“I could tell,” I said, giving the diaper an inspection. “But it looks good to me.”
“Justin! Heather!” said Craig, clasping his hands together as he approached us. “That was awesome, awesome stuff.”
Craig was a good guy, but very California. He was trim, with a neat beard of dark hair and a matching manbun tied up on the top of his head. He was dressed in designer jeans, bright white sneakers, and a V-neck T-shirt done up with the logo of his production company.
“You think so?” asked Justin. “I felt like I barely had control of my hands.”
“That’s what we want,” said Craig, plopping his hand on Justin’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “This whole show’s about you being out of your element—we want a little clumsiness now and then. And that line about diffusing a bomb? Perfect!”
Then he turned his attention to me, his eyes hidden behind a large pair of designer sunglasses.
“And Heather,” he said. “You’re charming, sweet, and just knocking it out of the park.”
I blushed, having a hard time with the compliments.
“Thanks,” I said. “Trying to learn as I go.”
“And you’re doing a hell of a job at it,” he said.
The last week had gone by in a total blur. The team from the production company had arrived at my apartment the day after I signed the contract, all of them eager to get me ready for the show. After a few days of prep, I was told to show up at Justin’s penthouse in the West Village, bringing nothing but myself and Faye. Sure enough, when I arrived, I had a whole wardrobe of clothes from Justin’s top designer lines waiting for me. It was a nice change of pace from the sweatpants and budget office clothes I had back at my apartment.
The penthouse was…something else. It was situated at the top of one of the tallest buildings in the neighborhood, a huge, mansion-sized place right in the middle of New York. It was done up in sleek, modern décor, the floor-to-ceiling windows allowing a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the city. It made my place in Greenpoint look like a closet. And when I saw the walk-in closet for the room where I’d be staying, I realized how true that statement was.
We were on day two of filming, the first being a set-up for the premise of the show. There were two main elements to it: Justin experiencing what it would be like to be a father, and me getting a taste of the life of a Manhattan billionaire. Thankfully, this didn’t require much acting on my part—Justin lived a life of luxury that I could only dream about. The show was set to be a mini-series, filmed over the course of the week. And so far, so good. The staff did their best to help me out, and Justin actually seemed to be taking a shine to Faye.
But it wasn’t all fun and games. Justin and I were on camera twenty-four-seven, the crew only being hands-on for a few sets here and there when they wanted to film something specific, like this baby changing scene. Most of the time they hung back and watched us, like a dozen flies on the wall.
“So, we’ve got the changing done,” said Justin. “What’s next?”
“Heather here is going to keep showing you the basics of childcare,” said Craig. “And then we’ve got something different in mind for after that.”
“Something different?” I asked. “What does that mean?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” said Craig. “For now, let’s do some feeding. That sound good?”
My eyes went wide. “Does that mean I’m going to be on camera…you know?”
“Breastfeeding?” asked Craig, going right for the word I’d been a little bashful about saying.
“Yeah,” I said. “That.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll be filming it very tastefully. What we’re going to do is start with you feeding Faye. Then Justin’s going to come in, you’ll both have a bit of banter, and then you’ll show him what to do when you’re not around. Got it?” He clasped his hands together. “Go ahead and relax for five,” he said before taking off and leaving Justin and I alone while he attended to the crew.
“So,” I said.
“So,” said Justin. “How’re you holding up?”
“It’s…weird,” I said. “But I think Faye’s doing fine, which is what I was worried about.”
He wiggled his finger in front of her face, and she let out an adorable giggle.
“Think about it this way,” he said. “With all this being recorded, you’ll have the best home video baby footage ever.”
He flashed me a smile.
I still wasn’t sure how to feel about Justin. He’d been good with Faye, despite the bizarre circumstances. But due to the artificial, contrived nature of this whole production, he and I never had a chance to talk about anything more personal—which meant the feelings of anger I still held were right there under the surface, unresolved.
“And maybe I’m imagining things,” he went on, “but I’m thinking Faye’s starting to take a shine to me. What do you think?”
He wasn’t wrong. Faye had been especially easy-going around Justin.
“I think you might be right,” I said. “Or maybe she’s dealing with the novelty of having a man around.”
“Well, either way, she’s awesome,” he said. “I never thought I’d be into having a kid around, but…I don’t know.” He looked away as if giving the matter some serious thought. “I don’t know,” he repeated.
Before either of us could say anything else, Craig came back into the nursery.
“All right, you two,” he said. “Next scene’s going to be in the kitchen. Come on.”
He led us out of the nursery and into the expanse of the main room. The sun was beginning to set, the sky outside filled with brilliant oranges and creams, a dark purple above.
“Lighting’s perfect,” said Craig. “Now, you two go ahead and get to it.”
The kitchen was as modern and sleek as the rest of the place, the open and raised design looking out over the living area. We took our places in front of the towering, stainless steel fridge, me seated in a chair with Faye, and began after Craig gave us the sign to start. I made sure to have Faye covered as I fed her. It felt bizarre to be doing it in front of the crew, but I kept in mind the fact that they were professionals, and it’s not like anything too scandalous was going to be there for all to see.
