The Billionaire's Second Chance (59 page)

Mr. Allen escorted them efficiently and on-time to a small airport where they boarded a chartered helicopter f
or the short flight to Boston.
This was a first for Shannon and her eyes widened at the comfort and luxury of the big black private
helicopter. A bottle of Perrier-
Jou
ë
t sat
i
n a chilled slot along with two gorgeous crystal flutes.
She spied a dish of butterscotch candies and looked at Nick who chuckled softly saying,
"
I never fly without them.”

Before she knew it they were in Boston
with
plenty of time to settle in
at
their hotel before the anniversary event that would take the rest of the evening. This time it was Shannon who chattered on while they sped along in a chauffeured car
,
as she brought his attention to points of interest in the old, puritan city.

They were en route to the Ritz Carlton when their chauffeur informed them a young pop star staying at the hotel was causing qui
te the stir with the local paparazzi. To avoid all the
nonsense they would be going straight to
a
private VIP entrance in a secured area.

Shannon giggled
when she heard
who was getting a ton of free publicity and told Nick she had worked wi
th his management team on a release party last yea
r.
She recalled the teenage heartthrob as being something of an airhead and said so
,
shaking her head. “Fame is sometimes wasted.” Nick muttered while Shannon nodded in agreement. She
’d certainly seen enough the pas
t couple of year
s
to validate that statement.

By the time they
arrived in the exclusive suite with a breathtaking view of Boston Common
,
Shannon was privately glad that they’d been given the VIP treatment without having to pass through the impressive front lobby. She’d been spared feeling conspicuous
ly dressed in casual jeans while
sporting a pair of everyday sneakers in the midst of such classic luxury.

The staff assigned to accommodate their every want a
nd expectation had melted away shortly after
their
arrival
in the massive suite. Shannon realized that since packing the beautiful luggage Nick had gifted
to
her
,
she hadn’t seen it since. The world that the Barrett’s lived in meant that others were doing the packing and unpacking for her now. Glancing into the elegant dressing room she spied her dressing gown draped over a chair and all her clothes hung carefully in a large walk-in closet.

Feeling unnerved by everything, Shannon tried to express how odd it was to have other people, quite literally, waiting on her.
Nick was clearly amused by her observations telling her that that he was profoundly grateful each and every day for the myriad of pe
ople coming and going throughou
t his
personal and professional life that
saw to all the details. He pointed out that
every job
had value and
told her
that his parents had impressed upon him at an early age that with great privilege came great responsibility.

Her cell phone rang interrupting their talk with Shannon jumping up excitedly when the caller ID indicated it was her mom calling.

“Hi Mom! Yes, arrived safe and sound. Uh huh. Okay. Will do. What? Oh, well, um………..actually I’m at the Ritz Carlton. I know, right? Don’t worry
Mom,
I’ll explain when I see you. By the way, are you wearing the dress Rory sent? I can’t believe Vera was so cool about giving it up. You’re going to look amazing Mom.”

Nick smiled at the little girl quality to the conversation and marveled at yet another facet of Shannon’s personality. Laughing with delight Shannon ended the conversation
saying,
“No hippie dancing tonight, okay?” and another laugh at her mom’s answer. “Love you too Mom. See you in a bit.”

“I
’
ve never hear my mom so excited! It’s almost funny. She was always so pr
actical and no-nonsense when I
was growing up.” Shrugging she added “I think maybe she and Dad are experiencing what they call a
Young at Heart Moment
. I’m glad. It’s sweet in a way.”

Considering what Shannon said Nick told her,
“I wish Alanna would put herself out there more. She’s only fifty-six and lots of years away yet from a senior citizen moment
.
I’d have thought she’d find some debonair older guy to treat her special after all this time. Your folks are lucky to have this grand moment to share.” He got quiet after that last statement so Shannon went to him and wrapped
her arms around his middle, hu
gging him tight.

She hadn’t appreciated how a big celebration to mark her parent
’
s 50
th
wedding anniversary would affect Nick. His parents had celebrated less than twenty years together so it was no
surprise
to hear his thoughts were on his widowed mom.

Nick was warmed by Shannon’s instinct to immediately offer him comfort when he had sounded down. She was going to make a wonderful mother he thought
,
an instant before a whole host of random images and scenarios
shot into
his mind.

“Shannon, we need to talk.”

The seriousness of his tone brought her head flying off his chest where she’d been snuggling to search his face in alarm.

“Uh oh.” s
he said. “This sounds serious. Am I in trouble?”

“Well I certainly hope not.” he replied trying for a lighter tone. “But in a way that’s what we need to discuss.”

When she didn’t immediatel
y get where he was going with
is train of thought
,
he sighed and pulled her down with him to the L shaped sofa at the windows overlooking the Common.

Holding her close he jumped in and went for it. “We’ve been playing with fire
,
little one. I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your attention that we haven’t exactly been being cautious in the birth control area lately. In fact, clearing his throat, we haven’t made any effort at all.”

