More Than a Billionaire (22 page)

They walked into the living room and found Trent and his father having a discussion.

“Ten minutes early. I’m impressed,” Trent said. “That makes at least two occasions this year you’ve made it on time. How did you whip him into shape, Kiera?”

“I find threatening him works best,” Kiera answered.

“Threatening who?” Addie walked into the room. The last time he saw Addie, he wouldn’t have suspected she was pregnant. Now he noticed the small bump.

Trent immediately put an arm around his wife when she sat. “My brother. Kiera says that’s how she gets him places on time. Did you know he showed up late the day of our wedding?”

Gray was glad that his brother’s comments drew the attention off of Kiera, but he’d rather not have them focused on his own shortcomings either.

“As much as I love discussing myself, perhaps we can find another topic. What were you talking about when we walked in?”

“I was about to tell Trent and Addie about the Clean Water Matters initiative. Patrick called to tell me about the new nonprofit organization his son and wife started. He said you’d promised Anderson your support at the fundraiser. I thought Trent and Addie might be interested.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Kiera look his way. He’d never mentioned the fundraiser to her. Even when he’d seen the cover of
Celebrity Today
, which mentioned it, he’d kept his mouth shut. As much as he wanted to tell Kiera the truth, he couldn’t risk blowing his cover.

“Wasn’t that fundraiser a couple of weeks ago?” Kiera asked.

“Yes. Out in California. It garnered a lot of support, according to Patrick.”

“I read about it this afternoon,” Kiera said to everyone in the room, but her silent question to him hung in the air.

“I’ve never heard of it. What’s the organization’s goal?” Addie asked.

As his dad shared what information his friend had passed along, Gray remained focused on Kiera.

She wasn’t saying much. That didn’t bode well. As much as he’d like her to be okay with finding out about the fundraiser now, she wouldn’t be. And he couldn’t blame her.

Betty, a member of his dad’s household staff entered the room. “Dinner can be served whenever you’re ready, Mr. Sherbrooke.”

“Thank you, Betty.” His dad stood and offered a hand to his wife. “Since Mathieu is off tonight, I asked Jason to prepare one of his signature fish entrées tonight.”

Trent and Addie followed his dad and Abby out, but Kiera hung back, a frown on her face.

“You went to that fundraiser mentioned in the magazine? I thought you had a business emergency to take care of in California?”

“After I finished work that afternoon, I ran into Anderson. He invited me to the fundraiser. It sounded like a good cause, so I stopped in for a few hours.”

Parts of his statement were true. He’d stayed only a short time, and the project was a good cause.

“I see.” She pulled her hand away from his. “And you forgot to tell me, right?” Kiera’s frown deepened.

“Not so much
forgot
. More like, it didn’t seem important at the time. Then, it slipped my mind altogether.”

In the months they’d been together, they’d never argued. It looked like that was about to change.

“Really, Kiera I stayed a couple of hours then flew back here.”

“We should join everyone.”

“C’mon, Kiera. I wasn’t trying to hide it from you.”

“If you say so.” She took a few steps toward the doorway, but he grabbed her arm before she got far.

“Next time, I’ll write up a detailed itinerary of my trip. It’ll bore you to death.”

His comment got an eye roll.

“You don’t need to go that far, Gray.”

Gray closed the gap between them. “Am I forgiven then?”

“I guess so.”

Her voice lacked much conviction, but he didn’t press the matter.

“Lets go eat then. Jason isn’t as good a chef as you or your dad, but he’s good.”

They walked into the dinning room together.

“Allison called yesterday. She’s all settled in Virginia.” His dad said as they sat down. “She likes it.”

Good, he’s not talking about the fundraiser anymore. He didn’t want Kiera thinking anymore about it or his trip to California.

By the time Kiera and Gray left, she looked forward to the next family dinner they attended.

“So what’s your verdict tonight?” Gray asked when they pulled away from his dad’s estate.

“It was nice. I had fun.”

“I noticed you talking a lot with Addie. Were you giving up some embarrassing stories about my brother?”

