“That’s noble.” He started the car and asked, “And the princess?”
We made it to the street as I said, “Nicole was hired by Ryder’s father to help him clean up his bad-boy image. She ran a blog on modern living, and she’s super sweet.”
He tapped the wheel. “Sounds lucky.”
“My sister in London just broke up with her fiancé, so she’s going through a rough patch, and that guy who broke her heart wasn’t rich at all.” The hairs on my arms shouldn’t be standing on end, as I hoped everything would turn around for Stephanie too. Falling in love was normal for most people, like my sisters. I pivoted in my seat as we passed the school, and I said, “Well, I taught your son all year and would have continued to teach, if that had been possible.”
“Now you can run the PTA.” He drove into the parking lot of my apartment building. Loud music blared from another vehicle nearby, and he flinched.
I stepped out.
He joined me, hit the lock button, and quickly held my waist. “You’re mine now, sweetie.”
I pushed my hands into my pockets so that no one would see my rings as we went up the cement steps to my door. He let me go and seemed to stand guard as I unlocked it.
“You call me sweet a lot. Why?” I asked as I opened the door.
He waited till we were inside and I’d locked it to answer. “I guess it’s surprising a little, as my previous wife and every woman my parents ever tossed in my way were more… demanding. You surprised me earlier when you had no demands.”
I closed my eyes and went up and down on my tip toes. Being with him was like living in a magic spell that suddenly seemed real. I said quietly, like I didn’t want to spoil anything. “I told you I want a family, and I like you.” I hadn’t used the word love to avoid making it awkward.
He cupped my face and gently kissed me. It was so light that I was practically on air when it ended. “Let’s go through the rooms and go see what you want to take.”
I checked my shirt was tucked in and swirled out of his arms to head into the bedroom. “Mostly it’s clothes and some personal items.” I went to the bedside and picked up a framed photo.
“Like what?”
“Well, this is a picture of my parents’ wedding.”
They were happy and in love. My father had protected us all, and my mom had taken in various cousins or children in need whenever she could. They’d had big hearts. I grabbed a small box and started packing up the photos.
“What happened to them?”
Goose bumps grew on my arms. “They died pretty close together. When I’m upset, I look at their pictures and try to remember the values they taught me.”
He pressed his hand to my arm, and suddenly I was connected to him again, and my heart rate increased.
“What were they like?”
My lips tingled like I needed his kisses again, but I just continued packing and answered, “My parents were wonderful. My dad was an accountant, and he was so devoted to my mom. They fostered all sorts of kids, and many of my cousins lived with us at one point. So family is so important to me. My sisters Indigo and Stephanie, the single one in London, inherited his love of numbers.”
His eyes narrowed. “And you?”
The circle he made on my lower back had my body achy for his touch, but I ignored that sensation and grabbed a few of my bras. “I’m great at first-grade math, but I don’t want to think beyond balancing my checking account.”
Johnny reached into the dryer and grabbed a pile of my underwear, including the blue cotton ones, which were super old. He put them in the box as he said, “Well, our marriage will help out with that. And you can wear these again.”
Sex twice a week with Johnny and caring for Bradley were my reasons to marry in two days. I ignored the pang in my heart over not being like my sisters, who were all madly in love and happy, like my parents. Whatever I had with Johnny had to be enough.
As we headed to my small living room, which had a TV, a couch that might hold two people, and a tiny table by the window that doubled as my work desk, he asked, “Or we can get you new clothes. When was the last time you even went shopping?”
I grabbed a few more pictures and said, “I get my clothes delivered when I’m in need but often rewear the same clothes. No teacher wants to be too pretty.”
“You can’t hide yourself forever.”
I placed them in the box, but his gaze caused me to pause. “Why are you so complimentary all the time?”
“Because your blush is cute. Are you ready to be Mrs. Dawes soon?”
“No.” I reached for my necklace and realized I’d left it in his bedroom. “But being a teacher is training to be a good wife or stepmother. I’ll be learning as I go, I guess.”
He put the box down on the small table and took my hand. “I think you were more than just a teacher to Bradley. He never complained about going.”
I shrugged and quickly rifled through the papers. I grabbed my passport and personal documents, including my college transcripts and bank info. “He shouldn’t. First grade is not rocket science.”
He picked up a manila folder and labeled it Important then rearranged my papers for me, placing them in a box. “He hated kindergarten and got kicked out of three classrooms.”
I stroked his cheek. It had a bit of an afternoon roughness. “I’ll interview his teachers ahead of time and be there for him when he gets home.”
His forehead met mine, and he nodded. “You’ll be great with him.” For a second, I thought he would kiss me, but he let me go and picked up a picture I’d put aside and asked, “So are these your cousins?”
I’d meant to hang it higher behind the TV, but then I met Johnny. I stared at the picture. There were about twenty of us—my sisters, various cousins that had all lived with us for part of their lives, and me. I swallowed and remembered the family picnic about four years ago. It seemed like yesterday. “Yes. It was the last time we were all together.”
He tapped a finger on one of the guys. “Is that Phoenix Steel?”
