Her Billionaire Ex-Boyfriend Fake Fiancé Read online

  Her Billionaire Ex-Boyfriend Fake Fiancé

  Christine Kersey

  Contents

  Note to Readers

  Book Description

  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

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Epilogue

  Books by Christine Kersey

  About the Author

  Note to Readers

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  Book Description

  A billionaire who wants to grant his mother’s dying wish and the only woman who can make it happen.

  Librarian Ashleigh Hopkins loves Christmas, which is when she holds a big fundraiser for the Emerald Falls Library. Eager to raise money for more computers, books, and other critical supplies, when the auctioneer announces that a date with Ashleigh is on the auction block, she goes with it. Too bad her ex casts the winning bid.

  Billionaire Chase Matthews hadn't planned on spending December in Emerald Falls. And he certainly hadn't planned on offering the winning bid for a date with his ex. But now that both of those things have happened, he'll have to deal with the fallout.

  When Chase tells Ashleigh that his mother is dying and that her only wish is to see him happily engaged, he makes her an offer she can't refuse. But will her wounded heart be able to remember that this is all pretend?

  Chapter 1

  “Who does he think he is?” Ashleigh Hopkins glared at the screen of her phone as she sat on her couch, the picture of Chase Matthews taunting her.

  “Who are you talking about?” her sister Melanie asked as she walked into the living room. It was Ashleigh’s house, but her sister and four-year-old niece lived there with her.

  Embarrassed that her sister had caught her noticing anything about Chase Matthews, Ashleigh felt her face heat. “No one.”

  Melanie sprang forward and snatched the phone from Ashleigh’s hand. “You don’t get away with it that easily, Ash. I want to know who’s getting under your skin.” Melanie looked at the screen, her eyebrows shooting up, then her eyes shifted to Ashleigh.

  Embarrassed for her sister to find out that she ever thought about Chase, Ashleigh let her emotions rule her voice. “Give that back to me.”

  Tilting her head, Melanie asked, “Since when do you follow Chase Matthews on social media?”

  Sighing heavily, but only because she couldn’t come up with a good excuse as to why she was looking at pictures of her ex-boyfriend, Ashleigh stood and held out her hand. “That’s none of your business.”

  Melanie murmured, “Uh-huh,” but at least she gave the phone back.

  Tucking the phone in her back pocket, Ashleigh asked, “Isn’t it time for you to go to work?”

  Melanie chuckled. “Not yet.”

  Just then, an adorable little girl came bounding in the room, flinging herself at Melanie. “Mommy!”

  Melanie swung her up in a hug. “Hi, Avery.”

  Glad her sister was distracted, Ashleigh took the opportunity to go into the kitchen and take another peek at the picture Chase had posted. In it, he was dressed in a tuxedo and had not one, but two gorgeous women with him—one on each arm.

  As she stared at the picture, she remembered when she had been the one on his arm. His one and only, he used to say. Well, that certainly wasn’t the case any longer. Sure, it had been six years since she’d last seen him—in person, that is. But it still hurt when she saw him with another girl.

  “What are you doing?” Melanie said from right behind her.

  Ashleigh let out a yelp as she jerked away from her annoying older sister and spun around to glare at her.

  Melanie chuckled. “I thought you were over him.”

  “I am over him. Totally over him.” She hoped she’d convinced Melanie, because someone needed to believe it.

  “Right.”

  “I am. Now, I do have to go to work, so if you’ll excuse me.”

  “Of course.” Sweeping her hand out to the side, Melanie stepped back.

  Frowning, Ashleigh walked past her, grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter, and walked out the front door.

  On the way to the Emerald Falls Library where she worked as the librarian, Ashleigh struggled to push aside the image of Chase galavanting with those women. Of course, she didn’t know if he was actually galavanting. For all she knew, once the camera was turned off he’d sent them both on their way, that they meant nothing to him.

  Just like she meant nothing to him.

  Shoving down the memory of their last conversation, when he’d shattered her heart and left Emerald Falls, she focused on driving.

  She pulled into a parking space, tossed her purse over her shoulder, and climbed out of her car. As she unlocked the single glass door and walked inside the library, the absolute quiet immediately soothed her, and the familiar scent of rows and rows of lovely books sent a blanket of calm wrapping around her. She loved the library—always had. Ten years earlier, when she’d turned sixteen and had gotten her driver’s license, the first place she’d driven on her own was the library. Browsing aisle after aisle of books without worrying about having to call someone for a ride had been an unknown luxury up until that point. Now though, it had become routine.

