The Billionaire's Secret Baby

“Hello, my name is Aria, and I’ll be your server this evening. Can I get you started with something to drink? It’s happy hour right now, so all tall drafts are just $2.” She tipped her head toward the nearest customer, hoping she’d be better able to hear him when he ordered, and the soft locks of hair that hung nearest her face tickled her chin. Aria brushed her bouncy brown curls back away from her face and leaned in toward her customer. She narrowed her warm brown eyes at the couple as she tried to listen closely to their wishes. Having locked in their drink order, as well as their request for an appetizer, she coasted away from them and back across to the other side of the restaurant.

Aria bustled from one table to the next, clearing dishes, refilling water glasses, and grinning at patrons as they finished their meals and left for the evening. Her happy smile didn’t leave her face all afternoon, and it stayed fixed in place throughout the entire night shift as well. Aria was elated. She had many reasons to be full of joy, and she normally went about her days with a sunny disposition, but on this night, pleasantness practically radiated from her perky smile.

“Someone’s awfully pleased with themselves,” Joan Comiskey commented as Aria whipped around the corner, pausing at the expo line to wait for her table’s order. At age 36, Joan was a full ten years older than Aria, but she had the spunk and verve of a much younger woman. Her blond hair, which was highlighted with deep tones of “super sad blue” this week, was slung into a messy ponytail and secured with a smattering of blue, white, and silver ribbons. Her fashionable horn-rimmed glasses magnified her dark brown eyes, and when she saw Aria come skipping into the kitchen area, she smiled pleasantly at her friend.

“I’ll just say it,” Aria breathed excitedly. “I’m in a fantastic mood.” She tilted her smile up toward Joan, and the two women shared a giggle.

“Well then, what’s the good word? Did you get a big tip? Was it from that table of guys who just left? I knew I should have taken that one,” Joan said grudgingly, giving Aria a wry smile.

“My tips are fine…they’ve been pretty normal actually. And nothing special has happened today…yet,” Aria replied, widening her brown eyes at Joan and making a silly face.

“Okay,” Joan said, drawing out the word slowly. “So, you’re in a good mood now because you’ve got big plans later?”

“Exactly,” Aria replied, winking at Joan mischievously. Aria put her hands on her slim hips and stood on her tiptoes so she could get a better look at the work that was being done in the kitchen. She knew she could only wait about a minute or two more for the food to be ready before she had to head back out and check on her customers.

“Don’t keep me in suspense,” Joan scolded Aria lightly. “What’s the big news? Is Landen going to propose tonight?”

Aria barked a light laugh. “Hardly. I love the man, but I don’t think he’s ready for marriage yet.”

“Okay,” Joan said, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose. “Then what is it?”

Aria leaned in toward Joan and lowered her voice to a secretive whisper. “As soon as my shift is done, some friends are meeting at the apartment. We’re throwing Landen a surprise birthday party!” She danced up and down on the balls of her feet just thinking about how shocked he would be when he opened the door and found all his friends and family waiting there for him.

“He’s turning 30, right?” Joan questioned, now sharing a bright smile with Aria.

Aria nodded. “His thirtieth birthday isn’t until next Tuesday, but since I wanted this to be a surprise, I thought we should have the party tonight.”

“And he thinks you’re working late?” Joan prompted.

Aria grinned broadly. “Yes. That’s all part of the plan. I told him I was working a double shift today. I guess technically I am, since I’ve been here most of the day, but once I finish with this one last table, I’m out the door.”

“Do you think he’ll be surprised?” Joan asked, nudging Aria with her elbow in a conspiratorial way.

“I’m counting on it,” Aria replied, and the smile that had been on her face all night deepened.

***

Aria closed out all her receipts, swept up the floor, and finished her shift at the restaurant in record time. She practically skipped all the way home, thinking that she would just have time to shower and pull the vanilla cake out of the refrigerator before Landen’s guests started arriving. She raced up the stairs to the apartment she and Landen shared and unlocked the door swiftly. As she walked into the small apartment, Aria kicked off her black, no-slip work sneakers and yanked the red sweatshirt she’d been wearing off over her head. She tossed it on the edge of the couch that was near the door, but as she did, something caught her eye. It was Landen’s jacket, the blue and grey one he’d bought last spring before they went on a weekend-long camping trip. Landen loved that jacket, and when the weather was cool or rainy, he always wore it. As there was a nip in the air tonight, Aria would have expected him to take it with him, but here it was, draped over the back of their beige couch.

