The Billionaire’s Forgotten Fiancée (17 page)

“As a matter of fa—”

“That’s right, it’s after one. Ginger just fell asleep, so I say you get the hell out of here before I call the cops for harassment and public disturbance. And I’m sure they’ll think of some other charges to tack on if I ask nicely.”

He squinted. “Are you Debbie?”

“The one and only. And you’re Shane, the world’s biggest jackass. So nice to meet you and good-bye. Don’t ever darken Ginger’s doorstep again. I’m going to get her a Rottweiler as soon as the pet shops open tomorrow. An early Christmas present.” She bared her teeth.

“I don’t think pet shops sell Rottweilers.”

“For the right price they’ll get one.”

He sighed impatiently. “Look, I’m not here to fight with you.”

“Oh, but I am sooo here to fight with you. I don’t want you anywhere near Ginger.”

“Can we not talk in the hallway? The neighbors are going to hear everything.”

“When did you start caring so much about Ginger anyway?” But Debbie came out with keys jangling in her hand and locked the door. “Come on.”

She flip-flopped her way down the hall and past a heavy metal door that let out onto the emergency stairwell. After Shane had walked past her, she shut it and spun around to face him. The smooth steel platform was just big enough for two people.

“Now nobody’ll hear us,” she said, her voice echoing slightly.

“You know about the pictures, don’t you?” He didn’t wait for a response. “What are they?”

“Oh, that’s funny coming from you. Are you saying you have no idea?”

Shane was starting to get tired of the woman’s sarcasm. “Would I be here if I did?”

Debbie laughed nastily. “I honestly can’t say. You haven’t done anything to prove that you’re a sane individual. The only reason I’m standing here with you alone is because I’ve studied Shaolin wushu since I was eight.” She looked at him cockily. “I’m the stereotypical bad-ass Asian chick, so don’t try anything, buddy.”

“Just tell me!” Shane bit out between clenched teeth.

She crossed her arms. “Last May some photos were mailed to you from Ohio. They were somewhat incriminating, and they featured Ginger. Of course she didn’t actually
do
any of those things. But whoever photoshopped them is really good because Ginger said they looked totally legit.

“So okay, they explain why you disappeared and cut all communication with her. I guess you were so pissed off and felt betrayed that you felt like you couldn’t talk to her. I get that, I really do. Given, you know, how fucked up your family is and all.” The woman stepped forward and put a finger in his chest, jabbing him for emphasis. “But Ginger should’ve been given a chance to explain herself before you just cut her out like that. Seriously, how many years had you guys been dating? You should’ve known she would never do anything to hurt you.”

Shane stared at Debbie. Her words were like blows to his gut, but he’d had no idea. He still couldn’t remember anything about the pictures she was talking about. “Is that why she’s been avoiding me? She found out about the photos?”

“No, it’s much worse. I’ll tell you the whole story since you’re supposedly all amnesiac and everything.” The cynical twist of her lips said she didn’t believe that. “She tried to figure out who would do such a hateful thing to the two of you. When she couldn’t trace it herself, she hired a pro. And he discovered that the person who mailed the photos to you was…”

Source confirmed
.
Shane Pryce
. “Me,” he whispered.

“Ding ding ding!” She stepped back and spread her arms wide. “You get the grand prize for being the biggest jerk in the world!”

“It wasn’t me!”

“Oh, but how can you be so sure? You can’t remember, can you?”

Bitterness surged inside him. “Okay, fine, I don’t remember. But what motive would I have for doing something like that? It doesn’t make any sense!”

“Why do assholes do assholey things? Because they’re assholes.” Debbie put her hands on her hips. “I’m warning you, Shane. Stay away from Ginger. You’ve already done enough.”

“Debbie, you have to believe me. I had nothing to do with the photos—”

“It’s not just the stupid photos, okay? You know why she went all the way to South Africa to see you face-to-face? Did you ever wonder?”

