Page 52 of Her Billionaire's Baby Secret

“And you hate New York.” Her grandma sounded defeated.

“I hate New York.”

“Couldn’t you live there for him?”

“And give upTate’s Jewelers? You know I can’t do that.”

“Not even for love?” Her grandma got all doe eyed.

Sariah squirmed. If it wasn’t for her fear of getting hurt, she would have figured out some way to run her business from New York. She would be willing to live there with him in a heartbeat, even though she hated it there. How bad could New York be when you were with a billionaire? Sure, there were still the crowds, but they’d be eating the best food in town and living it up. It didn’t sound that bad after all. But she didn’t want to give everything up and end up hurt and alone again. She wasn’t willing to take that risk.

When Sariah didn’t answer, her grandma said, “I feel like there’s something you aren’t telling me.”

“What do you mean?”

“There has to be another reason you aren’t willing to be with Kane.”

“There is,” Sariah admitted. How was her grandmother so good at weaseling information out of her? “I’m not ready for another relationship.”

Her grandma looked highly annoyed. “I thought you were going to therapy to get yourself healed.”

“I am. But there’s some sort of block there. It’s like I can’t overcome it.”

“You’re going to let that stupid block keep you from a lifetime of happiness with one of the best guys you’ve ever met?”

Sariah sighed. “When you put it that way, I feel pretty useless.”

“Don’t feel useless. Do something about your block.”

“What am I supposed to do? I’ve tried everything.”

“Journal it out. Talk to your therapist some more. Try a new therapist. Don’t just pretend it’s not there.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“You’re letting that man slip through your fingers, and I’m not going to sit by and let you give up such a wonderful opportunity for happiness.”

Sariah felt like she’d failed her grandma somehow. But the truth was, she’d failed herself. She’d let her fear control her. She was a coward. There was no other way to look at it. Was it worth it to take a risk and give Kane another chance? Give love another chance? Or would she spend the rest of her life alone and afraid to open her heart?

Sariah returnedto work but felt distracted for the rest of the day. She kept going back and forth on whether she should give Kane another shot. The shop stayed busy with customers and phone calls, but her heart wasn’t in any of it. She kept seeing images of her in Kane’s arms flashing through her mind. What if he never held her like that again? She wasn’t sure she could bear it. She should have known better than to get involved with him. But the pull to be with him was undeniable and strong.

Finally, at the end of the day she decided to text him. She wasn’t deciding she wanted to be with him, but she could at least reach out and see how he felt about things, right?

Sariah: Are you available to come over to my place tonight? I feel like we should talk.

Ten minutes later, a response came through.

Kane: I can do that. What time?

Sariah: Six. Does that work?

Kane: I’ll be there.

Sariah left the shop with one of her evening shift employees and grabbed some tacos for dinner. She brought her food home and ate so she wouldn’t be hungry when Kane came over. Once she’d finished her Mexican food, she threw the trash away. That was when she heard a knock on the door of her older home. She got up from the kitchen table and swung open the front door.

Kane stood on the front porch, and he looked heartbreakingly good. He wore a plain white t-shirt and jeans, but his clothes still probably cost a fortune.

“Come on in.” She opened the door wider for him. “Thanks for coming over. I wasn’t sure you’d still want to talk to me.”

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