Expecting my Billionaire Stepbrother's Baby (a Stepbrother Romance Novel) by Emilia Beaumont Page B
Authors: Emilia Beaumont
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pedestrian traffic and kept my eyes locked onto the back of Christine’s head. She was nearing the end of the street and took a right onto Balmoral Drive.
I picked up speed, easy to do when I was wearing flats, then slowed as I peeked around the corner. For a split-second I thought I’d lost her, but then a flash of her bright turquoise scarf in the distance caught my eye. I tailed her for almost ten minutes; I fully expected to lose her if she jumped into a taxi but was surprised when she didn’t and continued on, not even stopping to have a nose in the posh storefronts she passed.
Abruptly Christine turned, disappearing into a restaurant with an open terrace facing the affluent street. I slowed my approach and stopped a couple of stores down from the restaurant, which was called Riviera. Maybe she’d been telling the truth after all and was only meeting some friends for lunch?
I stayed to make sure. Hoping she’d emerge, perhaps to sit on the open terrace, I pretended to be waiting for someone and hid behind a bulbous fake ornamental plant outside a quaint boutique.
Leah’s eyes fluttered shut as I rocked her back and forth in her pram. Time slowed to a crawl, and I could feel the security guard from within the little well-to-do shop giving me the stink eye. I smiled sweetly at him and continued to glance from side to side, keeping up my pretence.
This had been silly, I thought. What had I expected to see? Christine was obviously having lunch in the restaurant like she’d said. But I needed to get closer to be positive, even though doing so would risk her seeing me.
With my mind made up, I took an encouraging breath, whirled the stroller around the potted plant and began closing the distance towards the restaurant.
All of a sudden, Christine emerged from Riviera, the door held open by a handsome man. Arm in arm they made their way out of the little terrace and onto the street.
I stopped in my tracks, and a couple of people behind me grunted their displeasure, swerving around me like water flowing around a boulder. There was enough ambient noise on the street, though, to drown out any of their annoyance that might have travelled down towards Christine and her friend .
I didn’t really think anything of their friendly embrace. The man with the full beard and expensive-looking attire could’ve been anyone, until he took Christine’s face in his hands. I scooted the pram into the alcove of the nearest shop and watched, my mouth agape.
That was definitely not a friend. They kissed long and hard near the edge of the curb, for all to see, as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
The bearded man, once they’d come up for air, flagged down a passing taxi and laughing, giggling at each other, they got in and were soon out of sight.
I blinked and shook my head. That, I had not been expecting. What on earth was I going to tell Drake? And should I tell him? Christine was obviously deceiving him, for what purpose I did not know, but could I tell him? I knew the right thing to do would be to let him know, but the hurt it would cause him pained me.
Yet spite filled my belly. He’d chosen to give her another chance after all. Perhaps I should wait for him to find out for himself.
Feeling a little dazed and at a loss at what to do, I strolled back to the apartment, taking the scenic route in an attempt to clear my head. A doorman opened the heavy glass doors for me, and I pushed the carriage into the cool interior of the lobby and towards the bank of elevators. Before I could figure out how to call for one – there were no buttons down here, unlike up in the apartment, only key card slots – a voice behind me called for my attention.
“Miss?” It was a man in a crisp suit and tie. “Is someone expecting you?”
I shook my head. “I live here, in the penthouse,” I replied and foolishly pointed up with my index finger, but his squinting eyes told me he didn’t believe me. “I’m Drake’s, I mean Mr
I picked up speed, easy to do when I was wearing flats, then slowed as I peeked around the corner. For a split-second I thought I’d lost her, but then a flash of her bright turquoise scarf in the distance caught my eye. I tailed her for almost ten minutes; I fully expected to lose her if she jumped into a taxi but was surprised when she didn’t and continued on, not even stopping to have a nose in the posh storefronts she passed.
Abruptly Christine turned, disappearing into a restaurant with an open terrace facing the affluent street. I slowed my approach and stopped a couple of stores down from the restaurant, which was called Riviera. Maybe she’d been telling the truth after all and was only meeting some friends for lunch?
I stayed to make sure. Hoping she’d emerge, perhaps to sit on the open terrace, I pretended to be waiting for someone and hid behind a bulbous fake ornamental plant outside a quaint boutique.
Leah’s eyes fluttered shut as I rocked her back and forth in her pram. Time slowed to a crawl, and I could feel the security guard from within the little well-to-do shop giving me the stink eye. I smiled sweetly at him and continued to glance from side to side, keeping up my pretence.
This had been silly, I thought. What had I expected to see? Christine was obviously having lunch in the restaurant like she’d said. But I needed to get closer to be positive, even though doing so would risk her seeing me.
With my mind made up, I took an encouraging breath, whirled the stroller around the potted plant and began closing the distance towards the restaurant.
All of a sudden, Christine emerged from Riviera, the door held open by a handsome man. Arm in arm they made their way out of the little terrace and onto the street.
I stopped in my tracks, and a couple of people behind me grunted their displeasure, swerving around me like water flowing around a boulder. There was enough ambient noise on the street, though, to drown out any of their annoyance that might have travelled down towards Christine and her friend .
I didn’t really think anything of their friendly embrace. The man with the full beard and expensive-looking attire could’ve been anyone, until he took Christine’s face in his hands. I scooted the pram into the alcove of the nearest shop and watched, my mouth agape.
That was definitely not a friend. They kissed long and hard near the edge of the curb, for all to see, as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
The bearded man, once they’d come up for air, flagged down a passing taxi and laughing, giggling at each other, they got in and were soon out of sight.
I blinked and shook my head. That, I had not been expecting. What on earth was I going to tell Drake? And should I tell him? Christine was obviously deceiving him, for what purpose I did not know, but could I tell him? I knew the right thing to do would be to let him know, but the hurt it would cause him pained me.
Yet spite filled my belly. He’d chosen to give her another chance after all. Perhaps I should wait for him to find out for himself.
Feeling a little dazed and at a loss at what to do, I strolled back to the apartment, taking the scenic route in an attempt to clear my head. A doorman opened the heavy glass doors for me, and I pushed the carriage into the cool interior of the lobby and towards the bank of elevators. Before I could figure out how to call for one – there were no buttons down here, unlike up in the apartment, only key card slots – a voice behind me called for my attention.
“Miss?” It was a man in a crisp suit and tie. “Is someone expecting you?”
I shook my head. “I live here, in the penthouse,” I replied and foolishly pointed up with my index finger, but his squinting eyes told me he didn’t believe me. “I’m Drake’s, I mean Mr
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