by Laura Pavlov
“Coming with you, brother. Call me later.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek, running his knuckles over the spot where his lips had just been as his gaze lingered there. My legs wobbled at the contact and my mouth went dry. I nodded because I couldn’t speak and he walked out the door.
I might actually miss Jack Montgomery when this was all over.
“It’s nice to see him this way,” Dan said as we walked toward the door.
“What way is that?” I teased.
“Well, Jack’s the happy-go-lucky Montgomery brother for sure, but seeing you two together—I don’t know. He’s different. He seems so… happy and content. More at peace.” He laughed.
I rolled my eyes. “He was born happy.”
“Maybe. But something’s different. In a good way. It’s okay to say you’re happy, Monroe. It doesn’t make you less human,” he said, bumping me with his shoulder.
I shook my head and laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I’m happy.”
“It looks good on both of you. Good work on the Reynolds case. Thanks for sharing your lead about his visits to The Dark Temptress. Your time is coming. I had to write all sorts of bullshit about hotspots in the city, and what men found interesting in women for years. It’ll come. Be patient. And I’d be happy to have you on my team when the time comes.”
I couldn’t wipe the goofy smile from my face if I tried. “Thanks, Dan. I appreciate it.”
I’d taken what I knew about Reynolds going to the seedy club to Dan, per Jack’s encouragement to do so. I was glad I did. He hadn’t felt threatened, the opposite in fact, he brought me in and shared what he knew about the man, and we’d worked well together.
“See you later. Keep your head down and stay out of crazy sex dens,” he said with a wink before turning the corner to go to his office.
I spent the rest of the morning working on a new story about how soon is too soon to have sex with your significant other. Riveting stuff, right? But this is what I was hired to do, and I needed to remember that. My column was gaining a following already and people were tweeting about it. I couldn’t ask for more. Well, I could, but it would all come in good time. I was willing to put in the work, and I would get there.
Did it bother me that some people at Montgomery Media now thought I’d been hired because I’d been dating the boss? Not really. I’d never spent much time in that world, worrying about what others thought of me. I knew who I was, and I’d show that through my work ethic. No one seemed to look at me differently aside from Sabrina who had made a point to come see me as soon as the story broke about Jack and me dating. She apologized profusely for talking about him in the lounge, but she went on to make a few snide comments about the perks of dating the boss, and I made an effort to avoid her as much as possible. I found her hovering around Jack’s office several times since, and it got under my skin. We weren’t really together, but she didn’t know that. And I didn’t like the idea of him with her. Hell, I didn’t like the idea of him with anyone. This was a problem and I needed to snap out of it.
This was temporary.
It wasn’t real.
I made my way a few blocks down to North Street Bistro to meet my friends for lunch. I hadn’t seen them since our last happy hour a few weeks ago, and the photo of Jack and me hadn’t gone viral yet. My best friend Becks was the only one who knew that my relationship with Jack was fake. I’d sworn her to secrecy. Gwen and Jilly were happy to hear that I was finally dating someone. I felt horrible for lying to them. I insisted it wasn’t anything serious, and we’d left it at that. This whole thing would end soon, and things would go back to normal.
“Mon.” Gwen waved me over as the three of them sat at a corner table.
“Hey,” I said, dropping to sit beside Becks. Her blonde bob sat just above her shoulders, and she wore a sleek white button-up to complement her black pencil skirt. She was gorgeous, and men were always staring and gawking.
“Did you see Simon Reynolds dropped out of the running this morning?” Jilly asked as she pushed her auburn locks off her shoulder.
“Yes. I can’t say I’m too surprised. The man is shady. He had no business running for office.”
I perused the menu as I spoke.
“So, how is it going with Jack? Are things getting serious? Seems like you spend a lot of time together,” Gwen said. “I would love if we could do a double date with our guys.”
