Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 686

Chapter 686

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Chapter 686

Gwen’s POV

The phone was still warm in my hand when I hung up.

For a second, I just stood there in the living room, watching Bella curled up in Nick’s arms like that embrace was the only safe place left in the world. Maybe it was.

I couldn’t just drop the word fire on top of that without steadying the ground first.

I gave Nick a small look, and he understood immediately.

“Sweetheart, pick a cartoon,” he said softly, like it was just another normal suggestion. “We’ll be right back, okay?”

Bella nodded without really looking at us, remote in hand, scrolling through options with a seriousness that cracked something inside me. When a child tries to be “strong,” they turn into a tiny adult for a few seconds. That should never be necessary.

Nick and I went into the kitchen.

“It was Dante,” I said.

He dragged a hand down his face, already exhausted before he even heard the rest.

“What now?”

“He called from the estate. Something about the fire.”

I watched his jaw tighten.

“What exactly?”

“He wouldn’t say over the phone. Just…” I took a breath, feeling the weight of it. “That it was important. And that we’d want to go there.”

Nick was quiet for a few seconds. His body reacted before his voice did. His shoulders dropped, like this was the last thing he needed. And it was.

But he was still Nick.

“Okay.” He exhaled slowly. “I’ll call my mom. Ask her to stay with Bella.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, thinking fast.

“Or…” The idea slipped out almost before I made the decision. “Bella could come with us.”

He looked at me like I’d just suggested bringing a crystal vase into a storm.

“Gwen…”

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“I know.” I lifted a hand. “I know she might still be…. distant with me. But maybe that’s exactly why.”

He stayed quiet, waiting.

The estate is a place she likes. It’s open. There’s space. It smells good. It holds memories. We don’t have to make it into something serious. It can just be a drive. And afterward we do something fun. Gelato. Whatever she wants.”

Nick frowned.

“Are you sure?” he asked honestly. “After everything… she might shut you out again.”

I swallowed.

Then we change that,” I said. And I meant it. “I’m not going to win this by disappearing. And I’m not letting Renee decide what kind of family we’re allowed to be.”

He studied me for a second. Then he nodded.

“Okay.” His voice steadied. “Then let’s go.”

We walked back into the living room like two adults performing normal.

‘Bella, Nick called lightly. “We’re going to take a quick drive to the estate. Dante called… there’s something we need to check out. Do you want to come with us?”

Bella turned slowly. Her eyes passed over me like I was a question she hadn’t decided how to answer.

I crouched down a little so I was at her level.

“If you don’t want to, that’s okay,” I said before she could feel cornered. “But… there are grapes. And lots of space. And you get to pick the music in the car.”

One corner of her mouth twitched, like she was taking the offer very seriously.

“I get to pick the music?” she asked.

“You do,” Nick confirmed quickly. ‘Just not the same song a hundred times.”

“But you repeat yours,’ she shot back, and I caught the first flicker of the “normal” Bella.

Nick made an exaggerated face.

Tm consistent. That’s different.”

She let out a little puff of air through her nose. Almost a laugh.

I stored that away like water in the desert.

Minutes later, we were in the car.

Nick drove with the kind of focus that comes from trying to hold the world together with both hands. I

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sat in the passenger seat. Bella was in the back, her seatbelt snug.

She picked some random kids’ song. Repetitive. Loud. I didn’t complain.

The first few miles were both comfortable and uncomfortable silence.

“Do you want to stop and get that candy you like on the way?” I asked, turning just enough in my seat so she could hear me without feeling crowded.

Bella stared out the window like the landscape mattered more than anyone inside the car.

“No.”

Nick gripped the steering wheel too tightly for someone who claimed he was fine. I could see it in the way his fingers turned white, then flushed again, like he was squeezing and releasing a thought.

I tried again.

“There’s that little gravel path at the estate… we could ride bikes.”

“Whatever.”

It wasn’t rudeness. It was defense. Bella was doing exactly what a child does when she doesn’t want to grant access. She was conserving.

I stayed quiet for a few seconds, respecting her “whatever” the way you respect a closed door.

And for a few minutes, I accepted that in that car, I was just an adult on the side. Not a bridge.

Until my brain found something that didn’t sound like a serious conversation. Didn’t sound like pressure. Didn’t sound like I was trying to audition for the role of mother.

It sounded like a game.

I glanced at her again in the rearview mirror and said it like I was commenting on something completely

random.

“Oh… I forgot to ask you something.”

Bella didn’t answer, but her eyes flicked up. Quick. Suspicious.

“What?”

I held on to that one word like it was silk thread.

“We still haven’t picked a name.”

That was it. Short. Simple. No explanation. No speech.

The silence lasted a second longer than before.

“Name?” she repeated. And this time, there was curiosity.

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I nodded casually.

“Yeah. We’re struggling with baby names.”

Bella frowned, like she was calculating whether she could step into that topic without getting hurt.

“Can I… say one?”

My chest tightened, but I didn’t let it show.

“You can,” I said. “If you want.”

Nick looked at her in the rearview mirror too. His voice came out low and careful, like he was holding a bird without squeezing.

“Of course you can,” he said simply. “You’re going to be the big sister…”

Bella’s eyes widened like we’d just said something forbidden.

“I’m going to be the sister?”

My throat tightened.

“The big sister,” I confirmed gently. “The one who can help with everything, if you want. Or just help with the fun parts. Especially… the name.”

“This baby isn’t just mine and Gwen’s, Bella,” Nick added, his voice so steady it sounded rehearsed, but I knew it was just the truth. “He’s yours too. Your little brother. Or little sister. We’re a family.”

Bella went quiet. For a second, I thought she might pull back again.

Then she murmured, almost to herself, “Cool.”

And then, with shocking seriousness, she announced:

“If it’s a boy, I want his name to be… Thunder.”

I blinked.

Nick coughed out a laugh he tried to hide.

“Thunder?” I repeated.

“No one would mess with him.”

Nick bit his lip.

“And if it’s a girl?”

Bella didn’t hesitate.

“Princess Glitter.”

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I laughed out loud.

Nick laughed too, and I hadn’t heard that sound in days. Light. Almost free.

“Okay,” he said, catching his breath. “We’ll make a list.”

“I did,” Bella replied, offended. “There are already two.”

“A longer list,” Nick corrected. “With names we can say in public without getting arrested.”

Bella made an indignant noise.

“The police don’t arrest people for names.”

“You’d be surprised,” Nick shot back, and I saw Bella almost smile again.

By the time we pulled up to the estate, the gate looked more imposing than ever, like it was guarding family secrets along with the vines.

The car had barely stopped before Dante was already striding toward us.

He greeted Nick with a nod and gave Bella a quick, gentle smile.

“Hey, princess.”

Bella gave a shy “hi” and sank back slightly into her seat, watching.

I stepped out first. No patience for buildup.

“Dante… what happened?”

He looked at me with that calm, let’s take this one step at a time expression. He was serious. Truly

serious.

“It looks like our investigators have strong evidence about who started the fire,” he said. “You’re going to

want to see this.”

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