“We’ll videotape it and post it on YouTube,” Nick said, earning him an elbow in the side from his fiancée. It also reminded him that they would need to hire a photographer, which then had him wondering if the studio that did the company’s promotional shoots did weddings, too.
“Nicky, where’s your laptop?” his mom asked.
“On my desk. Why?”
“With only two weeks, Terri and I need to start planning this thing right now. We have to pick out your colors and find a florist and I know just the place to get the cake.” She exhaled a long-winded sigh. “There’s so much to do!”
“But Mom…”
Ignoring Nick, she grabbed Terri by the arm and all but dragged her in the direction of Nick’s office. Terri looked back over her shoulder, shrugging helplessly. So much for having a little premarital fun.
On the bright side, he doubted that after tonight they would be uncomfortable kissing and touching, so convincing his family that they were crazy about each other would be a breeze. And he was willing to bet that until he got her alone and into his bed, touching her again was all he would be able to think about.
* * *
Though Nick would have preferred to announce their engagement himself, his mom called his sisters, and his sisters called their cousins, and after that the news went viral. So it was no surprise when Tony and Rob cornered him as he was on his way to the test kitchen the next Monday morning.
“Is it true?” Rob asked.
“If you’re referring to my engagement, then yes, it’s true.”
Tony gestured them into a room that wasn’t much more than a glorified closet.
Oh, boy, here we go, Nick thought, doubting they were there for a friendly chat.
Boxes of old files lined metal shelves on either side and the air smelled musty. Tony switched on the light and shut the door behind them. “This seems awfully convenient, don’t you think?”
Nick frowned, playing dumb. “What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
“You’ve been friends with Terri for all these years,” Rob said, “and you just happen to pick now to ask her to marry you?”
Nick leaned against a shelf and it shifted slightly under his weight. “What are you suggesting?”
“You know damn well what he’s suggesting,” Tony said. “And I don’t think a marriage of convenience is what Nonno had in mind.”
“I don’t recall him ever saying that.”
Rob shot him a look. “It was implied, and you know it. He wants us all to settle down and have big families. Lots of male heirs to carry on the Caroselli name.”
“I love Terri,” he said, which wasn’t a lie. He just wasn’t in love with her.
“Is she pregnant?” Rob asked.
With such a short engagement, he had the feeling he’d be getting that question a lot. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no, she isn’t. Not yet.”
“Then why the big hurry to get hitched?” Tony said.
Though his family had many good qualities, they sure could be nosy.
“Again, not that it’s any of your business, but we want to start a family right away, and we want to be married first,” he said, using the explanation Terri had given his mom last night, which was truly brilliant because none of it was untrue. They just left out a few pertinent facts.
Tony didn’t look convinced. “Yeah, but two weeks is pretty fast, don’t you think?”
“Terri is almost thirty and she has a ticking biological clock. And you know why I’m in a hurry.”
Tony lowered his voice, even though they were alone. “Does she know about the money?”
Nick grinned. “What’s the matter? Are you jealous that I’m going to get my cut of the money first?”
“Don’t forget, it has to be a male heir,” Rob said. “It could take more than one try. You could end up with three or four kids.”
Of course, having a girl was a possibility, and whether or not they decided to ride it out and try again would be up to Terri.
“I think I speak for Rob when I say that we’ve always really liked Terri. And if either of us finds out you only married her so she’ll have your offspring, and you hurt her, I will personally kick your ass.”
Hurting her was definitely not on the agenda. They both knew exactly what they were getting into. What could go wrong?
“Honestly, Tony, I figured you would be making an announcement soon, too,” Nick said. “You and Lucy have been together a long time now.”
A nerve in Tony’s jaw ticked. “It would have been a year in December.”
“Would have been?” Rob asked.
“We split up.”
“When?”
“Last week.”
“Dude,” Nick said. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Tony shrugged. “It didn’t seem worth mentioning.”
Nick couldn’t say he was surprised. Lucy was never what anyone would consider a devoted girlfriend. In all the time they were together, she had been to no more than two or three family functions, and Tony rarely mentioned her. They seemed to lead very separate lives. “What happened?”
“I honestly don’t know. I thought everything was fine, then I stopped by her place after work one night and she was gone. Her roommate said she moved back to Florida.”
Rob shook his head in amazement. “Without saying a word?”
Tony shrugged again, but underneath the stoic facade, he was tense. Nick could feel it. “If there was a problem, she never mentioned it to me.”
“I’m really sorry, man,” Nick said.
“It’s her loss.”
Though Tony would never come right out and say it, Nick could tell that deep down he was hurting. But neither he nor Rob pushed the subject.
The door to the room opened and all three jumped like little boys caught playing with matches. A woman Nick didn’t recognize stood in the open doorway, looking as surprised to see them as they were to see her. She was in her mid-forties, with short, stylish dark hair peppered with gray and striking blue eyes. She was very attractive for a woman her age, and there was something oddly familiar about her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone was in here,” she said, looking nervously at them.