“No. I figured you and your brothers already told her all the good ones. We talked a little about the baby, and she gave me some tips on dealing with the media.”

“I got an earful about the baby, too. Heaven help me if I’m ever trapped in a room with both Trent and Jake. They’ll send me on baby overload.”

“Knock it off. You’re excited about being an uncle. You told me so.”

The streetlights cast enough light inside for her to see Gray smile. “Let’s keep that our little secret.”

Like the way Gray kept his attendance at the fundraiser from her a secret? The negative thoughts from earlier made a comeback.
I’m not going to think he’s keeping secrets.
She’d accept his explanation.

“You’re quiet over there. Everything okay?” Gray asked.

Kiera nodded. “Thinking about our trip. I need to pick up a few things. The washing machine ate my bathing suit last year, and my sandals have seen one too many summers.”

“I’m glad you mentioned that. How would feel if I gave you your present tonight instead of on your birthday?”

“I thought the trip
was
my present, Gray.” She could only guess the cost of the trip. She didn’t need him spending any more on her.

“No the trip is just an excuse to get you away from here and all to myself. Your birthday present took me a while to figure out, but I think you’re going to love it.”

She hoped he hadn’t gone overboard, but he did have her attention. “You’ve got me curious, but I don’t know. Maybe you should wait and give me time to guess. That’s half the fun.”

Gray smiled while they waited for a red light to change. “You’ll never guess this.”

“Is that a challenge? Well, now we’re definitely waiting.”

That would’ve been much more enjoyable with Gray around.
Kiera stepped out of the shower and dried off. At least in a few hours they’d be on a warm sunny Caribbean island. Nothing could beat that.

Kiera turned off the light and climbed into bed, her cell phone catching her attention. She had a text message.

Happy birthday. See you soon. Love you.
 

One o’clock in the morning and he remembered to wish her a happy birthday. A lot of guys didn’t remember those things at one in the
afternoon
.

Missed you in the shower. Can’t wait to see you
. Kiera typed back and then put her phone down. Something told her their trip was going to be unforgettable.

Several hours later, Kiera sat working on a crossword puzzle. She’d rechecked her bag twice already and had nothing else to do until Gray arrived.

He’d spent the last four days in New York, and had said he’d be at her place by four that afternoon. She’d argued that it made more sense for them to meet at the airport, but he’d insisted that he’d pick her up. He’d said that he wanted to give her her birthday present before they left and that he couldn’t do that at the airport. Since she loved him and he’d been so insistent, she agreed. Which explained why, at almost two on a Thursday afternoon, she was in her apartment, filling in a crossword puzzle.

Kiera answered three across in her puzzle, pausing when her phone rang. Without looking, she picked it up.

Kiera pressed the talk button, expecting it to hear either Joanna or Stephanie’s voice. She hadn’t heard from either yet today, and the three of them never failed to wish each other a happy birthday.

“Hello.”

“Hi, love.” Gray said.

She’d expected Gray at her front door soon, not on the phone.

“Gray. Are you almost here?”

“Unfortunately, no. I haven’t left New York yet. The project I’m working on has hit a snag. A representative from the company is here. We’re trying to iron things out.”

Double fudge.
“And that can’t wait until next week, right?” She knew the answer before she asked.

“If it could, I’d be on my way to you now.”

Kiera heard the frustration in his voice.

“As soon as I wrap things up, I’ll be on my way. Tomorrow, we’ll still be on a hot sandy beach, warming our butts and watching the waves.”

“Okay. I guess I’ll hang around home. Do you have any idea when you’ll get here?” Her heart plummeted. Once again, work forced them to change their plans. She’d lost count of how many times it had happened now.

She heard what sounded like traffic in the background before Gray answered.

“Not sure. If you want to go out, feel free. I’ll call you when my plane lands.”

“Okay.”

“Love you. See you soon.”

Kiera said goodbye and ended the call. After he insisted
she
get the time off,
he
had to work. She took in a deep breath, then blew it out slowly, hoping it would take away some of her disappointment.

