She hated hospitals.
Her nerves jumped as the two of them entered the elevator. She peered up at Jared, who looked like he was playing a game of poker. Stoic. In control. Nicely dressed in a pair of slacks and a polo shirt. He even smelled nice. Was that his aftershave? She leaned a little closer and sniffed. Man, he smelled good. The elevator closed in on her, and she felt light-headed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come.”
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
“See, hospitals and I don’t really get along. They give me the heebie jeebies.”
He frowned. “You don’t have to do anything. You don’t even have to say anything. Just walk in with me. Remember, you’re the one who—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” She huffed. “You don’t have to keep saying it.”
The elevator doors swished open, and she almost ran out. Being penned up in a small place with Jared was playing tricks on her. She almost felt attracted to him.
They entered room 308, and Patricia was immediately at their side. “I’m so glad you’re here. Mom’s been asking for you.” She pushed them toward the bed. Shelly lay there, a white sheet covering her up to her arm pits. She had an IV in one hand, and her face looked even paler than yesterday.
“Jared, Madison...thank you for coming.”
Madison glanced around the room. The whole family was there. Mark and Zachary sat in the two chairs. Irene stood looking out the window, her arms crossed. Maxwell stood by his wife, his hand on her shoulder.
“I think you all know I’m dying.”
Madison jerked her head toward Shelly and a startled gasp came from Irene. Patricia sobbed into a tissue, and Zachary crossed the room to be by her side.
Maxwell frowned. “Now, Shelly, you shouldn’t say such things.”
“Hush. Everyone knows it. I’m just brave enough to say it out loud.”
Madison stole a glance at Jared. His face was a mask, yet his eyes appeared moist, sad. And when he blinked, a tear escaped and fled down his cheek. She turned away, embarrassed to be privy to his emotion.
Shelly waved her hand. “Now, don’t everyone get all upset. I’m ready to go. I’m not afraid of heaven. In fact, I’m looking forward to being with my Henry again.”
Several people nodded, and Patricia pulled another tissue from the box on the hospital tray.
“There’s only one thing I want done before I go.”
Everyone in the room gazed at Shelly, collectively holding their breath.
“I want to see you kids get married.” She motioned to the two engaged couples.
Madison’s knees went weak and the room spun. Jared’s strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her upright.
Shelly twisted in her bed to look at the calendar on the wall. “The way I see it, this had better get done quickly. How does next week sound?”
Patricia squeezed Shelly’s hand. “Of course, Mama. Anything for you.” She looked back at Madison and Jared, her eyes pleading.
Madison’s throat closed and she couldn’t speak. She could barely breathe. She looked at Jared, her eyes wide. He shifted his weight. “Well...um...that’s really short notice...”
Patricia glared at him.
“I mean...of course we’ll...uh...you know...” His face flushed.
“Two weeks then.” Shelly brushed a piece of lint off the bed sheet. “Please? All I want is to see my daughter and my nephew happily married.”
Jared swallowed. “Um...well...”
“Okay,” Madison said, before she knew what she was doing. “Two weeks. We’ll be able to pull a wedding together by then.”
Jared looked like he had eaten a live frog.
Irene crossed the room and pulled the two couples into a group hug. “Well, then, we’d better get busy. We’ve got a double wedding to plan!”
Chapter 7
Jared couldn’t believe how far things had gone. There was no way he would marry that woman to make his aunt happy. Madison was a fruitcake. A nutcase. She made Paris Hilton look sane. Even if she did look good in those jeans. Then he made the mistake of glancing at her. Yep. She looked good in those jeans. But she was definitely a wack-job.
Irene babbled about flowers and catering, and the urge to end this charade overtook him.
“Excuse me. I need to tell you all something.”
Madison knew it was coming. He could tell by the way her eyes got wide and her mouth formed a little ‘o’.
“This is not my fiancée.”
There. He’d said it. Gotten it out. Cleared things up. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at the confused faces around him. Why didn’t he feel better?
Madison threw her arms around his neck. “Of course not officially, sweetie, since we don’t have the ring yet. But how important is a ring when we have our love?” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. A quick peck, but it left him with the warm feeling of her lips against his. Then she whispered, “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
He shook his head to clear it. That’s all he needed. To follow another one of Madison’s deranged plans.
“No. That’s not what I meant.” He pulled back and Madison dropped her arms. “I mean I’m not getting married—”
“Without a prenup.” Madison interrupted, looping her arm through his. “I know it’s important to you, darling. And I’m all for it.”
Patricia gave him a dirty look, but his father nodded. “Smart boy.”
“How can you think of money at a time like this?” Patricia threw him another scowl and clasped Shelly’s hand.
“No. That’s not it. I just—”
“Excuse me,” a nurse with a raspy voice said behind him, “We need to run more tests. I’m afraid everyone will have to come back later.”
“Wait. I need—”
Madison tugged him toward the door. “Hush. I said I have a plan.”
At a complete loss as to what else to do, he let her usher him down the hallway and around the corner. Her eyes flashed with anger. “Why did you do that? You could have ruined everything. I have an idea that will solve all of this.”
