I kissed her softly this time. "It's why I want to start making plans. Today, if you'll agree." I watched the color of her eyes deepen. "I'm certain my baby is starting to grow inside you. Right now, right this very minute.
And I don't want to wait any longer. I want you to marry me, the sooner the better. If you'll just say yes, I know India and Mom could work miracles… They could have the ceremony planned in no time. You wouldn't have to lift a finger." I put my forehead to hers and felt the little pulse beating there.
"Say yes, Libby. Right here, right now. Don't think about anything else but me and my child in your belly…
And tell me yes."
14
Libby
"Think of it, Libby. The baby could be legitimate even before we find out he's on the way."
I sat, just breathing, unable to sort the conflict in my mind. I had enough on my plate with the procedure this morning, thinking, knowing I was right on the edge of a life altering, body altering experience. But this pretend marriage deal had come out of the blue. Everything was happening too fast…
"Damn it, Jack. Pretend words on a piece of paper won't make her legitimate." Tension and lack of sleep had left me with a few ragged edges. "Sooner or later, someone would find out that the whole thing had been just one more lie, and I don't want to bring an innocent baby into the middle…" He cut me off.
"I never suggested the marriage would be a lie, Libby." He held my hands tightly. "It would be as legal and binding as the surrogacy contract you've already signed."
"But you said we'd have to make them believe it was real…"
"No differently than we already have," he answered, his voice confident. "My family accepts you as my girlfriend now. So will everyone else, in our business and social circles. And now, they'll accept you as my wife. It's the next step, Libby. A man in my position has a certain appearance to uphold. I know it's old fashioned, but it's how things are done."
"So the marriage would be for real…?"
"Legally, yes. For my family's sake. For the baby's, too. But I wouldn't expect anything more. The marriage would be for their benefit. That's why our arrangement is so perfect, sweetheart. It's clear, simple and meets everyone's needs. Neither one of us was ever looking for the complications of a relationship… I finally become a father, and you have financial freedom for life."
"Everyone's happy…" My words trailed off. "And the baby is born to a properly married couple."
"And there would never be any need to tell anyone that he was born from anything other than love. He could grow up feeling no different from any other child…"
"Not feeling different," I muttered softly, letting the words sink in. "With a dad who loves her more than anything… and would do anything to give her the perfect start in life."
Jack chuckled softly. "Still so sure, that's it'll be a girl?"
I smiled, seeing the kindness in his eyes, the excitement he was feeling. I'd never met anyone who'd given so much time and thought and effort into parenthood, and the baby wasn't even here yet. So many men just became fathers by accident. But Jack was charging in, eyes wide open, with nothing but the best of intentions. He was the kind of man who would make the very best father and I knew in my heart, I could trust his judgement. Being a fake wife couldn't be much harder than being a fake girlfriend. And what he'd said about neither of us wanting more had gone a long way in sobering up my hormones… "Yes, Jack," I said slowly.
"Yes, she's going to be a girl?"
"Yes.
That, and I'll also marry you."
He called his parents within the hour. But not until after he'd fed me the best lunch I'd ever had. Freshly grilled salmon on a bed of salad greens. Cranberries and pecans sprinkled over the top. He had served me in bed. I patted my not-yet-round belly and sighed, replete. A girl could get used to this…
"I know it's happened fast," he said into the phone. "But when a man knows, he knows…" His eyes met mine and he smiled in a way that warmed my whole body. "I've never met a woman in my life that I felt this way about. Like she's the beginning of a whole new world for me… And I can be that for Libby, too. I only know I don't ever want to let go…"
My heart was pounding away in my chest, even though I knew the words were all for show. But they were believable enough to make even me wonder, just for a moment, if maybe there was a chance he could feel something more than appreciation toward me…
I dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it formed. This wedding really didn't change a thing. We'd go on acting like the happy couple until the baby was born. And shortly after that, there would be a ‘break-up' too painful for him to talk about. I would disappear, and we would both move on with our lives.
