Addicted (A Billionaire Romance Novel) Read online

  Surprisingly, he texted her while she was at work, shortly after she’d debated their relationship and his sincerity. She shook her head, she couldn’t believe that he was actually following through with their plans after he’d blown her off the last few days.

  Hey baby doll, are we still on for tonight?

  Baby doll? Seriously? She took a deep, weighted sigh before responding.

  Are you sure you’re up to it? I know your head’s been killing you.

  Yeah, let’s see how he responds to that, she thought, pursing her lips as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

  Of course! I’ve missed you. Are you mad at me or something?

  Oh, now he’s trying to figure out how pissed I am. Let’s see. You ignore me for days, you lie to me—and I know you’re lying because you never work nights—and you’ve put quite a bit of distance between us. But why would I be mad? Oh, no, honey. I’m not mad at all!

  I tried calling and texting you last night, but you just ignored me. 

  Let’s see what he comes up with next. You know, I’d thought you changed, Chad Wetzel. I think you showed me a whole lot of smoke and mirrors, without the mirrors! I might be a mess, but I’m not stupid.

  I know, I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you tonight.

  She sat down on the stool behind the front counter of the gas station and rested her feet on a shelf where they kept their clean rags. Crossing her arms, she stared at her phone. Should I even give him the chance to make it up to me? Other than knowing he’s lying to me, I don’t have any evidence or proof that he’s cheating or anything like that. Maybe I should just give him a break.

  Audrey?

  He texted again while she was mulling over her options. Hoping things would continue working in her favor, she responded.

  Sorry, was busy. Yeah, that’s fine. We’ll still on for dinner and a movie, right?

  He replied almost immediately.

  Yep! I’ll see you in a few hours.

  Waiting on the line of customers that were coming in, she contemplated how things might go wrong with her and Chad’s relationship. Twisting her necklace as she slumped back down on the stool, she wondered what had gotten into him lately. She remembered how he’d distance himself back in college, and that usually meant that he was seeing someone else. As she tried to dismiss these negative thoughts, her chest tightened. All she could do was hope for the best.

  That evening, Chad picked her up right on time as promised. Maybe he really has just had a headache the last few days, she thought, as they drove to the restaurant.

  “I’m glad you’re feeling better,” she remarked as she carefully gauged his reaction.

  “Me too! That was a bad headache. I haven’t had one like that in a long time, but I’m glad that it’s gone now,” he said, staring straight ahead, not giving any reaction.

  Over the course of dinner, they hardly spoke. Chad was ashamed of lying to her. She’d been so good to him, as usual. He’d always referred to her as the one who got away, but he couldn’t stop thinking about his daughter and Christina. He felt horrible that she’d been a single mom all these years with no help either financially or physically. Chad also felt terrible that he’d let Audrey go and that she’d had such a rough life.

  “You're awfully quiet,” Audrey said as she noticed him picking at his food.

  “I’m sorry. I just haven’t been myself lately. We’ve got a lot of upcoming changes to our software and I’ve had to reject several of the propositions. I’ve just been so stressed lately.”

  “That almost sounds like it’s one of those ‘it’s me, not you’ talks,” she joked.

  “No, it’s nothing like that. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said, as he instantly pictured his beautiful daughter.

  “You’re so sweet,” she smiled as she leaned over to kiss him. “What movie are we going to see?”

  “I thought I’d let you pick when we get there.”

  “Actually, there’s this horror movie that’s playing. I checked the times and if we hurry, we can get there before the next show starts.”

  “I better chow down, then, huh?”

  By the time they were on their way to the movie theater, Audrey was feeling relieved about their relationship. It was silly for me to think he was just blowing me off. I should’ve known better. At the movies, they held hands as they stood in line to order buttered popcorn and soft drinks.

  “I don’t know how much of this I’ll be able to eat,” Audrey said as she patted her stomach. “I’m pretty full.”

  “I know, but what’s a movie with no popcorn? I’m sure you can pack a little away, right?” he said as he kissed the top of her head.

  After the movie was over, he drove Audrey home in silence. Taking the long route back to her house, he contemplated telling her the truth and what was going on in his life. He thought better of it as they passed the graveyard where Alex was.

  “That’s the cemetery where Alex is buried,” Audrey pointed out the dark window towards the dimly lit burial grounds.

  “Really? I never knew that,” he said as he began rubbing the back of his neck.

  “Is something wrong babe? You just seem so tense and you’re acting like something’s bothering you. You know that you can always talk to me, right?” she asked him.

  That comment almost made him confess everything to her, but he didn’t have the guts to do so. “I'm okay. Really.”

  She crossed her legs and tucked her hair behind her ear. “If you don’t like me talking about Alex, all you have to do is say so.”

