Reckless: A Small Town Marriage of Convenience Romance (A Wildrose Landing Romance Book 3)

by Abby Brooks

  Izzy grinned as she nodded, gaze locked on the road. “I’d love to meet him.” She turned to me with humor dancing in those honey eyes. “Since there’s a good chance we’re all gonna be living under the same roof, and you know, I might be his legal guardian at some point, I should probably at least know what this kid looks like.”

  “I don’t know. Where’s the fun in that? Where’s the surprise? The mystery?”

  “I don’t think the best way to add mystery to life is randomly moving in with people you don’t even know.”

  “Come on, now.” I grinned her way. “You can’t tell me living with strangers isn’t a great way to keep things interesting.”

  “Or end up with a serial killer for a roommate.”

  “I didn’t say keep things safe. I said interesting. Come on, babe. Keep up.”

  She turned to me with a smile on her face and when our eyes met, my dick jumped to life. I’d promised myself I’d put an end to all late night, Izzy-themed fantasies, but that promise was doomed if she kept looking at me like that. I shifted in my seat and turned my focus to the windshield as she pulled into my driveway and came to a stop.

  “I’ll help you with the leftovers.” She killed the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt.

  I could have carried everything inside myself, but wasn’t ready to say goodbye, so I stood, tossing a “Thank you!” over the roof of the car.

  The plastic rustled as we looped the bags over our wrists, then crunched through the leaves covering the walk. Izzy took Brennen’s container of food so I could unlock the door. I flicked on the lights and shut the door with a kick of my foot, then beelined for the kitchen because the plastic bags were cutting off my circulation. After we crammed it all into my fridge, I shoved my hands into my pockets, holding Izzy hostage with my gaze. I didn’t want her to leave but if she stayed, it’d take willpower I didn’t have to keep my hands off her.

  “I’d ask you to stay for a drink, but…” I shrugged, glancing at her stomach. “How are things going, by the way? Is our sweet Little One still treating you right?”

  She covered her belly with a smile. “Things have been so easy. No morning sickness. I mean, not really. Sometimes I’m nauseated for no reason, but I don’t think that counts, especially considering what other women go through,” she said with a shrug. “So far, being pregnant is as easy as everything else we’re doing. No mess. No hassle. Just a whole lot of milestones checked off faster than I expected.”

  “I hope it stays that way.”

  “Me too.”

  Izzy’s gaze locked with mine for several moments before she dropped it to the floor. “I should probably get going.”

  “Yeah. It’s been a long day.”

  But neither of us moved.

  If I took one step, I’d cross the kitchen, grab her, kiss her, then bend her over the counter and fuck her until her knees went weak. I wanted to taste her. To feel her. To run my hands over her body again, knowing that this time, it was mine. But we’d promised not to do that, so I stood there, clenching my fists to keep from breaking my word.

  Izzy sighed. “Okay, then. I had a lovely time today. Thank you for—”

  I was kissing her before I knew I’d moved. She gasped, her breath hitching in her chest, then she slid her arms around my back, her nails digging into my shoulders. I grabbed her ass and she parted her lips. My tongue swept into her mouth as I backed her up…

  …one step.

  Another…

  …until her hips bumped the counter.

  And then her hand was on my chest. “Jude…” A gentle push. “I can’t do this…”

  I pressed my forehead to hers and cleared my throat. “Yeah. I know.”

  “I’m sorry.” She pulled away and the sliver of space between us was un-fucking-acceptable.

  Licking my lips, I stepped back, releasing her from my grip. “Nope. This one’s on me.”

  Izzy ran her hand through her hair. Her lips were parted, her eyes wild, her chest heaving. “I’ll just…I’ll go.” She jerked her thumb toward the door.

  I shoved my hands in my pockets and followed her through the house. “Happy Thanksgiving, Snow,” I said as she stepped onto the porch, burrowing deeper into her coat.

