Page 18 of The Billionaire's Knight

“Have you taken any self-defense courses?” Gwen asked.

Julia shrugged. “Sparred a little with Noah.”

“What about the rest of the security team Jase employs?” Gwen still found it odd that there was no security at the house. Julia had told Gwen when she’d first arrived that her mom had always said the house was off limits. It was enough that they had a gate her husband constantly changed the code on. Behind that gate, the Hayes family was just that. A family. Gwen had to admit she was curious to learn more about Jase’s family.

“What she’s not telling you is, her brother treats her like she’s still his baby sister,” Claire said.

“Emphasis on baby,” Julia muttered.

“There are lots of good courses. I’d be happy to recommend one for you,” Gwen offered.

“I was hoping you might show me a few things.”

“Us,” Claire tacked in not even blinking when Gwen and Julia both turned to stare at her. “What? A woman’s never too old to learn how to defend herself.”

“Mom, you can’t be serious,” Julia admonished.

“Why not?” Claire challenged. “And so help me, if either one of you even utters the word old, I’ll make you regret it.”

There was silence for about three seconds before Julia started laughing.

“I’ll make you regret it,” Julia chortled. “Are you going to ground me? Send me to my room. And what are you going to do to Gwen?”

“Never underestimate the lengths I’ll go to,” Claire stated before she began laughing, too.

“You don’t act like any billionaire family I’ve ever seen,” Gwen told them.

“How many have you met?” Claire asked.

Gwen paused for a moment. “Actually, only you. A few measly millionaires, but you’re the first billionaires I’ve ever met.”

“Don’t judge by me. I met my husband, Richard, when I was in college,” Claire offered. “I was on scholarship. My husband swept me off my feet. So much so, I left school and became the wife of a millionaire.”

“What were you studying?” Gwen asked.

“Engineering,” Claire admitted.

“Do you ever regret it, Mom? Or wonder what if?” Julia inquired softly.

“Never,” Claire answered with a shake of her head. “I had your father, then Jase, then you. This family is all I ever dreamed of.” She turned to face Gwen. “I never had much of a family before I met my husband. My parents were workaholics. Most of the time, they didn’t even know I was there. I spent all my time studying and learning. I knew it was my way out of that town. I planned to get a degree, begin a career, and never look back.”

“You didn’t come from money?” Gwen asked then shook her head at her own stupidity. Claire has said she’d gone to school on a scholarship.

“No. Quite the opposite,” Claire offered with a laugh. “I had no idea how to fit into all this.” She waved her hands around.

“How did you?” Gwen asked.

“I didn’t,” Claire admitted with another laugh. “Honestly, I didn’t even try. My husband fell in love with me. Why change?”

“Mom kept us grounded,” Julia said, grasping her mom’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “We had chores we had to do in order to earn an allowance. We spent a part of every holiday and summer volunteering. When it came time to work at Hayes Industries, we started at the bottom and worked our way up. There’s not a job in the building Jase and I didn’t learn how to do.”

“That was your father’s decision,” Claire countered. “He thought you’d appreciate it more.”

Her phone started buzzing on the table, and Claire reached for it. “Speaking of your dad.” She stood, bringing the phone to her ear. “I was wondering when you’d call.”

Gwen watched as she left the room.

“I really would like to learn how to defend myself,” Julia told her.

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