Bedding the Billionaire (Book 3) (Legacy Collection) (34 page)

“I’m scared,” Lil blurted.

“Of what, Lil?”
Abby asked in surprise.

It was time for honesty, at least, for as much as she could share without endangering her friends.
“What if I do something that takes all of this away from you?
You’re finally happy.
I love seeing you with Dominic, but I feel like the closer I come to you and your wedding – the more
potential there is that I could mess something
up.”

Abby hugged Lil closer and said,
“If my relationship with Dominic is so fragile that it can’t survive a Lil
Dartley
escapade, then it wasn’t going to last anyway.”

Lil pulled back and searched her sister’s face.
“How can you be like that? How can you look the worst case in the eye without being afraid?”

Abby smiled sadly and confessed,
“Who said I’
m not afraid?
I’m flipping terrified half the time and I have been since Mom and Dad died.”

“Really?”
That didn’t sound like Abby.

“Lil, I was eighteen when they passed away. I had no idea how to pay bills, keep a house,
mother
someone.”

The enormity of the responsibility that had fallen onto Abby’s shoulders at an age when she should have been thinking only of herself filled Lil with sudden shame. What could she say to someone who had given up so much and been shown so little respect in return? How do you begin to make up for that? “But you did it.
”

“Yes, and I still go to sleep each night wondering if I’ve done any of it well.”

“You have, Abby.
You have nothing to regret.”

Unlike me.

“
Lil, f
ear is a nasty little condition that touches everyone’s life at one time or another
.
Dominic may look all tough on the outside,
but
he gets scared just like you and I do.
He
has a box of h
is father’s papers, one
that was sent back to
him from the auction Nicole had,
and he won’t
open it.
There could be bonds,
deeds, or a personal letter from his father, but he says he doesn’t want to know
what’s in it
.
He says he’s spent too many unhappy years to risk losing
what he has now
over
something
in that
box of papers. Imagine worrying that whatever is in there could ruin his new relationship with his sister and possibly even w
hat we have. Fear is a disease that no one is immune to.”

Lil had no idea what to say.
She sat quietly absorbing her sister’s words.

Abby said,
“Jake is no better.
I used to think he had it all together, but I’ve watched him try to handle this China situation and he is coming undone over it.”

“The China situation?”

Abby hesitated
then said,
“I probably shouldn’t even talk to you about it, but the server Dominic was supposed to put online next month has been hacked and corrupted.
We could lose everything if the deal goes south.
That’s one reason we want to have the wedding early – we don’t know what life will be like a month from now.”

Oh, my God!
That brought a whole new meaning to for richer or poorer.

“Abby, I had no idea!”

“No one does.
Well, we’re hoping no one does. I’m only telling you this because it might explain why Jake may not be showing you his best right now.
He’s under an extreme amount of pressure to help Dominic find a solution and so far nothing has worked.”

So, that explained why he was flying all over the country and paying hush money.

Could Jeremy have found something that could help them?

Abby said
, “This weekend doubles as an engagement party and a cover for Dominic to fly in some big named programmers without sending up any red flags.
Jake is going to need a friend, Lil, especially at the
party
tomorrow.”

Ok, now you’ve lost me.

“I don’t understand.”

Abby said,
“Dominic is counting on enlisting the help of two of the biggest icons in computer programming history.”

Lil
shrugged.

Still nothing.

Abby said with emphasis, “Jake’s parents.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Even as she voiced the question,
Lil thought back to when she’d asked Jake about his parents and
how
he’d become defensive.

“Dominic
told me
that Jake has never even admitted that they are his parents.
He refuses to talk about them at all.”

I believe that.

“Then how did Dominic get them to come?”
When it came to her future brother-in-law the possibilities were endless.

“He told them that Jake wanted them here.”

“Oh, that’s not good.”
Jake was not going to be happy with that lie.

“Dom
is convinced
it will work out.”
Abby didn’t look as certain. She gripped Lil’s hand as
something
occurred to her. “You can’t tell Jake, Lil.”

“I won’t.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Lil gave her sister’s hand a supportive squeeze.
“I won’t say a word.”

And she meant it.

Unfortunately, I’m becoming quite good at lying by omission.

Time to change the subject.
“Abby, I’ll be your maid of h
onor.”

With a happy gasp,
Abby hugged her long and tight. “I am so happy, Lil.”

Lil hugged her back and wished she could say the same.
“I do have a request, though.”

“Oh, oh,
”
Abby said with an indulgent smile.

“Choose dresses for the wedding
party tha
t are
smoking hot.
I mean
eat-your-
hea
rt-out-
and
-
wish-
you
-could-have-a-piece-of-
this,
but sophisticated,” Lil said.

Abby
laughed.
“I’ll tell Marie.
She is
fantastic with stuff like that.”

“You get along with her really well, don’t you?”
Lil asked.

Abby said, “I know Dominic has a mother, but Marie is the one he turns to when he needs a mom.”

Lil coughed, “Dominic needs a mom?”

Abby
smiled.
“Everyone needs someone in their life who loves them unconditionally
and will still remind them to
watch
their manners.”

Lil shook her head
in wonder
. “Somehow I can’t picture anyone telling Dominic to do that.”

Abby
threw a hand
up for emphasis and laughed.
“
Oh, it’s hilarious to see.
She put
s
Jake in his place now and then, too.”

Now that I would like to see.

“
Isn’t
she
just
Dominic’s
assistant?”
Lil asked.

“T
hat’s what she’ll try to tell you, but she’s so much more.
She came into their lives about seven years ago.
Dominic had just taken over the Andrade’s family company and was in a huge fight with his sister.
Jake disagreed with how Dom was handling the situation
to the point where
he
had
threatened to pull out of the company.
From what I unders
tand, Marie
witnessed
one of those escalating arguments and told them that she was mortified by their behavior.
Dominic does the funniest impression of Marie
–
you’ll have to ask to hear it one day.
Stop
bickering
this instant.
You sound like two young school
girls.
Jake, can’t you see that Dominic is hurt over what is happening with his sister? Support him a little
.
And, Dominic, you apologize right now for threatening to kill Jake.
And watch your language.
In my day, men didn’t use profanity in front of women so I’d appreciate it if y
ou both refrained from being quite so graphic in the future.
Dom told me that when
they
both
stopped laughing they actually did as she suggested.
He and Jake were friends since college, but Marie made them
a
family.”

Wow.

“What about Dominic’s mother?
Rosella?”
It had to be hard for her to watch another woman assume her role in her child’s life.
Lil couldn’t imagine how she would feel if something like that ever happened with her and Colby.
Just the idea of it was heartbreaking.

Abby said,
“Dominic has seen her several times.
He loves her, but it’s still strained.
Maybe it always will be.
She hurt her children by leaving them.
Hurt like that doesn’t just go away.”

“Was that
who
Nicole was referring to when she said that someone could come tomorrow?”
Ah, it made sense now.

“Yes, and that was a huge step for
her
.
Outside of one quick meeting,
Nicole
has refused to see her.
”