The color leeched from her face while Shannon struggled to wrap her mind around what he was saying. They hadn’t been using any birth control at all and since she wasn’t on the pill they had indeed
,
as he put it
,
been playing with fire.

“I’m not on the pill.” she blurted out bringing a sardonic look from Nick and a quietly voiced, “I didn’t think so.”

She considered what he’d just said about being in trouble and her heart sank. Was he trying to be casual or was he saying kids didn’t fit into his plans? Panic fed into her nervous system in a steady drip. She’d been unbelievably
careless
,
they
both
had
, by indulging in the sort of love-making that ended with things
like
pregnan
c
y tests and babies.

What had she been thinking? It was too late to indulge in a little personal psychotherapy since doing so wouldn’t change anything.

“Do
n’t
you want
children
?” she asked in a panicked, frightened little voice which surp
r
ised her
,
and apparently him
,
if the look on his face was any indication.

Nick didn’t like the pale, frightened way she was reacting but kept his concerns to himself. He felt again like there was something else, something he just couldn’t pin down dancing about the periphery. Maybe now hadn’t been the best of times
to bring this subject up he
scold
ed
himself silently. She looked like the world was ending all of a sudden and the notion that they’d hit a stumbling block scared him half to death.

“Do
you want kids?” he shot back?
Oh my god, he thought in panic. Is that what this is about? Maybe she didn’t want the babies and the diapers and all that went along with it.

“I asked you first.” she pointed out icily but the fact that she wasn’t looking at him settled around his heart like a stone.

Think, Nick.
Think, he chanted silently. Some
thing had clearly spooked her. She had reacted to the kids issue more strongly than the birth control problem and he was sure there was a clue in there somewhere.

Choosing his words carefully and with slow deliberation he answered.

“Shannon. Nothing would please me more than to be a parent with you. I think you’ll be an amazing mother. Don’t ever doubt that.”

She
was looking
at him but her eyes were cautiously blank.

“I didn’t want to upset you
by bringing this up now and I especially didn’t intend to make light of the situation.”

She blinked and let her eyes fall away. Nick was on pins and needles.

“I love you. I want whatever you want. If children are something you
’d rather not
think about right now
,
I understand
;
but I’d be lying if I said that having kids wasn’t pretty high on the agenda.”

Relief surged through Shannon like an avalanche tumbling down a steep mountain. Until he said the words
,
she thought she might die if he’d
answered
anything different. With a sudden welling of tears in her eyes she assured him
,
“I want
your
children Nick. More than anything.”

“Then what’s with the tears my love? Why the sudden worry? Did you think I’d be mad if you got pregnant Shannon?”

Covering her face with hurried kisses he assured her over and over that to make a baby with her would be out-of-this-world, which only made the tears flow stronger.

“Please do
n’t cry. Your tears are killing me
,
honey.”

She hiccupped to a stop,
swiped her eyes and attempted a watery smile. “I’m okay, truly. I don’t know why I got so emotional Nick.”

Liar!
Her
conscience screamed.
Ugh
.
Ca
me the defeated response.

“Let’s talk about this later sweetheart.” Nick said. “Everything is going to be okay, remember? Let’s not borrow worries and just enjoy the happiness we’ve found. Hmmm?”

She nodded and kissed him sweetly. Yes. They would indeed have to talk about this later
.  N
ow, as he pointed out, was not
the time. They had a party to
get ready for and a potential dog and pony show
for the family
that was making her nerves stand up and take notice.

“You haven’t eaten much today. Would you like me to have something light sent up while you dress? I wouldn’t want you to faint from hunger! What would your parents think of me then?”

“Thanks. That would be perfect Nick. It’s going to take me a while to do my hair and get ready so something to nibble on would be smart I’m thinking.”

He went with
a
raunchy jok
e
ster response that he hoped would bring back her giggling smile when he waggled his eyebrows at her and said “Oh, I’ve got something for you to nibble on woman!” in a dead on Boston accent that had her howling with laughter.

“What am I going to do with you Mr. Barrett?” she chuckled affectionately.

“I beli
e
ve you know exactly what you can do with me Ms. Reynolds.” he answered and just like that the earlier tension was gone and they were smiling at each other once more.

Two hours later after a quick
shower and a long time styling her hair, Shannon slid into a classic little black dress with a high neck and fitted bodice above a cinched waist and flared skirt that ended several inches above her knees. The black crystal encrusted belt around her middle sparkled as did the ring she was wearing. Seeing what she had on brought a huge smile to Nick’s face causing him to jump up and fetch his overnight bag.

“Looks like I have g
reat timing
.”
he laughed as he pulled a black jewelry case from the bag.

“Oh Nick. What have you done?”
Shannon said
when she saw a look of immense satisfaction spread across his face.

“Hush now and just open the box.”

She sat down and cracked
open the lid of the hinged box,
immediately rewarding him with a startled gasp followed by an excited coo.
“Oh my god
,
Nick.
They’re beautiful!”