by Nora Flite
Grabbing one of the beers, I nearly opened it—then I remembered the baby, so I stopped. “You aren’t wrong, Lanie.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Well, I can’t actually marry Hunter, can I?” She shrugged in response, so I argued, “I barely know him, Lanie.”
“I know, I know. But—”
“But what? His plan is completely insane."
My sister took a breath and then said carefully, “He said Hunter okayed the plan."
That ice cream was looking more tempting. I grabbed it up, popping the lid and digging in. "That doesn't matter. Hunter is nuts, too."
"He's also the father, and you don’t hate him, right?”
“I don't think ‘don’t hate’ translates into ‘happily ever after,’” I snorted around a mouthful of chocolate and mint. The smell of it reminded me of Hunter—I shoved it away abruptly.
Lanie came my way, sitting on the arm of the couch. “It’s not like it has to last forever."
“Just stop.” I groaned and rubbed my temples. “I need to think about this.”
“Take your time. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“Can you go back in time?” Lifting a hand, I told her not to answer. "Thanks for coming by, I mean it. We'll talk tomorrow."
She scooped up the beer, walking backwards away from me. "I'll take these back. Keep the ice cream."
Though I smiled and nodded, I took one more look at the ice cream and knew it was going to end up in my trash.
Just like my life if I didn't accept this insane excuse of an offer.
I spent the whole weekend on the couch letting my ankle heal. The pain became secondary to my constant migraines from looking for an answer to the baby situation.
I almost called Hunter fifteen times. I willed him to call me.
The weekend went by with nothing but silence.
I was late to work on Monday morning, which was unlike me, but I’d been caught off guard by a bout of morning sickness. Is this the glowing beauty of the miracle of life? I asked, staring blearily into my toilet—a place I was becoming intimately familiar with.
When I got to SportsFire HQ I hustled to my office to make sure no one noticed me coming in. Fortunately, I earned sympathy with my bandaged-up ankle. But it wasn't a get out of jail free card.
Katherine, one of my many bosses, teetered into my office on her sky-scraper heels. “Morning, Jo. Just thought I’d let you know that Chloe Sutton snagged the Yoga Star account.”
Gasping, I searched her face. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, she’s a shark. She snagged the contract when you were tied up in LA with Hunter Daniels. Not your fault, but I thought you should know.”
With a waggle of her fingers and an air kiss, she left me alone. Sliding low in my chair, I groaned. As a new rep with SportsFire, I had to hustle to build my client list. But so far I'd only had two leads, one with Yoga Star, and the other with my rock climbing gym.
I’d been so busy with Hunter that I’d left myself exposed. At least there was no way that Chloe could know about my gym. I’d have to step up my game. Losing a contract that I was counting on put the pressure on me, money-wise.
"It's not looking so great for your college fund, kid," I mumbled down at my belly. I'd only known of the pregnancy for a few days, but I was quickly forming a connection with this bare idea of a person inside of me.
Money was a constant stressor for me. Becoming a single mom multiplied it tenfold.
You don't have to be single.
Hunter Senior's offer swam through my head like a barracuda on the hunt. Scowling, I went to work, hoping that taking control would make me feel better. I worked all day researching the quarterly earnings reports for ClimbTime. I wanted to build them a proposal that they couldn't say no to.
I didn’t realize it was almost eight at night until my phone rang. Blinking, I eyed the number.
Hunter?
Like my fingers had a mind of their own, I answered.
“Hey, Jo,” he said. I couldn’t read his mood, but his voice was like velvet in my ears and I closed my eyes with a shiver.
“Hi, Hunter,” I replied cautiously.
“How’s the ankle?”
“Least of my worries,” I said truthfully.
“Can we talk in person?” he asked.
Again, my body acted before I could think it over. "I'd like that." Ugh, too eager. "Meet me at my place in an hour." It was the only real private place I could think of.
