A Billionaire Boyfriend For Christmas - Holly Rayner Page 0,3
available. He had a very demanding job, for one. And sure, he wasn’t one-hundred percent ready for the things Adison was. He hated talking about the future or making any sort of plans, but everyone had their flaws.
He needed time, and that was the part that Corinne didn’t seem to understand. Their relationship was the longest one he’d ever had, and he wasn’t yet used to such a level of intimacy.
“Call me tomorrow.” Corinne pulled Adison into a hug.
“I will,” Adison promised, hugging tightly back.
It was going on five, but Danny had said he wouldn’t be home till at least seven. That would give her plenty of time to straighten up the house and warm the Thanksgiving leftovers in the oven.
Corinne’s apartment was on the outskirts of Buffalo, near one of the best hiking trails in the area. Before moving in with Danny six months before, Adison had lived in the same apartment complex. Being a short drive from nature had been great, but her lease had expired and Danny had asked her to move into his duplex.
They’d only known each other for five months then, and she’d had some hesitation. He was a sweet guy, though—so much nicer than anyone else she’d dated—and he really believed in their relationship.
So she’d done it. She’d taken the plunge and joined him at his place. It was the first time she’d ever lived with a man, and to be honest the experience had its ups and downs. Danny wasn’t the best when it came to cleaning up after himself, and sometimes he stayed at work much longer than he’d thought he would need to.
The time they did get to spend together, though, was great. They watched movies at home with their cat Taffy or went out to dinner. Adison loved Danny, and she knew she was exactly where she needed to be.
At their duplex, she was surprised to find his car in the driveway.
“That’s weird,” she mumbled, parking behind him.
She had to be careful walking up the drive. Danny hadn’t been able to salt it yet that week, and there were patches of ice here and there. It was a wonder she made it to the front door without spilling turkey or cranberry sauce all over her shoes.
With the plastic containers in one hand, she fumbled for her house key with the other. Before she could insert it in the lock, the door opened from the inside.
“Hey, I brought…” She trailed off. It wasn’t Danny standing in front of her.
Instead, in front of her stood a girl with long blond hair and thick bangs. She had her jacket over her arm and her cheeks were pink.
“Hi,” Adison said, confused. Danny had said nothing about having anyone over.
“Hey.” The girl ducked her face.
“Hey, babe!” Danny’s voice called from inside. “You left your socks. Are these supposed to be a parting gift for me?”
He walked across the living room laughing, but that ended the moment he got to the door and saw Adison. You could have heard a pin drop as the three of them just stood there.
“What’s going on?” Adison felt like she was floating above her body, watching the whole scene rather than being a part of it.
No one answered.
There it was: the ton of bricks. It walloped her, stealing her breath and twisting her heart.
Danny had come home early.
He had not told her, because he had a girl over.
A girl who, while at their house, had taken off clothes.
“Um.” The girl bounced from one foot to the other. “Okay, bye.”
With that, she darted past Adison, ran across the snow-covered yard, and jumped into a car parked on the other side of the street.
“What are you doing here?” Danny demanded.
That was the only word that could be used to describe his tone of voice. He had demanded to know what Adison was doing at her own home.
“I came home early.” The plastic containers in her hand shook.
“Why?” he spat. “I told you I wouldn’t be home till later.”
“Right, that you were working late.”
Suddenly, Adison cracked. It all made sense now. Danny’s “long hours,” the excessive amount of time he spent online, how so often when she came into the room he put his phone down.
“How long have you been seeing her?” Adison demanded.
He shook his head and made a noise of exasperation.
She waited for his answer, still holding onto the hope that she was being paranoid. Perhaps the two of them were colleagues, and the girl had taken her socks off to