ROMANCE: Billion Dollar Question (BWWM Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) (African American Alpha Mail Order Bride New Adult) (36 page)
Authors: Aisha Brooks
Chapter 9: The Betrayal
Later that day, Lars kissed his wife and headed over to Tanya’s house about an hour away.
Eddie prayed that God would soften Tanya’s heart and help both she and Lars work together for the good of the child.
After several hours of twiddling her thumbs and wondering how it was going, Eddie couldn’t stand it anymore. She got in her own car and drove to Tanya’s. She wanted Tanya to see that she was supportive and would also love the child and commit to being a stepmother. She wanted to be strong for Lars, and she actually felt hopeful that everyone could benefit from this awkward situation.
Eddie arrived at Tanya’s singlewide mobile home and knocked on the door, but no one answered. She saw Lars’ car parked next to it, so she knew he was there. She knocked harder but still heard nothing.
She gently opened the door and called out, “Tanya? Lars?”
She walked up the steps and heard panicked whispers. She looked past the kitchen into the bedroom and saw Lars, naked and on top of Tanya.
Lars was scrambling to get up and called out her name.
Eddie felt a flood of anxiety swarm through her. She grabbed on to the counter top so she wouldn’t faint. She just wanted to get out of the door and far away from Lars. She had to move before he reached her or she would completely lose control of her emotions.
Eddie saw darkness press in on the sides of her vision, but she focused forward and got in her car. Her vision was blurry with tears in her eyes and rage in her head, but she drove off anyway in a panicked escape.
Her tires squealed as she raced out of the mobile home park. Once she was sure Lars was not trying to follow her, she pulled off to the side of the road and bawled her eyes out. She never wanted to see Lars Fiske again. She scolded herself for getting caught up in love and falling for his damn blue-eyed sorry look. She should have known men like him don’t change! How could she have been so stupid!
Eddie pointed her car north and headed straight back to Lake Kenosee. She vowed to never set foot in Wildrose, North Dakota again.
Over the next six months, Eddie received countless letters and telephone calls from Lars. She refused the calls and returned the letters. She couldn’t let herself get wrapped up in his messed up life again. But when she received a certified, large and full manila envelope, she signed for it and opened it.
Inside was a petition for Annulment initiated by Lars with a letter that read:
My Dearest Eddie,
Out of respect for you, I will no longer try to contact you. Obviously, there are no words that will express my regret for betraying you and hurting you. I have drawn up an Agreement for Annulment based on my lies and deceit. If you sign it, you will be free of me forever. However, I want you to know that I only do this for you. I will always want you back, and I will never be with anyone else. So if you ever change your mind and soften toward me with God’s grace, please know that I will welcome you. I know you deserve better, and I am working on becoming the man you thought I could be. If you choose not to sign it, I will gladly remain your husband and will remain faithful to you whether or not we are living together. I have learned my lesson and am sorely ashamed of my bad choice you witnessed six months ago.
I have enclosed a check for you. This is not a pay off or a condition of the Annulment. This is a contribution to your vision of Frontier Forever, and is what my grandfather and I wanted to give. With your permission, I will raise the rest of what you need so you can focus on starting it and running with your dream. It is an amazing dream, and one which I will always wish I could have achieved with you.
I love you, Eddie. I always will. With all of my heart, I am sorry.
Forever Yours,
Lars
Eddie unfolded the check and her jaw dropped. It was made out to her for ten million dollars. She put her hands over her face and cried.
Sondra entered her room. “Eddie, what is it?”
Eddie showed her the letter and Annulment papers and the check.
Sondra hugged her friend. “He did you wrong, Eddie, but he is trying to do the right thing now.”
“Do I have to forgive him?”
“In your own time, it is in your best interest to forgive him. But for now, use the money to fulfill your vision, Eddie. It is a real blessing.”
Eddie hugged Sondra and cried some more.
Chapter 10: Opening Day
Lars felt like he was in a tailspin for the past three months. He was so ashamed of falling for Tanya’s antics and getting pulled in to her clutches. He knew after seeing Eddie’s face that he needed to make a real change, not just a temporary one that allowed him his inheritance, but one that would make him the man Eddie actually saw.
He took his grandfather’s suggestion of getting back to his roots and spent a month riding his horse from North Dakota to Denver. He travelled the way the old cowboys did – sleeping under the stars at night, and hunting rabbits for food. It was surprising how much undeveloped land there still was in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.
About once a week he would ride into a town, clean up and get a good meal and collect supplies for the next week of riding. The quiet and solitude gave him real perspective. There were no women distracting him, no belt buckle to show off, and nowhere to spend money. It was just him, the land, the wild animals and his Maker. This was what Eddie found when she moved to Canada – serenity and peace from within her soul. No wonder she wanted a place where others could experience it.
He wrote many letters to Eddie during the quiet nights near the campfire. He didn’t know until he returned home that she had sent them all back to him unopened.
