Epilogue
Two Years Later
Molly
“Are you feeling all right, Miss Molly?” William stuck his head into the living room as I sat on the edge of the couch, reading the latest pregnancy book.
“I think so.” I glanced down at my watch. “My contractions are still about ten minutes apart. Is Alfie on his way?” Nerves tore up my insides. I wasn’t due for another three weeks, but it would seem little Daniella was on her way early.
After a blissful year of marriage, Alfie and I finally decided to start a family. He wanted two kids, and I wanted ten. The playful fight we had over it all of the time was only compounded in hilarity by the fact that all of the staff at the estate wanted ten or more little kids running around too. Poor Alfie was quite outnumbered, but something told me that he didn’t mind so much.
He was going to be a great father, much like he always wanted to be.
We’d worked hard as business owners over the last nine months to promote the right people into the right places, thereby allowing me and Alfie to have much more time at home together. We were building a future, not just a business anymore.
The employees were thrilled with us taking co-ownership of the company, and even expanding into the Chinese markets. We’d opened a new branch office, which was thriving.
My mind raced with memories as my stomach tightened, and I found it hard to breathe.
“Miss Molly?” William knelt in front of me with a wet hand towel and a glass of ice water. “Are you all right? I’m not a father, but I do believe we might want to get you loaded into the car for when Alfie arrives.”
Elizabeth, my maid, walked into the living room and reached for me. “Come on. William is right, madam. Let’s get you into the car and ready so that when the master arrives, we can get the two of you off.”
I took her hand and stood, wobbling a little. They both reached for me, and we all shared a nervous chuckle. “And if he doesn’t get here before my water breaks?”
“Then I’ll take you to the hospital, of course.” William nodded, always so good and faithful to me and Alfie.
“And I’ll go with you.” Elizabeth beamed. She had several children of her own, but they were all grown. She was almost as excited as I was about Alfie and I having our first baby.
“Where is she?” Alfie’s voice boomed through the house as the front door slammed.
“In here, sir!” William called out.
“I’m fine.” I turned as Alfie jogged into the room and reached for me.
“Lass, I told you I should have stayed home today. I had a funny feeling about you going into labor.”
“Well, let’s have the two of you chat about this on the way to the hospital, shall we?” Elizabeth put her hand on the small of my back and walked me toward the side door which led to the garage. “William and I will take another car and meet you there. Sophia will be in charge of the house, and you both need to focus on this time. It’s precious and fleeting. Everything else will be handled by us.”
“I love this woman.” I nodded back to Elizabeth as Alfie grabbed my hand and walked with us through the kitchen.
“William. Grab the bag, please?” Alfie called out and looked down at me with love in his eyes. “I’m so fucking excited I can hardly stand it.”
“You know you can’t be cursing around the baby, right?” I teased him as if I were some sort of saint. My jovialness turned to a grimace as another contraction hit, and I bent over a little and cried out.
“Mol?” Alfie moved in front of me, his expression filled with concern. “Do you need me to tote you, baby?”
“No,” I panted through the contraction. “Just move and let me go a little faster. The contractions are getting closer and closer.”
He moved back, and I walked with Elizabeth to the car. Once she had me settled inside of it, I let out a long sigh and leaned back. I was grateful for the Mercedes. It was much roomier than some of Alfie’s sports cars that he loved so much. I could just see myself getting down into one of the leather seats while I was trying to keep the baby inside of me.
“You okay, baby?” He got in and shut his door before leaning over and kissing me several times.
I swatted at him as my body tightened again. “No kissing me. Just get me there!”
He laughed, taking my angst quite well. “Anything my girl wants, she gets.”
“Good, then you have the baby.” I gripped the sides of my arm rests and let out a long growl as another contraction hit. “Go fast, baby. I’m not sure why they’re coming so quickly, but I don’t want to have the baby in the car.”
“Got it.” He pulled out of the driveway and drove like a bat out of hell. Just before we reached the hospital, we were forced to stop at a red light. He reached over and took my hand, lifting it to his lips and kissing my knuckles. “I love you so much, Mol. You’re everything to me. Thank you for this gift, lass. For every good gift your love has provided me over the last few years. I’m so honored to be your husband.”
Tears filled my eyes. “Don’t be so sweet right now. I’m having a hard time holding it together. I’m scared and worried about the baby. She’s three weeks early.”
“And she’s going to be just fine, lass. Don’t worry about a thing. Just concentrate on your breathing and focus on me.”
“You’re going to be right beside me the whole time, right?”
