Picture Perfect: A Second Chance Secret Baby Romance

by Krista Carleson

  She ran her hand over her face. “I don’t know, Noah. I felt so bad. Even though her accusation was false, it hurt hearing that from her.”

  “I know, Jess, but I guess she’s just not able to understand that I don’t love her, so she’s looking for excuses. But she’ll get over it. She has to. Our engagement was a mistake from the very beginning, but you helped me remember I’m in control of my own life. Not my family, not Melanie, but me. And I won’t waste any more of my time on pleasing others.”

  I tried reaching for her again, and this time, she didn’t recoil. This time she let me catch and hold her hand, and as much as I longed for more, I had to control myself. The silky feel of her skin against mine made my blood boil, reminding me of the night in her hotel room I could never forget. She was so passionate, and I needed to have that again.

  “I’ll talk to her again, but this time I won’t let her do as she pleases. I will make sure she understands there won’t be anything between us.”

  I squeezed her hand in reassurance and let go of her, having a hard time controlling myself. “I promise.”

  She sighed, clutching her purse. “Everything’s so complicated. I don’t want to have high expectations only to get hurt again. Are you sure you don’t feel anything for her? Are you sure that leaving her is a good decision?”

  “I’m sure. More than ever. And I won’t let Melanie or anyone else destroy our chance to be together. I want to be with you, Jess. I want that so badly that I can barely keep myself away from you. So no matter what Melanie says, don’t let her get to you. I won’t give up on us.”

  “But how will you talk with her if she’s avoiding you?”

  “She will be at the hotel opening. She has to be. Public appearances are good for her and her family, so she can’t miss it. And she won’t be able to run away from me there.”

  I cast a smile at her. “Just to make sure, are you coming to the hotel opening? Please, come.”

  Slowly, her lips formed a smile, and I was relieved. With Jessica, I felt like I was walking on a thin ice and any wrong movement could make me lose her. I couldn’t let that happen. This thing with Melanie was getting old, and it was high time I resolved everything with her.

  “I will come. I’m still not sure if it’s bad or not, but I’ll be there.”

  I returned her smile. “It’ll be fine, Jess. You’ll see. Believe me. I’ll email you the address and the time.”

  I escorted her out of the office before I headed to my meeting, feeling calmer than earlier in the day. As I walked behind her on our way to the elevators, my eyes slid down to her ass, wanting her badly. I had to be patient just a little longer. After this was over with Melanie, I would take my time with Jessica. I would show her real pleasure.

  “Well, then,” she said when she got inside the elevator, turning around to face me. “See you in a few days.”

  “I can’t wait.” I smirked at her, and her eyes flashed with lust. Good. This meant she wasn’t immune to me either. “See you.”

  The elevator doors closed, and I punched the air in triumph, forgetting I was in the office. I glanced around, but thankfully there was no one who witnessed it, and I grinned. The hotel opening couldn’t come fast enough.

  11

  Jessica

  * * *

  The last several days were a mix of anticipation and doubts. Angie noticed I wasn’t acting like my usual self, but I wasn’t ready to talk about Noah yet. I was thinking about Maya and her happiness. I couldn’t think only about myself but my daughter as well, so I wasn’t sure if I had made a huge mistake when I accepted to come to Noah’s hotel opening.

  I went to his office thinking it would be the last time I ever saw him, but my resolve to stop seeing him crumbled the moment our eyes met. He sounded so sure of his decision to leave Melanie, his eyes ablaze with conviction, and it just touched the deepest parts of me. At that moment, I was back in that hotel room in Australia when I felt like I had finally met the right guy.

  So I decided to make a leap of faith and see if fate dealt us different cards this time.

  I arrived at the address Noah had emailed me a half an hour before the opening, feeling out of my element being at a place that was designed for the extremely affluent. I walked around the hall, admiring the interior design, and reached the courtyard that contained a grand fountain and a mini-park.

  I couldn’t stay in one place, expecting to see Noah any time soon. A couple of minutes later, he appeared in the lobby, and my throat went dry. I gave him a quick once-over, admiring the way he looked in his Armani suit, but before I could make my way to him, Melanie joined him out of nowhere and linked her arm with his.

  I grew sick instantly, a blend of jealousy and betrayal nagging at me. I was simmering with anger because I hadn’t expected to see them together, but then I spotted the expression on Noah’s face. He wasn’t happy, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but next to Melanie.

  Melanie was the first to spot me. “Jessica!” she squealed and approached me, her high heels clicking on the marble floor. She cocked her head to the side, wearing a half-smile. “It’s good to see you, but what are you doing here?”

  Her stare was too inquisitive, and now I saw just how suspicious my presence might be to her. I would be suspicious in her place too.

  I glanced at Noah, who stopped next to her, his eyes a bit darker than usual as they went over my body in a medium-length flowery dress.

  “I asked her to take photos of the opening,” he clarified to her. “Hello, Jessica.”

  “Hi,” I replied, his intense stare making the temperature in the lobby a few degrees higher.

