Page 31 of Billionaire's Accidental Marriage
I giggled. “Love you, too.”
And as she hung up the phone, I tossed mine off to the side. I didn’t even bother to set the alarm before I laid down on the plush couch and curled my knees up to my chest. I pulled a blanket over my body and let the warm rays of the Vegas sun heat my chilled bones.
Then, I drifted off to sleep as the world clamored for answers outside.
10
Michael
As I stood in the middle of my small town, I watched as everyone broke down their stuff. The general managers of my Mom and Pop restaurants broke down their tables and portable cooking equipment we had rented so it could easily be picked up. Some stayed behind to help me load up decorative pieces—like the fronts of all the houses—to put them away in storage until the next event. But, as the day progressed, Maggie never showed up.
And I couldn’t blame her.
If I’d had the option, I wouldn’t have come, either. But, I was at least relieved that I had convinced her to stay behind. I hoped she had taken a nap or treated herself to a massage at the spa, or something to take her mind off of all this. I knew the reporters slated to cover the event this morning would circle like vultures, and I knew how to bat them off better than she did.
However, I still didn’t know what to do about our predicament.
On the one hand, I needed to be rejoicing. During the five hours we were open from breakfast to after lunchtime, twice as many people had shown up. The half-day event drew more people than the whole of yesterday’s events, and that was something that required celebration. Possibly a glass of champagne or a nice steak. Anything to mark the monumental moment because with that kind of crowd always came money. And I knew I had raked in at least eight hundred grand to donate to various efforts.
The longer I stood there, watching everything, though, the more I focused on Maggie. Gone were the monetary and audience milestones. Gone was the excitement to quickly plan something for next year. Gone was the passion for splitting the proceeds in half and choosing charities to donate to. The only thing that took up space in my mind as I stood in the middle of the sunny desert… was Maggie.
I didn’t want to hurt her. But I also didn’t hate the idea of being married to her. I mean, my father always told me to marry someone who was my best friend, and Maggie sure as hell fit that bill. She was essentially the only best friend I had. And not only that, but I genuinely enjoyed my time with her. I loved her jokes and having her attention. Her laughter soothed my soul and brought a smile to my face. Her presence alone relaxed me, and don’t even get me started on what it felt like to make love to that woman.
I could have sex with her every day for the rest of my fucking life and be just as happy as the second her lips first touched mine. “I enjoy everything about her,” I whispered to myself.
“Well, everything’s preserved as best as we can preserve it, boss.” One of the contractors pulled me out of my trance.
“Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.”
He patted me on the shoulder. “No biggie. Next time, though, think about investing some money into making these houses actual houses. They don’t need no lights or shit, but if you insulate them from the elements, they’ll stand a very long time for you. It might be worth the money sink.”
I nodded softly. “I’ll definitely take that into consideration. Thank you.”
As the contractor walked away, I found myself completely alone out there in the desert. The bustling small town around me that I had created had now turned into a ghost town with nothing to show for it but cheap tin roofs, dusty cobblestone sidewalks, and an empty town hall with a clock that didn’t operate.
Maybe I can just live out here away from all of the bullshit.
I turned around and looked back at the car I had rented last-minute this morning. The convertible stared at me, waiting for me to come back and strike up its engine. And while I wanted to go cruising through the desert with the top down, I needed to get back to Maggie. I needed to see how she was and if there were anything I could do to make her smile before we started packing for our return trip home. I had told the pilot that we’d be jetting off around four this afternoon.
With one last look around the block, I started for the car. I tried not to think about everything as I made my way back into town and fought the endless traffic to get to the hotel. I scurried up to the penthouse, where I found myself paused at the front door. And as my hand hovered over the doorknob, I heard the soft pitter-patter of feet beyond the threshold before Maggie started whistling.
A smile crept across my face at the sound—that was a good sound. That was the kind of sound that told me she had taken proper care of herself this morning, and it filled me with joy. I opened the door and was hit with her scent. That floral-noted perfume stacked with a muted cotton body spray made my lips tingle and my heart skip a beat. There wasn’t a damn thing about her I didn’t enjoy, and part of me tried to come up with the moment when things had changed. When I went from looking at Maggie as a friend and started looking at her as a lover.
But, tried as I might have, I couldn’t come up with a hard and fast moment.
Things had just… changed.
“Hey there!” Maggie chirped.
I closed the door behind me before I sniffed the air. “Hey, something smells good in here.”
She giggled. “Well, the least I could do was order us some lunch since I sort of blew you off today.”
I shook my head. “You did what was best for you, and that’s all I can ever ask.”
She smiled brightly. “How do steak sandwiches with steamed broccoli and chocolate cake sound?”
My stomach growled. “Sounds like it would all go down well with some Coke.”
