Page 38 of My Ex's Billionaire Brother

Caleb scoffed, looking at me and laughing. “Nah, that’s where you’re wrong, Tina. That Abby girl . . . was a fucking nightmare, if I put it lightly. She was nothing more than a selfish bitch who only seemed to care about herself, and we had nothing in common. So to say the date was a disaster was an understatement.”

I turned to him, nodding. “Then what about David? Why was he back?”

Caleb shrugged. “I don’t know, and honestly, I don’t care. I told my dad and him to leave me. It caused a rift, but . . . I talked with my accountant. I’m in charge of the farm, so I’m not too worried about it.”

So, would it be okay? I didn’t know for sure, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I was making a huge mistake just telling Caleb all of this.

He reached out, touching my shoulder and looking me dead in the eye. “Tell me, Tina . . . what doyouwant to do?”

I bit my lip, trying to figure out how to formulate words for this.

I sighed. “I want this child, Caleb. I don’t . . . want to give it up.”

I wanted a child, I really did, but I refused to let a child grow up on their own, without their father in their life. Caleb flashed a grin toward me, nodding at my words.

“Then we’re going to raise that child together,” he said.

My eyes widened in surprise at his words. Did he . . . want to raise this child? Was he really happy about any of this? But then, as if reading my mind, Caleb shook his head.

“You have to realize that I’m not some guy who will leave their girl to take care of their child and to fend for themselves, right?”

“No, but—”

“So don’t paint me like that, dear. I want to be a father to our child. I know that . . . it’s a little bit scary, but I’m serious about it,” he said.

I listened to him as he sat down, holding my hand.

“My dad was a father to me, that’s for sure, but I never had a mom in my life. Sure, she had us three, but I’m not sure why. She just . . . disappeared one day. She left our lives, and since then, I’ve tried to figure out what to do, how . . . how to cope sometimes. I’ve kept it to myself, and my dad didn’t seem fazed by her leaving, but it bothered me for a long time. This is why I want to do better this time around. I want to be a better father to this child than the one I had. I want to be a parent and take care of them,” he said.

“You’re . . . sure about this, though, right?’

I didn’t want someone who would just leave at the last second. Caleb laughed, throwing his hands into his hair and threading them through it.

“Does it look like I’m kidding around, Tina? I’m serious about this. I want to be a father figure for our child. And well, my father always told me to take responsibility for my shit. We Branson boys should be a better example in that regard. My brothers are . . . they’re not the poster child for any of this; yet, I want to do better this go, to be a better parent to my child than my parent and brothers have exposed me to. I’m tired of always having to pretend like I don’t care. I want to help you, Tina. Because I love you. I’ve loved you for a long time. That night we made love…I wanted to tell you, but I was scared,” Caleb admitted.

“Scared? But why? You’re Caleb Branson. Wouldn’t it be easy to say that?”

Caleb let out a roar of laughter.

“Oh, honey, you forget that just because I’m rich doesn’t mean that I have feelings, too. And those feelings have been a part of my life for a long time. Since meeting you . . . I’ve been able to come to terms with them. And one thing I’m coming to terms with now is that I love you, and I want to be with you. Forever.”

The way he said those words stirred something within me. Nobody had ever told me that they wanted to be with me forever.

“Forever is a long time, you know,” I pointed out.

“Then I’ll do whatever it takes. I want a future with you, and my dad and brother will have to deal with it since I don’t want to keep myself hostage anymore.”

I listened to him, nodding.

“If you’re sure about this . . .”

“I’m damn sure about this, Tina. I love you. I love you so much, and I’ve fallen for you. I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure you’re happy and taken care of.”

The seriousness in his words differed from the casual nature the guy always had. I looked at him, nodding.

“Yes. I love you too, Caleb. I always have . . . and I always will,” I replied.

I leaned in, pressing my lips to his and kissing them softly. The touch of his soft, sensual lips was enough to drive me crazy. I missed the feeling of them, especially since it’d been so long since we kissed like this.

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