  “Why not someone else but Jessica?” Melanie asked. “I thought you did only weddings and engagements.”

  “Because she really knows her job,” Noah replied at the same time as I said, “From time to time, I do a different kind of events too.”

  “I see,” she said, watching me with hooded eyes. “How’s work been lately?”

  “It’s been good. It’s the wedding season, so I’m a bit busy these days.”

  “Just don’t overwork yourself. Remember to get enough rest.” She winked at me. “It’ll keep you looking your best.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Good. We aren’t getting any younger, so rest is super-important for those wrinkles!”

  “I guess you get a plenty of rest because you have a perfect skin,” I attempted small talk, which I sucked at.

  She batted her eyelashes at me. “Oh, those are just genes, honey.” She looked over at a few guests who had arrived. “And now if you’ll excuse me. I have to greet some friends.”

  Noah and I watched her leave, the tension between us getting thicker. I didn’t miss the way she looked between Noah and me. She was suspicious of me, alright.

  “I didn’t want to come with her, but my mother insisted because of the press.”

  “Yes, I know how the media works and that you have to take care of your reputation. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

  “But why do I feel like I have to?”

  “I should start working,” I said.

  He reached for me, but then he froze, remembering we were at a public place. He lowered his hand, looking around us, and I glanced at Melanie, who thankfully wasn’t even looking our way.

  “I’ll talk with Melanie after the event.”

  I nodded. “I know. See you later.”

  I felt his gaze on my back as I walked over to where I left the bag with my equipment, and I felt my breathing increasing.

  “Okay, Jess. Focus,” I muttered into my chin. “Act cool. You can do this.”

  More guests arrived, and Noah went to greet them. It was clear he was in his element, charming and influential, which was rather hot. I tore my gaze away, realizing I was ogling at him, and got my camera ready. It was work time.

  * * *

  The next few hours passed quickly as I went from one spot to another, taking vario
us shots of guests. My blood hummed each time I took a photo of Noah with other people, my eyes solely on him. It was hard to maintain composure when he was in front of me. Occasionally, he would wink or smile at me before I took a shot, which was only distracting me more, and I was doing a lousy job of hiding it.

  After Noah’s conference ended, I was able to take a break, and I slipped out of the conference room to go to the restroom. I nodded at a few guests who passed next to me and proceeded down a long and empty hall to the nearest restroom.

  Out of the blue, I heard a moan, and I stopped in my tracks, listening attentively to my surroundings to determine where the sound had come from. Another moan followed by the sounds of kissing spread through the hallway. I reached the corner, getting closer to the source.

  I knew I shouldn’t be prying into this, but my curiosity was peaked. I poked my head around the wall and barely stifled a gasp when I saw Melanie kissing another man in the secluded corner. I whipped my head back, my heart hammering in my chest as I processed what the hell I’d just seen. I couldn’t believe I just saw Melanie making out with another guy. I couldn’t believe it!

  “Ah, Jacob,” Melanie said and moaned again.

  “I’d take you right here if I could, babes,” the guy said, and I cringed. “Damn, I love your tits.” Hmmm.

  I looked around the corner once more, grimacing at his hand on her breast while she ground against him. They were pretty much at it, so they didn’t even notice me.

  I moved a few steps away from them, just in case, shocked by what I was seeing.

  I couldn’t believe her. She even accused Noah of cheating on her—insisting on the marriage—when in fact she was cheating on him all the time!

  Glancing at my phone in my hand, I came up with an idea. I set the phone on silent mode and turned on my camera, moving as quietly as possible as I leaned around the wall. I took several pics, each photo showing their faces, and pulled back. I was going to show these photos to Noah, so he could know who Melanie really was.

  With this proof, she wouldn’t be able to pressure Noah into marrying her, and he could finally end things between them.

  “Noah is still at the conference room,” I heard Melanie say. “So we can sneak out now and go to your place.” Say what?

  “Sure. Let’s do that.”

  Oh no. I had to move. I dashed away, hoping my steps weren’t loud enough for them to hear me, disgusted that she was doing this behind Noah’s back. For how long had she been cheating on him? I glanced over my shoulder to see if they were behind me, but they had gone in a different direction, and I slowed down, exhaling a sigh of relief.

  Returning to the hall with guests, I saw Noah deep in conversation with some investors. I didn’t want to disturb him now, so this would have to wait until tomorrow.

  I would expose Melanie and show these photos to Noah first thing in the morning.

  12

  Noah

  * * *

  “Damien, please send me those reports by noon,” I told one of the managers over the phone, looking at my computer screen filled with profit statistics for the last quarter. Statistics. If there was anything I despised, this was it. However, they were the key to my success, so I couldn’t really bitch about them.

  The hotel opening was a success, and I met with various new investors who were interested in doing business with my company, which wasn’t surprising because I could be pretty much convincing and charming when I wanted to. At this rate, I would be able to expand my hotel network to a new state, which would happen much sooner than I had thought. Dear board members, take that.

