The White Billionaire: The Complete Collection (Books 1-4) Read online

  “At least let the makeup artist and the hair stylist in,” Sandy yelled through the door.

  I sat at the table in my room and cried when I looked into the mirror. I looked an absolute mess, and unless that makeup artist was a miracle worker, she wasn’t going to be able to hide my puffy eyes. How in the world was the team going to make me look good if I wouldn’t even let them in. I was struck with fear because there was a possibility that there wouldn’t be a wedding once he found out the news.

  “Let me in Camille, or I’m going to Kyle’s suite and you’ll have to answer to him,” Cynthia warned loudly.

  I ran to my door and cracked it, “You better not do that and keep it down. I just need a few more minutes.”

  Sandy put her hand on the door and pushed it open forcefully, “We don’t have time for this foolishness.”

  “One moment please,” Cynthia said to the glam squad before she and Sandy stepped inside of my room and closed the door.

  “Don’t start with me,” I warned.

  “Somebody has too,” Cynthia scolded, “You have a man who plans on marrying you today, and you’re in here sulking like a child!”

  I looked at Cynthia in disbelief because she was never harsh with me. She was always the one that coddled me and told me that things were going to be okay.

  “I don’t want to hear it. I’m emotional, I’m pregnant, and I’m scared.”

  “There’s no reason for you to be scared and shame on you for not telling him that he has a child on the way. Don’t you think that he deserves to know? Now you’re here crying on the morning of your wedding because you haven’t handled your fucking business. Get it together,” she reiterated.

  “Well,” Sandy said, “I guess she said it all. I don’t really have anything to add.” She walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of champagne.

  “Really, you’re about to start drinking?” I snapped.

  “Oh no ma’am. Do not start snapping at me because you are upset. Go do what you need to do and then get your ass back in here so that we can get started on time,” Sandy said before she popped the bottle open and poured herself a glass.

  “Whatever,” I retorted.

  “Goodbye Camille and we don’t want to see your face until you’ll let that man know the truth,” Cynthia said as she walked over to get herself a glass of champagne.

  I was more jealous about their ability to drink. I could have used a drink in that moment but for the very same reason I couldn’t have one. I opened my mouth to say something else.

  Cynthia put her hand up, “We don’t want to hear your voice either. Just go and get it done.”

  I knew in that moment that we could trust Cynthia to run our businesses. I didn’t know where her no non-sense attitude came from, but it was very effective. I shut my mouth and put on my slippers and headed out the door.

  “Well damn you sure told her,” I heard Sandy say. I would have said a smart remark back, but I was afraid of what Cynthia would do.

  “You all can go in and get started on the girls,” I mumbled to the glam squad that was patiently waiting outside the door.

  I tried to find the words that I was going to use when I told him the truth, but all of the good ideas escaped me. All I could see in my head was him blowing a gasket and telling me that he wasn’t ready for children. I got to his suite door and knocked lightly. My hands were shaky, and I was sure that I was going to throw up again soon.

  He opened it without asking who it was, “Oh no!” He exclaimed before shutting his eyes tightly, “I’m not supposed to see you until you’re coming down the aisle”

  “I need to see you now.” I pushed the door open and began to pace around his living area.

  “Camille? Is something wrong?” He asked. “Have you been crying? What’s going on?”

  “I have something that I need to tell but I’m afraid at how you’re going to react. I should have told you a while ago but I kept it to myself,” I admitted quickly.

  He rushed to me and placed my face between his hands, “Hey, we’ve been through everything together. Just spit it out so that we can work through it. I can deal with pretty much anything except if you used to be a man.”

  I gave a slight giggle, “I just don’t know how I’ll handle it if you don’t want to be with me anymore.”

  “Give me a chance to show you,” he pleaded.

  I blinked back my tears, and I inwardly prayed for the best, “I’m pregnant.”

  He gave a slight frown, and my stomach dropped. He then backed away from me, and I stood frozen in place. I wasn’t prepared for my nightmares to become a reality.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” He chuckled and then his face completely lit up. He walked back over to me and put his hand on my stomach. “How far along are we?”

  “I’m guessing that I’m only a few months along,” I responded.

  “That would explain how sick you’ve been,” he said with clarity in his eyes. “How long have you been keeping this from me?”

  “I found out about a month ago,” revealed.

  “What am I going to do with you?” He sighed, “Why didn’t you tell me as soon as you found out?”

  “I was afraid. I was scared that you were going to leave me.”

  “Why would I do something as ridiculous as that?” He asked.

  “I talked to you sister and she told me about what happened in your past.”

  “I’m going to kill her when I see her, but I’ll wait until the reception. That was a long time ago, and I wasn’t ready for a child that young.”

  “But you were pretty clear regarding how you felt,” I said.

