Longing For The Beach Billionaire Daddy
Chapter 196

*Shelby*

My craving for peanut butter was something I could not control. These babies seemed to want nothing but things slathered with a generous helping of the stuff. It was lucky for me that peanut butter was on the approved food list my doctor had given me.

The doctor had also told me to listen to my body and eat whenever I was hungry. So I was in the kitchen making myself a second serving of peanut butter toast that day when I heard the front door open.

“Michael?” I called down the hallway. I was surprised he was home so early, it was just a little past 2:00, and I didn’t expect him home until well after 5:00.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Michael called back to me.

There was something in his voice that told me it was not a good thing that he was home so early. I licked the peanut butter off the spoon before depositing it in the sink and heading down the hallway to find my husband.

The look on his face told me I was right. Something was very wrong.

“What’s going on?” I asked nervously, my heart skipping a beat.

Michael set his keys down on the entryway table and sighed deeply. He ran his hand through his hair the same way he always did when he was stressed.

“Why don’t we go sit down in the living room?” Michael asked.

“Michael, please just tell me what’s wrong. You’re scaring me,” I said.

That made him look up at me. I put a protective hand over my belly, and Michael’s gaze dropped to my swollen stomach. In two steps, he was next to me, rubbing my arms, attempting to put me at ease.

“It has nothing to do with the babies. You’re safe, and they are, too,” he said, putting a hand on the small of my back and leading me into our living room.

I breathed a sigh of relief as we settled onto our plush sofa.

“If it isn’t about us or the babies, then what is it? Something’s wrong. It’s written all over your face. Is it work?”

“No, it has nothing to do with work, but you’re right; something is very wrong. I had two FBI agents show up at my office earlier today,” Michael said, taking a deep breath. “They told me that a fire broke out at Marmie’s penthouse in the middle of the night.”

“Oh my God,” I said breathlessly. “Is she okay?”

The look on Michael’s face told me the answer. He hung his head slightly and shook it so subtly that I almost missed it.

“Oh my God,” I said again. “How horrible. I can’t believe it.”

“It really is,” Michael said simply, resting his head in his hands.

I sat in stunned silence for a long time. Marmie had made my life a living hell these past few months. She had done everything in her power to make me miserable, even going as far as tricking me into carrying a child that was possibly someone else’s.

Yet, I still felt horrible that she had suffered. I had wished so many times that she was out of our lives, that she was someone else’s problem, but I never wished something like this on her. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

“How’s Lauren?” I asked, breaking the silence.

Michael sighed softly and lifted his head to look at me. “I went with the agents to her apartment, so I was there when she found out. Honestly, I’ve never seen her so broken. She broke down and cried in my lap for a long time after they left.”

“I know how she feels. It’s the worst news in the world to receive,” I said, my mind going back to the officer standing on my front porch, there to tell me that there had been a terrible accident. Nothing can prepare you for that moment.

“Oh s**t, Shelby, I’m so sorry. I totally forgot that you went through the same thing,” Michael said, worry in his eyes.

“No, it’s okay,” I said, setting my hand on his shoulder. “I’ve had a lot of time to heal from losing my parents. I still miss them every day, but the ache of losing them is a lot less now. I just understand, better than most, exactly how Lauren is feeling. I remember the day I found out it didn’t even feel real. It felt like I was watching someone else go through the tragedy instead of myself. I just wish I could do something for her.”

“Her roommates are with her now, and I made it very clear to call me if Lauren needed anything,” Michael said.

“When you’re going through something like this, it can be impossible for you to even ask for help. You’re so absorbed in your own emotions that you forget that you have to take care of yourself. Why don’t I make her lasagna, and you can take it over to her tonight and check on her?” I suggested, attempting to stand.

Michael grabbed my wrist and prevented me from getting up, “You’re supposed to be taking it easy. What were you doing up? I was so caught up in everything else that was going on, I didn’t even notice.”

“I was making myself some peanut butter toast,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

Michael smiled weakly at that. “I’ll go pick up some takeout for Lauren and bring it over to her a little later. You need to stay off your feet. Doctors orders.”

“All right,” I said, leaning back into the couch. “That’s a good idea.”

We sat in silence again, unsure of what else to say on the matter.

