Folly and Forever (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 3)

by Kimberly Loth

  “Absolutely. Do you mind if we try to get one more today?”

  “What do you want to do?”

  “What are some other problems you have?”

  “I could list off a thousand. Bathroom mirrors, countertops, jeans. But the best one is the washing machine.”

  “What’s wrong with the washing machine?”

  “Nothing. But I can’t reach all the way into the bottom unless I have a stepstool.”

  “Let’s save that for tomorrow. I have a feeling that one will take some time. Jeans will probably take some time as well. What’s wrong with bathroom mirrors?”

  “I can’t see in some of them. My bathroom is fine, but the guest bathroom is too tall.”

  Jamie followed her into the bathroom. Sure enough only half of her face appeared in the mirror. He went into the cramped half bathroom, but even straddling the toilet, he couldn’t get far enough away from her to take a shot.

  “This isn’t going to work,” he said, and she spun around.

  “Why not?” she asked, her words getting lost in his chest.

  “Too crowded.”

  She looked up at him. She was so close. She placed her hands on his stomach, and he tensed. She drove him crazy. She was too close and smelled too good. He didn’t let himself think, instead he focused on her. She licked her lips, and he threw all caution to the wind and leaned down.

  A knock sounded on the door, and he heard it open. Bunny let out a “Hello, is anyone home?”

  Bethany jumped back and escaped out the door. Jamie would need to talk to Bethany about Bunny’s boundaries. And maybe locking the door during the day.

  “Coming,” Bethany answered. Jamie followed her to the front door.

  Bunny had a bottle of wine in her hand. “I wanted to bring a gift for you two newlyweds. Are you honeymooning anywhere?”

  Bethany shook her head. “No. We need to stay here because of the court case.”

  Bunny pushed past them, grabbed three glasses out of the cupboard, and popped open the wine. She poured each of them a glass then plopped herself down on the couch.

  Bethany grabbed a glass and sat next to her. “Where’s Danny?”

  Bunny frowned. “Out of town for business. I hate it when he’s gone. I know I’m probably interrupting your fun, but I don’t want to be alone.”

  “How long is he gone for?”

  “Just tonight.”

  “Wanna watch chick flicks?” Bethany asked. Jamie rolled his eyes. They wouldn’t be getting any more shots in today.

  “What about Jamie?” she asked, pointing at him.

  “He’s got some work to do. Don’t you, dear?”

  He frowned. He wasn’t sure what she was doing, but she was definitely putting him off. He shrugged. Ah, well. At least Bunny would keep her occupied. It prevented him and Bethany from doing anything stupid. Though he really wanted that something stupid.

  The next week went by quickly. After the almost kiss in the bathroom, Jamie had kept his distance from Bethany. Part of her understood, part of her wished he’d try again. She spent most of the week reading or hanging with Bunny. She lay in bed most mornings, reveling in the fact that she could.

  Hexa lay next to her. The doorbell rang, and Hexa jumped up and raced down the stairs, barking. Bethany threw on a tank top and shorts and followed. Annabelle was standing on the other side of the glass door, watching her.

  Bethany opened the door. “You’re here early.” She looked at the clock. It was only six-thirty.

  Annabelle smiled. “I know, but I’ve got a lot to do today, and I wanted to surprise the happy couple. Can I come in?”

  Bethany moved away and motioned her in.

  Jamie walked out of his bedroom wearing only a pair of shorts. He rubbed his eyes. Annabelle sucked in a breath when she saw him. Bethany’s hackles went up. She didn’t want to have to compete with this woman. Then she clenched her jaw. She had no claim to him.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked in a sleepy voice.

  “You’ll need to get used to this. For the duration of the case, court officials could drop by unexpectedly and at all times of the day. I specifically chose to come here early so you would be caught off guard. Is there somewhere we could sit and discuss the case?”

  “Sure,” said Bethany. “Let’s go in the kitchen. I can start the coffee.”