“I’m sorry. I just vomited in my mouth.” Becks waved the waiter over and ordered a gin martini. Dry. Two olives. I laughed. It was noon on a Monday. Hardly the time for a cocktail, but Becks beat to her own drum and that’s what I loved about her.
The rest of us ordered iced tea and we all got salads and a big side of fries for the table.
“Don’t hate on Royce,” Gwen said, staring hard at Becks. Gwen’s brown hair was pulled in a long ponytail, and her natural beauty was impossible to miss.
“I’m not hating on Royce. The man is beautiful, no doubt. I’m hating on your relationship with Royce. I find it very annoying.”
My head fell back in laughter as they bantered back and forth about why Becks had such an issue with it. My phone buzzed and I looked down to see a text from Jack. I’d asked him to keep me posted about Harley.
Jack ~ Hey. Harley is in surgery or whatever it’s called to have those two little humans taken out of her stomach. Everything is going smoothly, with the exception of Ford losing his shit every two minutes. Take the rest of the afternoon off and come to the hospital after your lunch.
Me ~ I’m excited for them. Really? You want me to come to the hospital?
Jack ~ We’re supposed to be dating. Wouldn’t a girlfriend come sit at the hospital with her boyfriend? No one likes a selfish lover, Blue Jay.
My head fell back in laughter and all three heads turned to face me.
Me ~ I’ll be there in an hour.
I responded quickly and dropped my phone in my purse.
“Was that Jack?” Gwen asked.
“Yes. Harley’s in labor and he wants me to come to the hospital after lunch.”
“Those two are going to have some ridiculously good-looking children,” Becks said about Ford and Harley as she sipped her martini.
“Wow. Going to the hospital to meet the family is serious. Things are moving fast, huh?” Jilly asked.
I shook my head. Guilt flooded as I tried to spin this the best way I could. “No. I mean, he’s my brother’s best friend, so we have a bit of a family connection, that’s all. I’ve met his family over the years, so it’s not that big of a deal.”
Becks barked out a laugh. “When do we get to meet the guy?”
I shot her a look. She knew I didn’t want to lie to Jilly and Gwen and having them meet Jack would be digging myself into an even deeper hole.
Gwen clapped her hands together. “Yes, please. I mean, I’ve seen all the Montgomery brothers in the media, and they’re all three beautiful, but personally, I think Jack’s the best looking. What if you bring him to my opening at the gallery next week?”
“I think that would be a great idea,” Becks said with a wink.
Asshole.
Gwen ran an art gallery in the city, and she loved discovering new artists. “Yeah, sure. I’ll see if he can make it.”
We finished lunch, catching up on one another’s lives. Becks had a new Australian lover on the rotation because she didn’t believe in dating one person and thought monogamy was overrated. Gwen was ridiculously happy with Royce and things were going well, and Jilly told us about a new dating app she was trying after reading my article about the best options out there.
When I arrived at the hospital, there was security near the lobby screening people. I had to remind myself that the Montgomerys were a famous, often stalked family, which was why my photo with Jack had gone viral in the first place. I spotted Big Tony up ahead and he winked before wav
ing me over and pointing to a set of chairs where Jack was sitting.
I took Jack in for a moment. I rarely got to look at the man without him moving or distracting me. He was sitting in a chair with Laney Mae and Harrison beside him, and his mother across from him. His arms were flailing, and everyone was laughing as he just had a way of telling a story that enraptured all those around him. His dark hair was tousled on his head, his chiseled jaw and perfectly angular nose made it difficult to look away. But his best feature was his smile. It always reached his eyes and lit up his entire face. His whiskey-colored gaze danced with mischief as he bellowed out in laughter and Laney Mae fell forward in her chair as Harrison and Monica erupted in laughter.
As if on cue, he glanced my way. “You made it, Little Bird.”
He pushed to his feet and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around me, and kissing the top of my head. Normally this would annoy me, but for whatever reason, when my fake boyfriend was affectionate with me—I liked it.