  “Happy Thanksgiving, Charming.” She smiled, then skipped down the steps, climbed into her car and drove away. I watched until her taillights disappeared, my arms crossed over my chest to battle the chill in the air.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Izzy

  I didn’t mean to kiss Jude. I wanted to, but I always wanted to, so that shouldn’t have meant anything. The excitement of the day must have gotten the better of me. That was the only way to explain how we ended up making out in his kitchen. His parents had been so excited about our engagement, and even more excited at the prospect of grandchildren. I must have gotten so wrapped up in selling the story that I forgot we weren’t supposed to be in love.

  I drove home on autopilot, bouncing back and forth between congratulating myself on walking away, and yelling at myself for not letting go and enjoying the moment.

  I liked kissing Jude.

  And I would have loved it if he’d picked me up, put me on that counter and…

  “Enough.” I shook my head as I turned onto my street. “Just enough already.”

  Meeting Brennen was like looking back through time at Jude. Brennen’s blond hair was long enough to hang into his eyes, but he kept it brushed off to the side instead of the way Jude swept it back. The same gray-green eyes crinkled in the corner when he smiled. The angles of the jaws were the same, as were the cheekbones. The only difference was the nose.

  Well, and the clothes. When Jude was in high school, he chased trends like his life depended on it and everything he owned was in tip top condition. Brennen’s ragged jeans were just a tad too short. His shoes needed replaced. His coat was at least two years old, judging by the amount of skin showing at the wrist. Jude had said his homelife was hard. I saw that truth in the way his gaze locked on mine, studying me warily before he finally smiled.

  But, oh what a smile it was.

  “I can’t get over how much you guys look alike!” I said after introductions had been passed around.

  “Apparently our dad’s genes are strong.” Jude smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Lucky us,” he finished sarcastically.

  Usually, I would assume he was being cocky because of how good looking he was, but something told me to let the topic drop. He hadn’t shared much about his dad, but I got the sense there wasn’t a happy story there. Come to think about it, he hadn’t told me much about anything personal, which was weird, considering how long we’d known each other.

  And, you know, we were getting married in a month and I was having his baby.

  Life could be so strange.

  I held out the container of deliciousness to Brennen. “We come bearing gifts.”

  “You didn’t hafta do that,” he said, accepting the giant Tupperware and pulling back the lid. His eyes widened as he took in the piles of turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, candied yams, two rolls, and three slices of pie. “Okay. I take it back. You should do this every time. This looks amazing! Thank you so much!” His enthusiasm brought a smile to my face.

  “I told Mom we were visiting you today and she insisted on making you a plate.” Jude’s gaze laser-focused on Brennen’s too-small coat. “I’m just the delivery guy, but I’ll make sure to tell her you appreciated it.”

  “I’m tellin’ ya. I wish my mom could cook like this.” Brennen let out a chuckle with a roll of his eyes. “I mean, it’d be nice if she’d cook anything, ya know? I’m just, like, so tired of heatin’ up chicken nuggets or cans of soup. And peanut butter’s good, but not that good. If you tell anyone I said this, I’ll deny it, but sometimes I actually crave vegetables.”

  The three of us had met at a park just outside Wildrose Landing. Brennen’s mom didn’t know he’d found Jude yet, and they weren’t ready to spring the
news on her. The park was close enough for Brennen to ride his bike while she was out, a rusted thing handed down from someone older than I was.

  “Sometimes, we meet here and go to the mall or something,” Jude explained to me before turning to his brother, “but the weather’s decent enough, considering we’re almost into December. We might as well just stay here so you can eat.”

  “Sold.” Brennen indicated a picnic table a few feet away. “The sooner I dig into this feast, the better. You know what I’m sayin’, right?”

  I pulled a fork wrapped in a napkin out of my purse. “Somehow I thought you might say that.”

  A blast of wind whipped my hair past my face as Brennen headed for the table. Jude watched him for a few paces, then hurried to catch up. “What happened to the coat I brought you last week?” he asked, his gaze at his feet.

  “Mom snagged it. She said it fit her better, ‘n her boyfriend said I probably stole it so she might as well have it…” Brennen shrugged and sat at the table, pulling back the lid to dig into a pile of mashed potatoes, closing his eyes as he popped a bite in his mouth. “Oh, wow. This is so good. Like, so good.”

