by Nicole Snow
“Talk to me,” he says, remembering why we're here. “What's got you down? It's not the package from Brie, is it? I told you, after that fucking thing showed up, I've got Reed running everything that shows up in a box for you or me through the mail room. She's going to obey the restraining order I filed, too, or next time she'll be feeling security's teeth.”
“Ugh, no.” I wrinkle my nose, remembering the little surprise a couple days ago. It was a bottle of red wine with a label on it showing someone's middle finger. Or what we thought was red wine, until Hayden opened up the bottle in the kitchen and did a sniff test.
“Pig's blood, according to the lab,” he growls, shaking his head. “Unbelievable. Never doubt a scorned woman losing it. At least she's not crazy enough to kill a man.”
Not yet, anyway. I was so shaken after we realized what it was, I ran straight to the bathroom, and lost the expensive caviar he'd brought home for a little pre-dinner snack.
Hayden was good then, too. He held me on the floor, gently tucking my hair out of the way, bringing tissues and a glass of water to help me wipe away the vile taste. He swore up and down we'd never hear from her again, and he'd see to it.
I believed him. But I don't know if I believe he's doing it for any other reason than because he's a decent human being. I'm special in the sack, sure, the virgin girl who's helped him escape a financial meltdown. But will I, can I, ever be special in a bigger way?
“Speaking of scorned women...I don't want to be the next in line,” I say, narrowing my eyes.
“That makes two of us.” He chuckles, deep and rich and sexy as ever. “What are you getting at, love? You're dancing around a mountain taller than this tower.”
“It's the future, Hayden. I've given it a lot of thought, and I'm worried.” Two short sentences, and my mouth is already stinging like a scorpion crawled inside it. “What happens when Kayla drops the case and you're cleared to ride off into the sunset? When I'm several months pregnant, hiding from the press when I start to show, just like we talked about? When we're six or eight or twelve months into this, and it's time for me to go? What happens then?”
His expression flattens. He releases my hand and stands, walking to the window, keeping his back turned to me. My heart leaps into my throat and starts pounding, so loud I think Murphy can hear it, because my cat looks up with a yawn, his gold eyes searching mine.
Have I said too much? Jesus, I shouldn't have let anything slip. We could have kept enjoying ourselves, working through this deal, existing as two friends who were never meant to become lovers. Just helping each other out on some grand, cosmic scale.
Before Hayden, love was always important. I told myself it wouldn't be this time, but now I know I lied to myself. It looks like the emotional train wreck I feared from day one of our attraction has arrived.
“Hayden...” I get up and walk over, whispering his name. He doesn't turn.
Instead, he lifts his arm, holds it against the glass, and leaves it there. I can't blame him. He's looking out over his city, a sight that's about a hundred times better than the jumpy, hopeful woman behind him right about now.
“I don't know what to do with this,” he says softly. “You were supposed to be a glorified actress. Nothing more.”
I clear my throat, producing noise just to break the suffocating silence between us. “And now?”
He turns slowly, looking me up and down before he answers. There's that vulnerability again, the fragile state he banishes me to before he makes me feel safer than anything in his arms.
“I look at you, and I see my wife. Not the one I married for this ridiculous diversion meant to stop my step-mom from robbing me blind. It's the woman I always wanted.”
He opens his arms. It's a miracle I don't slide across the tile racing forward, crashing into him, and smiling as he scoops me up, holds me, and shelters me from my own nagging doubts.
“Jesus, Hayden. You mean...?” I can't bring myself to say it.
“Yeah. This might actually work.” That's all he says before he takes my lips, kissing me harder than before, a different sort of hunger moving his lips. “I can't make any big promises just yet. We should get to know each other outside the bedroom.”
I nod like my life depends on it. “Organically. That's how it's supposed to be.”
“Yes, but there's a certain protocol to these things, too. You said you have a sister, and a mom?”
“You really want to meet them?” I ask. My body tightens all over again, one more thing I never thought about setting off new chain reactions in my heart and mind.
“I'd better. If this is going to work long-term, then it's time your family became mine.”
