The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress
[Book 2] Chapter 27

Knox POV

Of course, she has a boyfriend. How stupid of me to think otherwise. A woman who looks like her and with such a winning personality. Naturally, she's going to have a man in her life that appreciates her. I feel like a fool as I begin to slink out of the hospital, my eyes on the ground, my shoulders slumped and a bad taste in my mouth. She could have told me when we kissed that she had someone, instead of making me replace out like this. It would have taken the sting away and been far easier for me to take. I scowl and reach the parking lot as lan rushes to catch up to me and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"What?" I snap, in a foul mood, my temper bleak and dark.

He recognizes the signs and frowns at me. "You took off so suddenly," he says "Are you upset about something?"

I glance away. His eyes narrow and then realization dawns. "You didn't know she had a boyfriend, did you?"

I hunch my shoulders. He gives a sigh. "Knox, maybe I should assign you a different maid. Your feelings for her are getting complicated. I suspect she's got feelings for you too. I don't know what the story is about the boyfriend, but I have to believe there is a reason she hasn't mentioned him."

I try not to perk up at that. Maybe she and the boyfriend were in the process of separating I thought and that's why she didn't talk about him. Hope flared inside of me. lan peered at me closely. I shake my head at him "I don't want a different maid, lan, I want her" I tell him thickly.

"She almost died today because of us," he said and I winced, recognizing the truth of that statement "What if she gets hurt again?" he demanded "can you live with that on your conscience?"

I stare at him "Today wasn't our fault. We could never have known that Karen was going to do this. You have security on her. I'll protect Lorelai better" I added tightly "I don't want anyone else. It has to be her or nobody" I'm stubborn, putting my arms across my chest and staring him down.

"I know you don't like change" he begins delicately.

That's putting it mildly. Changes in routine, and people, they all caused a reaction in me. I frown at him "It's not just that" I counter "She gets me" I mutter, "and..."

"You want her. After that photo almost getting shown in the media, I thought you might begin to pull back, show some sense but you just keep falling harder don't you Knox?" his voice is sympathetic instead of full of judgment.

"It won't matter, it never does in the end," I say resentfully.

He shakes his head "You need to stop putting yourself down. Start thinking positively."

But I'm already lost in my thoughts. "I need to get a drink" I snarl.

"That's not a good idea Knox"

"I don't care," I say petulantly turning towards the car, our bodyguards in the background keeping a close eye. lan was insisting we keep them after our close call. I didn't have the energy to refuse. We're just about to argue some more when I feel arms flinging themselves around my neck. I tense and then relax when I smell the familiar perfume. "Knox" she squeals and then releases me, flinging herself at lan "lan."

It's our sister Flair. "Flair what are you doing here?" I ask as she stares at us.

"What am I doing here?" her voice is dangerously low.

I wince. She's angry. She looks pissed. lan looks confused. "My brothers were almost killed today and I had to replace out from Father instead of them" she snapped as I glanced reflexively at a stony-faced lan.

"It wasn't that bad" lan tried to placate her as Grayson, the husband stepped up beside her, holding their adorable little son in his hands.

"Not that bad" she exploded "I heard that your maid got shot saving your sorry asses" she snarled.

Grayson looked amused. I glanced at him helplessly. He shook his head and held up the baby to show he wasn't about to intervene. I scowled at him. Flair was venting now "Of all the stupid, irresponsible, foolish" she began to get it off her chest. "Sis, we're alive" lan interrupts quickly as she begins to get louder "That's the important thing, right?" he asked.

Her eyes are suspiciously shiny. "I could have lost you both" she poked me in the chest as I tried not to wince "You both could have died. Do you know how upsetting that is?" "That's why we didn't tell you" lan's voice is calm.

I could have killed him. I looked at him as though he was the dumbest man alive and right then I'm sure he was thinking the same thing as Flair practically tore his head off.

"You i***t. How could you keep something like this from me? I deserve to know when you are in trouble or when you get hurt. I'm your sister you moron" she yelled "I'm your family and you have to treat me as such."

She was breathing hard now, her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed as she fixed them on us.

