Romance: The Billionaire Alpha Collection (27 page)

Chapter 7

The short drive to Mom’s ranch is in silence.   Joanne keeps quiet while I try to comprehend what has happened overnight.  The thoughts barrel through my head at an alarming rate.

Last night, I slept with my future stepbrother. 

I slept with a man that is everything I don’t like about men. 

It disgusts me to think that he used me.  I should have seen it coming.  I should have known it was going to happen.  I should have known that his type uses women as toys and then discards them just as easily.

I can’t believe I fell into his trap.

It is my fault.

I am a fool.

I shouldn’t have fallen for his good looks.  How could I have been so stupid?

But I have to put it all in the back of my mind.

I have to push all those thoughts out of my head today.

This is my mother’s wedding day.  This is her day, not a day for me to whine about the tragedy of men. 

“Don’t slap him,” Joanne says as we arrive at the ranch.

“I don’t want to slap him,” I reply, “I want to punch him in the face and break his beautiful jawline.”

Mom is waiting on the front porch of the ranch to greet us.  She is as happy as I have ever seen her.  Her face beams with a wide grin and she is genuinely joyful. 

“It is so good to see you girls,” she says as tears fill her eyes.

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I reply with a smile.

It makes me so glad to see Mom so happy.

Although it is only a casual wedding, there is still nervousness in the air. 

The plan for today is to get ready with Joanne, her mother and myself, enjoy a few well-chilled champagnes and celebrate the ceremony at three o’clock this afternoon.

The four of us giggle like schoolgirls when the first cork of a champagne bottle hits the roof.  We spend the morning laughing, crying and talking. 

The morning couldn’t be more perfect.

After Mom has her hair done by the hairdresser at her house, I get a few moments alone with her.  I can’t help but to ask what has been on my mind all day.

“What do you know about Timothy’s son, Jackson?”

She smiles, “He’s very handsome, isn’t he?”

I roll my eyes, “What’s his story?”

“Jackson grew up here on the ranch but was never really into the country lifestyle.  He made his money on the back of an Internet venture he started when he left school.  He moved to New York to further his business and invested in some other companies.  He must have invested in the right companies because now he’s worth over a billion dollars.”

“A billion dollars?  That’s a stupid amount of money.  No single person should be allowed to have that much money when there are people starving all over the world.  That’s so stupid.”

It makes me angry that a person could be so greedy.  Why not share that wealth with the people that need it?  What a selfish man.

Mom smiles again, “He’s single…”

“Mom,” I roll my eyes again.

“While he might be very good in the business world, he is not very successful in his personal life.  Life for him is all about work, work and more work.  He only talks to his father maybe once a year and very rarely do they see each other in the flesh.  He was even saying that he couldn’t make it to the wedding but Timothy said it was important he was here.  It was a bit of a surprise that he showed up in a helicopter.”

“Has he ever been married?”

“No, he has never been married.  He’s never even really had a girlfriend from what I can gather.  Timothy thinks he’s very lonely and could use some company.  But he is so caught up with work that he doesn’t put any time into his personal relationships.”

“Sounds like he has his priorities mixed up.  He should focus on being a nicer person rather than a better boss.”

There is a long pause between the two of us.

“You know Rachel,” Mom smiles, “He’s not really your brother.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean if you two wanted to get together, there would be nothing stopping you.  You’re not related by blood.  If the connection was there…”

“Mom!”

She shrugs her shoulders.

Truth is that I would love to get with him. 

I haven’t felt that connected to anyone ever before.  The night we spent together felt different to anything I have ever experienced.

It was on another level. 

Even though we had just met, I felt like I knew him.  I have never experienced that before.

But I also haven’t felt that betrayed since my father left for overseas. 

Jackson took my heart and threw it aside.

This is how Mom must have felt when Dad left. 

I feel broken. 

I have never been one to take a risk, and even thinking about Jackson makes me nervous.

I can’t risk my heart.

It would hurt too much.   

“Just saying he’s single…” Mom smiles as she leaves the room to get ready into her wedding dress.

Chapter 8

Timothy and Mom have set their backyard up for the wedding and it looks stunning.  It is a very simple set-up of white foldout chairs and a wedding arch, but the simplicity of it looks amazing.

The grass beneath our feet is a soft, lush green and the view from the wedding location looks directly out to the fields of horses with the snow-capped mountain ranges in the distance.  A gentle breeze blows across the wedding and the air fills my lungs with freshness. 