“Yes. I’m not going anywhere. And Logan and Peyton will be flying in later today. I contacted them on the way back to the estate.” He turned his attention back to the road and hit the gas, causing the car to jerk a little. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I leaned back and closed my eyes, forcing myself to think about mine and Alfie’s best friends. The day he proposed to me, they met, and within six months, they were engaged too.
Peyton was six months pregnant with a little boy, and we couldn’t have been happier for them. I was a little surprised that the doctor was letting her fly, but I was beyond grateful that she was coming to support me. She was my only friend in the world at one time, but not anymore. I’d made many friends at work and in the community in Devon where we lived.
Life couldn’t have been better, and Alfie and I were in the perfect place in our lives to bring in a little one. I prayed she had Alfie’s eyes and his perfectly straight nose, but more than anything, I just wanted her to be healthy.
“All right, lass. Let’s go.” Alfie got out of the car and walked around, helping me out, too. “Just hold onto me.”
I wasn’t surprised to see Elizabeth and William pull up behind us, both of them running toward the car and telling us to go in. They would get our bags.
“I love them.” I glanced up at Alfie. “They’re such a blessing in our lives. We should give them a raise.”
He laughed. “They already make more than my executives, doll, but if that’s what you want…so be it.” He kissed the side of my head and reached down to pick me up as I buckled under the pressure of another contraction.
From that moment on, everything moved so fast. I found myself on a bed with people hooking me up to various monitors as they rushed about. Alfie stood to my left, bent over the bed with his face in mine. He gave me something secure and steady to focus on: him.
“Remember when you first came to Devon with me? How awkward it all was?” He brushed his nose against mine. “I knew I wanted you, but I was so conflicted because of the stuff with Harry.”
“You’re a good man.” I reached up and touched the side of his face. “The scoundrel you were in University is long gone.”
“I don’t know if I would say that exactly.” He laughed. “He shows up when you bend over a couch, a bed, or a kitchen counter.” His eyes darkened a little, and I laughed.
“Are you trying to sex me up in the middle of the birthing room?”
He glanced around and then back down to me. “I guess I am. I often forget where I am and who’s around when you walk into the room. You have far more power over me than you know, lass.”
“I like the sound of that.” I pulled him down for a long kiss.
“All right. Time to push, Molly. Grab Alfie’s hand, and let’s get this little one out.” The doctor touched my knees and smiled up at me.
“Okay. Let’s do this.” I took Alfie’s hand and pushed as the doctor told me two. Three pushes later, I was drenched in sweat, pale as hell, and shaking, but a sound filled the air that changed my life forever. By the look on Alfie’s face, it changed his too.
A small cry filled the air. The doctor held up a tiny baby and laughed.
“It’s a healthy, beautiful, baby girl.”
“You did it, love.” Alfie leaned over me and kissed my forehead. “You did it.”
“We did it.” I pulled him close and closed my eyes. My future looked nothing like I thought it would, and for that, I was forever grateful.
That’s the end of the Billionaire’s Runway Bride. Below I included 4 of my previous books to read as a free bonus.
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BILLIONAIRE’S BEST WOMAN
By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Claire Adams
Chapter One
Parker
My eyes sprung open, and my bedroom was still dark. The habit of waking up at the crack of dawn for so many years was hard to shake. I rolled over and checked the clock. Yup, just as I suspected. Five in the morning. My stomach growled. Rachel and I’M had an early dinner last night before watching a movie. Whenever she slept over, she insisted on getting close to ten hours of sleep. I averaged five to six per night on a regular basis. When she went to bed, I always worked for several hours afterward since it wasn’t in my blood to lie down before ten o’clock.
The sound of Rachel’s steady breathing filled the space between us. I spooned her and inhaled her scent. Her perfume lingered in her hair, and I took another breath of her. I slipped my hand under the covers. Maybe I could convince her to wake up for a few minutes so we could get tired out again before sleeping in another hour or so.
My hand trailed up her smooth leg. I didn’t want to startle her, but I wanted her to be awake before I did anything else. She stirred and I moved my hand around the front of her before four sharp claws dug into my hand.
“Ow!” I said and pulled away from her manicured nails.
She rolled over and pushed me away from her. I backed up a few inches before she spoke.
“Parker, just because I stayed here last night does not mean I’m going to change my mind.”
I groaned and leaned closer to her for a kiss.
She pressed her soft hand against my mouth. “Don’t think kissing me will change my mind, either. And besides, you have morning breath. Gross.”
