The Billionaire's Temporary Bride (Scandal, Inc Book 3)

by Avery James

  "Why protect the mistress then?" Charlotte asked.

  "When I found out, I came down here with every intention of calling her a home wrecker and yelling and cursing, but then I met her. She was a wreck. She was heartbroken about my father's death. She loved him. She still does love him. When I met her, she sobbed on my shoulder for an hour, and she apologized for what she did to my family. She hadn't known. My father had told her he was separated from his wife. I couldn't punish her for my father's sins. She wanted to marry him. She wanted to raise a family together in this house. I offered her money, and I offered to send her wherever in the world she wanted, but she just wanted to stay at the house, the house where she thought she'd start a family. So maybe I should hate her, and maybe I should have torn the house to the ground and cursed my father and her and their son, but I couldn't. I put her on the family payroll as the caretaker of the house, and I visit from time to time to make sure everything's going ok."

  "I didn't know," Charlotte said.

  "They're family, Charlotte. Whether I like it or not, they're family. That's his son too, and he shouldn't have to pay for the mistakes my father made. He's my brother, and I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure he and his mother have a good life. They're family. I came here to explain why I had to tell you about all of this, and to buy myself enough time to figure out how to explain everything to you. I've kept this secret since the day my father died."

  "How did you manage to keep this to yourself for so long?" Charlotte asked.

  "It was an open secret that my father hadn't wanted another child after my brother died, but my mother pushed for it anyway. Do you get that? He didn't want me. He didn't want another kid with my mother, and then he off and had one with a Venezuelan model. To top it all off, he gave the kid his name, my name, Jack. How could I possibly explain any of this to my mother? If anyone found out, it would ruin my family. They all hold on to their image of my father like he was some kind of hero. He was never around when we were kids. When he was, he was usually liquored up and more interested in whatever secretary had joined him for his trip. He cheated on my mother for years. Everyone just ignored it. It's like they all decided they'd be better off creating some idealized version of him instead of acknowledging the truth. He was a lousy father, and we're a crap family who are only worth anything because we were born into it."

  "Jack, you are, without doubt, the most incredible person I've ever met. You have had every chance in life to choose the easy path, and instead you've made everything hard for yourself by trying to do what was right for everyone else. I can't imagine what that has cost you over the years. Now, I'm asking you for once to make a choice for yourself. If you think what we have together is real and you want it as much as I want it… No more secrets. No more lies. I want to be with you. I understand completely why you kept this from me, but I can't do this if you're not completely honest with me from now on."

  "No more secrets," Jack said.

  "No more secrets," Charlotte repeated. "So why did you really move up the wedding? Were you afraid I'd find out?"

  "No, I moved it up because I love you," Jack said. "I think I've loved you since the first time I saw you, but I wasn't able to admit it to myself until I heard you say you loved me too. I'm sorry I got scared, and I'm sorry I've been moody and distant. I just wanted to make everything right first. It's why I came here. I wanted to make things right."

  "What did you tell them?" Charlotte asked.

  "I told them the only thing that matters," Jack replied. "I told them I'm madly in love with you. Charlotte, I love you and you alone. You mean everything to me, and it killed me not to tell you how I felt, but I wanted to be completely honest with you first. I don't want anything to come between us, ever."

  Charlotte felt the color rush into her cheeks. He loves me. She had been waiting to hear those words from his lips for so long, and now she had. "I love you too," she said.

  Chapter 30

  Charlotte stood in front of the mirror, applying her makeup. Jack smiled at her reflection, tying his tie behind her. It was two weeks since she had learned his secret.

  Since they had returned, Jack had been exuberant. It was like someone had unshackled him. Every morning, he woke with great energy. Every time he kissed her, Charlotte felt like he would hold her forever. It was a feeling she was pretty sure she could get used to.

  Jack whistled some song Charlotte couldn't place as he grabbed his suit jacket.

  "Honey," he said, "we're going to be late." He stepped behind her, rubbed her shoulders and kissed the back of her neck.

