The Billionaire's Student: A BBW, Alpha Billionaire Romance (13 page)

21
.

I woke up suddenly, my stomach rolling, and I jumped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. Skidding to a stop in front of the toilet, I barely made it before what little was in my stomach came up. After the violent eruption, I started to move to the sink, but my stomach lurched again, and I fell to my knees in front of the porcelain bowl. It’s where Jace found me an hour later.

“Katie?”

I heard his voice calling from my bedroom.

“In here,” I replied, my voice weak and rough sounding from repeatedly being sick.

“Katie!”

He ran to me and fell to his knees on the floor beside me. Reaching out, he brushed the hair away from my face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. A stomach bug? Food poisoning maybe?”

“We ate the same thing for dinner last night, so I think we can rule out food poisoning.”

He stood up and went to the linen closet, opened the door, and pulled out a washcloth. Walking to the sink, he soaked the rag with cold water and then came over and bent down, wiping my face with the wet cloth.

“Do you think you can leave the bathroom now?”

I nodded weakly, and Jace helped me to my feet. I took one step and stumbled. Had it not been for Jace’s strong arm around me, I would’ve fallen. He steered me to my bed and helped me into it, then pulled the covers over me.

“Try to sleep.”

I thought he would leave the room then, but he didn’t. Instead, he settled into one of the chairs in the corner of the room.

I closed my eyes, snuggled into the blankets, and feel asleep.

***

When I woke up a few hours later, Jace was still in the chair in the corner, but he must have left the room at some point because papers were spread out all over the coffee table in front of him, and his computer rested in his lap. I guess I made a noise to alert him to my wakefulness because he peered over the top of his laptop screen and then set it aside and got up.

“Feeling any better?”

He approached the bed and placing the palm of his hand against my skin, felt of my forehead even though I had not had a fever earlier.

I still felt weak and drained but no longer like I was going to throw up my insides.

“A little better.”

Jace pulled out his phone and jabbed at the screen.

“Bring some crackers and ginger ale to Miss Darling’s room, please.”

He sat on the edge of the bed.

“Let’s see if you can keep anything down.”

A few minutes later, Sophia scurried into the room carrying a silver tray covered with a gleaming, polished dome. Jace took it from her, and she nodded and smiled at me, then left the room.

He removed the cover to reveal a few crackers laid out in a fan on a solid white plate and a clear glass half-filled with a light amber liquid. He set it on my beside table and then helped me sit up, fluffing up the pillows behind me before handing me the glass and a cracker.

I nibbled on the saltine and gazed at Jace.

“You didn’t have to stay with me, you know. I’m sure you have a lot of business you need to attend to.”

Honestly, even after working for him the past couple of months, I still didn’t much understand what he did all day. I knew he owned companies and business, but he spent more time at home than he did at work.

He smiled at me, his gorgeous face lighting up with it.

“It can wait. You’re more important.”

My heart swelled at his words. Could we really make a go of this?

My face must have betrayed my inner emotional state because Jace frowned.

“What’s wrong? Do you feel sick again?”

I shook my head.

“No. It’s not that.”

“That what is it?”

How could I explain how I felt?

“I don’t really fit into your world. Most of those women at the gala could be models. I’m far from it. I mean, yeah, I’ve got big boobs, but that’s because I’m a bigger girl. I don’t have a tiny waist or legs that go straight to my hoo-ha.

“Besides that, I don’t understand business very well. So, I can’t have discussions with the men, and I also know nothing at all about high society or fashion so I can’t talk to the women either.”

Jace started laughing and continued until his face turned red and tears started to leak from his eyes.

Seriously? I poured out my heart and soul to him and
he laughed at me
?

Seeing the hurt expression on my face quiet his raucous laughter.

“Oh Katie, I’m not laughing at you. Really, I’m not.”

I crossed my arms and glared at him.

“Sure looked like it to me.”

Jace sat on the side of my bed and managed to tug one of my hands free and squeezed it.