  “Are you talking about the cemetery? That doesn’t bother me. I told you, I’m under a lot of stress right now.”

  “You’re not lying are you?” she asked with a smug look on her face.

  “No, I’m not lying. If talking about Alex bothered me, I’d tell you, but it doesn’t. I actually like it when you talk about him and describe him to me,” he gave her a reassuring smile.

  Pulling up in front of her house, he put his truck in park and walked her to the front door.

  “I had a great time tonight. I’m glad we got to spend some time together,” she said, standing on her tippy toes to kiss him.

  “Me too,” he commented as he bent down to kiss her. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

  “I wish you’d come in and hang out for a little while,” she said, pouting her lips.

  “I wish I could, but I have to get up early tomorrow to crunch some things on the computer and figure out what changes we’re going to approve for the launch of the new software.”

  Ever since he received those court papers, his whole life had been turned upside down. It was driving him crazy. He drove around for a while before going home; he needed to think and clear his mind. The drive was pointless. He was just as confused now as he was before. For a moment, he considered his relationship with Audrey and how wonderful things had been between the two of them since they started dating. Then he mused what having a relationship with Christina might be like. It would be fantastic for Kayla to have both of her parents together, living as a family. He also still needed to speak with an attorney to find out what his rights were in the matter and determine if he was going to petition the courts for 50/50 custody.

  Arriving at home, he got ready for bed and stared at the ceiling as he tried to fall asleep. When he closed his eyes, he pictured Kayla’s sweet face and how happy she was to meet him once she finally opened up. As happy as he was with Audrey, he hated to think of Kayla shuffling back and forth between his and Christina’s house for visitation. Certainly, he thought, I should at least file for joint custody; but if I do that, how will Audrey handle that. What will she think of me? Would she applaud me for stepping up or would she condemn me for not being there during the first eight years of Kayla’s life?

  As he drifted off to sleep, images of Kayla and Audrey plagued his mind. When he woke up in the morning, he felt stiff and sore. He’d slept horribly as he tossed and turned
all night. Looking at himself in the mirror, he noticed that he needed to shave. He also appeared to look about 10 years older than he actually was. Is it possible, he wondered, for the stress to be taking its toll on me so drastically? Geez.

  After he shaved and showered, he slipped on his business suit and headed into the office. Barely able to concentrate, he took an extended lunch. During his lunch break, Audrey tried calling him to determine when they’d see each other again. She was surprised to learn that he wasn’t in his office; frequently Tina, his secretary, went out to pick up his lunch if it wasn’t being catered in. Distressed, she dialed Tina’s extension to ask where Chad was.

  “Wetzel Software Design, how may I direct your call?” Tina answered the phone.

  “Tina, this is Audrey. Do you know where Chad is? I tried calling his office and cell phone but haven’t had any luck,” she explained.

  “Um,” Tina thought for a moment, caught off guard that Audrey was calling her. “I believe he went to lunch. He left about 45 minutes ago, so I’d imagine he’ll return shortly. Would you like to leave a message?”

  “Did he go to lunch by himself or was he with someone?” Audrey asked, suspicious that he may be cheating on her.

  “I’m not sure, but I can tell you that when he left the office, he was alone.” Tina felt as though she was betraying her boss somehow and wanted to quickly end the conversation. “I’ll let Mr. Wetzel know that you called.”

  “No! Don’t do that. I’ll just shoot him a quick text,” Audrey reassured her, even though she had no intention to do so.

  “Have a nice day, Audrey,” Tina said before disconnecting the call.

  Whatever Mr. Wetzel was going through must be some serious stuff, Tina mumbled. She’d never had so much drama going on in the office with him before. First he got a girlfriend, which was wonderful, and then he was served court papers; now he was skipping out of the office early and ducking his girlfriend on lunch breaks. This was a recipe for disaster. Tina had worked in enough corporate offices and seen plenty to know that much.

  While out on his lunch break, he ordered a sub from a local sandwich shop and sought out a corner booth that offered privacy. Once he was settled in for lunch, he pulled out his cell phone and a small piece of paper. Before he’d left his office, he’d written down the names and numbers of several family law attorneys. He was able to get in touch with one from his list and discussed what his options were. The attorney informed him that he was most certainly entitled to 50/50 custody, but also advised him that the courts may frown upon him never paying child support—especially since he was a billionaire.

  “I’m aware that you said you didn’t know about the child until recently, but the courts aren’t going to see it like that,” the attorney, Thomas Miller, explained to him.

  “But my ex, Christina, never told me that she was pregnant, nor that she had a baby. I didn’t even believe Kayla was mine until I requested a copy of her birth certificate online and it showed the father field was blank,” Chad argued.

  “We may need to do a paternity test. You know, to confirm that the child in question is in fact yours,” the attorney suggested.

