Rocked by the Billionaire: A Billionaire's Club Story (12 page)

Was she just one in a string of hookups for an ambitious rock star hell-bent on living up to his name? Or could she truly believe that Luke was still the same boy she’d fallen in love with? The one she’d promised forever to.

He’d only been home for a couple of days. In that time, they hadn’t once sat down and really
talked
.

Her cell rang and Kayleigh reached over to the antique milk can that doubled as an end table. Her heart beat with the speed of a hummingbird’s wings and then seized up as she read Ryder’s name on the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Ryder said. “How are you doing?”

How stupid was she that Kayleigh actually hoped it would be Luke on the other end of the line? She let out a slow breath and willed her heart to start beating at a nice even pace again. “I’m fine. How’s Luke?” Was he mad at her? Hurt that she’d ditched him? Worried? She hoped that Ryder would read between the lines and answer all of the questions that had gone unspoken.

“Mad at the world as always,” Ryder remarked with a laugh. “But relatively unfazed. What’s a little assault charge with everything else he’s dealing with, right?”

God, Kayleigh couldn’t even pretend to know what Ryder was talking about. She hadn’t taken the time to ask how his life was. She’d been more interested in protecting her own heart. A couple of great sexual interludes didn’t equal an emotional reconnection. Instead of treating him like the Luke who’d been her best friend, she’d treated him with as much carelessness as everyone else who wanted a piece of him.

“Ryder, I know it’s late, but do you think it would be okay if I came over and talked to him?” Damn it, she should have stayed at the jail. It should have been her to pick Luke up and not Ryder. She should have been there for him and not hung him out to dry. She was such a
jerk
!

A space of silence passed and Kayleigh’s mouth went dry. “He’s not here,” Ryder finally said. “He took the red-eye and flew back to L.A.”

“W-what?” How could he just leave her again? Anger swelled like a rising tide, hot in the back of her throat.

“Settle down, Kayleigh,” Ryder said. “I told him to leave. You’re both worse than a couple of teenagers still, you know that? He needs a break.
You
need a break. He’s not gone forever. Just for a while.”

“A while” had been eight long years last time. How long would he leave her in a state of inertia this time? “Thanks for bailing him out, Ryder. I’ll talk to you later.”

Before he could continue to lecture her, Kayleigh disconnected the call. Ryder was right, though. They were both behaving like a couple of brainless, hormonal teenagers. She was twenty-six years old for Pete’s sake! She should be past this sort of drama. In fact, her life should be about her career, retirement plans, starting a family of her own. Her skin flushed with warmth as she remembered her moments with Luke in Angus’s bathroom. God, they’d been so careless. She was on the pill, but still … Consequences meant nothing when she was with Luke. Good decisions? What are those? But despite the fact that she knew she should put the past in the past and start looking toward a more stable future, Kayleigh couldn’t bear to think of a future that didn’t have Luke in it.

Maybe it was time for both of them to make a change.

“Okay guys, time to clean up your stations.”

Little bodies scattered like ants on a hill. The prospect of a few minutes to play outside before the busses showed up was enough to spur any little kindergartener into action. Such a cute group of kids, she’d miss them next year. In fact, she’d miss all of the kids at Riverview Elementary next year. She’d fallen in love with their sweet—and sometimes ornery—faces, not to mention the friends and colleagues she’d be leaving behind.

It’s not too late to change your mind. You could just stay home and play it safe
.

No. It
was
too late. With only two months left before summer break, the school district was already looking for someone to replace her. It might have only been a few weeks since Luke had left, but Kayleigh was sure of the decision she’d made. It was time to take life by the horns and stop being scared.

“Wow, the stations are so clean!” Smiling, expectant faces looked up at the sound of her words and a rush of emotion crested over her. “This is great, you guys. Because you did such a great job, we’re going to go outside and play for the rest of the day. Who’s the line leader?”

“I am, Miss Taylor!” A wild arm waved from the back of the room.

“Everyone get your backpacks and line up behind Samantha. Let’s show the first and second graders how quiet we can be when we walk down the hall.”

