Picture Perfect: A Second Chance Secret Baby Romance

by Krista Carleson

  “I can and I am refusing to let you do this. You can’t just come up with that one day and think I’d be okay with it. You can’t be doing this to me or our families. Now, leave.”

  I was beginning to have a serious headache from this. I should have known she would refuse to talk to me.

  “Why do you want to live a lie?”

  “I said—leave.”

  Shaking my head at her, I strolled out of her place and closed the door with a bang behind me.

  I wasn’t going to let her guilt-trip me. Even if the whole world was against me, I wouldn’t let them control my life. I had enough of that to last me a lifetime.

  One way or another, I was going to end it with Melanie and make Jessica mine.

  9

  Jessica

  * * *

  “I met a guy last night,” Angie told me over the phone. I was in my office on my coffee break, looking through my window at the cars passing by on the street below.

  “Really? Why doesn’t that surprise me?” I asked with a grin on my face. “You always manage to find them easily.”

  “Easily? Are you kidding me? You know that—”

  “That you were without a man for a whole month,” I interrupted her, speaking in a bored tone of voice. “Yeah, yeah. I know that. But still. You had more guys in one year than I had in my whole life.”

  “So? Sue me.”

  I chuckled. “If I sue you and you end up in jail, who’s going to take care of Maya when I’m not home?”

  “Not my problem,” she replied, faking offense, and my chuckles turned into laughter. I loved my sister to bits.

  “So? What happened with that guy?”

  “Oh, you know. The usual. He bought me a drink, asked if I wanted to go to some quiet place, and then we fucked at his place.”

  I laughed, always surprised at how easy one-night stands were for her. It wasn’t like I had never done that—the time with Noah in Australia was a clear proof—but Angie loved men, and despite claiming she wanted to be in a committed relationship, I wasn’t sure she actually was the type of girl who could be satisfied with that. She could get bored with her boyfriends pretty quickly.

  “Nice. Is he big?”

  “Veeery big. Seriously, I think his dick is nine inches long or something.”

  At the mention of nine inches, I remembered the night with Noah at my hotel room in Australia. Noah also had an impressive size. In fact, I didn’t remember ever sleeping with anyone who was as well-endowed as him.

  “You’re a lucky girl.”

  “That I am. Especially when we did it again this morning and he asked for my number.”

  “Nice, sis. I assume he got it.”

  “Obviously! He’s amazing, Jess. I swear he could be a supermodel or something.”

  “Well, you know already. If he has a brother…,” I joked.

  “Yeah, yeah. If he has a brother and he’s easy on the eyes, I’ll introduce him to you.”

  Before I could say anything, someone knocked at my door.

  “I have to go, Angie. We’ll talk later.” I ended the call. “Come in!”

  I expected to see one of my coworkers, but I was mistaken since none other than Melanie Carter entered my office. Uh-oh. This wasn’t good.

  A few days had passed since the lunch I had with Noah. He didn’t call me to tell me how it turned out with Melanie, and I almost convinced myself that he had lied to me and he would never leave her.

  But last night he called me and told me about his argument with Melanie and how she refused to let him call their engagement off, which was disheartening, to say the least. I felt guilty as if I was the main reason they were going to break up, which I could as well be.

  He assured me he would make her see reason, but looking at her now all smiley and dressed in an expensive suit, it felt like Noah was making a mistake. Melanie seemed like a sweet woman, and I wouldn’t want to see her hurt.

  “Miss Carter?” I asked and approached her.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting you or something, Jessica.”

  “No, not at all.” We shook hands. “Please, take a seat.”

  “Thank you.”

  I sat down in my chair and leaned my elbows on my desk. “Do you need anything?”

  “I wanted to congratulate you on your job. I didn’t have the chance to thank you properly since Noah was the one who came here for the engagement photos.”

  I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat, feeling somewhat ashamed. “Yes, well, I hope you like them.”

  She clasped her hands together. “I absolutely love them! I’m glad I hired you for the job because you’re the best. You know how to capture the perfect light and other important details.”

  I managed to offer her a smile, drowning in shame. I really, really didn’t want her hurt. “Thank you.”

  “No need to thank me because I really think that. You did a great job, which is why I want to hire you to take photos of our wedding too.”

  I winced, taken aback. Their wedding?

  “Your wedding?”

  She nodded, her lips curling into a tight-lipped smile. Her unblinking eyes never left mine, and for some reason, this rubbed me the wrong way. “Yes. I want you to take our wedding photos. I’m sure they will be amazing too.”

  I swallowed another lump in my throat, fighting against the pain that was forming in my chest. I was so stupid. How could I think even for a second that Noah and I stood a chance? Of course, they were going to marry. Maybe it was just a phase for Noah. After all, Melanie was great. What was there not to like about her?

  “I would love that,” I replied with zero enthusiasm.

  “Great!” she said with a smile, but it was clear that it was fake, and I didn’t know what to make of it. As quickly as it came, her smile fell, and her eyes narrowed at me.

  “Melanie? Are you okay?”

  “Won’t that be difficult for you?”

  A small frown creased my forehead. “What do you mean?”