  "I'll never be able to finish if you keep distracting me like that," Charlotte said.

  "Do you want me to stop?"

  "I never said that." Charlotte inhaled the cool musk of his cologne.

  Maybe just one kiss, she thought. She placed her brush and eye shadow down on the counter and turned to face him. Excitement smoldered in his eyes, and he stroked his fingers against the side of her cheek before rested his hand on her shoulder. Even that slight touch was electric, magnetic, thrilling.

  Charlotte wrapped her hands around his waist and pulled him close. As Jack kissed her, her desire grew stronger, pulling her to him. She knew she should hold off, but she couldn't wait another second. Her mind went blank, and she wanted only one thing: him.

  Charlotte reached up and wrapped her fingers around Jack's tie. She tried one last time to give Jack a chance to head out on time.

  "Maybe you should wait for me downstairs," she said.

  Jack leaned into her and kissed her again. "We can always make time by pushing breakfast back by a few minutes. I'll text the team and say we're stuck in traffic."

  "Is that what you call it?" Charlotte asked. She loosened his tie. "Are you sure you want to wrinkle your suit?"

  "It's a good thing I have an unlimited supply of identical suits." Jack tossed his jacket to the floor.

  "Like I said, we'll make time. I've waited for so long to be able to hold you in my arms and tell you how much I love you." He kissed her again. The warmth of his lips bloomed against her cheek.

  "Tell me again," she said.

  "I love you," he repeated.

  "I love you too." She felt like Jack stole her breath when he kissed her again, pulling her tight against himself like he was shielding her from an oncoming storm. Slowly he traced his hands against her back, calming and exciting her at the same time. The slow movements of his body against hers felt like a prayer. His breaths overlapped with hers in a chorus of excitement and need.

  As their kisses deepened, keeping Charlotte wonderfully off balance. She tumbled into bed and Jack followed, helping her shed her clothing. He tossed his coat to the floor too, and Charlotte grabbed his tie, loosening it enough to pull the whole loop over his head. She laughed at the mess of clothes around them, feeling foolish for wanting Jack so badly. But when he leaned against her and kissed her again, she didn't feel foolish, she just felt wanted and needed, and somehow connected to Jack in a way she had never felt before.

  As she felt his bare skin against hers, she trembled, pushing back against him as if their two bodies were one. Jack looked down into her eyes like she was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, kissing her with wild abandon, planting searing kiss after kiss on her lips. Each time he pulled back, Charlotte gasped for air. She felt like she was drowning in her own delight, and she wrapped her arms tight around Jack, as if only he could bring her back up for air.

  Their bodies were locked together now, and Jack held her tight in his arms as the pleasure grew deeper inside her. Charlotte let go of any inhibitions and gave herself to him completely. The bliss grew stronger with each passing second until it ached inside her. She felt frantic, impassioned and overwhelmed. Even though her eyes were shut, she felt like the room was starting to glow around them, illuminated by the passion of their shared desire. And as climax rang through her body, she couldn't help but shout in delight. It had never been like that before. She had nev
er felt so connected to another person.

  Charlotte gasped for air and opened her eyes.

  Jack planted another long, hard kiss on her lips and smiled down at her. "Should I call the campaign and tell them to cancel the rest of the day?"

  Charlotte shook her head. She gave him a quick, soft kiss on the lips, melting against him one last time. "No, we have an election to win." She spread her arms out and took a deep breath. She had never felt like this before. She had always wanted Jack, and she had loved him deeply, but this was different. This was more intense, and she never wanted to lose this feeling of complete connectedness.

  Maybe hearing Jack say he loved her had made all the difference. Maybe it was the fact that the finally had no secrets between them. It didn't matter what made her feel so wonderful. She loved Jack, and she wanted to spend her life with him, and for the first time, she was sure he felt that, too.

  "I don't want to ruin the moment, but if we're not cancelling the event, we're running very late."

  Jack hopped out of bed and started pulling his clothes off the floor. "We've got to get going."

