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The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Twenty six
ALECCONTRARY TO WHAT CLASSIC FAIRY TALES HAD TO SAY, STEPMOTHERSwere a godsend.My mother hadn’t been gone for a year when my father had come home from a business trip to America to say that he’d met someone. Five months later, Theresa Gracen Carideo became my stepmother and brought with her four children: Austin, Rome, Paris, and Aspen. I’d gone from being one of five to being one of nine, and I’d resented it.Theresa had been a widow, so she’d not only understood loss, but she’d helped her own kids after their father died. Things hadn’t magically gotten better between us, but she’d been as patient with me and my siblings as she’d been with her own biological kids, and we’d eventually developed a wonderful relationship.Wonderful enough that after I’d put Evanne to bed Thursday night, I’d called Theresa. She’d been at my house the next morning. With Evanne being the only grandchild on my side of the fami
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Twenty seven
LUMENBY THE TIME SCHOOL LET OUT THURSDAY AFTERNOON, I WAS BOTHexhausted and exhilarated, a combination that I was sure I’d experience over and over again while doing this job.After years of balancing college courses and working at a job I tolerated for Mai’s sake and my own financial sanity, I had a career. A pension. Benefits. Medical insurance. As much job security as anyone could in this economy.There were only a few people left on the school grounds as I left the building, but that wasn’t surprising. I’d stayed late adjusting my lesson plans now that I had a better understanding of my students, and I was looking forward to seeing my ideas implemented.As exciting as it was, it was also more than a little terrifying, knowing that all of this rested on my shoulders. I’d enjoyed student teaching but had chafed under a teacher who was so old school that she’d shot down any fresh ideas I’d suggested. Once I’d finish
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Twenty eight
ALECWHEN I’D SEEN LUMEN WALKING DOWN THE ROAD THE OTHER DAY, IThad felt like fate. I’d never been much of a believer in that sort of thing, but how else could I explain seeing her two completely random times after our awkward first and second meetings?Logic said that in a city the size of Seattle, with neither her nor I having just moved, the chances of us having that many chance meetings would be phenomenal. I’d almost been tempted to have someone run the numbers.That or buy a lottery ticket.What made me even more convinced that some higher power was bringing us together was that before I’d left the house to go on a run that day – an activity I did only rarely in the first place – Theresa had suggested that since she’d be returning to San Ramon on Sunday, I should take advantage of her presence to go out at least once. I’d told her that it wasn’t necessary, but then I’d seen Lumen and decided to make one last
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Twenty nine
LUMENALEC STOPPED COLD. “YOU’RE A WHAT?”Shit. I should have handled that better. Then again, considering that it’d just come flying out of my mouth without a thought, pretty much any way of handling it would’ve been better.I could see him thinking, trying to decide if he should start putting his clothes back on, and if he’d be able to do it without insulting me in some way. He was also clearly trying to hide the panic in his eyes because he didn’t want to be one of ‘those guys.’“It’s okay,” I said calmly, wanting to put him at ease. How strange was it that our roles had reversed with just a single question? Me reassuring him.“Are you…? I mean…I…Fuck.”I sat up, resisting the urge to cover myself. If I gave him the slightest hint that I wasn’t all right with what we’d done so far, he’d completely freak out, I had no doubt. And that meant I’d lose the opportunity to do this my way, with the man of my choice
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Thirty
LUMENWHEN I’D AGREED TO GO OUT WITH ALEC, KNOWING THAT I’D BEsleeping with him, I’d completely forgotten that I’d signed up to take Soleil school shopping the next afternoon, but I was grateful for it.I’d stayed at the hotel all night, mostly because I would’ve felt even more awkward leaving in the middle of the night. Well, that and the fact that I really wasn’t looking forward to getting the third-degree from Mai. When my phone alarm had woken me up with a reminder of where I had to be at noon, I’d been relieved that I wouldn’t need to come up with ways to fill my hours to avoid thinking about the fact that I wasn’t a virgin anymore.Not that I was thinking of it that way, not really. Sex just hadn’t occupied much of my thoughts, but on the rare times it had come up, the virginity thing had always hovered around the edges. Now, I was full of new aches that reminded me constantly of what had happened last night, which meant an awareness of what I wasn’t anymore.O
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Thirty one
ALECTHERESA HAD GONE BACK HOME ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS PLANNED,and I hadn’t complained. I loved my daughter and wanted what was best for her. I just didn’t know if I could be that. So, I did what I did whenever I got worried…I scheduled the hell out of everything.I set aside blocks of time for taking Evanne to school and picking her up, then made sure that I had Tuesday on the pick-up list in case I got caught in a meeting and couldn’t make it myself. But I didn’t plan on that happening often because I was changing how and where I worked too. During school hours, I’d work in the o ce, and after school hours, I’d work from home.I put together a meal plan, budgeted for Tuesday to go on weekly grocery runs, and made calendar alerts for Evanne- related events, such as birthday parties or holidays or school trips. If any surprises happened, my assistant knew she had to be on call to help. I’d been a little worried that adding all of these personal errands would bother her, b
