The Billionaire's Baby (The Romero Brothers, Book 5) Read online

  THE BILLIONAIRE’S BABY

  (THE ROMERO BROTHERS, BOOK 5)

  Shadonna Richards

  Copyright 2014 by Shadonna Richards

  Author Contact:

  Website: www.ShadonnaRichards.blogspot.com

  Email: [email protected]

  Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/AuthorShadonnaRichards

  Twitter: @Shadonna

  Cover by Keri Knutson

  All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thank you, God, for all my blessings. To my cherished son and husband for your unconditional love. With gratitude to my family and friends for your endless support. To Solomon, Jermaine, Merdella, Nesitta, Monica, and Percell. To my editor M.M. for always being brilliant. To M.H. and K.D. for your wonderful support.

  THE BILLIONAIRE’S BABY (THE ROMERO BROTHERS, BOOK 5)

  Pregnant and alone, Amber Johnson-Murray, aka “Miss Always-Careful,” never in her life thought she’d end up single while expecting a child. After leaving an emotionally abusive relationship, she has sworn off men until further notice. That is, until she bumps into an old friend, hot and delicious property developer, Jules Romero. The baby growing inside her is a precious miracle. But how can she control the feelings growing inside her for too-hot-to-handle Jules?

  High-flying billionaire Jules Romero is determined to bury himself in his work acquiring properties after suffering injuries from a near-fatal accident, but meeting up with sweet Amber has thrown a kink in his plans. Though Amber is determined to keep the identity of her baby’s real father a secret, he wants nothing more than to take care of Amber and her child.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “My God, Jules, I thought you were dead!” Dr. Alonso Romero uttered to his athletic, carefree brother Jules as he lay on the hospital bed. Alonso’s voice rang with authority as he spoke to his younger sibling. “Do you know how lucky you are to even be breathing? When I saw that video of the ski-a-thon on YouTube, I panicked and called Granddad. Took the first flight in from Haiti.”

  “Thanks, bro,” Jules said, grinding his teeth to ease the pain as he clutched the side of his ribs where the incision was. Pain shot through him as he propped himself up on the bed. Even though Alonso and Jules were only two years apart, Alonso was always the protective brother. Jules was glad Alonso flew in to see him considering his medical guru brother was often busy managing operations at one of his international clinics. In fact, Jules was overwhelmed the whole Romero clan stopped by to see him despite their hectic schedules. The room was filled with family members, several of his brothers and his grandfather along with his wife. Just goes to show how really important it was to have family by your side when you’re at your lowest, or heck, when you’re vulnerable.

  “I appreciate you being here,” Jules continued, “but, honestly, I don’t feel so lucky to be alive, right now.” And that was the truth. He felt a jolt of agonizing electricity shoot through his bones. That darn morphine was wearing off too fast for his liking. His tolerance for pain was usually high but not in this case. The impact his body took as he collided on the ski slope was damaging in more ways than one.

  The hospital room door flung open and Dion, his other brother, bolted through. “Those damn reporters!”

  “What’s wrong now?” Jules asked, trying to keep his cool.

  “They’re everywhere. They’re like bugs, in your face, annoying the crap out of you!” Dion announced, leaving a Starbucks grande coffee on Jules’s bedside table. “One of the cleaning staff just told me an undercover reporter tried to pay her for some inside information about your progress.”

  “That’s disgusting,” Grandpa Toni Romero rebuked. The old man’s lips were pinched into a thin line. He was seated near the window beside his considerably younger wife, Shelly.

  Toni then waved his cane in the air. “I bet they’re from one of those darn gossip rags. You can’t trust anyone these days. They’ll sell you out for the right price. Good thing we have twenty-four-seven security outside your door, Jules. We Romeros can’t be too careful, as you know.”

  “Grandpa, I don’t need security outside my door,” Jules replied with potency, heat rushing through his blood. The last thing Jules needed was to feel like some helpless cripple. “Please tell ‘em to go away. I can take care of myself!”

  “Take care of yourself? You mean, like you did out there on the ski slope?” Toni argued, arching a brow over his round-rimmed glasses. “Don’t tell me you don’t need security, grandson. We don’t need to take any more chances. Why do you and your brothers have to be so stubborn at times? Look what we’ve been through in the past with invasion of our privacy by the press.”

  “It’s okay, Gramps, let it rest,” Jules attempted to pacify. He loved his old man to bits and would throw himself under a bus to save his life but sometimes, he could be a bit much. He was beginning to wonder if he should have limited the number of visitors in his room. How the heck was he supposed to recover with all this fussing and commotion?

  “Okay? No, it’s not okay, Jules,” Toni continued. “My God! Why does the media have to be up in our business around the clock? Can’t we even get sick in peace?”

  Zack, Jules’s brother who owned the Romero Winery and Vineyard, cleared his throat after unsuccessfully suppressing a chuckle. “Oh, Granddad, you’re always the same,” Zack commented. He knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of Granddad’s strongly-worded chastising when a scandalous sex-tape from Zack’s ex threatened to surface and ruin his nomination for a prestigious winery of the year award not so long ago.

