Battle for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #3) (22 page)

He
put all of the files and paperwork in a file cabinet and locked it.
Just as he was about to call John, his phone buzzed.

“
It's
baby time.”

It
was a text from Josh. They had already told everyone which hospital.
Ethan grabbed his keys and told his secretary where he would be.

***

Her
night had been absolutely amazing, and waking up in Ethan's arms was
perfect. She soaked in a hot bath and had gotten dressed for the day.
Could her day get any better?

Just
as Julie was grabbing her keys to go and meet Becky her phone buzzed.

“
It's
baby time.”

When
Julie got to the hospital, Gavin and Becky were already there. They
had come straight from work. Heath was on his way. John would be
there when his shift was over. They weren't sure about Ethan. Julie
hugged Lisa and asked her how she was feeling. She was at the
beginning of her labor, so they were in for the long haul. It was
going to be a few hours at least. Just as Julie walked over to hug
Gavin, Ethan walked in the door.

“
Did
I miss it?” he asked.

“
No.
We have a long way to go,” Lisa replied.

Ethan
walked over to say hello to Gavin. Julie felt him watching her, as
she hugged her brother.

The
room Lisa was in was very nice. There was enough room for all of them
to sit and not feel cramped.

“
Is
this the penthouse birthing room?” Julie asked, as she laughed.

“
Well
aren't you just a chipper smart ass today,” Lisa answered. “You
get laid last night?”

Ethan
coughed from the other side of the room.

“
What?”
Julie asked in shock.

“
You
couldn't wait to leave our house yesterday. Wasn't your doctor
boyfriend coming over? Didn't you want a back rub? From the bounce in
your step and cocky comments, I just assumed you got that back rub
and more last night,” Lisa said.

“
Did
he show up?” Ethan asked. “Was it good?”

“
It
was okay. He didn't rub my back,” she answered. “I'd
rather not talk about sex right now.”

“
So,
he's just okay?” Ethan answered in a raspy voice.

She
could tell he was getting mad. He knew damn well that guy didn't come
over. She knew he was going to pick at her all day.

“
What
could he have done to make him better than okay?” Ethan asked.

“
That's
enough,” Gavin snapped. “I don't need to think about a
guy touching my sister.”

Ethan
walked over to Julie and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“
Like
this?” Ethan asked, as he hugged her.

Gavin's
body straightened. He was stiff as a board. Ethan leaned down and put
his head on her shoulder. He turned his face toward her and kissed
her cheek.

“
What
about this?” Ethan asked.

Julie
pulled away from him as Gavin came toward her.

“
Stop!
Go back to your side of the room big brother. Ethan quit trying to
make him mad. This is a happy day. There's going to be a new baby to
love,” Julie said.

She
felt tears form and fought as hard as she could to stop them.

“
Back
to your boyfriend,” Lisa said.

Julie
knew Lisa thought something was up between her and Ethan. Why was she
pushing the boyfriend issue? Did she just want to see Julie squirm?

“
Speaking
of the opposite sex,” Gavin said, as he shot a look across the
room. “Did you guys know that Ethan is whipped now?”

“
What?”
Lisa asked.

“
He
took the day off a bit ago, remember? I couldn't believe it. You know
how he is about work. I went by his house,” Gavin started.

“
Shut
the fuck up,” Ethan snapped.

“
Tell
me more. I could use another laugh right now,” Lisa said.

“
He
had someone there. Ethan called in because of a woman. Can you
believe that? There was a chick movie paused on the television, a bag
of take out, dishes for two in the sink, and some little girly shoes
by the door. I thought Julie was the only one with feet that small.
Whoever she is,” Gavin said, as Lisa covered her mouth. “The
woman deserves a medal for getting this guy to call in sick.”

“
I
can't believe you just said that,” Ethan said. “It's not
what you think.”

“
Do
you have a girlfriend?” Lisa asked. “Are you in love?”

“
No,
leave me alone. Every single one of you knows I don't do
relationships. That's not who I am. Knock it off. I just had the
worst meeting this morning and am in no mood to be messed with. Leave
it alone,” he snapped.

“
Who
did you have a meeting with?” Gavin asked.

“
It's
not business related. I'm just trying to get some information about
something. This morning I found out some stuff I wasn't happy about.
I just don't feel like joking around right now. I'll be back in a
bit. I'm going to the cafeteria to get something to drink,”
Ethan said, as he walked out of the room.

What
was that about, Julie wondered? Was everything okay with him? He was
fine when he left her house that morning. It had only been a couple
of hours. She knew he kept so much to himself. Was he okay? She
pulled out her phone to send him a message.

“
Are
you okay?” she sent.

“
Sure
am.” he replied.

“
Did
you bring my panties? You were fine when you left this morning. What
the heck happened to you in the last couple of hours?” she
sent.