The well-dressed guests mingle quietly and move softly as they wait for the big moment.  The air is full of subdued excitement. 

It
feels
nice.  Like this moment was meant to be.

The crowd at the wedding is mostly Timothy’s extended family and the local towns people.  Mom has her sister, Joanne and I, but that is it.  She’s had a hard life and she really deserves a great day today.

I go to see Mom before she walks out and she looks fabulous.  Seeing her in the fitted white gown brings a tear to my eye. 

She looks radiant. 

She is glowing and wonderful.

“Timothy is a very lucky man,” I say as tears well up in my eyes.

“Don’t you dare make me cry,” Mom smiles as she struggles to hold in the tears.

I give her a gentle kiss on the cheek, leave the room and go to take my seat in the ceremony location.

One of the locals acting as the usher smiles at me as I walk outside.

“You must be Rachel, the brides daughter,” the older lady says, “I’m Natalie.  I love your dress.  You make it look amazing.”

“Thank you,” I grin, “I love your dress too.”

I love weddings. 

They are full of love and positive emotions. 

“Let me lead you to your seat.  You’re sitting next to the other family members.  Your seat is reserved up the front row.”

Natalie leads me up to the front of the seating and then points to the chair I am supposed to sit in. 

Damn.

“You can sit next to your new brother,” Natalie says with a country smile.

Why couldn’t I have sat next to Joanne or her mother?  Why did they have to place me here next to this idiot?

“He is not my brother,” I moan under my breath.

I reluctantly sit next to Jackson, remembering that I cannot spoil Mom’s special day, but he doesn’t even acknowledge my existence.

Bastard.

I really should have expected this. 

He is very rich and very handsome. 

That is a basic formula for being an arrogant prick.

Waiting for the wedding to start is uncomfortable to say the least.  I fiddle with my thumbs and Jackson does not even look at me once. 

I wonder if he even remembers who I am? 

Finally, the music begins and I turn to watch my mother walk up the aisle.  It brings tears to my eyes. 

She looks ecstatic.  Magnificent. 

I can only hope I am that happy one-day.

Timothy stands up the front of the wedding and tears fill his eyes.  He looks to my mother, filled with love. 

What a moment…

It makes my heart melt.

Timothy looks charming and nice – everything his son is not.

The sun shines through the clouds and bathes the ceremony in color.

It is an enchanted moment.

Although the ceremony is brief, I can’t help but to keep thinking about the man next to me. 

Prick.

He hasn’t even acknowledged my existence.

Why did they have to sit me next to him?

We are not family. 

I want nothing to do with him.

It takes all my focus, but I resist punching him in the balls.  That’s where I want to punch him.

Straight in the balls. 

Where it really hurts.

I want to give him something to remember me by.

Maybe after a few wines at the wedding reception…

Mom and Timothy exchange heartfelt vows, and I begin to tear up again. 

It gives me hope. 

Mom has been through so much pain, and yet she still has found her man.  After struggling all her life, she now gets to live her dreams.

She has found her home and it must be an amazing feeling.

There is still hope for my love life…

Chapter 9

The reception is the event of the year for this small town.

A large marquee is erected on the expansive lawns next to the homestead.  Around two hundred people are gathered inside, celebrating the union of the Cider Springs popular couple.

Drinks are freely flowing and everyone is in a festive mood, laughing and rejoicing.  The sounds of excited conversation and glasses clinking fill the air.  The smell of beautiful fresh food is alighting my senses and the staff ensures my glass is never empty.  I mingle with a number of the locals and they have nothing but love for my mother.  It makes me proud to say that she is my mother. 

She has fitted into this town so well.

After an hour has passed at the reception, Mom walks to the front of the crowd to make the first speech.  Usually the bride doesn’t open the speeches, or make a speech at all in some weddings, but this is a casual wedding that has thrown tradition out the window.  

“I would like to thank everyone for making it today.  I am so blessed to find this man in my life,” she says into the microphone and everyone applauds, “I have had a life full of ups and downs, twists and turns.  I have lived in many different places, including the remote countryside, small towns and in the hustle of a big city.  But it is here on the ranch in Cider Springs that I feel most at home.  I feel like I have found my spot in the world.”

The crowd claps again.

“As most of you know,” she continues, “I meet Timothy through an online dating service.  It was with much apprehension that I accepted his online request but as soon as I read his first email, I was in love.  We communicated for a long time before we gained the courage to meet.  Timothy agreed to meet me in a bar in New York and I have never seen a man more uncomfortable in his surroundings.”