“Most of the women you saw were trophy wives. Their husbands only care about their looks and what they do between the sheets. You should never compare yourself to them. You are so much more than that.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. You’re beautiful and smart and funny. And you’re by far the best lover I’ve ever had despite your inexperience. Your passion and eagerness more than make up for that. I wouldn’t trade you for even 100 of them. As far as what you need to know to carry on a conversation, that can be learned. Like I said, you’re smart. It won’t be hard for you.”

He handed me a second cracker since I’d finished the first one.

“Now try another one.”

As the day passed, I began to feel stronger and for supper, Sophia brought me a steaming bowl of chicken soup. When bedtime arrived, I expected Jace to tuck me in and then return to his room, but instead, he stripped down to his snug briefs and climbed into bed beside me. He put his arms around me and pulled me close, and we both drifted off to sleep.

The next day started out much like the one before. I woke up and ran for the toilet.

“Katie?”

Jace climbed out of bed and followed me, holding my hair out of the way as I got sick.

My stomach settled a little quicker than the day before, so instead of spending an hour on the floor in front of the toilet, it was only a few minutes.

“I guess I ate a little too soon,” I remarked as Jace help me back into bed.

He smoothed a cool, wet washcloth over my face.

“Maybe. We will take it a little slower today.”

Again, I took a nap and woke feeling better but I only got crackers and ginger ale for the rest of the day. Close to bedtime, Jace got a call with some bad news.

“There’s been a major accounting error at one of my businesses,” he explained after he’d gotten off the phone. “I hate to leave you, but I’m going to have to fly out there and get to the bottom of this.”

“It’s fine. I’ll be okay while you’re gone. I’m feeling much better. Really.”

He came over to the bed and bent down, kissing me on the forehead.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Take it easy and don’t rush eating. I’m not going to leave any work for you to do, so just spend some time relaxing, and I’ll see you when I get back.”

22
.

The next morning, I once again woke up with a queasy stomach, but I managed to keep from getting sick. Jace had texted me during the night to let me know he’d landed safely and that he would check on me later in the day.

Sophia brought toast for breakfast, and I forced it down. I had to admit, after eating it, I felt a little better. My stomach seemed a little less nauseous.

Tired of being in the bed all day, I moved to the couch in the corner of my room. I grabbed the remote and turned on the television. Within a couple of hours, my stomach felt almost normal, so I decided it was high time I took a shower. After being sick for a couple of days, I didn’t smell so great.

The warm spray felt like heaven against my skin, and I spent a little more time than normal under the cascading water. As I scrubbed my skin with the bath poof, I winced when it grazed my breasts. For some reason, they were a little tender.

Even though I didn’t normally experience tenderness around that time of the month, I didn’t think anything about it. I just attributed it to sore chest muscles from being sick for two days.

After finishing the shower and moussing and drying the unruly mass of curls that was my hair, I settled back onto the couch to watch some more television. I scrolled through the channels until I found a movie that had just started and reclined back onto the couch to watch it.

My mind kind of drifted and I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the movie until I heard the heroine crying on the phone to her best friend that the reason she’d been so sick for the past few days was because she was pregnant. Immediately, I felt nauseous.

I grabbed the remote and rewound the movie and watched part of what I’d missed. The heroine got sick in the morning, felt fine a few hours later, then got sick once again the next morning. She also mentioned how much her breasts hurt.

Oh shit.

My heart thumped in my chest as I frantically tried to remember when I’d had my last period. When I counted up the weeks, the sinking feeling in my gut worsened.

I was late.

Oh no.

Taking a deep breath, I decided it would be best to be sure before I started panicking too much. I grabbed some clothes from my dresser and hurriedly got dressed, slipping on a pair of shoes before grabbing my purse.

I snuck downstairs, being as quiet as I could because I didn’t want to run into anyone and have to explain why I was dressed and out of my room. Luckily, the maids were on another floor and Sophia was absent from the kitchen. I managed to reach the garage without anyone seeing me.  I jumped into my car and headed for the nearest store.

