Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Please, please, please remember you’re about to get married to another man, Betsy!
“Good morning.”
The stilted tone of her boss’s greeting had Betsy forgetting her discomfort. Aww. This beautiful man was obviously unused to seeing someone else take over his kitchen, but because he had an equally beautiful heart, he was striving so hard to make her feel welcome.
“Good morning, Mr. Tsaldaris!”
Betsy’s smile was almost blinding as she returned Lukas’ greeting, and with the morning sun shining behind her from the balcony, her beauty had almost taken an ethereal glow.
“I wasn’t sure what you usually have for breakfast so I thought I’d prepare a little of everything...”
Her words had him belatedly glancing down at the counter, and Lukas’ eyes widened. When she said everything, she had apparently meant it since what Betsy had prepared was fit to feed an entire army.
“Is it too much?” Betsy asked in concern.
“No, not at all,” Lukas answered right away. “How did you know I like to eat a week’s worth of breakfast in one go?”
A choked laugh escaped her, and although it made no sense at all, the sound somehow reminded him of the one thing that was not right about this picture. A frown creased his forehead as his gaze swept over his living room. “Your son...”
“D’s fine,” Betsy quickly assured him. “I meant it when I said you wouldn’t even notice—”
“I don’t mind him joining us for breakfast,” Lukas heard himself interrupt. “You don’t have to hide him.” And as soon as the words slipped past his lips, Lukas realized that what he said was true. If anything, he was actually looking forward to getting to know the boy more, and so when he saw Betsy biting her lip in uncertainty—
“You do not strike me as the inefficient type. Surely you are confident about your ability to do your job without having to leave your son unattended?”
“Are you really sure?” Betsy felt as if she owed it to her boss to at least try refusing one more time.
Lukas nodded. “Abso—” His lips twitched. There was no point finishing what he had to say, with Betsy already gone.
Betsy came back a few moments later, her son in his arms, and the widest smile on her lips. “We’re back!”
“I see that.”
Betsy laughed. “You have the most wonderfully dry sense of humor, Mr. Tsaldaris.”
"Just call me Lukas, will you?"
Betsy vigorously shook her head. "Never, sir. You deserve to be treated with the utmost respect."
We'll see about that, Lukas thought lazily, and his lips were about to form a smirk when he realized the direction his thoughts had taken. It was as if their marriage was already a foregone conclusion in his mind.
But it was not.
Was it?
Chapter Six
WHILE LUKAS STRUGGLED to make sense of his increasingly complicated feelings towards Betsy, the subject of his thoughts also had internal struggles of her own, albeit of a different bent.
"What would you like to try first, Mr. Tsaldaris?" Betsy tried her very best to control her excitement. Prior to giving birth to her son, cooking had been her pride and joy, and she was so, so hoping her boss would also find pleasure in the food she had prepared.
Lukas shook his head when he realized she planned to serve him. “Have I gotten it wrong?" he asked briefly.
Betsy's brows furrowed.
"Did I mistakenly hire a nanny instead of a housekeeper?"
A rueful laugh slipped past her lips. "I'm sorry, Mr. Tsaldaris."
"I know this is hard to believe, but I did manage to live on my own without you for the past three decades."
Betsy made a face but only realized she had done so when her boss said solemnly, "There it is. The ultimate sign of respect."
Oops.
The rest of the morning flew by like the most beautiful dream, and Betsy couldn't remember both D and her having this much fun in recent times. One of her greatest fears upon coming here was what she would do if her billionaire boss were to suddenly find her son a nuisance, but she was starting to realize now there was just no limiting God's miracles.
It was already unheard of for a billionaire like Lukas Tsaldaris to be so exceptionally kind, but for that same man to also possess an instant and special bond with her son?
D seemed to find everything Lukas did fascinating while her boss was acting like D was the smartest, funniest, and sweetest boy in the world. Despite her horrified protests, the billionaire insisted on indulging her son's every whim. D had moved from her lap to climbing all over her boss's chest, and it was also Lukas now literally spoon-feeding breakfast to her son while her young boy gazed up at him with stars in his eyes just as he said...
"Papa!"
Betsy felt like shrinking in her embarrassment. "D!" Her face was on fire once more, and she didn’t even know where or how to start apologizing as she turned to her boss. “I’m so, so sorry, Mr. Tsaldaris. I swear I didn’t—”