Susan Mallery Fool's Gold Series Volume One: Chasing PerfectAlmost PerfectSister of the BrideFinding Perfect

by Susan Mallery

  He leaned toward her. “I’ve seen a lot of different kind of people in my life. Those who give and those who take. Those who think about others and those who think about themselves. I’ve told you about my coach and how he changed everything for me. Nicole opened her home and her heart to me. They taught me what’s important. I want to do what they did—make a difference to someone.”

  Her expression of shock changed to something that looked a lot like annoyance. “Thanks, but I’m not interested in being your charity case of the week.”

  “No, that’s not what I mean.”

  “It’s what you’re saying.”

  He reached for her hands, but she snatched them back. “Don’t.”

  She was pissed. Damn. He’d screwed up. “Pia, I’m saying this wrong. I want to take care of you. That’s all. I want to be there for you and the babies. I want to be a part of your lives.”

  “If you’re so hell-bent on being a husband and father, go marry someone else and have your own kids.”

  “I tried that,” he admitted. “And failed.”

  “One divorce,” she muttered. “Big deal. It happens to more than half of marriages. So what? Try again.”

  “That’s what I want to do. With you.”

  They were words Pia had never thought she would hear. A proposal of marriage. Only everything about the situation was wrong. Okay—not the man. He was pretty amazing, but she didn’t want him proposing like this. Out of some weird sense of obligation to a former mentor. She wasn’t interested in being anyone’s merit-badge project.

  “You can’t fix whatever’s wrong with you by marrying me,” she told him. “Go get therapy.”

  She’d thought the words would annoy him, but he simply smiled at her.

  “Do you really think that’s what I’m doing?”

  “Yes. You don’t love me. We haven’t even dated.” There’d been that single, amazing night, but that wasn’t enough to build a relationship on.

  She supposed on some level she should be flattered he was offering to help, but instead she felt cheated. Even though she’d never had a relationship get to the “I love you, please marry me” stage, she’d always dreamed one day it would happen. That the man of her dreams would propose.

  But it was supposed to be a romantic event—a magical time. Not a mercy offer made in a medical parking lot.

  “Pia, I like you a lot,” he said, sounding annoyingly earnest. “I respect and admire you. You’re smart, funny, charming and you lead with your heart. You’ve given up your life to have your friend’s children. How many people would do that?”

  The switch in subject startled her. “Crystal left me her embryos. What was I supposed to do? Ignore them?”

  “That’s my point. You couldn’t. You had to take care of your friend, even after she was gone. I might not have known Crystal, but I did know her husband. I can’t explain it, but I know that I owe him. These are his kids, too. I want to take care of you. Of them.”

  The Keith part made sense, she thought. But marriage? “You barely know me.” Although she had to admit his assessment of her character had been very flattering.

  “I know enough. Is it that you don’t know me? Ask me anything. What do you want to know?”

  She felt as if she’d stepped into an alternate universe. “I don’t know enough to figure out what to ask.”

  “Then I’ll tell you.” This time when he reached for her hand, she let him. “You know about parts of my past. I told you I had a serious girlfriend in high school. I was crazy about her. I never even looked at another girl while I was with her. I never cheated. Once we broke up, I had my wild times, but after Hawk got me on the right track, I calmed down. I dated a lot of women, but one at a time. When Caro and I started dating, that was it. I was all in.”

  He shifted in his seat, as if trying to get closer to her. As if his words weren’t enough to convince her and that he would use the magnetism of his presence to tip the scale in his favor.

  “When I commit, I give a hundred percent. It doesn’t matter if it’s football or marriage or my business. I’ll be there for you.”

  She felt overwhelmed. Everything was happening too fast. Worse—she was tempted. Hearing that a guy was “all in” was a leap-without-bothering-to-look-first moment if there ever was one.

  It wasn’t love. She understood that. Raoul wanted a family without the trauma of giving his heart. He wanted to help her and Keith, and in return he got all the trappings of family without a whole lot of risk.

  “I have my flaws,” he continued. “I can be impatient. I’m not a morning person and can push back to try to get my way. But I can be reasoned with.” He touched her cheek with his free hand. “I’d never hurt you.”

  She had a feeling he meant what he said. But no one could promise not to hurt another. It didn’t work that way.

  “Raoul, you’re being really nice, but this isn’t going to happen.”

  “Why not?”

  “Marriage? It’s a huge step and we barely know each other.”

  “I want you.”

  As much as she wanted to bask in the words, she couldn’t. “No, you want a cause.”

  “So you get to be someone who loves your friend, but I’m just a guy doing a good deed? You’re not the biological mother to these babies, but you’re giving up your life to take care of them. Why can’t I want to do the same? That’s what I’m offering. You need support and a partner. I want a wife and kids. I want to be their dad. Permanently. Yes, getting married is a practical solution for both of us, but that doesn’t make it any less real.”

  She stared into his eyes, wishing she could see down to his heart. Did he mean it?

  “Define real,” she said softly.