“And vice versa,” I say, smiling. “When do I get to meet your brothers?”
“Luke?” His brow furrows. “Whenever the idiot cares enough to fly his plane east. Probably when he wants to sit down with me and the family financial adviser, whenever he needs a new distribution to support his Hollywood lifestyle. As for Grant, he never comes. We'll have to go out to New York to see him on Wall Street.”
“Wow, an actor and a tycoon. Jesus.” I'm not joking. The fact that this billionaire family has both reminds me just how much it's going to take to bridge the gap between my perfectly normal suburban upbringing and his.
Hayden rolls his beautiful blue eyes. “Luke's more like a wannabe. He hasn't landed any big roles yet, so you can hold off on asking for his autograph.”
“I don't care,” I say, hooking my hands below his collar, and tugging gently on his suit. “If he's your brother, I want to meet him, whenever that happens. Grant, too. In the meantime, I'll see what mom and Katie are doing next week.”
“Sounds like a plan.” His trademark smirk returns, but only for a couple seconds.
Next thing I know, we're kissing like mad, standing next to the window while a few more reds and greens appear, adding their colors to Chicago's white lights.
We're getting closer to Christmas. If this works out like I think it will, it's going to be the best one ever.
Mom looks completely unimpressed when we enter. She narrows her eyes, standing next to Katie and Will, under the massive tree with the silver tinsel in the Shaw Glass Tower's lobby.
Leaning into Hayden, I squeeze his arm, and whisper. “Remember what I said. She's a little cagey, but she's a good woman at heart. She put Will through the same test.”
“I think I can handle one old lady, love.” He smiles, patting my arm.
I'm thinking back to what poor Will went through the first time my sister brought him to a family dinner. Mom burned his steak to a crisp, and didn't serve him a fresh one until he'd finished choking half of it down, listening while he paid her a million false compliments. Mom laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.
Thankfully, we're going to the restaurant on the first floor, which means Hayden's people will be controlling the cooking tonight. Not much consolation when she sees us approaching, turns, and whispers something in Katie's ear that makes her eyes pop.
“So, you're Mr. Billionaire,” mom says, leaning on her black cane. “Not very impressive for a man who's probably fucked half the city. I don't know why, I guess I expected more.”
“Mother!” I'm aghast. Several men in suits walking past us do a double take. Who can blame them? It's not everyday a well dressed businessman sees a woman pushing seventy curse like a sailor.
“I assure you, Mrs. Silvers, I've only got a tenth of the city under my Casanova belt. My doctor told me I'd grow a few more feet if I hit the fifty percent mark, but it looks like I'm giving up on my giant dreams for your daughter.” Hayden never misses a beat. It's all the more impressive since I'm clinging to his shoulder like a scared cat.
Mom grins. Katie shoots Will a sharp look, and then me. We both wonder if we ought to pick up on that nursing home idea, or at least get her a refresher in manners.
“I like him already, Priscilla. Where's the meat?”
I'm still shaking
my head. Hayden puts one hand on my back, and holds out the other, welcoming us into his bustling eatery. “Right this way. The chef has everything on the menu tonight from filet mignon to prime angus with Pacific crab, Oscar style.”
“None of that fancy French crap for me, thank you very much. I hope they've got a ribeye, bloody as the day my girls came out of me.”
“Mom!” Katie and I both yell it. Hayden and Will shake hands, smiling like two men about to go to the gallows.
Half an hour later, we're on our first drinks, and finishing our appetizers. Mom doesn't complain too much about the fondue. It's rich and cheesy, at least, which is about what it takes to keep her happy. Roughly the extent of her culinary limits, too.
“Penny tells me you were an army nurse,” Hayden says, looking mom's way, taking another pull from his scotch. He's on his second since dinner started, and I don't blame him. It's amazing how well put together he is, facing down the dragon that's my mother.
“That's right. Did she also tell you about the lives I saved? Never war time, of course – the big one was over by the time I was shipped there – but we kept the peace. Came home with my unit's Cold War record. Sure, there were about a hundred penicillin shots to the pee pee for every man who stepped on a forgotten land mine over there. But you know how that goes.”
