The Stubborn Suitor, Complete Series (An Alpha Billionaire In Love BBW Romance) (9 page)

Cami woke early with the alarm, but the spot beside her in bed was already cold. Frowning, she pulled herself out of bed and went looking for Drew.

When she realized he wasn’t there, she than began looking for a note. She checked the nightstand and the dresser in the living room, the kitchen table, counter and fridge, even the coffee table in the living room.

Nothing.

Cami froze as the realization finally washed over her. Drew had left without even a note. He was just gone.

She had shared so much with him the night before—her fears about the impending custody battle, her hopes for the future. And he’d seemed genuinely interested too. But now he was gone—without even a note.

It had just been sex to him. He obviously didn’t want to get involved with someone with so much baggage. Her and Madison were a package deal, after all. Well, at the moment they were. She wasn’t even sure how much longer she’d have primary custody of her daughter.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Cami went back into the bedroom to get ready. She could hope for the best, but right now, she felt like her entire world was slowly slipping away from her.

D
rew shifted
in his seat uncomfortably. This was supposed to be a “casual breakfast amongst friends.” In all actuality, it was a business meeting with James Cook, a potential investor in his company. But instead of a straightforward meeting in his office, Cook had insisted on this “casual breakfast amongst friends” that included his wife Nancy and his daughter Analise, neither of whom were on Drew’s very short list of those he actually considered friends.

A few other investors from Cook’s firm had shown up as well, and Drew couldn’t help but feel restless under all of the scrutiny. The men were all deferring to Cook, laughing at his off-colored jokes and flirting with his wife and daughter just enough to be flattering.

Drew took a sip of water as he tried his best to smile and appear excited to be there. He really was, after all, thrilled about the prospect of the investment. If only it could be handled in the normal way—in boardrooms with contracts. Not here, in the baking sun of the Cooks’ summer home patio, feigning interest in Nancy’s latest art acquisition.

“I don’t really get it,” she was saying with a kind of faux-humility that Drew found pathetic. “It just looks like paint on canvas to me. But the dealer was raving about the artist. Some starving genius who’d started painting while he was homeless, I guess. I’m probably just providing him with more drug money, but what can you do? The colors really do match my drapes in the foyer.”

Drew bit his cheek to keep from grimacing as polite chuckles sounded around the table. The way in which the Cooks constantly equated poverty with criminality was highly offensive to Drew, who’d grown up quite poor himself. Drew had worked very hard for his scholarship to Harvard and had then built his company from nothing into a multi-billion-dollar corporation. And in that time, he’d never forgotten his roots. In fact, a large percentage of his paycheck went to charity each month—completely anonymously, of course.

And it was his company—his baby, which he’d spent the last decade growing—that kept him quiet and in his seat while everything inside him yearned to get away from these people.

Just a few more weeks,
he told himself as he took another sip of water.

“Is everything okay, Drew?” Analise’s soft voice whispered in his ear as her hand came up to massage his neck.

He had obviously not been doing as good of a job at schooling his expression as he thought he was.

“I’m fine,” Drew lied as he turned towards her with a fake smile. “It’s just the heat. I should have worn a more breathable suit. Hadn’t realized we would be dining outside.”

“Oh my,” she replied with an exaggerated pout. “Let’s get you inside to cool off a little.” Without waiting for a response, Analise stood up and faced the rest of the table. “Drew is a little warm, so we’re going inside to cool off for a bit.”

It took all of Drew’s self-control not to hide his face in his hands.

“Of course, my dear,” Nancy said with a delighted smile.

Drew then had no choice but to stand and offer Analise his arm. Cook gave Drew a knowing wink as he smiled at the two of them as well. Drew knew that the Cooks were trying to push him towards their daughter, perhaps believing that it would be easier to do business with a son-in-law. James Cook’s willingness to use his daughter in order to ensure a successful business venture just reconfirmed Drew’s already-existing low opinion of the man.

