Page 16 of The Billionaire and His Forever

Lastly, I try to find my father, but come up empty-handed. When I bump into Esmeralda, she tells me he took the afternoon off to golf at Graham’s country club. I give him a call on his cell to relay the news, but he seems unsurprised.

“Wait, did you already know?” I ask.

“No,” he says. “But I did think it would take at least another day before Bowen and Ellis were able to secure his release.”

“Oh. So…are you going home now?” I ask, hoping his answer is yes.

He laughs. “In a hurry to get rid of me, eh? I’ll leave tomorrow. Ran into an old friend here, so we’re having dinner and drinks. I’ll be back at the estate later tonight.”

“Okay. See you then.”

But after I hang up, I can’t help worrying about how weird it will be to have my dad around when Graham returns. I’m already sick of all the tiptoeing around, having to hide our relationship even when we’re at home. I just want to be able to hold Graham’s hand without getting anxious about prying eyes, sleep in his bed without fearing the possibility of gossip, be able to act like myself fully with the man I love. It’s not only my dad’s fault that I can’t, either. The whole staff is supposed to be in the dark about me and Graham as well. And the more I think about it, the more I realize: I can’t live this lie forever. I want to be with Graham for real. For always.

I can only pray he feels the same way.

Graham makesit home just before dinnertime, though my dad is still out for the evening. Jude and I are in the kitchen, helping Mary finish up with the feast, when we hear the front door slam shut. Jude freezes, her head instantly tilting to the side, and Mary and I share a look.

“Who is that?” Jude whispers.

“Where’s my baby girl?” Graham’s voice bounces off the empty halls.

“Daddy!” Jude squeals, bolting out of the kitchen with a spoon still clutched in her hand.

I follow behind her, heart pounding, making sure to walk just slowly enough that Jude can have him all to herself for those first few precious seconds.

When I reach the foyer, I see Jude in his arms, Graham’s face buried in her hair. He was probably as scared as I was, not knowing when—or if—he’d ever see his child again. If he’d ever get his life back.

As I stand there, tears pricking my eyes, Graham lifts his head and gazes at me over Jude’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” he mouths to me.

All I can do is nod. I don’t want to start crying. Especially since Jude is already wriggling out of his grasp, asking questions about his “work trip” and why it took so long. Graham deflects by telling her he wants updates on all the horses, which Jude is more than happy to provide.

We spend the rest of the night together, the three of us. Graham and I share long looks across the table during dinner, and then he takes a very long shower that I’m a bit devastated I can’t join him in. Afterward, he finds me and Jude in the living room and convinces Jude to pick out a movie on Disney Plus for us to watch. I can barely pay attention, though, because I’m so distracted by the heat radiating off of Graham’s arm that’s stretched across the back of the couch.

Every now and again he’ll brush his thumb across the nape of my neck or tug my hair, giving me goosebumps and making my scalp tingle. I want him so bad, it’s driving me crazy. I look over at him, and I swear I can almost see the electricity crackling in the air between us.

When we finally put Jude to bed, Graham picks up where I left off readingBlack Beautyto Jude until her eyes drift shut. We’re tiptoeing out of her darkened room when her little voice murmurs, “G’night, Daddy and Abbie. I love you.”

“Love you too,” we whisper back in unison, our fingers already intertwined.

It’s the most perfect evening we’ve had in what feels like an eternity.

Chapter Seven

Graham

I carryAbbie into my bedroom, her soft lips on my neck stoking the combination of love and torrid lust that’s threatening to overtake me. The last few days are a shadow, a blur of desperation and darkness crowding my every waking thought. But I push it all back. The only thing I want to focus on right now is this woman, legs spread wide, surrendering herself to me.

When I throw Abbie on the bed, she stays on her back gazing up at me, chest heaving with her heavy breaths. I stand over her as I pull off my shirt and pants, cock straining against the fabric of my briefs, unwilling to let her out of my sight for even a second.

“I missed you,” she whispers. “I was so scared. I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again…”

Her voice breaks, and she can’t finish. She looks away, and I freeze. It kills me to see her trying so hard to keep it together, trying to hide her emotions.

“Abbie,” I say softly.

A choked gasp escapes her lips, and she squeezes her eyes shut as the tears start to fall. But she doesn’t stop fighting it. Instead of giving way to sobs, she stays silent, taking slow, steady breaths. Fighting it, fighting the pain, fighting herself. All I can do is drop onto the bed, climb over her, cover her trembling body with mine.

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