Thirty Days to Win His Wife

by Andrea Laurence

  That was why he’d come to Nashville fully anticipating they would file for divorce and pretend that night in Vegas never happened. He’d never dreamed they might continue their romance, much less stay married.

  The wild card in this scenario was their baby. It was Amelia’s anchor; it might be the only thing that would keep her from bolting from this relationship like every other one before it.

  Might be.

  Tyler had agreed to Amelia’s thirty-day arrangement for their child’s sake. He would put everything he had into convincing Amelia to love him. Everything but his heart. His wasn’t any good to anyone anymore. It had been irrevocably broken, and he didn’t dare expose it to more damage.

  If she fell in love with him, everything might work out, but even then, Tyler wasn’t holding his breath. He was fighting an uphill battle with Amelia. Even if he did everything right, she could find fault in him. No one was perfect, not even her grandparents. It made him wonder how much of their idealistic marriage was truth and how much was fantasy built up in Amelia’s mind.

  Tyler slowed the Audi and pulled to the curb outside the restaurant. He handed over the keys to the valet and rounded the car to escort Amelia inside.

  The interior of the Watermark was dim, with pot lights illuminating the tables from the exposed beams overhead. The hostess escorted them to a white linen-draped table for two near the window. Amelia chose to sit on the side with the long white leather banquette, and Tyler sat opposite her. A server quickly took their drink orders and disappeared, leaving them to look over the menu and admire the view.

  Tyler knew he should be looking at the impressive cityscape or deciding on his appetizer course, but he found himself distracted by the view directly in front of him. A square glass-and-chrome candleholder in the center of the table cast a mesmerizing glow across Amelia’s face. It highlighted the subtle cleft in her chin and soft apples of her cheeks. Her skin looked peaches-and-cream flawless, nearly glowing with radiance.

  It took everything he had not to reach across the table and brush his thumb over her full, coral-painted lips. They looked soft and shiny with some sort of gloss that made them shimmer in an utterly kissable way. He wanted to kiss her again tonight, and keep doing it until every drop of that gloss was gone and her lips were bee-stung from it.

  That was how she had woken up in his hotel room the morning after their wedding. Her red hair had been everywhere, her mascara had been smudged and her lips had been pink and swollen. She’d looked like a woman who had been well and truly loved the night before. Tyler’s whole body stiffened as he thought of being able to make love to her again. It was a masochistic thought, one that wasn’t likely to get him through dinner without discomfort, but he couldn’t shake it. Once they’d crossed the line in Vegas, he couldn’t force himself back.

  “Have you ever eaten here before?” he asked to distract himself with conversation.

  She shook her head, oblivious to his thoughts. “No, but I’ve been dying to get into their kitchen. The executive chef here is well-known for his amazing creations. I’m certain nothing we eat will be bad.”

  “So I chose well?”

  Amelia smiled. “You chose very well.”

  “All this rich food won’t be too much on your stomach, will it?”

  She shook her head, making the sleek auburn waves dance over her shoulders. “I hope not. But really, I’ve only had trouble early in the day. By midafternoon I’m starving. I’m anxious to try the duck. It is so hard to find well-prepared duck. What about you?”

  “I’m thinking the cobia. Or the lamb.”

  “Ooh...” Amelia’s dark brown eyes lit up with excitement. “Get the lamb and let me try some. You can try my duck, too, if you want.”

  “Sounds good,” he said with a smile. Very few things got Amelia as excited as food. The old saying about the way to a man’s heart being through his stomach was just as true with her. Whenever they were together, he went out of his way to find someplace they could eat that would be new and exciting for her.

  She was a fashionista at heart, but her first love was cooking. He hadn’t been at all surprised to see her go into a culinary program. She had been bringing him food all through high school, using him as a guinea pig when she wanted to try out a new recipe. It was almost always good. And beautiful to look at. Rarely was food both, and that was where her talent really came into play.

  Tonight was where his talents came into play. He was a successful jeweler because he knew exactly what the client was looking for, even if they weren’t entirely sure. He had the ideal night planned for Amelia. After two hours of talking and dining, including a decadent chocolate soufflé to share, they strolled through the trendy downtown area known as the Gulch. They wandered together, hand in hand, looking in shop windows and listening to the live music streaming out of some of the bars. The conversation flowed easily, the way it always had with them, not stifled by the fact that this was a real date.

  By the time they returned to her apartment, Tyler was confident they’d had a successful date. Amelia was smiling and laughing, relaxed for the first time since he’d arrived in Nashville. It was a good night. But it could be better.

  He walked her to her door, hesitating as she unlocked it. He wanted to go in pretty badly, but he wouldn’t. Thirty days didn’t seem like long, but it was long enough not to rush.

  “Dinner was great,” she said as she turned back to face him. “I had a nice time.”

  “Me, too.” Moving closer, Tyler rested his hand on her waist.

  Amelia didn’t pull away or stiffen at his touch. Instead she looked up at him with a soft, inviting smile. He accepted the invitation, leaning down to cup her face in his hands and capture her coral-painted lips with his own.

