Santa Fe Billionaire

Chapter 58

Sebastian

Leaving Ava is always so damn difficult. If I had my way I would wrap her in my arms and take her to Marbella with me straight away. Only it is not possible and besides anything else, it would not be fair on Arabella. She is expecting to see her daddy.

My driver negotiates the busy Chicago traffic as we drive to the airfield where my jet awaits me. It will be a long trip back and part of me is filled with emptiness of Ava not being by my side, the fear that anything could happen between now and when she joins me in a few weeks' time to be with me and contentment knowing that Ava wants to be with me for the rest of our life.

Even I am taken aback by how my heart has gone from this rigid lock down for ten years to being so open and receiving with Ava. She is a very special woman. She is one of a kind and I am confident my baby girl, Arabella is going to welcome her into her life too. I keep my finger's crossed.

After all, it is all sudden and new for Arabella. I only found out five years ago that I had a daughter, it is unforgivable of my ex to have kept this from me. Perhaps she did it so that the boat with her and my best friend or rather ex best friend, was not rocked. We will never know now that she has passed away. This is tragic for my daughter since at such a young age of just nine, she has lost her mother. A woman who cared and loved her like a mother ought to.

It is only recently that I have been informed by Marissa that Bella would like to live with me. "And to be honest, Sebastian, I think it is best that the girl is with her father now. Don't you?" She had asked when she came to visit me in Zaragoza.

As you can expect it took me by complete surprise. It was a shock. Of course it is something I have wanted for five miserable, long years. The yearning to see my own child every day, hold her hand, take her to horse riding, ballet classes or wherever she wanted to go. To see the joy in her eyes in Disneyland and hear her laugh. These are the years that have been stolen from me and it saddens me to the core to know that my ex could be so cruel and heartless to have kept Bella a secret from me.

I think about the last forty-eight hours with my beautiful American Girl. My heart had been in my mouth waiting to know if she would choose me and not just me but Bella too. It has been the longest forty-eight hours I have ever known.

To hear her say yes brought tears to my eyes and there I was thinking I would never find love as pure as this again. I am excited to start this new life with my American Girl. I will make her happy, I will spoil her and I will show her more of the world than she has ever seen before.

First I need to speak with Elena my assistant and ensure we have times and dates set up for me to visit the ranches close to Santa Fe that she has located. It is my intention that the three of us will live where there is land. I want for Bella to have space, a horse, goats and ducks and geese. I know my little girl wants a farm She has told me several times and asked that when she comes to live with me can she have a farm. This is what she asked for when I saw her with Marissa.

"Of course, darling. You can have whatever you want. I am just so happy you will come to live with your daddy." I told her, ruffled her head and stooped down to kiss her on the head.

"I am glad, Sebastian this is final now. It will be about four weeks for her to be able to come to you. We have to finish her school year out for the summer then you can enroll her in a school much closer to you. I will be travelling myself soon. I have met someone new. He is in finance and travels a lot." She had told me.

"I will enroll her in the same school I went to, it is a good school and they already know the Garcia family. You will not have any worries, Marissa that Arabella will be cared for greatly."

"I know, Sebastian. I am just relieved for everyone that is has turned out this way. It saddens me to know that my own sister kept Arabella a secret from you for so many years. It is so sad. The poor child."

"Let's not talk about it in front of her. I appreciate your words and I have to agree it is truly sad that for her first five years, she had no idea who her father was really." I pause as I feel for Jacob. The man my ex married. The man who once was my best friend. It still saddens me to know that you never really know anybody.

"Sir," my driver interrupts my thoughts. We are at the airfield already. I am excited to be flying home to Spain to see my daughter again, yet a little sad at having to leave Ava behind for now. It also fills me with excitement that she has a meeting with an agent for her new book. Already I know it will be hit. Her photographs are beautiful, serene and stunning. I have allowed for her to include one of me where I stand in front of the Santa Fe hotel. It is after all part of her story so it should be included too.

"Thank you." I say and wait for him to open the car door. My pilot and attendant are waiting ready for me. I will for sure speak with my American Girl this evening.