“I want Cherie protected,” I said.
“You want security on her?” he asked with confusion. “You think someone will try and hurt her?”
“No—well, possibly—but I’m more worried about the press getting wind of us together. I don’t want her hounded. She has a life and doesn’t deserve to be dragged through the press because she’s dating me.”
David nodded, pulling out his phone and making notes. “I’ll get on it. I get daily reports from the media manager. She lets me know if there is anything new to report. They’ve gotten a few questions about who you cheated on Amber with, but I don’t think anyone has picked up on Cherie yet.”
I shrugged. “We’ve gone to the island a couple of times and to my restaurant, but other than that, we mostly stay in.”
“Good plan.”
“Call Vaughn as well. I do want security on her. I want to make sure she isn’t bugged by those god damn paparazzi. She has a life and a business and doesn’t need the drama.”
David nodded as he furiously tapped away on his phone. “We’ll do our best, but you know how these things happen.”
“I know,” I muttered. “A source. Remind everyone at the firm I will fire any of them if I find out they are spreading lies to the tabloids.”
“They all know the rules. The leak you need to worry about is outside the firm. You need to decide what kind of life you’re going to have if you try to keep her a secret.”
I frowned, picking up one of the rings. “I’m not keeping her a secret. That makes it sound dirty.”
“Yes, it does,” he said, letting the words sink in.
I knew what he was saying. In order for me to keep my relationship with Cherie on the down-low, we would be heavily restricted. I wouldn’t be able to attend parties with her or take her to any of the other restaurants in the city. I didn’t want to hide her, but I also didn’t want her to be subjected to the abuse that was sure to come her way should our relationship become public knowledge.
“I’ll talk to her, but for now, I want it kept quiet. I need to explain to her what she might face should we take things public. That does not mean I’m putting my relationship on hold with her.”
He smiled and slid his phone back into his pocket. “Of course not.”
With all that out of the way, I focused on the jewelry. I scanned the various rings. None of them were really jumping out as something Cherie would wear. I was about to give up when the ring I needed caught my eye.
“That’s the one,” I said. “That one.”
The clerk did not look impressed. It was half the price of the other rings. I would pay him triple what the price was. I didn’t care. Cherie wasn’t about the giant rocks.
With the ring secured in my pocket, we left the store.
“I can’t believe you’re going to go through this again,” David said as we got into the back of the car.
“Technically, I didn’t go through it the first time. This time, I will though. It will be my first and last marriage. One day, you’ll understand. You’ll meet a woman and you’ll know she’s the one you’re supposed to spend the rest of your days with.”
He made a face. “I don’t think so. I’m having enough fun watching you go through this nightmare. I don’t want any part of that.”
“It’s not a nightmare. It’s a beautiful thing. I hope you do get to experience it.”
“Mom is going to shit her pants,” he said with a laugh.
“She always liked Cherie,” I said.
He laughed. “She liked her until she broke your damn heart.”
I grinned. “She’ll like her again. How can anyone not like Cherie?”
He rolled his eyes. “You make her sound like a saint.”
“She’s not a saint, but she’s perfect. Perfect for me.”
Chapter 26
Cherie
I pointed my toes, flexing my legs as I soaked up the January sun. I loved that I could lounge poolside in a bikini in the dead of winter. Only in Miami. Well, Miami and other tropical places. I was enjoying the good life and taking it one day at a time. I wasn’t showing yet but knew it wouldn’t be long before the changes in my body became apparent to Evan. He was a master of my body and knew me too well for me to hide anything for long.
Evan and I were enjoying a quiet Sunday after spending an even quieter Saturday together. I didn’t question why he preferred to stay at his place. It had everything we needed. I knew the real reason he didn’t want to venture out around the city was because of the media. Things were just starting to die down a little. If we were spotted together, it would only fuel fresh rumors. I did not want to be part of a scandal.
I heard the soft pad of his bare feet coming across the patio and turned my head to look up at him.
“Martini?” he asked, extending one of the glasses to me.
I smiled. “No thank you. I’m getting a jumpstart on Lent and abstaining from alcohol.”
“You’re not Catholic,” he said with a laugh.
I grinned. “I could pretend to be a Catholic schoolgirl if you’d like?” I offered.
He wrinkled his nose. “No thanks. Not my thing.”
I shrugged. “I’m good. I’m just enjoying the sober life. Thank you though.”
“Can I get you something else? Water? Juice?”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. “You don’t have to wait on me.”
“I want to wait on you,” he answered, dropping a kiss on my forehead. “I like waiting on you.”
“Juice would be nice. Thank you.”
He walked away, leaving me alone once again. I was still trying to figure out when to tell him about the baby. The morning sickness seemed to be manageable if I ate crackers almost immediately after waking. I felt queasy, but that, I could live with and hide from the man that seemed to know every one of my little nuances.
The longer I had to sit with the idea, the more confident I was becoming about how he would take the news. He spoiled me already and I imagined once he knew I was carrying his child, he would really spoil me.