  “The whole thing. A ring, a judge, a piece of paper. We’ll live together, raise the kids together. I’d like it if you’d take my name, but I’ll pretend it’s okay if you don’t. We’ll be listed as the parents on the birth certificates. We’ll buy a house, make love, argue, make up, raise kids, get a dog and grow old together. I’m not talking temporary, Pia. I’m offering you everything I have. I’ll be a husband to you and a full-time father to those kids. And if you decide to leave me, you can take me to the cleaners in court.”

  He was saying all the right things, but more than that, he seemed to believe them. Which made her want to believe him.

  She would admit to being tempted. On a practical level, having someone to depend on while raising triplets would be amazing. Raoul had already shown he was responsible and supportive. On a personal level, she did like him—probably more than she should. The thought of sharing a bed with him for the next fifty years was kind of exciting.

  He wasn’t offering her love. At least he was honest about it. She’d always expected to fall madly in love at some point, but it hadn’t happened yet. And once she had kids, what were the odds? Was a practical marriage based on mutual need such a bad thing?

  “What about kids of your own?” she asked.

  “I’m hoping you’ll agree in a couple of years. Wouldn’t you like a baby of your own, too?”

  She nodded slowly. That, too, had been part of her fantasy. And Raoul offered an enticing gene pool.

  “I meant what I said,” he told her. “I’m all in, Pia. I’ll be there for you, no matter what. I’ll be your husband and partner in every way possible. I give you my word. You’ll be able to count on me until the day I die.”

  She knew enough to recognize he was the kind of man whose word meant something. He was offering her all he had—except his heart. She believed he would take care of her and after all she’d been through, that was nearly impossible to resist. Compared with security, love came in a very distant second.

  But this wasn’t just about her. “It’s one thing to marry me without being in love,” she said. “But the babies are different. You can’t be any different with them because they’re not biologically yours.”

  “I know. They have my word, too. Marry me, Pia. Say yes.
”

  She looked into his dark eyes and knew that he would be with her every step of the way. That for reasons she couldn’t explain, this man wanted to take on her and three unborn children that were no relation to him.

  The thought of not having to do everything herself, of knowing there was someone else who would have her back, was tempting. The fact that the guy in question was Raoul made it irresistible.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He stared at her. “Yes? You’re accepting?”

  She nodded, once again feeling slightly faint. Maybe it wasn’t the pregnancy, she thought as he pulled her into his arms. Maybe it was him.

  Then his mouth claimed hers and she couldn’t think at all. She could only feel the warmth and affection and even a slight hint of passion.

  “You won’t regret this,” he told her. “I’m going to buy you the biggest house, the biggest diamond ring. I’ll take care of everything.”

  She drew back slightly and eyed him. “You’re not going to become some freakish, controlling guy, are you?”

  He grinned. “No. Are you objecting to the diamond or the house?”

  “It was the ‘I’ll take care of everything’ part that threw me.”

  “How about I’ll take care of everything after running it by you?”

  “That works.”

  “Good.”

  He kissed her again, then straightened in his seat and grabbed his seat belt. She did the same. He started the car and they drove out of the parking lot.

  Pia stared at the familiar road and told herself it was okay. That the fluttering sensation in her stomach was anticipation, not frenzied dread. Marrying Raoul was a good thing. It’s not as if she would ever get tired of looking at him, and despite the fame and fortune, he was a nice guy. In marriage, nice mattered.

  This would work, she told herself. In fact, she was downright lucky. It was the right thing to do for the babies. As for her dream of falling in love and being swept away by a handsome prince…given everything going on in her life, this was as close to the fantasy as she was going to get.

  * * *

  AFTER DROPPING PIA OFF at her office, Raoul returned to his house. He walked through the two-bedroom place and knew there was no way it was going to work for a family of five. He’d been thinking about buying something permanent for some time now, but there hadn’t been a rush. That had all changed. Now he had a family to provide for.

  The thought would have brought some guys to their knees, but Raoul was excited by the prospect. He was ready to be married again, ready to be a father. If things had gone the way they were supposed to with Caro, he would already have at least one kid.

  Sure, his arrangement with Pia wasn’t traditional, but little about his life had been. He was a street kid who’d been blessed with the ability to think on his feet and throw a football a hundred yards. Now he was getting lucky again. Besides, Hawk and Nicole would be thrilled to be honorary grandparents to the triplets. Hawk would be proud of Raoul for doing the right thing.

  He left his rental and headed downtown. On the way, he passed a jewelry store. Jenel’s Gems was located in a small square of exclusive shops. He’d probably passed it a dozen times and hadn’t noticed. Now he changed direction and went inside.

  The interior was all glass and light. Sleek and sophisticated, it was the kind of place that made you feel as if everything you bought was special.

  A tall, pretty blonde walked over to him. “Hi. Can I help you?”

  The last time he’d gotten engaged, he’d designed the ring himself. He’d had very specific ideas and had spent two days picking out the diamond. He’d had this idea that the ring had to represent who he was and what he wanted his marriage to Caro to be. The ring was to have been a statement.

  Talk about a crash-and-burn, he thought to himself.

  “Are you good at keeping secrets?” he asked.

  The woman smiled. “I sell engagement rings. I have to be.”

  “Good. Do you know Pia O’Brian?”