  “Jesus, man.” Jude shook his head as his brother wolfed down a roll. “I’ve got to get you out of that house.”

  “You’re workin’ on it. That’s what matters.” Brennen attacked the turkey and turned to me, his eyes glittering with gratitude and hope. “So you’re the one who’s gonna marry this jerk just to help him adopt me. That’s super cool of you.”

  I was surprised Jude had shared that much of his plan with a fifteen-year-old, but smiled and nodded anyway. “I hear it’s for a worthy cause.”

  Jude scoffed at his brother. “You say that like she’s making this giant sacrifice…”

  “She’s marryin’ you, isn’t she?” Brennen’s shit-eating grin reminded me so much of Jude’s I shook my head.

  “Careful now.” Jude pointed a finger his way and raised a brow. “I could just forget this whole idea.”

  “You could.” Brennen shrugged as he chewed happily. “But you won’t.”

  Jude glanced my way, turning up his palms. “See what I’m up against here?”

  I listened as they teased back and forth like they’d been born and raised together. Their natural comradery reminded me of how I’d always felt around Alex and any reservations I had about Jude’s ‘great idea’ faded. Adopting Brennen was right. Necessary. The kid had a good heart and deserved a decent chance. If his mom was willing to let him out of the house in a coat too small for him because she liked his new one better…

  I couldn’t even finish that thought because it was so foreign to me.

  We talked about school. His friends. His hopes for the future. He asked what I did for a living and his eyes lit up when I told him I owned a candy store. “Do you get to bring home the leftovers? Or is there, like, a family discount? Oh!” Genuine excitement danced through his eyes. “Maybe I could get a job there. I mean, no pressure or anything. But I’ve been thinkin’, like, if I have my own job, then I have my own money and I could just buy my own stuff. No problem.”

  His energy. His desire to do right and his ability to let bad things roll off his back. The kid just radiated goodness and it reminded me of all the reasons I fell in love with Jude in the first place. “My brother comes in to help me out when I’m in a pinch, but I’ve been meaning to hire someone so I don’t have to rely on him. I don’t see a reason why that someone shouldn’t be you. You’d help with the stocking. Maybe work the counter.”

  Brennen’s smile was so damn big it hurt my heart. “That would be so cool of you.” He sat back, his fork hovering over his plate. “When do you think you guys’ll be able to adopt me?”

  Jude folded his arms on the table. “We’re moving this whole relationship thing along as fast as we can without looking too suspicious. We’ve talked about getting married right after the new year, so basically just a month or so. Then I’ll talk to my lawyer and see what he says…”

  “Oh, wow. A month.” Brennen’s face fell as he bobbed his head and stabbed at a piece of turkey. “I mean, I’m not complainin.’ It’s just when you said fast, I got my hopes up. I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate what you’re doin’.”

  “Of course that’s what I think. Stupid little brothers. So demanding.” Jude rolled his eyes and made a ridiculous face as he turned to me for backup. “You know how it is.”

  “I only have a big brother and he’s kind of awesome, so I can’t really commiserate.”

  “Oh cool.” Brennen brushed his hair out of his eyes. “I’ll have an uncle.”

  “Not just an uncle. You’ll have a famous uncle. My brother’s Alexander Prescott, the bestselling author.”

  “Never heard of him,” Brennen said, wrinkling his nose. “Besides, I think running a candy store is cooler than writing books.”

  I turned to Jude with a massive smile. “I knew I liked this guy.”

  And I did. A lot.

  “He’s a good kid,” I said, watching Brennen take off on his bike, turning over his shoulder to wave before standing up to dig into the pedals.

  Jude waved back. “I really like him. And I respect him. His life hasn’t been easy, but he hasn’t let it make him hard. Not yet, at least.” His jaw pulsed and he folded his arms over his chest. “I’m gonna have to get him another coat.”

  He took my hand as we headed toward the parking lot. The gesture was pointless as there was no one around to see, but he didn’t seem to notice and I couldn’t bring myself to do anything about it.

