by Sara Orwig
“We’re celebrating your acceptance of my proposal.”
“Congratulations,” the waiter said to Marek, then turned to smile at her. “Best wishes, miss.”
“Thank you,” she replied, laughing as he walked away and Marek raised his glass.
“Here’s to a successful union for both of us. May it fulfill needs and bless everyone involved.”
They touched glasses with a faint ringing sound of crystal.
“Marek, there are only two people involved in a marriage,” she pointed out drily.
He shook his head. “There are a lot of people involved. It will change other lives. Noah’s, Ashley’s, Stephanie’s, your family, my family. This wedding definitely will touch more lives. And this is a celebration because I hope, for one and all, the effects will be great.”
“I agree to that one.”
“May your joy be full, Camille, and your career soar.”
They touched glasses again, and she took another tiny sip of bubbly champagne.
She held up her glass. “May your joy be full, too, Marek, and may joy replace grief and give you peace,” she said, touching his glass lightly, watching him over the rim of her glass as she sipped. Her heart drummed. She couldn’t keep from glancing at his mouth, wondering about his kisses, wondering whether he would ever really kiss her. She looked up to find him watching her, but he still had that faint crooked smile and she suspected he had not noticed her studying his mouth, much less seen anything in her expression when she had looked up.
He leaned across the linen-covered table, moving a vase of roses out of his way. “I’m beginning to look forward to our tropical getaway, to being alone with you and getting to know you,” he said softly, stirring more tingles.
“You’re almost flirting, Marek,” she said lightly.
“We might as well have a little fun,” he answered. “And you’ll be my bride soon.”
“Sounds impossible. I hope your plans work as you expect. Such upheaval and monumental changes are scary,” she replied, thinking about having to part with Noah sometimes, as well as about Marek’s promise to keep her happy. He would try in every way except one. His heart was deeply guarded, locked away. Would he ever let go and love again?
He pulled a card out of his shirt pocket and held it out to her. “I’ll go with you tomorrow to this jeweler. I can put a limo at your disposal, so after the jewelry store you can shop for a wedding dress. If you prefer, I can fly you to New York to select your dress.”
“I’ll find a dress in Dallas,” she said, thinking this would never be as important as it would have been had she been in love.
“This jeweler is good. You can work with him on the engagement and wedding ring you’d like to have. Do not worry about the price. That’s why I’m going. I want to make sure you spend at least a certain amount, but you might as well select your ring.”
“I don’t need some fabulous ring.”
“I want you to have a ‘fabulous’ ring for marrying me and bringing Noah into my life. Kern would definitely want you to have a spectacular ring. We might as well discuss this now instead of in the jewelry store. Don’t hold back. I want you to get what you want. I mean that. I want you to have at least an eight-carat diamond. You can go from there.”
“Marek, that is an enormous diamond that isn’t necessary or logical. It doesn’t represent our love.”
“It represents my gratitude,” he said. Continuing to hold her hand, he sat close and she looked at the slight curl of his thick, dark lashes that framed his eyes and added to his handsome looks. “If we were deeply in love, I would select your ring and surprise you with it. Under the circumstances, I thought you might as well get what you want. I want it to be nice. I want it extravagant, a constant reminder of my gratitude to you. You can select a design working with this jeweler. He’s excellent.”
“Thank you,” she replied, feeling touched that he had made such a huge effort to convey how grateful he was. A tiny twinge of guilt fluttered because she knew if she could go back and undo telling him about Noah, she might do so.
The day would have come when Noah would ask about his father, and she would have to tell him, but not while he was a baby. She might have waited the first formative years until he was in school and she was separated from him anyway. At the same time, her guilt would have been greater because this way, she felt she was doing the right thing for Noah. He should benefit all his life from this union.
They sat back down when their steaks had been served, but Camille had no appetite. The monumental changes she faced were all she could think about. To her relief, they both lapsed into silence and Marek didn’t seem compelled to talk or try to entertain her.
“You’re worried, aren’t you?” he said finally.
“I can’t keep from thinking about all of the plans we’ve made. I’ve been accustomed to goals and schedules. Suddenly I’m facing a whole new way of living.”
“You’re not eating. I didn’t want all this to upset you.”
“It’s just different. You’re not exactly wolfing down your dinner, either,” she said and received a faint smile.
“Want to dance again? Would you rather go home?”
Relieved, she nodded. “I would rather go home. This has been quite a night.”
In a short time they were in the limo headed to her condo. “Can you go at ten in the morning to look at rings?”
“Yes,” she said.
He half turned toward her and folded her hand in his. “If you want to call me during the night, I don’t care what hour, go ahead. If you have questions, worries, let me know.”
“Thanks. I have a million questions. Will this work out? How will I get through giving up Noah? Will he be happy?”
“Ashley will still be with him.”
“Right now, I’d rather be his nanny and have her be the singer.”
“Do either of your sisters sing?”
“No. Stephanie, absolutely not. Ashley has a nice voice but not a strong one, and she doesn’t have the drive to want this. She loves children, wants to be a teacher. We’re all rather different.”
