FOREVER BELOVED (Billionaire Love Series) (5 page)

Life had been so clear before I moved back to
Baltimore.

All my compartments had boundaries and
nothing was grey or fuzzy.

Now, I was a jumble of feelings I was
uncomfortable identifying.

Why did I still want Marla?

I didn’t know. I was raw and exposed, too
messed up to deal with her shit.

After she left, I sat on the couch, too tired
to do much else. Marla made me want to give in and believe this,
“I’m here as a mother,” load of shit she was shoveling. She should
have told me about Charlie from the moment she knew she was
pregnant. Now, I had no history with the kid, nothing to build
on.

What the hell was I going to do about my
kid?

I didn’t want to think about it anymore.
Thankfully, my cell phone rang, disrupting my thoughts.

“What?” I barked as I answered the phone.

“The Arsenal project is falling apart. The
painting crew is threatening to walk because the electricians are
giving them a hard time. We need you. Get your ass in here,” Donna
explained dryly.

“It can’t be that bad. I’ve only been gone a
week.”

“That’s all it takes. This project is
bleeding money and only you can save it.”

I sighed heavily. “All right. Call Reeves.
Tell him his vacation is over. Have him get over to my place and
clean it up.”

“I will as soon as you get in here,” she shot
back sassily.

I always appreciated her take no guff from
anyone attitude.

I smiled, despite my misery. “You always
drive a hard bargain, Donna.”

“That’s why you love me,” she let out in
singsong voice.

I chuckled. “I’ll see you in thirty.”

I jumped in a hot, steamy shower, trying to
shed a weeklong party from my system. I quickly dressed and drove
to the office where all hell broke loose with the electrical union.
They were a bunch of babies, too lazy and greedy to get the job
done. I’d had it just about to here with their bitching and
moaning.

“Donna, get me on the phone with Doug Glass
over in Washington. He’s got a top notch electrical crew that can
get everything done without all the drama.”

“Doug on line two,” she called as I sat down
behind my desk.

“Hey, Mr. Shepard. What’s going on?”

“I’ve got a proposition for you. Do you still
have your licensing in Maryland?”

“Sure do.”

“I’ve got a pre-Civil war hotel that needs a
serious electrical upgrade. You get this project done in the next
three weeks and I’ll double your pay. You ready to go to work for
me?”

“You got it, Mr. Shepard. We’ll be up there
tomorrow.”

“Better make it tonight. I need this done
yesterday.”

“I’m on it. Thanks, Mr. Shepard.”

We hung up, but I wasn’t done solving the
problem.

“Get me the president of Electrical Union,” I
told Donna.

“What do you need, Shepard?” the president
asked in a nasty voice as he came on the line.

“Glad you asked. Your whole damn union is
fired, Anthony. You can’t control your guys and this shit is out of
hand. You’ve really pissed me off with all this drama queen
nonsense.”

“You can’t do that, you fucker! We own this
city’s electrical bids,” he growled.

Icy calm entered my veins. “Be very careful,
Anthony. I have several very powerful friends who wouldn’t mind
taking your job from you. My advice is to get your guys in line and
do the damn job at hand.”

Silence met my threat. He was obviously
rethinking his attitude.

He cleared his throat. “Uh...yeah, sorry
about that, Mr. Shepard. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.
I’ll talk to my guys.”

“Good to hear.”

Click. I hung up on him.

He could sweat it out.

I was done working with that egomaniac. I
wasn’t going to fuck around. If he made one wrong move, I would
take him down.

CHAPTER FIVE

Marla:

I sat in my office at Casa Oschun, staring
off into space as I tapped a pencil absent-mindedly against the
glass top of my desk. Beau was on my mind, especially after our
last confrontation.

I hated that all we seemed to do was
fight.

We had always been a little feisty with each
other, but the passion causing us to clash had once made us a team,
which worked well together.

I didn’t know if he would ever recover from
the shock of finding out about Charlie and if he did, would he ever
forgive me?

My hope was fading.

Fast.