Aria swiveled her head from side to side, surveying the tiny living space. The laptop computer they shared sat with the screen open in the corner on a desk they had purchased together from a discount shop two years ago, right after they first started dating. The television, which was directly across from the couch, sat mute, the screen blank. The only other thing in the living room was a coffee table that had once belonged to Aria’s great-aunt. Landen clearly wasn’t in the living room, and she said a quick prayer that he had just left his jacket behind accidentally. She wanted this surprise party to go off without a hitch, but if he were here, that would ruin everything.

As Aria headed back toward the bedroom, she ducked her head into the kitchen space. She dropped her purse and other personal belongings on the counter. Even though it was dark, she wanted to make sure he wasn’t in there, rooting around in the refrigerator. She didn’t want him to spot the cake she’d purchased specially from the bakery down the street. Satisfied he wasn’t in the kitchen, Aria continued walking down the hall toward their bedroom. She thought she heard a noise coming from behind the closed door, but that couldn’t be. If Landen were home, this door would be swung wide open. Since the apartment was so small, Landen always left the doors open because he wanted to make the space feel like it was bigger.

As Aria put her hand on the faux brass doorknob and gave it a quick turn, her pulse quickened. She couldn’t be quite certain what caused this to happen, but she just felt like something was off here, and it made her nervous. She inched the door open slowly, thinking that if for some reason Landen was in bed already, she didn’t want to disturb him. If he were sick, for instance, she didn’t want to barge in here and startle him. She heard another sound, and this time it seemed almost like a thumping noise. Aria perked her ears up, waiting for it to be repeated one more time, but it didn’t.

Enough with the theatrics, Aria scolded herself internally. She finished turning the doorknob and swung open the bedroom door at once. Aria gave a funny little snort then. She flipped on the light switch and saw that the bed was empty. It was a rumpled mess, per usual, the light blue and mint green sheets and blankets tossed from one end of the mattress to the other. She never made the bed when she left the apartment because she always got up earlier than Landen, having to rush to class or to take a shift at the restaurant. When he finally decided to roll out of bed, he could never be bothered to fix the sheets and blankets because he said that it didn’t make sense. They were just going to hop back in them and mess them up again in a few hours. Aria blew out a breath of hot air, and then she bent over to start peeling off her socks.

Just as she was about to unbutton her white, long-sleeved work shirt, the thumping sound she’d thought she heard out in the hallway startled her as it sounded again. Aria turned slowly toward the en-suite bathroom. The door was shut, and that made Aria furrow her eyebrows. He must be in there, Aria thought, shaking her head at her own jumpiness. She moved across the small bedroom space and quickly flung open the door to the bathroom. The shower was running, and the mirror that stood just over the sink was completely fogged.

“Landen!” Aria shouted, wanting to make sure he could hear her over the sound of the running water.

“Aria,” Landen gasped, and she could immediately hear a tremor of terror in his voice.

“Yeah,” she replied, poking her head further into the room. “It’s me. Everything okay in there?”

“Everything’s fine,” Landen squeaked, his voice taking on an unnaturally high pitch. “What are you doing home so early? I thought you were going to be at the restaurant till late.”

Aria left the bathroom door ajar, and she wandered back out of the confined space. The steam was making it awfully hot in there. She sat on the edge of the bed and unbuttoned her white shirt, tossing it aside. “Yeah,” she shouted back through the open doorway. “I was supposed to work the double, but I decided to come home early.”

“Aria,” Landen said, pulling the shower curtain back just far enough so he could peek his head around it. His long strands of red hair hung limply to the sides of his cheeks, and his green eyes looked dismayed. “I wish you hadn’t done that.”

“Done what?” She questioned, looking around the room. “You didn’t want me to come home early…or you didn’t want me to leave the shower door open? Sorry…” She said, hopping up from the bed and stretching her hand out toward the open door. “I should have known leaving it open would let in a draft.” The odd thumping noise that had alarmed Aria so much before repeated itself now, and Aria felt astonishment steal over her.

She looked at Landen quizzically, his head still hanging out of the shower stall, and she could see that his face had turned the deepest shade of red. The freckles that normally covered his nose and cheeks nearly disappeared; he was flushed so thoroughly.

“Landen…” Aria said slowly, leaning back into the bathroom and looking around. “What’s going on here?”

Before he could answer, the shower curtain rippled, and that caught Aria’s attention. She took a small step forward, and when she squinted at the almost translucent material, she could make out the silhouette of a second person. Her mouth sprung open, and a hand flew to cover it.

“Aria,” Landen said quickly, reaching out toward the towel rack. He plucked the white cotton towel from it and stepped from the shower, wrapping the cloth around his waist. He left the shower running though, and Aria felt a fire ignite in the pit of her stomach.

