The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress
Chapter 125

Flair

POV

It was quiet in the house. Even though I knew there were bodyguards and even with Roscoe with me, the house seemed ominous. I tried to keep my mind away from Sam and his death but it continued to plague me as I wandered aimlessly in the house. The front doorbell ringing startled me. I glanced uneasily at Roscoe who was barking. Shouldn't the bodyguard have stopped whoever it was and determined if it was safe for them to enter?

It was Grayson. He entered, poking his head cautiously as Roscoe bounded up to him tail wagging. There was a smile on his face as he came to greet me, his lips kissing the corner of my mouth as his eyes twinkled at me. I had never been so grateful to see him in my life. "Welcome home," I said dismally.

He frowned and glanced towards the kitchen. I had not gotten to starting dinner but part of me had been reluctant to step foot in there. Roscoe remained between the two of us, his tail wagging happily. "Sorry I haven't started dinner" I apologized, although the hour was quite early by Grayson's standards.

He shrugged, putting his briefcase down. "Why don't we go out for dinner?" he asked and I hesitated.

I felt safe with Roscoe. I didn't want to leave him behind, even though part of me acknowledged that I should be safe with the bodyguards. Roscoe was a comfort to me. I glanced uncertainly at the dog and Grayson followed my gaze. "We can bring Roscoe" he suggested to my surprise.

"We can?"

He grinned and nodded, looking for the dog's lead, Roscoe sitting obediently as Grayson put it on, before walking obediently to the front door and sitting patiently.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we headed back out of the house, the bodyguards nodding as one of them followed behind us.

I was nervous about being out in the open but Grayson's face was inscrutable. "Why don't we just go out to the local park?" he suggested calmly.

"The dog park?" I said surprised.

"Why not? It's not too far from home in case we have to make a quick exit, it means Roscoe gets to run around and we can have a picnic" he said shrugging.

"Don't we need to go get food?" I asked confused as we began to climb into the limo.

"I already sent one of the bodyguards out. I'll just text him where we are going" he said nonchalantly, digging into his pocket for his phone.

He'd thought of everything. We could have walked but Grayson was already leaning back in his seat so I shrugged and sat back. It was only a block away and we were there within a minute, the two bodyguards with us checking the park before motioning that it was safe.

Roscoe was in his element. The park was fenced in and we were the only ones there. We let Roscoe off his lead. Grayson produced a blanket from the boot of the car and spread it on the grass for both of us to sit. I sighed, breathing in the fresh air. For the first time, I could feel my body relaxing as I took in Roscoe frolicking and running around, while I smiled at his antics.

"How was work?" I asked.

Grayson gave a lazy smile, gently tracing a finger down my thigh "It was the same old boring mundane stuff" he commented drily "I much prefer to spend time with you and find out what you've been up to?" he asked intrigued.

I laughed "Nothing interesting," I told him.

"Did you make it home safe? Are you okay?" he sat up with concern in his eyes "I know the last few days have been rough and I should have called to check on you today!"

He reached for my hand "Grayson, I'm fine. It's just, poor Sam" my voice cracked slightly "It's a little much to deal with. This" I gestured with my hand at the park, people slowly wandering past and looking at us with interest "this is what I need. Just spending time with you and our dog. Being outdoors and being reminded that not everything has to be scary."

Roscoe barked and came bounding over, licking me enthusiastically as I laughed and hugged his neck. I could see the other bodyguard approaching with bags of food which he placed in front of us. He kept one for himself and the other guards while Grayson and I looked at the other ones with interest. He had grabbed a variety of sandwiches from a deli, thankfully some vegan ones, grapes, water, pretzels, and a bone for the dog. It was perfect. I giggled as Grayson handed the bone to Roscoe before handing me a sandwich. "Perfect picnic fare" I sighed in contentment.

"We could still go somewhere fancy afterward," Grayson said, leaning back on his elbow and munching away "If you want to?"

I shook my head "This is fine. Honestly, who needs a fancy restaurant when you can have this" I teased.

Roscoe gave a bark as if in agreement, ferociously digging into his bone.

I was thankful that my morning sickness was gone for the moment as I delicately ate some grapes and nibbled on pretzels. The water was room temperature but refreshing.

