Christmas Baby for the Billionaire (South Shore Billionaires 1)

“That’s good, isn’t it? It shows he wants to step up. Be responsible.”

“It also means I’ll have to see him. And I wonder if he’ll change his mind about how much custody he wants. If he decides that, I can’t afford to challenge him. I’m scared, Mama.” Her lips quivered a little on the last word; she rarely called her mom “Mama.” “I love this baby already.”

“Oh, honey, of course you do.” Shelley moved over to the love seat where Tori sat. “You have to have faith, you know? You say he’s a good man. I’m sure, then, that you can work this out.”

“He is. We spent the day together on Thursday. It was fun. He said if we are going to co-parent, we need to be able to spend time together.”

“He’s not wrong.” Shelley looked at Tori a little more closely. “But is there more? I mean, there’s a reason why you got pregnant. Is that still a factor?”

“I don’t know.” She let the words out on a breath. “Yeah, I still find him attractive, and there’s still...something. At least for me. And I think for him, too. He...”

She halted. Swallowed against a lump in her throat. That kiss had been...something. More destructive to her defenses in its sweetness than any passionate overture might have been.

“He what, honey?”

“He kissed me under the lobby mistletoe.”

Shelley laughed lightly. “Sweetie, you could do worse than kissing a good-looking millionaire in the lobby.”

“Billionaire,” she corrected. “Jeremy Fisher is a billionaire, thanks to his trust fund, his business, and apparently a sister who is a genius with stocks.”

Shelley’s mouth fell open. “Well.”

“How do I prepare myself for this, Mom? I couldn’t care less about his money, but it does change things. We live in different countries and are from different worlds. And we’re having a kid together. It’s such a mess.”

Shelley reached for her hand and squeezed it. “You get through it just like you get through anything else. One day at a time, making the best decisions you know how. And then you trust everything will work out.”

“You have a lot more faith than I do.”

“I don’t think so. Just keep an open mind. And if you do everything for the right reasons, chances are it’s gonna be fine in the end.” She let go of Tori’s hand. “Now, have another cookie and drink your tea. Do you want to stay for dinner?”

“Of course I do.”

“Good. Then I can send you home with potpie leftovers.”

* * *

Jeremy switched the phone to the other ear as he sat at the table in his suite, his laptop open in front of him. “So it’s down to the one on the river, or the one with the lighthouse, yeah?”

Branson’s voice came over the line loud and clear. “I trust you, Jer. You know what I need right now.”

His friend needed time and space. “I’m worried you’ll become a long-haired, shaggy-bearded hermit who yells at kids to get off his lawn.”

A rare, rusty laugh from Branson came over the line. “I don’t like beards.”

Which was true. But still, Jeremy worried. “You’re sure there’s no place closer to the city? Or south, somewhere warm?”

“No one knows me up there. No one will recognize me. I need that for a while. And when the house outlives its purpose, I’ll sell it again. No big.”

“Then the lighthouse one. It’s a better value, and to be honest, the location is spectacular enough it should move on resale within a reasonable time frame.”

“Put in an offer. I’ll pay the asking price. And a quick close.”

“You’re going to move north during the winter. Are you nuts?”

“I need to get out of here. The house is too full of ghosts.”

Which was fair enough.