  “Taking photos at Noah’s wedding.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t understand you.”

  “Noah wants to call the engagement off,” she said bluntly and tilted her head to the side, carefully observing me. “I don’t understand why.”

  I pursed my lips, not knowing how to react to this. “I… I’m sorry to hear this.” I hoped this didn’t sound as fake to her as it was to me.

  “He said he never loved me. I don’t know what to do.” Guilt appeared in the pit of my stomach. “I can’t believe he said something like that. Can you imagine? Everything was perfect! We had our engagement party a few days ago, for Christ’s sake! And then, all of a sudden, he came to my place and told me he didn’t love me.”

  I had a hard time holding her gaze. I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t like I was the main reason that he wanted to leave her. This was also about Noah, who didn’t love Melanie. However, I still felt like I was in the middle. And the worst part was that this woman didn’t even know about Noah and me. If she knew… I didn’t even want to imagine that situation.

  “And I can’t come up with any other answer for his weird behavior but cheating.”

  My jaw dropped. “Cheating?”

  “I’ll be direct with you, Jessica. I think Noah is cheating on me with you.”

  I choked on my spit, my heart commencing a crazy rhythm. “What? No! That’s absolutely not true!”

  “Is it? I saw you two at my engagement party. There was something strange between you two all along.”

  I raised my hands in the air, alarmed by the sudden accusation. “No, there’s absolutely nothing between Noah and me.” Except the attraction I can’t deny. Except the lunch we shared and Noah telling he would call his engagement off.

  Her eyes bore into me. “I found it strange that Noah came to your office to get our engagement photos. He didn’t even care about the photos, and now all of a sudden, he’s coming here to pick them up?”

  “Melanie, I
assure you there is nothing between Noah and me. Absolutely nothing.”

  I willed myself to withstand her accusing stare, feeling more uncomfortable than I had ever felt. I couldn’t believe she’d actually thought I was sleeping with him.

  And then, a beaming smile illuminated her face. “Okay then. If you say so, then I believe you. Sorry about that.” She didn’t sound sorry at all. She clasped her hands together, acting as if she hadn’t just accused me of something as serious as sleeping with her fiancé. “Anyway, I expect the same quality of photos at my wedding. I’m sure you’ll be able to do it.” She winked at me. “You’re the best.”

  I had trouble swallowing, her changes in mood giving me whiplash. “I’m sorry to ask, but if your fiancé wants to call the engagement off, how can there be a wedding?”

  “Oh, there will definitely be a wedding. I won’t let go of Noah that easily.”

  Wow. I just stared at her, her determination totally unexpected and a bit scary. She sounded and looked too possessive, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it one bit.

  “But are you sure that’s good for the both of you?”

  “I’m sure. Even if he doesn’t love me, this marriage will benefit both our families. And I’m sure he’ll snap out of it and go through with the wedding. He’ll realize it would be a mistake if he broke up with me.”

  I nodded, at a complete loss of words. I didn’t want Noah miserable, but at the same time, I wasn’t sure if he should actually end things with her.

  Maybe he was just confused about his feelings toward Melanie. He saw me and he thought that he felt something for me, when in fact, he was just tied up to the memory of the amazing time we had together. A dull pain settled in my chest, followed by disappointment.

  “I have to go now. I need to visit a few more places and make preparations for the wedding.” She sent another grin my way. “It’s going to be a huge one.”

  I could only imagine. Their engagement party was big, so it was safe to assume their wedding would be grandiose.

  Their wedding. It hurt thinking about that. I escorted her out of my office, having a smile on my face that was extremely difficult to maintain. She went her way, and I returned to my office, knowing I had to go find Noah and settle things between us once and for all.

  Actually, there was nothing between us. I had allowed myself to dream, living in illusions that seeing Noah again after four years meant something, but it was just a bitter coincidence. He was Melanie’s, and there couldn’t be anything between him and me. And Melanie accusing me of messing around with Noah hit too close to home.

  And to think that I had thought to tell him about Maya. I had actually thought I could tell him about Maya and we would be one happy family. There was no way I could do that. Noah led a different life, which didn’t include me or our daughter.

  I snorted at myself. I was really unlucky with men, wasn’t I? The only guy I really, really liked wasn’t even single. I thought Angie knew how to pick them, but I surpassed even her.

  I sat at my desk and typed Noah’s name in Google, determined to find the address of his office. I stumbled upon his photos in a suit, taken at some conferences and industry events, and my heart fluttered in my chest. He looked so handsome, which only brought more pain. I closed my browser, hating doing this to myself. Looking at him was torture.

  I would go and see him after work. And that would be that.

  10

  Noah

  * * *

  Melanie was avoiding my calls. Surprise, surprise.

  I went to her apartment twice, but she wasn’t there both times, or she made it seem that way. But what actually threw me off-balance was that my mother told me they continued with the wedding preparations. It was absurd.

  “You’re joking. How can you do that when I’m against the wedding?” I told my mother this morning over the phone after she mentioned they were looking for wedding dresses yesterday.

