Page 68 of The Billionaire and the Runaway

“OK. I need to go,” he replies as if a mask has suddenly come up over his emotions. I wonder if he’s like this all the time. What a strange man.

“Alright, Dad. Call me tomorrow if you’re able to come down here,” she says.

“I will,” he says and hangs up.

“Is he…always like that?” I ask, truly curious.

She sighs. “He is. He’s not all bad, he’s just…James Titan,” she tries to explain.

I laugh and press my forehead to hers. “I’d rather we be hurkle-durkling, but I think I do need to go check on things.”

She giggles. “Well, I could still go snerdle.”

“You both are seriously weird. I’m going to go get a latte at that coffee kiosk,” Katia says while rolling her eyes.

She looks back at me. “Sooo,” she says.

I brush some hair away from her face. “So, you love me?” I ask.

She blushes. God, I missed her blushing. “Yes,” she says quietly.

“Good, because I love you too,” I state as I cup her jaw and press my lips to hers, letting myself lose track of time for a second as I taste her.

Thor meows and we both laugh.

“We love you too, buddy,” I assure him. “Now, let’s go see how this grand re-opening is doing, shall we?”

She grins. “Let’s,” she agrees as I pick her up in my arms and she wraps her hands around my neck.

I kiss her again as I start walking.

“My crutches?” she says.

I look down at her. “You won’t be needing those. Because I’m not letting you go…ever.”

She laughs. “Eric, you’re being silly. I can walk.”

“I know you can, but I don’t want to put you down,” I state. And I kiss her again as I carry her out the back door.

She looks up at me. “Thank you,” she whispers as she kisses my neck.

“For what?” I ask as I walk us toward the barn.

“For giving me my happily ever after.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN

Ariana

Three months later…

I watch my father pat Snuggles as Mooman presses his head into my father’s leg. I can’t believe how much he has come around to my new life in only a few short weeks. It’s so un-James-Titan-like of him.

“Mooman,” Dad scolds.

“Who the hell is that and what did you do with your dad?” Katia asks.

It’s been three months since I came back to the farm. It’s been almost six months since I started working here and almost five months since I fell in love with my boss. And it’s been two months and twenty-nine days since Dad officially broke up with Kimberly and kicked her ass out of the penthouse. She did her best to get money from Dad. And the inner softy in him finally agreed to let her keep the jewelry he’d purchased her. She had also apparently used some of his money to put a down payment on an apartment. She really had thought of everything. Dad let her keep that apartment too. I argued with him that he shouldn’t, but in the end he explained he couldn’t kick her out without at least knowing she had somewhere to go.

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