  Charlotte lay there in bed. She didn't want to get up. In fact, she didn't want to move an inch. She felt like she was back at the beach on the island, letting the surf crash over her body again and again. She felt wonderful as she caught her breath. She felt relaxed and content and in love, and then she felt sick to her stomach. She felt like the room had suddenly started to move beneath her. This time, it wasn't a good thing.

  "Do you mind if I stay behind? You can tell them I'm feeling a bit under the weather," Charlotte said, taking a few shallow breaths. She looked for some excuse. "Otherwise, it will take me at least half an hour to get my hair and makeup looking halfway unsexed again."

  Jack looked at her and back at his watch. "Are you sure?"

  "Yeah. I'll meet you this afternoon," she said.

  Jack leaned over the bed and kissed Charlotte on the cheek. "You look radiant, by the way. I don't think you've ever looked more beautiful."

  That's funny, because I've suddenly never felt less beautiful, Charlotte thought. She swallowed hard. She didn't want Jack to worry about her. She figured that the last thing he needed was to waste a campaign day worrying about her.

  "You're not so bad looking yourself," she said.

  "Call if you need anything," Jack said. He smiled and headed for the door.

  As soon as he was gone, Charlotte jumped up and ran to the bathroom. She lay down and pressed her cheek against the cold marble floor. She hardly ever got sick. It had long been a point of pride. Her mother had been the same way. She had always told Charlotte that the only time she ever got sick was… Charlotte froze as she realized.

  "No," she said to herself. It wasn't possible.

  She did the math in her head and thought back over the past few months. Another wave of nausea rolled through her body, and she retched into the toilet.

  How could it be possible? She was on the pill. She had done everything right. Charlotte braced herself again as her stomach continued to spasm.

  There was no doubt in her mind. She was pregnant. She was carrying Jack's baby.

  She sat down on the cold bathroom floor. Everything between her and Jack had been going so well, and now she was going to have his child. She didn't know whether this was the best thing that could happen to them or the worst. Was she was ready to be a mother?

  A few months ago, she hadn't had a commitment or a responsibility in the world. She hadn't known if she was ready for marriage, never mind motherhood. Before she could worry about what all of this meant for Jack, she had to figure out what it meant for her.

  As soon as the nausea passed, Charlotte picked herself up off the bathroom floor and got dressed. She needed to know for sure. She picked the least conspicuous outfit she had and headed to a pharmacy around the corner. She took one of each available brand of test and shoved them into her shopping basket, rearranging some other items she didn't need to hide the tests. The whole time, she kept looking over her shoulder, waiting for some paparazzo to snap a picture of her buying the pregnancy tests, but she made it back to the house unnoticed.

  Back at the house, she locked herself in the bathroom and took the tests, one after another. Each test used different symbols, but they all reached the same conclusion. Whether smiley face, blue line or plus sign, they all said she was pregnant.

  She put the tests back in the plastic shopping bag, wrapped it up as tightly as possible and shoved it in her purse. She got her phone and made a call.

  "Hey," Charlotte said, "we need to talk right now."

  "Is everything ok?" Callie asked. Charlotte hadn't spoken with her since the fateful trip to North Carolina.

  "Um, it depends on what your definition of ok is." Charlotte paused and summoned the will to say what came next. She took a deep breath and blurted it out. "I'm pregnant."

  "Oh my God that's incredible!" Callie shouted on the other end of the line. "Ahh! I knew you two love birds would fall for each other and start making babies. How did Jack react when you told him?"

  "He didn't."

  "What do you mean he didn't?"

  "I haven't told him yet."

  "Oh," Callie said. Charlotte waited for her to say something more, but she didn't. She just stayed silent. Her silence spoke louder than any words could.

  "The primary is in two weeks, and I don't want to distract him. This is going to blindside him. He doesn't, under any circumstances, want kids. It's his worst fear. If I tell him, I have no idea what he'll do. What if I cost him the primary? It's the whole reason we're together. I can't risk that."

  "You need to tell him," Callie said.