  She went to her desk, which was in the front of the library where patrons could easily find her to get help, and booted up her computer.

  The glass door opened and a woman about the same age as Ashleigh walked in. Ashleigh smiled at her. “Hey, Taylor.”

  Taylor strode over to Ashleigh’s desk and set down a stack of books with a frown. “Hey.”

  “What’s wrong?” Wait. Did she really want to know? Inevitably it had to do with Taylor’s boyfriend, Seth.

  “Seth—”

  Ashleigh threw her hand up. “Let me stop you there.”

  Taylor’s eyebrows shot up and her mouth fell open. “What?”

  After seeing the pictures of Chase, she just wasn’t in the mood to hear about someone else’s boyfriend problems—not that there was a chance Chase would ever be her boyfriend again. Even hinting at that thought brought a rush of heat to her face.

  “If you don’t want to know what’s wrong,” Taylor said with a frown, “then don’t ask.”

  This was Taylor’s boyfriend
they were talking about. Not Ashleigh’s ex. She sighed. “I’m sorry. What happened?”

  Taylor grabbed a chair, dragged it over to Ashleigh’s desk, and plopped into it. “Well…”

  Oh boy. This was going to take a while. Bracing herself, Ashleigh relaxed her shoulders and gave her full attention to Taylor.

  “On Saturday Seth was supposed to take me dancing, but at the last minute he said his friend got tickets to the Sacramento Kings game. Well, you know Seth. He can’t pass up an opportunity to watch the NBA. So, he dropped me and our date like a bad habit.”

  Ashleigh nodded. So typical. “See? This is exactly why I’m on a man-fast.”

  Taylor burst out laughing. “A what?”

  Was it really such a ridiculous idea? “A man-fast. You know, staying away from all men.”

  “Oh. I can figure out what it means. I just don’t know why you would want to be on one.”

  Really? Did she have to explain? “Every man I’ve dated has turned into a flake. We go out once or twice, and then poof, it’s like he was a figment of my imagination.”

  Taylor shook her head. “You just haven’t found the right man yet.”

  “You’re saying you have?”

  “Well, I love Seth and he loves me. It’s just, sometimes, you know, he forgets that he wants to be with me every minute.”

  Chuckling, Ashleigh shook her head.

  Taylor smirked. “I’ll get you on a date one way or another.”

  Ashleigh rolled her eyes. “There’s a big stack of books that came in over the weekend that needs checking in.

  “All right, all right.” Taylor stood. “We’re putting up the Christmas decorations today, aren’t we?”

  With the distraction of seeing the picture of Chase, Ashleigh had completely forgotten about that. She adored Christmas and had been looking forward all weekend to decorating the library. She’d made herself wait until the beginning of December. Now, the wait was over. “That’s right.”

  “Yay!”

  Just what she needed to forget about Chase Matthews.

  Chapter 2

  Chase Matthews was deeply concerned. In his office, he was on the phone with his sister, Jordyn. She’d called to let him know that their mom was sick. Like, seriously sick.

  “You need to come to home,” she said.

  Even though Emerald Falls, where he’d grown up, was about a ninety-minute drive from where he lived in Cupertino, California, Chase hadn’t been there in months. He’d been too busy growing his cybersecurity firm. And business was booming. In his wildest dreams he’d never thought he’d be so successful.

  “Can you come?” Jordyn pressed. “I mean, it’s almost Christmas. You were going to come home for Christmas, weren’t you?”

  Truth was, he hadn’t planned on it. Hadn’t really thought that far ahead. But this was his mom. When his father had left them when he was eight years old, he’d been crushed. But his mom had picked up the pieces and had helped them go on. He would do anything for her. Already had, as a matter of fact. Paying off her mortgage and making sure she didn’t have to work if she didn’t want to. But this illness? It was a new wrinkle in her life—in all of their lives.

  “Is it cancer?” he asked, dreading the answer. “Is it back?”

  Jordyn was silent, which answered his question in the most devastating way. “They think it’s spread,” she said, her voice soft. “I think…I think we might need to consider hospice care soon.”

  How had it gotten so bad so fast without him knowing? It had been three years since his mom had battled breast cancer. He’d thought it was in her past. Had he been purposefully ignorant of reality? Too focused on his business to think about his family? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he needed to go home to Emerald Falls. “Yeah,” he said without hesitation, “I need to wrap up a few things here, but I’ll drive out there later today.”

  “Thank you, Chase.”