I smiled back at him, unable not to. His eyes were so bright… he looked so fucking happy. But it was the baby he was happy about. She was the one who really made him smile, not me. I'd be wise not to forget that…
"Two weeks, no longer. I'll call India right after we hang up and we'll leave the details up to the two of you." He paused, listening. "Libby wants to choose her own dress, that's all." He nodded at me and I absently nodded back. "I'm going to keep her entirely too busy for the next week helping me plan our honeymoon for her to be able to help with the wedding details," he said. "We're both putting our trust in you and it's going to be beautiful." He listened again. "Thanks, Mom. Dad. I love you guys too."
He hung up and ran his hands through his hair. It stuck out in a dozen directions at once. I smiled. "Do you think they suspect this is a shotgun wedding?"
"Maybe. Probably…" he said, coming to sit next to me. "But I can tell when they're happy and they are. They took to you, Libby. They really did."
"You're lucky, to have a family like that, Jack. All the love, all that support. I feel uncomfortable about deceiving them, when they've been so kind to me."
"They're going to be your family too, two weeks from Sunday. And it's not so deceptive, not really. They desperately want grandchildren. And we're going to give them that." He put his warm, roughened palm to my cheek and I couldn't help but lean into it. "We're two good people, who want very much to have a child. It may be for different reasons," he said, looking past my eyes for a second. "But it's what we both want. And it's not as if we don't have feelings for each other…"
Something flared when our eyes met again. "We're… good friends, Libby. Even after the baby's born… I'll always be there for you if you need anything, sweetheart. I can't imagine experiencing all this together and then not knowing you were okay." He kissed me softly, sweetly. "You have no idea how important you've become…"
I kissed him back and let him hold me in his arms. He rocked me gently, like a parent holding a child. As much as his presence stirred my body, he calmed me too. And I relaxed, soothed, feeling like as long as he held me everything would be alright.
But somewhere deep down, there was something else too. The knowledge that despite the wedding, his family would never really be mine. I could only borrow them, until the baby was born. And he would never truly be my husband, in spite of the vows we would soon exchange. There was his world, and there was mine. He had a family and I had none. Their family would move on… and I would go away on my own…
Once I gave birth and I left them all behind, the way I had already agreed to do, I knew that Jack and I would never see each other again.
15
Jack
I'd insisted Libby stay in bed the rest of the day, and I'd slept in the chair next to her bed that night. I wanted to be close, if she needed anything. And truth was, I simply wanted to be near her. I felt content only if I could see her, touch her. I had to know that she was safe and well. And I hated the fact that I had to put in at least a few hours at work on a Saturday. But I'd been leaving far too many responsibilities to my brothers. Plus, they'd be bearing the entire load while Libby and I honeymooned on Necker Island.
I'd already booked it for a full month. We'd have the entire Caribbean island to ourse
lves. A small, discreet staff would be on hand, and I'd arranged for a doctor to be ready to helicopter in, if necessary. Everything was ready. And it would hardly come as a surprise when, in a couple of months, we announced that we'd conceived in tropical paradise.
"I'll be back no later than two," I said, pouring us each a cup of herbal tea. She'd already finished the omelet I'd brought her. "Are you sure there's nothing else you need?"
"God, Jack. I might be pregnant. I'm not an invalid," she said sharply. "Pregnant women work and exercise and live their lives… What I need, I can get for myself."
"Okay… but keep a phone nearby. And no swimming by yourself." I reached out to touch her hair.
"Okay… Dad…," she smiled, softening toward me but still not meeting my eyes. "Now go, get out of here. You've got a company to run. And I've got a lump of clay that's calling my name."
"You're good? I searched her face.
"We're good," she smiled back unevenly, nodding.
I caught the back of her head and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then I headed out, anticipating what the day would bring.
