Our relationship was only about the money. That night had been a rather unexpected pleasure, and had resulted in a rather unexpected gift.
Now that there was a tiny little Sebastian junior brewing inside of me, did he mean to pass on the business to it?
I hated calling the baby an ‘it.’ I couldn’t help it though, sometimes it just slipped out. It would be easier to say whether the coming babe was a boy or a girl, but at the same time, I didn’t want to know the gender. Sebastian was dying to be told whether we were having a boy or a girl, but I just didn’t want to know.
Though we weren’t quite far along enough to know the gender yet, I was fairly certain I would keep it a mystery until the actual birth.
Maybe I wanted a surprise. Maybe I didn’t want to face the reality of the baby coming just yet.
There were certain unavoidable ways I did have to face the reality though. A nursery was being built, though fortunately Sebastian had someone other than Alissa in charge of the decorating.
Speaking of Alissa, the sensual she-devil and George Davis, my father in law, were still rolling full steam ahead with their scandalous relationship.
Engaged before the divorce between George and Karina was even dry in the books, we were actually preparing to have their wedding now. It was so unbelievably strange to be here now, waiting to see Alissa clad in elegant white. Would she even wear white?
My mother in law still lived with us, and thighs she’d warmed up to me considerably over the past few months, news of her ex-husband’s engagement had made her sharp and crotchety once more.
In general, I just tried to avoid her as much as possible when she was in one of those moods. I didn’t want to irritate her, not with how grateful I would be for her company once the baby was here.
Sebastian still worked almost constantly, and in the last few months since I found I was pregnant, he’d been gone for over half of that time.
It was hard to imagine what life would be like after the baby’s birth.
Karina was convinced it was a boy. I’d woken up more than once with her kneeling over my belly with one of those dangling crystals, trying to tell which way it was swinging.
“You’re carrying like a boy.” She would say primly as she watched me walk into the kitchen in the mornings for my now decaf coffee. There was nothing I could do but shake my head and walk the other way. I wasn’t even showing yet.
Naturally, she’d been the one to break the baby bearing news to her son.
He hadn’t even taken three steps in the door before she had joyously attacked him while I was keeled over a toilet, much like now puking out the entire contents of my inner body. I could hear her squealing about how happy she was to be a grandmother from down the hall, how she’d begun to doubt it was ever going to happen.
My mother in law rapturously led Sebastian, who was needless to say utterly dazed and shocked and confused, to where I’d collapsed on the bathroom floor, vomit still dribbling out of my mouth.
We’d stared at each other, myself too exhausted to be apologetic and himself too shaken to be showing any emotion at all.
Fortunately Karina had enough excitement for all three of us.
Sebastian had been a bit bipolar since that moment. There were times when he’d inch closer to peek at my stomach and ask how I was feeling, and then there were times when he wouldn’t talk to me for a week straight.
I wondered if he doubted the child was his, I wondered what he thought of me, I wondered if he’d ever even wanted children.
We certainly hadn’t ever talked about it, we barely talked about anything at all.
The only people I had to talk to were Lewis Carson and Harry Bircham.
Harry, the sweet old former chef of the Davis family who’d taken over as baker of my shop, was almost as excited for the baby’s coming as Karina. I was glad she had him as an outlet, I’d walked into the shop numerous times to find them pouring over baby name books or nursery decoration ideas.
“We can’t pick a color, though, can we?” Karina had muttered scathingly, glaring at me from over the top of the baby book while Harry nervously chuckled and pulled her attention back to the onesie decorations at hand.
Lewis, on the other hand, had been much more standoffish since the news came out. To tell the truth our conversations had been minimal, and only consisting of bakery talk.
I didn’t blame him for withdrawing, of course, though I did miss his company dearly. But the poor man had confessed the growth of deep feelings for me just moments before I’d realized I was pregnant. I’m sure it was confusing for the handsome, blond manager.
Lewis stared at me still, a mix of forlorn affection on his creased brow. His dimples no longer showed when he smiled.
There was a time, last month, when I forgot my jacket and he ran after me with it, throwing it over my shoulders.
“I don’t want either of you cold.” He’d whispered as he wrapped it securely around my shoulders, our faces close but not touching, his fingers brushing against my own.
My feelings for Lewis were complicated at best.
Before his confession, thoughts of his attractiveness and kind heart lingered in the back of my mind, unrealized and unnoticed. Afterwards, it was hard not to think of those things.
But I was a married woman. A married, pregnant woman. A married, pregnant woman who was currently tied with one of the most influential, wealthy, and arguably sexy men on this planet.
If only that certain man was around a bit more and willing to share his heart with me…but Sebastian Davis wasn’t. And he never would change, would he?
I’d begged Karina one night, when I was so sick and Sebastian was gone.
Would he ever change? Would he ever be here when I needed him? Would he ever truly see me?
But my mother in law had none of those answers. No one could answer those questions but Sebastian, and I was too much of a coward to try and force him to be straight with me.
