Page 4 of Her Billionaire's Baby Secret

Chapter 2

Sariah set the casserole down on the table. She’d brought it over with her grandma to cheer up Mrs. Edwards in her time of loss. Grandma was always thoughtful like that, especially when it came to her best friend.

Kane would be showing up eventually, but she wasn’t expecting him to walk through the door at that very moment. It was the first time she’d seen him since his divorce. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. If her pounding heart was any indication, she was nervous. It was silly. She shouldn’t be affected by his marital status now. They’d been together years ago. So many things had changed since then.

She’dchanged. She’d gotten smarter about men, for one thing. She wasn’t the silly schoolgirl who’d fallen for the first guy who had paid attention to her. A tiny voice in the back of her head reminded her that Kane had been special. She brushed it off. Every girl romanticized her first love. It was nothing more than that. But she couldn’t brush off her pounding heart. Or the butterflies dancing in her belly.

Kane looked good with an expensive haircut and carefully tailored clothes. She’d heard through the Maple Creek gossip mill that he was a billionaire now. She couldn’t even fathom what it must be like for him to have that much wealth.

She wasn’t hurting for money herself.Tate’s Jewelers, the store she’d inherited from her grandparents, was thriving, and she was planning to open another branch in Roanoke. But her level of wealth was nothing compared to what Kane had. She couldn’t know how that amount of money had changed him, but she was sure it had. She probably didn’t have anything left in common with him now.

“Hi there, Sariah. Your hair is different.” Kane stepped toward her.

“I decided I was ready for a change.” She’d made the impulsive decision to go dark a few weeks ago. She needed a different look, something fresh to represent the new phase in her life of being a strong, single woman. After what she’d been through with Elliot, she was determined to find healing and strength. And that meant men were off limits. She didn’t need any distractions right now, no matter how good Kane looked.

“It looks nice,” Kane said.

“Thanks.” Did he mean that as a friendly compliment, or was he still attracted to her? For that matter, did she want him to be attracted to her? What was the point in even thinking such thoughts? She wasn’t going to pursue anything with Kane. She couldn’t get into another relationship after what happened last time. Anyway, he was here to grieve his grandfather’s death, not to hit on her.

Her grandmother gave her a knowing look. Sariah held back a groan. Her grandmother had been pushing lately for her to try to rekindle her old relationship with Kane now that he was single. There was no way that would happen. They were too different now. Sariah had been through too much.

Elliot had done a number on her. She didn’t know how she could ever trust another man with her heart again, even if Kane had been wonderful when they’d been dating. She’d believed that Elliot had been telling her the truth, but in reality, he’d been keeping a lot of secrets from her. She hadn’t had any idea something was wrong until he got in a car accident, and it had all gone downhill from there.

“How have you been, Kane?” her grandmother asked.

Kane’s eyes grew serious. “It’s been a rough road.”

“You must miss your grandfather terribly.”

“I do.”

His grandmother, Mrs. Edwards, came out from the back of the house. “Kane?” She rushed to greet him. “I thought I’d heard your voice.” She wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. “I’m so glad you’re here. I have a room all ready for you.”

“Hi, Grandma.” It looked like she was the one comforting him and not the other way around. That was how Mrs. Edwards was. She was such a kindhearted, selfless person, always looking out for others before herself. “How have you been doing with the divorce?” she asked him, pulling back from their hug. “We’ve all been so worried about you.”

“I’m…” His eyes flicked to Sariah’s.

Why was he looking at her? Did he feel uncomfortable talking about the divorce in front of her? She suddenly wished she could disappear. She didn’t want to make anyone feel awkward. Sariah didn’t know much about Kane’s situation, other than the fact that he was newly divorced.

“I’m fine,” he finally said.

His grandmother patted his arm. “We’re here for you, no matter what.”

“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I’m here foryouright now.”

“And we’re glad to see you,” Mrs. Edwards said, turning toward Sariah and her grandmother. “Lois and Sariah were kind enough to bring over a casserole for us. Would you like some?”

“I could never turn down a home cooked meal,” Kane said, pulling out a chair to sit.

Sariah grabbed a plate and a spatula from the kitchen. She’d been there so many times she knew where everything was. She’d even brought Elliot there. She shook off the memories. She’d been focusing way too much on him. She’d been in therapy to help her get over him, but she’d made slow progress. He’d left a huge impact on her psyche.

How could she have been so stupid to fall for a guy like that? She’d fallen for the image that he’d presented to her. She’d thought he was such a great guy. He seemed so well put together on the outside when really, he was falling apart inside. How could she know who to trust anymore? The betrayal had cut deeper than she wanted to admit.

“Are you going to stay and eat?” Mrs. Edwards asked.

Sariah shook her head. “I have plans to meet with Carrington for dinner in fifteen minutes. I really need to get going.” She and Carrington had been friends since high school. They were some of the only ones left from their friends’ group who still hadn’t gotten married. As a result, they’d been spending more time together lately.

“Are you staying here, Kane?” her grandmother asked.

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