Mr. Mitchell Billionaires' Club Book 2 - Raylin Marks Page 0,132

while I sipped my coffee, “I never thought I’d see Jim loosen up the way he has since being around you.” She pointed out to where Jim surfed, disappearing into a wave that curved beautifully. “That is something no one thought we’d be seeing today. Jake said last night that if Jim got on the board today, he thinks you’re sticking around forever. He’s never seen Jim living it up this much. It all started since he came back from England.” She smiled at me as I watched intently to see if Jim could stay ahead of the wave, he popped out and then did my favorite part of surfing, carving the board back and jumping the white, dominating the wave.

Nice one! I thought, feeling my legs aching to be out in the water and on a board again.

“I gave him a pretty hard time in England.” I smiled at her. “The poor guy lived on that phone. It didn’t take much to realize he was married to his work. We drove through the gorgeous English countryside, and he missed it all because he was staring at his phone. I felt bad for the guy. He had all these remarkable things, but I didn’t see him enjoying any of it.”

Ash laughed. “Did you know who he was?”

“I had no clue,” I said with a smile, pulling my hood over my head, chilled by the cool morning breeze. “We role-played this ridiculous act of being husband and wife like crazy people. It was pretty hilarious.”

“Role played?” She looked at me in confusion.

“I have no idea how it started, but we faked a fight, and then the crazy BS started flying. We faked it so much at one spot that we had to go eat somewhere else.”

Ash laughed. “You’re good for him.” She looked at Addy. “And so is she.”

“I’m still trying to wake up from it all.”

She giggled. “I felt the same with Jake too.” She relaxed under the blanket she’d draped over her. “That’s why it’s nice having you around. You’re down to earth. The other women who come around seem to act like they’re owed it all. I don’t know. It just creates a tense environment when we’re all together. This is nice, though.” She smiled. “It makes me more and more excited for when our little one is here.”

“When are you due?”

“November,” she said. “I can’t wait.”

“It’s the best. Holding and seeing your baby for the first time.” I looked at Addy, “Then watching them grow into their little personalities. It’s the biggest trip.”

“There goes Jim again.” Ash chuckled. “He’s schooling those guys. They all made bets that Jim would hear his phone from shore and stop after one wave if he got out there at all.”

“That’s a good one.” I laughed and then leaned on my elbows to watch my man surf, “When’s the last time he’s surfed?”

“Jake said they grew up out here, surfed almost every day. Jim was a natural, but once he took over the company, he never went out anymore. I know Jake is loving this. All of them out there.”

We spent the morning watching the guys catch waves, and I loved every second of their mini pro-surfer competition. The waves were breaking much bigger than I expected, but fall and winter brought big swells to the Southern California coastline.

It didn’t take long for Jim to paddle in and Addy to pop up and run out to meet him. He held his board with one arm, trotting through the knee-deep water, and smoothing back his onyx black, wet hair. I knew I had the cheesiest grin on my face, watching him with lust.

Then my expression changed from lust to covering my mouth as I watched the sweetest thing this mom could ever dream up for her daughter and herself. Jim made it to the sand and was hurrying to where Addy was pointing and squealing at him. It looked as though she wanted in that water so bad, but it wasn’t the water she wanted, it was the man who’d scooped her up in his free arm and met her with as much happiness and eagerness as she’d met him. I leaned forward and folded my arms over my lap, watching this beautiful moment play and wishing I’d recorded it on my phone to watch over and over again.

Jim managed to maneuver her to his side while hanging onto his board, and then our eyes met. I smiled at him, Addy pointing at