“Okay, Justin,” I said, trying to ignore the crew watching us talk. “I’m going to be grabbing dinner tonight, so it’s going to be up to you to feed Faye.”
“Right, right,” he said, leaning back on the fridge. “And I’ve been thinking about that.”
“Oh?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said, placing his hands on his pecs. “And I don’t think I’m, you know, up to the task.”
More laughs from the crew. I gave Justin an “oh, you” look. I had to resist a laugh myself—his sense of humor could be a little immature, but that didn’t mean I didn’t think he had his moments.
“As much fun as it’d be to see you feed Faye like that,” I said, “I already beat you to it.” I pulled open the fridge, revealing among the other food, a row of bottles filled with breast milk.
“How am I going to know when she’s hungry?” Justin asked.
I put on a TV smirk.
“Oh, you’ll know.”
I walked Justin through the feeding process, showing him how to hold Faye when she was ready for dinner, how to warm the milk up, and all the rest. Just like with all the other baby tasks I’d been walking him through, he showed a surprising affinity for it.
After a little more back-and-forth, Craig ended the scene and approached us.
“Now,” he said. “Heather, we’re going to have you go out to dinner with Julia for a little more filming, but for now I want some shots of the two of you in the nursery.”
To be honest, I was a little surprised that Julia had been down for shooting a few scenes. But when I told her about the money and baby gear she’d be getting in exchange, she was all over it. Not to mention I think she picked up on the fact that I could use
all the support I could get.
“Sure,” said Justin. “What’re you thinking in the nursery? Another changing scene?”
“No,” said Craig. “This is the ‘something different’ I mentioned earlier. The scene is going to be you two in the bed in the nursery, lying together next to the crib. We’re going to put it after some footage of Faye crying, so it’ll be set up as the two of you relaxing together, Faye nearby after you’ve both put her down.”
“Wait,” I said. “In bed together?”
“That’s right,” said Craig. “Nothing too crazy, just two tired people relaxing after a busy day with the baby. Sound good?”
Justin flashed me a look that suggested he was as uneasy as I was.
“It’ll only be a few minutes of footage,” said Craig. “Then we’ll get you out on the town.”
Justin and I went alone into the nursery, the large room loaded up with all sorts of cameras to film Faye while she was sleeping. I placed her in the crib, and she went down easily.
“Now,” came Craig’s voice through one of the speakers. “You two get nice and cozy.”
“This is weird,” I said quietly.
“I know right,” he said. “I’ll go first.”
He plopped onto the large bed off to the side of the room. Once I’d gathered up the nerve, I slid onto it next to him.
“Good,” said Craig. “I’m going to lower the lights, and you two just get comfy.”
I glanced down to see that there were a good several inches between Justin and me.
“Come on,” he said with a smirk. “Let’s do some acting.”
He extended his arm and moved it under my upper body, pulling me close to him.
At first, it was strange and awkward. But once those initial feelings passed, I found myself…liking being so close to him.
“Justin, good,” said Craig. “Heather, you’re stiff as a board.”
My eyes went wide for a brief moment before I remembered that it was all pretend.
“Okay,” I said out loud. “Loosen up.”
I took in another deep breath and stuck out my arm, placing in on Justin’s side. His body was as warm and solid as I remembered it being all those weeks ago. In spite of how awkward this was, I found myself growing more comfortable by the moment.
“Closer,” said Justin.
I nodded and closed the distance between us, resting my head on his chest. He held me close, his hand on my back.
As mad as part of me still was toward Justin, it felt good.
Minutes passed, and I slowly grew so comfortable that I thought I might be able to fall asleep in his arms right then and there.
But before that could happen, the lights flicked on.
“Perfect!” said Craig, his booming voice cutting through the room. “Just perfect!”
I opened my eyes to see Justin looking at me, a warm expression on his face that I couldn’t quite make out.
Whatever it was, it was no act.
Chapter 14
Heather
Justin and I walked slowly through Central Park, the towers of the Upper East Side stretching up high behind us. The air was mild, the sky was blue, and Faye giggled happily in her stroller.
“What a day,” said Justin, his hand on my lower back.
“No kidding,” I said. “When you live in New York, you only get a few days like this every year, when the weather’s totally perfect.”
“And the city actually seems peaceful,” he added.
“Exactly.”
Then he smirked. “It’s almost enough to make you forget that there’s a team of cameramen following us around.”
I chuckled, doing my best not to flick my eyes up and look directly at one of them. Craig and the rest of the crew wanted some footage of us in the park, and with the day as beautiful as it was, this seemed like the perfect time to do it. So, we were being filmed from a distance, Craig hoping to get some good material to splice in here and there.
“You about ready for this week to be over?” Justin asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I was thinking of asking them if they wanted to go ahead and stretch this out into a month.” I flashed him a smile, one that let him know I was joking around.
