The Billionaire's Wife (Part One) Read Online Free Page A

"Impromptu photo shoots aside, things are pretty good. My kids are still kicking ass and taking names-"
    "Same as your boyfriend, apparently," I winked.
    A year ago Cade Wallace, an action movie star that looked every bit capable of ripping someone to shreds on and off the screen, was battling a series of box office flops.
    Cade defied the critics who called him box office poison. His last movie was The Last Job, where he played a hit man with a heart of gold—and it was the highest grossing action movie of the year. And if the spy thriller that premiered last week kept selling out theaters and getting praise from the same folks who mocked him, he was in for another record breaker.
    I was happy things had turned around for him, and not just because he was dating my best friend. He’d gone from my idol, a celebrity crush that made me sweat and act like I was twelve instead of twenty-four, to a charmingly vulnerable man that was more than muscles and a ferocious screen presence. And then there was the flirting; something innocent that ballooned until he kissed me, flagrantly disregarding my relationship with Jacob. With time, he respected the boundaries of our friendship, and he and Megan started dating. The past was so far in the rearview that I could barely make it out on the horizon. Even Jacob had let go of any bad blood. The name ‘Cade Wallace’ used to turn his usually calm facade into that of a boxer, but now he was cordial when he was mentioned. I could tell from the way Megan fidgeted that she still felt a little weird talking about him with me.
    I couldn’t help but smirk at the transition from tough love to coy and quiet as she bit her lip, avoiding my gaze.
    “You and Cade have been dating for nearly as long I’ve been married. You know I’m not secretly holding any grudges, right? As long as he makes you feel like the awesome, beautiful woman that you are, we’re good.” I went serious, wanting to make sure I wasn’t mistaking her awkwardness about my colored past with Cade for some more recent transgressions. Maybe there was some sort of alpha male oddness going around the city, and our guys had it bad. “He’s treating you alright?”
    The nervousness that settled over her relaxed and the smile returned to her lips. “Better than alright. We had our issues, you know all about that.” She gave me a look that summed up all the drama when Cade pursued her and she was sure he was just like the guys she usually gravitated toward. Guys who definitely did not treat her alright. “But he looks at me and I swear we’re the only two people on the planet. And when he tells me he loves me, I believe it with everything in me. I never had that before.” She cleared her throat, emotion getting the better of her. With a sniff, she reached for my wine glass. After she downed the rest, she perked, tears of happiness still glittering in her eyes.
    I could see how happy she was and after all the hell her ex’s put her through, seeing her smile and finally get the happily ever after she deserved made tears sprint to my eyes too.
    We both fanned our eyes, red faced and laughing. “Now if they would just take a picture of me where I don’t look completely awful, I’d be set,” I quipped. I picked at the rest of my sandwich. “I wish I could tell you it gets easier with the photographers, but you pretty much have to embrace it, or ignore them.”
    “Only two options, huh?” She inhaled deep, then faced the street and waved. “I guess sometimes,” she said through clenched teeth, “You just have to not give a fuck.”
    She said it so simply, but it resonated with me. There was only one way to find out the answers to my questions. I had to summon up my courage. Put all the fears of ‘what if’ on silent, and just do it.
    Tonight , I thought to myself. I’ll ask him about it tonight.
    I plastered a smile on my face, then I waved at them too.

FOUR
    ****
    W orking late. Don’t wait up, love.
    Under normal