The Billionaire's Longshot: Betting on You Series: Book Three (26 page)

His father got up from his chair, came around the table, and pulled him into his arms. “Welcome home, son.”

Home.
That wasn’t a word he ever associated with this place. Not until today. He looked at his mom, who was a little teary. Had she been holding all this pain and bitterness in for over thirty years? Could tonight’s talk help break apart some of her barriers too? Time would tell. “Mother, do you have any objections?”

What came next shook him to the core. His mother rose from her seat, walked over, wrapped her arms around him as she never had before, and said softly, “Ross, this is your home as much as it is ours. You’re always welcome here.”

Ross?
He never thought he would see this day. Coming here was all about him. Understanding himself, but the healing had ripple effects. He was home, with his family, for possibly the first time ever. He wasn’t sure how long this was going to last, but for now he was going to enjoy it. A new beginning. Not only for him, but hopefully for his parents as well.

‡

J
ill was trying
to get back into the groove of things but couldn’t. She hadn’t heard from Ross since that awful moment when he’d sent her away.
Why should he call me?
She’d totally violated his privacy. Whatever was in his journal wasn’t meant for her to read. She understood that before she took it. It was a mistake with a high price to pay. It could have been much worse; he could have called the police and had her arrested. She should be grateful he’d only sent her away. Then why did she feel as though she was in prison? Because her heart felt like it was trapped, unable to escape.

Jill had been able to avoid everyone for the past two weeks. It hadn’t been easy, first faking she had a terrible cold and didn’t want to get any of them sick, then she told them she was taking online classes and working on a project. None of it had any semblance of truth.
When did lying become second nature?
Guess that is phase two after theft.

She should come clean and tell them what she did; maybe then she wouldn’t feel so damn horrible. Her disappointment in herself was overwhelming. If her sister knew, she’d question Jill’s influence on her children, even more than she did now.

At the time, she knew it wasn’t right, but never had she envisioned such severe repercussions.

Tonight was the end of hiding out. Lizette and Elaine demanded she make time for them, or they were going to invite themselves over. Her apartment looked like it had been hit by a tornado. She had packed and unpacked all her things several times over the last two weeks as she’d debated,
stay or go
. She didn’t need a lecture on cleanliness with everything else she was dealing with. Thankfully they had agreed to meet at Elaine’s, since Trent was back in Dubai on business. Normally Elaine accompanied him, but the doctor suggested not flying so late in her pregnancy, not even on a private jet. When she’d seen Elaine two weeks earlier, she’d looked about ready to pop. She couldn’t wait to see her now.

Her legs began to shake as she rode the elevator to the penthouse.
Hold it together, girl.
No one knew, and no one needed to. This time she planned on keeping her big trap shut.

Elaine was there when the doors opened. “I was worried you were going to come up with another lame excuse.”

“Missed you, too.” She gave Elaine a hug. “I’m going to need longer arms if you get any bigger,” Jill teased.

“Can you believe it? Four more weeks. Thank God Lizette’s wedding is in two because I probably wouldn’t be able to fit through a door at this rate, never mind into a dress.” She laughed.

Elaine wasn’t really that huge; she was naturally slender and now carried all her weight in her belly. How she managed to remain upright was beyond Jill.

“You’re going to be beautiful as always, Elaine,” Lizette said from the kitchen.

“Something smells wonderful. What is it?” Jill asked.

“Lasagna and garlic bread. Elaine loves her Italian food.”

“Yes, I do. But you should see some of the strange things I’m eating lately. I had a pickle with peanut butter on it this morning. It was amazing.”

“Glad you didn’t ask me over for breakfast then,” Jill said, laughing.
Oh, it feels nice to laugh, to be out.
Her friends were at wonderful places in their lives. She was happy for them; who wouldn’t be? They were the kindest, sweetest people she knew and, unlike her, they deserved this joy.

“Come, let’s eat and catch up. It’s been ages since we’ve been together,” Lizette said.

“Not that long. Only a few weeks.”

As she cut and served the lasagna, she added, “Yes, but we haven’t seen you since the blowup with Ross. Jon believes you two have worked things out. Is that true?”

Worked them out, then I fucked it up.
“We decided it’s better to remain friends. Less complicated that way.”

“It’s always complicated, Jill. You don’t give up on him if you think he is the one,” Lizette added.

Oh, he is my one. I’m just not his.
“I’ll keep that in mind. But for now, let’s talk about important things like the wedding. Got cold feet yet?”

“Every day.” Lizette laughed. “Then I see him, and everything is perfect. I would ask you to pinch me to make sure I’m not dreaming, but last time I had a bruise for a week.”

“You just can’t please the girl. She asked for a pinch and has complained ever since,” Elaine teased. “I think it was my hormones acting up that day. Didn’t know my own strength.”

“I’m glad I didn’t ask you to punch me. Everything is set for the wedding. Oh, I forgot to mention we are meeting next weekend for one last get-together before the big day.”

“You do know we are still going to see you all the time? There is only a name change happening, right?” Elaine asked.