"I've got Bill Jackson, but Wyler's still a hold out," Spence said, spreading his hands wide. "I've got dinner set up with him tonight. You know, with the wife along, keeping it social, low key." He tapped his fingers on his thigh. "I promised you I'd get him on board, Jack, and I will. I just need a little more time."
I looked out the tall glass windows… considering. I'd been absent too long. Distracted. "No, Spencer. I appreciate that you got Bill to sign, but I'm going to take on Wyler. I'll take the dinner meeting myself. Meanwhile, I want you to take another look at Warner stock. The price has been creeping up lately and I want details."
"Right, no problem… And congratulations, boss. Word is you're tying the knot again." I turned back to him, his fingers tapping away. "I got the heads up that you won't be back until the end of next month." His eyes were sharp. "Didn't know you were seeing anyone."
"And yet I was," I answered coolly. "Her name's Libby. Dad, Ben and Blake will be here full time in my absence. Reid and India will be on call. I expect the merger should be fucking close by the time I get back."
"And you've got plenty on your plate, right now Jack. Forget the deal for now. And let me take the Wyler meeting tonight. I've got this, boss. Go on and spend this time planning for your wedding."
I was halfway home, with mixed feelings about having left Spencer in charge. And I'd realized that I'd forgotten to ask why India had found their dinner meeting unsatisfactory. But my foot was heavy on the gas anyway. The closer I got to home, where Libby and the baby were waiting, the lighter I felt. Spence was right. There wasn't much time till the wedding. I needed a tux. And Libby had a dress to buy…
I'd only just summoned an image in my head, of Libby in a curve-hugging white silk gown when my phone began to buzz. I answered without looking at the screen.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Elaine's voice was piercing. "The ink isn't dry on our divorce papers and you're fucking getting married again?"
"Thoughtful of you to call, Elaine. But what I do isn't any of your business anymore." I was working hard to keep my voice calm. "You had me served, if you'll remember. And everything between us was over a long time before then."
"And you don't give a shit how this makes me look?" I held the phone farther away and took a long, slow breath. "What will everyone think, when you turn around and marry some stray off the streets right after we settled the divorce. Goddamn it, Jack. I've got my pride." Her words were long and drawn out. I'd forgotten how her southern drawl often came out along with her claws.
"You're only right about one thing," I said. "We settled our divorce. And I gave you everything you asked for…"
"Nowhere near what I deserved…," she shot back.
"We're over, once and for all, Elaine. And the woman I'm about to marry is no fucking stray." The word came out through my teeth, like an expletive. "She's the most honest and kind person I've ever known. She's everything I've ever wanted…"
"You don't fucking understand, Jack…"
I cut her off, gently, patiently the way you would an upset child. "No, Elaine. I do understand.
For the first time in my life, I really do."
16
Libby
I stretched and flexed my shoulders when I heard Jack's car heading up the drive. He was earlier than he'd said, and I was excited by the sound of his steps on the gravel. I'd been working on my sculpture since he'd left. It was far from finished, but I wanted him to see it anyway. There had been something special about this piece from the very start. I wanted to see if he could feel it too.
"Libby." He stood in the doorway, his hair a mess, but his eyes warm and soft on me. "I can't tell you how good it is to come home to you."
"Come over here," I said, reaching out a hand toward him. "Close your eyes… give me your hands."
I guided him to my chair and put my hands on his broad shoulders, sitting him down. I stood behind him and covered his hands with mine. "Forget everything," I whispered in his ear. "Keep your eyes closed and forget the whole world. The only thing that exists right now is your hands… your fingertips…"
I guided them to the piece on the table and helped him take the plastic cover off. Then I put his hands on the clay. I let my hands rest lightly on top of his. He had beautiful hands, with long, sensitive fingers. They were large and strong, but touched the clay with a lightness, a delicacy that made the surface of my skin tingle.
