Page 2 of Believing in a Billionaire (Hearts and Holdings #7)

JULIA

J ulia eyed the new ring on her finger, a sense of excitement and anxiety filling her. She traced the delicate band, staring at the sparkling diamond that held whispered tales of a past she now belonged to.

She smiled down at it, happy to have traded the five-carat diamond for one that had more personal meaning to her husband.

It was more than a ring, it was a symbol of his history, a lineage she had stepped into.

It was a constant reminder that he had a personal stake.

That maybe she wasn’t a passing phase for him, but a lifelong commitment.

He’d offered to prove it to her. She didn’t need six months to know how she felt, but she did have apprehension over her husband’s track record with women. He’d burned through four wives, some of his marriages not even lasting a year.

She wondered if she’d be the next victim. Was she merely the latest chapter in a long, complicated story, or was this truly a new beginning?

If the smiles in their wedding photo were any indication, they’d be very happy. Sadly, though, those smiles were staged. But the connection that had grown between them wasn’t.

At least now she knew it wasn’t one-sided. She smiled as she traced the edge of the frame, recalling Grant’s confession last night. The words echoed in her mind again. I love you, Julia .

He’d likely said them so many times before to women. She couldn’t help but wonder if he’d sounded as sincere and heartfelt when he’d said it in the past as he did when he said it to her.

But the words had melted her heart. And she knew, despite her protestations, she couldn’t walk away from him. At least not yet.

So, she’d come back…she’d come home. It felt odd to call it her home even after two years. She’d always relied on the contract as the overriding connection between them, but now, they had a new one.

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. “Come in,” she said as she turned away from her computer to face the door.

It popped open and her stepdaughter stomped her way inside on her four-inch heels with a folder in her hand.

“Good morning, Step-mommy,” she said with a grin.

“Good morning, Sierra. You’re up early.”

Sierra pulled a chair closer and plopped into it before she set the folder on Julia’s worktable. “Yes, I am. And I have been a busy bee.”

“Oh? Publishing company work?”

“No,” Sierra said as she flicked open the folder and passed Julia a laminated calendar filled with color-coded notes.

Julia studied it for a second before she flicked her gaze to Sierra, her glance questioning. “What is this?”

“This is a calendar of all the Mother-Daughter events we’re going to do over the next three months. Now, I know what you’re thinking…”

“Somehow I doubt that,” Julia answered as she stared at the dozens of appointments.

“You’re thinking…what happens after three months? Don’t worry, I’ll give you a new set of calendars for that. I didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

With the packed schedule, Julia took solace in that statement. “Okay.”

“Finally, for the first time in my life, I can go to the Magnolia Ladies Club Mother-Daughter Tea Social, because for the first time in my life, I have a mother.”

The words warmed Julia’s heart, and she squeezed Sierra’s hand. “I can’t wait to go.”

“Well, hold that thought because, since I’ve never been able to attend before, my hat collection is woefully lacking. And I’m certain yours is, too.”

“Yes, probably. It’s nonexistent, to be exact.”

“Exactly,” Sierra said, “which is why I have hat shopping scheduled for later this week.”

“Oh, great. Good,” Julia said, tapping the event on Wednesday afternoon.

“And don’t worry, it’s not all teas and hat shopping. I’ve got plenty of fun stuff, too, like mother-daughter lunches, mani-pedis, spa days, purse shopping, shoe shopping, and lots of other fun bonding things.”

Julia stared at the filled month before she smiled at Sierra. “I look forward to each and every one of these.”

“Me too.” Sierra flicked her gaze up to Julia, reaching for her hand. “I’m so happy you’re back, and that Daddy didn’t screw this up.”

“I’m happy to be back, too. And don’t be too hard on him. We had a difficult relationship.”

Sierra paused, reaching for Julia’s hand, her usual flamboyance melting into something more genuine. “I just want you to be happy, Julia. You are like the mom I never had. This…all of this…it’s not just about fun. It’s about family.”

Julia smiled at her. “I’m happy you’re my family.”

Sierra grinned at her. “Well, I have to run and get a few things done, but we’ve got a lunch scheduled today. See you there.”

“See you later, Sierra,” Julia said as the woman rose and strode from the room.

She blew out a long breath as she studied the calendar with an amused smile until another knock drew her attention. She glanced up to find Kyle leaning against the door jamb.

Her stomach tightened as she faced him, worried about how he’d taken the news given their track record. “Kyle, come in.”