***

I couldn’t pry my eyes away from the three sticks all lined up in a row on my bathroom counter.

Pregnant.

Pregnant.

Pregnant.

There couldn’t be any mistake. All three tests were positive. Tears fell down my cheeks, and my hands shook as I gathered up the used tests and shoved them back into the box.

What was I going to do?

Jace’s comments when he saw that pregnant lady at the gala rang in my mind. He obviously hated children, which meant he wouldn’t be happy with this turn of events. In fact, I was certain it would tear us apart.

I had a choice to make. It was the hardest decision I’d ever come to.

I ran.

Stuffing a bag full of clothes and grabbing the jewelry he’d given me plus the evidence of my condition, I took one last look around the room as tears streamed down my face. I’d found happiness only to lose it. I cradled my stomach with my arm. I had more than just myself to think about now.

Quietly, I hurried down the stairs. Once again, I needed to avoid detection. How could I explain the bag thrown over my shoulder? Peering through the kitchen door, I didn’t see anyone inside, so I rushed across the expanse to the back door. I made it to the garage and my car without being seen.

I drove to the bank first to withdraw all of the money in my account. Jace had been more than generous, so I had quite a bit saved. It should be enough to get me started somewhere else until I could find a job.

I called a cab from the bank parking lot. The car was mine to drive but belonged to Jace. I couldn’t take it. Besides, Jace would be able to use it to track me down if he decided to look for me.

With a heavy heart, I dug deep into my purse and found a scrap of paper. Nothing I could say would really explain things, so I simply wrote “I’m sorry” and scrawled my name under it.

The cab pulled up as I was signing the note. I stuck it on the steering wheel and locked the car. Slinging my bag and purse over my shoulder, I closed the door. I had no doubt that Stephen had an extra key, and if for some reason he didn’t, Jace would have no problem affording to hire a locksmith.

I climbed into the cab and directed the driver to the bus station. I looked back as the sporty car faded from my view. Another piece of my heart broke as one more connection to Jace was severed. Tears streamed down my cheeks as the cab carried me toward my new life.

“Good-bye, Jace,” I whispered. “I love you.”

23
.

I spent the night in a pretty seedy motel. Since I needed to spend as little as possible, I tried my best to ignore the suspicious stains on the carpet and bedspread and the pungent smell emanating throughout the room. I still wasn’t sure what my plan for the future was. I knew I needed to find a job and a place to stay, but I was too overwhelmed at the moment to think about it.

After making sure the chain on the door was connected and the extra bolt lock was turned, I yanked back the covers and slid between the musty sheets without even bothering to change to my pajamas. I rolled onto my side and hugged myself. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I cried myself to sleep.

The next morning, I pulled myself together and went to a little diner near the motel. I had headed there with the intention of trying to find a copy of that day’s newspaper in order to scour the classifieds, but when I approached the small, block building, I saw a “help wanted” sign in the window. Maybe it was fate. After all, I wasn’t trained to do much, with the exception of the clerical work I’d done for Jace, and there was no way I could use him as a reference.

Tears stung my eyes and threatened to cascade down my cheeks once more at the thought of Jace. Had he discovered my absence yet? Shaking my head to clear my thoughts and taking a deep breath, I entered the diner.

The moment I walked in, delicious aromas wafted toward me. The place might not look like much on the outside, or the inside either for that matter, but the food smelled heavenly. I looked around to see most of the cracked vinyl booths were occupied by a combination of different types of people: construction workers, businessmen, and everything in between.

There were a few stools open on the counter, so that’s where I headed. Along with finding out about the job, I did need to eat breakfast. After all, I was eating for two.

A girl, about my age, stepped up to the counter when I sat down. Her hair was black as midnight, and she had a small nose ring attached to one nostril. Her name tag said “Jenny”, but that didn’t mean it was really her name. Waitresses didn’t always wear a new nametag.

“Can I help you?”

I glanced over the greasy menu looking for something cheap.