“Yes, but come on, you know I like any excuse I can get to cook for you all. Our lives are changing so fast. Before you know it, you’re going to be a mommy and hopefully I will follow closely behind. I was hoping it would have worked out for you and Ross, Jill, so we could all raise our children together. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Jill could hear the excitement in Lizette’s voice as she spoke. She was so happy for her, but the pain in her heart was becoming unbearable. She’d had those same dreams and thoughts; she knew they were never going to be a reality.

Having dinner at Elaine’s was a good test for her acting abilities. It looked like she was going to need more over the following weeks, especially since Ross was going to be at every event going forward.
Ross. I’m sorry.
They were words her heart echoed over and over. If she were telepathic, she would send him the message, and maybe he would call.

She considered calling him, apologizing again. But what else was there to say? The only way to show she was truly sorry was to give him his space and respect his privacy.
If only I’d done that in the first place, I wouldn’t be facing this now.

“Don’t put me in that mix; I’m only twenty-six. I’ve got plenty of time. Besides, I think I’ll wait until your children are old enough to babysit before I have my own.”

“Oh gosh. I can’t think that far in advance, Jill. Before you know it you’ll be thinking of us as grandparents,” Elaine teased.

“You never know. But I am looking forward to doing quite a bit of babysitting for you both until then. I’ll sugar them up and send them home,” Jill joked.

“Great. Just great,” Lizette said.

They spent the remainder of the night teasing and laughing like the old days. It was nice, refreshing. Lizette had spoken the truth earlier. All their lives were changing, and the times they shared right now were precious.

‡

“W
ould like to
see you before going to Jon and Lizette’s.”
Such a simple text message. One that didn’t provide a glimpse into what he was feeling.
Oh that’s right, he doesn’t have any feelings.
That was confirmed by his lack of contact since he’d sent her away. She wasn’t one who liked mysteries, and what he wanted to discuss was a big one. Was he ready to forgive her, or was he about to let them all know what type of person she really was? Since she couldn’t see him forgiving her, she could only hope her friends would understand she had not taken the journal to be malicious in any way, but mostly to learn more about how he ticked.
Doesn’t fly with me, why should it with them?

A few months ago she would have told everyone exactly who she was and what she’d wanted. Now things weren’t so clear. She knew the basic path she wanted to follow: be someone who gives back to society, not takes from it. Even at age twenty-six she had witnessed so much heartache and true suffering in others. When she thought back to when she’d worked for Another Chance, and how many they’d helped along the way, she couldn’t believe she’d allowed herself the pity party she’d thrown over the last few weeks. She was healthy, had a roof over her head, a decent job,
and
friends who cared very much about her.
What I need is a good kick in the ass.
It was time to pick herself up, put an end to the forced smile, and actually smile again. There was so much for her to be thankful for; it was time to focus. Instead all she could focus on was the emptiness within her.
It’s a broken heart; I’ll get over it.
Then why did it feel so damn bad.
A broken bone would hurt less and eventually heal.
Even thinking of him, hearing his name, brought an overwhelming sadness she couldn’t shake. It wasn’t from the lack of trying either. She had done everything she could think of to forget about him, the way she felt when he touched her, said her name, made her laugh. Nothing worked. All it did was cause more pain.

Sitting here waiting, Jill was fighting her own internal battle and wasn’t winning. All she wanted to do was see him again, but at the same time, all she wanted to do was forget he existed. If she didn’t know what she wanted herself, how was she going to convince others she was fine? It wasn’t going to be as easy as faking a smile.
How am I going to pull it off in a room full of familiar faces when Ross is one of them
? If not for Lizette’s wedding she probably would’ve already returned to Rhode Island and made yet another fresh start.

Going back isn’t the answer.
Maybe after the wedding she would be able to think of a
new
plan. For now she could only do one thing: wait for Ross to meet her. His request to meet her in the coffee shop wasn’t a good sign, but it probably wouldn’t get loud, since Ross liked his privacy.

She checked the clock on her phone.
He’s late. He’s never late.
Was this all a setup only to blow her off?
A little payback?
It would be cruel, but well-deserved. Checking the time again, an hour had passed; her coffee had long since cooled. Calling the waitress over, she requested the bill.
Face it, Jill. It is over.
Until then she had held out hope. Dropping a twenty on the table, not wanting to wait for change, she headed out the door before the tears broke free.

The crowd of people bustling down the sidewalk was only a blur as the tears poured down her cheeks. It had all come to a head. He was done with her, and there wasn’t anything she could do to change it. Waving down a cab, she hopped in and gave the driver her address. She couldn’t wait to get home, lock the door, and hide away. Facing another person was more than she could handle.

Thankfully there wasn’t much traffic. She entered the building, trying to get to the elevator as fast as she could.
Almost there. You can do it.
She wiped her tear-streaked cheeks on the ride up. Getting off the elevator, she fumbled through her purse searching for her keys.

“Let me help you.”

The sound of his voice caused her to drop the keys to the floor. They both went to pick them up, and he stopped her. “I’ll get them. In case you forgot, this all started with a bump on the head.”

There wasn’t a single thing she had forgotten—the good times or the bad. She was frozen, unable to move. What was he doing here? Why hadn’t he shown up at the coffee shop as planned? What did he want? So many questions ran through her mind, and she was afraid of every answer that might follow. “Aren’t you going inside?” he asked.