Page 45 of Next Door Billionaire's Surprise Baby

The moment I hear Austin, I stop breathing.He wants to come here?

I’m trying to speak, but my words don’t come out easily, “You…you want to come here? To Austin?”

He’s already decided, “Yeah. To start over. I’ll try and get a job as soon as I can, and if it doesn’t work out, well…I can work with you.”

Before I can stop it, I respond “No!” Then, I clear my throat, “I mean…have you thought this through? It’s a huge decision.”

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now,” Tim replies, “Maybe I made a mistake staying back here. I should have taken one of the offers from the major accounting firms in the city.”

As he goes on and on, I sense myself beginning to disconnect as a multitude of emotions wash over me. On the one hand, I’m glad Tim reached out to me for help. But on the other hand, I’m point-blank terrified that he will find out Chloe, his ex-girlfriend, is in my life now.

His downward spiral is every indication of how much he really misses Chloe. When he finds out Chloe and I are together, he’s going to be pissed. More than that, his hatred for me will become irrevocable.

And yet, I can’t just refuse.

Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Kane? Are you there?”

I blink my gloomy thoughts aside and answer, “Yeah, I’m just…I’m trying to think. “

Maybe I should call in favors from my contacts in other cities. Quite a number of them are clients and old acquaintances who own large, successful businesses. I’m sure one of them would be willing to hire my brother.

“There’s nothing to think about,” Tim counters, “Just agree to take me in, and I’ll be on my way.” Distress creeps into his voice, “Unless you don’t want me there…”

“You know that’s not true,” I rush out, halting what he is going to say, “I just…” my voice trails off. There’s no way around this. I can’t say no without sounding like I’m trying to push him away.

I have no choice but to accept. “I just want you to be sure of your decision, that’s all.”

“I am sure about my decision. So, you agree then. Can I come live with you?” His hopeful voice causes me so much pain. Soon, he is going to be shattered.

I can’t give up easily, though. I have to come up with ways to keep him clueless about me and Chloe. At least until Tim is doing better on his own.

“As much as I like the idea, it’s not going to work,” I tell him. I can’t have him showing up at my house and seeing his former family there.

“Why not?” he demands before the realization dawns on him, “Are you seeing someone? Is she living with you?”

When he skims over the truth, my heart skips a few heartbeats, making it impossible for me to speak. Tim accepts my silence as a confirmation, and a rare mischievous snort escapes from him.

“Congratulations on that. But I promise you and your girlfriend won’t even know I’m there. I’ll sleep on the couch if necessary…”

“That’s not happening either, “ I cut in. A bead of sweat travels from the roots of my hair down my forehead and hangs over my brow. I wipe it off, feeling the pressure worsen as I try to come up with a solution. “I’ll get you an apartment of your own in the city.”

It's a temporary fix, but it’ll have to do for now.

“Are you sure you can afford that?” he asks, sounding surprised.

I start to balk at the question, but it then occurs to me that Tim doesn’t know exactly how much I’m worth. He’ll be shocked to see the extent of my wealth.

I sigh, “Don’t worry about it, Tim,” then I remember something, “Also, you do realize mom is going to be all alone when you leave, right?”

“She can take care of herself just fine,“ he mutters, “Besides, you’re the oldest. She’s yours to worry about.”

We end the call several moments later, and I throw my head into my hands. I have a feeling this isn't going to end well, and for a second, I consider calling Tim back and asking if he would like to move to a different city. His presence is going to disrupt the little paradise I've managed to build with Chloe and Skye.

Suddenly exhausted, I sway on my feet and turn around to go sit down, only to let out a strangled yell a second later.

Chloe is standing a few steps away from me and wearing a blank, carefully masked expression.

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