by Abby Brooks
I put my hands on her shoulders and bent to meet her gaze. “Izzy. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk so fast without saying anything.” I laughed as I straightened. “I feel like you’re trying to communicate something here, but I’m really not sure what it is.”
With a stern nod, she took a breath and lifted her chin. “I accept your offer.” She swallowed hard and something in the crazy glint to her eyes told me she hadn’t said all she came here to say yet. “I think we should get married.”
“What changed your mind?” I shook my head and took a long drink of coffee. “It was the car, wasn’t it? I knew that would do the trick.”
Instead of zinging me for my terrible joke, Izzy perched on the edge of my couch, looking more uncomfortable than if I’d asked her to get naked so I could paint her. “I, uh…”
I sat beside her and took her hand. “Iz. Whatever it is, it’s okay. You can tell me. You know I’m here for you.”
Her eyes hit mine. She bit her bottom lip, then nodded as if coming to a conclusion. “I’m pregnant.”
I blinked. Then blinked again. Tried to cover my surprise by taking a drink of coffee and choked on the stuff. “You’re what?” The words ground through a series of coughs. “Since when?”
“I don’t know.” She tapped a finger against her chin. “How long ago was the reception?”
“No way.” I shook my head. “I used a condom. I know I did.”
“And it didn’t work. So, I accept your proposal.” Izzy nodded, finally looking relieved as all her stress jumped from her body into mine.
Pregnant?
Pregnant?
I put my coffee on the end table and stood. “This just isn’t going to work. I can’t be responsible for another human being.”
“You’re fighting for custody of your brother,” she said, utterly unimpressed with my reaction. “If you win, you will actually be responsible for another human being.”
“Yeah, but he’s almost done. He’s fifteen, you know? There’s not a lot I can mess up when it comes to him. I’d be more of a brother figure—”
“You mean, because you’re his brother.”
“Right. Yeah. And all the shit that’s wrong with him would be because of his mom. Not me. But a baby…” I shook my head.
A baby…
A baby?
“How would I…? Who would even…? But, I never expected to…? Look, I’m not ready to settle down and have a family. “
Izzy sat back and crossed her legs. “Funny thing about proposing, it kind of infers you’re ready to settle down and have a family.”
“The whole thing was supposed to be fake. A baby makes it real.” I stalked over to the window and stared out, giving myself some time to process the information.
She was right of course, but also wrong. Planning to get married and fight for custody of my brother did imply I was ready for a family, but in my head, things wouldn’t be that much different than they are now—except we’d all live in the same house. A baby meant everything would change. It would put my true nature to the test. Was I more like my father? Or like Tim?
If it hadn’t been for my stepdad’s influence, I’d say there was no way in hell I could be a decent parent. If the only male influence in my life had been my dad’s? Fuck. What a mess that would have been. But Tim had raised me right, and that was what gave me the confidence to want to help Brennen. If I could be for him what Tim had been for me, then I’d count it as a win.
And if I could be that for Brennen, of course I could be that for my baby.
As the panic and confusion of the news died down, this spark of hope flickered to life in my heart.
Izzy was pregnant with my child.
Our child.
And I’d proven time and again that I was my own man. My dad’s genes weren’t strong enough to overwrite Tim’s good influence.
I turned, my throat thick with emotion, then crossed the room and crouched in front of Izzy, my hands on her knees. “You’re saying my baby’s in there? Right now?”
“Right here.” Smiling, Izzy put a hand on her stomach. “Right now.”
My heart felt so fucking full, just swollen to the point of bursting and who the hell would have thought I wanted to be a father?
“I’m gonna be the best damn dad that ever was.” I leaned forward to whisper to her belly button, “You hear that? I’m gonna be there for you. I’m gonna be there for all of it.”
All of it. Shit. Diapers. Bottles. Kindergarten. First loves. I sat back, running my hand through my hair as I imagined a mini-me holding a hammer while I worked around the house…
“I like the idea of you being there for all of it,” Izzy said softly. “Which is why I think the two of us getting married is the right call. Not only will Brennen have a better life, but this little one will have both of us from the start. And we’ll have him.”
“Or her.” The image of the mini-me holding a hammer morphed into a mini-Izzy and I couldn’t remember a time I’d smiled bigger.
“Or her,” Izzy replied, returning the grin. “It’ll be better for all of us if we get married. It won’t be conventional, but hey. Since when have I cared about that? You’ll have the wife you need to adopt Brennen. The baby will have a stable home, and I won’t have to deal with disappointing my parents.”
“But what are we going to tell our friends?” I asked. Izzy started to reply, but I hurried forward. “If word gets out we’re faking this whole thing, that might look worse than me trying to get custody of Brennen while I’m still single. Right? I mean, that makes sense to me.” I ran a hand over my mouth and sat beside her.
There was so much to process; I couldn’t do it all at once.
Izzy looked as baffled as I felt. “I don’t know about any of that, but maybe, since there’s a baby involved, that doesn’t matter?”
A baby.
