The Billionaire's Bargain (28 page)

Tess stared at him. Her heart pounded inside her chest. She gazed into
his dark eyes and saw the pleading look he was sending to her. How many people
had walked away from him? Her own mother was dead, and her father couldn’t be
around her. The only person to care for her was this man in front of her.

“I love you,” he said.

“What?”

“I’ve never spoken the words before in my life. I love you, Tess.
Please, let me get rid of her, and I swear I’ll tell you everything.”

“You love me?”

“With all my heart.”
He placed her palm over his heart.
“Please, believe in me.”

She stared at her hand lying on his chest. His heart was beating rapidly
against his palm. “I love you, too.” Tears filled her eyes as she looked at
him.

He slammed his lips down on hers. “I promise you won’t regret this. I’ll
be right back.”

She watched him walk away grabbing Yvonne roughly by the arm then
dragging her out. The man in his place looked menacing. She heard shouting then
the door slam.

He must have kicked the wall because she heard him curse. She sat down
on the couch, her tummy turning. She pressed a hand to her stomach to try to
ease the sickness. It was too much excitement. Tess ran out of the room then up
the stairs. She knew she was going to be sick.

“Tess, look out,”
Duncan
shouted. She didn’t see the pulled up carpet on her way. Her feet missed the
next step.

Her scream filled every part of the house like a deafening sound. Her
hand on the banister lost its grip. She couldn’t keep herself up.

Tess felt the each of the stairs as she fell down. The world went black
as her world stopped moving.

His screams were the only sound she heard.

****

Duncan
dialled for an ambulance. Gerald
and Grace walked in the door. The smiles on the elderly couple’s faces went
immediately when they saw his tears.

“She’s fallen.”

Grace rushed over placing her fingers to Tess’s neck. “There is a
pulse.”

“An ambulance is on its way. She’s not waking up, Grace.”

“She’ll be fine,
Duncan
.
Have faith.”

“She’s pregnant. I messed up, Grace.” Tears poured down his face. The
pain inside him was driving him crazy.

Ten minutes later the ambulance pulled up. Tess was beginning to come
round. Moans poured from her mouth. They bundled her up in the ambulance.
Duncan
followed with
Grace and Gerald travelling behind. He held her hand while the paramedics ran
tests. When she got to the hospital, the doctor asked for details then followed
his wife into the room.

Duncan
sat in the waiting room as they
finished with his wife. Grace and Gerald sat with him.

“Well, I never thought I’d come back to this excitement. You’re
certainly keeping the passion in your life,” Grace said.

“I’m an idiot. I married for revenge and fell in love. If anything happens
to Tess I’ll never forgive myself,” he said.

“There was no blood,
Duncan
.
Don’t beat yourself up. We’ve all made mistakes.” Gerald tapped him on the
shoulder.

An hour later the doctor came out looking at a chart. “Are you Tess’s
husband?”

“Yes.”

“She’s asking for you. There is nothing wrong with your wife other than
a headache and slight damage to her pride.”

“What about the baby?”
Duncan
asked feeling relieved about the health of his woman.

“The baby is healthy. You were lucky. I’d
advise
making sure she’s more careful around steps. I’m keeping her in for
observation, which is protocol. She’ll be home tomorrow.”

Duncan
shook the doctor’s hand then went
back to see his wife. Gerald and Grace smothered her in kisses giving her a lot
of love.

He smiled seeing her face blush at the attention. When the others left
for the day he took the seat beside her.
 

“I’m so stupid,” she said.

“No, you’re not. I’m surprised you can still blush after everything
we’ve done together.”
Duncan
took her hand kissing her fingers. “Why were you running like that?”

“I felt sick. All the emotion and everything—it was too much. I knew I
was going to be sick, and I ran up the stairs so I wouldn’t have to clean up
any mess.”

Duncan
chuckled. “I love you.”

“You really mean that?” she asked.

“How can you doubt it?”

“I love you, too.”

“Yvonne wasn’t lying when she said that about my father’s will,” he
said. He knew the sooner he got this out of the way the better they’d be. “When
he died I inherited his estate and business. My mission was vengeance against
Miranda. I needed to get married and have a baby in order to rightfully claim
what was mine.”

“What changed?” she asked.

“You.
When I got to know you, it changed who I was.
I didn’t want to think about the pain of anything. For as long as I can
remember I’ve felt this bitter resentment towards Miranda. Yvonne wasn’t lying.
I had an ulterior motive of being in control. When your father stole that money
and I saw you, I knew I had to have you no matter what. You weren’t like the
women I knew. I thought everyone had a price. Yours was your father’s freedom,
but it wasn’t your own price. You wanted something else from me.” He took a
moment to lick his lips. It had been years since he’d cried. Staring at her in
the hospital bed made him feel out of control.

“I wanted love from you,” she said.

“You asked for far more of me than anyone else. I love you, Tess.
With all of my heart and soul.”
He kissed her fingers. “My
original plan was to keep you as my wife and to force you to fall in love with
me. I intended to keep Yvonne as my mistress to satisfy my needs. Everything
changed with you. I wanted you.”

She chuckled.

“Why aren’t you angry with me?” he asked.

