The Billionaire's Baby (The Romero Brothers, Book 5) (7 page)

“While you get my
things?” she echoed, sitting down on the couch.

“Yeah. I don’t
think you should stay here tonight, not by yourself, Amber.”

“Oh, no. I’m not
going through that again. Being told what’s best for me without my input. My ex
already put me through the spin cycle with
that
controlling vibe! I don’t think you should be telling me where I can stay,
Jules.” Amber’s cheeks turned red. “Listen, I’m sorry. All you’re doing is
being so nice to me and I really appreciate it, Jules. I really do.”

“I know you,
Amber. You’re not used to living like this. Look, most of your things are still
in boxes.” And who could blame her? He wouldn’t want to unpack in this crappy
excuse for a residence.

“I know. I
haven’t had the time to get myself sorted out.”

“But how long
have you been staying here?”

“Too long,” she admitted,
looking around, shaking her head. “You’re right, Jules. You know me too well.
I’ve had a pretty rough time after I lost my job at the embassy, and well, my
savings ran out in no time. The rent on my condo ate up most of my available
cash. I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford living there too long. I’m thankful
Aunt Mavis allowed me to stay here.”

Glad her aunt allowed her to stay here? Doesn’t she
mean, she’s appalled her aunt forced her to live here?

“But don’t you
own the café?” he asked her.

“I do.
Sort of.
My parents left it to me in their will but I was
underage at the time and Aunt Mavis had taken over. Of course, when I reached
the age of majority, I didn’t think I could run the place so I gave her control
over the facility so I could go college. Aunt Mavis was all too happy to take
over this place permanently. Still, if it wasn’t for her, the café would have
closed down and it would have been sad since it was my parents’ dream. Right
now, it’s running on a deficit. I mean most people these
days
head to Starbucks for their next caffeine fix. The mom-and-pop businesses
aren’t exactly thriving in this economy.”

“I hear
ya
.”

“Besides, if my
aunt wasn’t around I would have found someone else to help me run this place
just to keep it open.”

“I know.” Jules knelt
down beside her. “I didn’t mean to sound so…controlling earlier, Amber. I don’t
know what the hell got into me. I’ve seen your old place and it was nothing
like this. I knew this wasn’t you. So, Mother Amber, what do you want to do?”

She smiled.
“That’s better. Thank you for your support, Jules. I would love to leave here
but…”

“Consider it
done.”

Before she could
say anything else, Jules swiped his phone out of his pocket and made a quick
call. “Hey, Dion, I’ve got you on speaker,” Jules said, giving him the heads
up. “Listen, is the 1201 still available?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Good. You remember
Amber
, right?”

“Yeah,” his
brother Dion said on the other end of the phone. Since the Romero family owned
multiple real estate investments around the city and across the greater Toronto
area, it wasn’t a huge undertaking to find Amber a cozy suite that would be
appropriate.

“Well, she’s
looking for a place. I thought that one would be great for her. Listen, I have
to take care of a few things. Do you think you could have one of the girls look
after it for me?”

“Sure thing, man.
By the way, how did that meeting go last week?”

“Oh, it came. And
went. It’s a nice facility. I had to leave the meeting early but Brenda has
taken all the available info. I’m not making any rash decisions yet.”

“Good. Well, keep
me posted. And oh, yeah, don’t forget the dinner next week.”

“The dinner?”

“Yeah, you know
how Gramps will feel if we miss one of our family dinners. Complete with a
sermon.”

“Oh, right. I
wouldn’t want to miss that.”

The Romero family
gathered a few times during the month for a great feast at the estate to keep
everyone together. Since most of
their
jobs and
businesses were spread out virtually all over North America. Toni Romero, the
patriarch of the Romero dynasty, had instilled family values first in his
grandsons and insisted they do everything to keep the family unit close and
strong.

He often told
them if they were too busy for friends and family, then it meant they were
too
busy!

“Listen.” Jules
turned to
Amber
after he’d finished his phone call.
“Would you like to come to dinner next week at the estate?”

“Oh, Jules.
That’s so nice of you to offer. But I really don’t want to impose.”

“You’re not
imposing, Amber. Come on. Besides, you’ve met Gramps before. He really likes
you. And he appreciates what you did for Venus and Carl. He said he’ll be forever
in your debt.”

Amber seemed to
give serious thought to the invitation. “Okay, I’ll let you know how I feel. I
mean
,
I do have my days, you know.” She grinned
sheepishly.

“Of course.”
Jules had to remember that Amber was pregnant and from what he’d seen of his sisters-in-law
Lucy and Maxine, it could be one heck of a mood swing one after the other.
“Anyway, you must be hungry. Let’s go get something to eat and then we’ll talk
about getting you settled in your new apartment.”

“My new
apartment? It’s new?” she gasped.

“Well, yes.
Remember, we own quite a few condos by the waterfront.”

“I know. It
sounds, great really it does. I’m just…speechless. Jules, I don’t know how I’d
ever repay you.”

“That’s what
friends are for, right?”

He saw the look
of disappointment that flashed briefly on her face. Friends. He said the F
word. But wasn’t that what she’d wanted all along? Well, maybe she was having
second thoughts. Or maybe it was the hormonal changes the instructor mentioned
earlier in the prenatal class.

Support, Jules.
Amber needs your support.
Your undivided emotional support.

And that’s what
he was going to give her. Nothing less.

