The Billionaire's Hidden Heir

#4 - The Sweetest Little Thing

Lily

"A sweet coffee for the best mum in the whole wide world!" my lips broke out in a proud grin at the sound of that angelic voice, but when his words finally registered in my sleepy brain, I shot up to a sitting position, my eyes widening at Asher. "What are you doing making coffee?!" I barely kept from screaming as pictures of my sweet five-year-old nursing ugly burns assaulted my overprotective self. Thankfully, his grinning self still looked perfect as ever, standing at the foot of my bed holding out a small tray with a steaming hot mug on it.

"He made me do it and don't worry, I carried it over here for him." A familiar voice confessed, making me take the deepest breath as my eyes darted from Asher's proud grin to my early morning visitor.

"Oh thank God, Derby."

"Not that I'm complaining," Derby propped herself up on my bed, a grateful grin on her beautiful face. We'd been best of friends since the day I bumped into her at the airstrip when I got to Radiant Springs. After a comprehensive lecture about the ins and outs of the little town from her, she'd stuck in my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. "I just figured that with all the work you've been doing, a cup of coffee is the least offering I could give you."

"You know I'm not looking for offerings or anything like that because you, and Radiant Springs, have been more than good to me, but I could get used to this," I grinned, reaching for the mug. "You've always made one mean cup of hot goodness and you..." I smiled at Asher, feeling very grateful despite staring into those green eyes that made me a little sad at times. "You are the best son in the whole wide world."

My bed dipped before tiny hands wrapped around my neck. "I love you, mama Lily."

"What is this?" I placed my mug down and held on to my son. He just never called me mama Lily for nothing.

He pulled back and gave me the most intense gaze for his little human self before his bright smile broke out. "Love you, love you," he placed a kiss on my cheek and ran out of the room, leaving me feeling warm and confused.

"Did that just happen?" I turned to Derby and found her glassy eyed.

"I swear he's the sweetest little thing and gets sweeter every year." She sighed happily and she was so right. I couldn't imagine life without my boy.

"I don't know how I got that lucky to have him." I picked up my mug and sipped, swallowing it together with that familiar lump in my heart. "I don't how I got lucky with you both. And this is amazing as always, Derby." I gushed.

"It's kind of a celebratory drink too."

"You are getting married!" I exclaimed with mock enthusiasm, earning myself a scowl from the newest mayor of Radiant Springs.

"None of that, thankfully," Derby rolled her eyes, making me laugh. "I may have found the perfect organization to give us the grant needed to facelift Radiant Springs."

"Really?" I sipped more of my coffee and barely kept from moaning. "And how did you come up with that, you've been at it for so long I was beginning to think you'd give up."

"Oh ye of little faith." Derby got up from my bed and paced the carpeted floor in a manner she usually did in her little mayoral office. "I never break my word, so giving up was never an option, Lily. Thanks to our mystery donor, we've been able to hold on this far." I shifted on my bed, hoping Derby didn't notice my change in demeanour when she mentioned my little crime of covert kindness to Radiant Springs. The little town was fading in more ways than one. Residents like Derby, were fighting tooth and nail to save it, while the Dalton's couldn't wait for it to breathe its last breath before they could bring in some fancy investor to take it apart. I'd been secretly making donations to keep it afloat, the best I could do for the town which had become my home. And to keep from being made out, I'd done the bare minimum the image of a single mom like me could afford publicly. No one needed to know that I was now a six figure earning mom, silently supporting our struggling town's economy thanks to WonderGirl, my secret online persona I'd discovered just weeks of staying in Radiant Springs.

"Of course, because we both know the Dalton's will be more than happy to step in, which will be a nightmare for us all. Tell me about this opportunity." I gave Derby my full attention, hoping that would keep her from gushing about the mystery donor some more. It worked.

"It was the weirdest tip." she looked thoughtful for a second before grinning. "...but I'm glad it came through because who knows when our mystery donor decides enough is enough and we end up with no way of limping anymore?" I knew that wouldn't be happening anytime soon because there was so much more from where all those donations came from, but I agreed with her still. She reached for me and piped. "...so this is actually also good bye."

"Good bye?" I blinked at her announcement. I was all for her making this happen. I just didn't expect that she would up and leave right now. "At least tell me you'll be back in time for Asher's birthday party?" When Derby only shrugged, I shot her a warning look. "We are not having this party without his godmother."

"I know you love me, but let's not pretend that this is only about my god motherly duties."

"Fine." I huffed. "I still need my wing woman. I love Radiant Springs, but there are still parts of it I can't face alone." The Malone sisters for starters. God knew I loved those two old ladies, but I hated how they hounded me about Asher needing a father. It was the first question they had asked me when they came through to welcome me to the little town.

"Talking about needing back up and marriage...Warrick," Derby raised her almost perfect brow at me.

"God, don't start," I groaned. The guy was relentless in his pursuit of me and undeniably drop dead gorgeous, but he wasn't for me and neither was marriage.

"He's kind of cute." Derby cooed.

"And I'm so not available-"

"Not available or choose not to be?" my friend shot me a curious look. She still didn't know the whole story about my past life and why I still refused to attach myself to anyone. Guilt prickled at all the piled secrets I'd kept from her.

"Both. My heart only has room for Asher." I placed my now empty mug down and raised a brow at Derby. "You are equally single, so why don't you take him up?"

She only rolled her eyes. "Not my type. Besides the dude only has eyes for you. Always has from the day you both miraculously dropped into radiant springs. Its-"

"Please don't say it's fate." I groaned. I had stopped being a believer in that since- "You know what?" I kept my mind from wandering into those forgotten waters. "Why don't I make you breakfast instead, I bet you haven't eaten and I'm not about to let you travel on an empty stomach."