And it wasn’t like Analise minded being used by her father. At the moment, she was leaning into him unnecessarily, so that her small breasts were pressed against his arm as she directed them into the house. Her naturally tall frame was lifted even more by six-inch heels, so that she was almost as tall as Drew himself. She
was
beautiful—Drew could admit that much. She was a model, after all—thin and lithe, with high cheekbones and delicate facial features. But she was also cold and spoiled and almost as clueless and conceited as her parents; in other words—definitely not his type. In fact, she was the opposite of his type.

Drew could not help but be reminded of the woman who
was
his type—the woman who was everything he had ever wanted in a partner. Cami was absolutely gorgeous, with a luscious petite frame he could easily lift and press against a wall. And yet she had been blessed with curves for days—large, voluptuous breasts and wide, sensuous hips. Her face was breathtaking, with large green eyes and pouty lips.

And Cami wasn’t just a sexy body. Her personality was just as fiery as her long red hair. She was strong and independent and funny as hell. But she was also sweet and nurturing. She really was, all around, the perfect woman. Exactly the type of woman Drew would want for a wife.

That was the problem. Cami wasn’t the type of woman you fooled around with. She wasn’t a weekend fling—she was the girl you took home to meet your mom. She, herself, was a single mother, as well as a full time nurse. And she was about to begin a nasty custody battle with her ex-husband. She deserved someone who could be there for her, who could love and treat her the way that she deserved.

And—unfortunately—that was not Drew at the moment. He was so close to getting everything he’d every desired for his company and he had already sacrificed this much. He didn’t have the time and energy, right now, to be the man that Cami needed, much less the man she deserved. So he’d pulled away. He’d run away, more like, without leaving so much as a note behind.

In the cool interior of the house, Drew sank onto the Cooks’ overstuffed sofa, thoughts of Cami still fresh in his mind. Analise moved to settle down right next to him—a little too close to be appropriate.

“Could you get me some water?” he asked in an attempt to redirect her attention. He really didn’t want to be so close to Analise, especially not while thoughts of Cami were swarming through his head. But he couldn’t afford to offend her either—not with this deal hanging in the balance.

Analise nodded and headed into the kitchen, while Drew sighed and pulled out his phone. He gazed down at Cami’s number. He really knew that he should leave her alone, allow her to move on with her life and find a relationship with someone who could give her everything she deserved, and more.

Unfortunately, he didn’t think he was strong enough—or self-sacrificing enough—to do so.

C
ami had awoken well
before her alarm, the stress of the upcoming preliminary meeting with her ex-husband, Ken, and their lawyers, weighing heavily on her mind. Ken was trying to sue for primary custody, which was a complete joke in her opinion—he could barely be counted on to maintain the two weekends a month that he already had.

Yes, Ken had more money and more connections than Cami, but she would do whatever it took to keep primary custody of her two-year-old daughter. Ken was an alcoholic and an all-around irresponsible man. Even if he was about to get remarried, he didn’t deserve any more time with Madison.

Cami rolled over in bed and stared at the rumpled pillow next to her own in confusion for a few moments before the previous evening came flashing back to her.

Drew had called her out of the blue and asked her out to dinner. She’d been surprised to hear from him after the hot-and-cold treatment he’d given her at her best friend’s beach house the weekend before. Maggie’s family had been hosting a large get-together, where she and Drew had immediately hit it off.

However, when other people were around, he had turned into a completely different person—a person she really didn’t like at all. Yet, despite his apparent multiple personalities, Cami had not been able to deny their chemistry. But was that enough to build a relationship on? Even after their amazing night together, she wasn’t able to decide whether or not she really liked Drew.

And last night really had been amazing. They’d gone out to dinner, then she’d invited him back to her house for “drinks,” which turned into earth-shattering sex. She’d fallen asleep in his arms, but—once she was thoroughly awake—Cami had realized that Drew’s spot beside her in her bed was already cold.

She remained quiet for a moment, listening for any sounds of Drew in the house. When she heard nothing, Cami pulled herself out of her bed and went looking for him. The house was small, so it only took her a few minutes to confirm what she had already known: Drew was gone. And what was even worse, he’d skipped out without even leaving a note.

Now, Cami was curled up on her sofa, sobbing into a cup of coffee and feeling even worse than she had been the day before. Not only did she have the stress of her looming custody meeting in just a few hours, but she also felt used and abandoned by Drew.