“As different, I guess, as Kern, Ginny and I are. I wish I could take away your worry, but I can’t. The money was supposed to help. This goes way beyond money, which becomes insignificant.”
She had to smile. “Millions do not become insignificant,” she said. “Well, maybe the thrill of the money does diminish next to the rest,” she admitted.
“I know it does. It shows in every way. If I told you I’d changed my mind and didn’t care and was going to stay out of your life and take my money, your only feeling would be relief. I don’t have to ask if I’m right.”
She looked outside at the busy thoroughfare and again had to fight tears. He was right. The millions meant nothing next to letting him have so much of Noah.
They rode the rest of the way to her condo in silence. On her porch, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Camille, I’ll repeat—I’m thrilled beyond measure over your acceptance of my proposal. I promise to try to keep you and your sisters happy. I’m thrilled and excited over the prospects and we’ll get along in this quasi marriage.”
“I hope so,” she said. “I pray this is good for Noah. That’s the one thing I really cling to. The money will benefit me and my family in several ways, but it’s the thought that you’ll be good for Noah that really makes this acceptable. It’s what I wanted in the first place.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to make it good for him.” Marek’s brown eyes were unfathomable as he studied her. “When we wed, we’ll kiss in church. I don’t want that to be our first kiss,” he said, his dark gaze focusing on her mouth. Her heart drummed so violently she hoped he couldn’t hear it. His announcement that he intended to kiss her caused every nerve to come alive. Why was it so enormously unsettling? His kiss should be meaningless.
As his arm circled her waist, she could barely get her breath. He drew her closer, and she rested her hands light
ly against his upper arms.
When he leaned down, she closed her eyes, tilting her face up to his. His mouth covered hers lightly, then pressing more firmly, warm, sexy, tempting. Her lips parted and then his did while his tongue slipped into her mouth. The first stroke changed their relationship for her forever. No more was he a new acquaintance becoming closely involved with her. He was an appealing, sexy man she would be entering into an intimate relationship with. Slowly, with deliberation, he kissed her while he drew her up against him. Feeling the bulge of hard biceps beneath her hands, she stood quietly. Leaning over her, he tightened his arm around her.
She kissed him in return, tumbling into an abyss that made her stomach flip and her heart pound faster. Without thinking about what she was doing, she slipped her arm around his neck, and then she realized how she had responded. She leaned away and gasped for breath.
“Now we’ve kissed,” she whispered, feeling stunned because his kiss had been sexy, possessive—a hot kiss that conveyed he cared while that wasn’t actually the situation.
He gave her another inscrutable look and said nothing.
“Good night, Marek.”
“I’ll see you for dinner tomorrow night and we can firm up plans, call parents and whoever we need to tell while we’re together. I’m happy, Camille,” he said, smiling at her.
He turned away to get into the waiting limo while she went inside, her heart pounding. His kiss had melted her, shaken her and set her on fire. Could she live with this? How long would it be a marriage of convenience only?
She would lose Noah part of the time. Now another threat loomed that she might fall in love with Marek and complicate her life in every way possible. She had known that was a risk, but it had seemed slight. His kiss had smashed that opinion to bits. Her lips tingled, and she shook her head.
“I can’t fall in love with him,” she whispered. Yet her heartbeat still raced from his kiss and she would remember forever the look in his eyes afterward, a heated, possessive look, a look that clearly expressed that he saw her as a desirable woman.
“I thought I heard you,” Ashley said, coming into the hall from the family room. She was in turquoise pajamas and a matching robe.
“I’m going to marry him,” Camille announced as if trying to convince herself. “I accepted. You know that’s what we decided.”
Ashley shook her head. “I hope you know what you’re doing. I’ll be with Noah, but you won’t be.”
“I’m going to be with him more than I thought at first.”
“All that money, Camille. I can’t even imagine our lives.”
“I think you’ll want to go to school before long. Maybe by next fall. We’ll find a nanny. There’s bound to be another good one in the world.”
“Let’s just take this a little bit at a time. This will change the lives of everyone in the family.”
“Where’s Stephanie?”
“I’m here,” she said from the shadows, coming into the hallway. “I heard you accepted.”
“I’ll go out with him tomorrow night and we’ll call our parents to make the official announcement.”
Ashley walked to Camille to hug her lightly. “I’ll pray this works out.”
“It has to be good for everyone. We’re not losing Noah and he’s gaining a dad and we’re all improving financially.”
“That’s an understatement,” Stephanie said. “I think sleep has gone for tonight for all three of us. While you go change, Ashley and I will get some hot chocolate. We can hear your plans and maybe help you with some.”
“Thanks, Steph,” Camille said, smiling at her sister and thankful that Stephanie was beginning to accept Marek and the situation. “I’ll need help with plans. We’re aiming for a wedding in about three weeks. He’ll pay for everything, he said. I think our whole family will be all for this. If they aren’t, Marek will win them over.”
“I think you’re right. That first night I didn’t think I ever wanted to see him again. Now I can’t help but feel like this may benefit Noah and everyone else. Hurry and change so we can talk,” Stephanie said.
