A Hollywood Bride (Billionaires' Brides of Convenience Book 2) by Nadia Lee Read Free Book Online

opens and reveals my mom in a housedress with a pink and yellow flower design. “Paige! I didn’t know you were still up.”
    “Couldn’t fall asleep. Is Simon up too?”
    She shakes her head. “Dead to the world. He was wiped out from sightseeing today. Ryder’s people did a great job of setting everything up so it wasn’t overly tiring, and we got to see a lot of what we’ve always wanted to see. But you know how Simon is. Doesn’t do well without his routines.”
    I grin. Simon is such an influence in my life, but sometimes he reminds me of a child.
    “And you?” She searches my face. “Are you all right?”
    “Yeah, sure. Fine.”
    She frowns. I don’t think she buys that at all. But then I guess that’s what makes her a mother. “Want to take a walk?” she asks.
    “Aren’t you tired?”
    “Oh, I can manage a midnight stroll. I’m younger than your father after all.”
    That makes me chuckle. “Okay. Let’s go.”
    She puts a hand in the crook of my arm. The garden is dark except for lamps set in elaborate knee-high wrought iron posts. We walk side-by-side on the pebbled path that winds through rose bushes and other flowering plants I don’t know the name of.
    “This is a gorgeous garden. And so functional, too.”
    “Functional?”
    “There’s a vegetable patch in the back. I also saw some herbs and berries.”
    “Oh.”
    “You never noticed?”
    I shake my head. “No. I’ve seen some of his garden, but never really explored the entire place here.”
    We reach the man-made pond. The surface is covered with water lilies, and always reminds me of Monet. We sit on a bench, listening to the chirping of the night bugs.
    “How are you holding up?” Mom asks.
    “Great,” I say, trying for offhand cheer.
    She gives me a stern, penetrating look, the kind that seems to peer into your soul.
    “All right. Not great. It’s been hard.”
    She takes my hand and pats it as if to say “there there.”
    “That damn tape has just…made a mess of everything. And I’m really sorry. I know it’s affecting you as well.”
    “Sometimes people betray our trust, but that doesn’t mean it’s your fault.”
    Don’t I know it? But knowing intellectually and knowing something deep in your heart are two different things. I stare at the lilies, silvery black in the moonlight. “I wish Dad were alive.”
    Mom’s hand tightens around mine. “What do you mean?” Her voice is brittle, and the words sound forced. It’s like she’d rather talk about anything but Dad.
    No real surprise, once I stop to think about it. I haven’t talked about Dad in forever.
    “It’s just…” I turn fully toward her. “If Dad were alive, I might not feel the need to be perfect all the time.”
    Even in the dim light, I can see Mom’s face crumple. The lines around her eyes seem to deepen, and her lips thin.
    I must’ve stunned her. Despite thinking about him from time to time, I don’t talk about him because I don’t want to pain Mom. The stories she’s told me about him are lovely, and I know if he’d lived, he would’ve been Father of the Century.
    Leaning closer, Mom lowers her voice. “Has Simon ever told you you were disappointing in some—?”
    “No!” I say quickly before she jumps to any conclusions. “Simon’s always been great. But I do worry about disappointing him. I always feel like the good things we have in our life might disappear unless I’m good.”
    Mom gasps. “Paige, my dear.” She puts her arms around me. “We’ll love you no matter what. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and it’s not because they made a mistake or because they weren’t perfect.”
    “You know I’m pregnant.”
    Mom pulls back. “Is that the reason for this sudden marriage?”
    Well, there’s more to it than that. But I don’t want to get into all the details. “Basically.”
    “I see.” Mom holds both my hands in hers, warming them. My mother’s hands aren’t the softest, but they’re very