“Whatever,” she said aloud as she rose to get dressed and ready for the appointment. “I don’t need a man in my life right now anyway—especially not one as unreliable as Drew-frikken’-Sloane. I’m better off without him. Better to use him and lose him.”

She really wanted to mean those words, yet she couldn’t help the sting she felt at his rejection. But she pushed that ache aside as she got ready and headed towards the lawyer’s office downtown. She had enough to worry about, after all. On her list of true priorities, Drew’s cowardly departure was pretty low.

Ken was an irresponsible alcoholic, but he was also extremely wealthy. He was from a prominent family and had the resources and connections to get what he wanted. He’d done just that during their divorce, getting out of the marriage without any spousal support and very little child support—even though he’d been the one to cheat on Cami. She hadn’t been able to prove it and she
had
been the one to leave him, so he’d turned things around until she looked like the person “at fault” in the divorce. She’d been lucky to be awarded primary custody, though that had only been because Ken hadn’t been interested in any more time with Madison.

But now he was getting remarried. And he wanted a perfect little family to present to the world. Even as he pushed for more custody, Cami knew that Ken only saw Madison as a possession, something to own and show off. He didn’t want custody in order to spend more time with their daughter. She would merely be a prop used to stage a “normal”—and thus, “acceptable”—life to the outside world.

They were meeting at Ken’s lawyer’s firm—a large, imposing building downtown. She knew that the intimidating meeting place was just another tactic used to throw Cami off her game. And, as much as she hated to admit it, it was working.

She pulled her old, rusted Toyota into the parking lot, which was full of Porsches and BMWs, trying not to feel out of place. As soon as she stepped into the lobby, she felt underdressed. Her hair was swept back into a bun, and she was wearing a pair of dress pants and a blazer purchased at Target. The woman who entered the elevator alongside her was carrying a Chanel bag, had perfectly-coifed, professionally blow-dried blonde hair, and was wearing and a bespoke designer suit. She looked condescendingly at Cami before becoming completely fixated on her phone.

Cami couldn’t help but wonder if the woman was one more obstacle purposefully placed in her way in order to overwhelm her. She shook her head slightly to get rid of the thought before it could cause her any more stress. She knew well enough from experience—that kind of thinking would just make her feel like a crazy person.

Cami’s lawyer, Michael McKenzie, was waiting for her alone in the conference room and did nothing to soothe her nerves as she sat down. He looked as out of his league as she felt, shifting nervously as he rifled through some paperwork. She couldn’t help but remember the subpar service he’d provided during her divorce. Yet, he was all she could afford at the moment.

“Hello,” she said with a smile, trying to appear confident.

“Ms. Hendricks,” he replied, offering her a fragile smile of his own. “So good to see you again, though I’m sorry it’s under such circumstances.”

Cami just nodded. Before she and Michael had any time to talk, Ken and his lawyer marched into the room. Cami was surprised—and more than a little upset—to see that Ken’s fiancée, Natalie, was also present. Natalie really had nothing to do with any of this, in Cami’s opinion. In fact, Cami blamed Natalie, in part, for this custody battle.

It didn’t help that Natalie really
did
seem to fit in here. And why wouldn’t she? She was tall and thin and poised. And, much like the lady in the elevator, she was wearing a perfectly tailored designer dress with a matching jacket. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders in flawless curls, and her makeup looked like it had been professionally applied.

For those reasons alone, Cami would have had a hard time liking Natalie. But on top of all that, Natalie was about to marry Cami’s ex-husband—and may very well have been sleeping with him before he and Cami had even split up. Cami couldn’t help but detest the woman.

Natalie had to know all about Ken’s drunken debauchery, so she was either a gold digger who didn’t care if he was an alcoholic adulterer, or just as depraved as he was. Cami wondered if it was something she’d never considered before: what if Natalie was too stupid to see how harmful Ken’s behavior was? Did she lack the strength of character to demand better, or was she really unable to see how miserable life with an alcoholic could become? Either way, Cami did not want Natalie around her child.