  The news articles were praising the company, congratulating me on the successful opening of another high-end hotel and predicting that the future of my company would be even brighter. I never gave a fuck about the media, but if there was something that I learned after I inherited my father’s business, it was that they were a powerful tool if they were on our side.

  And I liked using them to their full potential.

  “Of course,” Damien told me. “Anything else?”

  “I won’t be able to attend the meeting with the CEO of the Arexa company, so make sure I get a detailed report afterward.”

  “Alright.”

  “That would be all.”

  I ended the call and was about to make another—already fed up with so many necessary phone calls—when my secretary stepped into my office.

  “Yes?”

  “Miss Diaz is here to see you.”

  Jessica. She called me last night and told me she had to tell me something important about Melanie, so we agreed to meet at my office.

  “Send her right in.”

  Yesterday, I didn’t even manage to talk to her, and by the time I finished with an impromptu meeting I had after the opening, she was already gone. Melanie also wasn’t there. In fact, I hadn’t seen her at all during the opening, which was odd.

  “Hello, Noah,” Jessica greeted me with a smile and closed the door behind her.

  “Jess,” I stood up and went over to her. We ended in a hug, and this time she didn’t step away from me, allowing me to hold her. I closed my eyes and tightened my arms around her, reveling in the feel of her in my arms. I could hold her like this the whole day and more. Fuck, she was seriously affecting me.

  “Take a seat,” I told her and went over to my desk.

  “Thanks.” She sat across from me and crossed her legs in a skirt. I glanced at her exposed thigh and swallowed with difficulty when I met her gaze.

  “I want to thank you for a great job yesterday. I received your photos this morning, and my assistant has already sent them to various news outlets.”

  “You’re welcome. It was nice taking photos of a hotel opening for a change. You really did a great job with that hotel. This lifestyle suits you.”

  “You really think that?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s interesting. My whole life I was against joining my father’s company. I even thought I would refuse to take my father’s place in it. But as much as I don’t like it, at the same time, I enjoy making my dad’s empire even bigger.”

  “It’s good to hear that. Then maybe being a businessman is not all bad.”

  “Not at all. So what it is that you wanted to talk about?”

  “This isn’t easy to say, but I’ll be direct with you. Yesterday, after your conference, I went on a break, and I saw Melanie kissing another guy.”

  I raised my eyebrows, surprised by this unexpected news. “Melanie was with another guy?”

  “Yep. I even took a few pictures of them. Here.” She took her phone and showed the screen to me. It displayed a photo of Melanie and a guy I didn’t recognize necking. Jessica showed me the rest of the pictures—each one of them more compromising than the other. I didn’t feel anything looking at them but a mixture of betrayal and relief. And to think I had proposed to this person, ignoring my gut instincts.

  I was left speechless, musing on how persistent Melanie had been to get married. She told me she loved me, what a joke that was. Now all those times when she went missing without an explanation came in to my mind, and the whole picture started getting clearer.

  She was cheating on me all that time.

  “The last thing I heard before I walked away was that Melanie suggested him to sneak out with her and go to his place.”

  I snorted, a bitter smile forming on my lips. “Unbelievable. She was acting all that time. All those times when she told me she loved me… Then wanting to marry me at all costs… How did I not realize what kind of person she was sooner?”

  She reached over my desk and placed her hand over mine. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You know I don’t feel anything for her. I just regret wasting part of my life with her in the first place. I should never have accepted to marry her.”

  I put my other hand over hers. “I’m not mad or anything. In fact, I’m relieved because now I can settle things with Melanie once and for all. Thi
s time she won’t be able to dodge this.”

  She looked at our connected hands, a tender smile decorating her face. “So what are you going to do now?”

  “I’m going to confront her. Can you send those pictures to my email?”

  “Sure.”

  “Great. I’ll show her the pictures and end this sham of an engagement. If she tries to make things harder for me, I’ll threaten to expose her publicly.”

  “I just still can’t believe that she would’ve done something like that to you. That day in my office, she looked so upset that for a moment I believed her. I believed that you two should be together.”

  “I’m surprised as well. I always thought she was a good girl, always a goody-two-shoes, but appearances can be deceiving, obviously.”

  “It’s unbelievable. And to think that you’re supposed to marry her…”

  “Not anymore.” I took her by her hand. “Thank you for this, Jess.”

  “Don’t mention it. It’s the least I could do.”

  “Look, go home, and we’ll talk later. I’ll call Melanie now.”

  “Okay. Let me send you the photos first.” She tapped something on her screen. “Done. I sent the photos to your email.”

  “Great.” I stood up to see her out, getting more and more impatient to be with her.

  I felt free. I felt no more regrets about not respecting my father’s wish. I couldn’t marry someone like Melanie, and if my dad was alive, he would feel the same way.

  As soon as Jessica left, I dialed Melanie’s number, half-expecting her to avoid my call again. But not this time. Even if she didn’t answer the call, I would track her wherever she was and come face to face with her.

  She responded after the fourth ring. “Noah?”

  “Hello, Melanie.”