“After lunch, pick up Adalynn and meet me there.”
Her face said she wanted to accept the offer, but her mouth said something else. “You’re sure Courtney won’t mind that your ex-girlfriend is using your condo?”
“No. She’ll understand.”
Whether she minded or not was the least of his worries. With the custody issue off the table, he no longer needed to get married. Thanks to the weather, they’d already changed the date of the wedding. It’d be easy enough to push it back several months and then at some point call off their engagement entirely, two things he didn’t want happening.
Courtney slammed her closet door closed with a bit more force than necessary. After spending a good portion of the day searching for a photographer, florist, and either a band or DJ for their wedding and not finding three all available when she wanted them, her frustration level was around a nine. The fact she was waiting for Addie’s DJ friend as well as a possible photographer to return calls was the only thing keeping it from a ten. She hoped Josh’s day had gone better than hers.
She’d expected him to be here when she got home. His mom and siblings were expected in less than half an hour. Before they arrived, she’d like at least a short recap of his meeting with Naomi. If he didn’t get here soon, there wouldn’t be time. And she couldn’t imagine waiting until their company left to find out what his ex-girlfriend had wanted.
After pulling on a sweater, she added her dress to the dry cleaner bag. Courtney didn’t know what Scarlett Basto would be wearing tonight, but she wouldn’t look like she’d just left the office. From the little she’d read about the woman, it was more likely Josh’s mom would be dressed for a night at a dance club.
Before she left the room, Courtney grabbed her phone and turned off the lights.
Where are you? She typed the message as she walked toward the kitchen.
She’d prefer to have Josh here when his family arrived, especially his mom. She’d met Evan, and from what the brothers had told her, she got the impression Shannon was a lot like them. If there was any truth to Scarlett’s reputation, she was nothing like her children. Frequently, the media referred to her as someone others in Hollywood hated to work with because of her ridiculous over-the-top demands.
She got a response almost right away.
Just parked in the garage.
He’d have to give her the extra-condensed version of his meeting, but at least she wouldn’t have to welcome his family alone.
“Sorry I’m running so late.” Josh walked in carrying several takeout bags. They’d talked about going out for dinner with his family. Josh felt it was a better idea to stay here. Since they both had obligations today, they’d decided to go the takeout route tonight.
“Did you leave Boston later than you planned?” Rush hour traffic out of the city sometimes started as early as three. Depending on when he left, he might have run right into it.
“Yeah. After I saw Naomi, I took care of a few errands. I should’ve known better.”
She glanced at her watch. Unless their guests were late, they didn’t have much time. “Give me the abridged version for now. What did she want?”
Josh tossed something he’d pulled from a bag into the refrigerator and turned back toward her. “To explain why she filed for sole custody and to tell me she changed her mind. We’re going back to the way things were before she got the lawyers involved.” The happiness radiating off him nearly blinded her.
Joy washed over her, and she threw her arms around him. “That’s awesome.” As quickly as the joy came, it receded. A combination of dread and curiosity took its place. “What made her change her mind?” They weren’t married yet. If just the idea of him getting married was enough, she could have changed her mind weeks ago.
“Finding out her fiancé was screwing a coworker. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.”
Dread overshadowed her curiosity. “It had nothing to do with you getting married?” She dropped her arms by her sides and took a step back.
As if connected to a light switch, his happiness went off, and he shook his head. “No. Looks like you’re off the hook.”
Off the hook. What a way to put it.
“Did you have any luck setting everything up for the weekend after Valentine’s Day?” he asked.
“Not yet. I’m waiting for a few people to call me back.” This might be the first time a lack of success turned out to be a positive thing.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and blew out a deep breath. “Okay. Then we could push the wedding back several months and then in a month or two call it off altogether.”
A fist closed around her throat. She only had herself to blame for being in this position. If she’d kept this a strictly business agreement, her heart wouldn’t be tearing in half. “You’re not known for your commitment, so nobody would be surprised if it happened.” She somehow managed to get the words out.
“Or we could—” The doorbell rang, and Josh closed his eyes. “Damn it.”
My sentiments exactly. She wanted to finish this conversation, not entertain his family while still pretending they’d soon be married. “I got it.”
He grabbed her arm before she took more than a step. “They can wait a minute.” Whoever stood at the door disagreed, because the doorbell chimed again before he continued.
“We’ve got all night to talk, Josh.”
He didn’t stop her when she pulled her arm away.
If a bell curve for mothers existed, Scarlett Basto and Marilyn Belmont would be at the opposite tails, something Courtney realized the moment she opened the door. As she expected, Josh’s mom wasn’t dressed as if she’d recently left the office. For her first meeting with her son’s fiancée, the woman opted for white pants, a skintight leopard print bodysuit with a plunging neckline, and heeled boots that ended just below the knee. The woman looked like she should be going on stage as a dancer at a concert, not spending a quiet night with her adult children. As if to support Courtney’s original opinion, Shannon was wearing jeans and a pink sweater.
