Alpha Billionaire Series
Hot Mess Chapter 34

NICK

"Where are we going?" I asked as I followed Kayla out of the house. It was cold and dark outside. She walked like she was on a mission.

She stopped and looked back at the house.

"I'm running away. It's what I seem to do best." She stood there for a moment; profound sadness washed over her.

I pulled her against my chest. I didn't want her to be so sad. This entire situation was overwhelming. She had done the best with what she had. Only she wasn't working with a big arsenal, her mother had over protected her. While the sentiment was in the right place, the results had left Kayla struggling to cope with everything.

"You aren't running away," I said. "Walking to clear your head is what a lot of people do. You seemed to have a purposeful stride, like we were going somewhere specific."

She shook her head against my chest. "Nowhere specific. There are just things I want to be able to say to you without my mom around."

"Wanting privacy is not running away."

I know what she meant. There had been things I needed to say to her mother without her around.

When she eased out of my arms and started walking, I followed next to her. She wrapped her arms around herself, seeming to not want me touching her.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and thought about tropical islands. I needed to do something to keep me warm until I could have Kayla back in my arms. I toyed with the thing in my pocket.

We walked in silence. Kayla stuck in her head with her fears and worries. Me stuck in mine with big plans.

Kayla's mother's entire demeanor toward me changed when she learned I was the next Captain Wonder. People loved the character. It was a big responsibility to take over the role of Captain Tony Peale. I felt we had a lot in common. I had always done my best to be that kind of forthright person. There were times it had been a challenge, especially with my family. After all, it was easy to be right all the time when you could buy your way into or out of any situation.

The kinds of moral decisions I had to make in my life weren't the same as the ones someone struggling to feed their family, or pay their electric bill had. But I tried. And when the studio tapped me to be on their short list of potential actors, and then in those weeks prior to filming, I really had stepped up my do-good game. I liked it. I liked being the guy who helped out, and not just by throwing money at problems. I had done that too, anonymously of course.

Like Captain Wonder, I had a secret identity of some sort. And I needed to figure out how to reveal my true self to the woman I loved. At least Kayla wasn't a high-powered congress woman like Katherine McGinty, Captain Tony Peale's love interest, so revealing my true identity wasn't a matter of national security. It was going to be a matter of high finance, and it wasn't something I could hide, not from Kayla.

It was a very good thing her mother was now on my side; it had made our little conversation a lot easier when Kayla left to get dressed. Of course, I hadn't told her mother my secret. That was for Kayla.

It was too cold and dark outside for my grand gesture. Hopefully, inspiration would strike and-

"I'm pregnant."

I stopped walking. Of all the things for Kayla to say, that was not on the list. She took a few more steps before she stopped walking and turned to look at me.

I stared at her. How many times had I thought about how completely perfect it would be to get her pregnant with my child? She looked back at me with those big, beautiful eyes of hers. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met, and she was going to have my child.

I couldn't make my tongue work. Sounds wouldn't come out of my throat.

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

I wanted to tell her this was the most amazing thing to have happened. I wanted to know how far along she was. She would only have the best doctors that money could buy, and I could buy them. I needed to close the distance between us and pull her against my chest and claim her lips with my own. But I was paralyzed. I could barely gesture at myself to indicate that I was stuck in space.

She took a step closer. "Nick? Are you crying?"

Was I? I touched my fingers to my eyes, and they came away wet.

I fell to my knees on the cold wet sidewalk.

"Nick!" Kayla ran to me and was kneeling down in front of me.

Without a word I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her against me. I had Kayla and we were going to have a baby. I didn't want to let go, but I needed to get the box out of my pocket. I fumbled but caught it rather ungracefully. I pulled Kayla so she was practically sitting on my thighs. She looked over at my bad juggling, and the box in my hand.

When she looked back into my eyes, I swear her eyes were even wider and bigger than before.

I gulped and struggled to replace my voice. "Kayla." her name came out sounding gravely and thick.

"Kayla," I tried again. "You are simply the most amazing person I have ever met."

She stared back at the box in my hand and started shaking her head.

"What are you doing? You don't have to marry me because I'm pregnant, that's not why I told you. You should know..."

"Would you stop trying to protect me for a minute? You don't need to protect me from myself, I had no idea you were pregnant when I bought this, and I certainly didn't know when I asked your mother for permission to propose."

"You asked permission?" Now she was crying.

My hands were already full, so I used the knuckle of one finger to wipe her tears away.

"You were raised in a very old-fashioned manner. If your father was around, I would have asked him. It's a good thing you told your mom I'm the new Captain Wonder. I think that sealed the deal," I laughed.

I had wanted to make a big production of this proposal, but we were sitting on the ground in the dark and cold. And I couldn't imagine it being any more perfect.

"Kayla, I couldn't be happier that you're pregnant. I've wanted to ask you to marry me for a while now. I didn't want you to think it was too soon, or that I was doing it for any misguided reasons. When you didn't return my texts or calls, I was completely lost without you. I couldn't focus. I stormed off set, and then shit hit the fan with those photos, and the entire time all I could think about was making sure you were safe."

"Nick, I..."

"Let me finish, let me do this as right as I can."

She bit her lip and nodded.

"Will you marry me? Together we can survive anything."

She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me so hard, I overbalanced and ended up lying on my back. I was vaguely aware of the cold and the wet. I didn't care, I had Kayla.

"Oh no, you're all wet. We need to get up," Kayla said as she began squirming against me.

"It's a good thing we are outside, or I would definitely not let you up at all." I tightened my arms around her. "I'm not letting you go until you answer me. Will you marry me?"

She braced herself against my chest and pushed up. "Yes, I will marry you. Now let me stand up, so you can get up as well and let's get you out of those clothes before you catch a cold. No dying of pneumonia."

I let her up. But I stayed sitting on my a*s.

"You mother isn't going to let me stay with you, is she?"

"Are you serious? She probably already has the guest room made up for you. Oh, you meant in my room. No, that's not going to happen. And, no trying to sneak into my room either. My bed is as squeaky as a rusty mouse." She pulled on my arm until I got to my feet. "What the hell is a rusty mouse?"

"I don't know. It was the squeakiest thing I could think of. You are soaking wet. Come on, let's get you home."

"Well?" Was the first thing out of Kayla's mothers' mouth when we stepped back inside.

"What?" Kayla countered.

I hadn't noticed how much on the defense she had to be around her mother.

Her mother glared at me.

"She said yes. But Kayla is a bit more concerned that I try not to kill myself before we can get married."

"Aren't you going to at least show me the ring?"

"The ring?" Kayla asked.

I started laughing. I had never managed to get the ring out of its box. Knowing this would make her mother extremely happy, I pulled the box out of my pocket and sank down onto one knee. No icy puddles under me this time. I held the box up and opened it, showing Kayla the ring.

She held out a shaking hand to me, and I finally slipped the ring on her finger.