A Moment Like You (The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers #2) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,68

refreshing. An Aldridge who doesn’t want children,” Leyla says and laughs humorlessly.

“Why even bother with one?” I question, not sure if it’s curiosity or just a way to stick the knife deeper into my heart.

Maybe I’ll die fast instead of bleeding for the next thousand years.

“He wanted me to have an heir. If I die, my next of kin gets Merkel. In this case, that would be my wife or ex-wife. He didn’t want that to happen.”

“You already planned the future of that child, just like they did with you,” I say, irritated by his lack of emotions and the absurdity of this situation.

“Babe, hear me out. That’s something that happened when I was twenty-two. Please, stay focused. I need you to stay focused. Martina doesn’t mean anything to me. You are my future, and we are actively breaking this agreement,” he states, pointing at Fitz and Pierce. “I trust these men.”

“You talk about it as if it’s a business transaction.”

He lifts the folder and says, “Indeed, this is a business transaction.”

Then he stands up and saunters toward me, taking me in his arms, placing his hand on the back of my head, and brushing his lips against mine before he says, “You and I…we’re the rest of our lives. Dreams and hopes. We’re a living miracle.”

“Oh, my fucking god, he is in love,” Fitz says. “Okay, children, we have a lot of work to do. We have to find a way to keep these two lovebirds together. I wish I had brought my brother along. He’s better at family law, but if we need him, he’s a call away.”

My phone buzzes. It’s Mills in the family chat group.

Mills: There’s a woman with Parrish demanding to see Henry. Parrish wants me to take her bags from her car to Henry’s room. I’m not the fucking butler.

Hayes: You can’t carry anything, Mills. Just ignore them. I’m on my way.

Beacon: She’s a hot piece of ass, but I don’t like her. She talked to G like she’s the help. We’re heading to the studio. Let us know how this ends.

Mills: Yeah. What is up with this? You have a fiancée, Henry? I’m taking Arden to the park.

Blaire: I need popcorn before I head home to watch this show. What a twist!

I check Twitter, and the town is already bustling with the news of Henry’s fiancée.

The Facebook group is even worse. There’s a poll about who is going to be out of town—the fiancée, or me.

“Okay, let’s sit down and review everything,” Fitz says. “Where are we camping?”

“The dining table,” I redirect them, giving them the wi-fi password.

“Pierce and I will be looking into this. Why don’t you go and see what’s going on in the house?” Fitz suggests.

“I’ll stay and help,” I volunteer because the other option is heading to my parents and asking Dad to make churros. I’ll dip them in chocolate and wash the sugar down with champagne to forget my sorrows.

Unfortunately, my parents are in New York, and I’m on my own until they are back.

“You should come with me,” Henry requests, pulling me closer to him.

“I’d rather stay here, searching for some answers.”

He grasps my arms delicately and looks at me. “I beg you to trust me. This… I should’ve tried harder to get this resolved when I got the chance. I failed you, and I’m sorry.”

“I want to say this is okay, but…it feels as if a thousand knives are stabbing my heart,” I confess.

“Hey, I promise this love won’t die and that I won’t let anything destroy it. This isn’t just a summer night that’s about to end. I said it before and I’ll repeat it always, this is the beginning of our forever.”

He captures my mouth and wraps us in one of those slow, intense kisses only he knows how to give. Though, this one is hot, possessive, and desperate. I press my whole body onto him, and he lifts me into his arms. My legs circle around his body, and he walks up the stairs. Our tongues tangle, my hands grasp him as if trying not to hold onto the last strand of hope.

We’re in my room, ripping each other’s clothes off, desperately trying to find a way to fuse with each other before he has to go and try to solve something that might tear us apart. I feel as if my body is ripping at the seams—as if I’m crumbling. Rage beams through my core as he thrusts himself inside me, deeper