Page 35 of Billionaire's Fake Plus One

I don’t bother to inform him that he can’t dictate what I can or cannot feel. “Send my check for the wedding gig to Kane and Wilson in Seattle.” I say and wheel my cases out of the room. I struggle with the luggage down the stairs, hurrying out the door in case he follows me, but he doesn’t.

The throbbing in my chest is incessant, and my stomach churns with nausea as I stall outside the huge gates. I try not to think about it as I take my phone out to call Rachel. I don’t want to break down. Not yet. Not out here.

“The wedding didn’t happen? What does that even mean?” Rachel asks, bypassing any greeting.

“Rachel, is there a spare key to Andrew’s place on Bainbridge?” I ask, my voice wobbling despite my attempt to curb the evidence. To her credit, she doesn’t ask any questions. She just knows something’s wrong and without hesitation gives me directions to Andrew’s house on Fletcher’s Bay and describes where the spare key is hidden. I walk down the road and luckily spot a cab. As soon as I load my bags, I give the driver the address with a shaky voice.

My phone suddenly starts ringing. I glance down to see Lucien is calling. I put my phone on silent but turn around in time to see him running after the cab, waving frantically. I face front and try not to think about why he’s chasing the car. He probably just has more useless words to convince the nanny not to quit. Maybe he wants to explain why I can't love him. Regardless, I turn around and instruct the driver not to stop under any circumstances.

I spend the rest of the drive, trying not to cry, but the dam bursts when the taxi parks in front of Andrew’s house, and I realize I didn’t bring my purse with me.

“I’m so sorry.” I wail barely seeing the poor driver through my tears as I try to explain in broken words why I can’t pay. “My purse–it’s back at Lucien’s house—I don’t have cash and I’m so sorryyyyy!” The kind man waves me off after reluctantly offering me his business card, so I can pay him back later. I continue sobbing, my shoulders shaking as I punch in the gate code. I hiccup slightly as I try to control my tears so I can see as I walk along the darkened path.

When I gain access to the house, the first thing I do is go to the wet bar in the open plan living room. I pour bourbon into a tumbler to the brim, then I study it intently. Just one drink, I promise myself as I toss it back.

I’m expecting it to be harsh on my throat, but it slides down smoothly. It’s sweet and smoky, with prominent caramel and vanilla flavors. I stare at the bottle longingly, needing to get drunk to numb a little of my pain, but no. I’m not going to do that. Not tonight.

I go to the guest bedroom with my suitcases and park them near the door. I march to the bathroom to take a shower. As I’m walking out in a robe with a towel in my hair, I hear a grating sound at the front door and I tense. I glance around the room wildly and seeing nothing I can use to threaten a potential invader. I snatch one of the numerous pillows gracing the bed. This will have to do till I get to the kitchen where I can find a knife.

I tiptoe out of the guest bedroom and into the living room, completely forgetting my plan to get a knife. I lift the pillow in front of my chest as I sneak to the front door. Didn’t I lock the gate? I’m almost positive I did. The handle of the door jiggles, then someone curses softly. Someonemale.Beeping sounds fill the air as the intruder puts in the code. I tense up, holding my breath. Surely, he wouldn’t guess it correctly?

A long beep indicates he indeed guessed the code correctly, and he opens the door. I let out a wild scream as I rush the door, the mighty pillow lifted high like some sort of deadly weapon.

“Willow?” The small voice stops me in my tracks. I was expecting a more masculine voice, and how does the intruder know my name? I lower the pillow as I glance down, and my jaw drops in surprise.

“Millie?” I ask, wondering if my eyes are playing tricks on me. I glance behind her to see Maddie and Lucien. The girls are still in the pajamas they wore to bed, and Lucien is wearing the clothes he had on when we left Half Moon Bay.

“What are you guys doing here? How did you know where to find me?” And the codes too.I’m going to kill Rachel.

“Can we come in?” Lucien asks in a husky voice. I blink at him and then at the girls. I take a step back, giving them space to enter.

“What are you doing here?” I ask again as they shuffle in. The girls immediately come to my side and hold my hands. Lucien clears his throat nervously, then swallows, trying to come up with the right words.

“Daddy said he did a very bad thing,” Millie speaks up, noticing his struggle.

“And he’s very sorry and wants you to come back home,” Maddie chips in. “He wants you to come back… permanently,” she adds with a decisive nod, which is so cute. If the situation wasn't so serious, I would have laughed. I glance up at Lucien, my heart racing.

“Yes, I’m so sorry, Willow, for the way I acted.” He takes a step toward me, but stops when I narrow my eyes at him. “For as long as I can remember, the girls have always been my top priority, until yesterday when I decided to stay back in Half Moon Bay with you. For the first time in a long while, I put myself first. I putusfirst, and that spooked me.” He runs his hand through his hair in agitation.

“Then Malcolm called about Millie getting sick. I was worried about her, so so worried. But also disappointed and angry that we couldn’t spend more time together. That coupled with Brittany’s reappearance and attempt to take Maddie…” He trails off, shaking his head. “I handled it badly. I thought the best course of action was to let you go and keep things strictly professional between us. I thought that eventually, the tingling in my chest when you’re in the room would stop. Thoughts of you would stop crowding my head, and things could finally go back to normal.” He pauses to inhale sharply, and my lips curve up a little, but I quickly drop them. He deserves to squirm.

“I was wrong, of course. So wrong. I knew that the moment I said those stupid words, I shouldn’t have said them. I shouldn’t have let you pack your bags, and I never should have let you leave.” He finally walks closer to me and takes my hands in his.

“You’re not just a nanny to me, Willow,” he says earnestly, his golden eyes lighting up and pleading. “You and the girls are my entire world, and I love you. I love you so much. I didn't recognize that was what I was feeling because I’ve never been in love with anyone.” His hand tightens around mine. “I know I hurt you, and I’d really like to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

He goes down on bended knee with my hands still clasped in his, and I gasp in surprise. The girls giggle at my side. “I don’t have a ring yet. We’ve only known each other for a few weeks, but when you know, you know. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Willow. I want to spend the rest of my life loving and protecting you. I want you to be the last thing I see at night, and the first thing I see in the morning.”

“Lucien…” I whisper, tears streaming down my face as I stare down at his handsome, beloved face.

“Don’t say no, baby,” he pleads. “It doesn’t have to be this week, or this month, or even this year. Just promise me you’ll be my wife, Willow. Promise me you’ll go through this messy thing called life with me.”

“Yes, Lucien,” I say breathlessly. “I’ll marry you. I love you so much and I–” He jumps to his feet and wraps his arms around me tightly, lifting me up until my feet leave the ground. The girls cheer happily, skipping around the room in glee.

I tilt my head and place a chaste kiss on his lips, my heart singing with joy. This is real. This is my life. And I get to spend it with the most wonderful man and the two most beautiful little girls in the world. How did I ever get so lucky?

EPILOGUE

A YEAR LATER…

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