“I love you, Duncan. Okay, I didn’t like you all that much when we first
met. I can’t argue with love. You found a way in, and I can’t let you out. So
you had a plan, which would leave me with nothing but happiness. Your plan succeeded.”

“You’re a very forgiving woman,” he said.

“I’ve had a lot of time to get over a lot of issues. I spoke to my
father, and he finally confessed about my mother.”

“Tell me,” he said.
Duncan
didn’t want to ruin the moment. Tess forgave him. They were going to be a
family. They’d come through so much together, and he was more than happy to give
her the world if she asked.

“Her name was Bessie Kemp, and she had no one else in this world. She
died giving birth to me.
 
He wanted to
lose himself. He loved her,
Duncan
.
She wanted me as a daughter.” The tears poured from her eyes. He didn’t care
what the nurses or doctors said.
Duncan
climbed up on the bed and placed her in his lap.

He stroked her hair feeling her sobs down in his soul.
Duncan
soothed her as much as possible. He
kissed her head and offered words of love and comfort. “There is no one in this
world who couldn’t love you, Tess. I’m sure it would break your mother’s heart
to hear you think otherwise.”

“She wanted me, Duncan. I always thought she’d gone or something.”

“Did he give you an address to where she’s buried?” he asked. If not,
he’d make the bastard pay for causing these tears.

“It’s at home. Please, can I go home? I don’t want to stay here.”

“The doctor said you needed to stay
for observation.”

“I want to fall asleep in our bed
with your arms wrapped around me. I need you tonight,
Duncan
. Take me home.”

Duncan
couldn’t deny her. He found a
doctor and arranged for a nurse to stay at his home to monitor her for the
night. Tess stayed in his arms for the rest of the day. The love they felt was
growing between them with every passing second.

Epilogue

Duncan
sat on the park bench. His son was
on his knee as he gazed over to where his wife stared at the gravestone marking
her mother’s resting place. It had taken Tess over a year to build up the
courage to come to the cemetery.
Duncan
hadn’t pushed. He didn’t see the need to. His wife was strong. When his son,
David, had been born
Duncan
had felt so afraid and yet so happy to finally have a family of his own.

Tess tucked a strand of hair behind
her ear. She wore a thick winter coat over the large clothes she’d worn. David
had been a large baby. She spent a great deal of time complaining about her
weight while
Duncan
spent most of his time loving every inch of her body. She’d given him a son,
and in return he’d given her more love than he thought was possible.

He saw her lips move as she spoke to
the stone. David moaned in hunger.
Duncan
pulled one of the milk bottles out of the bag. Tess had expressed the milk that
morning. He liked playing his part in raising his son. Grace and Gerald helped
where they could. They’d become their own little family. After a short time she
walked over to him.

“I want you to come with me,” she
said.

Duncan
followed her, wrapping his arms
around her shoulder as he calmed his son. She took him from his arms to feed
him the bottle.

“Mom, I’d like to introduce you to
Duncan
. He’s my husband,
and this here is David.
My son.”
 

She turned to him with a sad smile
on her lips. “I don’t know if she can hear me. I hope she does. I’d like her to
know that I’m happy.”

He pulled her in his arms. “She’ll
know you’re happy. No one could doubt it.” He kissed her head looking out at
the dark clouds overhead. “We’ll have to come back, Tess. It looks like a storm
is brewing.”

They walked back to the car. She sat
in the back, and he drove home. Grace and Gerald took David for the rest of the
day as he planned a romantic evening for the two of them. He wanted Tess all to
himself.

He left her to take a long relaxing bath while he finished up the stew
Grace had made. The scents were wonderful. Tess came down the stairs wearing a
beautiful red dress. Her tummy was still nicely rounded. He loved her curves
and wouldn’t change a thing about her. She was his woman, and he loved her no
matter what.

The candles were lit. Her glass was filled with water as they served
each other food.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I’m happy.
Sad about the lack of a mother but happy.
I love you and David. We’ve got a family.”

“There is something I wanted to give you.”
Duncan
cleared his throat then knelt down
before her next to the table.

“
Duncan
,
what are you doing?”

He took her hand. “We never got a real proposal. I forced you to marry
me. This is my time to make amends. Tess
Willams
,
I’ve known you for almost two years. I’ve fallen in love with you and the son
you’ve given me. There is nothing in the world I wouldn’t give you. I will
spend the rest of my life making you happy. Will you do me the honour of
becoming my wife?” He opened the box containing a new ring.

“It’s beautiful, but we’re married already,
Duncan
.”

“Then marry me again. Only this time have the wedding you want. I’ll pay
anything. I want you to have a wedding you can look back and enjoy. Our day
wasn’t like that,” he said.

“Where were you on our wedding day? I didn’t organise the day, but to me
it was perfect. You mean more to me than a day,
Duncan
. You’re my future. All the days until
I die will have you in them. I don’t care about one day out of all the days I’m
going to spend with you. I love you.”

She cupped his cheek as she leaned down to kiss his lips.

“I love you, too. When did I get so lucky?” he asked.

She chuckled. “You decided to take a chance on me.”

“You were the best chance I ever took.”

She kissed his lips, her smile warming his whole body.
 

“Now, make love to me and show me.”