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Thirty two
LUMENSINCE MY STUDENTS’ GYM CLASS TOOK PLACE ON WEDNESDAYafternoons, I knew I’d have time to enjoy having the room to myself as I did my lesson plans, but just as I’d gotten everything set up the way I liked, my least-favorite person at the school swept inside with his usual arrogant, leering grin. I’d managed to avoid being alone with him since our first meeting, but now I was cornered.He wore the same slate-gray suit he always seemed to wear, but with a slightly different-colored shirt that was never completely wrinkle-free. His ties were always a little crooked, his face never completely shaven-smooth. I hated the idea of being shallow enough that those things could make me think poorly of him.Then he opened his mouth, and I remembered that I wasn’t superficial after all…and that his inappropriate behavior wasn’t an isolated thing.“Happy hump day, Mizz Browne,” he said.“Good after
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Thirty three
ALECI’D WAFFLED ON WHETHER OR NOT TO HIRE A REGULAR BABYSITTER FOREvanne but hadn’t yet made up my mind when it was time for my meeting with the infamous Ms. Browne, so I decided to keep her with me for the meeting. It wasn’t like we’d be discussing anything Evanne couldn’t hear.After I picked her up from school, we went for a quick bite to eat at a sandwich shop around the corner, and Evanne told me about her day. She was ecstatic for me to meet Ms. Browne, convinced that this was going to be, in her words, “The best day ever.”I had to admit, I was a little nervous. While I was generally good with face-to-face meetings, schools had always made me a little…off-kilter.Not that Evanne had the same problem. The way she kept havering on about her day was evidence of that. She didn’t take after me when it came to talking either, that much was for certain. I’d always been the quiet one, taking my time to say anyth
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- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
183
EOINI’D JUST BEEN READY TO CALL ALINE WHEN A TEXT CAME THROUGHthat she was coming back and we needed to talk. I went back and forth between anxiety and relief while I waited for her. We couldn’t keep doing this.Our lives were linked, and we didn’t have the luxury of waiting until we had our shit figured out before deciding to start a family. The baby was on the way, and no matter what she and I disagreed about, I had no doubt that we were on the same page when it came to being the best parents we could be. To do that, we needed to work this out sooner rather than later.Since I didn’t know if Aline had her key, I unlocked the door and then spent the next fifteen minutes or so pacing from one end of the living room to the other and back again.When she came in, I wanted to just blurt out an apology and explanation, but I also didn’t want to come on too strong. How the fuck did people do this? How did they know what to say or how to say it? I didn’t know the ans
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EOINTHE MOMENT THE WORDS CAME OUT OF ALINE’S MOUTH, I COULD SEEthat she wanted to take them back. Not because she regretted accepting my proposal or didn’t want to live with me, but because blurting it out like that had been like dropping a bomb.Now, we were just waiting for it to explode. I could read it on their faces. I read it on her face too. She realized the impact of what she’d done.And then Freedom turned on me, her expression furious.“What the hell did you do?!” She pointed at me, her clear blue eyes flashing. “How dare you take advantage of her when she was upset! Out on her own for the first time and vulner–”“We’re engaged,” Aline cut her off, clearly deciding to get it all out now that things were in motion for a confrontation. “And I’m pregnant.”Freedom’s jaw dropped, and her face went white. Aline’s jaw tightened. “So, back off.”“What?”The word came out as a whisper, confirming for me that Aline had never spoken to Freedom that way before.“Eoin is m
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EOINIF I DIDN’T QUIT SNEAKING LOOKS AT ALINE, SHE WAS GOING TO CATCHme and want to know what the hell I was doing. Then I’d be put in the very awkward position of either lying to her and her figuring it out or telling the truth and pissing her off. Neither scenario ended well for me.She’d agreed to tell my parents about our engagement and the baby, and I was going with her tomorrow to spend Christmas Day with her family. Both of those were things that I wanted, but I kept feeling like some other shoe was going to drop and ruin it. That she’d suddenly recognize the fact that she could do so much better than me and decide that, while she might want the baby, she didn’t want me along with it. Or she’d think about how pissed Freedom was going to be when she saw me and realize I wasn’t worth the headache.Death wasn’t the only thing that could take someone away.So, I kept watching her, paying close attention to every expression, to every shift in body language.I’d been worried at Marti
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
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EOINTHE SCENT OF PEACHES WOKE ME UP, AND IT TOOK A MOMENT FOR MEto remember why my bed smelled like fruit. Aline. My eyes opened, my need to reassure myself that she really was here greater than me wanting to sleep a little longer. Once I saw her, I couldn’t look away.We were both on our sides, her back to my front. Her body was curled up, making her look even smaller than she was, and a surge of protectiveness went through me. I slid my hand from her hip to her stomach, wondering when I’d be able to feel the changes to her body, when the baby would start to move, how big it was right now.Was it a boy or girl? Would Aline want to know before or have it be a surprise? When would we be able to tell?I had a lot of research to do, I realized. I wanted to do this right, and that meant not leaving everything up to Aline. Some of the questions colliding together in my brain were the kind that she and I could talk about. I could find the answers for all the others myself. S