  "I can't. He doesn't want to have a kid, and I don't know what to do," Charlotte said.

  "He said he didn't want a marriage either, and look at the two of you. I've seen the way he looks at you. There's no way he's not totally in love."

  "This is different," Charlotte protested. "You don't understand. He doesn't want kids at all. It's not even a question. I know how he'll feel about this."

  "How do you feel about this?" Callie asked. "Forget about Jack for a moment. How are you? This is a huge life moment."

  "I don't know how to describe it yet. Charlotte thought back to the afternoon she had followed Jack down to North Carolina, back to the twinge of jealousy she felt when she saw Jack with Maria and little Jack through the window.

  "Are you ok?" Callie asked. "If you want, I can clear my schedule and hop on the next flight to Boston."

  "I'm fine, really," Charlotte said. "I can take care of this. Thanks for the offer though."

  "That's what best friends are for. I love you to death, so don't fall apart on me, ok?"

  "Of course," Charlotte said. Her phone started beeping at her. Jack was on the other line.

  Charlotte felt the adrenaline rush through her veins as she looked around for any traces of the pregnancy tests.

  Everything is set. Don't worry about it, she tried to tell herself.

  "Charlotte, are you still there?" Callie asked.

  "Yeah, I have to go," she said. "Jack's calling."

  "Tell him," Callie said. "He'll understand. Call me if you need anything."

  "Thanks," Charlotte said. She switched over to the other line.

  "Hey, honey," Jack said. "How's everything going? Are you feeling any better?"

  Charlotte straightened herself up and took a deep breath. This was the moment. All she had to do was tell the truth. She sucked in a deep breath.

  "Everything's fine."

  Chapter 31

  For the first few days, Charlotte tried to muster the courage to tell Jack. In part, she wanted to tell him because it was the right thing to do. This was his child as much as it was hers, and she wasn't going to be able to hide the pregnancy from him forever. But she also wanted to tell him because she wanted to share her feelings with him.

  Whenever she felt especially excited or afraid or any of the hundred other emot
ions she ran through on a daily basis, she wanted to tell him. She wanted him to share in every little moment. She wanted to go through all of this with him by her side. Instead, she found herself pretending like everything was fine.

  Charlotte tried to rationalize it to herself. She tried to tell herself that it was for the best, that her job was to keep him focused on the election, but she knew that wasn't what he'd want. She knew he wanted to know every detail of her life just as he wanted her to know every detail of his. She had demanded that of him when she followed him to North Carolina, and now she was holding out. She wondered if she was setting herself up for ruin.

  Charlotte had reason to be hopeful though. As February wore into March, the weather started to change. The deep cold lifted, and the first signs of spring started to creep out. The piles of snow that had accumulated through the New England winter were starting to disappear, and the grass was pushing up through the gray husks of snow left in the shadows. In a few weeks, it would be warm again. The snow and ice would be just a memory.

  It would be even warmer back in DC. The cherry blossoms would bloom. Jack would have the party's nomination. Everything would be right. Charlotte just had to find a way to make it through the few weeks until the primary.

  Charlotte's body was changing too, blossoming, filling itself with new life. She could feel the changes taking place. She was starting to notice them in the mirror too. With each passing day, she was finding it harder to hide the changes from Jack, but the campaign had thankfully kicked into high gear for its final stretch, meaning she saw Jack less and less each day. The final weeks were a string of fifteen hour days, nonstop events, speeches and rallies. Aside from the few hours of sleep they caught together, Charlotte was almost never alone with Jack, but it seemed he knew something had changed.

  Between the way Charlotte would run off to hide her morning sickness, and the way she found more and more excuses to avoid events, Jack seemed suspicious. He was polite about it, but each time Charlotte denied anything was different, he asked more and more questions, and it became that much harder for her to tell the truth. After a seemingly interminable week, she decided she'd wait until after the primary to tell him. That way, she could absolve herself of the guilt of not telling him, and she could keep herself from derailing his campaign with her news at the same time.