*
     
*
     
*
  

It was one heck
of a long day, but later that evening, Jules’s soft hands covered Amber’s eyes
as he stood behind her in suite 1201. “Okay, you can open your eyes,” he said,
removing his hands.

She opened her
eyes and her jaw fell open. “Jules!”

“You like?”

“Jules…I…I love
it but…this is too much,” she refuted. The fresh leather smell wafted to her
nostrils as she glanced around at a lovely set of expensive-looking soft
leather couches. Movie-style recliner seats and a large screen TV filled an
entire wall. It was like a mega home theatre.

“While we were
dining, I had the boys at the club set this up.”

“You shouldn’t
have.”

“Please. It’s
nothing.”

“But it isn’t
nothing, Jules. This stuff must have cost a fortune.” Amber reminded herself
how Rex tried to own her in so many ways. First, it starts with the ownership
thing then it leads
to
much more.

“Please, Amber.
Don’t think about the cost of things. Having comfort shouldn’t come with a
price tag.”

“That’s easy for
you to say,” she teased him. Amber recoiled from her own comment. Oh, she
wished she could take back her words when she saw a pinch of disappointment
shadow Jules’s expression.

“Listen, Jules. I…I’m
s-sorry. I really do appreciate all you’ve done. It’s just that things are
moving so fast in my life right now.”

“I just want to
make sure that you and baby are fine. Okay?” His voice was stern.

“Okay,” she whispered.
Just then she yawned and the infectious motion touched Jules and he yawned,
too.

“Oh, and what’s
this?” she said making her way over to the open kitchen. It was high-end
designer fridge with a TV on it and an
ice-maker
. No
biggie since she’d seen one before. But there was a computer monitor embedded
on the screen.

“Oh, it’s just a
smart fridge.”

“Just? What does
it do?” Amber opened the fridge.

“Well, for
starters, I think every home should have one. It uses a light sensor to scan
the kitchen to see if anyone is present then powers down the electricity if not.
Anything that saves the environment is all good for me.”

“Hmm.”

“And it also, get
this, can let you know when food expires.”

Amber whipped her
head around to face him. “Shut up!”

Jules laughed at
her astonishment. “Yeah, you just need to scan every item that you buy and
place it inside as usual. It knows the location of the food item and will let
you know it’s time to remove it.”

“Wow! I’m…just
wow.”

“Yes, you are
just…wow!” he repeated, flashing her a knowing grin. “You’re amazing, you know
that?”

“I am?”

“Yeah, just
seeing you so happy and beaming like that really illuminates a room. You
deserve it.”

“Thank you,” Amber
replied modestly.

Why was it always
hard for her to take compliments and to accept gifts from people? Was it
because of what she’d been through in her life? Having to humble
herself
in the care of relatives who really didn’t want to
be burdened with her when she was orphaned? She needed to learn to quiet the
doubts flooding her mind and simply enjoy each moment.
 
And that’s what she was going to do.

Later during the
night, Amber slept fitfully. Her mind drifted again…

She was in the backseat of the Honda Civic hatchback
with her younger brother who was falling asleep and practically leaning on her
shoulder, drooling.

“Yuck! Brian, wake up!” Amber had cried out, but her
parents didn’t hear. Her brother, adorable as he was, couldn’t help it. She
didn’t move him; she just allowed him to continue drooling all over her cool
new cardigan. She rolled her eyes and shook her head gazing out at the pouring rain.

It was late at night. Cold and dark, a torrential
downpour crashed down on the windows of the car as her father drove through the
flooded roads. They had just spent the weekend at the family’s rented cottage
up north.

“Slow down, Errol,” her mother told her father. Amber
knew her mom was always cautious.

“We’ll be fine,” her father responded. “I know what
I’m doing,
Jacie
. I’m a driver.”

“Yes, but the roads, Errol. Slow down.”

Her father turned to her mother. “Just let me drive,
won’t you?”

Just then bright lights flashed in front of them, and
their father careened into the other lane. The loud honking of what appeared to
be a
tractor trailer
startled them. Her brother woke
up.

Amber screamed. Her father swerved back to his lane
and narrowly averted the accident. They pulled over to the side in the heavy
rain so that her father could catch his breath and calm his nerves.

“You okay, pumpkin?” her dad asked after turning back
to face her. Her mother had apparently covered her face with her hands.

“Yeah,” Amber lied. Her heart was pounding hard and
fast in her chest by then.

Little Brian rubbed his eyes and opened them up.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice soft and small.

“Nothing. Your dad just got a little
sidetracked
.” Her father pulled out a map from the glove
compartment. Her mother turned her head away to face outward at her side of the
window.

Her mom wasn’t speaking to their father. It was going
to be one of those nights—again.

He looked at the map. “Okay, it looks like I made a
wrong turn off the main road where the lights were out.”

There were blackouts along the way due to the storm.
Most of the roads looked dark, terrifying. Amber grabbed hold of her brother and
they clutched each other in the backseat. She was thankful she had the
protection of her parents. What if they were alone in that wooded area? Not
that they could ever be left alone. Brian was only four and Amber was twelve.

“Okay, I know where we are now,” her father said,
looking at a landmark sign that was illuminated by his overhead lights. “Let’s
roll.”

He turned on the ignition and proceeded to drive
away. Just then, she heard the screeching of brakes and a car was swerving on
the road headed towards them. Was the driver out of control?

She couldn’t see much. The rain was pelting. Her
father tried to see through the windshield as the wipers madly rushed from side
to side trying to keep up with the rain.