Like good soldiers, they fell into line, their little chests puffed out with pride before they even had a chance to walk out of the door. Such a group of sweeties.

The entire class walked to the playground with nary a peep. Positive reinforcement worked wonders with the K-through-sixth set. Too bad she couldn’t have used the same tactics on a certain bad-boy rocker she knew.

As the kids raced to the playground equipment, Kayleigh strolled across the playground, enjoying the late afternoon sun. Spring was her favorite season. Everything was new and fresh and clean. Green grass, beautiful flowers. Not too hot and not too cold.

Perfect.

Her cell buzzed in her pocket and she took stock of each and every one of her little charges, making sure that they were all where they ought to be. She pulled out her phone and looked at the text message. Ryder never texted. In fact, she was surprised he even knew how to access the message screen. Attached to the text he’d pasted a link—wonders never ceased—and the sentence:
You might want to watch this
.

A squeal of delight grabbed her attention and Kayleigh made a precursory check, counting little heads to make sure all twenty-three little bodies were accounted for before clicking the link that took her to the E! News site and a video clip.

“Riot 59’s sexy front man is an errant baby daddy. True or False … ?”

The breath caught in Kayleigh’s chest as Giuliana Rancic waited to pronounce the verdict. It would have been nice to hear the words from Luke himself, but since she hadn’t seen him in almost three weeks, the odds of being hit by lightning were better. She gripped her phone so tightly in her hand that her knuckles turned white.

“The answer is …
So
false.”

Kayleigh emptied her lungs of the air she’d held hostage. “Kyle! Take turns, please!”

She turned her attention from the slide back to her phone as Giuliana recapped the story. “Luke ‘Lucifer’ Blackwell addressed allegations that he’d fathered a child with Minnie Ramsay, a professional dancer who’d toured with ‘Round the World who’d opened on tour for Riot 59 last year. Blackwell went so far as to submit to a paternity test upon returning to L.A. in order to quiet rumors that he was running from a potential law suit.”

The screen cut to Luke talking to a group of paparazzi. “It’s true that Minnie and I dated last year, but our relationship ended a long time ago. There’s only one woman for me. There always has been. And if
anyone
is going to have my baby it’s going to be her.”

“Luke! Luke!” Voices off camera shouted his name. “Who is she? Who are you seeing right now?”

He turned away and strode to his car amidst a flurry of bodies and shouts. The footage ended and the camera panned back to Giuliana. “Shortly after submitting to the paternity test, Blackwell made the results public, confirming that he was not, in fact the father of Ramsay’s baby. But now we’re left to wonder … who is this mystery woman who’s won one of rock’s most eligible bachelor’s hearts?”

“Miss Taylor, are you okay?”

Kayleigh blinked back the tears that pooled in her eyes and smiled. “I’m fine, Emily. I think the busses are pulling up, you’d better go grab your backpack and get ready to go.”

Emily trotted off with a smile of her own and Kayleigh stuffed her phone in her pocket. Even if Luke wasn’t here to say the words in person, hearing them warmed her heart just the same.

“It’s true, you know. If
any woman
is gonna have my babies, it’s you.”

***

Luke tensed as he waited for Kayleigh to turn around. Showing up at school probably hadn’t been the best idea, but the thought of spending another second away from the woman he loved was unacceptable. Three weeks had been three too many. And now that he was here, within touching distance, he was overwhelmed with the need to reach out and take her into his arms.

She turned slowly as though afraid to confirm that he was in fact standing behind her. His heart dropped to the souls of his feet. His mouth went bone dry. This was fucking torture. Was she happy to see him? Angry? Was she hoping he’d left her alone and never come back? Her face was an impassive mask, giving nothing away as her deep brown eyes pinned him in place.
Say something, you stupid son of a bitch!

