Page 37 of BillionHeir

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Maxwell

I wake the next morning to the radiant woman of my dreams staring down at me. Even bare faced and natural, she still takes my breath away.

She is propped up on one arm while the other rests on my chest. I reach up and capture her hand with my own, holding it firmly against me.

“Mmm,” I mumble as I try to wake up. “I could get used to waking up like this.”

“Because I am naked?” she asks with an air of disbelief in her voice.

“Because you are you.”

I am quickly rewarded with her smile. “You earned yourself a kiss for that.”

She leans down and kisses me sweetly. Everything about Chloe is amazing, and I am finding there is a place for both the soft gentle kisses of this morning and the burn-the-roof-of-your-mouth-hot kisses of last night.

From her, I will take anything I can get.

“How did you sleep?” I ask when she looks at me again.

She stretches slightly, silently assessing her body before answering. “Really well, actually. You?”

“It took me a while to fall asleep, but once I did, I slept like a rock.”

“I didn’t keep you up, did I?”

“Not at all. If anything, I stayed awake enjoying the feeling of having you here.” I tighten my fingers around her hand that is still resting on my chest.

“Why are you suddenly so sweet?”

“Because I know what it is like to lose you.”

Her brow wrinkles with sympathy before she leans down and kisses me again, her lips pressing into mine with care and compassion.

“I love you,” I murmur against her lips .

“I love you, too,” she says, lingering there for another kiss.

I lift my head for a kiss that becomes far less innocent and much more suggestive.

I am half-tempted to see just how far I can push my luck.

But I have tasks to accomplish today, and I know Chloe is going to want to spend some time with her mom, especially after leaving the hospital early yesterday for our date.

When she picks her head back up from kissing me, she already has a faraway look in her eyes.

“What is it?” I ask, using my free hand to push a wayward strand of hair out of her face.

“My mum,” she answers quietly. “I had the best time last night, but I need to get back to her.”

I nod. “I thought that might be the case. What can I do?”

“Not much I am afraid. But,” she says with a shy look on her face, “I would like you to meet her.”

“I would love to,” I answer immediately.

Her face lights up with joy, and I would do damn near anything to make sure that I put this look on her face every day for the rest of my life.

“Great! I will text you once I get to the hospital and talk to her.”

And while she is gone, I will put my plan into place.

I order room service while Chloe showers. Once she is out, I make sure she has a proper breakfast before she leaves. Then I kiss her goodbye at the door and get straight to work .

“Ethan,” I say in greeting when he answers my call. “I have something I want to talk to you about. Is now a good time?”

“You are asking?” he says with a laugh.

He has become far more confident over the last several weeks. I am proud of him.

“Apparently I am.”

“I always have time for you, boss. How can I help you?”

“I have been thinking lately, and I have decided to hand most of the major decision making over to you.” There is an audible sound of something clattering in the background. “Ethan?” I ask after a few more seconds of silence. “Are you still there?”

“Ye–Yes, I am. I am just, uh, not quite sure if you are serious, Si–Maxwell.” The man is so blindsided by my decision that he can barely get a sentence out.

“I am serious, Ethan. You have been an incredible asset to me and the company. It is time you are rewarded for your hard work. I want you to take over as CEO. I will stay on as chairman of the board, but you will become responsible for the day-to-day operations.”

“I don’t know how to thank you, Maxwell. I promise that I won’t let you down.”

“I am quite confident about that, Ethan. That is why I am trusting you with my family’s company. Don’t fuck it up.”

I hang up the phone. Better to leave him hanging with a threat I am not afraid to follow through with. I wouldn’t hesitate to take back what is rightfully mine if I need to. But right now, Ethan is doing an excellent job.

I spent a long time after Chloe fell asleep last night thinking about my life and my priorities. I can see now that while my company needed to be my main focus for a few years, I have used it as a wall between myself and the world for many years now.

My time recovering helped me realize that it is time I actually start living my life. And the person I want to do it with is Chloe.

I will do anything I can to make that happen.

Up to and including making sure that her mother gets the best healthcare money can buy.

I have been talking with a team of doctors over the last few days.

They have consulted with her physicians and have reviewed her medical records.

They are prepared to take over her care in the United States and make sure that she is getting the best treatments available.

Now I just have to get the woman I have never met to agree.

* * *

“I thought you would never get here,” Chloe says as I walk up to meet her.

We are standing at the same door she disappeared into that first night we were here in London. We have come so far since then, but I still feel like this will be a major test. Maybe it is just this meeting with her mother, but I get the distinct feeling that this needs to go well .

“Am I late?” I ask, kissing her cheek as she hugs me.

“No, of course not,” she says, giving me a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I am just anxious, that is all. Mum is all in a tizzy that she gets to finally meet you. Like a schoolgirl about to meet her celebrity crush or something.” She rolls her eyes slightly, but I can tell that she is not as put out as she is acting.

Her nerves show in her eyes, but so does her love for me.