I snapped my fingers. I probably should have mentioned him when we first met. I nodded. “Yeah, he’s the rock star cousin. He lived with us for a while.”
Johnny laughed and pointed toward the box. “You look nothing alike.”
I picked up the photo and hugged it like I never wanted to forget a moment, and tilted my head. We needed to change the topic, so I said, “I hope not. I’m not a guy.”
He came closer and pointed at another one of the guys. “And this is Stone Steel.”
My eyes widened. He would think my family members were a bunch of go-getters and think less of me. Johnny didn’t seem like the type that watched wrestling on TV, so I asked, “You know him?”
He massaged the back of his neck and put the picture next to the box. “My family is sponsoring him for the Olympics.”
“Oh wow. Small world,” I said and jiggled my keys. “Guess that’s everything.”
He picked up the box and the picture and followed me. I held the door for him this time. His shoulders tightened as we headed outside. Some of my neighbors were loudly arguing.
I ignored the sound as I locked up and said, “So I guess these are my important mementos.”
After we’d gone down the stairs, we put my stuff in the trunk, and he said, “You’re settled, then, on being my wife?”
I smiled up at him, but then more music blasted from another neighbor’s place. “Tomorrow I’ll tell my sisters, but then I’m great.”
He walked me to my door and held it for me. “Will that be that much of a problem for you?”
I slipped in, and the separation made it easier. Love wasn’t in the cards for us, but I said, “They’ll think we’re in love, like they are, but I don’t know what to say.”
His chin grew tighter. My pulse zipped as I wondered what was wrong.
After he went back around the car, got in, and locked the doors, he asked, “What did they say when they told you about their impending m
arriages?”
The sound of the motor humming calmed my nerves a bit, though my stomach was still in knots. I hated lying to my family about my life. My hand shook a little as I said, “That they were happy and in love.”
He tapped the steering wheel as he headed down the street. “Are you happy?”
The school I’d worked in rolled past the window, but it was blocked by the strong profile of the sexiest man I’d ever met.
“With you?”
He massaged the back of his neck. “Yeah.”
I wasn’t sure how to tell him so that he would believe me. I took a deep breath as we drove onto his street. Then I lifted my chin and said, “I’m more alive with you. I’m happy, excited, and nervous, but everything with you is somehow bigger and wonderful.”
He turned in to his driveway, and security lifted the gate for him without question., “Good. Now we’re home, where you’re safe.”
Marrying him was the right decision. He needed me, and we were more than good together. We could be happy together, if he was willing to put his heart on the line. Of course, I didn’t say that out loud, as my demands were clear. We parked, and I stared at the huge mansion that had become my home.
Chapter Eleven
Johnny
I finished discussing the financial agreements with my family lawyers, and the conversation brought me right back to the eternal question I had when it came to women. Does she want me or my money?
I’d certainly used money to get her agreement.
Unlike last time, I’d picked my next wife, and at least Olivia was out of that tiny place where I wasn’t sure she’d been completely safe. And Bradley listened to her. He hadn’t listened to any of the highly recommended nannies I’d brought him. And I’d never been so driven to have a woman again as I felt with Olivia. So the question that was ever present whenever I was near a woman shouldn’t be circling in my brain.
After I left my home office, which I hated working in, I found Olivia and Bradley on the balcony, where she had him painting. My chest expanded. They both looked happy.
I unlocked the door and kissed the top of Olivia’s head. “Did you talk to your family?”
She put her paintbrush down and winked at my son. “Tomorrow. Come and join Bradley and me?”
He finished with his painting and stood.
I put my hand in my pocket and asked, “Where?”
She motioned toward the steps, tugged her shirt off her shoulder to show off her bathing suit strap underneath, and said, “We’re going to the pool and have already set up a bit of a barbeque for a light dinner.”
Once again, she’d proved she was the perfect choice. Happiness radiated off of them. I shouldn’t be feeling jumpy, so I ignored it and motioned toward the paintings and told her that her painting of the backyard was pretty. “So you spent the hour with Bradley?”
Bradley gave her his picture, and she pressed her hand to her heart and smiled. “He seemed tired of baking.”
“I’ll put on my swimsuit and meet you both.”
They were clearly having some bonding time, and I needed to forget the past hour.
Life with Olivia was going to be everything I wanted. But her demands in the morning had all been about being open. Perhaps we’d left the bed too early, as doubts were circling in my brain.
I shook it off and returned to my bedroom. I ignored the texts from my family and turned off the phone. Olivia was about to become the next Mrs. Dawes, and she was who I needed to focus on.
I found my swim trunks and left. The art project on the balcony was gone, as were the people that mattered.
As I jogged down the path that led to the pool area, I heard them laughing and stilled.
Bradley’s laugh made my shoulders ease. I continued and saw my son in the water, and Olivia, wet, stood near the grill. Her ass in her black one-piece seemed squishable, and my fingers ached to grab it.
I called as I closed the gate behind me, “Bradley, remind me that we need to order Olivia some new clothes.”
“Hey, I heard that. I bought this bathing suit last year. What’s wrong with it?”
I went to her side and kissed her warm cheek. “You’re entirely too beautiful in it.”
