All Chapters of THE BILLIONAIRE'S BIGGEST REGRET: Losing His Plus-size Ex: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

104 Chapters

I WANT TO BE LIKE YOU WHEN I GROW UP, MOM

Chapter 71Ashton didn't have words for it. Something cracked open in his chest at those two words...a dad...spoken so plainly, so certainly, like it wasn't even a question worth asking twice. He crouched down without thinking and pulled Iris into his arms, holding her tight against him, his jaw pressed to the top of her head."Okay, kiddo," he murmured, voice rough. "Okay."Riley watched them, her own throat too tight to speak, something warm and overwhelming pressing against her ribs.Julian moved first, stepping around the table and gently taking the little girl by the shoulder, steering her away with a quiet, "Come on, sweetheart, let's find your mom," before anyone else had to say anything harder.Aniya was at Riley's side in an instant, taking both her hands. "Hey. You okay?" Riley nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah. I'm okay." She turned to Iris, who was still wrapped up in Ashton's arms, and gently pulled her back by the shoulder. "Baby, look at me. You shouldn't have spoken

I SAW YOU, RILEY. ALL OF YOU.

Chapter 72Riley turned to him, still cleaning her face with the back of her hand, and opened her mouth to say something... thank you, maybe, or something about the car ride, about whatever he'd said to her daughter that had cracked something open and let it heal... but Ashton lifted a single finger to his lips, shushing her gently."Go," he said quietly, nodding toward the hallway. "She needs you right now. I'll be right here."Riley's throat tightened all over again, and she nodded, turning to follow her daughter down the hall, leaving Ashton standing alone in the soft light of the living room, watching her go like he had nowhere else in the world he'd rather be.By the time she came out of her daughter's room, it was already late. She and Iris had spent the better part of an hour on the floor of her bedroom, first changing into pajamas, then splashing through a rushed bath that turned into a splash fight neither of them regretted.And then curling up together under the covers for a

WANTED TO SAY GOOD MORNING

Chapter 73 His hand slid up along her spine, fingers spreading warm against her back, and Riley felt the low hum of his breath catch when she pressed closer, her fingers curling into the front of his shirt. His mouth moved slow against hers, unhurried despite everything simmering underneath it, like he had every intention of taking his time now that he finally had the chance.When she finally caught herself, the reality of it catching up all at once, she pulled back slowly, her lips still faintly buzzing, though she didn't manage to put any real distance between them. She stayed exactly where she'd landed, perched on his lap, her hands still loosely fisted in his shirt.Their foreheads rested together. Neither of them said anything for a moment, just breathing hard, like they'd both run a race and only now realized it."I've missed this," Ashton said finally, breaking the silence, his voice low and rough."Same here," she admitted, and the honesty of it surprised her almost as much

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

Chapter 74The days that followed slipped into an easy rhythm neither of them commented on out loud, though both of them noticed it. Ashton came by most evenings, sometimes with takeout, sometimes with nothing but himself and a tie already loosened from twelve hours on his feet, and Riley stopped pretending she wasn't waiting for the sound of his key in the lock.It was on one of those evenings, Iris curled between them on the couch working her way through a bowl of grapes, that Ashton finally said the words Riley had been half-afraid, half-hoping to hear."Her labs came back clean today," he said, watching Iris instead of Riley as he said it, like he wanted her to hear it too. "Kidney function is stable, the heart's holding steady post-transplant. I think we can start talking about school again." Riley's breath caught. "Really?""Not tomorrow," Ashton said, holding up a hand before Iris could get too excited. "A few more weeks. Her body's still catching up from everything it went

ARE YOU FIGHTING?

Chapter 75Books lined every wall, shelves built custom to fit the space exactly. A soft reading chair sat tucked into the corner near the window, a blanket thrown over the arm like it was waiting for someone to use it. A small writing desk stood against the far wall, and on it sat a stack of scripts, neatly squared, a laptop closed beside them, and a framed corkboard above it already pinned with a printed call sheet from her first day of shooting.Riley stood frozen in the doorway, taking it all in piece by piece, unable to make her mouth work."You told me once," Ashton said quietly, from just behind her shoulder, "that you used to want to write. You said you'd fill notebooks with scenes nobody would ever read, just to have somewhere to put everything you were feeling.""I don't even remember telling you that," Riley whispered."You told me the summer before the wedding," he said. "I remembered. I've remembered a lot of things, Riley, even the years I spent trying not to."She walk

