Page 61 of The Billionaire Offer
“Yeah.” He breathed out heavily, then joked. “More money, more problems, right?”
“I doubt that.” I laughed softly, pulling out a modest tankini and quickly changing into it. “Although I suppose I can see how it could be true for some people. Mr. Williams was a real piece of work. Is it true that he gave Stephanie such a hard time when they met?”
“Fuck, yes,” he said as he put on a pair of bright blue swimming trunks. “He was never very kind. I honestly think Jeremiah would’ve preferred to have grown up in one of our houses and to have made his money himself later in life.”
“Well, to be fair, he kind of did grow up in our houses, and from what I hear, he is making his own money now. The man is smart. Sometimes, it feels like he’s got his finger in every pie and like he knows everyone.”
“That’s true.” Bart chuckled, a faraway look in his eyes as he smiled. “Steph is good for him, too. She really brings out the best in him.”
“Shawn says he’s an excellent father,” I said. “The way he tells it, Jeremiah is on a mission to be the complete opposite of his dad. He says he’s super hands-on and that he’s making a point of being at home as much as possible.”
“He really is. These days, if we want to see him, we have to go to their place, which is fine. It’s fun, even. The only times I’ve seen them out recently was at our going-away party and that night after the game. Oh, and at my dad’s funeral, but that’s not exactly a family-friendly event. I’d want to save my kids from experiencing a funeral for as long as I can.”
“Your kids?” I asked, my heart doing a flop in my chest that made my ears feel warm. “You’re still thinking about that?”
“Well, yeah?” He frowned. “Don’t you think about it?”
“I do, but I also feel like there’s a lot that has to happen for me before I get there. I’ve heard that people say if you wait to be ready for children, you’ll never have them, but I do think there needs to be a measure of peace and stability in your life before you start a family. At least, that’s what I’d like in mine before I have a baby.”
“Sure,” he said, but it seemed like he was getting distracted again. He was spared from me trying to get answers out of him when a soft knock came at our door. “That’d be our breakfast. I’ll go get it while you finish up.”
Without waiting for me to say anything else, he strode over to open the door and then disappeared through it. I heard him cheerfully conversing with the waiter as he accepted our food, and I wondered why he could be so cheerful with a stranger when he’d made such a weird turn with me just a minute ago.
After pulling a cover-up over my tankini and sliding my feet into a pair of flip-flops, I joined him out on our patio and sat down at the small, round table. There were fresh flowers in a thin vase in the center, and our food had been spread out around it.
“We’re not going to fit into our wet suits if we eat all these pancakes and croissants,” I said lightly. “Don’t even get me started on that pile of bacon.”
He chuckled, sitting down across from me with the humor back in his eyes and the distraction seemingly gone for now. “The water here is warm, so I don’t even know if we’ll have to put on wet suits. In fact, I’ve heard scuba diving makes a person really hungry, so we’d better fill up. I’m not sure when we’ll get our first break.”
“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing they brought us enough food for at least four people.” I glanced at the time again. “We’d better hurry up if we want to get to the scuba shack on the beach on time.”
His gaze followed mine. “Let’s eat up. It’d be good if we could get there a few minutes early to check everything out before we get in.”
Humming my agreement, I filled my plate with all the delicious goodies they’d brought us and ate with gusto. Bart and I were quiet throughout the meal, both focused on eating as fast as we could before we went back inside to gather our things. After covering each other with sunscreen in a very hurried, but still slightly erotic way, we took off, walking down to the beach hand in hand for the first day of our scuba-diving lessons.
I had no idea what to expect, but I was genuinely excited. As I looked up at Bart, I realized that he seemed a little anxious. “You know, I never asked how you were feeling about this.”
He barked out a laugh. “I’ll be fine. It’s not the swimming or the depth that’s bothering me. It’s all the things that live in the ocean. What if we get stuck in seaweed?”
“If you get stuck in seaweed, I’ll save you heroically. If we get attacked by a shark, though, it was good knowing you. It’ll be every man and woman for themselves then.”
He laughed again, and the sound was a little less strained than it had been before. “You might be the water baby, but like I said, I’m a pretty good swimmer myself. I think I’d be able to give you a run for your money, so remember what you said. Every man and woman for themselves.”
“Obviously, I was joking,” I teased. “I’d save you from the big, mean shark too if you’ll do the same for me.”
He squeezed my hand. “Always.”
My heart skipped.Always.
That was what I wanted from him. To be able to do things together always and forever. To save each other from hypothetical and metaphorical shark attacks for the rest of our lives. If ever anything came for either of us, I wanted to be the person he could rely on and I wanted to be that person for him.
The thought sparked another idea in my head for a new song, and I smiled.Who would’ve thought that my ex-boyfriend, who I broke up with to be able to focus on my music, would be the muse that I’ve always needed to get anywhere with said music?
I hadn’t thought that before, but it was true. Without Bart, I wouldn’t have been here, but I also wouldn’t have stood a chance at making my dreams come true—and that had absolutely nothing to do with the money. It was just him. All him.
Always.
CHAPTER39
