Page 49 of Marrying a Billionaire

Lillian shifted in the bed to pull herself up. After she adjusted the blanket, she nodded. “Let him in.”

“Come on in,” the nurse called, disappearing around the corner.

Lillian held her breath as she waited. It felt like an eternity until Joshua appeared from the hall.

Wait. Joshua?

Frustration boiled up inside of her. “What are you doing here?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest. She needed to protect herself.

Tamara stood and glared at him. “You need to leave.”

The nurse stood there with her lips parted. “Is he not the father?”

Lillian scoffed in unison with Tamara.

“That’s the father. He just gave up his right to be called that when he walked out,” Tamara said, placing her hands on her hips.

Joshua rung his hands as he glanced between all the women. “Can I talk to you?” he asked, stepping forward and focusing on Lillian.

Right now, Lillian wanted to chase everyone from her room so she could nurse her broken heart in peace. But that wasn’t realistic. And from the apologetic look on Joshua’s face, she realized that she was too tired. Carrying this much pain and stress was exhausting. So she nodded and glanced over at Tamara.

“Give us a minute.”

Tamara’s lips fluttered like a fish out of water. “But—”

“It’ll be okay,” Lillian said, reaching out and squeezing her best friend’s hand.

Tamara’s face reddened and then she nodded. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.” She dropped Lillian’s hand and headed toward the door. Then she stopped when she got to Joshua. “If you do anything to upset her, I will hunt you down.” She narrowed her eyes.

Joshua raised his hands and nodded. “Noted.”

She gave him one more final glare and then left.

The nurse stood there as if she didn’t know what to do. Then she pushed the machine to the wall and backed away. “I’ll come back in a few minutes. You have your call button, use it if you need anything.”

Lillian thanked her and then waited until she heard the door click before she turned back to Joshua. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, another contraction came.

Once it peaked, she breathed out the tension and then turned to her snake, ex-husband. “What do you want, Joshua? How did you even know I was here?”

He glanced around before he moved to the chair that Tamara had vacated. He sat on it, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “I’ve been following your engagement to Reed Williamson.”

Panic raced through her chest. Was he here for money? “Well, that’s not going to happen so if you’re here for money, forget it.”

Joshua shook his head. “See, I knew that was the first thing you were going to think. That I was some money grubbing loser here to get money from his pregnant ex.” He shook his head. “It’s not like that. I just realized how much I missed you. I hurt me to see another man be with my wife. To be father to my baby.” He nodded toward her stomach.

Out of instinct, Lillian brought her hand up to her stomach. She needed to protect this baby from Joshua. “The one you demanded I abort cause you didn’t want a baby?”

A sheepish expression crossed his face. “I was scared, Lil. I didn’t know what I was doing. The first baby freaked me out. And then you got pregnant so fast”—he ran his hands through his hair—“I didn’t know what to do.”

Lillian swallowed. She knew that reaction all too well. Running because you were scared. But that still didn’t excuse him for his behavior.

As if sensing her hesitation, he leaned over and grasped her hand. “I’m ready now, Lil. I want to be here for you and the baby. I want to be a family.”

The last word fell from his lips and hung in the air. She studied him. A family was all she’d ever wanted. And one with Reed wasn’t possible. Even if she didn’t want Joshua in her life, how could she keep him from her baby’s?

She took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. If you want to be here for the baby, I can’t stop you.” She pulled her hand away and held it to her chest. “But know that you and I are finished. We can never be a couple.” She narrowed her eyes. “Understand.”

A triumphant smile spread across his face. “Perfect,” he said as he leaned back.

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