As a matter of fact, he hadn’t. But now he realized that maybe… “She said she couldn’t get in touch with me over the phone or email,” he said almost numbly as dread spread in his belly like cancer.

“She had work here. She had to cancel bookings to go see you. What do you think could have been so urgent that she had to go halfway around the world to see you in person?”

“I don’t—”

“She was pregnant!”

He clenched his hands, feeling like the floor under him had suddenly turned into quicksand. Ginger had never said a word about that. Neither had his family. There had been no sign of an infant at her parents’ farm, or in her apartment. “What happened to the baby?” he whispered.

“She lost it on her flight back to the States.” Red rimmed Debbie’s eyes, and she sniffled. “Thankfully the plane landed soon after she started hemorrhaging. They rushed her to the hospital, so she was okay, but was too late for the baby.”

No, no, no. His mind emptied of everything but that one word: no.

“She was in shock, in pain, and she couldn’t call the one person who should’ve been with her. So she called me instead. She didn’t even tell her family because she was so worried about how they’d react. And it goes without saying your family never found out. I pretended like I went to meet her in Amsterdam for a shopping spree.” She breathed out harshly.

Shane doubled over, raising a hand. He couldn’t listen to any more.
God
,
the pain
… What the hell had he done?

But Debbie wasn’t finished. “Ginger’s a good person, get it? She’s one of the sweetest and gentlest people out there, always worried about others, and you don’t even begin to appreciate her. You’ve got no idea what you have because you’re so stuck being worried about whatever you think is more important than making her happy. If I were in your shoes, I’d kiss the ground she walks on every day.

“You don’t deserve her,” she said. “You never did, and I can’t believe she’s even given you a second chance. I sure as hell wouldn’t have.”

“Stop,” he croaked. Self-loathing closed around his throat, and he couldn’t breathe. How could he have hurt Ginger like that? What the hell was wrong with him?

He gripped his head as he fell slowly to his knees.

Ginger gave him a coy smile while taking his picture
.

“
What picture did you take?
”

“
Your funny face?
”
she said with an embarrassed giggle
.

“
Don’t think so
.”
He reached over and grabbed her camera before she could stop him
.
It was the best digital camera on the market
—
his present for her birthday
.
He viewed the shot
. “
My lips?
”

“
You do have lovely lips
,”
she said primly
,
not quite meeting his gaze
.

“
I do
,
don’t I?
”
He grinned
. “
But then so do you
.”
He leaned in and brushed his mouth over hers
.

The shape
—
the wide
,
Cupid-bow upper lip sitting over a perfectly curved bottom one
.
The texture
—
soft
,
plump and yielding
.
Then the taste
—
sweet fruit and cream with a hint of spice
.

He licked the seam between her lips with the tip of his tongue
,
teasing and coaxing
.
She opened up with a sigh
,
then suddenly flicked his tongue with hers playfully
.
Her mouth curved into a smile as he deepened their contact and wrapped his arms around her
.
It was a kind of miracle
—
a simple kiss that made him feel like the king of the world
.

Their first kiss
…

The stairwell spun, or maybe it was him that was spiraling down. Shane couldn’t tell—darkness filled his vision like spilled ink. Something hard and unyielding pummeled his body, and he welcomed the physical pain. He deserved it. He deserved much worse.

Ginger… Their baby… She should’ve beaten the shit out of him when she’d come to Thailand.

A muffled scream. A small pinprick of light.

Then all black.

Beep
.
Beep
.
Beep
.

Lines. So many damn lines and beeps and machines and people and hands.

The faces were hazy, like they were shrouded in white. There was a pervading smell of bleach.

His head hurt, and his body felt like it had been pummeled with a meat tenderizer. A woman murmured something to the people around him, and stuck a needle into the IV. Soon a pleasant fog spread around him and the pain faded. He tried to figure out what was going on. He’d been at Ginger’s apartment…

Ginger
…
The baby
…

He gasped as the pain twisted in his heart. He clutched at his chest, his hand shaking.

“Oh my god, what’s wrong with him?” a woman cried out. “Is he having a heart attack?”

