“Don’t think like that,” Kate told him firmly. “You have to believe that the courts will grant you custody.”
He stood up and nodded. “I know it sounds conceited, but I can give Izzy the best life. She knows me. And I knew her mother. Harmen Collard has never spent time with her. Not since she was a baby. He doesn’t know what her favorite TV show is or that she hates coconuts.” He gave a small smile that melted Kate’s heart.
“You love her. And I can see how happy she is with you. And Henry.” She grinned. “What is the story with you two? When I visited the other day, you seemed like an old married couple.”
“Henry has been part of my security team since I started out. He’s been there every step of the way. I trust him with my life. Which is why I trust him with Izzy. He would die for her.” Travis’s jaw tightened. “He was in love with Annabella. She was his secret crush. He never told her because he didn’t want to lose her.”
“That’s so sad,” Kate swallowed down the lump of emotion that welled in her throat.
“Annabella went through men fast, she burned through relationships so fast. They burned bright and hot and she always swore that the current boyfriend was the one. Then a couple of weeks later, she was broken-hearted.” Travis gave a small laugh. “Then she’d write a killer hit song. It was as if her broken heart was the fuel that powered her career.”
“And so, Henry worshiped her from afar so that he never got burned.” Kate pressed her lips together. “And now he cares for her daughter.”
“Yeah, so you are not far wrong when you said we are like an old married couple. In some ways we’ve been Izzy’s parents for a while. I know that if I get custody, Henry is going to be a big part of her life. I would never take that away from him.” He looked at Kate, his eyes filled with emotion and words unsaid.
“That’s how it should be.” Kate paused. “And no one should ever change that. No one should ever try and change what you have together.”
Travis slammed the washer shut and straightened up, his mood lighter. “I’m glad you see it that way. I wanted you to be aware of how much Henry means to Izzy. And to me.”
Kate nodded, unable to speak. Was that a test? Had she passed?
She quickly reminded herself that this was all fake. That when Travis gained custody of Izzy, she would be surplus to requirements.
But the way Travis looked at her made her feel as if she were part of his family now along with Henry and Izzy… Did he really think she was the one?
Gulping her wine, she turned her back on him and inclined her head toward the living room. “I’ll go take a look at the view.”
“Great.” There was a nervous edge to Travis’s voice. “Go make yourself comfortable and I’ll bring in dessert.”
Kate groaned. “I shouldn’t eat any more.”
“But you can’t say no to Gino’s desserts,” Travis told her. “It’ll be special.”
“I suppose I can force myself,” she said over her shoulder as she made her way across the living room to look out at the view.
The sun was setting in the distance, leaving an inky blue residue across the sky. As she pulled open the door and stepped out onto the balcony, she was enveloped in the cool evening air. In the distance, the familiar sound of a siren blared and the dull monotonous sound of traffic on the streets below added to the sounds of the city.
If she had to choose, she would pick Travis’s ocean house over the apartment. The beach house was the kind of place you could make into a home. A home where they could raise children together. It wasn’t too late. She could still conceive a child. If Travis wanted a child. Maybe he would be content to simply raise Izzy.
She’d be okay with that.
Kate’s head jerked up. She’d allowed herself to slip into a daydream. One that might never come true. She had to focus on what was right before her. She had to focus on Marl and on helping Travis gain custody of Izzy.
All the rest was a dream, a fairy tale that might never come true.
She had never wished so hard that fairy tales and happy-ever-afters were real than at that moment.
“Here. Dessert.” He glanced down at the two plates in his hand. “Shall we sit?”
“Sure.” She took a couple of steps onto the balcony and then moved to the left where two comfortable seats were placed on either side of a small glass table.
Travis placed the two desserts down on the glass table before he seated himself next to her. His hand slipped and the dessert fork slid off the plate to clatter on the glass. “Sorry, that was clumsy of me.”
He lifted his eyes to hers and gave her a brief nervous smile as he retrieved the fork and set it down on the plate. Kate smiled teasingly as he sat down, his hands clasped in his lap, as tension lined his face.
“Is everything okay?” she asked nervously. There was an air of tension and she couldn’t understand what had changed since their conversation in the kitchen only minutes before.
“Yes. Everything is fine.” He glanced toward the dessert before he looked up at her. “Why don’t you eat your dessert. It’s chocolate and hazelnut meringue semifreddo. Gino’s specialty.”
“Sure.” She picked up the plate and held it for a second, the rich smell of dark chocolate assailed her senses. It was almost too good to eat.
Travis picked up the other plate and dug into the rich dessert, but his focus was on Kate. His behavior was weird, verging on worrying. Did he have a fetish for watching women eat desserts? She couldn’t think of any other reason why he would watch her too intently.
“Good?” he asked as she forked up the sweet chocolate cake and ate the first bite.
“Oh, my!” Her eyes rolled into her head as she savored the rich taste and smooth texture of the dessert. “That is so good.” No wonder he was staring at her, he wanted to witness her reaction. “You can order food for me anytime.”
He gave a shy smile. “Try some more.”
She slid her fork into the chocolate cream only this time it hit something hard. Her forehead wrinkled as she prodded around with her fork. And pulled out an engagement ring. “Wow.”