  Jules glanced out the enormous window viewing the white clouds against the blue sky and scenic garden outside with a breathtaking view of the hills of the town known as Mayberry Hill. His grandfather Toni had donated millions to upgrade the medical facility, especially the flourishing garden to make it enchanting for patients who could do no more than stare out the window while they convalesce in bed.

  The Romeros might be known to be enterprising jet-setters from the real estate arena to the corporate boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies but when it came to their own blood and supporting one another, family was first. Each and every time. They were tight as an intricately woven rope and never forgot where they came from in their youth when they had nothing but literally the clothes on their backs and hope in their hearts.

  Good thing Jules’s private hospital room was massive in space. Seated around his bedside were Shelly and Toni, his grandfather and patriarch of the Romero dynasty, and his brothers Dion and Carl, the recently elected—and youngest—mayor of Mayberry Hill who stopped by from City Hall to see how Jules was doing today. Lucas, his other brother and founder of the renowned Healthy Start software, had showed up earlier that morning.

  The surgeon, Dr. Adeem, suspended the two-visitors-only policy for a day since Jules was improving. He was already three days post-op.

  The fresh pine scent of hospital disinfectant filled the air. The soft beeping of Jules’s monitor could be heard faintly since the overhead pagers were going crazy outside the room as doctors were being summoned.

  “I don’t know what I would have done with myself, Jules, if we’d lost you,” Toni softened his tone slightly. “If you ever pull that stunt again, I
’ll make sure you live to regret it.”

  Jules grinned. “If I ever pull that stunt again, Gramps, I won’t live to regret it. I’d probably be dead!”

  Toni smiled but his eyes were misty and filled with pain. Jules knew his old man had been through so much tragedy and heartache in his life as it was. He knew his grandfather wanted nothing more than the best for his grandsons whom he’d help raise when he learned about their existence in their teens.

  The brothers often took part in the annual ski-a-thon to raise tons of dough for underprivileged kids so they could go to school and be able to afford not only supplies, but the basics like food and shelter for their families. The event was sponsored by one of many of Jules’s privately-owned companies, R.M. Fitness Centers. But something had gone terribly wrong when Jules lost his balance—something that had never happened before. Long story short, Jules crashed hard and the rest was a blur. He’d blacked out and woke up post-op. But that wasn’t all there was to it.

  Dr. Adeem also delivered some awful news to him. Jules couldn’t bring himself to tell his family just yet. He didn’t want to hurt them any further.

  At least his family—as much as he wanted to be alone right now—was taking his mind off his real problem. His own private hell.

  Zack glanced at his buzzing cell phone and answered it.

  “Now aren’t you supposed to have that thing switched off?” Toni rebuked Zack. “I don’t want anything messing with the equipment in here.”

  Jules tried to resist the urge to chuckle. Besides, he would have to “guard” his rib cage if he did. “Granddad, it’s fine for cell phones to be turned on in here. It’s a medical surgical inpatient floor so it’s okay.”

  Toni growled. “Very well, then. I just wish you boys would leave business alone for a change. It’s family time now. You’ll raise your blood pressure working around the clock.”

  Zack dramatically placed his hand over his heart, feigning a crushed heart.

  “And speaking of family…” Toni continued.

  “Oh, boy, here we go again.” Dion rolled his eyes and shook his head.

  “I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Family is so vital. Jules, you almost lost your life out there and just to think, if anything had happened to you and you didn’t have us here, what would you do? Who would take care of you or visit you and comfort you?”

  Jules thought about it for a moment. “But I’ve got you, Gramps.”

  “Very funny, Jules. You keep putting off settling down, and look. Look what almost happened to you. Heaven forbid, but you would have no companion to leave behind to mourn your passing or no little ones to carry on your legacy.”

  Jules felt his breath halt. Heaviness centered on his chest and it had nothing to do with the morphine that had just worn off. His gut clenched so hard he felt his muscle pull.

  Loneliness hurt like hell.

  Having crushed bones was painful, but nothing compared to the pain of feeling lonely.

  His grandfather was right, wasn’t he? As much as Jules hated to admit it. He looked around the room and saw the content looks on his brothers’ faces. Though his brothers and he vowed they would never marry—at least not until they were well into middle age, he saw how happy Lucas was with Maxine and Zack, oh, Zack the lady’s man, finally settled down with a loving wife, Blue. And Carl was now happily wed to Venus. Jules was beginning to feel left out.

  When all was said and done, family was number one, but what about when he, as an adult, went home—alone. They all had their own families to tend to. Jules wouldn’t want to seem like a burden to anyone or heaven forbid—in the way. Of course, they would never purposely make him feel that way. But he was a man with his pride.