“It’s okay,” Tony said. “We were just talking.”
She retreated a step. “I can come back.”
“It’s okay,” Nick said, shooting his cousins a look. “We’re finished.”
“Nick, I don’t think you’ve met Rose Goldwyn. Her mom, Phyllis, worked as Nonno’s secretary for years, up until he retired.”
“For almost twenty years,” Rose said.
Nick was struck with a distinct mental picture of a youngish, attractive woman seated outside Nonno’s office. That was why she looked familiar.
“I remember your mom,” Nick said. “You look like her.”
She smiled. “That’s what everyone says.”
“How is she doing?”
“Unfortunately mom passed away this September,” Rose said. “Cancer.”
“I’m so sorry. I remember that she was always smiling, and gave me and my sisters candy whenever we visited Nonno at his office.”
“She always loved working here. Being here makes me feel a little closer to her.”
“And we’re happy to have you,” Tony said.
“I heard this morning that you’re getting married soon,” she told Nick. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. You should come.”
“Me?” she said, looking surprised.
“Sure. At Caroselli Chocolate, we like to think of our employees as extended family. I’ll tell my fiancée to put you on the guest list. It’s a week from this coming Saturday.”
“I’ll definitely be there,” she said.
“Gentlemen, why don’t we get out of her way,” Tony said, nodding toward the door.
“Nice to have met you,” Nick said, shaking her hand.
They headed back down
the hall in the direction of the kitchen, and when they turned the corner Nick asked, “When did we hire her?”
“A few weeks ago. We didn’t actually need anyone, but because of the family history, they found a place for her in accounting. When she saw the condition of the file room, she offered to scan in the old files and take us completely digital.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Nick said. “But isn’t there a lot of sensitive information in there?”
Tony shrugged. “Mostly old financial records and employee files. Maybe some marketing materials. Nothing top secret.”
“No old recipes?”
“Not that I know of. Why, do you think she’s a spy?”
Corporate espionage certainly wasn’t unheard of, especially with a world-renowned product like Caroselli Chocolate. “Doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”
Nick’s cell phone rang and his mom’s number popped up on the screen. “Sorry, I have to take this,” he said, then told Tony, “If you need to talk…”
Tony nodded. Enough said.
Even if they weren’t buying his story—because in all honesty, if the tables were turned he would have the same suspicions—Nick doubted they would rat him out to Nonno. Still, he planned to keep up the charade. If anyone else figured out that the marriage was a sham, it could definitely mean trouble.
“Hey, Mom, what’s up?” he answered.
“White lilies or pink roses?”
“Excuse me?”
“Which do you prefer?” she said, sounding impatient, as if he should have known what she meant. “I’m at the florist with Terri and we can’t decide between the lilies and the roses.”
Not only did he not know the difference, he didn’t care, either. “If you like them, why not pick both?”
“That’s what I suggested, but she says it would be too expensive.”
“And I told her that I didn’t care what it costs. To get what she likes.”
“Then you talk to her. She won’t listen to me.”
He heard muffled voices, then Terri came on the line. “Nick, the flowers are going to be really expensive.”
He sighed. She was frugal to a fault. “It doesn’t matter. Get whatever you want.”
She lowered her voice. “For a fake wedding? I already feel horrible about this.”
“Why?”
“Because your mom and your sisters are so excited. I feel like we’re deceiving them.”
“We are getting married, aren’t we?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Well, it’s too late to back out now,” Nick said.
There was a pause, and he wondered if she actually was reconsidering her decision. Then she said, “I guess you’re right.”
“And, Terri, get the flowers you want, regardless of the cost, okay? As long as we’re married, what’s mine is yours.”
“Okay. I have to go, I’ll call you later,” she said. Then the line went dead.
They weren’t doing anything wrong, so why did he get the feeling Terri still had doubts?
Five
Terri rummaged through her toiletries bag, checking off in her mind everything she would need for their honeymoon. When she was sure she had all the essentials, she zipped the bag and laid it in her suitcase. If she had forgotten something, she could pick it up when they got to the resort in Aruba.
She never realized just how much planning went into a wedding—even one as small as hers and Nick’s—and thank goodness his mom and sisters were more than happy to tend to the details, leaving Terri time to finish up a high-profile web design job that was due to be completed while they were in the middle of their honeymoon. And since they already had to cut their trip short to be home in time for Thanksgiving, she doubted Nick would appreciate her bringing work with her. Which translated into five consecutive eighteen-hour days in front of the computer, until she was sure her eyes would start bleeding.
Nick had been developing a new product—one so top secret he couldn’t even tell her about it—that they hoped to have in production before Easter, so he had been just as busy. Other than brief, nightly phone conversations to keep him up-to-date on the wedding progress, in which one or both of them started to doze off, their contact was minimal. They’d even had to skip their weekly Thursday dinner.