I closed my eyes and relaxed, listening to the slight gurgling sound coming from the hot tub. It was soothing and just about lulled me to sleep when I heard what sounded like an argument. I sat up and cocked my head to the side. The sound of two people arguing wasn’t out of the ordinary at my house, but at Evan’s, it was not normal. His place was surrounded by tall fences and quiet neighbors that were several hundred feet away. I didn’t think anyone else was in the house. He told me the staff had the day off.
I leaned back, assuming he was watching TV or had turned on the radio. It seemed a little out of character for him, but I chalked it up to no big deal. I tried to fall back into the same state of relaxation. I heard his raised voice and immediately knew something was wrong. It wasn’t the TV or radio.
I got up and headed inside to see what was happening. I froze when I saw Amber standing in Evan’s kitchen. She saw me, her eyes flashing fire before she looked back at Evan. “Are you fucking serious?” she shrieked. “You’re fucking the wedding planner?! I knew there was no way you would willingly meet with a wedding planner!”
Evan tried to intervene. “Amber, stop.”
I couldn’t move. I felt like I had been caught committing some horrible crime. I could only stare at the two of them. I shook my head, denying her words but unable to actually speak my denial.
“This makes so much sense,” Amber hissed. “You were cheating on me with her. I knew it! I knew there was a reason you never wanted to have sex with me!”
Evan shook his head. “I didn’t cheat on you.”
I was hung up on the fact he didn’t want to have sex with her. It wasn’t because he didn’t like sex. The man had been a machine since we’d first done it. That was a little boost to my ego as I stood there feeling like I was damn near naked.
“Bullshit! I knew you weren’t worth my time from the very moment I laid eyes on you. I gave your hillbilly ass a chance. I put you on the ma
p. You don’t get to walk away from this. I say when we are done and we are most certainly not done. You don’t get to dump me.”
“Leave, Amber. You have no business coming here. I’m having the locks changed immediately. I never want to see you again. If you come back, I will call the police.”
She stepped closer to him, an ugly look on her face. “I have more right to be here than she does,” she snapped. “I’m having your baby!”
Evan flinched, leaning away from her as if she was a vile creature. My head felt like it had exploded. My ears were ringing, and everything grew dark and hazy. I almost threw up. Amber was pregnant!
“Bullshit!” Evan shot back.
Amber smiled with an evil gleam in her eyes that would make lesser men scream and run in the opposite direction. “Oh, it’s true. I’m pregnant with your baby. Do you really think you can leave me now? Would you really abandon your baby?”
He shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”
“Believe it, sunshine. Get rid of your whore. You knocked me up and we are going to figure out how to make this work. I’m willing to forgive you for cheating on me. We’ll get married and raise our child together.”
Evan was still shaking his head. “No fucking way will I ever marry you. Hell would have to freeze over first.”
“You don’t want to do this,” Amber warned.
“I don’t believe you’re pregnant. At least not by me. I used a condom every fucking time with you.”
I shuddered with revulsion. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear him talking about having sex with her. To learn he had impregnated her shortly before he knocked me up was really sending me for a loop. Would he choose me or her? Would we have our children grow up together? There was so much running through my head, I felt dizzy.
“I am pregnant,” Amber shot back. “You’re the father and you will not leave me hanging on this! You have to marry me.”
“I used protection!”
“Condoms leak or break or there was that one time…” She trailed off.
Evan violently shook his head. “There was no time. Never. Because I don’t want a family! I don’t want you to have my children! You’re full of shit. This is another one of your bullshit games. I’m not playing along Amber. Get the hell out of my house and don’t come back.”
I felt like I had been slapped. His words were full of venom. I had never seen him so angry. I almost felt bad for Amber. I was happy I hadn’t been the one to tell him about the child I was carrying. I wasn’t sure I could handle hearing him say those things to me.
“This isn’t over, Evan. You have not seen the last of me. It’s too late to back out of this now. I’m pregnant and I will have this child—your child. My lawyers will be in touch. You can kick me out of your life, but you’re going to pay dearly.”
“It’s always about money with you,” Evan spat. “Get out. Now. I don’t care if you are pregnant. I will have you arrested if you come back.”
Her eyes fell on me. She looked me up and down with a sneer on her face before spinning on her heel and walking out of the house. I heard the front door slam a few seconds later. I felt physically ill. I was barely able to stay standing. Everything was wrong.
Evan turned to look at me, fury still flashing in his eyes. “Can you believe her?” he snapped.
I slowly shook my head. “I should go,” I whispered.
“What? No.”
I turned on legs that were barely strong enough to hold me up and walked out of the kitchen. “I’m going to go,” I said again.
Evan was right behind me as I climbed the stairs to change into my normal clothes. I pulled on my jeans over my bikini bottoms before yanking on the shirt I had tossed on the floor last night. I had to get home to my safe space and give myself time to think.
“Don’t go,” Evan said, wrapping his arms around me from behind.
“I need to go. You need some time to figure this out.”
“I don’t have anything to figure out,” he insisted. “She’s lying. It’s another one of her games.”
“Do you know that for sure?” I asked him, spinning around to look him in the eye.