“So do I. It’s to tell the truth.” He stared back at her, arching one eyebrow.
“No, that’s no good.” She dismissed it with a wave. “Your aunt wants to see us married.”
“I have news for you. We’re not getting married. We’re not dating. I don’t even like you.” The moment the words left his mouth he regretted them. Hurt showed in her eyes, and she stepped back. He didn’t even mean what he’d said. He did like her. The thought startled him. When did he start liking her?
She blinked, and for a second, he thought she would cry. He couldn’t stand it. Even her fake crying had made his stomach clench.
Then he spied Mark down the hallway. Without thinking, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He told himself it was because Mark was watching, but he knew it was a lame excuse. Madison’s lips were intoxicating. Ever since yesterday’s five-alarm kiss, he’d been pushing away the urge to do it again. And her little peck in the hospital room had only reminded him how good it felt to have her lips on his.
It didn’t take long before Madison responded to his gentle probing. The kiss deepened, and electricity ran through him. She tasted like cherry lip balm, and he found himself wanting to buy a case of it. He’d never tasted anything so good.
When she finally broke the kiss, a questioning look came over her face.
He motioned down the hall with his chin. “Mark was watching us.”
“I see.” She glanced behind her, to the empty hall.
“He’s gone now.”
“Yeah. I got that.”
Jared realized he was still holding her close. Then he realized he didn’t mind it so much. “About the plan...”
She smirked. “I thought you didn’t like me.”
“That came out wrong.”
“How can, ‘I don’t even like you,’ come out wrong?” She wriggled free from his grasp, which left his arms feeling
empty. Weird. Being this close to her was playing with his mind.
He sighed. “Just tell me.”
She brushed a strand of silky blonde hair from her face. “Okay. I know this guy who’s always looking for acting gigs. Why don’t we hire him to play our minister? He can ‘marry’ us,” she used air quotes. “Then we can tell your family later it didn’t work out.” She grinned, like she’d invented Jell-o.
Jared thought about it. It actually wasn’t a bad plan. “That might work.”
She crossed her arms in triumph. “Thought so.”
“Patricia will wonder why I’m not using Pastor Ryan.”
She tapped her chin in thought. “Tell her you have your own church in Crimson Ridge. Do you go to church?”
Church. That was a subject for another day. “Not really.”
“Then say I have a good friend who is a minister. I have my heart set on using him.”
“Using who?” Patricia’s voice cut in.
They both jumped and turned. Jared scowled to cover up any hint of guilt.
“Oh. My friend who is a minister.” Madison fiddled with her clutch purse. “I was hoping we could use him to marry us.”
“Sure.” Patricia smiled. “Zachary and I would be fine with using your friend.”
“Um...I...uh...” His tongue felt like sandpaper. “I thought you’d like to use Pastor Ryan.”
She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “Well, he has been a close family friend.”
Jared clasped his hands. “It’s settled then. We’ll have two ministers there. Pastor Ryan, and Madison’s good friend...”
“Jimmy. I mean, Pastor James.” Madison put on a watery smile.
“Two ministers will be great.” Patricia beamed and pulled Madison close. “This will be such a special occasion.”
“That’s one word for it,” Jared muttered, relieved they’d gotten themselves out of that mess.
MADISON PULLED BACK from Patricia’s embrace, guilt tugging at her. She shoved the feeling away. This was no time for that. Guilt wouldn’t help her now. She had to muster through this.
Two nurses in blue scrubs rushed past them. A man with an IV drip shuffled his way down the hallway. Irene turned the corner and spotted them. She rushed over. “Here you are. I’ve been looking for you. We have so much shopping and planning to do. Can you stay in town for a few days?” She glanced between Madison and Jared.
“I don’t have to get back. No job.” Madison tossed a pointed look at Jared.
The scowl on his face deepened. “I have to get back to the company.”
Oh, no. He wasn’t going to ditch her and leave her to deal with this by herself. She put her arms around him and snuggled close. Man, he had nice abs. Rock hard. Like his chest. And he smelled good. A light musky cologne, mixed with his laundry detergent. She peered up at him with her best puppy dog face. “Awe, sweetie, can’t you take some time off? You work so hard. And it’s Saturday.”
He put his arms around her, but shook his head. “Sorry, I can’t. I usually work weekends.”
That didn’t work. Jared probably wanted to help plan this wedding about as much as he wanted to shop for tampons. This would take a little more persuasion. She blinked fake tears from her eyes. “But, it’s the only wedding we’ll ever have.”
Patricia joined in. “This is the most important day of your life, Jared.” She stood with her hands on her hips.
“We have no clothes here.”
Irene put her hand on his arm. “There’s a box of your old clothes in the attic. And Madison’s about my size. I’m sure she’ll fit plenty of things in my closet.”
He hesitated, and Madison almost thought he’d relent, but in the end he said, “I’m sorry. There’s a lot going on at work.”
“It would be nice to have you close in case we get bad news from the tests.” Patricia’s face was grave.
Jared sighed. “Okay. I’ll stay.”
