Baby Daddy Billionaire: Billionaire Bachelors, #5

By Lexi Banks

When my parents died, I thought that the only way to cope would be to have a big family. Many children that could be there for each other when things got tough or if something happened to me. 

Money has never been an issue for me since taking over the family business. I could buy anything in the world, except a woman that sees past the money. One thing that I will not do is have some woman stealing my money just to give me a child. 

When the option comes up of a surrogate, I couldn't pass that up. My money may not buy a suitable woman but I can raise a child on my own.

Everything changed when I met the surrogate though. Beautiful, smart and athletic? That can't be real. But it is all too real now. When tragedy strikes, what is a man supposed to do? Can she be the woman that I need, or like all the other? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: DM
• Release date: May 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393742623

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Chapter One - Brayden

I double-checked the bags of food as I stepped out of the elevator and headed down to the meeting room. I was a minute or two late, but I didn’t think anyone would mind when they saw that I had breakfast for the whole floor. My secretary, Amelie, glanced up as I approached and rolled her eyes playfully when she saw me.

You know you don’t have to bring in breakfast for everyone every morning, right, Mr. Byers? She reminded me, getting to her feet to help me with the bags.

And you know you don’t have to call me Mr. Byers, don’t you, Amelie? I reminded her. She smiled and shook her head.

Sorry, she apologized. I don’t think I’ll ever be used to it.

Maybe you could use that coffee, I nodded down to the bag which was carrying several layers of carefully-packed coffee from the place just around the corner from the company. She plucked one out and took a long sip, closing her eyes as the bitterness spread across her tongue.

Mmm, that’s good. She opened them again and looked at me. Brayden.

That’s more like it, I nodded at her using my first name instead of that dumb title that she had addressed me by before; I didn’t care if I had just turned thirty: being referred to as Mr. Byers was always going to make me feel like a schoolteacher and I didn’t want that.

Amelie helped me into the meeting room with the breakfast and the coffee, and everyone visibly perked up when I came in; I would have liked to think it was because they were pleased to see me, but it probably had more to do with the stack of breakfast sandwiches I dumped down on the table when I came in.

Help yourselves, I gestured to the box, and everyone dived in to pluck out something to eat; I had to admit, they smelled really good, and if I hadn’t been trying to keep an eye on my post-thirty physique I might have taken a couple myself. As it was, I was going to stick to a coffee this morning and hope that was enough to keep me going.

Thanks, Amelie, I smiled at my secretary as she backed out of the room and left me there with my morning meeting. As everyone tucked into their food, I took a seat at the head of the table and inhaled deeply. Okay. Another day, another dollar. Well, another million.

Thanks for this, boss, Andrew, one of the new hires working in the marketing department, announced through a mouthful of food; there was a murmur of agreement around the table, and I held my hands up.

Hey, can’t let my staff run on empty, I replied, and then looked down at the minutes for the meeting in front of me. Okay, are you guys all ready to go?

Sure thing, Tatania, head of product development, ran her fingers through her hair and reached for her coffee. I really wanted to go over the launch at the end of this month; I think we can push a little harder in the run-up just to make sure that it really takes off...

And with that, the day had begun. Before I knew it, I was neck-deep in product launches and ad campaigns and ideas for what we should roll out next as soon as our latest had hit the market. It was one of those days that just seemed to keep coming at me, rolling hard until it hit six in the evening and I realized that I had to head across town to meet Adrian for our drink.

Hey, Amelie, I ducked out of my office, pulling on my jacket and grabbing a few papers to stuff in my briefcase to look over when I got home. Could you let everyone know that I’m out of office for the rest of the evening?

Off anywhere nice? Amelie cocked an eyebrow at me. She was a fiend for gossip and always had been – if there was anything going on in this office, I could be damn sure that she would know about it, part of the reason she made such a good secretary – and I knew she was angling for something juicy from my personal life. I hated to disappoint her, but there was never anything there with even the remotest hint of juice.

Just that new bar across town, I replied, and I saw her face light up and quickly filled in the blanks. With a friend.

Right, she nodded. I’ll let everyone know. See you tomorrow?

See you tomorrow, I replied, and headed for the elevator.

Have a good night, Brayden, she called after me, and I raised a hand at her as the doors slid shut. As soon as they were closed, I leaned back against the handrail behind me and let out a long sigh of relief. That had been a day.

