Hillbilly Girlie Marries a Billionaire – Episode 21
For several weeks after the contract burned, life at the Anderson estate became almost peaceful. Lucas returned to work, Emily visited her recovering mother, and Noah limited his interference to sarcastic comments over breakfast. Peace felt unfamiliar enough that Emily distrusted it, but she slowly learned to enjoy mornings without expecting an ambush.
Lucas insisted she accept a bodyguard whenever she left the estate. Emily protested that she had survived farm machinery, temperamental livestock, and Kevin without professional protection. Lucas answered that none of those dangers had hired photographers or swung bottles at her face, and the memory ended the argument.
One afternoon, Emily stopped at a small shop to buy him a gift. Lucas possessed watches, cars, and jewels beyond anything she could afford. She chose a ridiculous stuffed rabbit wearing a police uniform because its stern expression reminded her of the way he ordered security around whenever someone insulted her.
The clerk packed the toy while an assistant mistakenly placed a second purchase in the same bag—a playful costume intended for another customer. Emily did not notice. She carried the package home, pleased to offer Lucas something purchased with her own money rather than selected from his world.
Lucas found her waiting in their sitting room. She gave him the rabbit and explained that Officer Bunny would enforce his new rule against reckless rescues. His surprised delight moved her more than any polished gratitude could have. He placed it beside the family photographs as though it were priceless.
When Lucas teased that the rabbit needed a partner, Emily reached into the bag and pulled out the mistaken costume. Black ears, a tail, and an alarming lack of fabric unfolded between them. The silence that followed made her wish the floor would open beneath the carpet.
Lucas lifted one brow. Emily rushed to explain the store’s mistake, but his amusement grew with every word. She threatened to give the entire bag to Noah. Lucas immediately claimed both gifts, declaring that his brother would receive nothing associated with her.
His possessiveness should have annoyed her. Instead, warmth curled through her chest. The past weeks had taught her the difference between being controlled and being cherished; Lucas never stopped her choices, but he no longer pretended indifference to them.
That evening, Emily emerged from the dressing room wearing the costume over a modest black slip, determined to turn embarrassment into a joke. Lucas had been reviewing reports. The papers slid forgotten from his hand when he looked up.
Emily announced that Officer Bunny had come to punish him for ignoring medical advice. Lucas stood slowly and said he would cooperate only if she could catch him. He circled the couch with a grin she rarely saw, transforming the imposing room into a playground.
She chased him until both were laughing. Lucas deliberately slowed, allowing her to corner him near the bed. Emily placed the toy rabbit against his chest and pronounced him guilty of excessive protection, unreasonable stubbornness, and making his wife worry.
His laughter faded at the final word. Lucas covered her hand with his and admitted the restaurant attack had terrified him too. He had seen the bottle rising and imagined a future in which he arrived one second too late.
Emily said she had known he would come. The certainty in her voice affected him more than fear. Trust from someone repeatedly betrayed was not a gift he intended to mishandle. He promised to protect her without treating her as incapable of protecting herself.
Their playful closeness turned quiet. Lucas touched one velvet ear, then traced the curve of her cheek. “Emily, I really like you,” he said, the simple confession almost shy despite everything they had already faced.
She answered that she liked him too, though the word felt too small. Lucas asked whether she was certain she had not merely fallen for his excellent security policies. Emily said the billionaire part remained inconvenient, but the husband underneath it was becoming difficult to resist.
The kiss began with laughter and deepened into something honest. No family member waited outside the door, and no contract demanded an appearance. Emily felt the last distance between them dissolve—not in one dramatic surrender, but through the steady recognition that she wanted this life when it belonged to both of them.
Later, Lucas showed her a sketch of a ring he had designed himself. He wanted to propose again properly, replacing the rushed registry wedding with vows chosen in freedom. Emily told him a surprise became less surprising when displayed in advance. He replied that the design was not the proposal.
Lucas secretly instructed Adam to prepare the estate garden. He wanted every detail perfect: lights among the trees, Emily’s mother attending if her health allowed, and the first corn from her family farm served at dinner. Adam noted that his usually practical employer had become terrifyingly particular about flowers.
Across town, Sophie watched the Anderson press coverage while touching her still-flat abdomen. The clinic had confirmed implantation. Stolen genetic material and falsified records gave her a weapon stronger than gossip, though carrying it required weeks of concealment and carefully timed lies.
Her doctor handed her a positive test and warned that early pregnancy remained fragile. Sophie photographed the result, then called Victoria. “Tell Lucas he can plan any proposal he wants,” she said. “By the time he kneels, the mother of his child will be standing between us.”