  Surprise and pleasure flickered in the woman’s blue eyes. “Yes, of course. I like her very much.”

  “Me, too. I want a ring for her. Something that suits her taste. Something she’ll love.”

  “I see. And may I ask what this ring is for?”

  “She’s agreed to marry me.”

  The woman tilted her head and smiled. “Then you’re a very lucky man.”

  “I think so.”

  “I have a ring,” she began. “The design is unique but classic. Let me go get it.”

  She disappeared into the back for a few minutes, then returned with three rings on a lavender velvet display tray.

  “This is the engagement ring,” she said, holding out a diamond ring. “The center stone is two carats. It’s surrounded by a bead-set diamond border.” She turned it upright. “See how the stone is set up to catch the light, but the border not only protects it, it makes it less likely to catch on anything. Like a sweater.”

  Or hurt a baby, he thought.

  The woman turned the diamond ring again, to show the profile. “These are channel-set square diamonds on the side. As you can see, I have two matching bands of the square diamonds. They would slide in on either side, completing the look.”

  “They’re the wedding bands?”

  She nodded. “They can be worn alone, if Pia prefers.”

  He picked up the ring. It glittered in the overhead lights. There was something right about it. Something that told him Pia would like it.

  “Let me show you a few other things,” the woman said. “For comparison.”

  They went through the cases. He asked to see a couple of things, then shook his head. “The first one,” he told her. “That’s it.”

  “I think so, too. Are you going to faint when I tell you the price?”

  “No.”

  “It’s a high-quality diamond and a custom setting.”

  “That’s okay.”

  Fifteen minutes later, he had all three rings in boxes tucked into his jacket pocket. He’d refused the shopping bag, not wanting anyone in town to see him carrying it. He was starting to get a handle on Fool’s Gold. He knew how word would spread.

  Now that he had a ring, it was time to go see a man about a house.

  * * *

  PIA STOOD IN FRONT OF her dry-erase and corkboard calendar, checking the events against her master list. Some of the festivals only required minimal prep work, but others took weeks of planning. If decorations were required, they had to be pulled out of storage and installed. The city maintenance workers appreciated plenty of lead time, and she knew better than to annoy the muscle portion of her operation.

  With Halloween coming soon she would need to get the decorative flags changed and put out the scarecrows and hay bales, which reminded her that she needed to order fresh hay. The stuff they’d used last year had looked a little ragged.

  She crossed to her desk and had started to pick up her phone when her office door burst open and Liz Sutton and Montana surged into the room.

  “I can’t believe it!” Montana shrieked. “We sat right here talking about my boring life when you had news like that? How could you keep it to yourself? I may never forgive you.”

  Pia might have been worried except she had no idea what her friend was talking about, and the fact that Montana and Liz were both grinning like fools meant that it wasn’t bad news.

  Liz reached her first and hugged her. “Congratulations. He seems really sweet. And hunky, which is always a nice plus. I know I get a little shiver every time I see Ethan. Especially when he’s naked.”

  Montana winced. “Hello, that’s my brother we’re talking about. Don’t share details.”

  “Sorry,” Liz said with a laugh, then turned back to Pia. “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  Montana and Liz grabbed each other’s arms and actually jumped up and down. It was a little bit scary, Pia thought, taking a step back.

  “You’re marrying
Raoul!” they shrieked together.

  “I’m going to forgive you for not telling me if you promise to spill all the details,” Montana said. “Start at the beginning and talk slow. You said hi and he said?”

  Oh, no. Pia sank into her chair and groaned. This wasn’t good at all. It had been a matter of—she checked her watch—four hours. How could word already be spreading?

  The truth was she’d barely accepted that he’d proposed to her, let alone the fact that she’d accepted. The impossible situation had left her too confused to do much more than pretend it hadn’t happened. It had been the only way to get work done.

  “Pia?” Liz asked, her smile fading. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. Just confused. How did you hear?”

  Montana and Liz exchanged glances.

  “Raoul went to see Josh,” Liz said. “Ethan was there and heard the whole thing. Raoul said he wanted to buy a bigger house. One with a lot of bedrooms. Josh wanted to know why and Raoul said the two of you were getting married but not to tell anyone. Josh and Ethan swore they wouldn’t, then Ethan called me.”

  Pia winced. It wasn’t his fault—he probably thought the information was safe with his close friends. He wasn’t a small-town guy and would have no idea how this sort of news fed on itself. In a matter of hours, it would be everywhere.

  “I ran into Montana on my way over here and told her,” Liz continued. “But you don’t look very happy. What’s wrong?”

  They each pulled up a chair and sat close, looking concerned. Pia wanted to bolt, but these women were her friends. If she couldn’t explain the situation to them, how could she possibly go through with it? Not that she was having second thoughts—she wasn’t. It was just that everything was complicated.

  She drew in a breath. “Crystal left me her embryos,” she began, then explained how she’d made the decision to have the babies.

  “At first Raoul offered to be my pregnancy buddy,” she continued. “He said he would help out while I carried the babies.”

  “That’s so sweet,” Montana said with a sigh.

  But Liz was more like Pia—less of an overt romantic. Her gaze narrowed. “Why?”