“There’s someone in there with you,” Aria hissed, lowering her hand from her mouth. For just a moment, Landen looked confused, as though he wasn’t quite sure if another person had been in the shower with him, and then his deep green eyes lowered in dismay. He dropped his head and shook out the wet, limp locks.

“You don’t understand, Aria,” he began, but Aria refused to listen to his excuses. She snatched her white blouse from the bed, and as she raced from the bedroom, she hastily pulled it back on. Her fingers were trembling, so that made the task more challenging. When she got to the front door, she slid her feet back into her work shoes and snatched the red sweatshirt she had discarded earlier off the back of the couch.

“Aria, wait,” Landen called out. He was following her every footstep, dripping water in his wake.

“No,” Aria said stoutly, shaking her head. “You’re right. Whatever was happening in there, I don’t understand. And I don’t want to, either.”

“Aria, please,” Landen pleaded. He kept one hand locked around the towel firmly, but he stretched out his other hand toward her. “Let me explain.”

A small part of Aria’s mind wanted her to accept his proffered hand. She could stand here for a few minutes and let him explain to her why she had just found him in their shower with another woman. But another part of her, the larger, more logical part, knew that no amount of softly spoken words or clear-cut explanations would ever make her feel better about finding Landen in such a provocative situation. She’d caught him cheating, and she wasn’t going to stand here while he tried to explain it away.

Instead of reaching out for Landen’s hand, Aria grabbed her purse off the kitchen countertop where she had dropped it just moments before. She walked to the front door, opened it, and then turned to look once more at Landen’s distressed face. “I don’t need or want your explanations.” She started to shut the door, but then remembered something suddenly. “Your friends will be arriving in a half hour for a surprise party. Happy 30th birthday.” With that, she pulled the door closed behind her, and tears, hot and angry, began to stream down her face.

“In the shower?” Joan asked, widening her brown eyes, which appeared magnified under her glasses.

“Yep,” Aria answered, shaking her head in disgust.

“And this happened what… three days ago?” Joan said in astonishment. “Why didn’t you tell me about it before now?”

Aria shrugged. “I don’t know. When I first caught him, I was shocked. I didn’t know what to say or do. I just left the apartment and wandered around for a few hours.” She blew out an exasperated sigh. “But then I remembered that I wasn’t the one who did the cheating, and so I went back to the apartment.”

“Was he still there?” Joan asked, leaning heavily against the drink station. The two women were working the day shift at the restaurant, and as it was not a busy afternoon, Aria was taking a few minutes to update her friend on the state of her shattered relationship with Landen.

Aria nodded glumly. She brushed her brown curls away from her face and stared out the large glass window. “He was there.”

“Was the woman still there?” Joan questioned, clearly unable to contain herself.

Aria shook her head in disgust. “I don’t know what happened to her, but she was gone by the time I circled back.”

“Well,” Joan said, putting her hands on her hips. “What did Landen have to say for himself?”

“What could he say?” Aria replied, taking her hair out of the rubber band that was holding it. She shook out her curls and then began reworking the hairdo. “I caught him in the act. Nothing he could say was going to make the situation any better.”

“Okay…” Joan said slowly, “so what happens now?”

“I told him he had to leave. I don’t know how I’m going to afford the apartment on my own, but I couldn’t bear to spend one more minute in his presence.”

“Of course,” Joan said encouragingly.

“He packed his stuff the very next day, and I haven’t seen him since,” Aria concluded, letting out a massive breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

Joan wrinkled up her nose. “But you don’t want to see him again, right?”

Aria turned toward her friend and gave her an irritated look. “I don’t want to see him again.”

“Okay then…” Joan said, bobbing her head up and down as though she were thoroughly thinking through the situation. “What are you going to do about the apartment?”

“I’m going to keep it,” Aria responded at once. Even though it was small, it was in the perfect location. She loved that little place, and she didn’t want to let it go just because Landen wasn’t living there anymore. “I don’t know how I’ll make rent, but in a few months, I’m going to graduate with my M.B.A. I’ll find a new job, and as soon as I start earning more, I’ll be able to handle the rent on my own. No problem.”

“No problem,” Joan echoed. “You make it sound so simple.”

Aria shrugged. “It is…I guess. I mean, I know it’s complicated and I certainly didn’t love coming home and finding my boyfriend in the shower with another woman, but Landen and I…we’d been having problems for a long time.”

“Ummm…” Joan murmured, again nodding her head in a concerned fashion. “I remember.”

“So, yeah…while I don’t relish the situation I’m in now, I guess I don’t exactly miss Landen either,” Aria finished.