My driver was waiting for me when I got downstairs; I knew I could have driven over myself, but I was going to put away a couple of drinks to help get this day to roll off my back, and I didn’t want to get in trouble on the way home. Besides, after a long day like this one, it felt good to just lean back against the leather headrest and watch Portland whip by the window outside.

Good day, Nathan? I asked my driver, and he glanced at me in the mirror.

Quiet, he replied. Kind of boring.

Trust me; I envy you, I groaned. Could do with a few more boring days around here.

I can imagine, he replied warmly. He had worked for me for more than three years, and in that time, I’d grown to like his slightly monotone but kindly conversation. A familiar face was always a good thing, as far as I was concerned, especially from someone who didn’t work inside the company.

He dropped me off at the bar, and I sent him home for the night – I could grab a cab across town when I was done, and I always felt weird having my driver just sit outside a bar like this one waiting for me when I was there for fun and not business. I frowned up at the name of the place, making sure I had the right one, and then ducked inside.

It took me a minute to locate Adrian, but then I saw someone waving wildly at me from a table next to the bar and grinned. He was hard to miss. I made my way through the sparse Wednesday-night crowd towards him, and he got to his feet and slapped me on the shoulder.

I thought you were going to keep me waiting all night, he teased as he led me over to the bar. Busy day at the office?

Like you wouldn’t believe, I sighed. What are we drinking?

I’ve been working on their IPA selection, he replied. You want me to get you one of what I’ve been having?

Sure thing, I agreed, and he flagged down the bartender and ordered us a couple. I grabbed the frosty bottle as soon as it was put down in front of me and took a swig.

Mmm, that’s good, I remarked as I reached for my wallet to pay, but Adrian held his hand up to stop me.

I already opened a tab, he told me. Tonight’s on me.

Come on; I don’t—

Look, I know you’re the millionaire and all, he jibed me. But that doesn’t mean I’m living in poverty. Can’t I treat my best buddy?

Fine, I put my wallet away and grinned at him. And it’s billionaire, by the way.

Oh, right, yeah, say that loud enough and make sure none of the women in this place even look at me over you, he replied as we took our seats once more.

You know I don’t make a habit of projecting that, I reminded him. Keeps the playing field level.

And the gold-diggers at bay, I know, he assured me, leaning back to glance around the place. I guess we didn’t really come on the best night to pick up women.

Adrian, you’re thirty, I reminded him. I’m pretty sure we’re not allowed to pick up women past twenty-five.

What the hell are we meant to do, then?

I don’t know, take them on wine tours or some shit? I suggested. When you figure it out, let me know because I can’t seem to get a grasp on it.

Will do, he replied and returned his attention to me. Besides, the way those couples at my clinic are, I don’t think I want to settle down any time soon.

In all fairness, you’re probably meeting these people at a stressful time in their lives, I reminded him. Adrian ran a fertility clinic, one of the most successful in the city – he might seem like a goof in his off-hours, but at work, he was one of the best.

Yeah, well, it seems like marriage as a whole is just stressful for those people, he replied. And babies? Don’t get me started on babies...

You know you’re probably responsible for, like, a quarter of the babies in this city, don’t you? I reminded him. He shrugged.

Sure, he agreed. But that doesn’t mean I want any of my own. I more interested in the making of them, not everything that comes afterward.

You know, that would make a pretty good chat-up line, I cocked an eyebrow, and he tossed his head back and laughed.

I’ll try that out sometime, let you know how it goes, he replied, and then struck a pose and expression mimicking hitting on a woman. Hey, baby, I can almost definitely get you pregnant.

Yeah, let me know how many times you get slapped for that one before it works, I laughed, and took another sip of my beer. I fell silent for a moment, considering what he’d just told me.

So you don’t think babies are in your immediate future, then? I remarked, trying to play it casual. He shook his head emphatically.

Hell, no, he replied. I don’t have anyone to have them with, and besides, it seems like they’re just hellishly stressful for everyone involved.

Good to know, I nodded, keeping my voice neutral. He got to his feet.

Hey man, you’ll have to excuse me – I already broke the seal, he remarked apologetically. I’ll be back in a minute.

Sure, I waved him off, glad to be left alone with my thoughts for a while. I would never have admitted it to Adrian, but every time someone spoke about babies around me, I would find my ears pricking up. I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant – I thought only women were meant to get broody – but I was pretty sure I was developing an interest in starting a family of my own.

