Free Rescued by the Billionaire (Billionaire Romance Novel) by Aubrey Michelle Page A

few years of my brother’s life, my mom regularly took my brother to doctor appointments for a variety of treatments, which were supposed to delay the disease, but nothing worked. It was very aggressive. As a result, I spent most of my childhood being raised by the nanny. About a year after my brother died, my dad retired and he and mom traveled together extensively.”  
     
    “How did you cope with losing your brother? That must have been very tough.”  
     
    “Well, I hated being raised by the nanny. I longed for my mother’s attention and affection. Since my brother—and I don’t blame him for it— got most of it, I buried myself in my academics, and later, my work.”  
     
    “I guess that’s why you’re so successful today.” Kelly smiled. “Your brother left you that gift.”  
     
    “I suppose,” he shrugged. “I still miss him a lot. He was so much fun. He liked to pull pranks on people before he got sick. If there were a way to rig something or set up a trap, he’d do it.” Dave smiled, thinking of some of the pranks his brother pulled on him and his parents.  
     
    “Wow. We’ve both gone through so much. It’s crazy, isn’t it?”  
     
    Dave nodded his head in agreement. “Very.”  
     
    “Would you like another cup of coffee?” Kelly asked, noticing his cup was empty.  
     
    “Sure.”  
     
    “Okay, let me go check on Emma real quick and I’ll make us some.” She tiptoed down the hall.  
     
    As she made her way to the bedroom, Dave snuck into the kitchen and fixed their coffee. It’s ironic, he thought, how much we have in common. Here she was with a great mom whom she’d lost, yet became the perfect mother herself, and he longed for that exact type of relationship. They’d both suffered a great deal of loss and had coped with the deaths of the people they loved the most. On the other hand, they were exact opposites. She was a hardworking waitress at a chain restaurant while he was living on Easy Street as a billionaire. Well, they do say opposites attract. It amazed him how well he connected with her.  
     
    As he was making his way back into the living room, he saw Kelly carrying Emma down the hallway. He scurried to help her.  
     
    “Do you need some help carrying her?” he offered.  
     
    “No, it’s fine. I got her. She was awake and wanted to meet you.”  
     
    He peered down at the beautiful little girl and noticed he was right, she did look just like her mom.  
     
    “Hi, I’m Dave,” he said with a grin on his face as he looked at a much younger version of Kelly.  
     
    “Hi. Did you bring us dinner?”  
     
    Kelly and Dave busted out in laughter. “Yes, I did. Are you hungry? Your mom and I made you a plate, but you’d fallen asleep by the time it was ready.”  
     
    Emma nodded her head yes. “If you’d like, I can heat her plate up or I can carry her. Which would you prefer?”  
     
    “I’ll carry her to the kitchen table and you can heat up her plate.”  
     
    “Will do!” he said as he spun on his heel and did a silly march in front of Emma, in hopes of making her laugh. It worked. Emma giggled all the way to the kitchen.  
     
    They sat with Emma as she ate her dinner. Dave asked her all about herself, which she proudly and eagerly volunteered a wealth of information. She loved talking about herself, and it didn’t take Dave long to figure that out. As they sat together, he learned that her favorite color was purple, she loved to play Hopscotch, her favorite song was “Trouble” by Taylor Swift and that her favorite holiday was Christmas. Dave doted on the child as he listened to her.  
     
    Kelly was shocked to see that she had eaten most of her dinner as she spoke with Dave; it was such a relief to see her eat a whole meal for the first time in weeks.  
     
    “Would you like to listen to me sing?” she asked him as she licked the chicken juices off her fingers.  
     
    “Sure!”  
     
    “Not now, Emma.”