I rolled over onto my stomach and dug my head into the pillow. “Will anything change your mind?”
“You know what will make me sleep with you?” she purred. “A ring.” Her voice was close to my ear. I could easily turn and kiss her, but I didn’t want to piss her off that early in the morning. I’d already woken her up.
When we had first started dating, and she’d told me she was a virgin, I hadn’t believed her. It was almost impossible to imagine my twenty-five-year-old blonde bombshell of a girlfriend had never been with anyone that way. She was the image of most men’s fantasy, but she insisted that we wait until we were engaged before we even attempted sex. And as much as it frustrated me to sleep next to her when she stayed over—especially when she wore skimpy lingerie showing off her rockin’ body—I admired her for her persistence in keeping her values when society pressured women to do otherwise at every turn.
I rolled over and sat up. “I’m starving; let’s get something to eat.”
Rachel sighed heavily. “I don’t want to go anywhere today.” She rolled over and wrapped my blankets around her body. “I just want to lie in bed.”
“Well, I’m going,” I said, hoping she would change her mind.
She didn’t move from under the covers.
I flipped the dimmer switch to the lowest setting so I could see what I was doing.
Rachel groaned from her cocoon.
“I’ll be done in a minute,” I said and headed into my closet.
In the year that Rachel and I had been together, her side of the closet had overflowed to partially envelop mine. She wasn’t a permanent fixture in my house, which was probably a good thing. I was not sure how long I’d be able to hold out if she warmed my bed every night. But I did allow her to move whatever she wanted into my place. I hoped in the near future she’d call it her home, too.
I grabbed my phone from the charging station I kept in the closet. I hated having my phone near me when I slept. The constant influx of emails I received interrupted my precious sleep. I checked the weather app and typed in my zip code. I smiled. It was going to be a comfortable seventy degrees today.
I grabbed a pair of shorts and a polo and threw those on before digging my feet into a pair of flip-flops and heading back into the bedroom.
“I’m going now,” I said to Rachel.
Her hand poked out from the under the blanket and she waved me away. “Thanks for letting me know, but I’m trying to sleep here.”
“Do you want me to bring back anything from the diner?”
“Sienna’s place?” Rachel muffled from the bed. “No thanks. I don’t need to clog my arteries.”
I ignored the dig at my best friend’s diner. The food was delicious, but not very healthy. And Rachel watched her weight like a hawk. In fact, I was sure their meal sizes were the same.
I went to the bed and bent over for a kiss. She quickly moved the covers over her face so I got a mouthful of fabric.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Turn off the light!” she said as I started for the door.
I flicked the lights off, and the room was shrouded in darkness once more. I loved those black-out curtains. It could be noon and you’d think it was the middle of the night when they were down. Rachel said it was one of the reason’s she liked staying the night with me. She was able to rest without hearing the other people in her neighborhood and be able to sleep all night—and most of the morning—without being disturbed by the intrusion of the rising sun.
Even though it was still early, I knew Sienna and Tony would be at the diner. I drove through the empty streets in my Porsche 911 and gunned it down the roads with a lot of space between traffic lights. I never got to ride like that during the day. It was freeing and allowed me to let off a little steam. I always felt this way after Rachel turned me down. I couldn’t help myself. She was the perfect woman for me and I couldn’t touch her. Any guy would have gone crazy.
At least going to Sunny Daes, Sienna’s diner, would be a distraction. I’d teased her about the name for years, but she thought it was a funny pun about sunny side up eggs and sundaes. She made the best sundaes in Key Largo, so I couldn’t argue with her too much. Besides, once she got her mind set on something, it was hard to change.
The thought of having some coffee made me press the gas a little harder. I had been wide awake when I was with Rachel, but with her turning me down yet again, my alertness had started to wear off.
Sunny Daes was in a prime spot right off the highway. The exterior didn’t look like much, but it had withstood many hurricanes over the years. Sienna, Tony, and I painted outside every year before winter. She insisted that it remained clean-looking and white for as many months as possible. And she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.
I pulled off the street and into the dirt lot of the diner. There weren’t any cars out front, but I knew Sienna and Tony were there. Tony usually came in on his motorcycle, and Sienna’s small beater car fit perfectly behind the building.
I didn’t bother using the front entrance as I knew it would be locked until six-thirty. I rounded the building and smiled. Both Sienna’s car and Tony’s Harley were there. I walked up the two cement steps leading to the kitchen and opened the screen door.
