Christmas Baby for the Billionaire (South Shore Billionaires 1)

“I respect that,” he said, putting down his knife and fork. “I really do. But I thought I should at least put the possibility on the table.”

“Of course.”

“We don’t have to decide right away, right? You’ve got a few more months to go.”

She nodded.

Then her expression softened. “About today... I’m sorry if I picked at a sore spot. Was your childhood awful? Is that why you don’t talk about your family?”

He sliced into the steak and considered. She was going to find out at some point, wasn’t she? All she had to do was get on the internet and do a bit of digging and she’d find out who he was. “My older sister works on Wall Street. And my big brother moved to California straight out of MIT. He worked for a few start-ups right out of college and then started his own. Now he’s CEO of a Fortune 500 tech company.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. Being in property, I’m kind of the underachiever of the family.”

“But property is a huge investment,” she contradicted, and he was amused and a bit flattered that she jumped to his defense. “And you don’t sell average houses. Your clientele are all rich, right?”

“Yeah. Dropping a few mil on a house is no big deal for them.” He realized she had no idea exactly how wealthy he was, and it both amused and pleased him.

“It’s a whole other world.”

He looked at her and held her gaze. “They’re people, just like anyone else. They have their own pressures, insecurities, heartache. It’s true that money can’t buy happiness, you know.”

“But it sure can help take some of the stress off,” she remarked, leaning back in her chair. “So how much are you worth, Jeremy?”

She said it lightly, teasing even, but he figured now was the time to be honest.

“One point two billion,” he replied.

She burst out laughing, then stopped abruptly as he merely kept watching her. He knew it was a crazy sum of money. Some days he didn’t believe it himself.

“Wait. You’re not joking.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You’ve made that much money in realty?” Her lips dropped open in disbelief.

“Hardly.” He pushed his plate away, leaving a few little potatoes, and reached for the beer. “But I had a big trust fund—the one thing my dad left me. And I have a sister on Wall Street who manages my money for me. Add all my assets together...and you get that number.”

She breathed out a couple of curse words that made him grin. “I always knew you had money, but...holy—”

“Our child won’t have to worry about a thing, and neither will you.” On impulse, he leaned over and took her hand. “I don’t know what this is going to look like, but I do know this. I promise that I will never abandon you or our kid. If that means we’re just friendly and we co-parent, then that’s how it’ll be. But if you need anything at all, you just have to pick up the phone. I’ll be there for you.”

He meant every word. He also knew that what he’d just said had essentially tied him to her for the rest of his life.

What had he just done?

CHAPTER FOUR

TORI TRIED TO quell the thrill that slid through her as Jeremy took her hand and promised to be there for her and their child. He was a tough man to resist at any time, but right now, with her hand in his, and the knowledge that he was a freaking billionaire swimming through her brain, she was quite overwhelmed.

She didn’t care that he had bags of money. It wasn’t that. It was just that she’d never met anyone quite this rich before. She certainly hadn’t known last summer. It shouldn’t change him in her eyes, but it did. He was so out of her league.

Not as a person; she knew that money and character were two very different things. But in worldly ways, he was on a whole other plane of existence.

“I don’t know what to say,” she responded, biting down on her lip. “I had no idea that... Well, Jeremy.” She let out a big breath. “I’ll make you a promise in return. I promise that I will never exploit the fact that you have money. I don’t want us to use money against each other, you know? Either how much we have or the lack of it.”

“Me, either. I want us to figure this out in a way that’s best for our baby.”