I'LL SHOW YOU

Chapter 76Ashton pulled back at once, clearing his throat, though the smile didn't fully leave his face. "No, sweetheart," he called up the stairs, his voice warm and easy again. "We're not fighting. Come on down."Iris appeared a moment later at the top of the stairs, hair mussed from her nap, dragging her blanket behind her like a cape. She squinted down at them both with the particular suspicion of a child who'd caught the tail end of something she didn't fully understand."You sure?" she asked. "Your voices sounded serious.""Just grown-up talk," Riley said, holding out her arms. "Come here."Iris padded down the stairs and climbed straight into her lap, still half-wrapped in her blanket, burrowing into Riley's shoulder with a yawn. "Can we stay for dinner?" She mumbled into Riley's collarbone. "I want to see the kitchen work. Uncle Ashton said he'd teach me how to make pasta from scratch.""Did he now," Riley said, glancing over at him."I did say that," Ashton admitted, alrea

THIS WAS BEYOND PERFECT

Chapter 77The kiss didn’t carry the desperate, sharp hunger of their first one on the sofa. It was slow, deliberate, and so heavy that Riley felt her knees go soft the second his lips touched hers.Ashton’s hand moved from her forehead to cup the side of her neck, his thumb tracing the quick, erratic jump of her pulse. He stepped forward, pushing her gently backward into the room, and used his foot to nudge the bedroom door shut until the latch clicked softly into place, sealing them in the warm, dim space.Riley reached up, her fingers sliding into the collar of his shirt, tugging him closer until there wasn't a breath of air between them. Ashton let out a low, rough exhale against her mouth, his other arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest.When he finally pulled back to catch his breath, his forehead rested against hers, his eyes dark and burning with an intensity that made her skin prickle."Riley," he whispered, his voice thick, gravelly, and barely

I LIKE YOU

Chapter 78By the time Riley woke up the next morning, she found herself tightly wrapped around Ashton's arm.A big smile appeared on her face as memories of last night flooded her mind.The previous night was perfect...Ashton hadn't let her sleep a wink. His hands didn't leave her thick thighs, he was completely obsessed with her body. He wouldn't stop kissing her and telling her how obsessed he was with her until every single doubt she had simply disappeared.She felt him move beside her, and she closed her eyes immediately. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt self-conscious."Good morning, sweetheart," she heard him say softly.He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then her lips. His hand moved over her body again, sending a warm spark straight through her that turned her on immediately.She let out a soft moan that she hadn't planned.A light laugh escaped his chest, and that was when she realized he had done that on purpose...he knew she wasn't actually sleeping.She hi

YOUR MUM NEVER HAVE TO LEAVE

Chapter 79Ashton’s grip loosened slowly, his hands sliding down to rest lightly on Riley's hips, though he didn't step back entirely. Heat bloomed up her neck, creeping all the way to her cheeks as she tried to smooth her tangled hair with one hand.Iris blinked up at them, her sleepy gaze moving from Ashton’s bare chest to her mother’s flushed face again, before settling back on the way his arms were wrapped around Riley's waist."Why are you running?" She asked, her voice raspy from sleep.Ashton cleared his throat, adjusting his stance to step beside Riley while keeping a subtle, grounding hand on the small of her back. "We were... working on your mom new movie." Iris looked down at their bare feet, then back up, her brow furrowing with absolute, unbothered ten-year-old suspicion. "In your pyjamas?""I'm just helping her play a role so she'll be able to be a superstar." Ashton said smoothly, without a single flicker of hesitation. "Are you hungry?" That immediately caught her

IT WAS FREDERICK

Chapter 80Riley looked at Ashton, her heart swelling at the sincerity in his eyes, but she gave a small, gentle shake of her head."Ashton," she said softly, reaching down to squeeze his hands tightly instead of kissing him, hyper-aware of Iris sitting right beside them, watching through a mouthful of pancakes. "We can't just move in. I have my own place, and Iris needs a bit of consistency right now after everything she's been through."Ashton’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face before settling into something warm and understanding. He returned the squeeze of her fingers, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand. "Riley, you know there's more than enough room here for both of you. You don't ever have to worry about anything again.""I know," she murmured, leaning into his side just enough so their shoulders touched. "And I love what you’ve built for us here...it means more than I can ever say. But we're not ready to com

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