I felt it slipping away, like the current
carrying away the tide. I wished things had turned out differently.
That some way, somehow I could go back in time and fix the mistakes
I had made.

Crushing disappointment filled me once again
as I agonized over causing everyone I loved so much pain. These
life-altering secrets had been such a burden to bear and I didn’t
know how much more torment I could take.

Breathe, Marla.

You’re a strong bitch, work it out.

I took a deep breath and pulled myself
together as I tried to get some work done. I grabbed some paperwork
and attempted to prioritize it. But I just kept reading the same
line over and over on an invoice.

“Hola, chicka! What’s happening, hot stuff?”
Emma asked as she entered my office, plopping down in one of the
red chairs in front of my desk.

“Not much,” I said quietly as I glanced out
the window.

“What’s got you down?”

“Same old, same old,” I muttered, staring at
a bird perched on a branch of a bush outside.

“I don’t buy that for a second. You are super
sad and you need to tell me why.”

She hadn’t been there when Beau confronted me
about Charlie being his son. Although, I’m sure she heard about it
from the staff. There were no secrets in a salon.

I turned toward her, my eyes watery with
tears. “Everything is so fucked up, Emma.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry you’re feeling bad,”
she offered sympathetically, handing me a tissue.

“Me, too,” I said, wiping at my cheeks.

“How can I help?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

She smiled mischievously. “Here’s a fact for
you to mull over while you’re thinking about your answer. Beau is
Charlie’s father.”

I laughed, despite my sadness. “Really?
Thanks for pointing it out, Captain Obvious.”

“It’s my job,” Emma teased. “Is that what’s
eating you up or do you have more secrets to spill?”

She still only knew half the story. “I may
have more secrets.”

“Hmm, sounds intriguing. I had no idea my
sister was hiding so much.”

I rolled my eyes. “Come on, you had to know
Beau was Charlie’s father.”

“I strongly suspected, but I wanted to
respect your boundaries and let you come to me.”

“And I appreciate that. Because you could
have told Charlie anytime growing up and you never said a thing to
him.”

“It wasn’t my place and I knew you were
keeping it close to your chest for good reasons. How are you doing
with all this, by the way?” she asked

“Not great. Now that Beau and Charlie know
about each other, I’m in the land of the lost about how to make
things right between them.”

“Yeah, that’s a tough call. Although, I have
faith you’ll figure it out. Besides, it might be best to let nature
take its course and let father and son find their own way.”

I sighed, blowing my bangs out of my face.
“That sounds great in theory; but it’s another thing to sit on the
sidelines and watch this drama unfold. What if Beau ignores
Charlie?” My face filled with horror. “I don’t think I could stand
that.”

“Do you really think that’s what is going to
happen?”

I stared out the window, trying to find my
composure. “My heart tells me to believe it will all work out, but
I don’t know, Emma...” My eyes flickered with doubt as I turned
back to her.

Her gaze was all sympathy and care. “All you
have to do is hold on to your faith today, in this moment. I don’t
know how everything will work out, but what I do remember is how
you believed for me when I couldn’t. So I’m going to believe for
you now.”

I nodded, hoping her faith would somehow fuse
into me. But my situation was so different from hers. I could only
pray her hope in me was well placed.

“How’s Charlie doing with news about his
dad?” she asked.

I shrugged. “You know he doesn’t say much
about Beau. I think he has hopes to get to know his dad, but Beau’s
been MIA and hasn’t made any attempt to contact me or Charlie.”

“He got the shock of his life, Marla. You’ve
had years to think about and plan for this time. He’s only had a
couple of weeks to wrap his mind around the fact he has a son, who
is already an adult. Plus, men think differently than we do and
he’s not going to react the way you would.”

“That’s true. It’s just hard to be patient.”
I sighed again. “For so long, I only worried about protecting you
and Charlie. I didn’t really think about the messy aftermath once
the truth was out.”

“Do you wish Beau still didn’t know?”

“God, no! Even though everything’s crappy
right now, the relief is stronger than the sadness.” My eyes
overflowed with tears. “At least Beau knows.”