I drove home as fast as I could, my mind buzzing the whole way. As I parked and walked up to my door, I saw Hunter standing there, holding flowers.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Well,” he said, “If we’re going to even consider getting married, I was thinking that I should give you flowers at least once?”
“Are you really considering your dad’s offer?” I asked.
Hunter closed the gap between us. He'd put on a tight-fitting black shirt, his slacks creating sharp lines from his trim waist to his knees. There was an undeniable dreaminess to discovering him here with flowers. But I was terrified it was a trick; a ploy.
Hunter didn't want a family with me. He hardly knew me.
He just wanted to save his career.
Don't I want the same thing?
His lips were too close to me, I could remember how they felt even now, watching him speak. “I want to be there for you, Jo. I don’t want to pretend that this kid isn’t mine. If that means we get married to keep things from exploding into shit, is that the worst thing that could happen?”
I stared at the flowers, at his intense eyes. “I can’t believe we’re both actually considering this."
“So you are, too?”
“I think so,” I whispered. “We don’t have to stay married forever. And if it saves our careers, that helps the baby, too. Right?” I'm looking for a way to justify it. I'm definitely mother of the year, ugh.
Hunter got down on one knee right in front of my door. “In that case, I brought you this. I had to dig all the way to the bottom of my Frosty Cocoa Rice.”
A nervous giggle escaped me. I expected him to pull out a dull plastic toy, but instead, a very real and very expensive looking diamond ring glinted in the lights above my apartment complex.
Fuck. I couldn't breathe.
“Joanne Cooke, will you marry me?” he said.
It was supposed to be funny. I could tell he wanted it to be. But my heart was stuttering; seeing him kneeling at my feet made this too real. How much of this was a game, how much was reality?
My emotions were getting muddled just so everyone could win.
And I . . . I liked to win.
Why didn't this feel like I was?
Taking the ring, I put it on my finger and wiggled it. "I guess this is a yes."
Just then, my neighbor yelled from where he was walking his pug in the courtyard. “Congrats, Jo! Go Hawks!”
Hunter and I both laughed, and when he stood up, his mouth passed by so close I felt the air shift. He froze, his laughter fading like he'd just realized something important. His arm extended to guide me to the door, never quite making contact with my body.
"I can walk fine," I said. "I don't need crutches anymore, even."
"It's for me," he said seriously. "I just got engaged. I might faint—hold me up, Jo. Please."
I gave him a light shove and he stumbled like I'd punched him. The top of my head felt like a balloon, trying to pull me up into the clouds. Hunter turned me into such a giddy fool. "What do we do now? Should I write something, announce it, what?"
"I'm sure that the second people see that ring, they'll figure out the story themselves."
Nodding, I bit the corner of my tongue. "Well. It's late—"
"It's not even nine," he chuckled. "You're not inviting your husband inside?"
"Future husband," I corrected. Then I swallowed loudly. Fake future husband. "I'm not sure I'm ready to rush into t
his."
Taking my shoulders, he gave me a sideways smile. "We're very backwards, aren't we? Engaged but my fiancé doesn't want to sleep with me." I blushed furiously, Hunter just chuckled. "I'll have to work hard, I get it. I can do that. Working for what I want is the most satisfying way to live."
I was spinning, already fighting the urge to kiss him. Hunter backed away, handing me the flowers and hopping down the steps. I was a statue, I couldn't even wave. "Bye," I said after him.
With one more silent look that promised he was going to have me, and when he did, I'd love it—Hunter got into his car and drove away.
9
Jo
The next morning, I felt my finger just to make sure the whole thing wasn't a dream. There it was on my left hand. Wearing Hunter’s ring actually made me smile, my body stretching as it came awake.
And then a fresh bout of morning sickness really woke me up.
When I got to the office no one noticed the ring, which I found strangely disappointing. I needed to show it off to someone and I still hadn’t told my sister, so I invited Lanie out for dinner.
“Not a bad rock, sis,” Lanie whistled. "It's pretty big. Speaking of big—"
“I'm not telling you about his damn dick size!”