“Welcome,” Ken’s lawyer was saying.

He continued to talk, but Cami’s eyes and attention were on Ken and Natalie, who were holding hands above the table as they sat across from her. Cami was taken aback—Ken had never been publicly affectionate while they were married. He’d never even been overly affectionate in private. In fact, Cami could probably count on both hands the times the two of them had held hands in the years they were together.

And yet, here he was now, cradling Natalie’s exquisitely manicured fingers within his own as this thumb gently stroked over her knuckles. They were smiling sweetly at each other as their lawyer droned on. Cami felt like she was going to be sick, so she tried to force her attention back to the man speaking.

Gil Dubois was not just Ken’s lawyer but also a close family friend. She’d gotten to know him somewhat during her time with Ken, though she’d never warmed to the man. He’d always seemed smarmy to her, and he seemed even more so now, as she sat across from him, listing all of the reasons why his client deserved primary custody of their daughter.

“My client has already been awarded primary custody,” her own lawyer, Michael, began after Gil was finished. “The ruling, by a judge, has already been made and is still standing. There are absolutely no grounds to ask for a change at this juncture.”

“The custody agreement, as is stands now, was only allowed because my client believed, at the time, that it was in the best interests of the child to stay with her mother. However, he now feels like the child would be better off in his care, rather than in Ms. Hendricks’s,” Gil retorted.

“What?” Cami cried. “That’s ridiculous.”

Michael placed a hand on Cami’s forearm and shook his head, warning her to keep quiet. They had gone over what would be discussed beforehand, and Cami had been warned not to speak during the actual meeting. If she had something to say, Michael had advised her to speak quietly to him and allow him to talk for her. Cami wanted to say more, but instead, she shut her mouth and deferred to the lawyers.

“First,” Michael replied, “it is my impression that your client was not awarded more custody at the time of the divorce because of his irresponsible and erratic behavior, as well as his dependence on alcohol.”

“Although it is true that my client has struggled with substance abuse in the past,” Gil replied, “he has gone through treatment, which has been documented, and has been sober for almost two years.”

Cami tried not to laugh, knowing it was not true at all. She’d seen Ken drunk with her own eyes within the last year. But she kept quiet, knowing that revealing that information wouldn’t help in the moment. It wasn’t like she had any proof.

“Second,” Michael stated, ignoring Gil’s rebuttal, “as previously mentioned, the custody has already been awarded to my client, and there has been nothing to indicate that it is no longer in the child’s best interests to stay with her mother.”

“My client feels like Ms. Hendricks’s long hours and irregular schedule are harmful to the child,” Gil retorted. “As it stands now, the child is often left with the childcare provider late into the night, and on weekends. Because of this, my client believes that the best interests of the child would be to live primarily with my client and his wife, as the child would be in an environment that’s both stable and constant.”

Cami bit her lip. It was all she could do not to scream. The allegations were completely ridiculous, but she had expected that. Yes, since she was a nurse, her schedule featured long hours and, often, night and weekend shifts. But she took ten to twelve hour shifts in order to only work three of four shifts a week. And during that time, Madison was always with Cami’s mother, not some stranger.

“Although my client’s schedule is somewhat erratic,” Michael replied, “she very rarely works more than forty hours a week. And during that time, Madison is with her grandmother, Cami’s mother. She is still with family.”

“Be that as it may, but the child is still out of the home for long periods of time, often late into the night, which disrupts her sleep schedule and her regular routine. My client feels he can provide a more consistent day-to-day life for the child. As it is obvious at this point that no conclusion can be reached today, I suggest we move forward with the trial.”

Cami felt like she’d been punched in the gut at those words. She had hoped that after their lawyers had talked things out, Ken would see how unfit he was to be a father, how much better Madison was in Cami’s care. It wasn’t like Ken wanted Madison as anything other than a trophy, a way to prove that he had a perfect little family.

However, it was becoming apparent that he wasn’t going to stop pursuing this. Cami wasn’t sure if she had the finances to see things through, but there was no way she was giving up primary custody of her daughter. Instead, she turned to Michael and nodded, giving him permission to move ahead as well.