  She melted into him, pressing her ample curves against the hard wall of his chest. As his tongue glided across her lips, she opened her mouth to him. Her own silky tongue met his, a soft moan muffled in the back of her throat.

  The sound conjured memories of their wedding night. His body instantly stiffened, his palms tingling to touch her. He moved his hands back to her waist, letting them roam over the stretched fabric that clung to her every curve. Tyler boldly cupped the swell of her rear and pressed her hips against the hard ridge of his desire.

  The growl deep in his throat made Amelia chuckle softly against his lips and pull away. Her hand caught his, moving it back to her waist. Her eyes were closed, her breath fast and shallow. He understood. That was enough for tonight. He withdrew his hand, placing one last soft goodbye kiss on her lips.

  “I want to take you somewhere in the morning.”

  “I suppose you aren’t going to tell me where.”

  He smiled wide. “What’s the fun in that?”

  She sighed and shook her head. Although she acted exasperated by him, he could see the glint of excitement in her eyes. When that was there—the way it had been on that sidewalk in Las Vegas—he knew he had her intrigued. That was key to getting her to go along with whatever harebrained idea he’d come up with.

  “I’ll pick you up at nine.”

  Five

  “So seriously, where are we going?”

  Tyler shook his head. “Ames, I haven’t told you the past three times you’ve asked. What makes you think I’m suddenly going to change my mind?”

  She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m your wife. It’s now my job to nag at you until I wear you down and you do what I want.”

  He chuckled and slowed the SUV to turn off the main commercial thoroughfare and into a large, sprawling subdivision. “I thought we were trying to date. You’re not supposed to pull those tricks out of the bag until later.”

  “Tricks?” she replied in mock outrage. “What about those tricks you pulled on me last night? Those flowers, that restaurant...”

&nbs
p; “That kiss,” he added.

  Amelia didn’t reply to that. Instead she turned and looked out her window to watch the houses they rolled past. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d made an excellent impression on their first official date. She’d had a better time with him than she had on half the dates she’d been on in the past year. Perhaps the fates knew better than she did. Or maybe they were just having fun messing with her head.

  The houses they passed were large. On meticulously groomed lots. And not far from work. That was when everything clicked into place. They were going to look at a house. But here? Despite her attempts to dissuade him, he’d apparently sought out a place in Belle Meade. They were obviously not on the same page when it came to the real estate market.

  Finally, Tyler turned into a driveway that was barricaded by a large iron gate. He punched in a code and the gate opened, revealing the incredible estate hidden beyond it. They drove down a narrow lane lined with trees and hedges, then circled around a courtyard fountain, stopping in front of the double-doored entrance of stacked stone stairs.

  Thoughts of denial swirled in her mind as she looked up at the house. Correction—mansion. This was no three-bedroom starter home. To buy it would cost several million dollars, easily. The rent was probably high enough to give her heart palpitations. Was this what he’d envisioned when he’d talked about a home where they could raise a family together? She couldn’t even fathom it.

  “Tyler...” she said in a warning tone as she looked out the window.

  “Just wait until you see the inside,” he said, holding his hands up defensively. “It’s amazing.”

  She bet it was. The Biltmore House was nice, too, but she wasn’t moving in there anytime soon, either. “Did you already rent this place? Without asking me? That’s really not the best way to start out. A woman likes to have a say in where she lives.”

  “Of course I know that. I did not rent it yet, but I was confident enough that the real estate agent gave me the key to bring you here today. When we’re done, I’ll either return the key or sign the lease.”

  Amelia didn’t wait for his assistance to get out of the car. She opened the door and stepped onto the cobblestone driveway. The cream-and-gray-mottled brick of the mansion’s facade seemed to sprawl on forever, broken up by large arched windows and tall square ivory columns. The house was beautiful, but ridiculously large for a family of two and a half.

  “Whose house is this? And why on earth would they rent it out to strangers?”

  “Apparently some musician had the place built, then ended up going on a world tour and never moved in. The real estate agent seemed pretty confident that if we liked the place, the owner would entertain an offer.”

  She sighed and shook her head. It was a rock star’s house. She’d never fathomed she’d step across the threshold, much less ever live in the home of a rock star. “Let’s go inside and see it before you sign your life away, hmm?”

  Tyler offered his hand to help her up the stairs, then escorted her through the entrance to the large marble foyer. Amelia was stunned by the size and luxury of the space. There was very little furniture and nothing on the walls, but the details of the house itself were amazing. There was intricate crown molding, carved stonework and sky-high ceilings with shimmering chandeliers dripping crystals from their golden branches. A split staircase of dark, polished wood encircled the room and met at a second-floor landing.

  “I don’t think the two of us combined will ever have enough stuff to fill a house this big.” The expansive rooms were so empty, their steps echoed through the space.

