The Wrong Wife (Morally Grey Billionaires #5)(119)

"Is it me, or is my sister’s confidence in herself growing?" he murmurs.

"The love of a good man." I slide my palm over the soft material of his suit jacket then, because I can and because he’s there, I bury my nose in his shirt and sniff. His sea-breeze and pepper scent fills my senses, and I melt into him.

"I don’t deserve you, baby, but I’ve never been as at peace as in the last few days. Seeing you first thing in the morning and the last thing before I go to bed… Not to mention, whenever I start missing you—which is always, by the way—I only have to walk out of the office, and there you are. It makes me feel like the luckiest man in the world." His phone buzzes. He ignores it and holds out his palm. Without question, I place my hand in his. He brings my fingers to his mouth and kisses them. Then, he notches his knuckles under my chin and peers into my eyes. "It’s not that I can’t live without you."

"No?" I frown.

His lips twitch. "It’s that I don’t want to try. I love you, Penny." He lowers his head and places his lips over mine. "More than myself. My life is worth living because I found you. I know what love is because of you, baby." He presses his mouth to mine, and his kiss is so sweet, so tender, so everything, I melt into him.

I wrap my arms about his shoulders and tug on the short hair at the nape of his neck. I press myself to him, open my lips, but when the phone buzzes again, I stop. "I think you need to get that. Whoever it is has been trying to reach you for a while."

He presses his forehead into mine and draws in a breath. Then, without releasing me, he pulls out his phone and presses it to his ear. "Hello?" His arm around me tightens. "We’re on our way."





73





Knight





"It’s going to be okay." She places her hand over my joined ones.

We’re at the social services’ office, waiting to meet Adam’s daughter Bianca. She’s been staying with a foster family the last few months. All of my money hadn’t helped me fast-track the process of adopting her. I suppose that says something positive about the foster care system—they won't allow just anyone to adopt, regardless of how much money they have. On the other hand, it can't be healthy to delay the placement of children with their adoptive families.

In the end, Bobbie's passing away accelerated the process. She went to sleep and never woke up. The nurse at the hospital told us she passed peacefully. The call I received was from the hospital, and when we arrived, they told us the news. They mentioned she’d had lucid moments over the past few months, when she was aware I wasn’t her husband, but her husband’s friend. Unfortunately, she flitted in and out of reality. Luckily, one of those lucid moments also resulted in a letter to child protective services specifying her wishes that Penny and I be permitted to adopt her child.

She said she couldn’t think of a better couple to step in for her and Adam.

She also said she hadn’t wanted her daughter to see her in the state she was in, so she’d made the decision not to see Bianca, even though it broke her heart. This was right for her daughter. She was leaving the stage wide open for Penny and me to walk into Bianca’s life as her parents.

The letter gutted me. I’m not ashamed to say I found a tear running down my cheek. Thankfully, my wife was there to console me. We held onto each other, and I allowed myself to absorb comfort from her. After all, that’s what marriage is about, right?

I'm not hiding my weaknesses from her anymore. I now realize there's courage in sharing. There’s bravery in baring my deepest fears. Leaning on her doesn’t take away from my manhood; it adds to my grit, my guts, and my depth. And allowing her to comfort me, to recognize the man I truly am, is the most satisfying sensation. Almost as fulfilling as making her happy in every way. As fulfilling as allowing her to hold my hand as we wait for the three-year-old who’s going to change our lives to join us.

We'd arranged for a small private burial for Bobbie and came to the social services office from the cemetery. I threw all of my power and influence at the system, and also took Sinclair’s help in moving the paperwork along. I didn’t want my daughter to be spending another night away from her family.

I hear footsteps approaching, then the voice of a little girl exclaiming, " Are we going to meet my… new parents? Do you think they’ll be okay for me to take my little Kitty along?" She walks in with her foster caregiver, a middle-aged woman with a kind face.

When Bianca spots us, her blue eyes grow round. She has dark blonde hair which has been braided on either side of her cherubic face. She’s wearing a pink dress that falls above her knees, and on her feet, she has sparkly, pink ballet pumps. She’s holding a soft toy in the shape of a kitten in her hand. Her footsteps slow and she trails back.

Her foster mom turns to her and says, "It’s okay, honey; they were friends of your mummy and daddy. They're going to take care of you now. Do you remember what we talked about?"

She nods slowly, as she takes in both of us.

Her foster mum comes to a stop in front of us. "Do you want to say hello to your new mommy and daddy?"

Her lower lip trembles. She looks from Penny to me, then back to Penny, and her big eyes grow teary. "They don't look like mommy and daddy."