  “You said Brennen was the one who found you? How did he even know you existed?”

  “I guess Dad used to tell him about his other family all the time when he was little. He’d go on and on about how much better my mom was than Brennen’s. He was only five when Dad died, but the stories stuck. This mythical other son and other mom who were so much more than he was. When Brennen turned fourteen and his mom started going downhill, he did a little searching and found me.”

  Jude’s brow furrowed and he fell silent as we reached his truck and climbed in.

  “Why do you think he came looking for you?”

  “Curiosity, maybe?” He buckled in and started the engine. “Or I don’t know, maybe part of him knew I’d be able to help get him out of his situation.”

  “His mom must be pretty bad.”

  “She’s…” Jude shrugged. “The best I can say about her is that she never should’ve had kids. But I guess things have gotten worse ever since this new boyfriend came into the picture.” His knuckles went white as he gripped the steering wheel. He swallowed hard, then turned to me. “Just…thank you for doing what you’re doing.”

  Emotion boiled in Jude’s eyes and I put a hand on my stomach, wishing I’d said yes to his proposal right away instead of waiting until there was something in it for me.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Jude

  Funny how life’s twists and turns could show a person just how much they got wrong. I never thought I’d want to get married or have kids, but after watching Izzy with Brennen, knowing that she was carrying my baby in her belly, I couldn’t imagine anything I wanted more. She was so warm and natural with him, it only proved what I already knew: she was going to make a wonderful mother. Somewhere around the time she started talking to Brennen about getting him a job at her store, I started imagining the four of us as a happy family. Izzy and I growing old. Brennen graduating and getting married. Our baby taking her first steps and learning to talk. All of us just…happy.

  Together.

  The way a family should be.

  And yet, I didn’t propose because I was in love or looking for a future with Izzy. I proposed to make it easier to get custody of my brother and she only accepted because we accidentally made a baby.

  The realization sat heavily on my shoulders as I navigated us out of the parking lot.

  Izzy’s phone rang, breaking through my uncomfortable thoughts. She pulle
d it out of her purse, grimacing when she saw the screen.

  “It’s Mom. She never calls me. I hope nothing’s wrong.” Concern tightened her features as she stabbed the accept button and put the phone to her ear. “Hey! Everything okay?”

  Camille’s response was too garbled to understand, but the relief on Izzy’s face said there was no cause for concern…only, as the conversation went on, I started to change my mind. While Iz ‘uh-huh’ed’ and ‘oh, wow’ed’ at clockwork-like intervals, her face grew grim. Sadness tugged at those full, red lips. She closed her eyes and sighed as she rested her forehead on her hand. After a long time of listening and not saying much, she ended the call.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  It was a stupid question. One look at the woman beside me said something was wrong.

  “I guess Alex is writing his twentieth book and Mom wants to throw him a surprise party to celebrate the milestone. She called to ask me to bring his weight in jellybeans and ordered me not to spoil the surprise.” She shrugged and shook her head. “Easy enough, I guess. And it is pretty cool he’s starting his twentieth book.”

  The whole ‘everything Alex does is amazing’ deal was getting old, and I’d only dealt with it for two days. My future wife had been struggling through it for a lifetime. Anyone else would be a constant bundle of nerves and low self-esteem, but not Izzy. Somehow, she’d come out of it with her sense of self intact.

  As if I needed more reasons to respect her.

  I took her hand, brought it to my lips, and kissed it. Screw our PDA only for the public rule because I couldn’t keep my hands off her anymore. “You know what’s even cooler? You’re getting married to help some kid you don’t even know.”

  Her smile warmed her amber eyes. “I know this kid’s big brother and he’s pretty awesome, so I don’t think that’s quite as amazing as you want it to be.”

  I released her hand, flicked on an indicator, then turned onto the road that led us back to Wildrose. I’d been disappointed in the Prescotts ever since our announcement went over like a wet blanket yesterday. And now, a measly twenty-four hours later, Camille wanted to throw a surprise party for Alex because he wrote another book? Who else got a party for doing their job?