Page 54 of Secret Baby for Dr. Billionaire

“A sister? I have a sister?” Chloe was clearly a little taken aback by the excitement in Billy Anne’s voice. The latter beamed, and her smile practically blinded us. A little giddy laugh escaped her, and the sound of it made Sofi shriek in return.

“Are you okay with that?” I asked.

“Yes. Do I get to play with her?”

“Of course, honey. We live across the hall,” Chloe pointed.

“You do?”

“If you spent enough time with me on weekends, you’d know.”

“Don’t worry, Daddy. I’m staying this weekend so I can play with Sofi.”

“There’s another thing, though. Let’s keep this between us, okay? Don’t tell Grandma and Aunt Maggie yet.”

“My lips are sealed, Daddy.” I prayed that she could be trusted. Because of the amount of time she’d been spending with my sister, I was afraid that my daughter might turn into a bit of a gossipmonger.

Chapter seventeen

Chloe

Thenumberofdollsand acrylic paints in my living room was impossible to calculate. Two days after we told Billy Anne about us and that she had a half-sister, she had basically carried all her toys and canvases into my penthouse.

She’d knock every day and bring a different toy. And when I was cooking dinner yesterday, and Ben was in his penthouse finishing a meeting, I would hear her speaking to Sofi with so much ease and love that I’d stopped what I was doing to listen to them play as if they’d known each other all their lives.

“If you get tired of the toys, you tell me. Billy Anne is usually good at cleaning up after herself.” Ben would say when he was over and would see the toys scattered in my living room.

“She’s just excited, Ben. It’s okay. I like the clutter.”

“You’re the only one.”

“Let her play with her sister, okay?”

“Sofi doesn’t even know how to play pretend tea.”

“Billy Anne is having fun.”

“Daddy, can I bring PlayDough here tomorrow?” Billy Anne asked. We were in the living room just after dinner, and Billy Anne was helping Sofi hold a crayon so they could draw on the blank paper between them.

“No. Sofi puts everything in her mouth. We don’t want her eating clay.”

“How about when she’s two?”

“Then you can bring it.” That seemed to content Billy Anne, so she nodded and proceeded to color again.

Ben and I held each other’s hands, sneaking in secret touches as we watched them on the living room floor. I could watch this forever. This was better than TV.

***

The following day, I was surprised to read Frankie's name on my phone. I hadn't had a chance to call him and tell him about the major changes in my life over the past two months. I knew I should probably have called him, but I was afraid that he was going to be mad at me, especially when he found out about Ben.

“Hey. How are you?” Frankie asked when I answered the phone. It was past midnight, and he was probably in a completely different time zone. “How’s Sofi?”

“We’re good, Frankie. How about you?”

“We’re in Italy right now for a morning walk. The pictures don’t do it justice. We should go here together. With Sofi. Anyway, how are things there?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, actually.” My hands started to sweat as I lay on my bed, trying to get through a quick chapter in a book I was reading.

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