“Too corny?” he asked, his cheeks tinged with pink as she held the ring between her finger and thumb.
“No.” She shook her head as a lump formed in her mouth. She didn’t think she could swallow down any more of the dessert if she tried. “Just unexpected.”
His shoulders sagged forward. “I wasn’t sure how to propose.”
“I didn’t know you actually were going to propose,” she admitted. “I just figured you would give me the ring.”
“Oh.” He looked disappointed.
“You know, since this is fake, I never expected a proposal.” She didn’t really know what to say. Or what to do.
“Kate.” He slipped down onto one knee and took hold of her hand. “I wanted to do this properly.” The crease in his forehead deepened. “I wanted it to be real.”
“You mean you wanted us to both think it’s real. Like method acting. I can see why that might make it easier to act out our relationship.” She kept having to remind herself that this wasn’t real. Travis wasn’t really proposing, this was all make-believe.
“Yes.” He didn’t sound convinced. “Kate, will you marry me? Please.” His words were heartfelt and her breath caught in her throat while her heart galloped along like a runaway horse.
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.
“Thank you.” He sighed and held onto her hand.
Heat crept across Kate’s skin and her insides turned to liquid fire. She longed for Travis to make this real. She longed for him to sweep her off her feet and carry her to his bedroom where they could consummate their relationship.
“I should go and wash this off.” She got up abruptly, placed her dessert down on the table, and headed for the bathroom.
This was a mistake. Until he’d proposed, she thought she could go along with it, but now it was obvious she was in too deep. She didn’t think she could pret
end to be his fake fiancée because really, deep down in her heart she wanted to be his real fiancée.
As she switched on the faucet and ran warm water over the ring, she watched as the water turned chocolate brown. If she accepted the ring, if she accepted his proposal, would she end up being heartbroken and alone?
Yet she needed his money. She’d already spoken to lawyers. She’d already set things in motion that would lead to Marl hopefully being acquitted.
Rinsing the ring one more time, she then carefully dried it with a tissue before sliding it onto her finger. The single solitaire diamond sparkled in the light. It was beautifully simple and yet fabulously stunning.
“Just like the man himself,” she whispered as she turned to look at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Holding up her hand, she studied her reflection. The ring looked good. It was perfect.
She was lost.
Drying her hands thoroughly, she left the bathroom and went to find Travis. She needed to ask him exactly what he meant when he said she was the only one for him. Was that a lie? Another way for him to get into character? Or were his words real?
Kate needed to know exactly where she stood in this relationship before she could make a decision to move forward with their plan.
“His name is on the list?” Travis asked as he glanced toward Kate. He listened to the voice on the other end of the phone that was pressed to his ear. “Are you sure?”
Kate crossed the living room and went back out onto the balcony, not wanting to eavesdrop on a private conversation. Picking up her dessert, she ate more of the sweet sticky cake. She needed the sugar rush to help give her the strength to ask the difficult questions she needed answers to.
“That was Kelvin James.” He glanced down at his phone.
Kelvin James was one of the lawyers she’d spoken to earlier. As Kate studied Travis’s pale face her heart clenched in her chest. “Did he find something in the information I sent over?” If he had, it couldn’t be good, judging from Travis’s shocked expression.
“Yes. He did.” Travis nodded and sat down heavily in the chair next to her.
“Something bad?” Kate didn’t want to know. She wanted to cover her ears with her hands and shout la-la-la. Yet she needed to know. The only way to deal with bad news was to face it head on and then deal with the repercussions. “Does he think there’s no chance of winning Marl’s case?”
“Marl’s case?” Travis looked confused. “No, he didn’t call about Marl.” His expression cleared and an uncertain smile crossed his lips. “It was about Harmen Collard.”
“Izzy’s biological father?” Kate asked.
“Yes. Well, no. Kelvin found his name in the research you did. He was in prison at the same time as the guy you are looking for.”
“Axel?” Kate asked.
“Yes. Kelvin did some further digging. It seems Harmen has been in and out of prison most of his life.” Travis cracked a smile. “He was in prison the year before Izzy was born. That’s why he wasn’t around.”
Kate frowned, unsure of why Travis looked so happy. Then her expression cleared as she realized why the news made Travis so happy. “Oh, he can’t be Izzy’s biological father because he was in prison when she was conceived.”
Suddenly the ring on her finger seemed to weigh heavy. If this was true, then Travis would have no problem adopting Izzy. Which meant he wouldn’t need a fake fiancée.
Her fairy tale had come to a sudden and unexpected end.
Chapter Thirteen – Travis
“Kate?” Travis kept his tone light as his mate peered around her front door at him.
“Travis. What are you doing here?” She was still in her nightclothes and looked bleary-eyed.
Or maybe red-eyed, as if she’s been crying all night, his bear suggested hopefully. Their evening had ended abruptly with Travis driving her home after the phone call from the lawyer.
“I wanted to see if you were okay. When I drove you home last night, you were quiet.” He swallowed nervously. “I wanted to reassure you that I’m still going to pay for Marl’s defense lawyer.”
Tell her the proposal was for real, his bear told Travis.