Only problem was I didn’t have someone to start that family with. Sure, I had dated plenty in my twenties, but now that I was thirty and actually wanted to settle down, all the good-time girls who had been happy to use me for my cash and my connections had all but vanished. And the ones that were left, they only seemed to want to get near me for my money. It was hard to sift through a person’s intentions, and I still hadn’t worked out a way that I could be sure someone’s interests in me were nothing but innocent. That was what came with having a business as big as the one my family had passed down to me. Everyone seemed to want something from me, even if all I wanted from them was honesty and companionship.

I wasn’t even sure that I believed in love anymore. Not when I had seen how much it seemed to hinge on the material – what can you get me, where can you take me, what can you do for me. Maybe it was out there for other people, but for me, I had yet to be convinced. No-one had come along in my ten-plus years of dating who had made me believe in it, and I wasn’t sure anyone was about to change that now. I wanted a baby, sure, but I hadn’t found anyone that I wanted a baby with.

Adrian appeared back at the table, and I blinked and snapped back to reality. He took his seat opposite me and furrowed his brown in my direction.

Everything alright with you? he asked. I nodded at once. I didn’t like talking about my feelings at the best of times, but especially not when I had just come off a long day at work and wanted to blow off some steam with my best friend.

Everything’s great, I lied, and he stared at me for a moment longer and then returned his attention to his beer.

So, tell me – is that secretary of yours still single? he asked with a playful grin. And with that, I pushed everything that had been nagging at me to the back of my mind and turned my brain to enjoying the rest of this night. I could think about everything else in the morning. For now, I just needed to have a little fun.

Chapter Two - Zoey

Morning! Mya chirped cheerily from the kitchen, and I ran my fingers through my hair and squinted over at her.

How are you so chipper? It’s way too early, I whined as I took my seat at the breakfast bar opposite her. She was cooking something, the savory scent of whatever it was drifting through the apartment. It was what had gotten me out of bed at this ungodly hour, and it better have been as good as it smelled to justify my consciousness this early in the morning.

Because it’s my first day today, she reminded me, biting her lip. Nervousness flashed through her eyes, and I could tell that she hadn’t slept well the night before.

Oh, shit, of course! I exclaimed, the bleariness raising from my brain as I remembered what she was looking down the barrel of that morning. How are you feeling?

Uh, fucking terrified? she replied as she spooned the eggs she had been cooking on to plates already adorned with a couple of slices of bacon and some toast. She handed a plate and some cutlery to me, and I took it. She was a stress-cooker, and, as her roommate, I usually got to enjoy the fruits of her labor. I was surprised I didn’t put on forty pounds when the two of us were finishing up our master’s a few months before, given all that middle-of-the-night lasagna cooking she was getting up to so she could blow off a little steam.

You’re going to be amazing, I promised her. Seriously. I know it. You’re fantastic at this; they wouldn’t have hired you if you weren’t.

I’m so nervous, she leaned on the bar opposite me and started picking at her food. What if I fuck it up completely somehow?

And how could you do that? I cocked my head at her expectantly. She raised her eyebrows.

Oh, don’t start me, she sighed. I’ve been up all night thinking about every single way that I could ruin someone’s life in the next twelve hours.

Look, as long as you don’t recommend serial killing as a way of blowing off steam and releasing stress, I really think you’re going to do fine, I assured her. You’re brilliant at this, Mya; you know that.

Yeah, I do, she managed one of her trademark cocky smiles, and I could see my best friend in her again. She was usually this big, swaggering ball of confidence, and it was weird to see her so nervous, even if she had a good reason to be. She started to eat.

So, how’s your job search going? she asked, and she instantly pulled a face as soon as she realized what she’d said. Shit, sorry, I know you don’t want to talk about it.

Damn straight I don’t, I tried to keep my voice upbeat and cheerful, but I was failing dismally. I didn’t want to be a downer on her very first day as a psychologist, but there was also a part of me seething with jealousy that she had actually gotten a decent job already and wouldn’t have to spend the next month pinching pennies just to make rent the same way I was going to.

You’ll find something, she promised me. If I did, you will.

Yeah, well, I replied noncommittally, fiddling with my fork. I didn’t have the nerve to tell her that, after spending years studying for my master’s, I wasn’t even sure that psychology was what I wanted to do anymore. She would have lost her mind, and the last thing she needed right now was that on her brain when she had a whole new job to focus on.

You want to walk me down to the office? She glanced at her watch. I could use it, to burn off all this energy.

