The Billionaire's Secret Love Child(120)

He nodded, there was a giant smile shot across his face that probably wouldn’t go anywhere anytime soon, or so I thought.

“Mike, I’m pregnant, only a couple months now,” I said after a long sigh.

Mike turned in place, started to pace around the doorway to the barn.

“Are you serious? You waited until now to tell me?”

I nodded.

“Do you know how bad this sounds?”

“What are you trying to say, Mike,” I asked.

“You had so long to tell me, how long have you known?”

I couldn’t look him in the eye.

“More than a month,” I squeaked out.

He smacked his hand against his face in annoyance.

“You know what, I doubt you were ever going to tell me. I know I’m not father material. I could tell you just wanted to sleep with me, and then you were just going to move on again just like you did before. You just can’t seem to stand and face your own problems.”

I held back the tears as best I could, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“That’s mean, Mike.”

“You’re damn right it’s mean,” he replied, “you’re having a baby, and now you’re lording it over me after I make a deal for the largest sum of money I’ll ever see in my life. I bet now you’re going to ask for half of it just because I happened to sleep with you.”

I couldn’t stand the scrutiny, so I ran from the barn and headed toward the ranch house.

I charged up the stairs and into my room where I had my bag already packed from before. I threw a few other things inside before running out the door.

Buck waited outside.

“You takin’ off, Jennie?” he said, simply.

“I won’t stay where I’m not wanted, Buck,” I replied.

“Me and Larry want you here,” he said.

“Well, the owner doesn’t want me anywhere near this place. And, I’m obliged to listen to him.”

I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. I liked Buck, the way he always knew how to state things just right, and the way he would always help out when you needed it.

“Listen, Jennie, you get lost out in the world, you know you always got a home here. We aren’t goin’ anywhere, ya hear?”

I nodded and started hiking down the road. It was probably a two-hour walk into town, but that wasn’t anything to worry about. At least, I wouldn’t have to listen to Mike judge my every move and accuse me of wanting his money.

The time passed slowly, and I took the time to gather my thoughts. I didn’t want to return home, there was nothing for me there, and I had no interest in going back to that situation.

I wanted so badly for things to work out with Mike. But, the more I thought about it, the harder it was for me to keep my thoughts straight.

I took the first bus that left town, which led me further west. I felt like I was just running away from my problems, but I couldn’t think of anything else to do. There was nothing left for me here, nor was there anything left in the city.

I wondered where I would end up.



5.

Three months passed, and I found myself a place to work. I started a waitress job at a diner at the other side of the state. The work was simple and kept me busy, so I never had time to think about much else. I didn’t mind that at all.

I’d sometimes catch a man in a hat that looked similar, but looking closer would prove it wasn’t. I just kept smiling through the pain and trying my best to let it all pass.

Then I worked one Sunday morning, and a well-dressed man sat at the end of the bar reading his newspaper. I sidled up.

“What can I get you,” I asked.

“Cup of coffee, if you don’t mind,” he replied.

I recognized the voice. It was gruff but still sounded young.

“Mike?” I asked.

He lowered the newspaper and had a big smile shooting across his face again.

“You’re a hard woman to track down,” he said.

“I don’t like being found,” I replied.

I started walking away, but he held out a hand to stop me.

“I just want to talk,” he said.

“That depends on which one of you is doing the talking, is it the kind man I fell in love with, or the rich man that brushed me off.”

He leaned forward in his seat.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about a lot of things while you were gone,” he started, “watching my family home get demolished opened my eyes. I started to wonder what was going to leave me next, and sure enough, Buck and Larry found better jobs elsewhere.”

I nodded and leaned over the counter.

“I got nothing left that I recognize, Jennie. And, I miss those simple days. Waking up with the sunset to feed the pigs, and milk the cows. Going for a long ride on my family farm in the afternoon, stopping off for a swim at the old pond, these were reasons for living.”

His tone was becoming a lot more somber as he continued.

“Money… changes people. I started seeing things that weren’t there and pushing away everyone I cared about.”

It was surprisingly dead in the diner for a Sunday morning.

“Then I found this.”

He slapped a newspaper down on the table in front of him. My photo was plastered all over it; it was something I tried my hardest to forget.