The bell rang and a swarm of older kids and teachers flooded the playground, reminding him of a concert crowd. The teachers worked together, herding the kids to where they needed to go while keeping them on task. Organized chaos. There was probably a song in there somewhere …

“I need to get the kids on their busses.” Not even her tone betrayed her emotions. Good Lord, she was killing him! Kayleigh took a slow step backward and then another. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”

A slow breath of relief deflated Luke’s lungs. “Don’t go anywhere” was a hell of a lot better than “fuck off.” He’d taken Ryder’s words to heart, and was ready to do things right this time. He’d settled that bullshit with Minnie, and met with the guys about the future of the band. Some of it had been positive and proactive, but there’d been a shit ton of negativity and disagreement, too. After everything was said and done, Luke was happy with the decisions he’d made. He’d made choices that were for his music and career, but more importantly, he’d done what was right for his
life
.

A smile grew on his face as he watched Kayleigh usher all of her little rug rats to their respective busses. The smile on her face as she helped one with his backpack, and another with a loose shoelace, caused his chest to swell with emotion. The woman was fucking spectacular. It showed just how far lost he was to her that he could stand there and watch her wipe runny noses and zip up jackets all day.

The playground began to empty until every kid was either on a bus or in the care of their own parents. Even the teachers dispersed, heading back into the building like horses trotting back to the barn.

Luke strolled over to the swings, not far from where Kayleigh was talking with a mother whose little girl was tugging on her jacket. He squeezed himself into the U-shaped rubber seat and pushed back, setting the swing in motion. When the little girl apparently became too impatient to wait another second, Kayleigh gave a little wave, watching as the two walked toward the parking lot.

A peaceful calm settled around him. Kayleigh stood staring out at the parking lot for a few more minutes and Luke gave her the space she needed to gather her thoughts as he continued to sway back and forth, his knees almost up to his chin in the tiny swing. She turned, that same impassive expression on her face, and made her way to him, taking a seat in the swing beside his.

“I had to go to court today.” Nothing like addressing her ex’s broken nose to start off a conversation.

“Oh yeah?” Her voice bore a hint of playfulness and Luke’s heart soared. “Was the judge anxious to throw the book at the infamous Lucifer Blackwell?”

“I got community service,” he said with a laugh. “I look good in an orange vest though so it’s no big deal.”

“Sort of hard to pick up trash when you’re supposed to be a few thousand miles away, isn’t it?”

“Yep, which is why I bought a house here.”

The swing stopped abruptly and she turned to face him, her brow furrowed. “What?”

Luke smiled. “Familiarity can be nice. My mom’s already planning family dinners and it’ll be cool to be closer to Jase and Ryder.” He stopped the sway of his own swing and turned in the tiny bucket seat to face her. “I never should have shown up out of the blue like a selfish asshole, demanding to pick up where we left off without so much as a conversation. I won’t apologize for wanting you, Kayleigh. I’ll
always
want you. But I should have been mature enough to explain myself and let you decide what you wanted instead of putting so much pressure on you.”

“What about the band? Your career? Luke, you can’t just walk away from it.”

“I’m not.” He’d found a way to make it work, though this year would be more of a trial run. “I don’t have to live in L.A. to make music. I’m going to build a recording studio here. Chase, Toby, and Eric are staying in California and that’s cool. I’ve agreed to commute when I need to. We’ll still tour. But we’ll record our music here. I know it’s not ideal, splitting my time like this. But I think it’s a decent compromise. I used to think that I couldn’t have it all. But maybe I can. Maybe …” He reached over and took her hand in his. “Maybe I can slow down and enjoy the ride for a change. I could take you out to dinner again sometime. I promise not to punch anyone.”

Laughter bubbled in Kayleigh’s chest, her amusement growing to the point that Luke wondered if she’d finally snapped. Hell, for all he knew she was already back with Spencer, and he was much too late for compromises and sentimentality.

“I quit my job last week,” she said through another bout of laughter. “I was planning to move to L.A. over the summer. To prove to you that I could step out of my rut. That I could brave change and the prospect of sharing you with other people. I shouldn’t have walked away from you that night, Luke. I should have been more understanding. I thought that if I could go where you needed to be for your career that we could try to make this work. I’ve missed you so much. I don’t want to live another day without you.”

He grabbed the chain that suspended her swing, pulling her until they faced each other. His mouth found hers in a slow, tender kiss that set him ablaze with want, uncontrollable lust, but most of all, love. “I love you, baby,” he murmured against her mouth. “I’ve always loved you.”