  Everything’s all good and done when you’re up and about. But what about someone to care for and reciprocate that feeling? Heck, just being in love could do wonders for your health. He dated a lot of beautiful women but he never wanted anything more serious in those relationships. Then again, he hadn’t met anyone he’d want to be serious with. None who came to mind at the moment—except Amber Johnson-Murray, a friend of Carl’s wife. Yeah, Amber was real nice. Only trouble was she was prim and proper so he didn’t get too far with her—then again, he alerted her up front he wasn’t into permanent relationships. But she probably moved on by now.

  How lucky his brothers were to have found “the one.” The question was, would Jules ever find “the one” before it was too late?

  Just then, the door swung open. “Hi, Jules, it’s time for your session today. Is now a good time for you?” the shy physiotherapist queried as she entered the room. Beside her was the occupational therapist. They’d come to see how he was doing and to help him to manage himself in his day-to-day activities as part of his discharge plan.

  “Sure,” Jules said.

  “We’ll be out in the hallway, okay, bro?” Dion said for his brothers as the men proceeded to give him space.

  “Sure, no probs. Granddad, you don’t have to leave.”

  “Nonsense, you do what you have to do. Shelly and I will be outside in the waiting area.” His grandfather had his young wife, wife number five, on his arm as he made his way out of the room. Shelly was great and she was also a nurse, so she had been extra supportive when all this happened.

  “It’s nice to have a big family like that,” Deana, the OT, told him.

  “Yeah, when they’re not a big pain in the butt,” he joked, and he shifted himself on the side of the bed, the way they had showed him earlier.

  “Good, Jules. You’re doing well.”

  Jules appreciated Deana cheering him on. But he wasn’t used to this one bit. He was strong, independent and could bench press two hundred pounds of iron weights with little effort. Heck, why was he feeling like such a dead weight? Man, being unwell didn’t suit him a darn. He would do everything in his power to never end up like that again. Still, he would also never take anything again for granted thinking he was invincible. He should have taken his time on the slopes. Even if it was for a good cause. He was showing off his sports prowess a bit if he was honest with himself. Well, that would teach him.

  After his session, Jules sat in a chair alone in his hospital room. Dr. Adeem entered and commented, “You’re a healthy man, Jules. Healthy and wealthy.”

  “Excuse me?” Jules could not believe his ears.

  “I’m not referring to being wealthy, money wise, Jules. I’m talking about your family.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Well, I’ve had patients before who have a lot of money but no visitors, outside of maybe the help.”

  “Oh?”

  “Well, they were very lonely, Jules. Don’t take it for granted, those nice guys are surrounding you with positive energy and lots of love. I find in my practice having an abundance of love and support can make a difference. More often than not.”

  “I hear you.”

  “There are patients I’ve had in the past who have told me they would trade all the money in the world they possessed to have someone visit them in hospital as they sat there alone with no one to care about them. If you have family and close friends who love you and support you—count yourself richly blessed.” Dr. Adeem smiled. He looked young in the face but his graying hair revealed his age—and wisdom.

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

  Dr. Adeem smiled but Jules knew what else was coming. “Now, as I spoke to you before, there were some complications as a result of your injuries.”

  “I know.”

  “Have you done anything to…?”

  “Listen, I haven’t spoken to my family about my…situation so I would appreciate it if you didn’t say anything.”

  “I’d never do that, Jules. Even though your brother and I have worked together, it would be a breach of patient-doctor confidentiality.”

  “Thanks.” Jules fought to swallow that gelatinous lump stuck in his throat. “So you’re saying I may not ever have kids because of m
y…injury from the accident?”

  “Well, not quite. But it could be risky. We’ll do the surgery I spoke to you about as an outpatient but the chances are fifty-fifty of it being successful. You know, having biological children is only one way to be a parent if you ever want to-”

  “I know,” Jules cut him off, and emotion subsequently climbed in his throat. He came across more curt than he intended. But he was a true Romero. Romero men didn’t do weakness and all that other stuff.

  His mind ran on Lucas and Maxine and their cute daughter Mary-Louise and his cousin Antonio’s son Alexander and how they were adding to the branches of the family tree.

  The family tree.

  The Romero bloodline.

  Jules felt a sudden onset of nausea. Damn, he never cared about having kids before. Heck, marriage wasn’t ever on his mind before. But just knowing now that there was a possibility that he may never even have that choice tore a hole in his gut.

  How could a woman want to be with him if he couldn’t give her—an heir, a child?

  No. Don’t jump the gun, Jules. Doc didn’t write you off just yet. You’re not out till the end. And it’s nowhere near the end.

  “Jules, I know it may be hard now but the best thing to do for your full recovery is to get back to life. You don’t want to sink yourself into a depressive state. Not that you would, but as I tell all my patients, it’s best to focus on things that bring us contentment.”

  Jules drew in a deep breath. “Right. I know what I have to do, doc.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Oh, don’t worry. When I’m good and ready, I will have kids.” Jules didn’t know how it was going to happen but Romero men never accepted defeat. Ever. Where there’s a Romero, there’s a way. Period. “So when can we schedule this…surgery?”

  “Well, it can be done in a few weeks. I’ll talk with imaging first. We need to do another ultrasound. Then we’ll get you to see a reproductive urologist.”