Page 22 of The Billionaire's Christmas Baby Surprise

Max wasn’t sure how to reply to that. He was glad that Billie didn’t think he was a jerk anymore — he was certain she had thought that during their first few meetings, even if she was too nice to admit it now. On the other hand, he was still the exact same guy he’d been when they first met. He cared about his business more than his personal life. He didn’t appreciate the holidays much. He wasn’t sure he understood the point of charity.

Nothing had changed.

Yet, at the same time, Max was sitting on the floor of Billie’s office, wrapping Christmas gifts for children he would probably never meet. He could have been at work, preparing for the holiday rush, but instead he was helping Billie. That wasn’t something he would have imagined himself doing a few weeks ago.

It’s just for the publicity,Max told himself. But that wasn’t entirely true, since there were no cameras here.

“I don’t think there’s much more to know about me,” Max said. “You, on the other hand, must have some good stories. What do you do all year, when you aren’t being one of Santa’s elves?”

“Well, I’ve told you about our afterschool programs,” Billie said. “We also have lots of Saturday workshops. And apart from Christmas, we try to do something for the other holidays, too.”

“So, what do you do for, I don’t know, Halloween?”

“We have a costume party, of course.” Billie grinned. “A lot of the kids can’t afford costumes, so we always put together a big rack of donated costumes, as well as a table full of art supplies for kids to make their own. Everyone chooses or creates a costume, we have snacks and carve pumpkins, and then we offer escorted trick-or-treating groups around the local neighborhood.” She paused in the middle of tying a bow around a box. “Do you also dislike Halloween?”

“It’s not that Idislikethe holidays exactly.” Max put an oddly shaped painting kit into a bag with a picture of a unicorn in a Santa hat on the front. “I just don’t love them as much as other people do. Halloween is a good one, though.”

“Are you one of those guys who loves scary movies?”

“Guilty.” Max chuckled. “I’ve always enjoyed a nice scary movie. Or a documentary.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

“Whereasyouprobably like heartwarming Christmas rom-coms,” Max guessed.

“I do.” Billie grinned. “I love stories with happy endings. And you already know that I love the holidays.”

“How about Easter?” Max continued. “Do you have a celebration for that?”

“Sure. We do an Easter egg hunt all around the center. And for the Fourth of July, we have a barbecue in the park down the street for the kids and their families. There are sparklers and hot dogs and even some small fireworks.”

“How about… Presidents’ Day?”

“Okay, you’ve stumped me. We don’t have a big celebration for Presidents’ Day.”

“I knew I could get you.” Max surveyed the room. “I can hardly believe it, but we’re almost done.”

“You’re right. Hand me Mrs. Cowper, please.”

Max twisted around and found the stuffed cow they’d picked out together at the store. “Here you go.”

“And here’s the charity donation certificate.” Billie held up an embossed piece of paper. “I found a charity that buys cows for families in need in rural Ethiopia. They get milk from the cow that they can drink or sell, so it provides for them for a long time.”

“Aha — and since you’re giving the kid a toy cow, it all ties in. I’m impressed.”

“Thanks. It felt kind of funny to donate money from one charity to another, but Eloise will be over the moon. Now, we need a special bag.”

Max found a bag with a picture of a cow jumping over the moon next to a sleigh pulled by reindeer. “How’s this?”

“Perfect.”

He held open the bag as Billie put the cow and the certificate inside. Their hands brushed, and Max looked straight into Billie’s soft brown eyes. She looked back at him, and, for a long moment, time seemed to freeze. It was as if they were the only two people in the world. They were so close that Max could have closed the distance between them in a heartbeat and brought his lips to Billie’s in the kind of kiss they’d shared the first night they’d met. The kind of kiss that had made Max’s heart race and had made him ache to be closer to Billie. The kind of kiss he’d thought about a few too many times since then.

The temptation was huge. Just a few inches and he’d feel Billie’s soft, pink lips on his own. He’d be surrounded by her slightly pepperminty smell, and he’d run his hands down the gentle curve of her back. A little longer and he could lift her onto the desk, where she’d wrap her legs around him, and he’d kiss the curve of her neck and…

Max quickly sat back, doing his best to banish the flood of images from his mind. He and Billie were partners now. They were working together for the Christmas season, and that would be it. Even though Max enjoyed spending time with Billie, even though they’d spent a few very lovely hours together buying and wrapping presents, even though kissing her was the closest Max had come to magic, it would never work. They were just too different. And sooner or later, Max would let her down. He’d have to run to the office, or he’d say something disparaging about something she loved, or he’d be unable to conjure the Christmas spirit, and it would all be over.

“Thanks for your help.” Billie’s voice sounded a little higher than usual and, when Max glanced at her, he saw that she was biting her lip again. “I think we’re good here.”

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