Page 3 of Billion Dollar Baby Deal

He left without another word and Noah stayed, leaning over the table, trying to catch his breath.

CHAPTER2

SOPHIE

Sophie couldn’t stop thinking about Noah’s face when his father completed his speech. He had expected a promotion and rightly so. Noah had given more to this company than anyone. Sophie had only seen Richard a handful of times in all her years at Birch Industries. She didn’t understand why his father kept the CEO title while being so absent from the company.

She pulled into a long, paved driveway, a beautiful three-story home coming into view. It was grand, blue with white shutters. Her friend Amy lived twenty-five minutes outside Olympus City, where the suburban houses were spacious and had well-manicured front lawns.

Sophie parked, grabbing the large bag stuffed with pink wrapping tissue from her passenger seat, and hustled to the front door. As she climbed the wooden steps to the porch, she took a minute to compose herself. When she was ready, she plastered on a smile and knocked.

It was her friend Penny who answered the door. They shared a hug and headed through to Amy’s spacious, warm-toned living room. There were a few women sitting down that Sophie didn’t know — she assumed they were from Amy’s husband’s side of the family.

Finally, she spotted Amy and wrapped her into a gentle hug, being careful of her swollen belly.

“You look beautiful,” Sophie told her. “You definitely have the glow everyone talks about.”

Amy gave a coy shrug and smile, wrapping her hands around her belly. “And they say girls take all the beauty.”

Sophie laughed, her cheeks already growing sore from all the smiling. She missed her friends, but between Sophie working all the time and her friends’ family obligations, it was hard to find time to get together.

They spent the first hour catching up with one another and at first Sophie was genuinely enjoying herself. But then the women began to talk about their children, swapping stories about how hard the first few months were, and how much worse the toddler stage was.

Sophie tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she waited for the inevitable.

“And what about you, Soph?” Penny asked. “Are you still planning on having kids?”

Before she could answer, Mia chimed in. “Better yet. Are you seeing anyone?!”

Sophie didn’t miss Amy’s sympathetic stare but pretended not to notice. She let out what she hoped to be a convincing laugh. “Not yet. It’s not like I don’t want to. I guess I just haven’t found the right person yet.”

One of the women Sophie didn’t know spoke up from across the room. “Well you better not wait too long. Thankfully, all of mine will be out of the house by the time I’m forty five.”

A few of the women laughed and began adding up the age they would be when their children left the house. Sophie was grateful that the main conversation had turned away from her.

Amy gave her arm a squeeze. “There is no right or wrong age to have children. Besides, I think it’s smart to wait until you’re financially stable.”

“Thanks,” Sophie responded. It was a conversation they had had years ago and she was surprised that Amy had remembered.

“And when do you think that will be?” Mia asked.

Sophie shrugged, not knowing what to say. “I like my job.”

It hit her then, that she already was financially stable and had been for a very long time. In a sense, there was nothing stopping her from starting the family she had always dreamed of. Other than the fact that she didn’t have someone to father them.

Amy cut in, her words dredging up the exact feelings Sophie wasn’t ready to face. “You work too much! Seriously, Soph, you need to get back out there. When’s the last time you even went on a date?”

She considered the question. “I’m not sure. Maybe a few months?”

“How do you expect to find Mr. Right if you’re not even searching?”

The question prompted more discussion and the group fell into talking about how they had each met their husbands. Mia jokingly told Sophie about a dating app she could try.

The conversation moved on and soon they forgot all about Sophie’s miserable life.

The next two hours went by painfully slowly. They played games, ate cake, and watched Amy open all her gifts. Sophie watched with envy at all the adorable outfits that she unwrapped for her future child.

Her gaze kept sweeping over Amy’s belly and the hand that cupped it, glimmering with her expensive wedding ring. A pang of jealousy washed over her; this was everything she ever wanted. She couldn’t help but think about how perfect Amy’s life was.

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