The Billionaire's Christmas Surprise: A Clean Secret Baby Romance (Christmas Billionaires) Read online

  THE BILLIONAIRE’S CHRISTMAS SURPRISE

  CHRISTMAS BILLIONAIRES

  BOOK SEVEN

  LAURA HALEY-MCNEIL

  HUERFANO PRESS, LLC

  The Billionaire’s Christmas Surprise

  Book 7 of the Christmas Billionaires Series

  Copyright © 2022 by Laura Haley-McNeil

  All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved.

  This e-book and this book are licensed for your personal enjoyment only. The book and e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at Laura@ laurahaleymcneil.com. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this writer.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  Published by Huerfano Press, LLC

  For more information about the author, please visit www.laurahaleymcneil.com.

  Laura Haley-McNeil. The Billionaire's Christmas Surprise

  For Beau

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  About the Author

  CHAPTER 1

  Emma Waite Haines’ heart pounded dully when she followed her lawyer down the marble hallway to the New York City courtroom. The media crawled over each other trying to get a statement. They flashed cameras and waved microphones. Curiosity seekers jostled for positions with the press.

  “Ms. Haines, did you sign a prenup?”

  “Ms. Haines, how much money will you get in the divorce settlement?”

  “Ms. Haines, rumor has it you’re pregnant. Can you please confirm?”

  Emma dragged air into her lungs. The blood drained from her face. She would’ve ignored that question had she not committed one devastating mistake.

  Pregnant? What would that mean? A custody battle? That hadn’t been part of the contract.

  Silently she prayed for God to give her strength. If she had trusted in Him, she wouldn’t be here.

  Her attorney, Bill Molson, took her arm, the question in his eyes asking if she were all right. She hoped she gave him a reassuring smile. Once the divorce proceedings were over, she’d be fine―at least that was what she kept telling herself.

  Bill had warned her the press and curiosity seekers would want to see her, though she hadn’t expected this much publicity. She wasn’t a rock star or royalty or some rich heiress, but she may as well have been, because she was, after all, Emma Waite Haines—soon to be the ex-wife of billionaire Carter du Pont Haines IV.

  “Ms. Haines will not be making any comment at this time.” Bill’s tone was gentle, but the look in his eyes was firm.

  Emma followed Bill’s advice and looked straight ahead. Still, she felt the hard stares. Two years ago, she was nobody, but because of her marriage to Carter, the whole world now knew who she was.

  She focused on placing one foot in front of the other. She barely saw the hallway before her. Looming at the end were the courtroom’s imposing double oak doors. She gasped and stuttered a breath, then tightened her jaw. She’d made it this far. She wouldn’t faint now.

  The marriage and divorce had been stipulated in the contract she and Carter had signed two years ago. She always knew the marriage would end, but now reality struck. Once she stepped inside that courtroom, her life would change as it had two years ago when she and Carter uttered those fateful words, “I do.”

  Through the windows lining the corridor, she glimpsed the bare branches of the trees growing along the street. How she longed to be outside, walking in the crisp air and not walking into a court session that made her want to weep.

  The media’s questioning became more intense, their camera lights flashing brighter and faster. Her teeth set, she tried to ignore them. Instead, she stared at the approaching courtroom doors.

  Bill opened one of the doors. She could hardly breathe. How had her life gone from small-town girl to soon-to-be ex-wife of the country’s high-profile billionaire?

  But she knew why. She needed money, and her soon-to-be ex-husband needed a wife. If she followed the contract to the letter, and she and Carter remained married for two years, she would walk away a very wealthy woman.

  She filled her lungs with the courthouse’s stale air. Is that what she wanted? Money?

  Would she still receive the settlement if she confessed she’d broken the terms of the contract? If she did that, Carter wouldn’t get what he wanted.

  Bill turned to her and smiled again with that questioning look in his eyes. Emma forced the corners of her mouth to curve, then, her stomach dropped. Even before stepping inside the courtroom, she knew the place was jammed. Her throat dry, she tried to swallow. Why did it feel as if she were walking into a death chamber?

  When she signed the contract, the terms seemed simple―pretend to be Carter’s wife for two years. She hadn’t wanted to sign the contract, but if she didn’t, she’d lose everything. If she’d only known pretending was the most difficult task she had to face. In the eyes of the world, she’d prevailed. No one knew she had failed. No one knew turmoil coiled in the pit of her stomach.

  She hesitated but didn’t miss Bill’s curious glance. She took another breath, hoping it would give her strength, then stepped into the packed courtroom. She almost gasped when everyone seated in the public area turned and stared at her.