Evan arrived moments after his mom and sister, and Courtney quickly learned why Scarlett possessed the reputation she did. After introductions, she spent a solid ten minutes complaining about the cold and informing them they should’ve planned their wedding for somewhere in California or at the estate she and Trevor owned in Aruba. Her next complaint came when she learned Josh didn’t have her favorite wine on hand. Her problem with his choice of dinner quickly followed. Evidently, he was supposed to know she’d become a vegetarian before Christmas. Of all her complaints, the last was one Courtney could do something about. Press, a café in the city, had a full vegetarian menu, and it delivered.
“You’re not the type of woman Josh is usually attracted to,” Scarlett said.
They’d made it halfway through dinner without another complaint. Courtney doubted the stretch would last much longer.
“It shocked me when those pictures of you together popped up in December. And I didn’t expect him to get engaged. He’s too much like me.” She smiled in Josh’s direction. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. You should have fun when you’re young. But I made the mistake of getting married before I should have.”
“Mom, you got married when you were twenty-two. Josh is a little older than that. Besides, it’s about marrying the right person, not about how old you are when it happens.” Shannon spoke up. So far tonight she’d helped move Scarlett off more than one topic when she went off on a tangent.
Scarlett finished her wine and refilled the glass. “Well, there’s no doubt your father wasn’t the right person for me. Marrying him was the worst decision I ever made. And that’s saying a lot.”
Courtney couldn’t decide if she should laugh or cry. The woman clearly didn’t think before she spoke. And Courtney could honestly say she’d never met anyone quite like Josh’s mom. If tonight was the one and only time they spent time together, she’d be okay with that. However, there was o
ne benefit to Scarlett’s personality. Rather than focus on the conversation she and Josh needed to finish, she put all her energy into trying to predict what the woman would say next.
“But the good thing about marriage, it doesn’t have to be permanent,” Scarlett added, eliciting something similar to a groan from Josh.
“Have you thought any more about the role in The Water’s Edge?” Shannon asked.
With that simple question, Josh’s mom launched into what Courtney guessed was her favorite subject: Scarlett Basto and her career.
Seventeen
“And Shannon wonders why I haven’t introduced Gemma to Mom yet.” Seated across from them, Evan propped his ankle on his knee. “The woman never shuts up. I don’t know how Trevor lives with her.”
Following dinner and perhaps a few glasses of wine too many on Scarlett’s part, Josh’s sister drove their mom back to her hotel. While Courtney had enjoyed visiting with Shannon and wouldn’t mind getting to know her better, she’d been more than happy to see Scarlett leave. The woman had one of those personalities that few people could handle for any length of time. And Courtney wasn’t one of those people. She hoped any future interactions with Josh’s mom turned out to be much shorter than tonight’s visit.
It might be your only interaction. She’d pushed the thought of their pending conversation away during dinner. Now, it was attempting to climb out of the box she’d shoved it in. Until Evan left, she needed it to stay in there.
Josh sat down next to her, but he didn’t reach for her hand or put an arm over her shoulders like he usually did. “He travels. A. Lot.”
“If I was married to her, I would too,” Evan said with a grin very similar to Josh’s. It didn’t stick around. “Have you heard when the custody hearing will be?”
“There isn’t going to be one. Naomi changed her mind. She no longer wants sole custody.”
The man’s smile returned. “Congrats. You must be relieved. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It happened this afternoon, and I didn’t want to discuss it with Mom here.”
“Does she even know?” Evan asked.
“No. Half the time, I do not think Mom remembers she has a granddaughter.”
Evan laughed sarcastically. “As far as Adalynn is concerned, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. Are you going to go through with the wedding as planned or what?”
Josh glanced at her before answering. “We haven’t figured that part out yet. Courtney and I were talking about it when Mom and Shannon got here.”
“My advice, make an announcement saying you’ve decided to wait until the summer. Then in another month or two, have Courtney call off the engagement altogether. She can make up a reason. Maybe one of you wanted kids right away and the other didn’t. Something that doesn’t reflect poorly on either of you.” Advice offered, Evan stood up.
Please say you’re leaving. A week ago she wouldn’t have cared if Evan stuck around and visited for another two hours.
“Do you have any beer in the kitchen? Or some vodka?” Evan asked instead of saying goodbye. “After a few hours with Mom, I need a drink.” At dinner, everyone but Evan, who disliked wine, had at least one glass of it.
“There are a few different kinds in the refrigerator. If you want vodka instead, there’s some at the bar,” she answered. Although she didn’t use it often, the penthouse contained a bar, and she kept it stocked for anyone who visited.
“I’m going to grab something too. Do you want anything?” Josh asked, standing as well.
“All set.”
She watched the two brothers walk toward the kitchen. Once they were no longer in sight, she slumped back against the sofa. She liked Evan, and while Josh denied it, the brothers most certainly shared some personality traits. And Evan willingly shared details about Josh’s past, such as the fact he’d slept with a bedroom light on until the age of nine because he hated the dark. Regardless of all that, she wished the man would leave so they could get back to the elephant in the room. Or more precisely, the elephant in the room before the doorbell rang and disturbed them.
