Surprising the Billionaire with a Baby - Elizabeth Lynx Page 0,51

the pregnancy test thinking it was a mistake and reread the instructions five times before I realized it wasn’t a mistake. It was meant to be. Nathan was meant to be. But I was lucky. I had a loving family that surrounded me when I needed them. And now they surround Nathan.”

“I want to be there too. For the both of you.”

I took a step back. “That’s weird because you’re just telling me this now. Not last year when you could have tracked me down, found out who the coat check woman was. You’re rich enough to make that happen.”

He scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t know you were pregnant.”

“But you dreamed of me. Fine. Whatever. That was the past. Nathan’s birthday party was your chance, and you blew it. Then you had another chance that Monday when I showed up with Nathan in tow. Again, nada. Are you sensing a pattern here, because I am.”

“Look, Julia, I’m sorry. You do not understand how sorry I am for missing out on—”

I held up my hands as he stepped forward. “I can only imagine,” I said and turned, walking out of the office.

I made a mental note never to see that deadbeat again.

Chapter 22

Monty

Two weeks later

“SHE’S NOT HERE,” ROCK said without lifting his head from his laptop.

My plane touched down in Richmond a few hours ago, and I came straight to The Blue Spot.

“Who are you referring to?” I lifted my chin, pretending I didn’t know what he was talking about.

“Don’t play this game with me. Today’s not the day for that.”

Rock sat back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head. “The contest didn’t go as expected, and there is such a thing as bad press. The Blue Spot’s numbers reflect that. The last thing I need right now is drama from the baby daddy.”

I frowned and flopped onto the leather couch he had against his office wall.

“I’m past the drama.” Not really, but I liked to believe I would one day get over Julia.

“No, you’re not. It’s only been two weeks. And she’s loving her new job, by the way.”

I sat up on the couch and smiled for the first time in weeks. “Really? And she has a say in the work?”

He nodded. “Drake, the interior designer, has made her his assistant. She really has an eye for design. That Mother Care Room was an amazing addition to our resort. She did a great job helping to create those rooms.”

My shoulder fell. Some tension I had felt for a while floated away. “I’m glad.”

“Does she know it was you?”

I shook my head. “No, and I want to keep it that way. Julia needed a job that made her happy and paid her well. I had a feeling helping with the design department would intrigue her.”

“I’ll be sure never to tell her.” My brother frowned. “What about Nathan?”

The lightness I felt from the news of Julia’s new job instantly vanished.

“I want to see him, and I don’t know how to make that happen.”

Once I left for the West Coast to meet with investors and potential VR designers, I didn’t leave until I had the main crew hired.

During my absence, I reached out to Julia several times. She never took my calls or answered my texts. I even wrote to her by email, but at that point, I wasn’t expecting a response.

I was desperate and called Rock, asking him to talk with Laura about me getting to see my son.

“I tried. Even Laura thinks you should be able to see Nathan, but Julia won’t have it.”

I scrubbed my face with my hand. “I screwed up.”

“You did.”

Sliding my eyes to Rock, I said, “Gee, thanks for the support.”

Rock rose, walked over to the couch, and stood in front of me with his hands in his pants pockets. “We all screw up, Monty. I sided with Julia at the beginning. You lied to everyone. But it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to see your son.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You mean like how you lied about Mom’s ring, and how you told no one you popped the question to Laura?”

I knew I was being petty, but I wasn’t happy with the direction of our conversation.

He rubbed his forehead. “I wasn’t lying about the ring. I really kept it in my pocket for luck.” He sat on the couch. “I was desperate, okay? I was frightened I would lose Laura, and so I got down on one knee and produced