The Billionaire's Love (Kiwi Bride 3)

Lilly’s birthday party went great, starting from lunch until well after dinner in the evening. Drinks and food flowed freely as both adults and children enjoyed themselves tremendously. Chan was indeed happy she was a part of the celebration.

Of course, as with any party, the people who helped out would always be tired by the end of the day, and this rang true for Chan. She and her sisters had been at Sam’s house at nine that morning and had helped out ever since. It was well after dinner; Lilly had blown out her seven candles and had opened all of her presents. The cake had been cut and shared, and now all there was for Chan to do was go home.

Her dear friends, Alex and Ruby, and their respective partners had left straight after dinner, as they had an early start tomorrow. Alex, her husband Jayden, and their baby boy Andy were flying back to America, while Ruby and her fiancé Alec were returning to England. Chan hugged her friends good-bye, while Dara and Soriya sadly kissed Andy, promising the toddler they’d see him again at Ruby and Alec’s wedding in six months.

Of course, most of the children and their parents who remained left soon after that as well. It was getting rather late, and Chan was eager to leave because her feet were aching something sorely. Not to mention her ankle, which hadn’t yet healed fully.

She was tidying things up and getting ready to leave when Lilly appeared and wrapped her arms around her waist.

Chan turned round in pleasant surprise. “Hey, Lilly. Did you have fun today?”

Lilly stared up, her eyes large. Chan noted the unsatisfied look on the little girl’s lovely face and wondered what was going on.

She came down to her knees and took Lilly into her arms. “What’s the matter?”

Lilly said, “We’re supposed to be on a date.”

Chan understood immediately and smiled. She couldn’t help herself. The child was so cute. “But it was nice, wasn’t it? You spending time and having heaps of fun with your friends?”

Lilly pursed her lips. “But I didn’t get to spend time with you.”

Chan laughed. “Well, I still have a couple more minutes until Dara and Soriya are ready to leave. What do you want to do?”

Lilly brightened immediately. “Really? I know.” The girl took a few steps back and then took Chan by the hand. “Come on.”

Chan chuckled. “Where are we going?”

“You can read to me,” Lilly said, leading her toward the stairs.

Chan stared wide-eyed as they came to the second floor of the mansion. She hadn’t been up here at all, since the party only took place on the ground floor and the backyard, where it had a great view of the private beach and the sea beyond. Some of the guests even ventured out onto the beach during the afternoon, her, her sisters, and friends included. It was such a beautiful place.

The little girl led her along the corridor and then into a room, which Chan assumed was Lilly’s. It was large and decorated to the taste of a little girl. Pastel colors dominated the walls, followed by soft furnishings of a sofa and chairs and a nice queen-size bed with a pastel duvet.

“Is this your room?” Chan asked.

Lilly nodded. “Hmm. Do you like it?”

Chan chuckled. “Yes, I do. It’s lovely.”

Lilly made her sit on her bed. “Stay here. I’ll find a book for you to read for me.”

“Sure,” Chan replied, making herself comfortable on the bed.

This is nice, she thought in delight. Putting her feet up was truly wonderful, easing the aching continuously nagging at her since this afternoon.

Lilly returned with a book, and Chan wasn’t surprised it was one she’d written. It was the second book of the Sacred Sword Series. She wondered if Lilly understood about the Naga’s world where monsters like the Naga and Garuda resided. It was Hindu mythology and rarely known or understood by the western world.

“You can read me this one,” Lilly said.

Chan was curious. “Do you like the Sacred Sword Series, Lilly?”

Lilly nodded. “I like all the pictures,” she said. “They’re so beautiful. The black and gold Naga. The white and gold Garuda.”

Chan chuckled. Those were pictures of her digital art. It had taken her ages to get those right, and there were plenty more where they came from.

“I have two more books at home. Do you want to read those as well?”

Lilly nodded in excitement. “Oh, yes, please. When can I get them? Tomorrow?”

Chan chuckled. “How about I drop them off for you on Monday? My sisters and I have a few things to do tomorrow.”

Tomorrow, she and her sisters had a visitation with Grandma Su. It had been months since Chan last saw the elderly woman, and she wondered how her health was doing.

“Oh. Okay,” Lilly said as she made herself comfortable.

Chan began by opening the book and then started reading the first chapter. It wasn’t long before she realized Lilly had fallen asleep, breathing evenly and deeply. The little girl looked content and happy.

Chan put the book down and then arranged Lilly in bed properly, settling the duvet over and tugging it around her. That done, she was about to leave when Lilly caught her hand.

“Cuddle,” she murmured softly, her eyes closed.

Chan smiled in adoration. She didn’t have the heart to leave the child; thus, she made herself comfortable again and cuddled Lilly.

“Kiss,” Lilly murmured softly again.

Chan chuckled. Then, of course, she couldn’t help herself and gave Lilly a peck on the forehead. She noted Lilly smiling as the little girl began to breathe deeply and evenly once again.

Chan rested her head against the soft pillow and closed her eyes. She was tired, and she was in such a comfortable position she didn’t want to move. She’d wait until her sisters came for her, and then they’d leave.

With that, Chan snuggled closer to Lilly. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep, a content smile on her face.