While in Denver, he worked at a friend’s cattle ranch just like all of the other cowboys. No one there even knew he had money. It felt good to be just a normal guy again. He hadn’t realized how much having money had changed him. His grandfather always said that hard work is what made a man. Now that he was working hard every day again, he remembered how true that statement was.
On his return home, Lars tried calling Eddie whenever he was in a town. She never would answer.
Once he arrived back home, after three months of travel and work, Anders welcomed him with a big bear hug.
“I’ve missed you, boy. I’m glad you’re home,” Anders said.
Lars sat down and opened up to his grandfather. He told him all that happened with Eddie and Tanya. He broke down and cried at his horrific mistake and terrible loss.
Anders listened and nodded. He patted Lars on the back.
“I can see you’ve changed through all of this, Lars. You don’t strut around with arrogance and lust anymore. You have grown up. You have become a man. A man I am proud to call my grandson, and one worthy of your inheritance.”
“But too late for what I want more than anything. I miss her, Grandpa. I love Eddie.”
Anders nodded and paused in thought. “Maybe it is not too late. Did you ever find out if Tanya is in fact carrying your child?”
“Yes. I requested a paternal DNA test. I received the results a few months ago. The child is not mine.”
Anders raised his eyebrows. “Alright, then. You may need to let Eddie go in order to find out if she will ever come back. Give her time. Then show her how you’ve changed. I could see the change right away. She will too when she is ready. Be patient.”
Two years past. Lars had continued to raise money for Frontier Forever, and had been in communication with Sondra regarding the progress on Eddie’s plan. After the last two years of asking Sondra if Eddie would be open to seeing him, Sondra finally told him she thought Eddie would welcome him on opening day on the park, just a few months away.
Lars drove up to Kenosee Lake. His heart was beating quickly and his stomach was filled with butterflies. He couldn’t wait to see that striking, ebony face again. Just seeing her would lift his spirits. He loved her more now than he ever did before. He hoped and prayed she would see it and trust it.
Opening day at Frontier Forever was filled with curious tourists, Provincial politicians, reporters and all kinds of media representatives. Lars drove up to the main cabin and walked through the exhibits with maps and information about all there was to see and learn. He was amazed at what Eddie had accomplished, and was filled with pride for her.
“Lars?”
He looked over and saw the love of his life wearing a white, flowing skirt, a classy blouse and her white cowboy hat.
“Wow,” Lars said. “You are even more beautiful than I remembered.”
Eddie smiled. “Thanks for coming, and for all you did to make this happen. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to express my gratitude for your financial contribution. I should have. I just…”
Lars walked toward her and put his finger over her exquisite lips. “You don’t owe me a thing. I’m so proud of you and this place. It is an honor to be part of it.”
Eddie looked into his eyes. “You seem different.”
“Thank God. I am different.” He took her hands. “I’m not the fool you knew two years ago. I know what is important in life now.”
Eddie squeezed his hands. “I’m glad. Let me show you around.”
Lars followed Eddie and stood by her side during all of her interviews. She was queen of the day, and he was inspired by her vision, and her ambitious accomplishment.
At the end of the day, when everyone had gone home or to their cabin or tent on the grounds, Eddie invited Lars back to her place. It was a log cabin with very little in it but a table, chairs, small kitchenette and a bed.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” Eddie said.
“I love it. It’s classy, just like you.”
Eddie looked into Lars’ eyes. “I’ve missed you.” She cried and hugged him.
He held her in his arms and cried with her.
After a long time of holding each other, Eddie took out an envelope from a drawer in the kitchen. She showed it to him.
“I never signed the Annulment papers.”
Lars felt his bottom lip quiver and his vision grew blurry as his eyes filled with tears.
“Do you still want to be married to me?” Eddie asked.
Lars broke down and held her again. “More than anything in this world.”
Eddie laughed through her tears. “Me too.”
Lars kissed her on the lips, and held her like he would never let go.
This deliciously dirty story is a part of Aisha Brooks’ super-charged, highly lewd collection of love and lust, written in 2015. Those who attempt to steal any part of this goldmine and take it as their own risk being a fiery, hot death from a hunk bearing copyright notices—and she’s not about to play with you.
This is a work of fiction—although we wish that people like this really existed, it’s nothing more than a figment of a very, very overactive imagination. Any resemblance to someone you know, a place you love or a thing you hold dear to your heart is nothing more than a craving in your heart that these carnal desires and actions were true!
It goes without saying that this book oozes with erotic sex appeal, and is filled to the rafters with a smorgasbord of acts that you certainly wouldn’t tell your grandmother about. Bodice-ripping, panty-dropping and glasses-steaming, the scenes contained herein are wickedly naughty!
Although all the saucy characters are flirting with forbidden desires and sometimes taking the naughty fruit they really shouldn’t be, all are consenting adults over the age of 18 and not blood-related. What they are is passionate and eager to explore their carnal desires all day long.
In short, this book is going to get you very, very hot!
© Aisha Brooks
All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any many whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author’s imagination. Please note that this work is intended only for adults age 18 and over. All characters represented are age 18 or over.