The Billionaire's Hidden Heir

#23 - A New Neighbour

Lily

"I knew it! The witch!" Derby sneered, on the other end of the call. Eager to hear how my dinner date went with Adrian, she'd called earlier than usual, apologizing for waking me while demanding for the juicy details. I didn't admit to not seeing a wink of sleep since Adrian dropped me off last night. I chose to tell her the reason why, though, or one of the reasons anyway.

"So, what, is the engagement ring like from some guy or is she depraved enough to buy one for herself just to make you jealous?"

Jealous? If that was what Courtney had been aiming for, she failed miserably, because with Adrian, it was never about that. It was about so much more. I shook my head and sighed at both Derby's question and my own thoughts. "Honestly? I don't know. Didn't ask." The question had lingered on my lips, but also had the picture of Courtney and Adrian naked at the Mirage. Courtney's announcement too which bound them forever. Even if the engagement ring was not his and they were not together anymore, they had their son or daughter between them.

"Do you need me to come over?" Derby asked, the concern in her voice letting me know she'd drop everything, get my son and rush here.

"I don't think I'm ready to face Asher just yet." I admitted. I knew my son would be ecstatic about anything I had to say about my time with his father and I wouldn't blame him, because despite everything, last night had turned out to be quite fun. And if I was being completely honest, it was perfect. The other reason I hadn't been able to sleep. Cassandra had done wonders with the Grand Hall. The idea of escaping our everyday reality to experience a night of enchantment and nostalgia was brilliant.

Initially, the thought of taking on a role of an ancient maiden being pursued by a noble lord had seemed silly, but once I got into it, my troubles dimmed, leaving me diving into the experience, enjoying the night and for the first time, my head and my heart were lagging in the department of keeping my emotions in check. I didn't blame them, though, because Adrian had been that guy again— charming and a dangerous temptation for my heart.

"Later then?" Derby's question jolted me out of my thoughts. "Say drinks at the Cozy Cask? Stella is demanding for a girl's night out."

"Stella is home?" Grateful for the shift in topic, I asked after the younger wild Finnegan sister who swore she loved Radiant Springs but was just not a small town girl at heart and had moved away. Derby was convinced it had everything to do with a broken heart. Stella had neither denied nor accepted the accusation.

"She is." Derby answered "For a couple of days and wants to make the most of it."

I laughed at the disbelief in Derby's tone. "You know you could just ask her if it bothers you so much."

My best friend just sighed. "Did once. It became something short of an interrogation when she didn't break. I dropped it, hoping she would trust me enough some day."

"Or we could simply get her drunk. That should help with the confession." I offered, trying to lighten the mood. I knew how hard it was for Derby to swallow that 'lack of trust' from her sister when strangers like me had welcomed that rare caring quality she offered freely in Radiant Springs.

"Problem with that plan is," Derby chuckled. "We'd both be wasted before Stella ever got to feel the initial effects of alcohol in her system and she'd have us confessing to our deepest darkest misdeeds."

"You are probably right." I mused over the thought, shaking my head when countless things I could end up confessing to crossed my mind. Things about Adrian Frost. "I'll have Benji watch Asher so it's a date." Or Adrian could. My mind suggested, but I quickly shoved the thought away because that would require seeing my ex-husband. I didn't want to see Adrian. The flutter in my chest proved it.

"Great! I was hoping that we could squeeze a celebration in there too?" I pictured Derby expectant while she said that.

"It's not like there was ever a choice for me to say no." I grumbled before a smile crept into my voice, making Derby squeal.

"I owe you one," she said, her gratitude evident.

"No need. I'm glad to do this for you and Radiant Springs." I told Adrian as much and he had promised on being professional. I'd laughed at the word knowing there was less than a thin line between that and things getting personal with him even if it was work. Last night proved that point when every gaze, touch, smile seemed to mean much more than they should have. I still felt the imprint of his warm hand on my back from the intense dance we shared last night. I barely kept from moaning at the intense feelings the simple memory unearthed.

I jolted from my reverie when my door bell rang, my heart thundering in my chest at the thought of it being Adrian. "Someone's at the door, can I call you back?" I asked Derby.

"No need," she replied. "We are about to head off to school with Asher anyway. See you later."

"Thanks for doing this, Derby," I said, but the line was already dead. That was Derby's way of saying she didn't need me thanking her each time she did something for her godson. I smiled at that, but nerves quickly took over as I headed to the door, the thought of seeing Adrian again flipping everything in my stomach. When the ringing became insistent, the bundle of nerves tightened. What was his problem? I felt a prickle of annoyance as I swung the door open, ready to ask him just that. It wasn't my ex-husband at the door, though. Was that disappointment I felt suddenly?

"Margaret," I greeted, opening the door wider for my beaming next door neighbour.

"Good morning, my dear!" The older woman chirped, her strides into my house screaming 'woman on a mission'.

"Is everything okay?" Judging by how bright she was, everything had to be fine, but asking her why she was visiting this early sounded rude.

Margaret's eyes twinkled. "Everything is just perfect for a cup of tea with your delicious muffins."