Picking up her pen, she looked at the next hint. She didn’t find an afternoon sitting around exciting, but she had no particular place to go either. It looked like she had enough time to finish the rest of her crossword book and think about all the ways Gray would pleasure her while on vacation.

***

Kiera woke up when the mattress dipped. Then, an arm wrapped around her and lips touched her cheek.

“Sorry I’m so late. Happy birthday.”

Gray’s voice clicked her brain on all the way. Kiera rubbed her eyes as she flipped onto her back.

“What time is it?” More bored than tired, she’d turned the television off and come upstairs. Gray had a key. He could let himself in whenever he arrived. Evidently, she’d fallen asleep while she’d waited.

“Three.”

She bolted upright. She’d come up at ten. “You’re only getting here now?”

Enough light came through the window that she saw Gray cringe.

“It took much longer than I anticipated to get everything straightened out. Work won’t interfere anymore this weekend. Promise.” He pushed the hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear. “Are you ready to go?”

“Now? Shouldn’t we wait until later this morning? You look tired.”

Gray pulled the covers back. “I can’t wait to give you my present any longer. After that, we’ll go to the airport. My plane is waiting for us.”

He pointed to the single suitcase. “Is that it for luggage?”

Kiera nodded.

“You get dressed, and I’ll carry it downstairs.”

Outside, a full moon filled the sky as Gray drove along empty streets. They were headed toward Providence. Not much remained open at that time of the morning even in the city. Although, just because they were headed that way didn’t mean her gift was there. They had to come this way to reach the airport as well.

“How about one little clue?” She’d asked for hints before when all her guesses were wrong, but he kept refusing.

“You’ll see soon enough.” He used his turn signal and exited the highway.

The familiar downtown streets passed by until Gray turned into the parking lot beneath The Hillcrest, downtown Providence’s most expensive apartment building.

“Why are we at Trent’s place?”

“Don’t worry, we’re not here to see him.”

Then who were they there to see? Gray gave up none of his secrets, and she’d run out of guesses days ago.

Gray led her into the lobby and past the security guards. Unlike on their previous visit, they walked toward the main elevators rather than the private one that accessed only Trent’s penthouse.

She watched the numbers light up as the elevator carried them up. When the tenth floor lit up, it stopped, and the doors opened into a large foyer with two doors.

“Isn’t it late to be visiting anyone?”

“I never said we were here to visit anyone.” He put an arm around her as they walked toward the door with a large purple bow on it.

“Happy birthday, love.” He deposited a key in her hand.

Confused, Kiera unlocked the door. If this were a normal time of day, she would’ve expected a loud chorus of
Surprise!
but not at this hour. What was waiting for her on the other side anyway? She turned the handle. The door opened, revealing a dark apartment.

“Go on in.” Gray gave her a gentle push then followed her inside and switched on the lights. The entire apartment looked spotless, but empty.

“Okay, I’m confused. What are we doing in someone’s empty apartment?” She stayed put in the center of a large room and looked around.

“It’s not
someone’s
. It’s ours. I bought it a few weeks ago, but waited on furniture so you can pick out what you like.”

Wow.
“You want me to move in with you? What about work? Your office is in New York.”

“Not anymore. I can handle my international projects from anywhere. Right after I bought this, I arranged to get my office transferred to the Sherbrooke office here in Providence.”

She had tossed around a lot of possible birthday presents. Never in a million years would she have guessed this as his big surprise.

“When we get back from Anguilla, we can start furniture shopping.”

Kiera pivoted, taking in the apartment. Although not as big as Trent’s penthouse, which occupied the top two floors, the place was several times larger than her apartment.

“You don’t like it?”

She turned toward him again. “I love it and can’t wait to move in. But I’m overwhelmed a little. We never talked about this, and I still have a year on my lease. Then there’s all my stuff.”

Gray shrugged. “I’ll pay off the lease. You can keep whatever you want and move it here. I have one more surprise for you. Let’s look around first. Then, I’ll give it to you.”