Holidays with the Billionaire

Chapter 24

Kelton

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“D on’t be nervous,” I say to Adlee as I pull up to my childhood home on Christmas Eve. She’s spent every night with me this week, and we’ve both been looking forward to this.

“I’m not. Okay maybe a little. But your parents live on... a farm?” she asks, looking wide-eyed at my childhood home.

I laugh. “Yes. I grew up here. It’s twenty acres of farmland, and mostly ranch hands maintain it, but since my dad retired, he does a lot of the work himself. My mom, too.”

I grew up on this ranch with horses, cows, chickens, gardens... everything. While my dad worked, my mom maintained everything, was the boss lady to all the employees, and some of them have since retired very comfortably.

“My parents renovated this place five years ago. Top-of-the-line modern everything. I helped. It was so much fun. Wait until you see.”

I kill the engine and go around to open her door and help her out. She carries a small gift that I told her not to get, but she insisted it was nothing big. So, I can’t wait to see what it is.

I told her not to be nervous but I’m the one who’s nervous. I retrieve the gifts from the backseat and take her hand as we walk in our warm clothes up to the front door boasting a huge festive wreath. The door, of course, is unlocked so I walk in and announce our arrival.

“Hello!” I call out.

Mom comes around the corner with a big smile on her face as she unties her apron from the back. “Kelt! Merry Christmas! Oh, my gosh I’ve missed you!” She gives me a big hug. “And who’s this?” She beams a smile.

“Adlee Phillips, this is my mom Lynette Fox.”

She shakes my mom’s hand. “Very nice to meet you, ma’am.”

My dad comes around the corner. “I thought I heard voices. Merry Christmas!”

“Dad, this is Adlee Phillips. Adlee, my dad, Peter Fox.”

“Nice to meet you, sir.” She also shakes his hand.

“Oh, don’t be silly. Call me Pete.” He looks at me. “C’mon, I’ve been dying to show you the new shed.”

I look at Adlee. “Guess we’re touring the outside first.” I laugh.

“Sure,” she replies, looping her arm through my elbow.

“I’ll take those,” Mom says, unloading the gifts from my hands.

“Thanks,” she replies.

Outside, Dad excitedly explains how he had to tear down the old shed and rebuild this one, bragging about how he did it all himself with help from YouTube video tutorials. My father was an absolute whiz in the investment game, amassing billions, but wasn’t very handy growing up. Like him, I’m great with numbers and money, but not so much with my hands. A skill I plan to learn, especially once I have a family. I do small things around my house but have to hire out for the bigger things. I want to share my big house with a wife and kids, and I don’t want to have to hire someone to do things. I know I can do it. Just follow instructions. Measurements are just numbers, right?

The large pool is covered and sealed up for the season, but the hot tub looks to be open for business. I’ll for sure get Adlee in there later.

I give her a tour of the rest of the 5,000 square foot house, impressed at the little touches my mom has added since I was here last.

“What’s for dinner?” I ask Mom after the tour is done, as the smell has been making my stomach rumble since I got here.

“Pot roast, potatoes, veggies, and cherry pie for dessert.”

“Oh, my God. That sounds amazing,” Adlee says with a little bit of a squeal.

“Sit, sit,” Mom says, pouring us both wine.

“Do you need any help?” Adlee asks.

Mom laughs. “Absolutely not. You guys enjoy the wine and chat with me while I make the gravy for the roast.”

“Mmm, gravy,” my dad says, pouring himself the rest of the Merlot from the bottle and tossing it into the recycle bin. “So, how long you two been seeing each other?” he asks, drawing the glass to his lips.

I nearly choke on mine but recover well enough. “I mean, it’s hard to define.”

He lifts a gray-blond eyebrow in question, but I can see his blue eyes sparkle with mischief. “It can’t be that hard, son. When did you two meet?”

“Well, Dad, she’s... one of my employees,” I admit.

My father chuckles. “Fishing from the company docks, eh?”

A glance at Adlee shows her face flaming.

“Dad!”

He pats my hand and takes a swig of wine. “Nothing wrong with that. She looks like a good catch.”

Oh, my freaking God.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, squeezing her hand.

Adlee laughs. “I love your dad. He’s funny!”

“See?” Dad says. “She likes me. C’mon, Adlee. Wanna see the koi pond?”

“Isn’t it frozen?” I ask nervously.

Dad stands and waves a hand. “Nah. I put a heater in it. It’s a perfect sixty-eight degrees.”

Adlee shrugs. “Sure!” She follows my dad outside while I stay put. I bet he wants to grill her on our relationship, and I’m fine with that. I have a feeling she’ll be perfectly honest but classy about it.

“So,” Mom says, dumping gravy into the roast pan and licking her fingers. “You’re dating your employee, huh?”

I groan. “Why do you have to put it like that?”

She laughs. “Why? Because it’s true. Not that I’m judging.”

“I didn’t think you were,” I mutter.

“How do you think I met your father?” She giggles, pouring the small red potatoes into a pan and tossing a stick of butter into it, along with salt and pepper.

“You were Dad’s employee? Oh yeah...” I’m an asshole to have forgotten how they met.

“His secretary, actually. At one point, he referred to me as his ‘sexretary.’” She laughs.

I groan. “Mom...”