He strode inside without a word, easing into the seat Sierra had occupied. He stared down at her new ring for a moment before sucking in a breath. “So, elephant in the room…you picked Dad.”

Julia heaved a sigh, wrapping her hand around his. “That doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”

He chewed his lower lip as he bobbed his head. “Yeah.”

“I’m serious. You matter. To both me and Grant.”

Kyle scoffed at the statement. “Okay, that’s going a little far, Julia. I believe you. I don’t believe he cares.”

“He does. And I think it may be a little easier now that everything is out in the open between us.”

“We’ll see,” Kyle answered.

“I’m not saying your relationship is going to be easy, but…you’ve made a lot of progress already. Look at how you bonded over destroying Luke.”

“But we never actually destroyed him. And you yelled at us.”

Julia shrugged and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. You two came together…without me, I might add, to work together to destroy a common threat. And it’s because you’re family. You’ve both worked really hard to protect this family.”

Kyle flicked his icy blue eyes to her, squeezing her hand as he offered her a slight smile. “It’s nice to hear you call me family. And no matter what, I’m glad you’re here. Even if it’s with him. I’d rather have you here than gone.”

“I’m glad to be here, too. I would have missed all of you.”

“And we would have missed you, too. Sierra freaked out when she found your note. I think I’m still partially deaf from her shrieking.”

Julia winced but a chuckle escaped her. “I’m sorry about that. I just…thought it would be easier on everyone if I just left without all the fanfare and the long goodbyes.”

“Well, it wasn’t. Good thing you didn’t stay away. Promise me that you will never do that again. That you’re not just going to disappear with a stupid note.”

“Hey, I thought it was a nice note,” she shot back.

“I didn’t like it. I didn’t want you to tell me you valued me and were grateful we met. I just wanted you here.”

“I said you could always contact me if you needed anything,” she answered.

“Big deal. It’s easy to ignore a text or a call.

It’s much harder when we’re in the same house, and I can track you down and force you to listen.

” His gaze lingered on her, a mix of relief and unresolved tension in his eyes.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m glad you’re here.

You’ve brought some kind of balance to this crazy house.

Just…don’t disappear on us again. It’s not just Dad who needs you. ”

“Right, well, here I am. So, now you can still count on me. Or track me down and force me to listen.”

“I suppose I have my father to thank for that,” he said with a deep sigh.

“Maybe that’s something else you can bond over.”

“I’d rather bond over destroying someone. That was more fun.”

Julia tilted her head at her stepson. “That’s not healthy behavior.”

“It’s not that unhealthy. And we didn’t argue much while we were trying to make sure you didn’t run off with Luke. What happened to him, anyway? Is he still hanging around, waiting in the wings to strike?”

“No, he’s not going to strike. When we talked after the gala, I told him he was part of my past. Luke and I said goodbye. I don’t expect to see him again.”

Kyle frowned at the words.

“I thought you’d be glad to hear that.”

“Yeah, but now we can’t destroy him.”

“You shouldn’t destroy him, anyway. He’s not a terrible person. He just…”

“Tried to rip our family apart and deserved to be removed from the equation.”

Julia’s shoulders slumped. As usual, Kyle showed her the opposite view. From their perspective, Luke had been a threat large enough to endanger what they’d worked so hard to build. “Well, he’s removed. So, no more destroying Luke, okay?”

“Okay, Julia. As long as he doesn’t try to steal you away from us…I won’t sink all his tour boats.”

She grinned at the words. “You’re sticking around, right?”

“Yeah, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good. Maybe now that Lydia is behind bars and DG Industries won’t be creating havoc at every turn, we’ll actually be able to be a normal family.”

“We’ll never be a normal family, Julia. But that’s what makes us special.”

Julia chuckled at the statement. “You’re right. On both counts. But either way, maybe things will settle, and we all can have an easier relationship.”

“As long as you’re here, we have a shot. I’m pretty certain if you wouldn’t have come back, we’d have all killed each other.”

“Well, I’m glad to be here preventing that from happening.”

“I’m holding you to that, Julia. And…I’m really glad you’re here.” He squeezed her hand again, offering her a smile tinged with a little sadness.

“Thanks.”

“Well, I’ll let you get back to work. See you at dinner?”

“Yep, see you there. It’ll be nice to not have Lydia at the table.”

“Tell me about it,” Kyle said as he rose and dragged the chair back to its original place. “Happy writing.”