Page 57 of Billionaire Temptations

Aubrey placed her hand on my arm. “Listen, Emma, and please don’t get mad at me for saying this. You know how much I love you. You’re my best friend. In fact, we’re all like sisters. You never confessed your feelings to Max. You never told him that you loved him and that you wanted him to stay. You never had that talk with him before the planned break up. Maybe things would have been different if you had told him how you felt.”

“He knew, Aubrey. He even said in his letter that he knew he hurt me, and he hoped that one day I could forgive him. He knew I was falling in love with him and said he wasn’t the man for me. He said he was flawed, and I deserved someone flawless. His words, not mine. Why would he say that if he didn’t know?”

“Maybe you’re right, and maybe the two of you need to talk. You are having his baby.”

I began to get mad. What the fuck was Aubrey’s problem? She was supposed to be on my side. Not his.

“So you’re taking his side?” I snapped.

“No, Emma. I’m not taking anyone’s side. I’m just saying the two of you need to talk about your feelings before you can just dismiss him from your life forever.”

“Then he shouldn’t have been such a coward and left me a letter.”

“At least he gave you that. What if he just disappeared without saying a word?”

Kara and Molly sat across the table and didn’t say anything. They just watched us talk back and forth while they ate their dinner.

“Do you agree with her?” I asked as I looked at them. “Well, do you?”

“Some of the things she said make sense,” Kara replied.

“I still think he’s an asshole, and I’m one hundred percent on your side, Emma,” Molly chimed in.

“Thank you.” I held up my glass of water. I sighed. Maybe Aubrey had a point.

“Listen, I get what you’re saying, but I knew how he felt about relationships. He point blankly told me he had no desire to be tied down to one woman for the rest of his life and play the happy little married couple with the perfect family. He said he didn’t need some girl trying to control him. How would I have looked if I told him that I was falling in love with him? It would have made things awkward between us for the time we had left, and he didn’t give me a chance to say anything. I was going to tell him that morning how I felt.” I wiped a tear that started to fall.

“It’s not too late to tell him,” Aubrey said as she grabbed my hand. “He said he missed you. That should say something.”

“Things are different now. I’m over him, and I have the baby to think about. I’m going to head home now. I’m really tired, and my back is hurting.”

Aubrey reached over and placed her arm around me, pulling me into her. “I’m sorry if I upset you. I’m just looking out for you.”

“You didn’t, and I’m fine. I just need some time to think, that’s all. I’ll talk to you all later.”

As I walked down the street, the window display at Baby Bellini caught my eye. I walked inside the boutique and over to the crib set that was displayed in the window, a mix of soft pink, gray, and white. It was love at first sight, and the thought of mixing vintage-inspired accessories in the room flooded my mind. The kind sales lady and I talked for several minutes about the quality of the bedding as well as the crib that displayed it. There was no doubt in my mind that this was what I wanted. I purchased the bedding as well as the Simmons White Ambiance crib and matching Simmons White Ambiance double dresser. The bedding was available to take home, and the furniture would be delivered in a couple of weeks. I left the store and stood on thesidewalk, trying to hail a cab with my large bags in hand. A black limousine pulled up, and the passenger’s window rolled down.

“Emma?”

I looked inside and swallowed hard.

“Darren. Hi.”

He got out of the limo and walked around to the other side. He looked at my bulging stomach and then up at me. Tears formed in my eyes.

“Get in, and I’ll drive you home.” He took the bags from me and put them in the trunk.

I slid into the backseat and thought of at least fifty lies to tell him.

“Is it his?” he asked as he pulled away from the curb.

“Yes.”There go my lies. I couldn’t lie to him. He was Darren, and I always liked him. I always felt we had a special connection. “You can’t tell him, Darren. Please,” I pleaded.

“No worries, Emma. I won’t.”

He didn’t say another word after that. Once he pulled up to my apartment building, he took my bags from the trunk and carried them upstairs to my apartment.

“You can set them on the floor. Thanks again. Would you like some coffee?” I asked.

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