Page 26 of The Billionaire's Christmas Baby Surprise

Max nodded. “I believe it. So, who’s next?”

“Follow me.”

For the rest of the afternoon, Billie and Max went from room to room, giving out gifts, talking to the kids, and offering food from Bluebell Diner. Billie saw the softer side of Max once again. He had time to talk to and play with every child they met, even though the cameras weren’t rolling. He swapped puns with a ten-year-old boy in a wheelchair and even watched part of an episode ofBlueywith a three-year-old who was too tired to talk much.

As she watched Max play and interact with the kids, Billie felt her heart softening. When they’d first met, he’d really seemed like a detached jerk, but the more she got to know him, the moreshe saw that he really did care. Maybe he still wasn’t a fan of Christmas, but he was sweet and understanding with the kids. It was the time he’d searched everywhere for the Sunshine Sparkle Alpaca — times five.

When they finally said goodbye to the last of the kids and headed out to the garage, they were both exhausted yet in good moods.

“Thanks for staying,” Billie said.

“Of course. It was… good publicity.”

Billie rolled her eyes. “Come on. There were no cameras for half of it, and I know you didn’t like the idea of working with me as a publicity stunt anyway. You enjoyed yourself.”

“Maybe.”

“And it felt nice to do something good.”

“Don’t push it.” Max winked. “But really, I’m glad we could spend the afternoon with the kids. Do you visit the hospital other times of the year?”

“Sweetest Surprise does have a program in which we train volunteers to read to and play with hospitalized kids. I go with them sometimes, but mostly I’m too busy at the center. Managing the whole charity means I don’t get to spend as much time with the kids as I’d like.”

“It’s hard to be the boss.” Max smiled at her. “But you clearly do a wonderful job. I’m impressed at how well you organized everything.”

“It’s not my first rodeo. You should have seen the first year I tried to distribute Christmas gifts. I only went to a dozen or so families and I still ended up running late and driving back andforth all over town. Now I give volunteers maps of specific areas, and everything is much smoother.”

“You don’t do deliveries yourself?”

“I do about half of the deliveries — whatever the volunteers can’t cover. Christmas Eve always ends up being a very busy day.”

“I can imagine.” Max glanced at his phone. “Okay, I need to go. But first, did you like the food?”

“The food?” Billie frowned.

“Yeah, the food from Bluebell that I brought.”

“Oh!” Billie laughed. “I didn’t get a chance to try it.”

“Come on.” Max grinned. “All right, I’m putting my foot down. There’s a new location opening in Colorado Springs in a few days, and I’m going to the opening. Come with me. You need to try my food.”

Billie tried to ignore the warm feeling in her chest at the invitation. Surely, Max meant this as nothing more than a kind gesture to a friend. “All right. I can do that.”

“Wonderful. I’ll send you all the details.”

“Okay.” Billie bit her lip. “See you then.”

“Bye.” Max got into his car, and Billie followed suit. After he drove away, though, she sat in the parking lot for a little while longer. Why did Max have to be so complicated? It had been easy to put aside her feelings after their night together when he’d seemed like such a jerk, but now…

Now it was harder to ignore the fact that she was attracted to him. Max was not only handsome and successful, but also caringand thoughtful. It was a very appealing combination that left Billie wishing she could spend more time with him. Maybe even another night together.

She sighed. That was still impossible. She and Max were partners — and, despite his invitation to dinner, he probably didn’t feel the same way about her.

Plus, even if he’d helped her wrap gifts and been nice to a few kids, he still believed in profits over charity and didn’t see eye to eye with Billie on most things. It was best to focus on the Christmas program — and, apparently, on a dinner at the Bluebell Diner with a man she couldn’t allow herself to have any romantic feelings for. A dinner that, in retrospect, Billie probably shouldn’t have agreed to.

CHAPTER 12

MAX

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