  Annabelle sat at the head of the table with Jamie next to her. After Bethany started the coffee, she settled across from Jamie.

  Annabelle chuckled when Bethany sat down.

  “No one is going to believe you are married.”

  Both Jamie and Bethany looked at her. “Why?” Jamie finally asked.

  “First off. Jamie came out of room next to the front door and Bethany came down the stairs. If you don’t think some nosy court official isn’t going to look for that, you’re crazy. Your glass door is perfect for snooping. Plus they are sharp, and they will nose into every aspect of your life, looking for something fishy.”

  Jamie started to argue, but Annabelle cut him off. “Don’t even get me started on your behavior toward one another. I don’t care what you do in private, but when there are other people around, you should sit next to each other and touch each other. You should have your arm around Bethany. Hold her hand. Whisper things in her ear. Married people are always communicating in some way. Don’t go overboard. That is as big of a red flag, but act like you are in love. Watch.”

  Annabelle placed her hand on Jamie’s knee and leaned into him. Bethany felt her hair stand on end. She shouldn’t let this bother her, but she didn’t like Annabelle touching him. That was her husband. Fake husband, but still.

  Then Annabelle leaned up and kissed Jamie on the cheek.

  “You see. Things like that. If Jamie and I were in a room with other people, no one would have trouble believing we were a couple.”

  The coffee maker beeped, and Bethany jumped up. She felt thoroughly chastised. She didn’t want to screw anything up for Jamie. Annabelle was right. Anyone who saw her touch him wouldn’t think twice that they were a couple. Jamie followed Bethany around the bar and grabbed three mugs out of the cupboard. He stood close behind her and dropped his voice.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Feeling a little silly, but I’ll get over it.”

  “We’ll talk about it when she leaves. This isn’t your fault.”

  Jamie put a cup of coffee in front of Annabelle and took his seat once again. Bethany sat next to him, and he put his hand on her knee. It felt odd, but she was strangely turned on. She wondered how long it would take until these things felt normal.

  Annabelle nodded. “Better. Work on being more comfortable with one another.” She placed her hand on Jamie’s other knee. She slid it down and up his thigh a few inches and squeezed. “Dear, that’s how you put your hand on your husband’s knee.” She stood up. “Now I’ve got a lot of work today. I’ll see you in three days for the petition for visitation. After we secure it, we’ll go for custody. That is when things will start getting dicey. Also, I need a key before I leave.”

  “A key?” Bethany asked.

  “Yes, a key. Over the next several weeks there will be a few different court officers who need to see the house. Not all visits are announced. If you aren’t home, I’ll need to be able to let them in. It’s perfectly normal.”

  Bethany rummaged in a drawer and produced a key for Annabelle, who took it with a smile.

  “I have one more question for you. Do you have a room for Garrett yet?”

  “Yeah. They’re delivering all the furniture today. He’ll be staying in the other guest room.”

  “Where’s that?”

  Jamie took Annabelle through the living room. She looked in the bedroom, came out of the living room, walked to Jamie’s room, and looked up the stairs.

  Jamie and Bethany waited by the front door.

  “You know he’s only six, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “H
e’s going to need a room closer to yours. I’m assuming you’ll start sleeping upstairs. Garrett should too.”

  “We’ll think about it. Thanks for the advice,” Jamie said. His shoulders were tense, and his eyebrow twitched.

  Annabelle stood a little too close to him. She could nearly look him in the eye. Bethany envied her height.

  “Do you want me to win this case for you?” Her voice was low, angry.

  “Of course,” Jamie replied.

  “Then you’ll do as I ask. You and Bethany need to sleep in the same room. If you sleep in different beds, you need to hide that evidence. Garrett’s room should be on the same floor as yours. Act like newlyweds. I’m the best at what I do, but I can’t do my job if you don’t do yours. I’ve never lost a custody case, and I’m not about to start with yours.” She stormed out of the house without waiting for a response.

