Page 23 of The Billionaire’s Paradise (My Billionaire #4)

We angled the laptop just right on the kitchen counter so the slatted shutters behind us looked appropriately tropical but not too “wish you were here,” and I tried very hard to pretend my hair wasn’t doing something weird in the humidity.

Cal looked perfect. Because of course he did.

I was in a fresh T-shirt, trying not to sweat through it, and holding a cup of herbal tea like it was a shield.

“Do I look casual enough?” I whispered, as the loading wheel for our Zoom meeting began to spin.

Cal didn’t even glance at me. “Relax. All we’re doing here is giving the green light. This should be the easy part… I think.”

“I just want to make a good impression,” I said.

“You already did,” said a new voice, as the screen flickered to life.

Tessa Burke smiled out at us from the familiar, calm background of her Manhattan office—same abstract flower painting behind her, same immaculate white blazer, same uncanny ability to look like she hadn’t been awake since five a.m. answering emails about ovulation.

“Good morning,” she said. “Or… aloha, I guess. ”

“Aloha,” I said, trying not to squeak.

Cal nodded. “Hi, Tessa. Thanks for making time.”

She smiled. “Of course. I’ve been waiting for your call. Based on your message, I assume you’re ready to move forward?”

We nodded in sync, like contestants on a game show about to lock in our final answer.

“Yes,” I said. “We’re ready. We… we met her. And we just… knew.”

“She’s everything,” Cal added. “Warm, intuitive, grounded. And kind. And funny. And smart.”

Tessa’s smile widened. “I’m so glad to hear that.”

“I mean,” I continued. “We know there’s more to it. Contracts, screenings, all the biological stuff. But emotionally? Leilani feels right. She’s the one.”

“Well then,” Tessa said, tapping her iPad. “You’ll be happy to know she feels the same.”

I blinked. “She does?”

“She said yes too,” Tessa confirmed, with a warm, reassuring nod. “She’s already indicated that she’d be honored to move forward. Her words, not mine.”

I stared at the screen.

Cal reached for my hand.

“We have a surrogate,” I whispered, my throat catching.

Tessa gave us a moment. Then said gently, “So. Want to talk about what comes next?”

I straightened, willing myself into functional-human mode. “Yes. Please. Talk us through it.”

“Alright,” she said, sliding gracefully into her field of expertise. “Here’s how it goes from here.”

She ticked the steps off on her fingers, methodical and calm, as the room around us seemed to hold its breath.

“First,” she said. “We begin with the full medical screening for Leilani. She’ll be flown to our partner clinic in Honolulu for bloodwork, ultrasounds, and a full physical exam. We’ll handle the travel logistics—she won’t be out of pocket for anything.”

Cal nodded. “That’s good. We want her cared for, every step.”

“She will be. After screening, assuming everything checks out—and I have no reason to think it won’t—we move on to legal. That means creating the surrogacy agreement.”

“Is that the part with the scary language and the tiny font and the clauses I can’t keep count of?” I asked.

Tessa chuckled. “It’s not that bad. But it’s important. We’ll draft a contract covering everything—medical decisions, communication expectations, delivery location, compensation, contingencies, even what music is played in the delivery room if you want to include that.”

Cal raised an eyebrow. “Do people actually put that in the contract?”

“Some do,” she said. “One couple requested nothing but the Bee Gees. Another insisted on whale sounds. It’s your call.”

“And then?” Cal asked.

“Once all parties have reviewed and signed the agreement—with independent legal counsel—we proceed to the embryo transfer phase.”

I took a breath. “Which means… we have to choose the egg donor.”

Tessa nodded. “Yes. That’s the next big milestone. You’re still working through the database?”

I cringed. “This part makes me anxious all over again. I feel like we got so lucky with Leilani. Now we have to make more choices, and this is all about the genetics. What if we choose a donor who’s completely wrong for us?

What if we end up with an eight-foot-tall basketball player for a child?

The extent of my hoop-shooting knowledge begins and ends with Air Bud . ”

“Don’t panic,” Tessa said without missing a beat. “We’ll refine the profiles this week. I’ve curated a short list based on your preferences. I’ll send them to you after this call. ”

“Thank you,” Cal said.

Tessa checked her screen. “We’ll also need updated sperm samples from both of you, unless you’ve already decided whose we’ll be using.”

“Still deciding,” I said quickly. “We may do a mocha blend.”

“A mocha blend?” Tessa blinked.

“He means fertilize half the eggs with each of us,” Cal clarified. “Mocha’s a metaphor. Apparently, I’m strong like coffee and he’s sweet like chocolate. In all fairness, he came up with it when he’d had one too many espresso martinis one night.”

“Got it,” Tessa said. “Either way, we’ll collect fresh samples when you return. I’ll book the appointments.”

Cal hesitated. “Ah, actually. Is that something we can do at the Honolulu clinic? There’s a chance we won’t be back in New York for a while.”

