Always My Babygirl A Billionaire Romance - Jane Henry Page 0,34

Gabriel. I don’t want to upset things for her. I can’t…” she looks around her and whispers. “I don’t want to burden her with this.”

I hear her, but I know what needs to happen, and I’m not backing down, and I’ll make sure this isn’t a burden.

“And that’s admirable of you, but if the two of you are in charge of making sure this doesn’t happen again, we need to bring her in.” I fold the paper and put it in my pocket, then release Miranda and walk over to her mom. “Call Lexi. Tell her to come over so we can take care of this.” I hate to rush, but we’ve got to get back to Vegas. “Can you trust me, Miranda?”

She worries her lip, but nods, and a few minutes later I hear her in the other room calling her sister.

I turn to her mom. “Good book, Mrs. Montague?”

She clucks her tongue and wiggles her eyebrows at me.

“You, sir, are a rogue.” She points to the book, and I realize she really does think I’m the guy in the novel. I can’t help but snort at that.

“I’ll redeem myself in the end,” I quip, hoping that I have the vaguest idea of how romance novels sort themselves out. I hope.

I make a few calls. Pull a few strings. When I hear Lexi arrive, I meet the girls in the living room and get right down to business.

“Miranda, I have to get back home by one, so we’ll have to leave soon. But before we do, I want to ensure your mom’s taken care of.”

Lexi looks at me apprehensively, but I go on.

I pull the paper out of my pocket and hand it to Lexi. “You familiar with any of this?”

She looks it over, her eyes wide with concern, then covers her mouth when she gets to the bottom of the page.

“A jacuzzi? Oh my God.”

“Looks like your mom’s gone on a shopping spree. The first thing we have to do is take your mom’s credit cards so she doesn’t get herself in more trouble. Can you handle that, Lexi?”

“Yes, absolutely, but Gabriel, we can’t—”

I cut her off. This needs to be handled. Now. “I’ve got a long term care facility booked and ready to go for your mother. It’s ten minutes from here and only a block from Lexi’s apartment.” Please don’t ask me how I already had her address. “It’s a wonderful place. Five star reviews and excellent care. Lexi can still visit every day, but she can rest easy knowing your mom is safe.”

Relief washes over Lexi’s face but it’s quickly replaced by concern. “That sounds wonderful, but... expensive. I’m not sure we can afford—”

I shake my head and cut her off again. “I’ll take care of these charges and make sure they’re paid off, and I’ve already paid the facility for the first three months. I just want to ensure she’s safe and cared for before we leave. I’m sorry we can’t stay any longer this trip, but hopefully this gives you some support.”

“Gabriel, that’s generous. But to pay you back...” Miranda’s eyes are pleading, her face pained. She’s hating that she’ll feel like she owes me.

I smile at her. “Don’t worry. We’ll work out a business arrangement. Right, honey?”

She blinks once, then twice, then a little flush comes to her cheeks. “Yes, of course.”

Lexi cackles. Goddammit, she must know what Miranda’s business entails. I give her a pointed look, and she partly sobers, covering her mouth to stifle her giggles.

“Is she modeling for your studio, Mr. Lord? Hmm?”

This one’s a hot ticket, but I like her.

“Something like that.”

I glance at my watch. We need to move. “There are a few more things we’ll need to discuss, but Miranda and I will talk about that on the way home. Is there anything else we need to know?”

“Yes,” Miranda says. “That hot tub is on its way here and there’s no place to put it!”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“I have the phone number,” Miranda says, pulling out her mom’s phone. “They said they were delivering it.”

I call Shane. “Hello?”

“Shane, I need you to make a phone call and cancel this order. Have it delivered somewhere else. If they won’t cancel it, donate it somewhere.”

I give him the details. “On it, boss.”

Lexi’s eyes grow wary. “You know what they say about things that appear too good to be true, Mr. Lord…”

“Like I said, Lexi. This is no charity donation. Miranda and I will work things out.” I