“
If
you want to be honest with me about who called you that day, then
I'll be up front about my meeting this morning. I have opened up to
you about things I haven't told anyone, and you have given me nothing
at all about you. I'm going to find out what you're hiding.”

“
I
told you to drop it. I don't need anyone trying to figure me out.
It's not that I want to keep things from you. I don't need any of you
to think of me any differently. I know how all of you look at me. I'm
the responsible doctor, and I'm always there when someone needs me. I
don't want anyone to ever be disappointed in me. I am begging you to
let this go. It was a phone call. That's all it was. Everything's
fine. Why are you so determined to figure out who it is?” she
sent.

“
It's
not just a phone call. I know more than you think.”

“
What
are you talking about?” she sent.

Julie
left Lisa's room. She went to the cafeteria, but he wasn't there.
When she couldn't find him anywhere, she went back to the room. He
was sitting on the couch with his head back and eyes closed. Why did
he have to be so gorgeous? His t-shirt pulled tightly on his chest
and she wanted so badly to slide her tongue up his neck. Why was he
wearing those damn jeans? She walked over to check on Lisa, trying to
get her mind off of straddling him.

A
few minutes later, the door opened and Julie's doctor friend walked
in.

“
I
just wanted to come by and say hello. One of the nurses told me you
were here. Are you excited?” he asked Lisa.

Julie
watched Ethan. She noticed his hands fist at his sides and his arms
tighten. He kept his head back and eyes closed tightly.

“
I'm
tired and excited,” Lisa said. “Did you and Julie have
fun last night?”

Oh
shit, Julie thought. She saw Ethan's chest move as he chuckled to
himself.

“
I
didn't see Julie last night,” he answered before Julie could
say anything. “I've been here. I'm getting ready to leave right
now.”

Julie
turned away from them and walked over to the couch. The room got so
quiet.

“
Well
I just came by to say hello. Good luck. I'll see you later, Julie,”
he said as he walked out of the room.

“
You
didn't even hug him,” Lisa said. “I thought you got laid
last night.”

“
I
already told you to stop talking about her sex life,” Gavin
snapped. “I don't need to picture her with any man.”

“
He's
not my boyfriend. We're just friends. I brought him with me to stuff
so you all thought I had a boyfriend,” Julie said.

“
What
about yesterday?” Lisa asked. “You left to meet up with
him. You totally got laid last night. You are happy and look amazing.
I haven't seen you smile like that in a long time. Someone rocked
your world. There is no way you can lie to me about that.”

“
How
many drugs have they given you?” Becky asked Lisa. “I do
agree with Lisa about some of that. You seem so much happier than you
have in a long time. Who is he?”

“
Fine,
I got laid,” Julie whispered. “Are you happy?”

“
I
can't listen to this,” Gavin snapped.

“
Why
not?” Julie asked. “You and Becky do it all the time. You
are always hanging on each other. Do you think I want to think about
that?”

He
walked over to the couch and sat down next to Ethan. John walked into
the room as Lisa spoke.

“
Is
he good to you? Do you love him?” Lisa asked.

Julie
looked toward the couch. Ethan was completely still. She knew he
wasn't sleeping.

“
He's
an amazing man. I can't deny that,” Julie answered.

“
Do
you love him?” Lisa asked in a serious tone. “You didn't
answer the question.”

“
Yes,
I mean no,” Julie snapped. “I can't do this. I have to
go. I'll be back later.”

She
felt tears run from her eyes, as she looked at Lisa and turned to
hurry out of the room. John had a look of shock on his face as she
passed him.

***

Ethan's
head shot up off the back of the couch, as he looked at Lisa. She
stared into his eyes in shock. Gavin looked up just as surprised.

“
What
the hell was that? Did she just admit that she slept with some guy
last night? Why would you ask her if she loves him? What kind of an
answer was that? Yes, I mean no,” Gavin asked.

“
I
was just joking around with her. I never expected that,” Lisa
said keeping her eyes on Ethan. “Let her have a moment to
herself. I think she felt like we were smothering her.”

Ethan
wanted to go after her. He knew if he left the room, Gavin would
figure it out. He pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“
Where
are you? I can't leave this room. Are you okay?” he sent.

“
I
knew you weren't sleeping. You just let her ask me questions like
that. I felt like something was sitting on my chest. I didn't mean to
say what I said. I was confused. I meant to say no.” she
replied.

“
I
didn't know what to say. You were the one that said he was your
boyfriend and that the sex was okay. What was I supposed to say? I
know you didn't mean to say yes. Come back in here, so I know you're
okay. You don't think I want to pull you close to me and hold you? I
have to sit here and pretend that I wasn't buried deep inside of you
last night. Do you have any idea how hard that is? Do you know how
hard it was to be quiet when you said the sex was okay? I know you
don't love me. I know I could never be good enough for you. That's
just how it is. Get back in here.” he sent.