Page 41 of The Billionaire's Christmas Baby Surprise

In that moment, Billie understood a little more about why Max was the way he was. Of course he cared about profits and didn’t believe in charity — because his father held those beliefs as well. Yet, while Max clearly wanted the best for his employees, Jim seemed to prioritize the bottom line over anything else.

Slowly, the room filled with quiet chatter again, but there was an anxious undertone behind the murmur of voices. A few people looked thrilled to see Jim Grayson, but most seemed on edge around him. Billie could understand why.

“Sorry about that,” Max said in a low voice.

“Don’t worry.” Billie smiled at him. “It was nice to meet your father.”

“That’s kind of you to say, but we both know it wasn’t. He insulted you!”

“A few weeks ago, you might have said the same thing,” Billie pointed out. Max froze, then nodded slowly.

“I guess you’re right. Sorry, Billie.”

“Stop apologizing.” She got to her feet and held out a hand. “I see a balcony over that way. Let’s go get a bit of fresh air.”

Max let her lead him across the room, nodding to a few people as they went, and onto the balcony. No one else was out in the chill December air. Billie strode to the railing that overlooked the city below. Christmas lights and streetlights illuminated the dark night and, far overhead, Billie could make out a few stars. It was quiet out here, away from the Christmas music and the murmur of conversation, and Billie breathed in the peace and the beautiful view.

Max came to join her by the railing, his hand resting only inches from hers.

“Are you cold?”

“A little, but I’m okay. We just can’t stay out too long.”

“I really am sorry about my father.” Max let out a puff of air that formed a cloud in front of his mouth before dissipating. “I care about business doing well, but I’d never suggest that people go back to work instead of celebrating. Or say that they feel like they need a party just for doing their jobs.” He shook his head. “My father’s always been like that. Anything apart from work was seen as not good enough. I spent my childhood studying and learning about Bluebell’s business model and even working as a waiter once I was older, but it was never good enough, either.”

“I’m sorry.” Billie put her hand on Max’s. “That sounds so difficult.”

“It was.” Max glanced at her, his blue eyes unreadable. “I don’t mean to complain.”

“Please, complain away.” Billie swept a hand across the cityscape in front of them. “No one can hear but us, so vent all you want to.”

“Thank you. It’s just… I love my father. Of course I do. And in many ways, he raised me to be a hard worker with a strong business sense. But he also raised me to feel like I was never doing enough. When I brought home an A on a test, he’d ask about extra credit. When I started working for Bluebell, he expected me to come in on weekends and evenings and give up my whole life apart from work. When I have record high profits and great stock prices, he asks me how I’m planning to improve next quarter. And whenever I do something like throw a Christmas party for my staff, he seems disappointed.”

“Hey.” Billie nudged Max with her shoulder. “Even from this very short interaction, I can see that your father has unreasonable expectations. But that doesn’t mean that you have to meet them — or that you even have to try. I’ve seen how good your heart really is. I’ve seen how considerate you are. Maybe, instead of trying to follow in your father’s footsteps and always feeling like you’re falling short, it’s time to pave your own path.”

“Maybe.” Max stared out over the sleeping city. “You make a good point about creating my own path, but all I’ve ever wanted is to make my father proud.”

“He should be proud of you now.” Billie squeezed his hand. “Look at everything you’ve done here. You’re a fantastic CEO. You clearly care about the company, about your employees, and about your customers. And now, you’re even giving back to the community. If your father can’t see how amazing you are already, I doubt there’s anything you can do to change how he feels about you.”

“I just always hope that if I’m impressive enough, he’ll finally believe in me.” Max wrinkled his nose as he said it, but Billie admired him even more for admitting all this.

“And I think it’s far more impressive to create your own way. Getting what you want without treading on other people is much harder, and much better.” Billie turned to Max. “At first, I didn’t see how amazing you really are. We seemed to disagree on everything. But the better I know you, the more I see how similar we really are. We both just want the best for the people and organizations we care about.” She took both his hands in hers. “And that’s something to be proud of.”

“You’re right.” Max looked down at Billie. “Thank you. That really means a lot.”

“Anytime.” Billie tilted her head back until she could meet Max’s eyes. Suddenly, she realized how close they were. They were close enough that Billie could smell Max’s shaving-cream scent and see the curve of his eyelashes. Heat radiated from him, protecting her against the cold night. Their hands were entwined as they looked at each other, wordlessly acknowledging the power of this moment.

Everything else seemed to fall away. There was no more Christmas party, no more Jim Grayson, no more city of Denver, no more charity, no more anything. There was only the two of them.

“It’s snowing,” Max said, his voice low. He was right. Broad, white flakes drifted from the sky above, landing on Max’s shoulders and catching on the top of his hair.

“It’s beautiful,” Billie said.

“You’re beautiful.”

And then they were kissing. Billie didn’t remember making a conscious decision to rise onto her tiptoes and put her arms around Max’s shoulders, but she must have. Max’s lips werewarm and soft and tasted slightly of the hot apple cider they’d both been drinking over dinner. His strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.

This kiss was different from the kisses they’d shared the first night they’d met. Then, everything had been fueled by attraction and the giddy feeling of seizing a moment in time. Now, the attraction was magnified by the real affection Billie felt for Max and the connection they’d built over the last month. Billie never wanted this moment to end.

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