Next to us, an older woman gasped. Lanie cracked up, enjoying how I hid my face behind a menu. "Smooth."
Peeking at her, I stuck out my tongue. "You're paying for your own meal, now."
"Ouch!"
Sipping my water, I shrugged. "You get to eat all the good stuff, no complaining."
"The pregnancy going well?" she asked.
"I'm a little sick. It might be mostly stress."
Her face scrunched up. "You've got everything covered. Relax."
She made it sound so easy. After we finished up, I asked if Lanie wanted to spend the night on my couch. I liked having her close, since she was the only family I had left.
"If you need anything in the middle of the night, just ask," I said.
Lanie snuggled under the blanket. "No no. Let me know if I can get you anything, future Mrs. Hunter Daniels Junior."
I fell asleep quickly, trying not to dream of Hunter and failing horribly. I was in mid-dream when my phone rang.
“Hello,” I said, speaking into my cellphone groggily.
“Miss Cooke, please hold for a call,” a very professional voice said.
“Uh. OK." What call? What was this? I was still mostly asleep.
“Jo? This is Victoria Daniels, Hunter’s mother.”
I sat up so fast it strained my neck. “Um, hi Mrs. Daniels. How can I help you?” Why was she calling me at—was it six in the morning?
“Well, my dear. It has come to my attention that you’re my daughter-in-law to-be.” She laughed sweetly—it gave me goosebumps.
“I guess that’s true,” I said.
“Well, I’ve decided to throw a fantastic party at the estate on Friday night. A big engagement party. Doesn't that sound wonderful, dear?”
Holding my head, I looked around the room. A wave of sickness hit me, I wondered if I could tactfully end this call and vomit in private. “Engagement party?”
Her voice got higher, birdlike. “Oh, yes. It will be wonderful, a black tie affair. I know it’s short notice, but if you need an outfit, swing by Flora Daisy, it's my favorite. I have all the best people on speed dial. I’ll have my party planner email you for your guest list. Is that all right?”
What could I say? Oh no, please stop planning a party and forget I exist. Thanks! “Sure, it's fine. And, um, thanks.”
“Not at all. Ciao, my dear. I just wanted to tell you that I am so happy about all of this."
“Thank you, Mrs. Daniels.”
“Please, call me Victoria. Farewell."
Falling back on my pillows, I gaped at the ceiling. I wasn't even at the party and I already felt exhausted from it. I fell back asleep for another fifteen minutes. As I slept, I had nightmares of what a black tie engagement party for a fake relationship would look like.
“Wake up! Wake up! Open your eyes, Jo!” Lanie yelled at me. She was standing in my doorway with a cup of coffee and she made her way over to the bed. “You were yelling something about prom, black ties, and an evil shrub. Are you sure those are just pain pills the doctor has you on? Or maybe those pregnancy hormones are already driving you nuts.”
I sat up, catching my breath. “I’ve heard that pregnant women can have weird dreams. I bet that women who agree to marry a famous athlete in order to save their careers have the same problem.”
Lanie laughed. “I bet. So, you were screaming about a real engagement party?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Hunter’s mother wants it to be black tie at their estate. I think we need to go shopping, but first . . .” I couldn't finish my sentence because I had to hobble as fast as I could to the bathroom. I barely made it.
“When you’re done puking, I can take you shopping at one of my fave stores. They stock our makeup there. You can watch me bust out my company discount.”
"She told me to check out Flora Daisy."
"Oh yeah? Huh. That place is fancy, sounds perfect."
It didn't sound perfect to me at all.
A few hours later we drove to the store. Lanie claimed that it had the biggest formal wear section in all of New Haven. I let her take the lead. She was happy to oblige, saying, “Since you’re the bride to be, I think your dress should be something very pure and very pretty. Delicate and refined.”
Lanie directed an associate to gather a selection of dresses that had skirts full and long enough to hide my ankle brace.