“Well, I can’t know one hundred percent, but I’m am confident when I say it isn’t mine.”
I shook my head. “Condoms aren’t always effective.”
He grimaced, clearly not comfortable talking about it with me. “She’s just doing this to try and hurt me or get me to pay her off.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” I said, stepping out of his hold and grabbing my purse.
I left his room without him trying to stop me again. I was very glad I had driven to his house. I didn’t have to wait for a car or for him to take me home. I drove straight home, locked the door behind me, and pulled the blinds closed. I grabbed a glass of ice water and flopped down on my couch.
What was I going to do? Evan had been furious when he found out about Amber’s maybe baby. Mine was the real thing. What would he have to say about me getting pregnant? Would he accuse me of lying? Would he think I was trying to do it to trap him?
Everything I had thought to be true was now called into question. I had allowed myself to think about a life with Evan and our baby. I had let myself fall into the fantasy of a happy ever after with him. The last few weeks had all been fun, but that was all he had been after.
I blew out a breath, trying to imagine myself as a single, unwed mom trying to raise a baby on my own. I rubbed a finger over my temple. It was certainly not the future I had envisioned for myself. The moment he found out I was pregnant, would he look at me like he had looked at Amber? Would he hate me?
I had to laugh at the situation. Fifteen years ago, we had been so careful to avoid a pregnancy. We knew we weren’t ready for a baby and didn’t want our child to grow up poor like we had. I had broken things off with him because I was worried I would eventually end up as a single, struggling mom because he would have been miserable if he had not been able to live out his dreams of being in the Air Force. All of that heartache had been for nothing. I was in the exact position I had feared back then.
“Oh, Cherie, what have you done now?”
Chapter 27
Evan
I was furious. My life had been going great. I had believed Cherie and I had a real chance at a bright future. Now, she wasn’t talking to me. She had left yesterday and had not said two words to me since. I wasn’t sure which part had pissed her off to the point she wasn’t speaking to me.
She had to have known Amber and I had slept together. I couldn’t imagine that part bothered her. I grimaced, thinking about it if it were the other way around. I chose to believe I was the only man Cherie had ever been with. I didn’t want to know the details about her exes. Having the evidence, even if it was bullshit, thrown in her face would be painful.
I supposed she was upset about Amber claiming to be pregnant. If she would bother to listen to me, I could explain Amber was full of shit. It was just another one of her stupid games. I knew Amber. I knew she was the kind of girl that pulled this exact bullshit. She wasn’t pregnant. I knew that with every fiber in my being. I did not impregnate the woman. My sperm would run in the opposite direction if they ever encountered one of her vile eggs.
“What’s up?” David asked, breezing into my office. “I got your message to get my ass in here now. I think that’s how you put it. Which, by the way, is not asking nicely. You’re lucky we’re related. I would have told you to get bent if you were anyone else.”
“Amber says she’s pregnant with my child,” I blurted out.
His mouth dropped open and he stared at me with obvious shock. “Fuck me,” he groaned, taking a seat in his usual chair. “How the hell did that happen? Mom’s going to kill you. I’m going to kill you. Amber?”
“It didn’t happen,” I hissed. “She’s lying. She’s fucking with me and I’m so god damn sick of it! Mom doesn’t need to know shit.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Mom always finds out. You kn
ow that.”
“Not this. I didn’t do this. Amber is making shit up to try and get more revenge on me. I don’t know what her problem is, but she needs to move on. I don’t know why she’s so hung up on me in the first place.”
“I hate to say it, but I think it might have a little something to do with what’s in your wallet,” he said matter-of-factly. “She’s pissed that you dumped her. She’s the kind of person who likes to be the dumper, not the dumpee. You insulted her.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can’t imagine any man wanting to be with her longer than five minutes.”
“You were. You were with her a lot longer than five minutes.”
“And I’m going to be paying for that mistake for a long time to come.”
David held up a hand. “Before you go down to pity party lane, tell me what the hell happened to get you to this point.”
“She broke into my house yesterday.”
“Broke in?” he asked, stopping me. “Like through a doggie door or she smashed a window?”
“I don’t have a doggie door, asshole,” I growled. I was in no mood for his jokes. “She had a key and I hadn’t changed the locks yet. It’s still breaking in. She let herself in and acted like I should be happy to see her. I told her to get out. Then Cherie walked in and shit hit the fan. She isn’t pregnant. She is just grasping at straws. At first, she wanted me back. Now, she just wants my money.”
David groaned and rubbed his hand over his eyes. “Shit. This is going to blow up and become a PR nightmare. We have to get ahead of this. Has she gone to the media?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Damn, this is a mess.”
“No shit. Get Vaughn on this. Tell him to dig deep. I want to know how many times she’s pulled this shit in the past. I want to know who’s she’s been sleeping with because if there is a slim chance that she is pregnant, it isn’t mine. I know it isn’t mine. I went to great lengths to make sure I didn’t knock her up. The last thing I want in this world is a kid with her. No kid deserves to have her for a mother.”
Heart Breaker Page 16