“Seriously, don't get her started,” Katie says, shaking her head as she sips her wine. “She'll talk your ear off about her days in Korea.”
“Well, I have to talk about something besides how many counters I cleaned before my baby's nap. No offense,” she adds, almost as an afterthought. Mom never hesitates to bark back at my sister, an unrepentant career woman.
Inwardly, I cringe, knowing it won't be long before I'm on the receiving end of her barbs, especially if I don't pick up a new job or hobby after marrying the billionaire. “Lord knows I love that little boy,” she says, patting Katie's cheek. “When are you two going to get started?”
She picks up her fork and points, first to me, and then to Hayden. “When Michael came home to his factory job and we got ourselves a house, we spent every damned day with our clothes off. Why, the neighbors, they thought we'd brought a couple of those pet monkeys home with us from the service, the kind you used to see perched on every serviceman's shoulder when he was playing cards on those island rendezvous in the Philippines.”
“Mom – please!” I'm covering my ears. Hayden's lips are half-split in amusement. I can't tell if he's laughing. I don't dare risk taking down my cover too quickly, and finding out if mom is going to keep talking about the wild sex she had with my father.
“Okay, okay,” she says. “Got it. Wouldn't want to make this boy who's been in the local gossip rags a hundred times uncomfortable.”
She winks at my very zen looking man.
“I appreciate your service, ma'am. Wild post-war monkey sex, and all.” Hayden winks back. It's so absurd, I start laughing, and soon Katie and Will are joining me. Mom is the last one to fall.
Our food shows up, and we're still wiping our eyes. Mom elbows poor Will in the side, causing him to choke on his cocktail. “Where's your sense of humor, boy? Did you lose that part of you when Chris came out of my little girl?”
“Um, I'm sorry, Melody. You know I'm not much of a comedian.” He puts on his best strained smile, a few degrees from melting underneath my mother's bored look.
“If we're going to be busting balls at this table, I'd love another helping,” Hayden cuts in, saving my brother-in-law. Heaven help him, he doesn't have a clue what he's getting into.
“Oh, really?” Mom smiles, stabbing her fork into her rib-eye. “I'd love to know why you gave up your tomcatting ways for my Priscilla. She's a lovely girl, sure, but she doesn't seem like your type. How'd you two meet?”
Everybody's eyes go to Hayden. I haven't been this nervous since our improvised wedding. Katie smiles, suddenly on mom's side. She was more upset than anyone about the abrupt marriage.
“Classic boy meets girl story, Mrs. Silvers. We ran into each other on a train. I lost my phone. Got it back a few days later, with a few new messages Penny sent to my ex, wondering what I wanted in a woman.”
I'm going to die. He wasn't supposed to tell the truth!
Mom laughs, slaps the table, and swallows a big hunk of meat. “Priscilla Angelica! I'm surprised at you. Surprised, and delighted. Didn't know you had it in you, hun. And here I thought you'd spend the rest of your life on dates that never went anywhere, rolling the cat fur off your sweaters just long enough to go out with those duds who ain't much to look at, and even less to talk to. See, what did I tell you? A little spunk goes a long way. Men hate boring.”
Rolling my eyes, I give Hayden a pleading looks. Please, forgive me.
“Wise words, Mrs. Shaw. Penny's antics caught my attention. I'd have been a fool to stay away.” Smiling, he grabs my hand, holds it up, and plants a kiss on my skin. “Fate does strange things sometimes.”
“It does. And please, call me Melody.” Mom chews into her steak, enjoying it so much she barely touches her straight whiskey through the meal. Next to her, Will stirs uncomfortably, and Katie gives him a sympathetic look. It took almost a year for them to get on a first name basis.
I'm almost ashamed to admit this is going well – at least by some hellish definition of 'well.' Katie and I share a look. I can tell she's a little bit wounded mom seems to be getting along better with Hayden then her own dopey husband.