The crowd roars with laughter.

“He’s not a city boy!” someone shouts out.

“But I knew that if this man was willing to travel across the country and meet me in a place where he felt so uncomfortable, that it must be love.  Life was particularly hard for me at that time but Timothy managed to steal my heart.  He is handsome, charming, smart and loving.  He is everything a man should be.  I love you, Timothy.”

Mom looks to Timothy with a loving gaze,

“Thank you for making my life complete.”

Mom has tears in her eyes, and so does half the room, including me.

After he kisses Mom, Timothy stands to make the next speech.

“Thank you everyone for being here,” he begins, “Thank you to all the people who have travelled out for the wedding.  I know some of you have made long journeys to make it here today.  I especially want to thank my son, Jackson, who has made it out from New York.  Thank you son for taking time out of your busy schedule to be here.”

Jackson nods.  He is so arrogant that it makes me want to punch him repeatedly.

“And thank you for the kind words, Laura,” Timothy turns to my mother and pauses.

The couple stares at each other with a beautiful gaze. 

They are so lucky to have found each other.

“With Laura, I have been lucky enough to find someone that is loving, caring, kind, patient, affectionate, tender, enthusiastic, smart, witty, determined, maybe a little stubborn,” the crowd laughs, “Beautiful, pretty, energetic, a wonderful cook, a great listener, and someone that is maybe a little … cheeky.”

Everyone laughs again. 

He is rocking this speech.

“And I am blessed to have a person as magical as you in my life.  It is a miracle that a woman like you could fall in love with a man like me, but I am happy to play along.  My only wish was that we had met earlier in my life.  I wish I knew then what I know now.  I wish that I were as wise in my thirties as I am today.  What Laura has taught me, is that you have to take a chance in life.  A person has to take a gamble and risk everything if they want to succeed in their personal life.  I took a massive risk travelling to New York to meet a lady I had only talked to online.  Laura doesn’t know this but I almost didn’t go.”

Mom smiles, “I’m glad you did.”

“I was about to cancel the trip when my son Jackson called.  Now, Jackson and I only talk about once per year because of his work, so I had to explain the whole situation to him.  And then I told him I was going to cancel the trip.  But Jackson insisted that I didn’t.  He said that I had to risk my heart.  He said that if I wanted happiness, I had to be prepared to risk it all.  And he was right.  I risked my heart.  I said yes to the trip.  And the rest is history.”

Jackson said that? 

What would he know about love?  What would he know about risking his heart?

I bet he doesn’t even have a heart.  I bet that he is a cold-blooded creature that is kept alive by one of those blood-pumping machines.  And he probably read that quote in a magazine. 

“Thank you Laura for making my life complete,” Timothy concludes his speech. 

The crowd provides them a standing ovation as they kiss.

It is beautiful.

My eyes are full with tears.

This is a wedding full of love and emotion.  Both these adults have experienced love and loss, and now they have found love again.

I couldn’t be prouder of my mother.

Clapping with everyone else, it is clear how popular this couple is.

But as the applause dies down, Jackson stands up, “Dad has asked me to say a few words as well.”

His perfectly fitted suit effortlessly shapes to his broad frame as he stands at the front of the room,

“For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Jackson Steele and I am the son of this great man.  I am proud of you, Dad.  You taught me a lot when I was growing up.  You taught me determination, the value of hard work, how to manage employees, how to run a successful business and how to make money.  But you never taught me how to manage my feelings… and that is because you did not understand yours.  But… but since you have met Laura, I have never seen you happier with your life.  You have found what is important.  You have succeeded.  And clearly, by the look in your eyes, that is what is important in life.  I’m proud of you Dad.”

He pauses and looks around the room until he finds me. 

“My personal life is a mess and when I met someone who is the most perfect, wonderful woman I have ever met, I ran away.  When my heart was on the line, I got scared.  It is easy to dish out advice but it is harder to follow it.  I have met the most amazing woman and I threw away the chance at love.”

He stares straight at me.  His crushing gaze lands upon me, and I tremble under his watch.

My mouth drops open.

The world stops spinning.

Don’t do that to me.

I want to punch you in the face, Jackson Steele…

I want to scream at you.

But his beautiful eyes rest upon me with tenderness. 

He looks like he means it…

No! 

Don’t fall for it.  Don’t fall for his trap.

“Dad, I hope one day, you can teach me how to be successful in my life too…”

He continues to stare at me while the crowd applauses.

I can’t risk my heart. 

It is worth too much…