“There is?” I asked, surprised.

Cal nodded. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it. We’ll take it offline.”

Take it offline ? Cal had just slipped into business mode. Something told me this had nothing to do about the baby and everything to do with Hal.

“That’s absolutely doable,” Tessa answered. “You must be enjoying paradise.”

“Something like that,” I mumbled.

Tessa didn’t seem to pick up on my sudden stiffness at all, but Cal did. His hand found my knee.

“After that,” Tessa continued. “We fertilize the eggs, monitor embryo development, and if all goes well… we’ll transfer one embryo to Leilani in the coming months.”

“And then we wait,” I whispered.

“And then you wait,” she echoed. “And hope. And show up for each other.”

The screen went quiet for a beat. Just us, and her, and the magnitude of what was beginning .

“Are you ready?” she asked.

I looked at Cal.

He looked at me.

We nodded.

“Yes,” I said. “We’re ready.”

“Then welcome to the next chapter,” Tessa said. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

The second the Zoom call ended, I closed the laptop, pushed back from the counter, and said, “Since when was it okay to change our living plans without telling me, then drop the news in the middle of a conversation about embryo transfer?”

Cal looked up from his tea, already contrite. “I know. I’m sorry. I should’ve told you earlier.”

I waited.

He set the mug down and turned to face me fully. “I didn’t mean to spring it on you like that. I’ve been thinking about staying longer, but I didn’t want to make a call without talking to you first.”

“Cal, that’s exactly what you just did.”

“I know, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have blurted it out like that. I’m an idiot. That Zoom was just kinda hectic. There was so much information coming at me—”

“ Us , Cal. The information was coming at us .”

“Us. Yes, this is all about us . I’m sorry.”

I folded my arms. “So… you wanna talk about it? Then talk.”

He nodded. “Okay. Let’s take a walk. I think we could both use some air.”

He took my hand and led me out the back doors, down the short path to the edge of the sand. The sun was lower now, casting everything in soft gold. Waves hushed against the shore, like they were trying not to interrupt us .

We walked a little way, then sat down on the low lava-rock wall at the edge of the dunes. I stared at the horizon. Cal stared at me.

“Okay,” I said. “Spill.”

He exhaled slowly, brushing a bit of sand off his ankles. “I’ve been thinking. About staying.”

“I got that part. What I didn’t get is why.”

He hesitated. “Because everyone’s doing well here. Angus is happier than I’ve seen him in months. Rashida’s borderline relaxed. Even Mrs. Mulroney hasn’t threatened to stab a tourist in days.”

I stared at him. “That’s your reason? The absence of murder?”

“No. Not just that.” He looked at me carefully. “It’s Leilani. We’re finally getting to know her. We’re building trust. Bonding. And that’s rare. If we fly back now, we interrupt that momentum. We cut the thread.”

I narrowed my eyes. “And?”

He paused then gave in without a fight. “And I need more time on the land deal with Hal.”

There it was.

I leaned back slowly. “I knew it.”

“Matt—”

“I knew it. You said this trip was about family, but it’s actually about Hal. It’s always about Hal. You just tacked on some emotional camouflage so I wouldn’t freak out.”

“That’s not fair.”

“I don’t care if it’s fair. It’s true.” I kicked a little stone into the sand. “He pulls you in. And then suddenly everything becomes about what he needs.”

Cal was quiet for a second. “It’s not like that.”

“Really?” I shot back. “Because I’ve been watching this exact dynamic since he showed up. He opens his billionaire mouth and suddenly you’re ready to rewire the calendar and build a marina for his ego. ”

Cal didn’t rise to it. He never did. He just let the storm pass.

“Matt,” he said gently. “This isn’t about Hal. It’s about doing the right thing. For Leilani. For the baby. For us.”

I looked away, out to the horizon, where the clouds were melting into the sea. “I just don’t want to lose focus.”

“We’re not,” he said. “This is the focus. These days we have right now—they matter more than anything I’ve got waiting for me back in New York.”

“You sure about that?” I asked. “Because it feels like the longer we stay, the more this trip becomes about leverage and land use and charming investors who wear linen pants on yachts.”

Cal took my hand. “Look at me.”

I did.

“This isn’t about Hal. It’s about laying the foundation. You said it yourself—Leilani is the one. If we’re serious about this, about being a family, about making this real… then we stay. Just for a while. We stay.”

I didn’t answer right away. Then—“You always know how to win the argument.”

“I don’t want to win,” he murmured. “I want us to be in this together.”

I sighed. “Fine. We stay. For Leilani. Not for Hal.”

“Agreed.”

“And if anyone at his resort mistakes you for his husband, I swear to God—”

“That won’t happen,” he said, kissing the side of my head. “It’s all business. I promise.”

We sat there for a long while, watching the tide come in, our fingers laced together.