Sure thing, I replied at once. I could go out for a walk in the park after, and hopefully that would be enough to give my brain some time to clear. Between the money troubles and the nagging feeling that I had wasted the last few years of my life, it was hard to let my brain switch off these days.

She got ready to head out as I washed the dishes, carefully putting them all away in the cupboard above the stovetop. It was good to have something to focus on for the time being, and I appreciated anything that let me fill my time with something other than straight-up panic. I got dressed quickly, throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I was a little jealous that she actually had something to get all dressed up for, given that I spent most of my time lazing around the apartment in a pair of sweatpants and a sweater.

Okay, ready to go! She stood in the doorway to her bedroom and shifted back and forth on the spot. Do you think I look alright?

You look great, I nodded. She was wearing a pantsuit with a white shirt; the same one she’d worn to the interview. As a couple of poor-ass graduates, she would have to wait for her first paycheck before she could afford something else for her wardrobe.

Come on, let’s get out of here, I grabbed my keys and my phone. Don’t want you to be late!

We gossiped on the way down to her new job, about anything I could come up with, anything that would keep her mind off her first day and everything that it would bring with it. She was a psychologist now, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t prone to her own little bouts of panic and paranoia. We came to a halt outside the door of the clinic she was going to be working in, and she raised her eyebrows at me excitedly.

Holy shit, I can’t believe this is actually happening, she gasped. Is this real life?

Don’t let anyone in there hear you say that, I warned her. I don’t think that’s what people want from their psychologists.

She laughed, the tension breaking.

See you tonight, huh? She gave me a quick hug. Have a bottle of wine ready for me.

Will do, I promised, and stood there and watched as she made her way into the building and up the stairs to her new job. As soon as she was gone, the smile faded from my face, and I wondered when I was going to feel that excited about my career again. I started on down to the park not far from there, and I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out and, when I looked down at the screen, felt my heart sink in my chest.

It was an email from the student loans department, from the university both Mya and I had attended. They were reaching out to see if I wanted to set up a payment plan since I hadn’t been able to meet the monthly payments recently. I clicked the screen off and dropped it back in my pocket. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

I reached the park and slowly began to make my way around my usual path – I tried to come here a couple of times a week, just to get out of the house and out of my head for a while. But the email from the student loans department was fresh on my brain, and I couldn’t shake it: a reminder that I still hadn’t got a job and still didn’t have any money and still didn’t know what the fuck I was going to do about either of those things.

I just didn’t want to work in psychology anymore. A few people had warned me about this when I had started my master’s degree, that I would find myself burned out on my topic of choice by the time it was all over, but I had handwaved them away in my head. Everything I’d learned about psychology in my undergrad degree had just drawn me further into the subject, and I assumed that was going to be indefinite. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. Perfect. Until I hit a roadblock that seemed to pop up right as they handed me my degree, and I realized that I didn’t have it in me to spend the rest of my life throwing myself into this subject. And now, I didn’t have the nerve to tell anyone that all the support they’d given me had been towards something that made my heart sink just to think about it.

But I needed money, and that meant applying for some kind of job – I had been throwing applications in around town anywhere that was hiring, from coffee shops to shop assistants to secretarial work. I just wanted to stop worrying about cash for a hot second, long enough that I could get my head together and figure out what the fuck I wanted to do with my career.

I sat down on a bench and lowered my head, my thoughts rushing so fast that they made me a little dizzy. As I was looking down at the ground, a woman wheeled a stroller by me – and a small red squishy toy slipped out and on to the tarmac. I hurried to grab it and followed her a few paces.

Hey, excuse me, I called to her, and she turned around; she looked a good ten years older than me, and her smile was warm and friendly as I approached. When she saw what I was holding, her eyes widened with relief, and she leaned forward to take it from me.

Oh my God, thank you, she gushed. If we’d gotten home without this, there would have been trouble.

No problem, I replied, and watched as she tucked the toy back into the stroller with her kid. I felt a little pang in my chest; my parents had both passed away when I was a kid, and I always felt a little sad when I saw a kid who got to live out the life that I never had with their parents by their sides.

She’s beautiful, I remarked politely. I had never much seen why people got so overexcited about how pretty kids were, but I knew parents liked to hear it and frankly I could do with the conversation.

Yeah, she is, the mother agreed, looking down at her baby with cartoon love hearts practically pumping in her eyes. My miracle baby.

Miracle?

Yeah, we couldn’t conceive, we were trying for years, she sighed deeply. "And then...well,