* * * * *

It had been almost an hour since Sam had seen Lilly leading Chandra up the stairs toward the floor where their bedrooms were situated. He had no idea why his daughter was taking Chan up there, but he wasn’t worried. In fact, he kept the conversation going with Chan’s sisters and a bunch of other people.

Nina was sitting intimately close to him, which, for the first time, made him rather uncomfortable. Jeremy wasn’t far away, laughing and enjoying himself tremendously. The subjects of their conversation ranged from world peace, charity, which Dara was very passionate about, and the effect of global warming.

“We should be going,” Dara said finally. “Man, that was a good talk.”

Soriya couldn’t agree more. “Speaking of which, where the heck did our sister disappear off to?”

Nina eyed the two sisters with distaste. She didn’t really care for them, nor their pretty sister in whom Sam seemed to be too interested. Although she’d heard that particular sister was dating Jeremy, she didn’t see how far that’d go. On the other hand, she’d only be too pleased to let Jeremy hook up with the girl.

One reason was she’d be no longer available, and therefore, it would take her out of Sam’s reach, if he indeed was interested in her. And two, because she knew Jeremy was a womanizer and their relationship wouldn’t likely last. She knew Chan was the type who would get hurt very easily. And shit! It would please Nina mightily if Chan got hurt.

“She might be with Lilly,” Sam said. He got up and headed over to door. “I’ll go and see what they’re up to.”

“Me, too,” Dara said. “That’s if it’s all right we explore your awesome house a little.”

Sam chuckled. “No problem.”

Soriya took the opportunity as well and said, “Me, three. I’m coming. Wait for me.”

They were on the landing of the second floor when Sam said, “Feel free to look around.”

The sisters nodded in enthusiasm and headed to the right. Sam headed to the left and strolled toward his daughter’s bedroom.

The moment he opened the door and took a few steps in, he stopped short in his tracks, and a feeling of warmth and happiness glowed in his chest. There in the queen-size bed was his daughter and Chandra, the woman he’d come to realize he’d fallen in love with.

Slowly, he walked toward the bed and then sat on the side where Chan was. The pair was sleeping peacefully. He noted Chan looked innocent and serene in her sleep.

Goddammit! He couldn’t help himself. He found himself moving his face toward Chan. Once close to her, he kissed her on the lips. She was warm and soft, and it was driving him crazy. He caressed her cheek with his thumb, inhaling her spring scent, marveling at her uniqueness.

Instantly, he wondered how long he’d be able to wait until this beauty was ready to be claimed as his own, before he could take her fully, with love and enjoyment.

He, however, knew he had to wait. He knew there was something holding her back. He didn’t know what, but there was something within her, something dark and foreboding, secretly drowning her on the inside. He felt it when he’d first met her at the Thursday market, and he’d felt it again today when he kissed her in the kitchen.

He kissed her again now, not wanting to let her go. He knew he had to because Dara’s and Soriya’s voices weren’t far away.

After the gentle kiss, he reluctantly moved back and then headed toward the door. The sisters appeared just as he was about to leave.

“Is Chan in there?” Dara asked.

“Your place is so awesome, Sam,” Soriya said.

Sam chuckled. “Thanks. Yes, Chan is in there with Lilly.”

“Is she ready to leave?” Dara asked.

“I don’t think so,” Sam said and stepped to one side to let them see.

Once Dara and Soriya saw both Chan and Lilly soundly asleep, they just stared.

“Wow! She looks cozy,” Soriya whispered.

It was then Jeremy’s voice reached them. Nina was with him, too.

“Where’s Chan? I haven’t seen her since dinner.”

“Is Lilly still up, Sam?” Nina asked loudly.

The two came in through the door and stopped short.

“She’s asleep,” Jeremy said quietly.

“Why is she sleeping on Lilly’s bed?” Nina asked, frowning darkly.

“We should wake her,” Jeremy suggested.

He was heading toward the bed when Sam stopped him. “Don’t. She’s tired. We shouldn’t wake her.”

“If she’s tired, she should just go home and sleep in her own house,” Nina muttered in annoyance.

Beside Nina, Soriya pulled a face to show how pissed she was with the damn woman. “I reckon we should just let Chan sleep here.”

Dara nodded with a smile. “It’s cruel to wake her now. She’s tired after helping out so much.” She turned to Nina to make her point. “Since the organizer stuffed everything up.”

Nina flushed in both embarrassment and anger. They all knew it had been her fault for miscommunicating with the catering company.

Soriya said, “Sam, please look after our sister for tonight. We’re leaving.”

Sam was only too glad to be offered such a desirable job. “No worries.”

That said, he escorted everyone out. Nina looked as pissed as ever, while Jeremy wore an unsatisfied expression on his face.

“You sure about that, Sam?” he asked his cousin. “We don’t have to wake her. I can carry her to my car and then drop her off at her apartment.”

Sam was adamant. He wanted Chan to stay the night, and Jeremy taking her away from him was not an option.

“No, you’d only wake her if you did that,” he said.

A few minutes later, everyone was gone, and Sam shut the door with a determined click. Then he headed up the stairs into his daughter’s bedroom once again. There, he gave both Lilly and Chan kisses and then went to his own room to shower and change.

Yes, he finally had the woman he loved sleeping in his house, and Sam was exceedingly pleased about that.

* * * * *