“So, Katie, where's Chris today? You should have brought him along to meet Hayden,” I say, razzing her while I try to diffuse any more explosions, before they happen.
“He's with the sitter. This place seems a little too nice for a bouncing baby, anyway. I wouldn't want him to throw up all over the cherry wood table, or choke on the shrimp scampi.”
“Bring him next time,” Hayden says. “We've been working to make this place more family friendly over the last year. I'd love it if you've got any suggestions.”
“Gladly. If we can think of anything, we'll let you know, Hayden.” Katie gives him a tense smile. Then she looks at me, the claws coming out. “You never answered mom's question, sis. When are you guys going to start working on giving your nephew a cousin?”
My jaw drops. I quickly lift my drink, another non-alcoholic cider, wishing it could get me drunk to hide the betrayal coloring my face. Hot, red shame burns through my face. I still haven't gotten over the fact that we've been doing nothing except a whole lot of expedited baby making.
“A lot sooner than you think.” Hayden takes my hand in his, answering for me. “Jokes aside, I'm all in. I love this woman. I know it's fast, know it's crazy, but I don't give a damn. Soon as I decided to put my ring on her finger, we were going all the way. Hope you're ready for another grandkid in the next year, Melody. My genes make them happen fast.”
Holy. Shit.
It's not just the hundredth laugh tonight rolling off mom's tongue that makes me tremble. He said the L-word, said it to me, here in front of everyone. Whatever game he's playing to get them off my back aside, I know he was serious. He isn't just putting them on.
I drain my cider, clenching his hand tighter, trying to stop the tears nipping at the corners of my eyes. Across the table, Katie glowers at me, so angry her mischief was thwarted, it takes Will's back rub to keep her from sending another volley my way.
“You know what, Hayds? You're a good man. Don't care what anybody says.” Mom nods matter-of-factly. Hayden's smile doesn't even waver, despite her latching onto the nickname he hates. “You got yourself a good one, Priscilla. Don't screw it up.”
Like I ever would. I'm squeezing his fingers so tight in mine, my knuckles are white.
A couple waiters drop by to refill our water and pick up our empty plates. Mom notices how hard I'm trying to keep my feelings in, and softens her eyes when they meet mine. She smiles. Tender and unspoken, giving me her silent approval, just how it's always been.
“Hope you found the steak to your liking,
Melody?” Hayden asks, draining the last of his scotch. He deserves the victory lap, considering he's won her over in record time.
“One of the best, and no, I'm not busting your balls. If you're good for anything besides making my daughter happy, it's showing me a place in this city that knows how to cook like the olden days. I'll be coming back.” She pauses, wiping her mouth with the tablecloth, smothering a burp before she throws it down in a rumpled mess. “Now, let's see the dessert menu.”
“Well?” I ask him later, biting my lip, when we're heading back to the elevator after sending my family off in a cab.
“I like her, of course. They're good people, Penny.”
Sweet relief. I let out the breath I've been holding in since dinner, leaning into him, all the better to breathe Hayden and his high end cologne.
“It won't always be like today. Once she warms up to people, she stops needling them. It's a test, of sorts. As long as you let her gross humor roll off your back, and compliment her cooking, you're in.”
“I'm sure it's lovely. I respect a gal who tries in the kitchen. That's something I never had growing up, with mother's absence. My father pawned our meals off on the professionals he hired. Always well prepared, perfect, and completely soulless.”
“Then I need to make you my chocolate dipped, chocolate chip, chocolate-chocolate cookies. Assuming you're not worried it's going to mess with your trim figure, of course.” Smiling, I reach out and jab him in the belly. Not that my fingers get very far in the rock hard wall with one percent belly fat he calls his abs.
“You kidding? It's Christmas, love. Time to pig out without any second thoughts – especially when you're going to start eating for two any time now.” He wraps his arm around my waist, bringing his hand to my comparatively much softer belly, spreading his fingers across it.
I'm amazed, reminded what we're doing, and dangerously turned on all at once. “Tell me you don't have to go back to work this evening.”
