Page 25 of Broken Billionaire Boss

I just stare at him quizzically for a moment. First he tells me not to dwell on the past but then he keeps taking these jabs at me. I was so excited to marry Rhence when I returned from Europe that summer, but he was nowhere to be found. Did he forget that part?

“No worries, we’ll get it right this time,” he says as he scarfs down the rest of his omelet.

“Well, I’m not going anywhere,” I retort playfully.

“Why would you? I’m all respectable now,” he says with a wink.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? Before I can frame an innocuous retort, he stands and wipes his mouth with the napkin. “Thanks for breakfast, Rache. But I’ve got to get to the office. Some of the team worked through the night.”

“Sure,” I say as I pick at my omelet.

He grabs his jacket and computer bag. He must sense my unease because he stops and looks at me. “Why don’t you come to the office at lunchtime? We’re ordering in for the staff. You can meet everyone.”

I grimace. “Sorry, I can’t. I’m going over to my parents for a barbeque. I promised them I’d make it.”

Another plastic smile stretches across his face. “We certainly wouldn’t want to disappoint Helen and Richard, now, would we?” He pecks my cheek and heads out the door, closing it a little harder than necessary.

“Ooookay,” I say to myself. I know Rhence isn’t the biggest fans of my parents, seeing as the only time they met him they threw him out the house and threatened to call the police. Granted, they did find him in my bed…naked and wrapped around their sweet daughter.

But if he really intends for us to start up again, he’s going to have to make peace with them. Likewise, his mother will have to learn to accept me or risk alienating her only child.

He’s going to have to stop with these snide remarks about his money, as if it’s some deciding factor in our relationship. I don’t want to be an ass by reminding him that he had nothing when I agreed to marry him. I didn’t care then, and I don’t care now.

For heaven’s sake, Rhence should know that. What has happened in the past few years? Has he dated a bunch of women who proved to be too preoccupied with the size of his wallet? Did he come back to me because he wanted a woman who loved him before all his success? The thought makes me indignant.

If he didn’t have this big software release, I’d call him up and settle this matter once and for all, I’m that angry now. How dare he lump me into that group with all the others. He must have tossed out the letter that I wrote him just before the summer European trip. I stayed up all night listing the reasons why I loved him. I told him how much I was looking forward to returning home to him and running to the courthouse to get married. We’d both get part-time jobs while attending college. Together we’d make it work, even if we had to eat Ramen noodles every night. Despite my being away that summer, I wanted to make sure he knew that he was first and foremost in my mind, and especially my heart. And for his nighttime viewing pleasure, I included a picture of me in some decidedly skimpy lingerie.

Does he still have that photo? I shake my head, snapping myself away from the memories. The point is, we both still love each other. We can work through these petty issues and come out stronger for it. Right now, I need to get ready to run a few errands before heading to my parents’. My stomach rolls.

How will Mom react when I tell her that Rhence and I are back together for good?

I always told her that with me by his side, Rhence would make something of himself. I just had no idea it would be something this big. Poor Mom, I chuckle. This news just may send her into therapy.

At about 11:45 a.m., I pull up at their house and help Mom host the gathering. Afterwards, I stick around to talk with her. While the catering service cleans up inside, Mom and I sit in lounge chairs in front of the pool. I make sure that she has at least two glasses of her favorite chardonnay in her before I broach the subject.

“Ok, sweetie,” she says as she stretched her legs out on the chaise lounge. “Dr. Bradly is in session. What would you like to discuss?”

I chuckle. “Oh, good, it’s Dr. Bradly. I need your advice. I have to tell my mom something that she’s not going to be too thrilled about. What’s the best approach for bringing it up?”

Mom’s right eyebrow arches up. “Out with it.”

I take a deep breath and look out over Lake Norman to center myself. “Rhence wasn’t trying to steal my company for some girlfriend. He bought it as a gift for me. He’s given me full control of the company to run as I see fit. I have his full support.”

Mom frowns so hard, I fear her face will freeze that way.

“Don’t let him lull you into a false sense of security, honey. You can’t lose sight of your goal with that boy.”

“Mom, he’s a grown man. Please stop calling him ‘that boy’.”

“He’s still a boy to me,” she snaps in the haughty tone she always uses when discussing Rhence. “Need I remind you that b…thatmanhad you in the kitchen crying your eyeballs out. Now all of a sudden, he’s Mr. Wonderful?”

“I got it all wrong,” I say, turning to face her for this next bit. “He wants me back, Mom. He stayed at my place last night.”

Mom’s eyes look like they’re about to pop out of her head. “How…what…?” She can’t seem to decide where to begin her interrogation. Her eyes dart about in her head as if she’s making some mental calculations.

Her eyes finally lock with mine. “Surely, you demanded an explanation for his abandoning you. What did he say?”

I look away sheepishly. “I haven’t really pressed the issue.”

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