Relief flooded through her. She wasn’t sure if it was because she didn’t have to deal with his family by herself, or because the thought of being around him for the next few days was appealing. Maybe a little of both.
Irene beamed and smoothed her hair. “Great. Let’s all meet at the house so we can start planning. I’ll prepare the guest room.”
Jared stiffened. “No need. We’ll stay in a hotel.”
“Oh, that’s silly. You’ll stay in our home. There’s plenty of room.”
“There’s plenty of room in a hotel, too.” He clasped Madison’s hand and stalked down the hallway, leaving her no choice but to go with him, or be dragged.
When they were out of earshot, she said, “That was rude.”
“She has no right to tell me what to do.” His footsteps quickened, and she fought to keep up.
“She’s your stepmother, and she deserves respect.” She tried not to sound out of breath.
They rounded a corner and arrived at the elevators.
“Marriage is nothing more than a piece of paper. And it means even less to someone like my father. She’ll be gone next year.” He let go of her hand and pressed the call button.
Shock rang through her at his callousness. “She’s family, whether you like it or not.”
“And soon, she won’t be family anymore. That’s the way it works around here.” The elevator dinged and opened its doors. Jared stepped in, and she got the feeling the discussion was over.
She followed him, pressed the button, and let the doors swish shut. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his tan slacks, and he avoided her gaze.
Maybe he wanted the discussion to be over, but she wasn’t ready for that. “You should apologize.”
He glowered. “And you should mind your own business.”
Anger arose in her. Who did he think he was? “You don’t even know what you have, do you?” She forced the words out, her fingernails digging into her palms.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I can’t believe you. You treat everyone as if they’re beneath you. You’re rude, mean, and thoughtless. You step on the people who love you, like they’re not even worth your consideration.” Heat crept up her neck and her stomach clenched.
Surprise and then another emotion she couldn’t read registered on his face, but before he had a chance to say anything, his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, glanced to see who it was, then took the call. “Yes?”
The doors slid open, and the two of them exited to the main lobby. Jared nodded, then said, “All right.” He stuffed the phone back in his pocket.
Madison was too mad at him to say anything. She stalked ahead of him toward the sliding doors that led to the parking lot.
“Wait.” Jared grabbed her arm, heat searing through her with the contact.
She whirled around to face him, words fighting with her tongue to get out. “You’re surrounded by people who love you. People who ignore your mood swings and tolerate your bad manners because they’re your family, and that’s what a family is supposed to do. Well, I have news for you. Not all families are like that.” Tears sprung to her eyes, and she turned and fled the building.
Her footfalls echoed in the underground parking lot. Jared’s followed close behind. “Madison, stop.”
The way he said it made her freeze. Like a caress instead of a command. He came up behind her and put his arms around her. “I’m sorry,” he said, his breath brushing her cheek. “You’re right. You’re right about all of it.”
He turned her around to face him. Concern knit his eyebrows together. His steel-grey eyes bored into hers. “But I have a feeling this isn’t about me anymore.”
Her throat tightened, and she wiped the moisture from her cheeks. She didn’t want to talk about it. “You should apologize.”
A sadness filled his eyes as he stared at her. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and nodded. “Okay. I will.”
Chapter 8
Jared stared at Madison, pondering what she’d been through to war
rant the kind of emotion now splayed across her face. The urge to protect her overcame him. Then he realized he’d been the cause of it. His own thoughtless words.
Remorse plagued him. He was such a fool. When would he learn to keep his mouth shut?
“We’d better go. Patricia wants to make wedding plans.” His car beeped when he pressed the unlock button, and he opened the passenger door for her.
The silence blared as he drove. He tried several times to say something, but before the words came out, he changed his mind.
She was right. He treated his family poorly. And they didn’t deserve it. She didn’t deserve it, either.
They arrived at the house and pulled into the driveway behind Irene’s Mercedes. Patricia and Zachary pulled up behind them. No one spoke as they walked up the sidewalk.
Irene opened the door, and Jared stepped forward, his hand on Madison’s back. “Irene, I must apologize for the way I acted at the hospital. I’m under a great deal of stress, but I did not mean to take it out on you.”
Irene blinked, stammered a bit, and then smiled. “No offense taken. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. You can stay wherever you’d like, of course.”
“We’d be happy to stay here,” Madison said, wrapping her arm through his.
He scowled at her, then smoothed his features into what he hoped was a smile. “Yes.”
Irene was obviously pleased. “We’d love to have you.”
Patricia elbowed Madison, and they began whispering. Then Madison laughed. He raised his eyebrow at her, but she just shrugged.
They sat in the living room, and Patricia pulled out a notebook and pen. “I thought we’d start by brainstorming. If this is going to happen in two weeks, we’ll need to improvise. Get creative. And we’ll need to invite people by phone instead of sending out invitations.”
Zachary put his arm around Patricia. “We’re thinking this will be a small affair. Family and close friends. How does having the wedding here sound, in the backyard?”
Irene nodded. “Perfect. Madison, what about your family? Can they make it on such short notice?”
[Anthology] A Clean Fake Marriage Romance Collection Page 5