“No,” came an uncertain voice. “I’ll get the doctor.”

Somebody disappeared, and the people around him rearranged themselves.

“Shane, can you hear me? Do you know who I am?”

He stared at the person. The haze started to clear. “Mom.”

She put a hand over her mouth. Her skin was thin and dull. Deep lines revealed her age, and there was hardly any makeup on her face. “Yes, my baby,” she said, her voice shaky. “Yes, it’s me.”

“Ginger…?”

“Not here,” Dane said, his face expressionless. “What were you doing at her place?”

“Needed…to talk to her.”

“Did she push you down the stairs?” Vanessa had her arms wrapped around herself like she was cold, but there was fire in her eyes.

“What?”

“They found you at the bottom of a stairwell. I don’t know why you’d use the stairs when they have an elevator in the building.”

“I decided to work off some excess energy and use the stairs. Then I slipped.”

“The dispatch said a woman called,” Vanessa insisted.

“A good Samaritan. We should give her a reward.” He made a weak waving motion. “Stop badgering me. I’m tired.”

Vanessa immediately backed down. “I’m sorry.”

Shane looked at the anxious faces of his family—minus Salazar.

Naturally
. “What time is it?”

“Around five a.m.,” Mark answered.

“Jeez. Go home and get some rest. I’m fine. Just conked my head. I’ve done it before and survived. I’m sure I’ll survive this time.” He swallowed. He had to get them out of there. Immediately. “Please.”

Dane shrugged. “Let’s go. It’s not like we have the medical expertise to do anything.”

“He has a concussion. He needs us with him,” Vanessa said.

Dane looked at her, then at Shane, then back at her. “What does Barron think about you being out at this hour?”

“Barron? Who cares? Just because he’s Justin’s great uncle doesn’t mean he gets to tell me what to do.”

“And the fact that you’re carrying his heir in your belly right now…”

“Has nothing to do with anything!”

Dane cocked an eyebrow and pulled out his phone. “Let’s test that theory, shall we?”

“Argh! You are
such
a jerk!” Vanessa stormed out.

“Everyone, out. Let him rest in peace,” Dane said, herding everyone away from the bed and toward the door.

When he was alone, Shane closed his eyes and placed a hand over them. Everything had come back to him. How he and Ginger had met. All their amazing firsts. And the engagement…

He’d hesitated for so long before proposing. He hadn’t been sure if he could be the kind of man who deserved a woman like Ginger. But he hadn’t been able to give her up either. He’d told himself he could just
improve
. Become a man worthy of her by making her the happiest woman in the world because there was no way he would ever fall out of love with her.

“I couldn’t love you more if my life depended on it,” he’d told her, opening the ring box.

Instead, he’d hurt her.

Those fucking photos…

Shane tapped his fingers on the table as an expert studied each picture with care
.
He hadn’t seen anything that hinted that they were fake
,
but he’d probably missed something
.
Some people were just that damn good at Photoshop
.

“
If these were photoshopped
,
it’s a very good job
,”
the expert said
,
scratching his jaw
. “
I’m not saying they’re one hundred percent authentic either
,
but
…”
He pushed all the pictures back across the table
. “
I’d consider them authentic
.”

Shane’s hand tightened into a fist
.
The man had to be mistaken
.
Even doctors screwed up now and then
. “
Thanks for your time
,”
he said tautly and paid the man
.
Shane slipped the pictures into his jacket pocket and got up
.
He’d prove that man wrong
.
Then come back and tell him so
.

A second opinion
…
then a third
…
fourth
…
fifth
…
sixth
…

Everyone said the same thing the first man did: the photos were authentic
.
And they all added a caveat to cover their asses in case they were wrong
—“
there’s a small chance
…”—
but it always came with a
but.

But they were authentic
.

Well maybe they were
.
And maybe there were good reasons why she was draped all over those other men
.
She might have been dizzy at that time
.
Or tired
.
Women did that all the time
,
right?