"Do you think that Timothy and Rachel will take the next step?" I asked Grayson suddenly "Do you think they might get married? I would love to be a bridesmaid in her wedding" I told him thinking about it, my eyes getting misty-eyed, "I can only picture the type of wedding she would have. She never does things by half" I laughed softly.

Grayson's expression was classic. "Hmmm" he murmured "You might be onto something there," he said nonchalantly "Do you ever wish that you had done things a bit differently? That maybe you had done a big wedding?" he pressed, fixating his eyes on me. I hesitated. Neither of my weddings had been the dream wedding I had been envisioning since I was a child but did it matter in the end? My marriage to Johnathon had ended up with divorce and now with Grayson, I couldn't be happier. The fairytale wedding was nothing in comparison but part of me did feel that I had been stripped of something important.

"Not a big wedding" I confessed "but I did always dream of wearing the fancy white dress and the walk down the aisle. But every girl does" I sighed "It's not important in the grand scheme of things" I told him.

He didn't look convinced. I glanced towards Roscoe who was lying down and happily munching away. My smile didn't quite reach my eyes. "I'm sorry" Grayson apologized "I'm sorry you didn't get the wedding of your dreams" he added.

"I'm not," I told him honestly "It would have been nice, but it's just a bonus at the end of the day. It's the marriage and the love you have for the other person that matters the most."

"Well in that case, I love you," he said, capturing my hand with his own and staring deeply into my eyes as my heart skipped a beat, the food forgotten about as he slowly lowered me to the ground, his hand cupping my cheek.

"I love you too" I breathed as he knelt over me, his eyes fixed on me.

He swooped down and kissed me, longingly, expressing without words how much he loved me, while I reciprocated, my hair spread out on the blanket, his tongue softly delving inside my mouth as I moaned, his hand going gently beneath my shirt and gently stroking my stomach.

Heat pooled between my thighs. He deepened the kiss and I reached up, gripping the back of his neck and holding him in place. For the moment everything was forgotten about, and it was just the two of us, our bodies pressing against one another, our lips locked together until he was pulling away from me, leaving me gasping for breath and so lightheaded it was all I could do to breathe. My husband knew me well, his body resting atop of mine, even as Roscoe came over, dragging his bone with his mouth. He gently helped me to sit upright as I struggled for breath, his eyes filled with amusement.

"I didn't mean to make you lose your voice," he said, tracing my cheek with a finger.

"Very funny" I scowled causing him to chuckle and reach for another sandwich "You're such a charmer" I growled. He smirked. Damn, he was handsome. Roscoe joined us on the picnic blanket. gnawing away at his bone. I patted him absent-mindedly, watching as the sun began to slowly go down and cause it to become slightly darker. There was a chill in the air. Grayson shrugged out of his jacket and put it around me as I stared at him gratefully.

"I don't want you catching a chill," he said blandly, going back to eating.

How had I survived this long without this man? I could count on one hand how many times Johnathon had shown even an ounce of this much caring towards me.

"I can't eat anymore" I groaned rubbing my stomach.

We both stood up and began to tidy, putting the uneaten food in one bag. "Roscoe" I called, clipping his lead on as he wagged his tail, his bone still in his mouth. "Let's walk back," I told Grayson "The walk will do us good."

He looked about to protest and then sighed and nodded. It was growing dark but it was one block and I couldn't see the harm. I had my handbag with me and I held Roscoe's lead in one hand. The bodyguards kept a subtle difference behind us. As we headed past an alleyway, I saw a man digging through the dumpster and I grabbed the bag of food off of Grayson. Before he said anything, I ducked inside and quickly held the bag out. "Here," I said, "it's not much but it's food." The man was grateful as he took hold of the bag, while Grayson gently dragged me back out, Roscoe remaining fixed by my side and watchful, his bone long forgotten.

We had just about reached a street away from our home when we came across a man staggering and acting drunkenly. Grayson was on his guard and I couldn't help but brush my fingers over the new tazor that Knox had gifted me. Roscoe snarled, as the man pretended to trip and staggered towards me, his hand glinting as I noticed a dagger. I reacted instantly as Grayson's bodyguards surged forward. I dodged to the side, put the tazor against his skin, and pressed the button in one smooth motion.