  Bethany rubbed her eyes and sighed. “Well, I wouldn’t want to wake up to that every day.”

  Jamie chuckled. “Neither would I. Let’s make breakfast and discuss this new development.”

  After they cleaned up, Bethany took Jamie’s hand. He smiled and her heart beat a little faster.

  “Come on. We need to see how we’re going to rearrange the upstairs.”

  Bethany pulled Jamie up the stairs. He didn’t know how to handle this new situation. He wanted to follow Annabelle’s advice, but every time he touched Bethany, he wanted to go further. He certainly felt more from Bethany’s light touch than Annabelle’s aggressive one.

  He reacted to Bethany so intensely that he knew it wouldn’t be long before they were in deep. That was the last thing he needed because if he fell for her, he might lose focus on what he was supposed to be here for.

  Bethany opened the door to her bedroom. The first thing he noticed was how bright it was with white furniture and soft green accents. She had windows on both the front and back of the room. There was a sitting area in the rear that overlooked the ocean. He’d been in there once before but hadn’t noticed anything but the shredded bathing suits.

  “We could put a hide-a-bed couch here.” Bethany pointed to the sitting area.

  “Those things are uncomfortable. Plus, I don’t fit.”

  Bethany ran her hand through her hair. “I was trying to avoid simply inviting you into my bed, but I don’t see a way around it.”

  “We could put the day bed in the sitting area,” he suggested.

  “Won’t that look suspicious? Plus, you’re too big.” She was right. “Any other ideas?”

  Jamie sat next to her. “Yeah, we bring my bed up here. It’s bigger than yours. We can put pillows between us.”

  She didn’t react. He wanted her to. He wanted to know if she liked the idea, or if it repulsed her, but she gave him no indication either way.

  Finally, she nodded. “It makes sense. Let’s decide what room should be Garrett’s.”

  He followed her to the other side. Her room ran the length of the house. The other rooms were on the other side of the house. From the bridge they could look down into the living area off the dining room. The more he saw of the house, the more he liked it. Bethany opened a door to a room that was directly opposite the master. It was completely empty, but dusty.

  “What is this room?” Jamie walked to a window that overlooked Bunny and Danny’s side yard. This room was facing the street so it didn’t have a beach view, but it had a nice window seat and built in bookshelves. Plus, being on the corner, it had lots of windows.

  “It used to be my mom’s quilting room. I don’t sew, so I gave all of her stuff to her quilting friends. The other room isn’t cleaned out, so we can use this one. We’ll need to clean it up though. I haven’t been in here in a long time.”

  Jamie wasn’t close to his parents, so he had no idea how this made her feel. If she was close to them, this would be difficult for her. He tried to think of what he could do to make this easier for her.

  He put his hand on her back. “Of course. I can do this if it’s too much for you.”

  “I’ll be fine. I just miss them.” She wouldn’t look up at him and crossed her arms. He reached out and pulled her close, hoping he wasn’t crossing too many lines, but he ached to comfort her. After a few seconds, she wrapped her arms around his waist. They stood there for a few minutes until she finally pulled away and wiped at her eyes.

  “We’re both a little messed up, aren’t we?” she asked through a sad smile.

  “That we are. Come on, let’s get this room cleaned up before the delivery guys get here. I’ll have them move my bed up into your room. We’ll put yours in my old room.”

  By dinnertime they had everything moved around, and the rooms both looked completely different. In some ways he loved it. It was as if he was putting his own mark on her house. Then he shook his head. This was temporary.

  Bethany leaned against the rail on the bridge and wiped her forehead. “That was a lot of work. It’s almost like a whole different family lives here.”

  “Thanks for being a good sport. I’ll help you put your house back together when we leave.” He didn’t know if he’d be able to at that point. He’d already started growing attached to it. And her.

  She shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m gonna shower though.”

  Jamie took a quick shower as well and pulled out his laptop. He loaded the pictures he had of her so far. He only had three scenes. He hoped she’d be open to more this evening.