“Good riddance, I say,” Joan said, giving Aria a confident nod.

“Uh-huh,” Aria replied. She was trying to sound self-assured, and maybe, somewhere in her heart of hearts, she truly believed everything she was saying, but her pain was fresh. The wound that opened when she realized Landen was with another woman was excruciating, and it made her gut ache just to think of what he had done.

Joan eyed Aria closely, as if she were trying to read her thoughts. “You know what you need?” Joan asked, a small smile tickling the corners of her mouth.

“No,” Aria said, both in answer to the question and as a way to thwart Joan from making whatever suggestion she had in mind. Aria adored Joan, but they were very different people. Aria was studious, and she lived a life that was ruled by her desire to find true happiness. Joan was more carefree. She worked at the restaurant because it brought her joy, and when that wasn’t the case, she was going to happily move along somewhere else. Aria liked to plan things out, months, maybe even years in advance, but Joan liked to fly through life, embracing each new experience as it came at her.

Joan grinned wickedly. “I’m taking you out tonight.”

“No,” Aria repeated. “I’ve got an early class tomorrow. I can’t afford to go out dancing tonight.”

“Sure you can,” Joan coaxed. “And I happen to know that your first class doesn’t begin until 10 a.m. tomorrow.”

“How do you know my schedule?” Aria asked, her eyebrow quirking suspiciously.

“I pay attention,” Joan responded nonchalantly. She picked at the blue nail polish on her index finger. “You’re always talking about your rigorous course schedule. I do my best to listen. So, I know for a fact that once this shift is over, you’ve got time on your hands.”

Aria made a dubious face. “How do you know I don’t need to study?”

“Do you need to study?” Joan retorted quickly.

“No,” Aria confessed, and a playful smile began to spread slowly across her face.

“See,” Joan replied, tossing her blue and blond ponytail over her shoulder. “A night out on the town is exactly what you need.”

“But…” Aria started to protest, but Joan cut her off.

She gave Aria a knowing look. “We both know you’re going to agree eventually. Why don’t you just save us both the trouble of arguing?”

Aria chuckled. It felt good. Her mind had been so preoccupied with Landen and his betrayal the last few days that she had hardly cracked a smile. “Okay, okay,” Aria said, holding up her hands in surrender. “I’ll go out with you tonight, but I can’t stay out late.”

“Of course not,” Joan replied, giving Aria an exaggerated wink.

What have I just gotten myself into? Aria thought as she walked away from the drink station and headed back to check on her table of customers.

***

“What did you say your name was again?” Aria shouted over the loud music. Joan had convinced her that they needed to try out a new club called Surreal. So far, Aria was not dazzled. The club was fashionable and modern. The dance floor was lit in a pale blue, and the DJ, who was seated inside a glass box, kept playing music that Aria didn’t even recognize, as it was so new. The walls were covered in mirrors, and Aria felt like everywhere she looked there was someone who was younger and prettier than her. She adjusted the hem of her jean skirt and leaned in toward her dance partner. She was dancing with a man she didn’t know and trying her hardest to figure out if his name was Trent or Kent. She supposed it really could be either as she was unable to hear him, and she couldn’t read his lips very well in the dim light.

Trent or Kent, whichever he might be, nodded enthusiastically at Aria, but just kept moving in time with the music. “I hate this sort of thing!” Aria shouted over the music, but Trent/Kent just nodded at her again. She really didn’t love the club scene. Aria liked it when she was able to have a conversation with someone else, and if she were going to dance with a guy, she at least wanted to be able to ask him his name properly. Frustrated, Aria craned her neck, trying to see if she could spot Joan in the crowd. It was practically impossible since the dance floor was completely crowded with people. As the song mercifully wound to a close, Aria nodded at her dance partner and excused herself. She walked toward the bar and slumped heavily against it, letting her elbows rest on the shiny countertop.

Aria groaned and tipped her head forward. “I know what you mean,” a deep voice said softly at her left shoulder. Aria lifted her head and swung it to look at the person who was talking to her. He was standing close enough that she heard his words clearly, but he was also not standing so close that she felt hemmed in by his proximity. Aria arched her eyebrow at the stranger and took a moment to look him over. He was tall, maybe a good six or seven inches taller than she was. He had dark hair that was combed neatly into a stylish fashion, which reminded her of the coffee she liked to sip before class each morning. His blue eyes twinkled as they reflected the garish lights that shone behind the bar, illuminating the specialty brands of liquor that were available for purchase.