They hadn’t discussed practicing for their wedding night since that evening in his kitchen, but it was never far from her mind, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been thinking about it, as well. Had he been having sex dreams about her, too? Fantasizing about their first time when he was supposed to be working?
When they finally did get a free night together the Wednesday before the wedding it was too late. According to her doctor it was best to refrain from sex at least five days before she ovulated, to keep Nick’s sperm count high, which would make conception more likely. So after a short make-out session that only heightened the sexual tension, they decided it would be safer if they kept their hands to themselves until their wedding night. He helped her pack instead, which included dismantling her entire computer system so she could set up an office at his place. Then later, as they were relaxing by the fire, Nick got down on one knee and pretend-proposed—to give her the full experience, he’d said—but the four-carat, princess-cut diamond solitaire he slid on her ring finger was very real and stunningly beautiful, and hers to keep as a token of his affection even after they divorced.
While she thought it was a sweet gesture, it was a little heartbreaking that the best she could do in thirty years was a fake marriage proposal. But she knew he meant well. It wasn’t his fault that she had lousy luck with men.
“All packed?” Nick asked from the bedroom doorway, and she turned to find him leaning casually against the jamb, thumbs hooked in the front pockets of his jeans.
“I think I may have over-packed,” she said, tugging at the zipper in an effort to close the bulging case.
“You really think I’m going to let you wear clothes?” he said with one of those sizzling grins that made her heart flutter and her face hot. And though she probably wouldn’t have noticed a couple weeks ago, in faded jeans that were ripped at the knees and a white T-shirt that enhanced his dark complexion, he looked sexy as hell. When they had first hatched this plan, the idea of sleeping with him wasn’t just unusual, it really scared her. She didn’t want their relationship to change. But then he’d kissed her, and touched her, and other than the fact that she was itching to get her hands on him and she couldn’t wait to jump his bones, she didn’t feel any differently about him than she had before. They were friends, and they were going to have sex—simple as that.
According to her temperature she should have started ovulating today, but the test she took this morning was negative. If the test had been positive, she didn’t doubt that they would have consummated their marriage tonight, tradition be damned. And if she didn’t start ovulating tomorrow? After two weeks of anticipating their first time making love, could they really hold out another day or two? She might have to say to hell with it and jump him, anyway.
“Anything you still need to do for tomorrow?” he asked. He’d already perfected his new recipe that would go through taste testing and marketing and whatever else they did with a new product, so they were free to spend the next five days relaxing and enjoying each other’s company.
“I talked to your mom a couple hours ago and it sounds as if they have everything covered. I seriously don’t know what I would have done without them. And I can’t help feeling guilty.”
“Why?”
“If they knew we’re going to be getting divorced as soon as we have the baby, do you really think they would have spent all this time, and gone through all this trouble?”
“If we were getting married for real, who’s to say it wouldn’t end in divorce, anyway? There are no guarantees, Terri.”
She knew that, but it still felt underhanded. Their current circumstance aside, she would never marry a man if she thought the relationship might
end in divorce. Of course, would anyone? And there were definite advantages to being married, even if it was only pretend. It meant having someone to talk to without picking up the phone, and not eating dinner alone in front of the television watching Seinfeld reruns.
The best part, though, was that having Nick’s baby meant always having someone to love—and someone to love her—unconditionally. Though her aunt had probably done her best raising Terri, she hadn’t been much of a kid person. She’d never had children of her own, much less expected to have a great-niece she’d never even met dumped in her care. It had been a lonely way to grow up, but when the baby was born, Terri would never be lonely again. She would give her child all the love and affection her aunt had failed to show her. Terri would never make her child feel as if he was inconsequential. She wouldn’t travel abroad for weeks at a time and leave him in the care of a nanny. She would be a good mom, and she hoped Nick would be a good dad. Either way, she had enough love to give for both of them.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Should I be?”
“I hear that brides often are the day before their wedding.”
Well, she wasn’t a typical bride. “I’m just hoping everything goes well.”
“Did my mom say what the final guest count will be?” Nick asked.
“Forty-eight.”
“That’s not bad. Maybe we’ll get lucky and my dad won’t show.”
It broke her heart that Nick and his dad were so at odds. He didn’t realize how lucky he was to have both his parents, even if they could be trying at times. She would have given anything to have her dad back. Her mom died when Terri was a baby, and it was harder to miss something she never really had, but she still regretted not getting to know her.
“I’m sure he’ll behave,” she told Nick. Or at least she hoped he would. His sister’s wedding had been a disaster thanks to Nick’s dad, Leo, who got into it with his ex-wife’s date. The argument became so heated, shoves were exchanged, and though they never knew for sure who threw the first punch, fists began to fly. Eventually other family members from both sides of the wedding party had gotten into the scuffle, until it became a full-fledged brawl that resulted in a handful of arrests for drunk and disorderly behavior, several people requiring medical attention and an enormous bill for the damage from the banquet hall.
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