More than I should.
“Is there an update?” I asked, working hard to control my racing heart at his nearness.
“Nope. We’re still waiting.” He led me back to the chairs and I dropped to sit beside Monica.
Jack’s mom pulled me in for a hug and everyone chatted at once, filling me in on Ford threatening to shut down the hospital if they didn’t relieve Harley’s pain at once. We all shared a laugh at how protective he was. The double doors swung open, and all of our attention turned toward Ford Montgomery, standing tall and proud in light blue scrubs. His smile stretched from ear to ear and his gaze was wet with emotion.
“She did it.”
Harrison, Jack, and Monica rushed toward him and Laney and I stood right behind them as they patted him on the shoulder and pulled him in for a bear hug.
“I knew Harls could do it.” Jack beamed, looking over his shoulder and winking at me. He was ridiculously adorable. Like, of course she could do it. Women had babies all the time. But Jack had a way of making everyone he interacted with feel like they walked on water. I wondered if he treated his one-night stands this well. The thought made me sick to my stomach. The man got around, and everyone knew it. He would go back to business as usual the minute this charade ended. His life would change immediately, as he’d return to wining and dining his ladies while mine would remain the same—sans Jack Montgomery.
Work. Books. Bubble baths. Netflix.
Rinse and repeat.
I’d return to my boring existence.
Maybe it was time for me to get back out there and start dating. It had been a year since Thyme stabbed me in the back. I could do this, right?
“Come on. Let’s go check these little angels out,” he said, reaching for my hand as Ford led us all to the nursery.
“Do we have names yet?” Monica asked, because they’d kept the names a secret up until now.
“Yep. That little cherub right there, with the little rosebud lips, her name is Penelope Rose Montgomery. And her sister right beside her, with the perfect button nose, her name is Everly Mae Montgomery.”
Laney Mae clapped, and Harrison pulled her into a hug. I turned and caught all three men, large in stature, with tears streaming down their faces as they watched these two little angels sleeping through the glass. Monica swiped at her face and nodded. “Beautiful names, for beautiful princesses.”
“They own me. I’m going to spoil the shit out of them. What can I bring them? Do they eat treats or read or do anything yet?” Jack asked, and Monica, Laney, and I burst out in hysterical laughter.
“They’re babies, Jack-ass. They just want to be held and loved,” Laney said.
“Well, I intend to do that too.” His gaze never left the window.
“Okay. I need to get back to Harley. Why don’t you guys head home and tomorrow you can come back and hold them in our room if all goes well.” Ford took one last glance before thanking us all for coming.
They all agreed to meet back the following morning and we made our way out of the hospital. We said our goodbyes and I grabbed my phone to call for an Uber. I’d come straight here from the restaurant.
“Hold up. Where are you going?” Jack asked.
“Um, home? It’s a work night.”
He chuckled. “Come to my place. We can order dinner.”
“And do what exactly?” I folded my arms over my chest.
“Eat. Watch a movie. Talk about how fucking perfect those babies are. You can fill me in on what I need to do to be the best uncle.”
I glanced at my phone to check the time. “Well, I guess I do need to eat.”
“Come on. How does pizza sound?”
“Good,” I said as I smiled at Big Tony before getting in the car.
Jack called in the order, and I sat back and wondered how I was going to feel when all of this came to an end.
And a sick feeling settled in my stomach.
Chapter Thirteen
Jack
It had been a week since the twins had come home from the hospital, and I’d gone over every day. I couldn’t get enough of them. Of course, it was disappointing to learn that they didn’t eat cupcakes yet or respond when I spoke to them… but that would all come in good time.
