Page 44 of The Billionaire's Christmas Baby Surprise

Max had always loved his apartment. It was large, modern, and comfortable, with wide windows that looked out over the Chicago cityscape, and it had every modern appliance. Yet today, as Max tossed his keys into the bowl and toed off his shoes, he couldn’t help feeling like something was missing. He wished he had a Christmas tree, or even a sprig of mistletoe, to bring in a little holiday cheer.

Then, with an excited jolt, he realized that he did have something Christmassy — the plane Billie had given him as a gift. He ran back out to his car to grab it, then spent an enjoyable half an hour flying the plane around his lofted living room. If only Billie could have been here, too.

Max was going to need to get her a Christmas gift as well. Not because he felt an obligation to give one — she’d clearly given him the plane simply because she thought he’d enjoy it rather than because she wanted something in return. No, Max wanted to give her a present because he wanted her to feel the same warm happiness he felt on this cold December night, knowing that Billie had thought about him and that she cared about him.

By the time Max had taken a quick shower and climbed into bed, he had the perfect gift in mind. He’d just need to go out and buy it the next day. Better yet, getting a gift would give him a good excuse to see Billie again as soon as possible.

He was still in a good mood when he drifted off to sleep, despite the altercation with his father. This was already turning into the best Christmas he’d had, and it wasn’t even Christmas Day yet.

CHAPTER 18

BILLIE

Billie woke the morning after the Christmas party feeling worse than she’d expected. Her headache was gone, but she still felt tired and a little dizzy. Worse, when she got out of bed, she felt a wave of nausea that sent her running to the bathroom.

A little water and some plain crackers later, Billie felt better, but she was still annoyed. She hated being sick. Worse, the timing of this was terrible. Not only did she have a lot left to do before Christmas and the gift delivery, but she also wanted to see Max again as soon as possible after their kiss the night before.

Billie smiled at the memory of Max’s lips on hers and his strong arms around her. Maybe she was wrong, but it felt like that kiss had meant something. Something big. It had felt like the beginning of something and, from the way he’d looked at her, Billie suspected that Max felt the same way.

Yet now, Billie was sick, and she couldn’t very well track Max down and confess her feelings when she was nauseated and dizzy. Billie crunched another cracker in annoyance. At least thesustenance seemed to have done her good, because the nausea was passing. For now.

Billie reached for her laptop and cued up an old sitcom that she liked to watch during her rare downtime. As she listened to the canned laughter and watched the shenanigans of the main characters, she felt herself relaxing back onto the couch. Perhaps she’d eaten something bad that had made her stomach hurt. And the dizziness and headache could easily be explained by PMS. Billie often got minor headaches and felt quite emotional before her period — and sometimes she was even nauseated.

She absently reached for her phone and opened the period-tracking app that she used. If her period was due to arrive in the next few days, she could relax a little knowing that her symptoms would soon pass. Billie scrolled back to the date of her last period… and back… and back.

Her heart almost stopped as she realized that she hadn’t had a period since early November. It was now December twentieth, almost six weeks later.

She bit her lip. The most likely explanation was that her period was delayed due to the stress of preparing all the gifts for the holiday delivery. After all, she’d only spent one night with Max, and it had been almost a month ago.

Almost a month ago. Billie sat up straighter. That would mean that they’d spent the night together right around the time she was ovulating and, although they’d used protection, no method was a hundred percent effective. Billie looked down at her stomach as though a baby bump might have already started to grow. Then she closed her laptop, got to her feet, and changed into a pair of sweatpants and her winter coat.

The nearest convenience store was a short walk away. Billie walked as quickly as she could, though she still felt a little dizzy. In the back of the store, she located a row of pregnancy tests and selected one more or less at random. At the checkout counter, she pretended to be deeply involved in choosing a candy bar while the cashier rang her up.

Billie hurried back home, where she went straight to the bathroom and did the test. Her heart still racing, she set a timer on her phone for two minutes and leaned against the counter, trying to take deep breaths.

This was going to be fine. In fact, though she hesitated to admit it, some part of her hoped that the test would be positive. She’d always wanted to be a mother, and the idea of having a baby was appealing. Still, she also loved her work and was extremely busy, which didn’t leave a lot of room for being the kind of involved mother she’d want to be. And Billie knew that a pregnancy would throw a wrench into whatever relationship she was building with Max. He wouldn’t want to be a father.

Or would he? He’d been good with the kids, and he’d talked about perhaps wanting children someday. Billie drummed her fingers on the counter. No, there was no way to predict how Max would react. He loved his work, and he hadn’t seemed interested in a romantic relationship until that kiss yesterday. Being a father would probably seem like too much for him.

And even if?—

Beep, beep, beep.

Billie swept away the timer on her phone and flipped the pregnancy test. She stared at it for a long moment, hardly ableto believe her eyes. Even though she knew that pregnancy tests weren’t always accurate, she was sure that this one was.

She was pregnant.

A mix of worry and joy swept through her. Worry about how Max would react and about how she would make time to raise a child when she was already incredibly busy. Yet also joy at the fact that a new life was growing inside her, a life that was equal parts her and Max. A life that would soon be a baby who she would hold in her arms and sing to sleep. Then a toddler who she would teach to ride a tricycle and read picture books with. Then a preschooler, curious and bright, who would hold her hand and chatter happily on the way home from school.

Billie had spent a lot of time with kids, so she knew what she was getting into better than most. She knew that being a mother was an incredible joy, despite having its hard moments. And she knew that she would love this baby more than anything or anyone else in the world. Already, she felt protective of the whisper of a child just starting to grow inside her.

Still, she couldn’t banish her worries, either. Billie bit her lip. What if Max didn’t want any part in this child’s life? Yet she’d also seen the good man he could be. Maybe he would be as excited as she was at the thought of a baby.

Billie reached for her phone and opened her chat with Max. The last message was from him, wishing her a good night of sleep. Taking a deep breath, Billie tapped out a message.

Hey, Max, are you busy today? I’d like to meet.

She read the message several times before pressing send. Almost immediately, Max replied.

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