He was very attractive, and Aria felt her breath catch in her throat. Her eyes coasted over his clothes, which were classic but also expensive looking. He wore a simple pair of jeans and a fitted black button-down shirt. Aria observed the way his shirt hugged his broad shoulders, and she could just detect the outline of his muscled chest underneath the cotton material. She was reluctant to tear her eyes away from him, but she also knew it was impolite to stare at him as intensely as she was. Then, making matters even more complicated, he smiled slowly at her, and Aria felt her knees go weak.

Luckily, she was still leaning against the bar, so she didn’t slump to the floor right then and there. “Hi,” Aria said weakly, reaching up self-consciously to fiddle with her ponytail. Her curls were rather unruly, and all she’d been able to do with them was coax them into a wild topknot. But now, standing next to this man, Aria felt awkward and underdressed.

“Hi,” he returned and gave her a small nod. “You waiting for a drink?”

Aria shook her head. “I just came over here to get some air.”

The man gave her a quizzical look. “You came to the bar to get some air?”

Aria felt a blush creep up her neck and onto her cheeks. “Uh…yeah. There are so many people here…I just felt stifled.”

The man smiled at Aria understandingly. “I know. This place is awfully crowded.”

Aria felt herself relax a bit. “Do you come here often?” She wanted to smack a hand over her forehead. This was such an overplayed line, and she knew it. But to be fair, it had been a long time since she had been out in the club, mingling with other single people. She and Landen had been together for years, and even though they sometimes went out for a drink or a dance, she didn’t usually make casual conversation with handsome strangers while she was on Landen’s arm.

The man didn’t seem to notice Aria’s discomfort, nor was he thrown by her mundane question. “I come here from time to time.” He nodded to the bartender, and in just a moment, the man behind the bar placed two tall glasses of clear liquid in front of them. “Did you want a drink… I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught your name.”

Aria gulped. “Aria, my name’s Aria.”

“Like a song?” The man asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Aria chuckled. “I wish. My parents loved to visit Las Vegas and they decided to name me after the casino out there.”

“The Aria Casino?” The man questioned, his blue eyes alight with mirth. “That is original, I’ll give you that.”

“And what’s your name?” Aria asked, leaning closer to the man.

“I’m Ethan,” he replied, pushing the extra drink toward her.

“Thanks, Ethan,” Aria said quickly, scooting the glass back in his direction. “I’m really not up for drinking tonight.”

“It’s just water,” he said smoothly, lifting his own glass to his lips and taking a long sip. Aria watched him as he moved, finding herself transfixed by the way he held the glass and how it looked when it touched his lips. She felt her cheeks color again, and so she pulled the glass back and took a small drink. The cool water was refreshing, and it helped Aria get a grip on herself. She didn’t even know Ethan, and yet, she felt mesmerized by his every word and movement.

When Aria put her glass down, she noted that Ethan had been watching her coolly. It made her pulse jump excitedly to think that he was paying as much attention to her as she was to him.

“Do you want to dance?” Ethan asked casually.

“Sure,” Aria returned. He held out his hand to her, and she took it. A jolt of electricity raced up Aria’s fingertips, and she widened her eyes at Ethan. He gave her a small smile, and she was sure he must have felt the same thrill run through his own body. Ethan led Aria across the entire dance floor, and they finally came to a stop near the VIP area.

“I hope you don’t mind dancing here,” Ethan said, raising his voice a little while also leaning in closer to Aria.

Aria shook her head. “This is fine,” she said, scooting into him so that very little space existed between them.

“I’ve found this is the only spot in this place where you can have a conversation while dancing,” Ethan told her as their bodies began to sway in time to the music.

“Oh?” Aria asked, feeling his hands move upward toward her waist. She kept her feet moving and lifted her hands in the air, waving them rhythmically to the beat.

“That’s the only thing I hate about places like this…” Ethan said, as he pulled Aria closer to him. “You can get close to people, but you can’t ever talk to them.” Aria gulped nervously. She had been thinking almost the same thing just before she met Ethan. The coincidence startled her, but it also made her feel emboldened. Here was a guy who was saying and doing all the right things. Boldly, Aria lowered her arms and wrapped them around his neck.

As the two moved along with the thumping music, they spoke quietly to one another. To Aria, it felt like a bubble had been built around them. They talked and whispered, laughing at things they had in common. As the night continued, Aria began to relax completely. In Ethan’s arms, she felt appreciated. She couldn’t remember the last time Landen made her feel so special. So, when the bartender announced that it was last call, and Ethan leaned forward and said, “Do you want to get out of here?” Aria didn’t hesitate.

“Let’s go to my place,” Aria whispered in her most seductive tone. She held out her hand to Ethan, and with a slow, easy smile, he took her hand and followed her back to her apartment.