Billion Dollar Boyfriend (Celebrity Love)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The aroma of coffee and pancakes wafted into Aiden's bedroom the next morning, eliciting a sleepy smile from Shelby. She stirred and rolled over onto her side, then opened her eyes to the daylight that peeked through the window blinds.

There was an imprint on Aiden's pillow where his head had laid last night, and she could still smell the faint scents of his soap and shampoo on the sheets. She laid there for another minute, cocooned in the duvet, then slipped out of bed. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she made her way out to the kitchen where she saw Aiden standing at the stove, a spatula in hand.

"Breakfast smells delicious." She walked up behind him and kissed the back of his neck, then caught a glimpse of the clock on the stove. "It's almost noon? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You looked peaceful." Aiden set the spatula on the counter. "Beautiful, too." He slid his arms around her waist.

"Did you sleep okay?" she asked. She ran her fingertips along the shadow of stubble on his jaw and chin.

"Better than the last few nights," he admitted. "I got used to you sleeping beside me." He leaned in for a kiss, then turned back to the pancakes, flipping them over before they burned.

Shelby brewed coffee for both of them while Aiden finished cooking breakfast. She carried the mugs over to the breakfast nook and he followed with their plates. He'd just set them down and was backtracking to get utensils when Shelby heard a quiet buzzing sound. It continued while she sat on the counter stool and Aiden returned with the forks and knives, then stopped for a few seconds before resuming again.

She tried to ignore it, but the buzzing continued while they ate and discussed plans for the day.

"Is that your phone or mine?" she finally asked.

"Yours, I think. Mine's still in the bag I had with me on the plane and I don't think it's on." Aiden speared his last piece of pancake with his fork. "Do you want to check it?"

"I'm sure it can wait. It's probably one of my coworkers with a question about a client or something I was working on before I went on vacation." She took a sip of her coffee.

The sound still hadn't stopped by the time they finished breakfast. While Aiden cleared their plates from the counter, Shelby hopped off her stool to retrieve her phone and find out what was so important that it warranted a steady stream of calls or texts.

Notifications covered almost every pixel of the screen when Shelby pulled her phone out of her purse. She glanced at them and saw Emily had been trying to call her all morning and had left two voice mail messages. Below the missed call notices, she also saw text messages from her best friend.

The latest one read: Where are you guys? Are you in trouble?

It was followed by other texts requesting Shelby call her or let her know that she and Aiden were okay. Below those was a message that clued Shelby in to the reason for Emily's concern.

Wally just sent me this. He asked to talk to you, but also he seemed concerned about your safety.

There was an article link below the message, with a preview that included a photo of Aiden and Shelby outside of the private terminal at John Wayne airport, and a headline: London's Lost Son: An All-American Boy.

Shelby's phone began vibrating again, and Emily's number came up on the screen. She didn't answer it, though, and she also didn't click through to the article link. Dazed, she hurried back to the kitchen and passed the phone to Aiden without a word.

He gave her a questioning look. Seeing the expression on her face, he glanced down at the phone. A crease appeared between his eyebrows and he chewed the inside of his lip. His tan skin seemed a shade or two paler as he tapped something on the screen and continued staring at it. His Adam's apple bobbed, then he looked up again and strode out of the kitchen.