“It’s true. So if Adlee is your secretary, then you’re following in your dad’s footsteps. Nothing wrong with that! She’s a nice girl. Very beautiful, too. You two will have gorgeous children. I can’t wait.”

I gasp. “Mother... you’re putting the cart before the horse.”

She turns off the burner and rubs her hand on her apron before cocking her head at me. “Am I?”

I have nothing to say to that so I stay silent. She’s not wrong. I’ve been with Adlee for close to two weeks and I can’t think of anything else. She consumes my thoughts day and night. We’ve been on several dates this week since I couldn’t wait to see her.

“I... I don’t know.”

Mom comes over to me and sits in the chair beside mine. “Listen, son. You’re a highly successfully thirty-two-year-old man. You’ve never brought a woman home, or even mentioned one. Your father and I were beginning to wonder.”

Confused, I furrow my brow. “What do you—” I nod. “Oh, yeah... no. Not gay, Mom.”

“And if you were, that’s fine. But seeing you with Adlee, I can tell she’s the one. She’s the one for you. I know you can’t see the way she looks at you, but you absolutely hung the moon and stars for her.”

I smirk at her old-school country music reference of love, and pat my mom’s hand. “I guess. She’s definitely different from anyone I’ve ever met, or been with. I can’t explain it.”

“And that’s why she’s the one. Love isn’t a pretty box you can wrap emotions into. It isn’t clean and neat. It’s usually messy and heart-wrenching and confusing and even painful. But at the end of the day, it’s just damn beautiful, but only if you both feel the same way.” She pats my hand and stands. “And trust me, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a relationship expert to see how much that girl is smitten. She loves you, Kelt. She’s completely and totally in love with you. And I hope you feel the same... because she’s a keeper.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the chest. I have never heard my mother speak so raw and honest before—and I’m here for it.

“But only after two weeks?” I question.

“Love at first sight is actually a thing,” Mom replies. “I promise it is. So yes, after two weeks, very much possible. What you do with that is up to you.”

I mull over her words as she hums to a tune while finishing up dinner.

Soon, Dad and Adlee return from outside. Her cheeks are flushed red and she’s laughing at something he said. A blanket of contentment settles in my chest at the sight of the two of them, and suddenly, my mother’s words make sense.

I’m in love with Adlee Phillips. Completely in love with her. What I do next will determine the trajectory of the rest of my life.

After dinner, we settle onto the sofas in the sitting room to exchange gifts.

“Open mine first,” I tell my mom, so excited to give her the gift Adlee help me pick out in Aspen Peak.

“No, you kids go first,” she says.

“Nope, I insist.” I thrust the gift at her.

She laughs. “Okay, Kelt.”

She pulls the gift out of the bag and slowly unwraps the tissue paper and pulls out the ornament. Her eyes widen and she looks at me. “Oh, my gosh. I love it so much! Did Dad tell you about my new golf obsession?”

I chuckle. “Of course he did. There’s something else in there.” I jut my chin at the bag.

She tears the paper off the photo and smiles down at the framed photo. “I remember this day. I told Pete you were too young to learn golf. He proved me wrong.” She runs her thumb along the photo. “This is such a treasure. Where did you get it?”

“I found an old photo in a box somewhere. I had my IT guy scan it and clean it up. I even printed myself a copy.”

“I’m so glad.” She hugs the photo to her chest and my own warms.

“Mom, I’m sorry for all the cow print shit. I should have paid better attention.” I wave my hand around the room.

Her eyes brighten and she purses her lips. “It’s okay. I decorated Dad’s shed with it.”

“It looks like a cow threw up in there,” Dad replies with a mock eyeroll.

I chuckle and squeeze Adlee’s hand. “I can’t take all the credit for it. She helped me pick it out. Suggested I do something personal.” I lift her hand and kiss her knuckles.

“She’s a keeper,” Mom says, smiling at my... girlfriend. I guess that’s what she is now.

“Thanks,” Adlee replies, sliding some hair behind her ear nervously. “Here,” she says, handing my mom the small wrapped present. “I hope you like it.”

“You wanna?” Mom asks Dad.

He shakes his head and lifts a glass of something amber-colored to his lips. I know he doesn’t care for wine but drinks it with my mom, but prefers whiskey.

Mom tears off the wrapping paper from the box and opens the lid. I watch as her eyes widen and I’m dying of anticipation.

She holds up a small framed photo and her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “Oh, my God. It’s gorgeous.”

“What is it?” I ask anxiously.

She turns it around to show a photo of me dipping Adlee at the dance last week. I don’t know who snapped the photo but it’s extremely picturesque. I’m smiling down at her and she grins up at me, her hair draping the floor like a curtain in that sexy as fuck black dress. My hand grips her thigh and I vividly remember running my hand up it to brush her naked pussy underneath.

I gasp. “Where did you get that?”

Adlee squeezes my hand and smiles. “Bernice emailed it to me. She said someone took it during the dance.”

“You two are absolutely gorgeous,” Mom gushes. “I love it so much.” She stands and walks to the entryway table, setting the framed photo on it.

“Send me the photo. I want to print one for myself immediately,” I say to Adlee.

“I already printed and framed one for you.” She giggles.

The rest of the night goes on perfectly. We finish opening gifts, then sip cocktails by the fireplace.

Adlee fits in perfectly with my world, and after meeting my parents, I know she’s the one I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. Of that, I have no doubt.