"Oh," A guilty smile escaped my lips. I should have dropped by her house yesterday. In my defence, my day had been pretty full. "You know you didn't have to go to so much trouble just for these. I would have brought them over to you and spared you the walk."

"It's no trouble at all, dear." Margaret waved me away. "I simply don't want to be late."

I frowned at her. "Late? For what?" A doctor's appointment or something?

"Being the very first to welcome our new neighbour, of course," The older woman said, smoothing out invisible crinkles in her attire. Was that a new dress?

"A new neighbour?" I stared at her. "You hate neighbours, especially new ones."

"I'm here, aren't I?" The Malone twin rolled her eyes.

"I'm the exception," I argued. "...because well-" my gaze went to the bowl I'd deliberately filled up with muffins, reminding me of the very first day I walked over to the Malone's door to introduce myself. Hoping to make a good impression, I carried a bowl of muffins. It turned out to be the best decision to get on my the then grumpy twin neighbours' good side. The verdict of me being a worthy neighbour was granted after a taste.

"The fact that he's very handsome doesn't hurt either." Margaret blushed, sparking my curiosity.

"You know what, why don't I help you with these?" I held on to the bowl and shooed her out. If someone had told me that I would one day turn into this nosy neighbour, I would've laughed. But here I was, eager to get to the bottom of Margaret's mysterious new admirer. It was the perfect distraction from my own tangled emotions.

Glad to still be in my PJs when the cold chill of the morning air hit, I hurried after Margaret through the adjoining garden gate to our yards, my curiosity piquing at how eager she seemed. I expected that once in her yard, we'd go through her house, exit the front door to one of the houses down the street. I was left frowning instead when she headed towards a similar garden gate that adjoined her yard with Beatrice's on the other end of the fence.

"The new neighbour is here—"

"Oh, shush, dear," Margaret cut me off, her gaze going over the fence while a grin broke out on her face.

We were here to spy? I shot my neighbour a disapproving look. "Spying is not exactly welcoming a neighbour," I whisper-yelled, but the woman merely pulled me along, forcing me to look over the fence too. I wanted to admonish Margaret some more, but I froze when I saw who was on the other side.

Adrian?

My eyes went wide when they landed on my ex-husband. A very shirtless ex-husband, engaged in an intense, sweaty, session of press ups on Beatrice's backyard lawn that had me going weak in the knees. Good Lord! And for someone who moments ago didn't want to see him, I stared, breathless and suddenly felt very needy as I focused and relished his movements that were wild, as if he wanted to exorcize something out of his system. I needed to exorcize something out of my system.

"Isn't he a marvel? Do you think we should go over and introduce ourselves?" Margaret sighed dreamily.

I blinked at her. She had to know that was Adrian, right? Even if he was turned away from us, I would know those ripped muscles anywhere, except that...

Ink? When had he gotten a tattoo? The distinct body art was printed on his hip and disappeared into the sinful low-rise shorts that clung to him, leaving little to the imagination. To my imagination. I should have looked away, but instead, I zeroed in on his figure that was intensely flexing, wondering what the tattoo was about.

Memories surfaced of a conversation where he claimed he would only ever get a one if there was something meaningful he wanted to be reminded of everyday. Had he found that? Was it something about Courtney? Did he love her that much he had her imprinted on his skin?

The thought had me lashing out. "What's he doing here?"

"I told you, he's our new neighbour." Margaret replied, her focus still on Adrian.

"Neighbour?" I repeated, not quite believing Margaret's words. "What happened to Beatrice?"

"She sold, already packing up to head on to spend her days with her daughter." Margaret replied, much to my surprise.

"But she's never wanted that." Beatrice had fought everyone who'd ever wanted to buy her property.

"Well she does now," Margaret shrugged, her eyes still fixed on Adrian.

"How, why?" I pressed, bewildered by the sudden change.

Margaret pointed over the fence. "He probably charmed his way into her heart. I wonder if he is looking to buy another house," my neighbour sighed dreamily. "God knows I need me some charm too."

Coercion sounded more like it. I wasn't going to let Adrian take advantage of these old ladies that way. He was here to make Radiant Springs better, not take the little that its residents owned.

"Now that's more like it!" Margaret's cheering stopped me in my tracks.

"What?"

She shot me a proud look. "Glad you are grabbing the bull by its horns or in this case grabbing the a—"

"Margaret!" Heat crept my neck at what my neighbour was insinuating. Had she tricked me into coming here? She was still meddling, I realized.

"What? I only meant to say that if you prefer—"

"I don't prefer anything," I stated, my cheeks flushing. "... and there will be no grabbing... of anything. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever."

The insufferable woman only shook her head. "If only I were ten years younger."

"You'd still be too old for him!" Was that jealousy prickling? I shoved the feeling away as I stomped through Margaret's house on my way to Beatrice's, determined to give Adrian a piece of my mind. Standing on Beatrice's porch, I rang the doorbell impatiently, bracing myself for Adrian's appearance. The door opened, but it wasn't my ex-husband standing there.

Instead, a vaguely familiar blonde woman looked thoughtful for a moment before a light bulb seemed to go off in her head and she extended her hand, a smile gracing her lips. "You must be the wife."