Page 31 of Date The Billionaire

He grabbed two spoons, the bags, and marched me into the living room. By the time I’d dug my first bite of ice cream out of the plastic tub I was blubbering again.

“I know he loves me, and I believe him when he says he doesn’t want anyone but me, but she’s gorgeous, Tony!” The ice cream melted smoothly on my tongue and if I wasn’t so miserable I’d have moaned.

He handed me a glass filled with rum and cola before he found his own spoon.

“So, basically, you don’t trust him?” He gave me another look, one that said ‘bitch, please’ without actually saying the words.

“Of course, I do!” I countered, digging deeper into the ice cream. “I just have a problem with self-confidence.”

“How does he make you feel?” He took his own dig at the ice cream. And me.

“Like a queen.” I glared back at the dig.

“Touché! I am THE queen though, honey, don’t give me that look.” He patted the back of his head and went back to the ice cream.

“So you think I’m just being silly?” I sipped at my drink before I took a cookie out of the box.

“Maybe just a little. I could understand anger. Jake shouldn’t have allowed himself to get into a situation like this. Sadness and mourning? Girl, you’re crazy. That man would tear down the Great Wall of China with his bare hands for you.”

More ice cream disappeared, and I thought about what Tony had to say.

I brought the picture back up on my phone and looked at it again. Arabella looked stunning, even from the back. The way her right foot was kicked up looked artful too. Jake, on the other hand, looked disheveled, as though he’d just woken up, and when I enlarged the picture, it looked like he was shocked and about to push her away.

The hands that had originally looked like they were pulling her closer, now looked to be pushing her away. And his hair was that tangled kind of messy that only good sex or sleep could produce. Hmmm. Had she been leaving after a session? He was in a bathrobe after all.

I put the phone down.

“I don’t think we have enough rum,” I said, moaning as I opened the phone once more.

“I bought two bottles. You’re going to be too sick to care by the time tomorrow rolls around.” He put more rum in my glass, filling the glass from half to full.

I gulped as he handed it to me. “Drink up, sweetpea. Momma’s going to make it all better.”

I disagreed. “My momma would tell me to stop being a ninny and eat broccoli, it’s better for my heart.”

“True, very true. She’d also tell you you’re being silly, though. Have some faith, girl, Christmas magic, remember? Good things are coming for you. Santa told me so last night.”

“Santa? You didn’t sleep with a mall Santa, did you?” I stared at him shocked.

“No, my, uh, my boyfriend might have dressed up as Santa though.”

He hadn’t come home until early this morning. I guess Santa had quite a few gifts in his sack for Tony.

“Oh, do tell. Boyfriend now, is he?” I urged, happy for the distraction.

“I’m getting too old to play the field. Plus, you and your boring boyfriend making goo-goo eyes at each other got me thinking. It’s time for both of us to settle down.” He wouldn’t look at me, just kept eating the ice cream on his side of the tub.

I fell back against the couch in disbelief.

“Too... old? Settle? Oh my God, did you say settle down?”

“Girl, leave me alone. I’m trying. I’m not making any promises, but we’ll see how it goes.” He looked at me, at last, and gave me a smile. “He’s a lot like your Jackson, quiet, calm, and sexy as fuck!”

“I have to meet this paragon of manhood.” I gave him a grin and went back for more ice cream.

“Maybe we can have a Christmas dinner here.”

“We’re having dinner at Jake’s Gran’s house,” I answered automatically. I wondered if we still were.