  Carter and his legal team sat at the plaintiff’s table. His blue gaze lifted and locked onto her. Even now, one look from him made her heart rise in her chest. That he looked tired shouldn’t have surprised her. Their last night together had been one that never should’ve happened.

  Their marriage should never have happened.

  It had been one of parties and vacations and social events. Wherever she and Carter went, they played the game. The world had to believe they were husband and wife.

  Like any game, there was a prize. To inherit his grandmother’s estate, Carter had to marry.

  That Emma needed money to save her grandparents’ lodge was the incenti
ve that made her agree to the fraudulent nuptials.

  The lines at the corner of Carter’s eyes deepened. His hand on the armrest, he seemed about to rise. Then his lawyer tipped his head toward him and murmured something that made Carter drop his gaze to a document on the table.

  Emma fought against the emptiness that squeezed her chest. Only a little while longer, only a brief hearing before a judge, then she would be free to return to her life as simple Emma Waite from Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

  Looking at her attorney, she saw he offered her an encouraging smile. It was meant to soothe her but did little to quell the cold that sent a shiver down her spine.

  They walked past the pointed stares of the media and spectators to the table at the front.

  “Are you all right?” Bill whispered when she started to take her seat.

  She forced a smile and nodded, but she wasn’t fine at all. She had never wanted to agree to this sham of a marriage.

  For years, she’d worked at her grandparents’ side to make the lodge at Falcon Lake the success it had been for generations. After her parents’ death, her grandparents had raised her, and she wouldn’t abandon them after the sacrifices they made for her. Though they were gone, she wanted to carry on the Waite tradition and manage the lodge with the same integrity as her grandparents.

  She’d lost her grandfather years ago. When her grandmother fell ill, Emma managed the lodge with the help of her grandmother’s friend, Gael Curtis. It wasn’t until her grandmother passed that she understood the debt her grandparents had accumulated.

  The mortgage was past due. The insurance premiums hadn’t been paid in years. Outstanding bills owed to local contractors filled the filing cabinet.

  Emma knew business had been slow, but she hadn’t realized the income from the resort barely paid the utilities. Without funds to pay a staff, the cooking and cleaning fell to Emma, her grandmother and Gael. When her grandmother became ill, Emma and Gael did it all.

  Emma was in negotiations with the loan officer at the local bank when Carter walked into the banker’s office. After reviewing her mortgage, Carter and the banker had a private meeting―a meeting that changed Emma’s life forever. The offer he made was one she should’ve refused, but she didn’t. She’d been too desperate to consider the consequences.

  “All rise.” The bailiff’s deep voice broke through her thoughts.

  She and her lawyer stood. She didn’t have to look at Carter to know he and his team of lawyers rose also.

  The judge swept in from his chambers, his black robe fluttering behind him, and called the session to order. A rustle filled the courtroom as everyone sat. The judge reviewed the documents before him, then asked the lawyers to approach the bench.

  Emma heard none of what they said, but Bill had told her the judge would ask about a chance of resolution.

  It had been one of the terms of the contract that resolving the marriage would never be possible. She had agreed to that and everything else. She pressed down the sickening feeling that threatened to rise up her throat. She had agreed to all these terms―for a price.

  Bill’s smile was slight when he turned away from the bench and crossed the room to the table where Emma waited.

  “I’m going to read the terms of your requests, then the judge will ask if you and Carter will agree to reconcile,” Bill murmured. “Just say what we rehearsed, then Carter’s counsel and I will review the provisions of the divorce.”

  Divorce! What would her grandparents say if they knew she’d married someone she didn’t love so the resort could remain in business? And how long would it stay in business? To keep from thinking about the divorce, Emma worked on a plan that would make the resort a thriving operation.

  Bill moved to the lectern in front of the judge and specified the terms that he had requested for Emma. She winced at the extravagance he relayed―none of which she wanted. For the past two years, she counted the days when she would return to Colorado.

  Behind her, gasps and murmurs waffled through the crowd. The entrance doors opened and closed several times. Because the media were filing stories about her settlement? Bill had said it would be the largest paid in New York history.

  Emma closed her eyes. She didn’t want a divorce settlement, but what she wanted, Carter couldn’t give her.

  When the judge finished questioning Bill, the lawyer returned to the table where Emma waited. Though his face was expressionless, Emma saw he was pleased with his presentation. And he should be. This case would make him one of the highest paid attorneys in the city.

  Carter’s lead attorney moved to the lectern and explained what Carter was willing to pay and why. More murmurs rose from the crowd, followed by the courtroom doors again opening and closing.