Alone and with no other distractions, their earlier conversation replayed through her mind. The next words out of Josh’s mouth after admitting their upcoming wedding had nothing to do with Naomi’s decision has been “looks like you’re off the hook.” Not long after, he’d offered up a solution almost identical to Evan’s suggestion.
The doorbell had cut off Josh’s second idea, but she expected it would be something along the same lines. Would he view the situation differently if she told him how she felt? Based on his past relationships, Josh preferred to keep his romantic entanglements short and sweet. That wasn’t to say he didn’t care about the women he got involved with, but he never fell in love with them. And while she believed he cared about her, from an emotional standpoint, nothing suggested he viewed their relationship much differently than all his past ones.
But if given enough time, could she change that?
You can’t make someone love you. A person either fell in love with you or they didn’t. So it might be in her best interest to go along with Evan and Josh’s suggestion. At the same time, she could ask Josh to move back into a guest room and put an end to their physical relationship.
Sometimes the more time two people spend together, the more likely it will happen. Her conscience sent a counterargument to its first statement.
With a groan, she closed her eyes and wished Josh had never sat down at her table. If he’d joined the women next to her, she might never have met him.
“Too bad Naomi didn’t find out about Reggie weeks ago,” Evan said after Josh finished filling him in on his conversation with his ex. “At least she told you before the wedding. And the storm gave you the perfect reason to postpone and decide on a way to get out it.”
Get out of it? He didn’t want to get out of it. If not for the incoming nor’easter, he’d marry Courtney this weekend as planned. Then he’d keep trying to prove he married her because he loved her, not because an agreement existed between them.
“Although I’m not sure you want that,” Evan added. “You don’t take anyone up to Bar Harbor except Adalynn. Except for me, Dad, and Shannon, you’ve invited no one to visit you there. But you brought Courtney for the weekend.” His brother crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. “You’re not acting, bro. This is real for you.”
Josh nodded. He saw no point in denying it.
“What are you going to do?” When it came to being nosy, Evan could be worse than an eighty-year-old town gossip.
“I’ve got an idea. And that means I need your ass out of here.” He hated kicking his brother out, but he’d endured enough torture already tonight. Every minute his brother remained only prolonged it.
Pushing off the counter, Evan put his almost empty beer bottle down. “Shoot me a text later and let me know what you two decide to do.”
Courtney remained in the same spot, her head tipped back and her eyes closed, when he walked back into the living room. A night with his mom was an experience. If she needed a few minutes to regroup, he didn’t blame her.
“Evan said goodbye.” Although he had his choice of places to sit, he retook his spot on the sofa beside her.
Slowing raising her head, she opened her eyes. “He doesn’t get along well with your mom.”
“They’ve always butted heads, even when we were kids. Now, he only sees her when he has no other choice. And Mom doesn’t come this way often. She prefers the West Coast or her and Trevor’s place in Aruba. Tonight’s the first time I’ve seen her in months.”
He needed Courtney to know that being with him didn’t mean she had to spend a lot of time with his mom. Hell, even he preferred to keep their visits at a minimum, and she was his mother.
“I bet your brother appreciates that.”
“You have no idea.”
His comment earned him a small smile. But it didn’t last long. “Earlier you didn’t have time to tell me much abo
ut your meeting. What did Naomi’s fiancé have to do with her seeking sole custody?”
“I’ll tell you later.” He’d waited long enough. Before they left this room, they’d finish their earlier conversation. “Right now, we need to make a decision.”
“You and Evan had the same idea. And it’s not a bad one. People will just think we rushed to get engaged and realized we weren’t right for each other. It happens all the time.”
Over the past few hours, she’d clearly put some thought into this.
“Before your mom got here, it sounded like you had another idea,” she continued, crossing her legs in front of her on the sofa.
“We could stick to the original plan.” Minus the divorce later down the road. “If you’ve got a better idea, I’m listening.”
The corners of Courtney’s mouth turned downward as she shook her head. “No. Those seem like our only options. And either would work. What do you want to do?”
Her questions caused his stomach to coil up into half a dozen knots. He’d rehearsed this in his head. Unless she automatically insisted they go with his first suggestion, he knew how he’d respond. But just because she hadn’t jumped at the chance to never marry him didn’t mean he’d like the answer when he offered up his third and final idea.
Spit it out. He swallowed and ran his tongue across his bottom lip. “I want to marry you. Not because people think we’re engaged and are expecting it. And not because it’ll help me look like a better father.” Earlier, he’d removed the engagement ring he bought before leaving Boston from its box and shoved it in his pocket. He reached for it now. “I want to marry you because I love you.”
Since they’d been together, he’d noticed many of her rings consisted of rubies. She had several sapphires and emeralds too. This afternoon, he hadn’t bothered to look at the diamond engagement rings on display. Instead, he went with a ruby similar to the one she’d been wearing on her left hand all month.
Before she responded, he reached for her hand. There hadn’t been time to get the ring sized, so at the moment it was big enough to fit his finger.
Tempting The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 13) Page 19