  She dropped into a chair next him, smelling of apple soap and shampoo. “Whatcha doing?”

  “Nosy, aren’t you?” He smiled to let her know he was joking, but he didn’t look up from his computer.

  “You told me to quit my job. I have nothing else to do.”

  He swiveled in his chair so he was facing her. His heart stilled. She sat there with her hair pulled up in a ponytail, no makeup, and a silly grin on her face. For a split second he saw the future, and she was in it. He wondered if this fake marriage could possibly become real. He shook his head. She was going to take the money and run.

  He turned to the computer. “I’m looking at the first couple of scenes to see what kind of feel I have to carry through to the rest of the photos.”

  “Can I see?” She scooted her chair close to him, and his heart raced.

  “Sure.” He scrolled through until he found the one he was looking for. “Here’s the counter shot.”

  Her face flushed. “You can see more of me than I realized.”

  “Sexy though.”

  She shrugged, and he continued scrolling.

  “Here’s the one on the chair.” This was his favorite. There was something about the curve of her calves and feet. If he was honest, this one turned him on more than the other one did.

  She nodded when she saw that one too. Her lips formed a frown.

  “You okay?” Jamie asked.

  She shook her head. He turned to his computer, looking for something that might have bothered her. He didn’t think he’d done anything to capture her in an unflattering light.

  “What’s bothering you?” he finally asked.

  She hesitated before she spoke. “It’s the way that you’ve captured me. It’s a side of myself I’ve never seen before.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. She wouldn’t meet his eyes. He hated it when she did that.

  “Beth, come on. If I’ve made you uncomfortable, you gotta tell me.”

  She wrung her hands. “It’s not that. It’s just when you said you wanted to do a series on short people problems, I assumed you’d go with all the clichés that everyone always does. Short people are considered cute but never sexy. Your angle is completely different. I like it, but it makes me nervous. What on earth do you have planned for the other pictures? Because sexy isn’t something I pull off well.”

  He laughed out loud. “You don’t see yourself the way others do. Trust me. You pull off the shy, sexy look amazingly. Would you like to do a few more
?”

  She stood up. “How about after we eat? I’m starving.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Jamie continued to work on his computer while she cooked, and they ate a quick dinner. He was eager to get started.

  “You ready?”

  She shook her head. “But I’m worried about the case, and I could use something to take my mind off of it.”

  “Why are you worried?”

  “I don’t want to screw things up for you.”

  His heart stilled. He definitely picked the right woman to be his fake wife. It’d been a long time since any woman showed concern over what happened to him.

  “I don’t think that’s possible. But I could use something to take my mind off it as well. Let’s go do the jeans thing. Then I want to see you try to do a load of laundry.”

  He followed her upstairs and waited on the bed while she changed in the closet. She came back with a pair of jeans completely covering her feet. The effect was comical. Not exactly what he was going for. He had her stand against the wall, and he took a few shots, but they didn’t have the right feel.

  “Do you trust me?” he finally asked her.

  “I probably shouldn’t, but yeah, I do.”

  She was right. He wasn’t sure if he trusted himself. He was glad she did. “Okay, I’m going to touch you, but only because I’m trying to get a certain kind of shot. Don’t freak out.”

  “When you put it that way, I don’t know how else to react.”

  “I promise I’ll be good.”

  She grinned and put her hands up. “Okay, I’m all yours.” He lifted the hem of her shirt, and she hissed. He was slightly pleased with himself for getting that reaction, but he was going for a specific look. He bunched up the fabric so her belly button showed and backed up. It was better, but not quite good enough. He approached her again, and she tensed. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “A little trust please.”

  He fingered the button on her jeans, and she squeaked.

  “Just chill. It’s not a big deal,” he said.

  “You know you could ask me to do that.”

  “I want to make sure it looks right.” Which was mostly true. He folded the button down so that the top of the zipper was visible. When he backed up, he had it. He knelt down and started shooting.