"Guilty." Derby grinned sheepishly. "I may not have slept either too."

"God, you poor thing." I dragged her to my bed. "How long do we have?"

"An hour before I'm officially late." Or before she passed out. I only noticed then that she'd hidden her lack of sleep behind a wall of make up.

"More than enough," I helped her out of her clothes and placed them neatly on my bedroom couch. Once she slipped off into dreamland, I reached for my phone and I tiptoed out of the bedroom. Once out in the short hallway, I switched it on, anticipation prickling as I pulled up my social media pages or more specifically WonderGirl's social media accounts as per my everyday early morning ritual. And as always, they did not disappoint. Notifications were overflowing on the last article I had posted, giving me more than the projected engagement I had promised WonderGirl's newest brand partner.

"@WonderGirl, Costume Kingdom needs a meet and greet."

My phone vibrated and I stared at WonderGirl's social media manager's text before hitting reply. Boris had only gotten the job because he'd been obsessed and was able to figure out who I was in reality. One day on the job, though, and I wondered how I had ever managed without him. And when WonderGirl kept growing in ways I had not expected, hiring Boris turned out to be the best decision I had made.

"You know that can't happen." I hit send. The three dots appeared almost instantly

"They are talking big figures and the longest brand partnership."

I bit my lips, thinking for a second. A new brand partnership on top of the current lucrative ones could make it possible for me to do more in less privileged communities, but if they couldn't work with me incognito, then my hands were tied. Radiant Springs was not the only place I didn't want anyone knowing about me even if the client insisted it would be behind closed doors.

"Still can't happen, you know that Boris." I could picture him frowning even if he understood why I preferred it this way.

"Guess that leaves me all on my own then."

"Go get 'em tiger." I added a thumbs up emoji which he would probably roll his eyes at.

"P.S. Hate to do this to you." I hit send knowing he would roll his eyes at that too because it was not true. But it wasn't my fault he was better at this side of things than I was.

When I didn't see those three dots appear, I sank back on the wall, thinking about how damned lucky I was to have come this far from the broke teary eyed, heart broken ex-wife who was about to become a single mom in a totally new place.

It had all started with a simple question on a post, written on a newly created social media profile in the middle of the night.

"What if you loved someone so much, but they didn't love you back...for years?"

I had wanted to write my heart out about Adrian that day, but I had logged out with the intention of deleting the page the very next day. I forgot about it for a whole two weeks. When I had logged back in, ready to erase everything, I was shocked to find the post had gotten more than fifty comments. People I did not know had poured their hearts out on the matter and I couldn't bring myself to trample on their trust by erasing what they had written down. Instead, I made a follow up post writing about my own hurt and my desire to leave it all behind. The post got more engagement than the first and that is how WonderGirl was born. When the first brand partner made their way into the inbox, I couldn't believe it.

I pulled up my e-mail account. It was not any different as it was overflowing with unread messages. More brands seeking partnerships. Shy individuals eager to tell me their stories in private. Fans and new followers wanting to appreciate me personally. I switched off the screen, deciding I would get to those later after feeding my dear friend.

"What in God's name?" I halted on my way to my small kitchen, eyes trained through the window to a familiar figure sneaking around outside. I couldn't help but divert from my breakfast mission again. Stepping out of my house, I half walked, half ran to my garage and made it before the person could lock themselves in.

"What are you-" I stopped in my tracks, eyes widening when I realized why the person I was meant to trust the most had been sneaking around.

"Miss Lily?" Benji squeaked while he hid something behind them. I didn't care about that though, because something much worse towered in front of me.

I stared at the big box barely fitting in my mini garage and sighed. "What am I going to do with you, Wallace?" I may not have seen Asher's great grandfather since I left Adrian, but the man had never missed a single day of mine and my son's lives. The birthdays were the worst. "Did you tell him I don't have space for all this?" I glared at Benji, my only contact with the older Frost.

The man looked apologetic and I wanted to bite his head off, but I knew it wasn't his fault. "I may have let Asher's birthday wishes spill..." Benji confessed. So it was his fault after all.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Benji..."

"He's a Frost, ma'am-"

"He's a Summer." I furiously pulled at the impossibly big bow on the present, hating how increasingly difficult it was becoming to keep insisting my son was who he was not. "I can't even give any of these away without raising all the eyebrows in Radiant Springs." I'd hoped for a low key life, but Wallace made that almost impossible with all his gifts that never stopped. Not to mention the other thing that had made me a billionaire in my own right. I never wanted any of it, choosing to stand on my feet which I could with WonderGirl, but Wallace was, well, Wallace. The sweetest old man one could never say no to.

The only plus was the fact that he'd stuck to his word. He'd kept himself and Adrian away and to the outside world, my son did not exist, leaving us to truly have the normalcy of a family as unconventional as it was. I was grateful for that.

"Will getting him to see Asher make him stop?" I couldn't believe I was even asking that. "Or maybe a call or something?"

"The old man has been waiting for all that, but is that what you want?"

What I wanted? I kept staring at what Benji had delivered from wallace, that deep hurt making itself known. I should have healed by now. I should have forgotten about Adrian, but it was hard when I had to look into his face every moment of everyday, because that was what Asher was, a spitting image of his father that had inspired countless nightmares where Adrian took my precious baby away from me. I sighed. "Of course not, but you are right, he is a Frost and I can't keep him away from Wallace forever." I wished I could though.