A sudden sigh from the room attached to the bathroom I crouched in set me quiet once more, glancing towards the closed door that separated the huge room of our hotel and the bathroom.
The young billionaire was out there, right now, so close and so far, asleep in the bed that we’d shared the night prior.
I was glad to be out of the mansion, and glad to be on a private, beautiful island, though not particularly glad of the circumstances.
Alissa and George’s wedding would be tomorrow afternoon, though I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to make it through the whole thing without a barf bag.
I hadn’t realized how much I’d come to depend on Karina’s company until she wasn’t with me, even for just the week that we would be out of town. Now that I was stuck on this island without her, I wished she was here.
With my own mother gone, Karina’s time spent with me was a relief. The woman was surprisingly comforting in the middle of a migraine, always understanding of oddball cravings, and motherly in a way that almost eased the void in my heart that had become larger since discovering I was pregnant.
I missed my parents every day, of course, but knowing that I was going to have a child that would never know the joy of my mother’s laugh or the tickling of my father’s beard made my heart ache with painful depth. I’d begun having frequent dreams of them meeting each other, of my parents crying over the sweet little bundled blanket in their arms.
But it would never happen. My parents would never have the change to meet their grandchild, and my baby would never have the chance to meet them. It tore bitterly at my heart.
I’d been struggling with a way to tell Karina how deeply I appreciated her mere presence, but I failed to be able to find an adequate measure. Surely she knew, right?
“Macy?” Sebastian’s deep British whisper echoed from behind the thick bathroom door, “Are you alright in there?”
“Just fine.” I replied, struggling to keep my voice calm and peaceful as my stomach lurched once more inside of me.
I rushed forward, hands gripping the side of the toilet just in time as Sebastian hesitantly stepped away from the door, leaving me alone in my morning sickness.
"I asked if we could get separate rooms." Sebastian murmured, as though he were trying to be helpful, as I finally managed to splash water on my face and step out of the bathroom, "But Alissa said it would seem too strange for a married couple to stay apart. She said it was so full anyways we were lucky to get a room alone."
"Don't bother the bride." I shrugged, smoothing my hair from my damp forehead.
I sank onto the bed beside him, shoulders heaving with a sigh.
“Is that how you felt at our wedding?” He chuckled, gorgeous head cocking to the side slightly as his gaze slid towards me.
A bit taken aback that he actually mentioned our union, a rare topic of discussion, I hesitantly shook my head.
“Nope.” I smiled, “I was too absorbed in the fact that I was marrying someone as smart and dashing as you.”
The billionaire glanced at me from the side, deep blue eyes studying me uncertainly, before he softly reached over and took my hand in his, his warm fingers stroked up and down my own until my eyes lazily drifted shut.
We hadn't spent a bed together since our little accident had occurred, and physical touching had been even less. Sebastian had barely even hugged me, much less spared a glance my way.
It was nice to feel his soothing, tender touch. When we were close and Sebastian decided to truly interact with me, it was as though my heart was given wings, as corny as that was.
These moments were so rare and fleeting though, I could never be sure how long they would last or how often. Hoping for them was like hoping for a rainbow.
"What do you think my Mother is doing right now?" The thirty year old billionaire sighed, flopping backwards on the bed. The sheets jostled around him like an ocean.
Dressed in an unordinarily casual outfit for the moment, a simple white button up and crisp black slacks. His socked feet dangled off the edge of the bed, dancing to the rhythm of his flying thoughts. What went on in his stunning mind, I would never know.
"Drinking." I replied almost instantly, chuckling for a second, "Or hanging out with Harry and Lewis."
"She loves that bakery almost as much as you do, I think." Sebastian smirked at the ceiling, full lips creasing his gorgeous tan face, "We were both lucky to have you come into our lives."
I blinked, staring at him in surprise. It wasn't often that he even hinted at being happy that I'd come into his life. Perhaps he was feeling sentimental today.
To be frank, I was as freely giving in my affection as he was. Perhaps both of us were having trouble crossing that bridge. Neither knew what to expect of the other. Did he see me as mysteriously as I saw him?
Slowly, I lay down on the bed at Sebastian’s side, my head resting on the pillow beside his own. His arms carefully crossed behind his head, his elbow an inch above me. I could feel his warmth like a blanket over me, though we didn't touch. My arms rest straight down my sides, my ankles crossed. Our breaths came in unison, chests softly rising and falling side by side. I stared down at my belly, trying to tell if it’d gotten any bigger.
"How long do we have until we need to head downstairs?" I asked, tilting my head slightly to inspect the strong curve of his jaw and the way his lips moved as he spoke. The Caribbean sun here had been nothing but kind to him, his usually tan flesh was even more rich and caramel colored.
He shifted his arms, glancing at the watch on his wrist, "We should head down there now, before Alissa has a panic attack."
Despite almost wanting to wait and see what would happen when Alissa got flustered, I nodded and slowly pulled myself up.
Sebastian slid off the bed, leaving a cold space where his warm body once lay. As he vanished into the bathroom to finish getting ready, I swung my legs over the edge like a child in a seat far too large, glancing around the gorgeous hotel room where we were shacked up for the rest of the weekend.