“You can’t fool me, Heather” he said with a smile of his own. “You’ve got a face for TV, but I’ve definitely gotten the impression that you’re not the reality TV type.”
“That’s not a bad thing, if you ask me,” I said.
“I’m right there with you,” he said. “Can you imagine the type of person who’s so desperate for fame that they’re fine with having crews follow them around like this all the time?”
I shuddered at the thought. Before I started this whole thing, part of me was worried that Justin might end up being one of those types. Sure, he hadn’t struck me as the fame-obsessed type when we’d had our night out. But it’s not like I’d gotten to know him super well.
In reality, I’d been pleasantly surprised as I got to know him better. Sure, he was a billionaire, and sure, he had his reputation as a playboy, but he was surprisingly down-to-earth. There was something more to Justin than just a flashy rich guy, and I found myself wanting to know what it was.
Faye let out some squeals, and I could see her hands clapping happily.
“What’s going on, kiddo?” asked Justin as he stepped in front of the carriage. “See something?”
He undid her straps and lifted Faye out of the stroller, holding her close and planting a kiss on her forehead.
That was the other thing. Justin loved—and I mean loved—Faye. At first, I was sure that he was playing it up for the cameras. But more than a few times, I’d caught him away from the crew, laughing and playing with Faye.
“Oh, I think I see what it is,” said Justin.
Up ahead a young couple walking a Labrador puppy approached us.
Justin turned back to me, a boyishly excited look on his face. I nodded and smiled, letting him know it was okay for Faye to say hi. Justin greeted the couple, Faye clapping her hands together and kicking her legs in excitement as the puppy moved closer to her.
“Sorry to bother you,” he said. “But my daughter’s going crazy over your puppy. Mind if she says hello?”
An odd feeling ran through me at Justin referring to Faye as his daughter. I stepped back, trying to process it. This was the first time I’d heard the words come out of his mouth, and they sounded…good. Natural, even.
Justin squatted down, getting the puppy in petting distance. Faye stuck her chubby little fingers out toward the dog, patting his golden fur in a charmingly uncoordinated way. Once Faye had her fun, Justin said goodbye to the couple, taking Faye’s hand and waving it toward them.
“Was that fun, muffin?” I asked Faye, her precious face lit up with excitement.
“I think I can speak for the both of us when I say yes, it most certainly was,” said Justin.
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” I said with a smile.
Then Justin scrunched up his face, as if listening carefully to something.
“Wait a minute,” he said. “I think she’s speaking her first words.”
He leaned in closer to Faye, putting his ear right by her head. But she didn’t speak, of course—instead, she clamped her lips down on Justin’s earlobe, nibbling it happily.
“What’s that?” he asked. “You think Mommy needs to get you a puppy?”
I let out a bright laugh at the absurdity of it.
“Gotta get the little lady what she wants,” Justin said with a grin.
“Hey, you want to buy it, feed it, and walk it, then you go right ahead.”
“Maybe I will,” he said. “You think it’s too late to convince Craig to add a dog to the mix?”
“No way,” I said. “This is all too much as it is.”
“And you could throw away this stroller,” said Justin, making faces at Faye as he strapped her back in. “Get a little saddle for the dog and have her ride it around.”
I laughed again, the mental image too much for me. I’d gone into this whole thing still mad at Justin for what he’d done, but he was still managing to make me smile constantly. He was too damn charming for his own good.
“Okay!” called out Craig as he approached us. “Perfect, perfect! Justin, stopping that couple so Faye could play with that dog? Stroke of genius. You were made for this.”
“Just wanted to pet the dog,” he said with a smirk.
“And Heather, you’re killing it,” he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “You’re really playing the part of a woman who’s warming up to Justin—it’s a very nice arc for the series.”
“Great to hear,” I said. Really, I wasn’t sure how much acting I was even doing. Justin was actually winning me over with how well he’d been with Faye. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.
“What’s next, chief?” asked Justin.
“Next, we’re going to have a nice dinner for the three of you back at your penthouse. Then after that, I want to get a little more footage of the two of you in bed together. But this time, if you both don’t mind, I’d like to have some cameras filming you while you’re sleeping.”
Justin raised his eyebrows, and I felt my stomach tighten up into a knot.
“While we’re sleeping?” I asked.
Craig raised his palms. “Now, not like that. Don’t worry. We’re keeping this all PG. What I’m hoping for is some good footage of the two of you sleeping in bed and getting up in the middle of the night to take care of Faye. You know, to really capture that feeling of two people working hard, even in the middle of the night, to care for a little girl.”
“Sounds…okay,” said Justin. He shot me a look, one that suggested he wanted to hear what I thought about all this.
“Yeah,” I said. “That should be fine.”
Inwardly, I was still processing everything. This would be the first night that Justin and I would be sleeping in bed together. There were cameras, so it’s not like anything…out of bounds, might happen. But still, it was a lot to think about.
A Baby, Quick! (Baby Surprises Book 3) Page 8