Tonight, I was going with Blue Jay to her friend’s gallery opening, and she was very uptight about the whole thing. We spent a lot of time together, so I didn’t know what the big deal was. She said she felt guilty for lying to her friends about our relationship. Hell, the truth was—we basically were dating, minus the no sex rule that she had. When we were together, it was impossible to keep my hands to myself. I’d find any reason to touch her. Even just to tuck her hair behind her ear or pull her close to me in the car. She didn’t fight it anymore. She’d touch my arm or reach for my hand when we stepped off the elevator without thinking. It had all just become natural. But this was the longest I’d ever gone without sex in my adult life, and I was feeling it. I wasn’t proud to admit that I’d rubbed it out to visions of my fake girlfriend every single day since she arrived at Montgomery Media. Buck would fucking kill me. But fantasies were okay—as long as you didn’t act on them.
It wasn’t that difficult to pretend to be her boyfriend. I’d grown comfortable with our set-up. I actually preferred being in public with her because it meant I could hold her hand and show some affection. She’d rested her head on my shoulder when we watched a movie the night the twins were born, and I’d wrapped her in my arms like it was totally normal. I think we’d both forgotten the fact that we weren’t in public and no one was watching. She’d caught herself and quickly made up an excuse to head home. The crazy thing? I didn’t want her to leave. I liked touching her. Making her laugh. Holding her hand. All the things I’d never wanted to do with other women.
I liked doing those things with Monroe Buckley.
My best friend’s little sister.
I needed to pull my shit together. The fallout we’d anticipated from the photo of Monroe and me going viral had never come. In fact, it was the opposite. A few competing papers had tried to stir up drama online about it, but people had responded positively to us announcing that we were a couple. I’d been single so long that apparently news that I’d committed to someone had worked in our favor. So, there was no pressure to keep up the charade, as no one took issue with it. But surprisingly, calling it done was not an option for me. Not now at least. I wasn’t ready for it to come to an end. For her to go back to ignoring me, and me to return to my meaningless romps. And it was completely fucking selfish that I wanted to keep this going for my own personal reasons. The thought of Monroe with someone else made me physically sick. The girl would not stay single forever, and I couldn’t allow my mind to wander there. But being in a constant state of want wasn’t conducive either.
Maybe I should just get laid, and I’d be able to get her out of my head. But I wouldn’t cheat on her
, whether this shit was real or not. I couldn’t do that to her. Maybe I would see how she felt about us just testing the waters with one another. You know, physically, so we didn’t have to suffer during this fake relationship. She had needs. I had needs. Why not fulfill them during this time? We’d get one another out of our systems and then return to our regular lives. We wouldn’t have to tell Buck because it wouldn’t be a real relationship. We could fake date and have real sex. Fabulous fucking sex, I’m sure. Let’s just say I was gifted in that department, so I’d be doing her a favor. And for whatever reason, the thought of pleasuring Blue Jay did crazy shit to me. I wanted to see her come undone, wild and free and sated. And I wanted to be the one to do that to her.
What the fuck was happening to me?
The knock on my door startled me from my X-rated thoughts about Monroe Buckley.
“Hey, I’m heading out.” Ford sauntered in and dropped in the chair across from me. He looked a little frazzled, but happy. I liked seeing him this way. Like a man who had everything he ever wanted. Sure, he and Harley were tired, and definitely lacking sleep, but he came into the office for a couple hours a day and underneath it all, I knew he was happier than he’d ever been. And I was trying to pick up the slack where I could.
“I may come by with Monroe on our way to her friend’s gallery opening. I know she’d like to see the babies, and I don’t want them to forget about me if they don’t see my handsome face every day.”
His head fell back in laughter. “Hell, unless you’ve got a nipple with a hearty supply of breast milk, I don’t think they give a shit if you come by.”
I closed my eyes for a brief moment. “Don’t talk about nipples, please. It’s been a while, you know?”
He studied me and a wide grin spread across his face. “You’re fucking sexually frustrated, aren’t you? I’ll bet you’ve never gone this long without sex.”
“That doesn’t make you a rocket scientist, dude. Obviously, I’ve never gone this long before, at least not since I started having sex.”
