Christmas Baby for the Billionaire (South Shore Billionaires 1)

She smiled back and was gone with a twitch of her hip.

“Stop that,” Bran said, scowling. “You’re not twenty-five anymore, Cole.”

“What? The day I stop flirting is the day I die.”

Bran shook his head. “Yeah, but you have no follow-through. You work too much.”

Jeremy shook his head. “Listen, you two, I came out for drinks and a good time.”

Cole sipped on his rum and coke. “No, you didn’t. You came out because you’re being a sad sack since Tori went back to Canada. We don’t need to tell you how you messed that up, Jer.”

He took a big pull of his beer. “Yeah, sure. I know that.”

Bran looked at him. “When we saw you in your office that day, you looked pretty happy. She thinks you were faking it, right? That she was manipulated? But was she?”

The beer didn’t quite settle in his stomach. “Of course not. I mean, I wanted to bring her around, but damn, you know?” He scowled. “The way I sounded at my mom’s... It was like she wasn’t worth loving. I don’t blame her for being furious. Or walking away.”

Cole saluted with his glass. “Well done, dumbass.”

Bran rolled his eyes. “Jer, let me ask you this. What was the moment you first knew?”

“First knew what?”

“That you loved her.”

The table went silent.

Bran took a drink of his whiskey and pushed back his shaggy hair. “Look, when I met Becca, I didn’t love her at first. But there was a moment. It wasn’t even a big moment. She was in my place and she looked over her shoulder at me and laughed and it was just there. Bam, I love her. And I’m guessing you had that moment, because you’ve been dragging yourself around for the last five days, beating yourself up and thinking about nothing but the fact she’s gone. So when was it?”

Jeremy’s throat tightened. “When we were skating. She did this turn thing and faced me, holding my hands, and she laughed and had this weird hat on with her ponytail out the top, and it was like someone opened my heart and poured in a ray of sunshine.”

Cole swore and shook his head.

Bran wagged a finger at him. “Look, he-man. Don’t be like that just because it hasn’t happened to you.”

Then Bran turned to Jeremy. “Dude, I’m telling you right now. You’ve got to go make this right. I won’t have another chance with Becca. She’s gone, but Tori isn’t. She needs to know how you feel. You’ve got to lay it on the line, brother. You’ll regret it forever if you don’t. And she’s having your kid. If you want to have a relationship with him or her, if you want to do better than your own father did, you’ve got to step up.”

“She doesn’t want to see me.”

“Bull. I’m telling you right now, there’s no room for pride at this point. You might have to beg. But if you love her...”

“Of course I do. And my kid, too. Hearing that heartbeat...”

“Then fight for her. You didn’t do that when you had the chance, don’t you see? And if she loves you, too, that had to break her heart.”

Cole took a long drink. “As much as it pains me to say it, I agree with Dear Abby here. We were with you at school. We know you almost as well as you know yourself. You would do anything to not be your dad, and that’s great. So stop acting like him. Man, every time you go to that house you act like... I don’t know. Like she has some kind of say over your life. You’re a grown man.”

Jeremy chuckled despite the sting he felt at Cole’s words. “That’s what Tori said.”

“So quit running away and stand up to your mom instead of all that polite-distance kind of thing. And go talk to Tori. Tell her how you feel.”

“Sometimes manning up means laying your heart on the line, rather than being ‘strong,’ you know?” Bran finished his whiskey. “I’m telling you guys, I’m a freaking mess, but I wouldn’t trade any of the time I had with Bec.”

“We know, man.” Jeremy put his hand on Bran’s shoulder. “And you’re right. I just... I don’t know how to do this.”

Cole leaned forward. “I think the correct word is beg. Or maybe grovel.”

“Helpful,” Jeremy muttered. “I guess...family means everything to Tori. She loves her mom so much, and her dad died a couple years ago, and... I feel like a horrible human, not feeling that kind of connection or loyalty to my own family. Sarah excluded.”