“Umm, a biscuit and gravy and a glass of water?”

She stared at me a minute and then nodded her head.

It took me until halfway through the meal to get up the courage to ask about the job when the waitress came over to refill my glass.

“Umm, excuse me, but I saw the sign in the window. Who do I need to talk to about it?”

She eyed me again, as if taking my measure, and then gestured toward the back.

“The owner does the hiring. She’s busy right now though. Ruby always helps cook breakfast. I’ll tell her you’re here, and she’ll come out when she can.”

“Thanks.”

Jenny kept my water glass refilled as I sat and waited for Ruby. Time dragged by and eventually the crowd in the diner thinned down until myself and one other patron was all that was left. The swinging doors that lead to the kitchen opened, and a small, red-headed lady strode through them.

She might have been on the petite side, but I could tell by the look on her face that if anyone ever tried to give her any trouble, she’d let them have it. In all honesty, I was a bit intimidated by her and wondered if I shouldn’t look for a job somewhere else.

However, when she reached me, she smiled and patted my hand, and the scary little lady transformed into a kindly grandmother.

“Hello, child. Jenny says you were asking about the job posted?”

So her name really was Jenny. Still, I’m glad I hadn’t addressed her by name. You just never knew.

“Yes m’am,” I replied but in the middle of answering her my voice broke.

“In a bit of trouble, are you?”

Wordlessly, I nodded. At that moment, I couldn’t have talked even if I’d wanted to because there was a big lump blocking my throat, and hot tears burned my eyes.

She inspected me with her eyes.

“It doesn’t involve the police, does it?”

I shook my head, and managed to whisper, “No.”

She nodded as if she already knew exactly what my problem was.

“A man problem, then. I should’ve guessed right away, a pretty little thing like you in here all alone and so sad looking.”

Looking at me thoughtfully, she continued, “I don’t guess you’ve got any experience waiting tables?”

“I’m sorry, no. But I learn really fast.”

“Well, it ain’t rocket science, that’s for sure. I tell you what. You can start during the slow shifts, and Jenny here will train you. Once she thinks you can handle it, I’ll move you to busier times.”

“Oh, thank you so much.”

“Now just remember that how much you make really all depends on how good of a waitress and how friendly you are. We get mostly regulars in here, and if you’re good to them, they’ll be good to you.”

I nodded my head in understanding.

“Can you start right now?”

I nodded my head. I had paid the motel clerk for two nights, so I wouldn’t have to check out until tomorrow.

“Well, come on back and let’s see if I’ve got a uniform that will fit you.”

As I came around the counter, she glanced at my tennis shoes.

“Those will do for now, but you’ll need to get some non-slip ones as soon as you’re able. For now, just be careful when you walk around so you don’t fall.”

“Yes m’am.”

She led me to a small break room in the back and rummaged through a rack of uniforms hanging up in one corner.

“I reckon you’re not from around here…do you got a place to stay?”

“I have a room at the motel over there for another day.”

“So in other words, no. I’ll talk to Jenny about you rooming with her. She’s been looking for someone to help split the bills.”

She found a uniform that fit me and put me to work. I didn’t tell her or Jenny about the baby right away because I was afraid she’d fire me. By the time, I’d discovered Ruby was not that kind of boss, I’d already started showing, so they’d glommed onto the reason I was “in trouble.”

Ruby didn’t pry into my business. She was happy to just get to know the present me and not worry about the past. Jenny, on the other hand, wanted to know every sordid detail—and I finally told her. It felt good to get it off my chest.

Some days were easier than others. For a little while, I’d forget about Jace and happily chat with my regulars about their day and what was going on in their lives. However, those little rays of sunshine never lasted very long.

No matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t seem to get over him. Jenny kept telling me it was because I was actually carrying his baby in my womb, and that it would get better once the baby was born. Ruby would just shake her head and say “the heart wants what the heart wants.”

