Her Billionaire Secret Part 3: An Alpha Billionaire Romance by Jenna Chase, Elise Kelby Page A
Authors: Jenna Chase, Elise Kelby
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will never revisit.” She said the words softly. It hurt to even make a reference to those days. She couldn’t even go there for Tevis, no matter how much she loved him.
“Come here,” he said gently as he opened his arms to her.
She walked into the comfort that he offered without hesitation, realising this may be the last time.
As he wrapped his arms tightly around her, he dipped his head to hers and whispered quietly. “You made me a promise that you’d stay. You promised Ellie you’d take her wedding photographs. We need you Claire Bretton. I need you. I’m not letting you go anywhere—we can sort this out.”
No, you can’t. This is too difficult, even for you.
***
TEVIS
He’d left Claire resting on the bed. He knew she was feigning sleep but it suited him to be able to leave her alone for a while. He had things to sort out, the first being a conversation with someone who knew about Fay Tyler.
Tevis took a seat at the kitchen table and watched as Josie made them both a coffee.
“How are the wedding arrangements going?”
“Fine, all going to plan.” She placed his coffee in front of him, took the seat opposite, and picked up her notebook to study it. "Most of the deliveries are arriving during the early hours of the morning and the caterers will be here at around the same time. Ellie’s parents moved into the second-floor guest room late last night.”
Tevis smiled at his housekeeper. “Efficient as always, Josie. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’d manage,” she grinned, “but not as well as you do now.”
Tevis laughed and took a mouthful of his coffee.
Josie continued, “The only potential problem is this issue with Citrus Gem Magazine. If it gets out of hand, we could be surrounded by paparazzi within hours. And if any of our arrangements slip we could provide them with a front row seat to the wedding.”
Tevis frowned. “That’s what I want to talk to you about. Claire wants to leave. She says it will become a hellhole when the news gets out that Fay Tyler is staying here.”
“She’s right,” Josie sighed. “The press won’t leave her alone.”
“I don’t know anything about the story, Claire won’t discuss it. I remember Kathryn Tyler and that she died in a car crash, but I know nothing about the events surrounding it. I need to know more so I can handle this.”
“Most of it was gossip and rumour, and I don’t like repeating it. Kathryn Tyler was an icon, stunningly beautiful and a talented actress. Her death was tragic and all the more so for Claire.” Josie looked down at her coffee and remained silent for about a minute. Tevis watched the emotions running across her face but didn’t say a word.
“Fay Tyler won an Oscar for her role in her mother’s last film but of course, she’d vanished by then. Fay—your Claire—out-acted everyone else in that film, including her mother.”
“I’ve never seen it.”
“You should, it would help you understand. I have a copy if you’d like to borrow it.”
“Yes, I’d like to,” he responded. He wouldn’t watch it yet but when this all settled down he knew he wanted to see what the young Claire had been like. What she’d given up. “Do you know what happened to Claire—why she vanished?”
“No, not really. I can understand why she did.” Josie looked at Tevis sadly, “The press hounded her. She was fifteen years old and she was the last person to see her mother alive.” Josie pushed her cooling coffee to one side. “Tevis, it got so bad an injunction was taken out to keep the press away from her. The major offender at the time was Citrus Gem Magazine—they later had a huge fine imposed on them for the invasion of privacy.”
“And now they want their pound of flesh?”
Josie nodded.
“I know you don’t want to talk about the rumour and gossip, Josie, but why were they harassing Kathryn Tyler’s family.”
Josie’s eyes were damp and a single tear ran down her
“Come here,” he said gently as he opened his arms to her.
She walked into the comfort that he offered without hesitation, realising this may be the last time.
As he wrapped his arms tightly around her, he dipped his head to hers and whispered quietly. “You made me a promise that you’d stay. You promised Ellie you’d take her wedding photographs. We need you Claire Bretton. I need you. I’m not letting you go anywhere—we can sort this out.”
No, you can’t. This is too difficult, even for you.
***
TEVIS
He’d left Claire resting on the bed. He knew she was feigning sleep but it suited him to be able to leave her alone for a while. He had things to sort out, the first being a conversation with someone who knew about Fay Tyler.
Tevis took a seat at the kitchen table and watched as Josie made them both a coffee.
“How are the wedding arrangements going?”
“Fine, all going to plan.” She placed his coffee in front of him, took the seat opposite, and picked up her notebook to study it. "Most of the deliveries are arriving during the early hours of the morning and the caterers will be here at around the same time. Ellie’s parents moved into the second-floor guest room late last night.”
Tevis smiled at his housekeeper. “Efficient as always, Josie. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’d manage,” she grinned, “but not as well as you do now.”
Tevis laughed and took a mouthful of his coffee.
Josie continued, “The only potential problem is this issue with Citrus Gem Magazine. If it gets out of hand, we could be surrounded by paparazzi within hours. And if any of our arrangements slip we could provide them with a front row seat to the wedding.”
Tevis frowned. “That’s what I want to talk to you about. Claire wants to leave. She says it will become a hellhole when the news gets out that Fay Tyler is staying here.”
“She’s right,” Josie sighed. “The press won’t leave her alone.”
“I don’t know anything about the story, Claire won’t discuss it. I remember Kathryn Tyler and that she died in a car crash, but I know nothing about the events surrounding it. I need to know more so I can handle this.”
“Most of it was gossip and rumour, and I don’t like repeating it. Kathryn Tyler was an icon, stunningly beautiful and a talented actress. Her death was tragic and all the more so for Claire.” Josie looked down at her coffee and remained silent for about a minute. Tevis watched the emotions running across her face but didn’t say a word.
“Fay Tyler won an Oscar for her role in her mother’s last film but of course, she’d vanished by then. Fay—your Claire—out-acted everyone else in that film, including her mother.”
“I’ve never seen it.”
“You should, it would help you understand. I have a copy if you’d like to borrow it.”
“Yes, I’d like to,” he responded. He wouldn’t watch it yet but when this all settled down he knew he wanted to see what the young Claire had been like. What she’d given up. “Do you know what happened to Claire—why she vanished?”
“No, not really. I can understand why she did.” Josie looked at Tevis sadly, “The press hounded her. She was fifteen years old and she was the last person to see her mother alive.” Josie pushed her cooling coffee to one side. “Tevis, it got so bad an injunction was taken out to keep the press away from her. The major offender at the time was Citrus Gem Magazine—they later had a huge fine imposed on them for the invasion of privacy.”
“And now they want their pound of flesh?”
Josie nodded.
“I know you don’t want to talk about the rumour and gossip, Josie, but why were they harassing Kathryn Tyler’s family.”
Josie’s eyes were damp and a single tear ran down her
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