“Always fast with the compliments. Maybe one day I’ll get used to it.” She went to the edge of the pool and dipped her legs in. “And for the record, I’ve met super-rich women, and my one-piece is tame in comparison.” She laughed and gazed at my abs. “There is nothing tame about you.”
“Again with the charm.” I hardened and wouldn’t care, except my son was there.
Her face heated, and she jumped in and said, “Bradley, your father is a sweet talker.” I almost jumped in, but then she pointed behind her and said, “Can you flip the chicken on the grill?”
My eyes widened. “What?”
She bounced up and down in the water, and I wondered if her breasts were floating on their own. “Flip the chicken then join me in the water.”
“Tease.” I mumbled, but I dutifully went to the grill and opened the lid. “Turn it around?”
I heard the water rush then wet footsteps behind me. She placed her cold fingers on my neck, and I shivered. “Yes. You’ve clearly never cooked before.”
She laughed, and I tugged her to my side, not caring about the water getting on me. “No. I’m hopeless as a domestic.”
She hugged me and said, “Nothing is hopeless. Pick up the tongs.”
I circled one arm around her hips, but I also did what she said and moved the chicken around, and she kissed my cheek.
“There—you didn’t need my help.”
We closed the lid, and I curled both hands around her butt.
“I have you wet and almost naked beside me.”
She cupped my cheek and chuckled. “Still naughty.”
I picked her up slightly to hold her off her feet and said, “And you’re blushing, which makes it cute.”
Her lips pouted, and I pressed mine to them. She tasted sweet and perfect, and if I had her again, maybe the feelings would help me forget my doubts.
For a second, it was just the two of us, but then my son shouted and broke the bubble. “Eww… I think the chicken is burning.”
I put Olivia down, and she said to Bradley, “Get the plates. We’ll be right there.”
Bradley didn’t argue and hopped out of the pool. With the nannies and even me, he’d usually fought us. Maybe it was because Olivia was new, but then again, he’d seen her every day for the past school year. “He listens to you.”
She took a plate from Bradley and handed me the tongs. “Because he’s a good kid.”
I followed her directions on serving the chicken. She was almost perfect, and it was hard to believe how easy everything was with her. “At the hospital the other day, I thought he had a crush on you.”
She put a full plate down and handed me another to get the corn on the cob off of the grill. “Doubtful. He’s kind and easy to please with routine.”
She carried the chicken, and I took the corn to the table.
“Well, he’s thrilled you’re here. Isn’t that right, son?”
“I never want Olivia to go.”
“I’m always here for you, Bradley.” She said with a grin then playfully rubbed her shoulder against mine. “And you?”
I winked at her and whispered into her ear, “I thought I proved that earlier.”
Her closeness made me warm and not just sexually.
We sat, and she said more solemnly, “You’ve been nothing but good to me.”
I put the corn down, and she served Bradley.
“Not what I was referring to.”
She put food on my plate, and as I scooted closer, she whispered back into my ear, “Well, I guess the sex was okay.”
That time, I let out a small laugh and pressed my hand to my heart. “Okay, huh?”
She shrugged a shoulder and lowered her eyelashes, flirting. “I mean… I guess.”
“You’re funny
,” I said.
Bradley just shook his head at both of us.
Olivia massaged my back like she was stroking my ego and said, “That’s nice to hear. Time for a quick thanks.”
“You lead,” I said but that time, I folded my hands.
She did the same and said, “Words a girl always likes to hear.”
My heart lifted a little. Olivia was so great. Then she spoke solemnly about giving thanks.
When she finished, we said, “Amen.”
Bradly picked up his fork, but Olivia motioned for him to use his hands. He did as she directed, and the expression on his face said it all. I’d failed as a father by not providing enough finger foods.
“Seems you easily fit here, in our lives.”
She finished her bite and kept her head down as she said, “Just doing my job, I guess.”
For a few minutes, we ate in silence, but her words tore at my soul. The chicken was soft and sweet, and the corn was crunchy. The sky was getting darker as dusk settled in as we moved on to the apple pie the chef had sent for us. As we all finished, I saw how Olivia and Bradley easily communicated without words about how delicious the meal was. No matter what happened between us, marrying her was best for my son.
They finished cleaning up, and I motioned for her to sit with me. She did. I wanted to talk about my money. I swallowed and asked, “Are you ready to go inside, Bradley?”
He stilled and said, “You two can stay, as you’re way too busy talking. Can I get back into the pool?”
I prepared for an argument, but Olivia said, “Tomorrow—it’s getting late. Besides, we need to let the food process. Let’s head toward the house, then we’ll shower and get ready for bed, where I can read you a story.”
Bradley hugged her and said, “I’ll head back without you. You two want to talk, but thanks, Mi… Olivia. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” she said and waved him off.
As my son walked toward the house, my mind raced. I couldn’t remember him so happy and easy. I waved and said, “Me three. I’ve never seen Bradley so charming.”
She curled toward me. “He takes after his father.”
Cocky M.D.: Single Dad Fake Fiancee Romance (Steel Series Book 5) Page 8