Over the next few months, the diner and its people became my family. Jenny was the only one who knew the whole story, but all of the regulars immediately sided with me no matter what. There was more than one comment about the “deadbeat” who left me alone and pregnant. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that Jace didn’t even know about the baby.

In the small apartment that Jenny and I shared, there wasn’t an extra room for an actual nursery, but we fixed up a corner of my room and Ruby gave me a crib she’d used for her last grandbaby. Since I didn’t make a lot of money, I got on government assistance and insurance. Unfortunately, this meant that I couldn’t get an ultrasound. It wasn’t considered necessary, so I had no idea if I was carrying a boy or a girl.

By the time I’d reached a couple of weeks within my due date, I’d slowed down considerably at work, but my customers were all understanding and supportive.

“You just take your time, darlin’. I’m in no hurry.”

I smiled at Henry, who came in every morning without fail for breakfast and patted him on the shoulder.

“You’d spend your entire day in here if you weren’t afraid Harriet would come storming in here and drag you out by the ear!”

The other men seated in the booth with Henry erupted in loud guffaws.

“What can I say? That lady of mine is scary!”

I laughed and waddled off to put in Henry and his friends’ orders.

“Here, Katie.”

Our morning busboy, Derek, thrust some bills into my hands.

“The Pearsons wanted to give it to you in person, but they couldn’t wait any longer. Mrs. Pearson had an appointment this morning with her heart doctor.”

I looked down at the bills and gasped in surprise. The Pearsons always were good tippers, but never like this! The tip they’d left equaled almost two hundred dollars!

“They told me to tell you it was for the baby. They know you’re getting close.”

“Thanks, Derek.”

I’d noticed, especially with my regulars, that my tips lately had seemed to grow proportionately with my belly. The bigger my belly got, the bigger my tips got. I knew it was their way of trying to help me with the baby.

I started around the corner of the counter to check on my orders when a slash of pain sliced across my belly. It took my breath away, and I hunched over, grabbing my belly.

Jenny rushed up to me.

“Contraction?”

“I…”

I started to answer, but another pain slashed through me.

Oh god, something was wrong. Contractions didn’t feel like someone was slicing your belly open with a large knife.

I shook my head.

“Something’s wrong.”

Just then, I felt a splash of hot liquid course down my thighs.

“Oh my god. Ruby! Call an ambulance.”

I looked down and my eyes widened in horror. Blood ran down my legs in rivulets. I suddenly felt light headed and my legs gave way. Luckily, Jenny’s screams had caught the attention of several of our regular patrons who had come rushing over in time to catch me before I hit the ground.

What happened next all went by in a blur. I was vaguely aware of Ruby wiping my face with a cool wet cloth and murmuring to me to keep me calm. When the paramedics arrived, they took stock of the situation and hurriedly strapped me onto a gurney.

“Don’t worry! Jenny’s going to follow you to the hospital!” Ruby shouted as they rolled me out of the diner.

In the ambulance, I overheard some of the conversation between the paramedic and the hospital they were taking me to. When I heard “operating room, stat” I went into full panic mode.

“Operating room? Oh my god, how bad is it? Am I going to lose my baby?”

Despite his reassuring pat, the look on the paramedic’s face was grim.

“Just try to stay calm m’am. Getting upset isn’t going to help you or the baby. Right now, you’re both in danger.”

Both? The meaning of his words sank into me. We could both die.

What if I died and the baby lived? What would happen to my baby? Would he or she get put into an orphanage? I knew I couldn’t let that happen.

By this time, we’d arrived at the hospital, and they were wheeling me inside. Instead of taking me to the ER, they headed straight for an operating room.

A nurse came running up beside me. I didn’t know if it was due something the paramedic had given me or because of blood loss, but I could feel myself floating away.

“Katie, is there someone you’d like us to call for you?”

I corralled my strength and managed to get out the information. I couldn’t let something awful happen to my baby if I died.

“Yes, please! Jace Weatherton. He’s the baby’s father.”

The world around me went gray, and my last conscious thought was that I hoped the nurse had heard me.