Page 10 of The Billionaire's Christmas Baby Surprise

“Billie, there’s someone here to see you.”

“Who?” Billie asked, getting to her feet.

“He said his name was Max. And he wasn’t alone.”

Billie’s brow furrowed. Max was here? He was the last person she’d expected to see, not just in her office, but ever again. Billiewasn’t sure what he wanted… but she was almost certain that this wasn’t going to be good news.

CHAPTER 6

MAX

It had been harder than Max had expected to put Billie out of his mind. The night they’d spent together had been truly extraordinary, and not just the time they’d been in bed. Talking to her had been both fun and thought-provoking, even though they disagreed on just about everything. Plus, she was gorgeous, and that was hard to forget. Taking her to bed was a memory that would stay with him forever.

Yet when Max had woken in Billie’s bed on Saturday morning, with her long brown curls splayed across the pillow and a soft smile on her lips as she slept, he’d known immediately what he needed to do. As much as a part of him wanted to stay, perhaps to have breakfast together or stroll through the chilly November streets side by side, he’d known that he needed to leave. Right away.

He and Billie were just too different. She loved the holidays and helping children and her family. Max loved his work and little else.

Even if they’d been more similar, though, they couldn’t have had anything more than a brief, passionate one-night stand. Maxjust wasn’t cut out for love. He’d had a few relationships before, but they’d all ended… not badly, exactly, but not well, either. The women he’d dated had always wanted to be his priority — something Max was never able to give them. Without him, Bluebell Diner would sink, and all his father’s hard work, not to mention his own, would go down the drain. No matter how much he might enjoy dating, he couldn’t prioritize one woman over a whole company.

It didn’t matter anyway. Max was sure that Billie understood as well as he did that they didn’t have a future together. He fully intended never to see her again — and he fully intended to ignore the way that thought made his heart ache.

Perhaps, Max thought as he slipped out of her apartment, leaving a note on the table before he went, Billie represented a different kind of path, one Max could never take. She was sweet and kind and generous, all things that Max could never allow himself to be. Yet she was also headstrong enough to argue with him. If things were different, if they could have been together… well.

Max tried to put all thoughts of Billie out of his mind as he hailed a cab and headed home. After a quick workout in his home gym and a cold shower, he felt more like himself. He headed out, stopping on his way to the office for a pastry and a coffee from a café just around the corner, and went to work.

Ever since Max was a child, he remembered his parents working hard every day of the week, including Saturday. He’d admired their dedication, so, as an adult, he followed in his father’s footsteps and put in an extra day at the office each Saturday. Max didn’t require any of his employees to come in, but a few were always here, working on tasks left over from the previous week, or getting a head start on the next week. Max greeted thefew people he met in the hallways with a nod, then went into his office and got to work.

The thing Max appreciated most about Saturdays in the office was how quiet it was. With few meetings and few people to distract him, he always got more done on Saturdays than the rest of the workweek combined.

Today, though, Max was distracted despite the quiet. He wondered what Billie was doing and if she’d gotten the money she needed for her Christmas program. He was sure she had. She was charming and passionate, and Max knew that wealthy benefactors would be tripping over themselves to fund her programs. She’d seemed worried at the bar, but surely she’d woken up Saturday morning to a flood of calls and emails offering funding.

Still, he wondered.

Sunday was a little warmer than Saturday had been. Max spent a few hours in the morning in his home office, then the afternoon working out and getting his ducks in a row for the upcoming week. Most of his staff would be off on Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving, which meant that the beginning of the week would be busier than usual.

The day slipped by quickly and, before Max knew it, it was Monday morning. On the way to work, he checked his schedule and had to stifle a groan. The first thing on his agenda was a meeting with Stephanie and the PR team. Hopefully, they just wanted to share thoughts from the Grateful Gala and let him know that he could forget about charities, and their beautiful founders, for the rest of this year and well into the next.

Max was not so lucky. Stephanie and her team were already waiting in his office when he arrived, and they looked all business.

“Good morning, Max.” Stephanie gestured for him to take a seat, even though this was his office.

“What brings you by?” Max asked. He sat in his desk chair and leaned back.

“We wanted to check in after the gala on Friday,” Stephanie told him. “Over the weekend, your social media and tabloid appearances have been trending up, thanks to a few pictures of you mingling with a more charitable crowd.” She showed him a post on her tablet, which showed Max shaking hands with Billie. He vaguely remembered posing for that picture, but the sight of Billie in the long, flared red skirt and tight sweater she’d worn brought back a lot of other memories that Max tried to put out of his mind.

“Great. So, it looks like this endeavor has been a success.”

“Exactly. We’ve proven that engaging with charity is good for your image, which means that it’s time to move on to Phase Two.”

Max did not like the sound of that. “Phase Two?”

“We need you to engage with a charity directly,” Stephanie informed him. “The public should see that you’re willing to put your money where your mouth is. Did you meet any charity representatives who you’d particularly like to support? It would help if you were promoting a cause you believe in.”

Max’s mind went blank. He’d spoken to numerous people at the gala, but only one stood out, and he couldn’t very well name her charity.

“Come on, you must have heard about at least one cause you believe in,” Stephanie prodded.

“Sweetest Surprise,” Max blurted. It was the first — and only — charity he could think of. Plus, Billie deserved any money she received. She was probably swimming in donations already, but a check from Max couldn’t hurt.

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