“Sure,” Camille replied and left the room. As she changed, all she could think about was his kiss that had set her heart pounding. It had been sexy, hot and had made her want more. Had Marek felt anything?
*
At home Marek shed his coat and tie and unbuttoned his shirt as he went to the desk in his bedroom. He thought about Noah, remembering holding him and looking into his lively eyes. He already loved the baby, and he could imagine how Camille must feel.
He remembered holding her in his arms tonight when they kissed. He dropped his pen and leaned back to think about her. Her kiss had shaken him because it had stirred him. For the first time since his loss, he had stopped feeling numb. Numbness had been replaced by desire, lust really. That had given him a shock. Because of her kiss, he had no doubt that they could have a successful physical relationship. Would this marriage work? He had been so positive with her, but deep down he now had as many unanswered questions as she did.
The question startled him because up until tonight he had thought about going into this marriage only as something that would revolve around Noah. After their kiss tonight, that expectation had flown away. There would be a physical relationship between them. He was sure of it, and he already wanted it.
Would he fall in love with her? He shook his head even though he wasn’t talking to anyone. He wouldn’t love again. He was as certain of that as ever. But lust was another thing. Could she handle that? As swiftly as the question rose in his mind, the knowledge that she could reassured him. She was tied to only two things: Noah and her career. Since she didn’t want to fall in love, she would be guarding against it as much as he.
He had thought he was in no hurry to rush into an intimate relationship, but her kiss had changed that. Desire was palpable, strong, a torment. With a deep breath, he picked up his pen and began to list what he needed to do in the next few days.
In minutes he again was thinking back to kissing her tonight. For a few moments he was lost in a fantasy about making love to her, holding her close. With an effort he tried to get back to things he needed to do.
He would be with her tomorrow night to make plans together and to tell their families. They could get on Skype and it would be almost like being together. His gaze fell on his brother’s picture, and he picked up the snapshot. Kern had his cocky grin and stood beside his favorite horse.
“Brother, I wish you could see your son. He’s a great little kid. He’s happy all the time and a good baby, but he has a little look in his eyes like you had plenty of times. He’s going to be like you,” Marek said quietly, getting a knot in his throat and wishing Kern had lived to see Noah. “At least you knew about him. I imagine you were planning to marry Camille and you probably had absolutely no doubt whatsoever that you could talk her into it. Kern, I’m sorry for the way things turned out, but I’ll do my best with Noah.”
Marek wiped his eyes. He missed his brother so often. Such a waste! He pulled off his shirt, feeling restless, wishing he had someone to talk to for a while. He wondered what time Camille went to bed. The thought of her stretched out in bed set his pulse racing. She wanted to wait on a physical relationship, but he suspected neither of them would wait long. If he had his preference, they would not wait at all. Just the thought set his pulse racing faster. He knew nothing about her except the facts of her background that he had gleaned from what she’d told him and the little on the web about her. She wasn’t heavily into social media and neither was he, so he hadn’t learned much there.
In slightly over three weeks he would be a married man—married to a woman he barely knew. The idea astounded him.
*
Two weeks later Marek’s cell phone jingled and he answered to listen to his sister.
“Mom and Dad are so worried about you and what you’re doing.”
“Don’t let them get to you. The paternity test indicated Noah is Kern’s baby.
I’m doing what I want. I think it will work out.”
They were both tense about the upcoming evening. “I’ll see you at the party tonight,” he said, thinking about the engagement party that was being held by his parents’ dinner club and oldest friends.
“Okay, little brother. I just want you happy. Noah is a cute little fellow and he does look like Kern.”
“Whether he looks like Kern or not, Noah is Kern’s, Ginny. Could you let him go now?”
“No. You win. See you tonight.”
“Ahh, that’s my sis.” He ended the call and left for the corral, thinking about the wedding. He still did not expect to love again. To love was to risk your heart, and he would never go through the kind of hurt he had experienced after losing Jillian. That was vastly different from lusting after someone. Camille knew this, and she knew what to expect from him. She was completely aware that love would never be part of the equation. Still, he wanted to make love to her. He wanted her in his arms, in his bed. He wanted her as his wife in the fullest sense. Thinking about her aroused him, and he glanced at his watch, counting the hours until he would see her.
Walking into the barn, he found Jess with his head under the hood of a truck.
“What’s wrong with the pickup?”
“Nothing I can’t fix,” Jess said. He straightened. “They giving you a hard time?”
“Yes. Mom and Dad are worried about me rushing into a marriage. They’re interested in Noah, but feel I can work out a better arrangement. I’ve had a call from Ginny about their opinion.”
“Do you think you are making a mistake?”
“No. No matter how I look at it, I don’t. You’ve seen Noah, and we all know he’s Kern’s baby. I can’t just see him a few times a year.”
“Kern’s little boy, growing up here—I don’t see how you can go wrong with him growing up as part of the family.”
“Both Camille and I want him to have this ranching legacy.”
“Amen to that. ’Course, you’re tying your life to hers and hers to you, but that should work out.”
“I think it will. Can I help with this?” Marek asked, leaning over the truck.
