Page 99 of Born a Billionaire

THIRTY-ONE

The Schultz’s home was decorated in the loveliest yellow and grey tones for Genevieve’s baby shower. The wall behind the gift table had a large cluster of pale yellow, grey, and white balloons, and the table centerpieces were yellow daffodils in small white vases. She and Sebastian had decided not to find out the gender of their baby, so they were sticking with neutral tones.

Adelia had arrived a couple hours early, thinking she might help set up, but everything was already in order. She should’ve expected nothing less since Genevieve had a background in event coordinating and had put on one of the most successful fundraisers the Schultz Foundation had ever held.

Her mind wandered, and she imagined a party someday to celebrate a baby with Oliver. She didn’t know if it would happen, but just knowing he was willing to work through his issues felt like a good sign that it could.

“You’re looking especially happy this morning,” Skylar said when she walked into the room and saw Adelia. “Anything you’d like to share?”

“Oliver and I …” A smile spread across her face. “We’re together.”

“Are you serious?”

Adelia nodded enthusiastically.

Skylar attacked her with a bear hug. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

“Me too.” She squeezed her friend and let go. “We had some good talks … and a little kissing.” She smirked. “Okay, a lot of kissing. And we’re going to give it a try.”

“That’s amazing.” Skylar looked almost as happy as Adelia felt.

“What’s amazing?” Merritt asked as she joined them.

“Oliver and Adelia are together now.”

Merritt’s eyes widened, and she threw her arms around Adelia. “That is amazing.”

“There’s a lot to figure out and some big things to work through, but we just want to be together.”

Merritt gave her a big smile. “I couldn’t be happier for you.”

“Thank you. Both of you. For being there for me.” She looked at Merritt. “And for him.”

They went and got drinks and found their seats to wait for the party to begin.

“Hey, I saw an article online about your parents getting back together,” Merritt said. “Is that true?”

Adelia nodded. “It’s true. Can you believe it?”

“Wow!” Skylar said.

“How do you feel about it?” Merritt asked.

“At first, I was shocked and still angry at my mom. But they seem serious about going to counseling and figuring out their problems. I would love for my parents to stay together. So, I guess I would say I’m cautiously optimistic.”

The afternoon went by in a blur of conversation, games, and gifts. It was the perfect celebration of the first Schultz grandchild.

After the baby shower, Adelia drove back to the lake house to pick up a few things to take with her to Oliver’s. All she could think about was seeing him again so they could talk about how to make their relationship work logistically. She would be willing to move to Michigan if he wanted, just to be close to him. There would be times when she’d have to be in Los Angeles for chunks of time, but he could come to visit. Their love was real, and she knew they would find a way.

Adelia pulled up to the house and went inside, setting her purse on the table near the door. She was about to set the security code when there was a ring of the doorbell. She looked over at the video screen and smiled. When she opened the door, a very enthusiastic border collie jumped up on her legs, and she laughed and crouched down to his level.

“Hey, Lucky.” She rubbed his head, looking at the unique spot on his head, then up at his owner. “Hey, Tony. How are you?”

“I’m fine. We were walking down the road and saw you turn in the driveway. It’s been a while, so I thought we’d stop and say hello.”

“I’m glad you did.” She got to standing again.

“Do you mind if we come in for a minute? Lucky could use a drink of water.”

“Sure.”

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