"Sorry Flair" I offered, staring at lan and indicating he should apologize before our sister really did tear our heads off. Flair was a force to be reckoned with at the best of times.

"Sorry Flair" lan's voice is slightly remorseful.

She breathes heavily and takes the baby, which wriggles slightly in her grip. "Now where is the woman? The maid" she prompts.

"Lorelai," I say "she's in the hospital room with her boyfriend and doesn't want to be disturbed" I added gloomily.

Flair's eyebrows rise "I want to thank her personally for saving my two stupid brothers" she scowls "I'm sure she won't mind a five-minute visit."

I stare at her. "I think she'll be too scared to refuse you with that expression on your face."

She snorts and bounces the baby up and down on her hip, Little Hunter reaching up to touch her hair and coo. He's adorable. I feel my chest tighten as I look at the little thing. Automatically my hands reach for him and Flair hands him over without a qualm. He's so tiny. Well, not that tiny but in comparison to an adult he's small. He smiles up at me and my heart melts as I gently bounce him up and down. He makes giggling noises as Flair smiles at me. "You're so good with him," Flair says, as Grayson wraps his arm around her. I shrug "Babies don't bother me."

They didn't, I liked children. Always had. They were fascinating to me. I held my nephew with remarkably calm hands, tucking him into the cradle of my arm as he lay there content and kicking his legs.

I tickle him on his stomach and he giggles some more. "You're a natural" Flair says calmly now.

It was too bad I would never get to have a child, I thought a little forlornly as I held my baby nephew. I was certain I would make a fantastic father. For some reason, I was a lot more patient with Hunter than I was with normal people. I wasn't sure the exact reason why. Maybe it was because I found babies to be less irritating than adults who could be extraordinarily dumb sometimes.

"So where do I replace this Lorelai?" Flair asks raising a brow.

I should have known she would continue to persist with this. I reluctantly hand Hunter back to Grayson who looks resigned.

"She's in a private room," I tell her sighing "towards the back. Room 106 but do try not to scare her" I advise my sister "She's in pain and her boyfriend's in there with her."

Flair scoffs. "Since when am I so scary?" she asks.

None of us men deign to answer that. Grayson in particular looks down hard at the baby, pretending to play with him. I fight back the urge to chuckle. Flair looks indignant.

"Men" she mutters "All I'm going to do is thank her. Don't look so worried. I'm not going to shoot her again," she says incredulously.

She turns on her heel and begins to make her way into the main part of the hospital. "Grayson you stay in the waiting room, I won't be long. lan, Knox are you going to stay or are you going home?" she called over her shoulder.

lan and I shot each other a glance. "Home," I said quickly.

So much for going to drink at a pub. I was too afraid of Flair's reaction if she learned I was going to drink to even broach the subject to lan again. "Home" lan echoed.

Flair looked disappointed. "I might come past and catch up with you both," she said as we nodded "Go and see Dad. It's been a while since he's been able to hold his grandchild" she exhaled.

"We'll be there soon," Grayson said pleasantly, shaking our hands and smiling down at his son.

I marveled at his ability to remain patient with Flair. One minute she was as calm as you please and the next it was like watching a tornado rip through the air. She was volatile. But she was also extremely intelligent and the most compassionate woman you could hope to know. She was the perfect person to get to know Lorelai, even if it made me apprehensive.

"Oh Knox, thanks for looking into those files for me" Grayson murmured as I turned, catching hold of my sleeve "Thanks to you I was able to downgrade my client from murder to manslaughter. It was a genuine accident," he said as I nodded at him "and the evidence you provided went a long way to helping him cop a plea."

"No problem" I murmured.

It never was. That was what I did right? Provided evidence, hacked into records, and did what everybody else required of me. It just struck me now, as I strode towards the car, that maybe it wasn't as fulfilling as I thought. Images of Hunter filled my mind and my chest tightened again. What would it be like to have a child with a woman? To have my own little family unit that would feel like home? Was it so far out of the realms of possibility or was lan and Flair right? Was it possible to have it all and why couldn't I get my mind off of Lorelai, even though I knew she had a boyfriend? Why did I want her and only her?