Page 150 of The Renegade Billionaire

“She’s beautiful,” Madison whispers, drawing me back to her.

And when I take her in, holding that small baby girl, I see my future.

“Why did he say you’re moving your company here?” Cian asks. “Is that for real?”

I nod. “I brought it up to him after Sage said he wanted to join the football team.”

“He has a real hard time letting go, huh?” It’s concern in his tone, not judgment, and it’s all I need to hear to know that Grey is going to find his way in this town too because he’ll have a support system we’ve never had before.

“It’s hard not to get baby fever after holding her,” Madison murmurs while snuggling the tiny little girl.

“Someday.” That one word carries the weight of a promise.

Madison lifts her shining gaze to mine. “Someday,” she says, a happy smile lighting her face.

Ace may have sent me here to make a difference, but perhaps I misunderstood the assignment. Maybe the difference wasn’t for the town.

Maybe the difference was for me.

34

MADISON

When I pullinto the Hideaway’s driveway, I’m nearly blinded. The lights that cover the outside could rivalNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. I’ve never seen so many decorations on one property before and the inn hasn’t ever been so…bright.

Apparently, Braxton was too ambitious, and the reno is going to take much longer than he anticipated, so I’m not sure why he asked me to meet him here.

“What the hell has he done?”

Cian walks around the side of the house, holding a bunch of extension cords, so I jump out of the car to greet him.

“Hey, Cian. Ah, what’s going on?”

“Ask your boyfriend. He’s pushier than six-year-olds at an Easter egg hunt.”

“I thought he didn’t celebrate Christmas.” A gust of wind has me pulling my cardigan more tightly around me.

“No, we always celebrated for Sage’s sake, even when it was hard,” Grey says, coming from the opposite direction. He and Sage are pushing a giant sleigh outfitted with lights.

“Like this?” My voice pitches higher than normal.

“When I was old enough to understand it.” Sage is wearing a Christmas sweater that actually jingles. “But the uncles alwayshired someone else to do it. Uncle Brax insisted we do it ourselves this year.”

I spin in a circle. “But…where is he?”

Grey laughs. It’s such a foreign sound it startles me, which is sad because he has a nice laugh—friendly, happy, kind, and completely at odds with the attitude he presents to the world.

“He and Pops are working on the inside,” Sage says. The kid is bouncing on his toes.

“Guys, Christmas is tomorrow. You’re doing all this work for one day?”

“Talk to your boyfriend,” Cian says again, then leans down to plug something into the extension cord. “I think he truly believes he’s Santa Claus.”

“What the hell is that?” I don’t think my voice can go any higher.

“A twenty-foot snowman.” Grey chuckles.

Is he drunk? He must be drunk.