Luckily, I only had to try on two of Lanie’s choices before I found the perfect dress; a flared gown with a sweetheart neckline. It was light blue at the top, but faded to bright white at the bottom where it was trimmed in intricate white embroidery and lace. The whole thing shimmered in the light.
The dress seemed simple at first, but the more you looked at it the more you picked up on all the fine details. When Lanie saw me in it, she clapped her hands together. “My sister is a princess.”
I looked at the price tag and shook my head. “Never mind, Lanie. This costs thousands of dollars.”
“Who cares?” Lanie scoffed. “You’re marrying into one of the richest families in the country.”
“I don't think it works like that,” I argued.
“Sure it does. It has to if you really want to sell this engagement. You have to dress the part. In this dress, to be exact,” Lanie confirmed. “Shop Keep,” Lanie continued, half-joking, “Put this on Mrs. Daniels’ tab.”
“Lanie, don’t!” I squealed.
The cashier didn’t even bat an eye. “Excellent. Mrs. Daniels called earlier and preapproved everything. Her instructions were to make sure you had everything you needed.”
“What?” I blurted. “Seriously?”
“Maybe your new mom-in-law isn’t all that bad,” Lanie said.
Next, I helped Lanie pick out her dress. She went with a stunning red number with a demurely high neckline that was backless with a slit up the side. It was sexy but not over-the-top.
We posed together in the mirror, it reminded me of prom night. Lanie was two years younger but a boy in my class had invited her, naturally, so we had spent the afternoon excitedly getting ready together. It was one of my favorite memories from our childhood. For some reason, thinking about it made me cry.
“Oh, Jo! It's okay, you look gorgeous!"
I flapped my hands, wiping my eyes. "It's not that. It's just making me think about way back when, and—"
"Shh shh," she soothed, hugging me close. I didn't need to say more; Lanie knew I was reliving the car accident. It was so long ago, but now that I was having a baby of my own, the pain of being an orphan felt unbearable.
Lanie hugged me until I was able to compose myself. Untangling us, I straightened my dress and breathed deep. “Thanks, Lanie. You’re my rock."
Her smile went ear to ear. "Hey, spe
aking of big rocks—"
"I'm not telling you about Hunter's you know what!" I shouted, and the two of us cracked up, the heavy sadness truly floating off our shoulders.
The night of the party arrived quicker than I wanted it to.
Hunter sent a limo for me. The number of times I'd ridden in one was rapidly ticking upwards. But what really got to me was the sight of him when he stepped out of the car.
His suit-jacket was so dark it was like he'd dipped it into a black hole. His tie was slim and straight, his body made of sharp angles that could cut a girl to ribbons if she got too close.
I wanted to get even closer.
"You look shocked," he said, reaching his hand out to take mine. Static jumped between our fingers; he tensed up, unable to hide his reaction any better than I could. He scooped me up with his hungry eyes, tasting me—inhaling me.
I went to pull away; he wouldn't let me. Hunter constricted further, pulling me close enough that one of his hard vest buttons cut through my silky dress as easily as a knife. It hurt—I loved it. I wanted more of it, of him, and I wished we weren't about to be carted off to a strange party with even stranger people.
He watched me closely. I spoke up just to do something that wasn't pressing closer to his warm body. "You look great."
"Black tie events require it," he said. His palm rested on my lower back, nudging me into the car. "We should go. If we're late, my mother will feel scandalized."
Chuckling dryly, I sat on the heated cushion. He offered me some water, and I sipped it before I realized it was fizzing; I never liked sparkling water. "This party came together fast."
"Mom wants to show you off." I grimaced, and Hunter said, "So do I." That bothered me less, though my hypocrisy left me feeling nauseous.
"Anything I should know going into this?"
"Just play the game. We're engaged, we've been dating in secret, all of that. And if it gets too hard, I'll pick up the slack."
My frown stretched as far as it could. "Because you're such a good actor?"
"Because I'm not acting," he said, his voice smoke and sugar and as good as the alcohol I wasn't supposed to be drinking. Hunter slid against me, our hips grinding, his hand closing on mine all over again.