  “I’m only going to have the movers bring down my personal things from my apartment. It’s a lot more modern, and I don’t think much of the furniture would work here anyway. We’ll need to go shopping for some of the basics to get us through the next month—a bed, a couch, that sort of thing. Then, if we decide to keep the place, we’ll start looking for the rest. I want you to decorate however you want to.”

  Amelia fought the frown threatening to pull the corners of her mouth down. They’d agreed to date only two days ago, yet he was moving forward with the intention of them living here forever. Her head was still spinning, but Tyler was a master of rolling with the punches.

  As it was, they’d put the cart before the horse and were scrambling to build a relationship to go with their marriage and their baby. Thirty days was really not enough time to fall in love, but she’d known she had to pick a deadline to put an end to this madness. This would either work or it wouldn’t, and now they would know in a month. She couldn’t take the uncertainty any longer than that. Tyler didn’t seem to acknowledge that failure was even an option. It rarely was in his eyes. It didn’t matter if it was a jewel auction or a game of cards with friends—he had to win. This time, she’d made her future the prize he was out to claim.

  “I don’t know, Tyler... This place is intimidating. As much as I enjoy decorating, I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

  “I know,” he admitted. “I had an interior designer do my place in New York. You’re welcome to pick stuff for the house, but we can hire a decorator if you need help.” He reached down and took her hand in his. “Come on,” he said with a gentle tug. “I’ll show you the upstairs first.”

  They went up the stairs to the second floor, where he led her through a labyrinth of bedrooms and bathrooms. There was another family room and a large open bonus room that was bigger than her whole apartment.

  “I was thinking we could turn this into a game room. Maybe get a pool table and a couple of pinball machines. What do you think?”

  She thought this house was way too much space for them. It was too big for five or six, even, but she kept that to herself. “That would be fun.”

  “And through here,” he continued, “is the movie theater.”

  Amelia stopped. “You’re kidding, right? Why on earth would we need our own movie theater?”

  Tyler grinned wide. “Nope, I’m not kidding. I think the real estate agent officially called it a media room, but it’s all the same to me. This is one of the reasons I really love this house.”

  Amelia walked ahead of him into the windowless room with dark burgundy–painted walls. There was a large screen on the far wall with a projector mounted in the ceiling overhead. The floor was a staggered incline with two rows of leather media chairs that could seat eight people. One row was a step down from the first so everyone had a prime view. It was the craziest thing she’d ever seen.

  “When I started looking for a place to rent, I wanted more than just luxury. I wanted functionality. With this, it made me think about how much we both love movies. You and I have wasted hours of our youth watching films together. I think we were at every Saturday matinee for four years. Having a place to screen our own movies in comfort seemed like a good investment for the future.”

  “It’s amazing,” she said, nodding blankly. “If you can afford it, why not? I’m sure we’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of it.”

  Tyler continued on with the tour, heading downstairs to show her the luxurious master suite with a bathtub she could swim in. Amelia followed, only half listening to what he had to say about the house. Her mind was being pulled in ten directions, her chest tight with anxiety over this whole situation.

  Things seemed to get more complicated minute by minute. Eloping with Tyler had been a mistake, but a correctable one. Getting pregnant was a curveball, but women had children every day with less suitable fathers. She could handle it. Tyler would be a great father, even if they didn’t have a romantic relationship. Moving in together, temporarily or otherwise, was a big leap for her. But this place... It was like moving to an alien planet.

  She’d known her best friend was a strategist. He always looked at every angle before making a decision, routinely kicking her rear in chess and rarely making a wrong move on t
he game board or in life. He didn’t just win, he won intelligently. Still, it was hard to believe Tyler had pulled all this together in a day’s time. He’d bought a car, found an amazing house he knew she’d love... She had no doubt he had movers on standby both here and in New York, just waiting for the call that he’d signed the lease on the house.

  What did she expect? She’d laid down a challenge—thirty days to fall in love. Tyler was taking it seriously and would tackle it with the same drive and commitment that had gotten him from an old, overcrowded apartment to a multimillion-dollar mansion in ten years’ time. She would be hard-pressed to fight him off, especially when his opening volley included a mansion with a movie room. He was playing to win. What would he do next?

  “I saved this room for last because I think it’s going to be your favorite.” He led her through what would probably be the living room to the kitchen. That was where her heart stopped and her worries vanished in an instant.

  It was a chef’s dream. Gorgeous cherry-stained cabinets, gold-flecked granite countertops, ornate tile work on the backsplash, professional stainless-steel appliances... It was gorgeous. She couldn’t help rushing past him into the space to look more closely. The kitchen in her apartment was average. Nice, but nothing special. The one at the chapel was large, sterile and industrial, for cooking for hundreds of people at once. Neither of those places had anything on this.

  She opened the deep drawers for pots and pans, sliding out built-in spice racks. The massive gas stove had two ovens, six burners and a grill in the center. There were two farm sinks on opposite sides of the kitchen, one beside a full-size dishwasher and the other with a small drawer dishwasher for quick washes of glasses. The French doors of the refrigerator opened wide, revealing enough space for countless platters and large serving dishes. There was even a warming drawer built in beside the stove.