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  He disconnected the call, leaned back in his chair, and sighed deeply. If he were to lose his mom, he didn’t know what he would do. He would effectively be an orphan. It was true that as far as he knew his father was still alive, but when his father had left them, he’d never looked back and Chase had no idea where he was. He could afford to hire someone to track him down, but why would he? Clearly, the man had no desire to be in touch with his children. It had been twenty years since his father had left, but even now, the memory of him just not being there any longer still hurt.

  Anyway, it wasn’t about Chase and how he felt. His mom was sick. He needed to do whatever he could to alleviate her suffering. And to just spend time with her.

  Chapter 3

  Early that evening, as Chase drove into Emerald Falls and saw Christmas lights twinkling in the trees that lined Main Street, a calmness settled over him and memories from when he lived there filled his mind. As he passed restaurants, diners, and other places he used to hang out, he thought about his friends, but one face kept filling his mind. Ashleigh Hopkins. Her sparkling smile and long blonde hair, her blue eyes and bubbly personality. She’d been with him at all of those places in town. They’d dated for a year, but then he’d graduated from college and his ambition had taken over. He’d left Emerald Falls to pursue his dream of running his own business without a backward glance.

  That had been six years before. Now, he was his own boss, had more money than he knew what to do with, and could—and did—date any woman he wanted.

  Then why did Ashleigh’s face stubbornly refuse to leave his mind?

  Didn’t matter. He was there to see his mom and his sister. That was it. Besides, he doubted he’d run in to Ashleigh. She was probably married with a passel of kids by now. Maybe he’d ask Jordyn. Scratch that. He didn’t want his sister to know Ashleigh had crossed his mind.

  He turned down his mom’s street and pulled into her driveway. Lights from a Christmas tree winked in the front window—thanks to Jordyn, he was sure. He was grateful for his younger sister. She’d chosen to stay in Emerald Falls after college. Still single, she was a promising artist, building her portfolio while living at home and helping their mom.

  Chase strode up the walkway. The front door burst open before he reached it.

  “Chase!” Jordyn said, her bright smile filling Chase with warmth. She dashed toward him and threw her arms around him.

  He held her, relishing the affection of his only sibling. They’d been close growing up, and though he hadn’t seen her in months, it felt like no time had passed at all.

  He pulled away and appraised her. Tall and slender with long auburn hair and delicate features, Jordyn had turned into a gorgeous woman.

  He smiled at her. “Hey, sis.” His smile slid off of his face. “How’s Mom?”

  Jordyn took him by the hand and led him inside. “Excited to see you.”

  They walked inside, the heat from the fireplace warming the living room. Chase’s mom slowly stood as he entered the room.

  She was thinner than he remembered, and the way she moved told him she was uncomfortable.

  “Mom.” He drew her into a gentle embrace, the thought of losing her suddenly overwhelming him. Inhaling deeply to get control of his emotions, Chase released her and smiled at her. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “Thank you for coming,” she said, her smile as bright as ever.

  Guilt that he hadn’t come sooner, and that he’d needed something so serious to get him there, washed over him. But he was there now. That’s what mattered. And he would stay as long she needed him.

  “Sit,” she said, bringing him to the couch where she sat beside him. “Tell me what’s new.”

  They spoke on the phone from time to time, so she knew all about his business. Chase knew what she was really asking—how was his love life? “Nothing new to report.”

  “No one serious, then?”

  “Nope.”

  “Well,” she said with raised eyebrows, “I’m glad you’re not actually in
terested in those women I keep seeing in social media pictures.”

  Chase glanced at Jordyn, whose lips were compressed like she was trying to suppress a laugh. He turned back to his mom. “Why not? What’s wrong with them?”

  “Wearing those skimpy dresses and hanging all over you? Come on, Chase. That’s not the type of woman I want to be the mother of my grandchildren.”

  Having children was the last thing on his mind, but he wasn’t about to argue with her. Not when he’d just gotten there. Not when she was so ill. “Duly noted.”

  She sighed. “I don’t think you’re taking this seriously.”

  Here we go. “I know you wish I was married and had kids, but first I have to find the right woman.”

  Tears filled her eyes, which dug deep into Chase’s heart. “Mom, please don’t cry.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder. “It’s just…I’m so scared that I won’t live to see you get your happily ever after.”

  He put his arm around her as a knot clogged his throat. The thought of her not being around long enough to witness him getting married tore at his insides. It wasn’t that he was in a hurry to get married, but the truth was, he wouldn’t mind if he found the right woman. Everything else in his life was going so well, it actually felt like the right time to finally start looking for someone to spend the rest of his life with. But would it happen while his mom was still around to witness it?