“Oh, Marla,” Emma raced around the desk to
give me a big hug from behind. “You’re the bravest woman I know,”
she said, kissing me on the temple.

“I don’t feel very brave,” I admitted as I
wrapped my arms around hers and leaned back against the chair.

“You don’t have to feel brave to be brave.
You just gotta keep showing up by being there for Charlie and be
prepared to help when Beau’s ready to get to know his son.”

Her words helped. “Do you really think Beau’s
gonna reach out?”

“I do. I think he’s a good man. If anything I
remember about him is true, he’ll come around.”

She had my curiosity. “What do you remember
about him?”

She tapped her chin. “Let’s see...He was tall
and big, but still gentle. I remember the way he talked to me, like
what I said mattered and he always listened to me.”

“You remember a lot more than I thought.”

“It took me a little while for me to remember
that small time I spent with him, but what I recall most of all is
how happy you were with him.”

“God, Emma, I was so happy with Beau. I loved
him big time. I still love him.”

“I know you do. Stay the course, big sister.
It’s all going to work out.”

CHAPTER SIX

Beau:

Throwing on a yellow hard hat, I traipsed
through the Arsenal Hotel, surveying the progress being made by my
team. Most of the demolition was completed, but we had preserved
the integrity of the historical details, like the built in
bookshelves in the lobby and the ornate crown molding.

I wasn’t waiting any longer for those damn
permits from the Historical Society. I knew we were in violation as
we moved forward without their consent, but I didn’t give a
fuck.

I was done playing their game. Let them take
me to court. I would have the renovations done before they would be
able to slap an injunction on me. I would see to that. I paid big
bucks to have a team of lawyers at my disposal, who could squash an
investigation at any time.

We toured the second floor, walking up the
newly built oak staircase with a wide banister, which curled out on
the bottom step. It was another custom job that would be stunning
when the last coat of maple stain dried.

Eager to see progress, I took two stairs at a
time, eager to see the rest of the renovations. The rooms were
coming along nicely. Each suite would be sleek and modern with dark
hardwood floors, and cream, teal, and brown accents, tying the look
together. Eventually. We weren’t quite at the decorating stages
yet.

The electrical and plumbing work were mostly
done and the drywall was in the final stages of being hung. Some of
the painting had even been completed, now that I wasn’t having any
difficulty with the electrical crew. The new team was top notch,
working fast, but doing a fantastic job. They were bringing the
project back on track. Overall, I was pleased with the
progress.

“So when is the drywall in the rooms going to
be complete?” I asked as we headed downstairs.

“Another week or so. We’ll start on the
bathrooms next,” George, the contractor informed me.

“Sounds good. You’re doing a great job,
George. This isn’t an easy project, but you’ve been a real
pro.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

I smiled as we walked back into the lobby.
“Just keep up the good work.”

“Will do, boss.”

After my inspection, I jetted across town to
be on hand for the Micah and Emma Turner Foundation press
conference announcing plans to build a full-fledged educational
sports facility, which would benefit the city’s disadvantaged inner
youth.

As one of the major donors, I was asked to
say a few words. Standing in front of a bay of windows, overlooking
a pretty park with a playground, I addressed the media crowd.

I smiled big, turning on the charm. “Good
afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is an exciting time for the
Micah and Emma Turner Foundation. I am so pleased to be a part of
such a great project. So many people have donated their efforts to
make this center happen. When these doors open, kids will have a
safe place to go to after school. They will receive help with their
academics, train in a sport of their choice, and learn life skills
they may never have a chance to explore,” I explained as a few
pictures were taken of me.

“Now we come to the fun part.” I removed the
dark sheet covering the building plans located on the easel to the
right of me as everyone leaned forward to look at the state of the
art building.

An excited ripple went through the crowd as I
continued to speak. “Shepard Development is proud to donate the
land and contribute to the general building fund to see this
wonderful center open by the fall of 2016. Thank you to everyone
who is making this dream happen.”