  “Right but that was before I knew that you were pregnant! I’m excited that we’re having a baby. Some adjustments will have to be made, but I’m more than willing to do that. The main reason that I wanted her to have an abortion is because she cheated on me. I wasn’t going to father her child after that abortion, and I wasn’t even sure if the baby was mine. I’m not saying that my decision was the right one to make, but it’s done and I’ve moved on,” he said.

  I gave a sigh of relief and tears of joy streamed down my face, “I thought that you were going to leave me.” I leaned my head against his shoulder, and he embraced me.

  “I don’t want to ruin our moment Camille, but you have to go get ready,” he said.

  “I know,” I responded and pulled away from him. Before I could get too far away he pulled me back and gave me a passionate kiss.

  “That’s the last kiss that you’re getting from me until we’re married. I’m not going to let you use me for those anymore.”

  I rolled my eyes, “You’re so damned silly.”

  “And you love it.”

  “And I love you.”

  I was flooded with love and relief as I walked back to my room. I also felt downright ridiculous because I’d doubted him. He’d been doing everything within his power to prove to me that he could be trusted. I had to stop doubting the man that was about to make me his wife in a few short hours. He was everything to me, and I didn’t want to ruin it with my own insecurities. I had to stop keeping my feelings and thoughts away from him because he was more than equipped to handle it.

  I opened the door to my suite, and Sandy and Camille were getting their hair and makeup done. Little did I know what was waiting for me on the other side of that door.

  #Chapter12

  “It’s great to know what’s happening in that big ass head of yours,”

  Camille

  There were two stylists that were sitting on the couch and waiting for me. Next to them was my mother.

  My word.

  My entire body tensed, and I closed the door behind me. ‘What the hell is she doing here?’ I thought to myself. I was happy to see her on my wedding day, but I hoped that she wasn’t going to start any drama. I didn’t invite her for that very reason.

  I looked at both of my friends, but they strategically looked everywhere else but me.

>   “Ummm hi,” I said as she rose to her feet to meet me in the middle of the room.

  “Hey Cam, can we go and talk privately?” She asked.

  I gave her a once over and I noticed that she looked pretty healthy. She was looking a lot better than the last time that I saw her. She’d gained about 10 pounds, her hair was beautiful, and her skin was returning to its beautiful shade. I was a little impressed, but I wasn’t going to tell her that just yet. I motioned for her to follow me, and we went back to my room.

  She closed the door behind us, and I looked at her expectantly.

  “First let me just say that I’m here to support you. I’m not here to cause you anymore hurt or pain,” she said.

  “That’s good to know. Have a seat.” I pointed her towards the chase lounge, and I sat across from her on the bed.

  Her hands clasped one another as if they were holding on for dear life. She sat on the edge of her seat and stared at me intently. She was waiting on a reaction from me, but I really didn’t know what to say. I was at the point where I was finally coming to terms with the fact that I may never see my mother again. I thought that the next time that I saw her, she would be dead. The reality of it hurt like hell, but I couldn’t live for her. She was in control of her own life, and I didn’t want to sit around waiting on her to care about herself. She was dealing with a lot of demons, and I had to release her for my own sanity.

  “So what do you want to talk about?” I asked impatiently. All I could think about was the fact that the make-up and hair stylist had a lot of work to do on me. “How did you even get out here?”

  “Kyle contacted me and had me flown out here,” she said.

  She inhaled deeply, “Camille, I’m so sorry for everything that I did to you and for everything that I didn’t do for you. I made a lot of bad decisions in my life, and I always blamed you for them. The truth is that you were the only reason that I’ve survived this long.”

  I was stunned because my mother has never given me an apology in my entire life. She’s always justified her mistakes and projected her shortcomings on to me. She would blame me every time a man left her. When our lights or heat got cut off she would say it was my fault, and she blamed me for us living in the shelter as well. I’d internalized all of that which is why I felt obligated to take care of her. I felt guilty for being born and ruining her dreams of a better life. It was Marcus who taught me that she should have been taking care of me. But he also taught me to be loyal.

  “I don’t really know what to say mom,” I admitted.

  “No need to say anything Camille. I’m so proud of you. You’re 100 times the woman that I ever was, and I really wish that things could have been different,” she said.

  I rolled my eyes and thought to myself, ‘I bet you do wish that, especially now that I’m marrying Kyle.’ I didn’t want to be closed off to her, but it’s hard to trust people’s intentions when money is involved. She was one of the meanest and selfish people that I’d ever met, so the change of heart was a little suspicious.

  “You grew to be successful in spite of me and not because of me,” she continued, “I should have been a better mother to you, and I don’t blame you if you never want to see me again after today. I don’t want anything from you or your husband, I just wanted to be able to share this day with you. That is all Camille.” she said.

  I fought back my tears and said the only thing that I could think of, “You look really good.”

  She smiled, “Thank you. I went into rehab 4 months ago, and Kyle helped me get permission to come here.”

  “How did he know where you were?” I asked.