“It’s me!” I called. I didn’t want to startle either of them. Being six-two had its advantages, but Tony was much burlier than me, and Sienna was quick with a knife.
“In here!” Sienna called back.
The screen door bounced a few times on the door frame before closing. I tried to fix it for her in the past, but Sienna insisted we left it.
“It has character,” she’d always said.
Sienna’s back was to me when I entered the kitchen. Her hair was pulled up high on her head. She reminded me of a Teletubbie when she wore her hair like that. I’d only teased her about it once before she asked if she wanted long strands of brown hair in my food.
“Hey,” she said and glanced over her shoulder. She had a pile of egg shells next to her and she was whisking the eggs in a big metal bowl.
“Morning,” I said and came up next to her.
Her hazel eyes met mine. “Couldn’t sleep?”
I rubbed my hand over my face. “Not today.”
She wiped at her chin with the back of her hand. “Tony made some coffee. You want some eggs?”
“If it’s not too much trouble.”
She shot me a look. “It’s what I do, Parker. Sit your ass down and I’ll make you something.”
I grinned. “Whatever you say.”
Out front in the dining area, Tony was setting up the tables.
“Hey, man,” I said.
Tony looked over and smirked. “What’s going on?”
I sat down at my usual table closest to the kitchen. “Not much; just can’t sleep.”
“Sleep is overrated,” he said. He pulled up the shades of the front windows and peered out at the empty streets. Then he unlocked the front door. “Can I get you some coffee? I just finished brewing.”
“That’d be great.”
Tony nodded and went behind the small bar area and poured me a mug of coffee. He dropped that and a few creamers on my table. “Enjoy, man.”
Sienna burst through the kitchen doors holding two plates of food. “Tony, can you finish prep?”
“Sure thing, boss.” He winked at her and headed into the kitchen.
Sienna slid the plates of food onto the table. Steam rose from my scrambled eggs and the bacon was nearly black: the perfect texture. I started in on the eggs before she even sat down.
“Did you eat dinner last night?” she asked.
“Yeah, early. Rachel stayed over. God, what did you add to these eggs? They’re fucking delicious.”
She smiled proudly. “A cook never reveals her secrets.”
We both knew that even if I had a step-by-step recipe, I’d never be able to recreate any of her dishes.
She pierced a clump of eggs with her fork. “How’s work?”
I shrugged. “Steady.”
“I wish I could say the same,” she looked wistfully around the place.
“Tourist season is around the corner,” I said.
“Yeah, but I barely made enough last season to cover this year.”
“Do you need money?”
She pulled a face. “No.”
She hated when I told her I’d loan her money. She saw it as an insult when I wanted to do the right thing and help out my oldest friend.
I held my hands up in surrender. “Okay, fine. What are your ideas?”
Sienna constantly tried to reinvent her business, from the food to the atmosphere, but she always fell back to her roots. She didn’t want to be a flashy themed restaurant; that wasn’t her.
“I was thinking of doing more advertising.”
“Well, I happen to know a guy who owns a social media empire who could help.”
She smirked. “That’s not what I was asking.”
“Sienna,” I said, finishing up my toast. “I know you hate when other people want to help you, but setting up a website and social media accounts is easy for me. And it will take no time at all.”
She shook her head. “What would I post on there?”
“Your food, your face. Both equally captivating.”
She flung a forkful of eggs at me.
“Well, not now with that Teletubbie bun on your head,” I said, flicking the eggs back at her.
She opened her mouth in mock surprise. “Do you want hair in your food?” She pulled her elastic out and her hair tumbled over her shoulders. “I can make that happen.”
“Is that your secret ingredient? Because if it is, I definitely want more.”
She laughed, and I couldn’t contain myself either.
“All right, all right, you can help me,” she said, blotting her eyes with a napkin. “But I want you to show me how you do everything, so I won’t need to rely on you.”
“That’s fine with me.”
We both ate in silence for a few moments.
“How’s Rachel?” Her lip curled slightly.
I laughed. “Was that hard for you to ask?”
Sienna rolled her eyes. “I’m being polite.”
Sienna didn’t like Rachel for some reason, but she never pressed the issue, and neither did I. Sienna was my best friend, and Rachel was my girlfriend. I could keep my favorite two ladies separated, just as long as they were both in my life.
“Actually, I want to talk to you about her,” I said.
“Okay.”
“But not here,” I said. “Tomorrow night. I’ll take you to dinner.”
“Okay?” she drew out the word. “Can you give me a hint?”
I smiled. She hated surprises. “Nope.”