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
179
EOINI PUT MY PHONE DOWN ON THE COUNTER AND GOT A BEER FROM THEfridge. If I wasn’t driving anywhere tonight, I didn’t need to worry about how much I drank. If I couldn’t be with Aline, taking care of her, getting a little drunk sounded like a good idea. Not so much that I’d be hung over tomorrow, but enough to take the edge off.It was a hell of an edge. Pregnant.I was going to be a father.Maybe. Aline could decide to terminate the pregnancy, but after how her parents had struggled to have kids, I didn’t think that was going to be the route she took. If she did, I’d be there with her, but even as shell-shocked as I was right now, I was hoping she’d have the baby.My baby. Fuck.I needed to sit down, but the few chairs I had were covered with shit from my storage unit. The floor would have to do. I leaned back against my refrigerator and took a long drink.I’d never really thought about being a father. My parents never pressured any of us kids about giving them
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
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EOINI DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY ALINE WOULD – AGAIN – THINK I DIDN’Twant her. I knew her family was really overprotective of her, but I couldn’t imagine that translating into any type of emotional abuse. She was a certified genius and one of the most selfless people I’d ever met. And she was gorgeous. The fact that she’d been a virgin – barely even kissed if Freedom had been right about that too – confused the shit out of me because she had to have had guys all over her.Just the thought of any other man near her made my arms tighten around her. I still had my hand in her pants, could hear her ragged breathing slow and even out…and I was jealous of men I didn’t even know, men who might not even exist.Men I didn’t want to exist.I wanted to be it for her. The only man who’d ever know what she looked like when she came.Shit.The thought should have terrified me, but it didn’t. Even though I was painfully hard, I was content to stand here, holding her, rubbing her back with my free hand.
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
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ALINEEOIN’S PLACE WAS GORGEOUS. AND HUGE. NOT AT ALL WHAT I’D BEENexpecting, even after he’d told me that he’d leased a condo rather than an apartment. I’d already known that he’d come from a wealthy family, so it wasn’t the cost of a place like this that surprised me. It was more that this didn’t seem like the sort of place that a single, not-quite-thirty, former military man would live. This was more of a…family home.A beautiful one, but I was starting to feel like seeing all of it, being here with him while such a large question was looming over us, was untethering me from reality. I had experienced this strange disconnect only a few times in my life, most of them recently.“Hey.” His hands were on either side of my face, his skin hot against my cheeks. “It’s okay.”I looked up at him, and then his mouth was on mine, firm pressure without being aggressive, and the contact sent a wave of warmth washing over me, pushing away thoughts of anything else.This man could distract
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
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EOINMY BROTHER, ROME, HAD OUTDONE HIMSELF WITH THIS CONDO, ANDI’d made a point of telling him that when he’d met me there before I’d gone to pick up Aline this morning. I hadn’t, however, told him about what was going on.I wanted her to meet my family. I knew that by now, but I didn’t want it to happen with a question mark over our heads. So, until we got those test results, only Alec knew that this was a possibility. No matter what happened, though, I wanted her to see my new place because, at some point, I planned for it to be our place.Some of my tension had left when Aline had told me that she was okay and that the IUD debacle hadn’t been my fault, but it’d been such a small bit that as we moved into Playa Vista, my stomach was one giant knot of nerves. Most of it was because we still didn’t know for certain whether or not she was pregnant, but there was still a part of it that had to do with how she felt about my new home. I wanted her to love it.I took her hand as we w
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
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ALINEI DIDN’T KNOW IF I’D THROWN UP FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO BECAUSE Ihad morning sickness or if it’d been nerves, but either way, it hadn’t been pleasant. I’d been able to force down some crackers, and they’d helped with my upset stomach, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to completely quell my anxiety until I had the results of the blood test. Even if I was pregnant, the waiting was far worse than either answer would be.Eoin seemed to share my sentiments as he arrived nearly twenty minutes early, and apart from the drive, hadn’t been able to sit still. Even in the car, he’d been moving, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel or on his leg, flipping through radio stations, that sort of thing.The latter would have annoyed me normally, but nothing about this situation was normal. And if I were to be entirely honest, I didn’t mind the radio being on because neither of us had said more than a few words, and I preferred the background noise that prevented a total awkward silence betw