“The FBI told me something that seemed a little odd,” Michael said, breaking the silence this time. “They actually said several things that didn’t make any sense.”

“What’d they say?” I asked.

“They told me that the fire was started in the kitchen. A coffee pot malfunctioned and started an electrical fire.”

I turned my head to look at him, “That’s unfortunate, but how is it odd? I’m sure it happens more than we know.”

“The coffee pot starting the fire isn’t what I found odd. The fact that Marmie owned a coffee pot at all is what I found odd. That woman couldn’t so much as boil water by herself, but yet I’m supposed to believe that she regularly brewed her own coffee? In the past, when Marmie would drop Lauren off at my house for the weekend, she always had a coffee in hand from a cafe,” Michael explained.

“Maybe she learned recently because of her financial struggles,” I offered. “Some of those pots practically run themselves.”

“Marmie wasn’t one to give up on something like that. Appearance meant everything to her. She’d do whatever it took to maintain the illusion that she was still wealthy,” Michael said.

I knew that he was right. Marmie didn’t seem like the type of person who made her own coffee.

“What else was odd? You said the FBI agents said multiple things that seemed off,” I said.

“They told me that because the fire started in the kitchen, Marmie must have slept through the fire alarms,” Michael said, his brow wrinkled in concentration.

“I mean, I have heard about that happening sometimes,” I said.

“Marmie was a really light sleeper. She used to complain about me snoring too loudly for her to sleep,” Michael continued.

“You mean that cute little whistling sound when you sleep really deep?” I asked. “That isn’t loud at all. I only notice it when I stay up late reading.”

“Exactly! I just don’t see how Marmie could sleep through a whole apartment full of fire alarms going off,” Michael said, the creases in his brow deepening.

“Where was her new boyfriend during all of this?” I said, sitting up straighter. “Has anyone heard from him? What if this wasn’t really an accident?”

“You think that someone could have killed her?” Michael said, turning to me. “I hadn’t even considered that possibility. I was worried that maybe she attempted to fake her own death like Blaine did. We don’t really know how much they conversed before Blaine’s death. I wondered if maybe he told her how he did it.”

“Oh, wow. I guess she could have,” I responded. “Do you really think she could get away with something like that?”

“I would imagine that the FBI would find out rather quickly. DNA testing probably has to be done in order to properly identify her. Her ruse wouldn’t last long if that’s really what’s happening. However, now I’m worried that someone could have done this to her. Maybe she got in over her head with someone,” Michael said.

“Maybe you should call the FBI agents and tell them about her boyfriend. They might not know about him yet,” I said. “What if he took off after setting the fire? Or is there anyone else that would want to hurt Marmie?”

“What about Katie?” Michael asked.

My stomach twisted at her name. We hadn’t talked much about the woman who had pretended to be my friend, only to switch my egg with her own. My hand went to my belly where the baby that might be hers was nestled next to my own child.

“Why would Katie want to hurt Marmie?” I asked.

“Well, we know that Marmie was behind everything that went wrong at the fertility clinic. Right after we found out, Katie disappeared. It’s likely that Marmie screwed her over in some way. Maybe Marmie didn’t pay Katie what she was promised, then when the FBI got involved, Katie figured she would never get paid what she was owed, so she took out Marmie,” Michael explained.

I ran all the possibilities through my mind, but nothing seemed to fit. Another realization hit me that made me extremely nervous.

“Michael,” I said softly. “There are two other people that the police may think capable of hurting Marmie.”

Michael paused, his eyes roaming over my face.

“Us,” he said after a few seconds, like he’d already considered that.

I nodded. “We have a motive. Marmie has attempted to ruin our lives so many times. If I were a police officer and foul play was suspected, I would categorize us as suspects. I think you need to call the agents today and tell them everything you just told me. Tell them all of your suspicions and tell them about Marmie’s boyfriend.”

“I think you’re right,” Michael said, kissing the side of my head as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Don’t worry, Shelby, I’ll take care of this.”

“Don’t worry,” I repeated as soon as he walked out of the room. It seemed that was a common theme in my life now. Don’t worry, even though there were a thousand things to worry about. Unfortunately, Marmie’s death wasn’t even my top concern at the moment.