Page 29 of Up for Heir (Westerly Billionaire 2)
“I want this for you, Hailey. I want you to be happy.”
She smiled. “I want the same for you.”
Coming back into each other’s lives can’t be an accident—not when it’s this good.
Hailey looked up and realized the instructor was waving her over. “I have to go. Skye just finished her second riding lesson.”
“How did she do?”
“She’s still smiling, so I’d say well.”
“I read an article about equine therapy this week. Horses are a good confidence builder for children.”
The idea that he might be reading up on things that mattered to her and Skye was touching. “Did you have a pony when you were little?”
“No, we couldn’t afford one. How about you?”
“Same,” Hailey said automatically as she made her way toward where Skye was standing with Clover and her instructor. She couldn’t wrap her head around how half of Spencer’s family had been raised with money while the younger siblings had been left without, but she didn’t have time to delve into it then. “I have to run.”
“Talk to you later, Sunshine.”
Hailey hung up, smiling. Her conversation with Spencer was temporarily overshadowed by Skye’s enthusiastic retelling of everything she’d learned that day. The instructor’s next student was waiting in the wings, so Hailey and Skye took Clover to an aisle to untack him and brush him down and then to a field outside the barn to graze for a few minutes. Another girl about Skye’s age was already out there with her pony. It didn’t take more than a moment for the two girls to start talking. There was a twinkle in Skye’s eyes, a bubbling enthusiasm in her voice that drew people to her—just as it once had.
She’s back, Ryan. Skye’s really back. Hailey looked on with gratitude welling within her. We did it.
“Your sister, Rachelle, is on hold,” Lisa said from the doorway of Spencer’s office. “Would you like me to tell her that you’re in a meeting?”
With a smile left over from his conversation with Hailey, Spencer closed out the program he was working on. “No, I have a minute.”
“You do?” Lisa said, then looked mortified that she’d revealed her surprise. “I’ll put her through.”
“Thanks, Lisa.”
Lisa left with an odd expression on her face. Spencer didn’t care if his change in attitude confused her. Life was beginning to make sense to him again, and the relief was immense—like a weight had been lifted from him. Spencer picked up his office phone when it rang, stood, and stretched. “Hey, Rachelle.”
“Sorry to call you at work.”
“It’s fine. What’s up?”
“I wanted to thank you for coming to Mom’s on Sunday.”
Normally he would have taken her comment as a dig about the many times he’d refused to go. Instead, he remembered what Hailey had said about how she would give anything for even a bad day with her brother. It’s time to let some shit go. “It was good to see everyone.”
“We shouldn’t have grilled you about Hailey. Who you date is actually none of our business.”
True, and in the past he might have agreed with her, but he didn’t this time. “You ask because you care; I get it. I’d probably do the same.”
Rachelle’s tone lightened. “Wait, you sound happy.”
“Is that so shocking?”
“Yes. We’re talking, and you sound like you’re still in a good mood. What have you done with Spencer?”
He chuckled even though he was aware of the serious undertone to her joke. “I told you all I needed was time.”
“Time, huh? So this has nothing to do with Hailey?”
“It might.” He caught his reflection in the windowpane and liked what he saw. He’d never understood men who linked their happiness to that of their mate, but nothing he’d done with WorkChat ever made him feel as good as getting that job for Hailey. Her excitement had become his.
“I feel bad about what I said about her, Spencer. I was just worried about you.”
“We’re good, Rach. Don’t give it another thought. I’m not going to.”
“When do we get to meet her?”
“You’ve already met her.”
“This decade.”
“I told you—we’re taking it slow. Are you teaching summer school?”
“Not this year. I’m taking a college course instead. Why?”
“You busy this afternoon?”
“No.”
“I was thinking about texting Brett to see how busy his day is. We could try for a late lunch.”
“He’d love that. Let’s do it.”
After hanging up with his sister, Spencer returned to his desk and finished writing the code for a glitch he’d noticed in Jordan’s album simulator. He sent it to Jordan and returned to a mailbox of e-mails.
He swore as he realized he’d almost forgot to contact Brett.
S: Want to meet for lunch?
B: Yes, but Alisha and I have a sonogram at noon.
S: How about after? Bring her. Rachelle plans to join.
B: Sounds good. We can meet in the middle.
S: Yes.
I’m beginning to think we can.
Chapter Twelve
Saturday evening, still hungry after devouring a high-priced meal of minuscule proportions, Hailey took a sip of wine while letting her eyes wander over Spencer’s chiseled features. He is too damn good-looking. She was glad she’d chosen to wear the second dress Delinda bought for her, a formfitting, knee-length emerald frock with spaghetti straps, because otherwise she would have felt dowdy next to him. He’d casually thrown a jacket over a button-down shirt and gray slacks, and somehow he looked as if he could model the outfit. Some people looked good in anything.
And nothing.
Oh yes, she remembered too well what was under his clothing.
Hailey tore her gaze from his and glanced around. More than one woman was shamelessly trying to catch his attention despite the fact that he was with someone. Handsome, confident, and in the news for making a name in the tech industry—Spencer could have probably left the restaurant with half the women in the place.
And according to Instagram he already has.
“What would you like to do after dinner? I’ve never planned a non-date.” All it took was for him to look up with that boyish grin for Hailey to forget about everyone else in the room.
“I told Mrs. Holihen I’d be back by ten.”
“That gives us a few hours.” His smile was easy and warm. “It’s entirely up to you how we spend them. I set up a couple of contingency plans, but you can suggest something entirely different.”
; “Contingency plans?”
“I like to be prepared.”
She leaned forward. “This I need to hear. How does Spencer Westerly prepare for a night out with a woman?”
“Normally I just buy condoms and keep hydrated.”
She rolled her eyes skyward. “Charming.” He wasn’t pretending he hadn’t been with anyone else. A lot of people go through wild stages. Maybe I’m worried about nothing.
“This isn’t a date, though, so I took a different approach.”
“I’m afraid to ask what that was.”
He sat back, looking incredibly proud of himself. “I booked a helicopter tour of Boston, arranged a private harbor cruise on a yacht, and bought out Steve’s mini-golf in Mendon, in case you want to stay local.”
“You did all that? Seriously?”
His eyes burned with the same hunger she was fighting. “I want you to see that this time would be different.”
Whoosh. She could hardly breathe. It already is. This time is frighteningly perfect—the kind of perfect that is too good to be true. Nothing this good happens in real life, and if it does, there is always a catch. She grasped for a joke. “All that and no condom.”
“Oh, I brought some.” His smile turned lusty.
“‘Some’?” she croaked. No. Traitorous mind, don’t go there.
He took her hand in his. “Full disclosure. I felt guilty when I stuffed them in my pocket, but that guilt wore off. They have a long shelf life, and I didn’t expect to tell you I had them. I figured if you came across them on your own, we were probably doing something that would require them.”
Hailey imagined him having that very internal debate and burst out laughing. I want to believe in this, Spencer. His smile widened. Being with him was that easy. “Did you hydrate?”
He raised his glass of water with his other hand.
She laughed again. “Do I dare ask what it does?”
“Any athlete will tell you that performance is improved by maintaining optimal health conditions.”