The room sat right on the beach, overlooking the never ending sea. At night when all was quiet, you could hear the swell of the tide down below. It was a rather small hotel, by Davis standards, only three flights tall. This wedding was also small, again by Davis standards, only about 200 people or so. I couldn't even remember now how many people were at the wedding I had with Sebastian, I'd been so dazzled by the sights and sounds that I barely paid any attention at all.
That felt like so long ago. So, so much had changed. Karina had been an enemy, not an ally. Alissa had helped renovate my shop and was now marrying my father in law. I hadn't even known Lewis's name, or Harry's.
And this...this little one inside of me wasn't a part of my life at all. I would never have seen the baby coming, not from a mile away.
My hands smoothed again over my stomach, which hadn't swollen even an inch yet. I didn't know what kind of person this baby would be, or whether it would be a daddy's girl or a mommy's boy, or whether it would love to bake or hate to sing.
How was it possible to care so deeply about something that you couldn't even touch? It was hard to remember it was real sometimes, that a tiny little person was growing inside of me.
Sliding my hands under my shirt, I pressed my palms fully against the bare skin of my stomach, eyes closing, as though I could listen through the tips of my fingers for any sign that there was something in there. Nothing but a slight quell of queasiness responded to me.
The bathroom door opened again, Sebastian slipping back out. He stood in the doorway, where the dim light of fading dusk illuminated his fine-looking, tan face. His expert fingers made quick work of his tie, smoothing out the jacket of his expensive suit.
Hesitantly, he crossed the room, standing in front of me at the foot of the bed, his fingers shifting towards where my own hands rest on my stomach.
For a moment he was quiet, and I cracked open an eye, patiently watched him, curiosity peaking.
Then, his perfect lips parted, lingering question on his lips before he solemnly pursed his lips, abandoning the conversation I could tell he wished to have.
He retreated to the corner of the hotel room where he sat in a chair, sliding thick, expensive black shoes on his perfectly manicured feet.
"You should get ready as well." He finally spoke, twinge of gloom in the musical lilt of his voice.
With only a nod of agreement, I slid to the floor, padding across the soft aqua carpet to the large walk in closet. Deftly, I changed into a simple pink dress. Fortunately, once you get pregnant, apparently no one expects you to care about fashion anymore, showing or not. At least that meant that I wouldn't be judged for my choice of outfit. At least not as outwardly as normal, anyways.
The frock I’d chosen, with a simple shimmery scoop neck and low back, fit snug around the ribs and flared out from there. I looked a bit round in it, but I was more comfortable in this than I had anything else I'd ever been asked to wear by the Davis's. I barely ever even picked out my clothes anymore because everyone else had such a say in it.
"You're representing us every time you step outside, Macy!' Karina always scolded when I tried to escape in a comfy shirt and jeans.
She would refuse to stop pestering me until I changed into stiffly starched blouse and slacks. And believe me when I say, 'sneakers' or 'flip flops' were not words in that woman's dictionary.
The baby had fortunately given me a bit of leverage there, though not much.
"You look beautiful." Sebastian murmured politely, as he always did when we prepared to go somewhere together. It was hard to tell whether he was just being cordial or serious.
I simply smiled back at him, reflecting back his polite civility. This was our marriage now, so chaste and chilly, it was a miracle a baby was produced from the union. People were bound to think that it was a product of miraculous conception or something.
I gathered my shimmery, champagne colored clutch, momentarily lamenting that I wasn't going to be able to drink anything to help me get through this night.
This wasn't even the freaking real wedding, only the rehearsal dinner. Maybe I could fake some pregnancy sickness and slip out of the reception at least...
Sebastian guided me to the elevator, where we stood side by side, again in complete, stony silence. I'd grown accustomed to this, I didn't expect anything else. Though the billionaire's arm was wrapped carefully around my own, and my fingers rest against his strong forearm, it was as though we were each in our own little bubbles. It was as though we were each on separate worlds, hurtling away from each other at light speed.
Somewhere in my heart, I'd long accepted the fact that Sebastian felt nothing for me. Surely that was the truth, or he would show at least a shred of familiarity with me, a shred of affection, a shred of whatever was brewing in his handsome head.
But he didn't.
Sebastian showed me nothing below a fake smile. I'd known when we got married that we were doing it just for show, that we were joining our lives together for the sake of our businesses and for the sake of money and convenience, and yet, I had expected something to grow. I remembered the flurry of hope I felt six months ago at our wedding, and again on that single steamy night together. Where were those flutters of optimism now? Where had they gone?
I couldn't deny the butterflies that quivered inside of me every time he gazed at me with those beautiful blue eyes. I couldn't deny that his touch warmed me from the inside out, filling my veins with dull flame that had once burned bright and searing.
But what was I supposed to do with those feelings when he refused to reciprocate them?
What was I supposed to do when the man I married only tolerates my company instead of yearns for me?