She grabs my hand and leads me to a bank of elevators. We take one up to the third floor and then walk down a series of hallways until finally we are outside a door that looks similar to my own when I was at Sanctuary Springs.

I should be nervous about meeting Chloe’s mother for the first time, but instead, I feel a weird sense of calm.

I have no doubt that Chloe is my future, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that nothing gets in our way.

That includes charming her mother and making sure that she gets well again.

Chloe turns to me before she opens the door.

“You don’t have to do this, you know. You could just turn and leave and never look back.” She is smiling, but I don’t think she is joking.

“Baby, I am not going anywhere. You are stuck with me.”

Relief flashes through her eyes. “Okay, let’s do this.”

She opens the door with one hand and holds mine with her other, leading me into the hospital room.

I can instantly recognize the woman in the bed as Chloe’s mother.

Although I have never seen her before, the resemblance between them is uncanny.

It doesn’t take much work to imagine what Chloe will look like when she is her age.

“Mum, this is Maxwell Banks. Max, this is my mother, Kathleen Shepard.”

I step forward and offer my hand which she accepts.

“It is nice to meet the woman who did such an excellent job raising Chloe. I have heard so many nice things about you.”

“Lovely to meet you, Maxwell,” she says with a welcoming smile and cautious eyes.

“Max, please,” I say, giving Chloe a sharp look as I say it.

She smirks at me before giving her attention back to her mother.

“I hear you love my daughter,” she says as her eyes scrutinize my reaction.

I can feel my palms start to sweat. I have faced down countless business adversaries, but none of them have made me this nervous. I have finally found something, someone, that I can’t live without out, and I have never had more on the line.

“Yes, ma’am,” I answer, somehow deducing that manners are important to Kathleen.

She nods to herself. “Why?”

“Mom—” Chloe interjects.

“No,” I say, reaching out to grab Chloe’s hand once again.

“I am happy to answer.” I turn my attention back to the woman whose approval is on the line.

“I love your daughter because she is kind and compassionate. She is an excellent nurse and takes her job very seriously. She is intelligent, thoughtful, witty and charming. But most of all, I love her because she makes me want to be a better man, to be someone who is worthy of her.”

Kathleen looks between the two of us for a few more seconds during which I am almost afraid to take a breath. Finally she nods again.

“If she loves you, then I love you. But if you hurt her again, my approval won’t be so easy to regain.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I respond, finally allowing my lungs to fill with air.

“Mum, honestly,” Chloe says, looking embarrassed.

I run my thumb over the back of her hand to ease her worries. I would jump through hoops to get her mother to like me. That was nothing compared to what I was imagining.

“Tell me about yourself, Maxwell,” Kathleen says, ignoring her daughter’s discomfort.

I consider what she would like to hear about me.

“Well, I became the CEO of my father’s company, Banks International, at twenty years old. I have worked for the last nineteen years to grow it into something that he would be proud of.”

“And is he?”

“I hope so, but unfortunately, I can’t ask him. I lost both of my parents in a plane crash. ”

“I am very sorry to hear that. Losing a parent is difficult, but to lose both at the same time, I can only imagine how hard that was for you.”

Maternal sympathy radiates from Kathleen, and it nearly brings tears to my eyes. It has been so long since I have had support from my parents.

“It has been difficult,” I admit. “I have wanted to ask their advice many times over the years.”

Chloe tightens her hand around mine in a sign of support. I look down at her hand wrapped in mine and revel in the love I feel coming from her. I never thought I would be lucky enough to find someone who can make me feel better with nothing but the touch of her hand.

“There is something I would like to talk to the two of you about, if you don’t mind.”

Chloe’s brows scrunch together in confusion. “Okay.”

Kathleen nods her head in agreement.

“I have been speaking with a team of doctors in Boston about your situation. If you give them access to your medical records, they are prepared to work up a plan to get you well again. I will cover all expenses.”

Kathleen’s eyebrows rise in surprise as Chloe lets out a shocked gasp.

“Max, you can’t,” she says, clearly at a loss for words .

“I can,” I say decisively. “What is the point in being a billionaire if you can’t do things like this for the people you love?” I turn back to Kathleen. “Without being indelicate, I can more than comfortably afford any costs that should arise.”

“Does this mean that I would have to move to the States?” Kathleen asks with a guarded look on her face.

“Not necessarily. It would make things easier, but if you are opposed to it, we can narrow our search for treatments to the UK.”

“You are awfully quiet, my dear,” Kathleen says to her daughter.

Chloe's eyes hold unshed tears as she looks from me to her mother. “I just want you to be healthy and happy, mum. I would love it if you came to the US, but that is your decision.”

Kathleen seems to consider what Chloe is saying for a few moments before looking me in the eyes and nodding. “Yes, Maxwell, I will take your offer. I think I would like to see this country you are so fond of, Chloe.”

Chloe bursts into tears and drops my hand to rush to her side. She climbs into the bed with Kathleen, wrapping her arms around her as they both cry. Chloe looks over at me and mouths the words thank you to me.

If things go as planned, we could be heading back to Boston in less than a week.