He explored the curves, the angles, what was smooth and what was still rough. He found the places where I'd just begun to create a few tiny details. The folds and the gentle valleys. The only sound in the room was our breathing. And he took his time. All the while my hands on his.
"It's only just beginning…," he said softly, into the silence. "But it's gentle and beautiful. It's familiar to me somehow, but I don't know…"
"I don't either," I said, smiling. "Not just yet. But it's going to be beautiful, I know that. All I have to do is help it find its way…"
The next thing I knew, Jack was standing beside me, towering over me, his hands touching my skin the way he'd touched the clay. His mouth found mine and I was lost in him. His touch, the taste of his lips. He was salty and sweet, making me want more. His cock would taste like this, I thought wildly. It was huge and pressing hard into my belly. I rocked my hips against him and the moan that escaped him made me bolder… frantic. It wasn't right, I thought, to have a man's child in your belly before you got to have the man himself…
I slid my hands up under his shirt and hit rock hard pecs. But the skin was like velvet under my fingers. He groaned and peeled my blouse off in a single move. I was naked under it, and my nipples were aching with need. All the air left my lungs when he took my breasts in his hands and he dipped his head. I was spilling over, swollen and tender. He caught one thickening nipple in his mouth, sucking and licking all at once. I wrapped a leg around his hips and my skirt climbed higher… High enough my soaking wet panties were pressed tight up against his slacks.
"God, Libby… I want you so fucking much…" His face was buried in my cleavage, his hands cupping my ass as he rocked his length along my barely covered pussy. "I've wanted this since I saw you… all fucking curves and sweetness…"
"Please... oh, please god…," I panted back. "I want this too. I fucking need this, Jack…" Even to my own ears it sounded like begging. But I was beyond caring. My body, my heart… wanted this man. It couldn't be wrong, not when it felt like this… not with everything between us already…
He pulled back, looking at me like he wanted to devour me whole. I might have been frightened… if I hadn't been feeling it too.
"I don't want to hurt you," he said, kissing me, tasting me, shaping me to him. "I was supposed to keep this… just… business…"
"You won't hurt me," I moaned, his tongue finding the throbbing curve of my throat. "And there's nothing wrong with wanting…"
>
"Christ...," he cursed, sweeping me off my feet. "You have a body that would tempt a fucking saint," he swore, his breath hot in my ear. "I can't risk the baby, Libby. I won't…
But so fucking help me, I'm going to have you tonight. I can't wait any longer."
For a man who couldn't wait, he was taking his sweet, fucking time.
I was stripped bare and there wasn't an inch of my flesh he hadn't discovered… that he hadn't tasted. All except for the single few inches left inside me that were screaming out for him. His pants were still on, his cock all but ready to break free on its own.
He'd carried me upstairs, laying me down on his bed like I was something precious, breakable. "Not yet," he'd said through his teeth, when I'd reached for his belt. "I want you satisfied before you touch me, sweetheart. I'm not going to risk fucking you. Not now… not so soon after… I can't risk hurting you or the baby. And I can't trust myself when you're looking at me like you are right now…"
‘How?" I demanded boldly. "Tell me how…"
"Like you could swallow my cock so deep inside I'd be lost…," he answered. "You're so sweet, so soft… so luscious… I don't think I could have you just once… without wanting you forever…," he kissed me deeply and touched his fingertips to the place where I craved him most. "But I want you totally satisfied, baby…" He pushed two long, hot fingers into me, achingly slowly as I felt myself clenching for more. "I'm not going to stop until you come on my tongue." He dipped his face down to my core and my hips bucked all on their own. "I want you spent and exhausted by the time we get to me…"
I ached and cried out as his mouth took me in. He didn't just lick me. He took me inside his mouth, working with his fingers and his tongue. He eased off when my cries hit the high notes, and worked me harder when I moaned deep and low. It could have been minutes, it lingered like hours… And when I came, it seemed to last forever.
The Baby Contract Page 6
