Page 47 of Below Deck Billionaire
And he’d never regretted any of them. Until she’d shown up in his life.
As he’d lain there in the dark after an evening he hadn’t expected to enjoy but had, – thanks to Tiffany – his easy decision to have a vasectomy all those years ago was suddenly cast in doubt.
She’d asked him what would happen if he fell for someone, and for the first time, it was a question that had caused him pause.
It hasn’t so far.
The words had felt awkward coming out of his mouth and had sounded wrong going in his ears. More than that, he got the feeling that she’d been disappointed in his answer. And that, along with the uncomfortable conditions, had played on his mind all night because maybe it wasn’t actually true any more.
And if so, what the hell had happened?
His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. Ari. The last time his brother had called before six it had been to tell him that his beloved wife had been killed in a car accident.
Frowning at the screen, Theo stabbed his finger at the answer button.
‘Everything okay?’ he demanded, not bothering with pleasantries. ‘Why are you ringing this early? Is it the baby?’
His gruff concerns were greeted with a chuckle. ‘Halará, Theo. Everything is fine.’
At his brother’s tone, Theo did as Ari suggested and relaxed, his grip on the coffee cup loosening. ‘Did you wet the bed?’
Another chuckle. ‘No, but I think Dimitri did.’
‘He called you?’
‘Just to let me know that things are going swimmingly. And that he’ll be signing the contract when he gets back to Athens in a few days.’
‘Yeah?’ Theo grinned as a surge of relief took hold. Thank God. Dimitri’s company would be saved and their grandfather would be very happy. ‘That’s fantastic.’
‘Yes. I thought so. I’ll message you when the deal is inked.’
Theo nodded. ‘Excellent.’
‘Dimitri tells me you have a fiancée now?’
Theo rolled his eyes. Great. Trust Dimitri to be an old gossip. ‘Oh. Yes.’ He cleared his throat. ‘That.’
‘Yes,’ Ari repeated. ‘That. Damn it, Theo. I said be on your best behaviour. Not lose your mind.’
Keeping his voice low, Theo scanned for any signs of Dimitri rattling around. ‘You said it was up to me to convince him, and a fiancée was a sure-fire way of doing it. And it’s worked a treat. It was inspired.’
‘To Tiff? Jesus, Theo, Kelsey’s going to be super pissed.’
‘At you?’ He snorted. Fat chance. That woman doted on him. ‘Not my problem.’
‘No,malaka. At you.’
Okay, well, that was different. Just because Kelsey had a soft spot for him didn’t mean he wanted to test it. ‘It made sense. We had a prior… connection and she was already on theNerida. Plus, she was fine with helping.’
‘Just like that, huh? Just agreed to help you.’ Ari’s voice dripped with sarcasm. ‘With no persuasion or incentive?’
‘Well… I may have offered to give her brother a leg up into the European art world.’
Ari sighed. ‘Of course you did.’
‘What? He’s really good. I wouldn’t have offered otherwise. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with some quid pro quo.’
‘Sure, but I doubt Kelsey will see it that way. If Tiff gets hurt in all this, she’ll probably insist I have you murdered, and I’ll do it because I am an excellent husband.’