  “He didn’t tell you? He came and found me at my friend’s house and offered me a chance to turn my life around. He was tough on me, but everything he said was true. He gave me the option right there and then to come with him, and I did. He flew me out to a rehab in California, and it’s been a rough process but a much needed one. I won’t ever be returning to Chicago, and I want a better life for myself. I just hope that you can be a part of it, I want the chance to really get to know you,” she said.

  “So when did Kyle tell you about the wedding?” I asked.

  “He told me about 2 weeks ago and he invited me last week. There’s nothing I would love more than to be able to give you away today. Will you allow me to do that?”

  I almost slid off of my bed at her request. My chest heaved with a little bit of anxiety and I tried to cram some real self-reflection in about 20 seconds. I was impressed that Kyle had reached out to my mother and helped her clean herself up. It was something that she’d always refused when I suggested it. I didn’t have to ask how she was doing in the program because she looked great, so it was obvious that she was doing well. I was experiencing a lot of emotions at one time. Kyle really is full of surprises, good ones at that.

  She was telling me all of the things that I longed to hear from her since I was a child. She was my mother and I used to crave her approval. She’d finally seemed to come around, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to love her while she was displaying sanity. Her change of heart may have originated from my huge lifestyle change but did that make it any less real? I had to give her a chance. She was pretty much the only biological family that I had left. Her parents had passed away when she was younger, and she was the only child. We had extended family, and they were at the wedding but I didn’t know them very well. They all lived in Virginia, and me and my mother never went to our family reunions.

  I was going to cry, and I fought back my tears because I’d cried enough and I didn’t need to torture the make-up artist any further, “Yes, I would like that a lot.”

  “Can I hug you now?” She asked timidly.

  I laughed, “I would like that too.” I stood to my feet and closed the space between us. She rose to her feet, and we embraced. I couldn’t remember the last time that I hugged my mother. So much was communicated between us in that one hug, and I had the feeling that my life had finally come full circle.

  “Okay, let’s get you back out there so that you can start getting ready. You also need some champagne in your hand.”

  “I can’t,” I said, “I’m expecting.”

  Her eyes grew big and the tears that she’d been holding on to spilled down her face, “I’m about to be a grandma?”

  I nodded shyly, “Yes you are.”

  “When are you due? Not for another 6 months and so we have some time,” I said.

  “I will be more than happy to be there if you’ll let me,” she said.

  “If you keep on the path that you’re on, I won’t have any problem with that.”

  Her face expressed gratitude, “I am, I promise.”

  In that moment I believed her. Some people had a problem with their parents breaking promises. Their parents will give them an endless stream of promises that they never intend to keep. My mother never promised me anything ever. She always told me what she wasn’t going to do, and she made no apologies for it. The person that I was seeing before me was a stranger that I couldn’t wait to get to know. Her past had been filled with hurt and pain. She was trying to work through it, and maybe she would finally let me in.

  We walked back out into the common area, and Sandy and Cynthia’s eyes bored into me. They didn’t have to ask the questions verbally because I knew them already.

  “You both were right about Kyle,” I admitted, “He’s excited about the baby and he’s a little upset that it took me so long to tell him.”

  “Told ya,” Cynthia said.

  “When in the hell did you get to be so damned mouthy?” I asked her.

  She took a few moments to think, “I think it happened when I became a manager. I had to learn how to speak up because they were trying to run all over me. I don’t play around with my paper and anyone standing in between me and my money has to get dealt with. Now it’s spilling over into other parts of my life. Sorry girl, I’ll simmer down.”

  “No need for that, I actually like
it. It’s great to know what’s happening in that big ass head of yours,” I grinned.

  Sandy laughed obnoxiously loud, “Her head is big.”

  “Shut up,” Cynthia responded and rolled her eyes.

  “I think the opposite is happening to me. I’m learning how to motivate people by using different forms of communication,” Sandy said, “I had to tone my personality down a bit because I’ve made a few of those bar tenders cry.”

  I laughed, “Yeah I heard about that but you were right about what you said so I didn’t say anything. But your team seems a lot happier now, and they’re happy to be on your good side.”

  “I came in guns blazing so they’re all afraid of me now. I put that fear in them early and now I don’t have to worry about em’,” she responded.

  “I may as well tell the both of you now. Kyle wants you two to take over the complete management of all three of the Chicago properties. We’ll be discussing salary within the next two weeks,” I said offhandedly.

  “What!” They both shrieked simultaneously.

  “You heard me. So congratulations on your promotions, they’re well deserved.”

  I looked at both of the stylists, “I’m so sorry for the hold up and the drama this morning. I’m ready to get started.”

  “It’s your world,” the hairstylist said brightly.

  “Don’t worry. We have enough time to get the job done,” the other attendant stated.

  “Wait, so everything is okay with you and her?” Cynthia said as she gestured towards my mom.

  “Yes we’re good, and she’s giving me away today,” I smiled as I hugged my mom to my side.

  “In that case, welcome back mom!” Sandy squealed as she clapped her hands together.