The Billionaire and the Cleaner(34)
Author: Sam Crescent

Kent saw it was still hard for her to talk about. “I want you to know you can talk to me about anything. Your past is part of who you are. I don’t want you to be embarrassed about it.”

She nodded. “I know, but I don’t want to remember any of it. The Christmas I spent with you made me realise how messed up my past was. My Christmas was spent doing catch up on school work. I was always behind because of her rages and the men she brought home.”

Lana shook her head. Kent wrapped his arms around her. “Nothing like that is going to happen. You’ll always have me.”

“How did this happen?” She pointed between them.

“Because you were in love with me from the first moment you saw me,” he said.

She laughed, and so did he.

“Also, I couldn’t get you out of my mind. At first I wanted to f**k you, and then I wanted to get to know you. I slowly fell in with you.”

“You’re a charmer.”

“I’m your charmer, Lana.”

Kent turned her so her back was against the tree. She gasped as he covered her mouth with his own. Pressing his free hand to her stomach he caressed her. “My woman. My child. I’m never letting you get away from me,” he said.

“I look forward to you keeping me in one place.”

Epilogue

Five years later

“Tommy Anderson, you get your little butt back up here and clean these toys,” Lana said, shouting to where her son stood with his father in the backyard. She walked down the steps of their five bedroom house as her son walked inside the house.

“Sorry, Mom,” he said.

She dropped down to her knees and opened her arms. He went to her without hesitation. Lana inhaled his sweet scent. She adored her son, and she looked forward to their second child arriving in a matter of months. Rubbing her stomach she let Tommy go to his room. Lana tried to get to her feet and struggled to lift herself from the floor.

“Does my love need help?” Kent asked.

Smiling up at her husband, Lana let out a sigh. He was turning fifty in a matter of days, and he looked as handsome now as he did the first day she met him. “I can’t get up.”

“Baby, you’re seven months pregnant.” He took her hand helping her up. Kent’s hands moved to her swollen stomach. “How is my girl?” he asked.

“It could be a boy,” Lana said. Her back ached, and she rubbed the spot giving her most trouble. Tommy had been an easy pregnancy, but Kent didn’t want to bombard their house with kids. He wanted to take the time to enjoy every one of them. Lana couldn’t argue. There were times Tommy was a handful. Also, Kent encouraged her to spend the last five years working on her cookbook. She’d been trying and testing recipes on all of their family.

Last week she’d scent off the final manuscript to several publishers to see if anyone wanted to pick it up. Kent’s help and support finally gave her a place. When they’d first gotten married they’d struggled to accommodate each other. Their friendship had deepened, but living together married seemed to make things stressful, especially with her pregnant. Over the months their difficulty changed, and now she couldn’t imagine life without him. Kent was her rock, her best friend, and her soul mate.

He stroked her back. “She’s causing trouble again.”

Kent was convinced the child she was carrying was a girl.

“She’s making her presence known.” He helped her into the garden and then went to assist his son.

Lana sat down on the chair staring up at the sky. The calming blue sky was glorious to look at. Her peace was interrupted by Tommy’s shout. She laughed as he ran past her and jumped on the trampoline they’d installed in the back garden.

During her first pregnancy Kent had gone house hunting and found this place down the street from where his parents and siblings lived. He wanted to make sure she was never alone he’d told her.

When she couldn’t work as his cleaner, Kent cut back his hours to spend more time with her. Letting out a sigh she watched her son play as her husband joined her. He wrapped his arm around her.

“I love you,” he said.

The last five years had been amazing with him by her side. Kent placed a hand on her stomach and gasped as their baby kicked her stomach.

“She’s a feisty little thing,” he said.

In no time at all Penny and the rest of their family walked into their backyard. Penny sent Kent into the kitchen to finish drinks. Her mother-in-law rubbed her stomach. Heat filled Lana’s cheeks at the attention. Her swollen stomach made her uncomfortable. The only clothes that fitted her frame reminded her of tents. She missed Kent’s attention in the bedroom, but her pregnancy made her uncomfortable in the bedroom department.

He walked back outside and handed out drinks.

She took her drink and smiled at Kent as he winked at her. He always made it hard to resist him.

Tommy soaked up the attention from his grandparents, aunties, and uncles.

When night finally fell Penny took Tommy home with her leaving Kent and Lana alone.

Walking downstairs after a long bath she found Kent sat in the centre of the living room with a letter in his hand.

“What’s going on?” she asked, moving into the room.

She wore a pair of shorts and one of Kent’s larger shirts. Her stomach peeked out of the bottom, which drove her crazy. There was nothing she could do to stop her large stomach.

Kent patted the floor. He’d arranged several cushions around the floor.

Lana nibbled her lip. Getting up and down was troublesome to her.

“I’ll help you with everything, Lana,” he said.

Sitting down, Lana stared at him. “What’s the matter?” she asked, rubbing her stomach.

“This came in the post a couple of days ago.” He handed her a letter. “Lana Hawkins” was on the envelope. Opening the letter she recognised the hand writing.

“This is from my mother.” She read through the letter. It was full of apologies and regrets. “I don’t understand. Why send me a letter?” she asked, looking at Kent.

“I didn’t want to show you this until after the baby arrived, but I think you have a right to know. Your mother died over three months ago. That letter was in possession of a nurse who’d been caring for her. She died of alcohol poisoning.”

Lana covered her stomach. The knowledge of her mother’s death didn’t hurt her. Staring down at the words she re-read the letter.

Dear Lana,

I don’t know where you are or what’s happened to you. Until this moment I didn’t really care, but dying has made me review my life. I didn’t give you the best start in life, and that I regret. I spent so much time drinking that I really didn’t care about the child I’d given birth to.