  “Listen, I’ve got to get back to work. Can I call you later to schedule a professional meeting so we can sit down to sort all of this out?” Chad asked, gathering up his trash.

  “I would advise that you call this afternoon to talk to my secretary. I’ll be in court most of the rest of the day and all day tomorrow.”

  “Okay, thanks. I’ll do that,” Chad said as he hung up the phone and walked back to work.

  About fifteen minutes later, Chad arrived back at his office. As he stepped off the elevator, he noticed Tina began to open her mouth as if she were going to say something, but quickly closed it.

  “Is everything all right Tina?” he asked.

  She debated telling him about the phone call for a split second. “Yes, sir. Everything’s fine. Can I do anything for you?” she asked, hoping he’d let her in on his problems or maybe she could overhear a phone conversation.

  “No, thank you. I’m going to be in my office going over the new software. If anyone calls, take a message.”

  “Will do, sir,” she said saluting him.

  Sitting in his office, he texted Christina to ask if it would be all right if he came by when he got off of work. She called him back and said that would be great, Kayla had been asking about him. Excited to go over to Christina’s house to see her and Kayla, he dove into his work to get as much done as possible. When his work was complete, he bid Tina goodbye as he made his way to the elevator. Once the doors closed, he began removing his tie as he slid his cell phone out of his pocket. Out in his truck, he called Tina to let her know that he was on his way.

  “Oh, Kayla has been asking about you like crazy!” Christina told him.

  “Do you think she likes me?”

  “Does she? I’ve not seen her this excited, ever. She’s been asking so many questions about you.”

  “What’d you tell her?” he asked, concerned what the questions might be.

  “Nothing. I told her that she’d have to ask you.”

  “What was she asking about me?” Chad said as he flipped on his turn signal.

  “She was asking me what you do for a living, where you live and if you have other kids.”

  He chuckled. “I guess I should’ve told her more about myself when I was there. We’ve certainly got a lot of catching up to do.”

  Christina was silent for a moment as she bit her lip. “Chad, I’ve got something to tell you.”

  Concerned by the tone in her voice, he asked what it was.

  “Well, I just…Never mind. It’s stupid.”

  “No, I want to know. What were you going to say?” he asked, looking over his shoulder to get on the freeway.

  “I…it’s been nice having you around. I know you’ve only been around for a short while, but Kayla has been so happy since she met you.”

  “That’s a good thing, right?” he asked.

  “It’s a magnificent thing. We’ll see you in a bit.”

  Back at home, Audrey began wondering if Chad was cheating on her, who it would be with. What man dodges his girlfriend, lies to her and puts distance in their relationship? The answer: a cheating man. Or possibly, one who wants to break up but doesn’t have the balls to do it. But why would he want to break up with her? They hadn’t argued at all since they got together. It seemed as though they always had a great time together; she certainly didn’t want to break up. She tried to imagine her life without Chad in it. It would be lonely and isolated, just as it had been before he came into her life. She felt a sharp jab right to the gut as the idea consumed her. Saddened by being lonely, she thought of her son.

  When Alex was alive, she was never lonely. She was also never bored. He kept both of them busy with karate classes, school activities and playing. She remembered how he always asked her to go in the backyard to play ball with him. Of course, being a single mom, she was always too busy to play ball with him. She’d give anyone of those days back. Missing him terribly, she went into his room and laid on his bed. She never changed his bedsheets and could still smell his scent. Inhaling deeply, she imagined him next to her. She longed to hold him just one more time.

  With everything going on with Chad, it didn’t help matters. Audrey could feel herself slipping away, little by little. As a fiend, she wished she could take one more hit. That one little hit, she knew, would lead to more drug usage. Alex’s two-year death anniversary was next month, in April. As she laid on his bed, holding his pillow, she perversely thought about joining him. For a second, she pictured him in his coffin and then pictured herself. She wondered how many people would come to the funeral and whether or not they’d put a picture of her son inside the casket with her. In addition to the portrait she’d drawn of Alex, she also placed a small picture of him and her together inside of his folded hands.

  I wonder if my family would bury me next to him. I’
m pretty sure the plot next to him was available. I wish that I would’ve prepaid for my plot so we could be by each other. Since I haven’t used in awhile, it wouldn’t take much to cause an overdose. One call to Danny could make it all end, and then, I’d be with my baby. The one I actually love. We would be together for all eternity. But what would Alex think of me? His death was a tragic accident that should’ve never happened. If he were alive, I would never contemplate suicide. I would live for him. And maybe I wouldn’t even be in this situation right now. If I could get inside Chad’s head and know what he’s thinking, maybe it would help me make my decision. No, because Alex would be so disappointed in me. Maybe if he saw me on the other side, he would know why I did it. He’d know how much I miss him. There was no doubt that he knew how much I loved him when he was alive.