Not now. Travis looked over his shoulder. There was no one there even though his senses told him there was.
“I’m fine. And I’m really pleased that things have turned out so well for you.” A small smile played across her lips. “And for Henry.”
Travis laughed. “I wish I’d been there to see his face when I told him.” He glanced over her shoulder, wishing she would let him in. After he’d told Kate the news last night about Harmen almost certainly not being Izzy’s father, she’d told him she would grab a taxi and go home so that he could tell Henry the news.
He’d convinced her, despite her initial refusal, to let him drive her home. The tension in the car had stilted the conversation, even when he told her nothing had changed between them. She’d offered him the engagement ring back. Travis had refused to accept it.
“You’d better come in.” She stepped back out of the doorway and let him into her home.
One small step forward, his bear said.
We have a long way to go. The news about Harmen was welcome, but it had thrown his plans with Kate into the air, and Travis was uncertain how to proceed.
You just need to explain about shifters and mates. And me. His bear was ready and willing to show himself to Kate.
Slow down for a moment, Travis told his bear. We have to take this slow. Kate needs money to pay for Marl’s defense. If she freaks out about shifters, then she won’t accept our help.
“Coffee?” Kate asked as he went through into the kitchen at the back of the house.
“Please.” He watched her as she moved around the room. The kitchen was small but clean and perfectly organized. “Have you always lived here?”
“Do you mean when my mom was alive?” Kate asked as she put on a fresh pot of coffee.
“Yes.” He nodded to the kitchen door frame. “I noticed the height marks.”
Kate’s eyes filled with tears. “Neither Marl nor I could ever bring ourselves to paint over them.”
“You have a lot of memories in the house.” He’d love to build those same kind of family memories with Kate.
“We do. It’s where we feel closest to Mom.” She bit down on her lower lip, her eyes bright with tears. “But it’s just a house.”
“No, it’s your home.” Travis went to her and placed his hand tentatively on her upper arm. “You won’t have to sell it. Not if you accept my help.”
She sniffed loudly and turned to face him. “I’ve already mortgaged it. But the money isn’t enough.” She glanced around the room before she looked at him once more. “You don’t need me, Travis.”
He let out a sharp breath as if he were deflating. “I do. Maybe not as a fake fiancée. But I do need you.”
Kate nodded. “The thing is my conscience would let me take your money when it was a tradeoff. You needed me and I needed you. But if you really want us to have a relationship, a real relationship, I can’t take your money.”
Travis ran his hand through his hair, his brows knitted together as he finally realized the truth in her words. “What if you marry me?”
Her mouth twitched and she rolled her eyes at him. “And there was me thinking we were having a serious conversation.” She turned away from him and went to the coffee machine.
“I am being serious.” He moved close to her, so close he could feel the warmth of her body and smell the heat from her skin. “Very serious.”
Pain flickered across her face as she looked into his eyes. “Travis. It’s too complicated.”
“Why?” He cupped her face in his hands. “I have feelings for you, Kate. And I think you have feelings for me. Am I wrong?”
She ducked her head, her eyes fixed on the kitchen table behind him before she nodded. “Yes. But I…”
“No buts. Instead of thinking of all the ways this won’t work, let’s figure out how
to make sure it does work.” He grinned and rested his forehead against hers. “Come on. We’re both adults, we’re going into this with our eyes open.”
“What about Izzy?” Kate asked.
“What about Izzy?” He chuckled. “She likes you. She’d love to have you around more.”
“What if it doesn’t work out?” Kate asked. “I don’t want her to lose someone again.”
“Kate, listen… There’s something I want to tell you.” He swallowed down his nerves. “Something I have to tell you.”
Her jaw clenched as if she were preparing herself for bad news. After all she’d been through with her mom and then Marl, Kate was used to being pushed back down every time she stood back up. “Tell me.” Her body tensed.
“I’d rather show you.” He nodded toward the door. “Maybe we could go for a drive.”
She sighed and picked up the cups of coffee. “Here, drink this or it’ll be cold.”
“Does that mean you’ll come with me?” Travis asked hopefully.
“I’m thinking about it.” She sipped her coffee and he took a step away from her, giving the space she needed to make up her mind without feeling under pressure.
We’re so close, his bear said. Once Kate knows that we are meant to be together forever, then she’ll let us help her with Marl’s court case.
Travis glanced down at her left hand as she gripped her cup of coffee. She still wore the ring he’d given her last night. That must be a good sign that she wanted their relationship to work. That deep down, even if it was on a subconscious level, she thought they had a chance.
“Do you want it back?” Kate met his gaze.
“No. Not ever.” He gave her a goofy smile.
“I still don’t understand what’s going on here. Why do you keep saying we’re meant to be together?” Her eyes narrowed. “Did you ever get your fortune read?”
“No. Never.” He shook his head. “I can assure you that I don’t base my decisions on what anyone has ever told me.” He placed his hand on his chest. “I go with what’s in my heart.”
“Okay. You win.” She drank the rest of her coffee. “I need to go upstairs, get dressed and grab my purse then I’ll go with you.”
Fake Fiancee Mate - Single Shift Page 8