  Emma drew in air. Why didn’t the media show this much interest in the city’s crime rate? But she knew why. Carter’s personal life garnered ratings. Even his friends scoured the papers and the internet for the latest gossip to discuss at parties and spas and yacht vacations.

  When Emma had learned that she felt sorry for him. What life could anyone lead when they lived in a goldfish bowl?

  Emma learned the answer to that when she agreed to marry Carter. As soon as she uttered, “I do,” her personal life became media fodder, too.

  She felt Bill’s stare. When she looked at him, he indicated that the judge had asked her a question.

  “I’m sorry, Your Honor. Would you please repeat the question?” Her voice trembled.

  Bill set a small bottle of water in front of her. She only stared at it. She was too nervous to take a sip.

  “Is there no chance of reconciliation?” the judge asked, his eyes soft and kind like her grandfather’s.

  “No, sir.” Emma dropped her gaze. There was no chance because reconciliation hadn’t been part of the contract. A loveless marriage couldn’t be reconciled.

  After a few more questions, the judge turned his attention to Carter, again asking if there was a chance for reconciliation.

  “No,” Carter said softly, though Emma didn’t miss the ragged tone in his voice.

  The judge sighed and leaned back in his chair. “It disappoints me that you young people aren’t willing to put forth the effort it takes to make a marriage work.” He gathered the papers he’d spread across his bench. He looked from Emma to Carter.

  Emma dropped her gaze. She didn’t want anyone to see the pain she felt.

  “It appears I have no choice but to dissolve this marriage,” the judge said on an exhaled breath. “Emma Haines.”

  Emma’s head came up.

  “Carter Haines.”

  Carter lifted his gaze to the judge.

  “I hereby declare your marriage dissolved three months from today.” The judge’s gavel hit its base with an echo that resounded throughout the courtroom.

  Emma sank her teeth into her lower lip. It was that, or she’d burst into tears.

  Behind her came a rush of voices. Feet pounded across the wood flooring as reporters raced out of the courtroom. Were they surprised? Had any of them thought Emma and Carter would stay married?

  Bill had warned her the dissolution would burn up the internet and the media wires. He touched her elbow and helped her to her feet. She felt drained and prayed she had the strength to walk out of the courtroom.

  In a daze, she stepped away from the table. When she lifted her gaze, she came face to face with Carter.

  “Emma,” he whispered hoarsely. “I’m sorry I―”

  His attorney murmured something to him. Carter’s eyes flickered, but he nodded and stepped back.

  Bill looped Emma’s arm through his. Angling his shoulders, he forged a path through the crowd. When they stepped outside the courthouse, gray clouds peeked through the skyscrapers that rose around them. A microphone was set up at the head of the crescent-shaped steps leading to the sidewalk.

  “I’m going to say a few words.” Regret filled Bill’s eyes. “It’s better to set the record straight before the ru
mor mills confuse the facts. Do you want to say anything?”

  “No.” Panic rose in Emma’s throat. “I’d rather return to the hotel.”

  “I’ll make arrangements,” Bill said. Looking past her, he nodded once.

  The woman who had picked up Emma at Haines Estate that morning appeared at her side. She murmured that the limousine hired to drive her to the hotel waited curbside.

  A team of security surrounded Emma. In a daze, she walked through the crowd, her jaw tight when the media shouted questions at her. She stared at the limousine, the open door revealing its maroon interior. She slid inside. The security guards followed and sat on the seat opposite her.

  When the door closed, she flinched. Looking through the tinted windows, she watched as the crowd slowly slipped past. Reporters held microphones and cameras and shouted questions at her, but she couldn’t hear what they said.

  A familiar figure stood in the crowd.

  Emma went rigid when the limousine glided past Carter. His gaze was intense as he watched the limousine, though she knew he couldn’t see her through the tinted glass. Without thinking, she pressed a hand to the window. Carter lifted his hand, then the media surrounded him. Soon she couldn’t see him anymore.

  She leaned back in the seat. Hot tears pricked her eyes. She’d never forget that last image of Carter standing alone on the sidewalk, watching her drive away.

  She had thought she’d stay in New York to finish her work at the charities she’d supported, but now she knew she couldn’t. She’d contact them and apologize for her change in plans. She had to return to Colorado. She had the money to revive the resort. It may not be a moneymaking prospect, but that wouldn’t matter. Even if she never earned a dime, she had the funds to manage the lodge for as long as she wanted. Because she was only twenty-three years old, that would be for a very long time.