  “I told you that you would come to your senses and regret your decision to leave her. She’s such a sweet girl, Noah. There is no one better for you. And she loves you so much.”

  I rolled my eyes, exasperated with her. “Mom, this is my life. You can’t act like I don’t have a say in this. And the worst part is that Melanie’s avoiding me.”

  “Of course she’s avoiding you when you’re acting like this. Think about it, Noah. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you. You’re just getting a case of nerves, and it’s completely normal. Your father and I went through the same thing leading up to our wedding. At one point, I even thought he was going to run away the day of!”

  I didn’t know if I should laugh or feel hurt because my own mother didn’t know me.

  “This is not about some pre-wedding anxiety, mom. I know very well what I’m doing. It’s not a spur of the moment decision.”

  “Noah, if I didn’t know you better, I would say you’ve met someone new.”

  “And what if I have?”

  A sudden silence on her end didn’t sound good at all. “What do you mean?”

  “Have you maybe thought that there could be someone else I’m interested in?”

  At this, my mother got upset. “No. That can’t be, Noah. Melanie is your future wife! You can’t be looking at other women! That’s outrageous.”

  “I don’t agree with that, and to make it crystal clear to you—I refuse to take part in your ‘preparations’. For me, the wedding is off.”

  “Noah James. I swear to you, if you keep acting like this, I’ll disown you.”

  “You always say that when I do something you don’t like.”

  “But this time I mean it.”

  “You also said that a few times, Mom. Please, respect my choices.”

  “And you should respect your family.”

  With that, she ended the call, and I growled in frustration. My mother could be very stubborn when she wanted to be.

  I spent the rest of the day thinking about how I could convince Melanie to end our engagement while working my ass off to prepare everything for the grand hotel opening that was in a few days. The business was going great these last couple of months, and the figures were promising. If this trend continued, I would be able to open two more hotels in the near future, proving to those skeptical board members I knew the ropes.

  I was busy preparing for the meeting I was to have in an hour when my secretary came into my office and announced that Jessica had come to visit me.

  “Send her in,” I told her, surprised but also excited to have her here.

  Only now, I realized just how much I had missed her. I wanted to call her just to hear her voice, a few times too close to actually doing that, but I didn’t. I wasn’t sure I would be able to stay away from her if I did.

  Jessica entered, wearing black jeans and a baggy shirt, but even when she dressed casually, she still looked damn sexy. She’d curled her hair today, and it suited her very well. I wanted to feel those soft strands underneath my fingers and much more.

  “Jess. I’m so glad you came.”

  My legs carried me to her before I was even aware of moving, my hands reaching for her, but she stepped back, looking distant. She was hardly even looking at me.

  I halted mid-step. “Jess? What’s wrong?”

  She had her gaze fixed on the floor, shifting on her feet. “I just came here to tell you that we can’t do this.”

  My eyebrows furrowed. “We can’t do what?”

  She met my gaze. “We can’t be together.”

  She can’t be serious.

  “And why not?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? It’s because of Melanie.”

  “What’s the problem now? Didn’t we already discuss this?”

  “Yes, but then I thought better of it. Melanie… She came to my office today.”

  I flinched, my anger rising. “She did?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why the hell did she come to your office?”

  “She came to ask me
to take photos on your wedding.”

  Un-fucking-believable. For a moment, I saw red, so angry at Melanie that I had a sudden urge to hit a hard surface to get rid of this boiling tension in me. She was going overboard.

  “But there won’t be any wedding!” I started pacing, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I can’t believe her. She’s acting as if everything is okay between us.” I shook my head and looked at her.

  “I talked with her, and I explained to her that I don’t love her. I clearly told her I wanted to call our engagement off, but she refused to listen.”

  “Then why is she acting like this?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. She wants to marry me anyway, which I don’t understand at all. I’ve tried to reach her, but she’s been avoiding me these days. Either way, there won’t be any wedding. I swear to you. I won’t go through with it.”

  She scratched her neck, at conflict about something. “She… She mentioned your conversation. And she accused me of sleeping with you.”

  The hell?! “No. She can’t be serious.”

  “I told her there was nothing between us, and she dropped the subject, but I’m not sure she believed me.”

  I reached her and took her hands into mine, but she pulled them away right away, once more stepping away from me. I shook my hand, getting beyond frustrated.

  “It doesn’t matter what she thinks, Jessica. If thinking that way will make her feel better, then—”

  “It matters to me. I don’t want to be pegged as someone who sleeps with unavailable men.”

  “I understand, but her accusation doesn’t change a thing, and there is absolutely no need for you to feel bad. I never cheated on her, and that’s it. I’m just sorry that you’re caught up in this. Did she say anything else to you? Like why is she so adamant on getting married?”

  “She just said she won’t let go of you that easily. Frankly speaking, she seemed so obsessed in that moment. She said the marriage would benefit your families and you would soon realize you were mistaken for wanting to leave her.”

  “Well, she is wrong. I never loved her, and I don’t want to make us both unhappy. I felt bound by my father’s last wish, but the truth is that my father would want me happy first—before anything else. I can’t be happy with Melanie. I was never truly happy with her.”