I met her eyes, smiling like I’d won the lotto. “A baby?”
Wow. Our baby…
Izzy put a hand on my knee. “We could be in the middle of something completely wonderful and not even know it.”
I wanted to take her in my arms, to pull her off the couch and sweep her off her feet. To kiss her, to put my hands on her stomach and feel the life we created together. But she’d specifically asked for things to stay platonic between us. I needed to honor that.
“All right, then,” I said as I stood. “I guess you got yourself a fiancé.”
“Wow.” Izzy clapped her hands together and dropped them to her lap. “How are we going to do this?”
“How are we gonna do this?” I scrubbed a hand over my mouth then let it fall to my side. “We’re gonna get married. You’re gonna have a kid. Our lives will change, but not by a lot. I don’t think there’s much more to it than that.”
Izzy rolled her eyes. “There’s a ton more to it. If this is supposed to look real, then we have to at least go on a date or two before you pop the question. We have to decide where we’re going to live. I mean, who’s moving? You? Or me? And then there’s the wedding itself. Getting married’s a big deal even if ours will be more of a business arrangement than one based on love.”
“Oh, fuck me.” I laughed as I stared at the ceiling.
“Isn’t that what got us into this situation?”
I lowered my gaze and Izzy looked like my Izzy again. The one who always knew just what to say to make everything all right. The one who would punch me in the arm when I was being a dick. The one I’d taken to bed on a whim and gotten pregnant. The one whose brother was going to murder me if any of this got out.
“I am so not prepared for this,” I said with a shake of my head. “I mean, I’m not even wearing shoes or a shirt.”
“That’s kind of how I felt yesterday when I took the pregnancy test. Except the shoes and shirt thing was more allegorical than literal.”
I stared at her blankly while my mind ran through a hundred different scenarios.
Izzy smirked. “See allegory is when—”
“For fuck’s sake. I know what allegory is. I’m busy trying to process this whole thing so we can come up with a plan.” I licked my lips. “How about we meet at Mike’s Burgers tonight to figure this out. That’ll give both of us time to digest things and maybe put our thoughts together. Does six work for you?”
“That sounds like a great idea.” Izzy nodded and stood. “And it’ll give you some time to find your shirt and shoes. Allegorically speaking.”
I chuckled as I looked down at my bare feet and chest. “Literally, too.”
CHAPTER NINE
Izzy
I stood in front of my closet, ripping through my clothing choices. For the first time in a long time, everything seemed so…utilitarian. How many t-shirts did one woman need? Surely, I’d hit my limit. Somewhere, somehow, I had to own something feminine, something pretty. Jude hadn’t said anything about tonight’s meeting being a date, but it might as well look like one, just in case people were paying attention. And in a town as small as Wildrose Landing, people were always paying attention.
Besides, I’d be spending the evening with my future husband.
Shouldn’t I at least consider dressing to impress?
The thought had me laughing aloud as I clicked through the last of the shirt options hanging in my closet. After much digging, I found a black sweater crumpled on a shelf in the back. I’d always liked the way it made my boobs look and the dark color contrasted my pale skin in a way that made me feel pretty. I paired it with jeans and some sexy boots, then added my favorite necklace and earrings that jingled when I moved my head. After pulling my hair back and dabbing on some red lipstick, I appraised the results in the mirror.
“Not too bad if I do say so myself. A little sexy. Totally casual. Jude’ll never know what hit him.” I turned to check out my butt while murmuring, “Though he might run for the hills if he finds out you compliment your own reflection.”
At a quarter ‘til six, I swiped my purse off the counter and hit the road. The drive to Mike’s Burgers wasn’t a long one, but I was so cranked about the meeting, each minute felt like an hour. Even the gorgeous sunset ducking behind the quaint shops on Main didn’t ease my excitement. There was something thrilling about meeting a lifelong friend…who used to look at me like he loved me when I wasn’t paying attention…who was also the father of my unborn child…to plan our not-at-all-real-but-totally-necessary fake relationship.
What could go wrong?
Gee, under those circumstances? Just about everything.
I laughed to myself as I pulled into the crowded parking lot and found a spot next to Jude’s truck. Mike’s was packed.
Perfect.
With all these people here, word would eventually make its way to Greta Macmillan, the town gossip. She’d given real time play-by-plays—complete with very personal opinion pieces—throughout both Alex and Jack’s budding relationships. If she saw me out with Jude tonight, she’d surely do the same for us, which would only help make our story more believable. People might not even flinch when we got married out of the blue.
I pushed through the front door of Mike’s and found Jude nestled in a booth in the back. As usual, he looked amazing. His blonde hair swooped back off his forehead. A gray Cheers ‘n Beers tee stretched across a broad chest and the way the lighting hit his face only highlighted his chiseled cheekbones and rugged jawline.
Hey, little one? I thought, pressing a hand to my stomach. If you’re deciding whose genes to use and whose to discard, use Daddy’s for your looks, okay?
Jude glanced up as I headed his way and the smile that lit his face sparked one of my own.
“Damn, Izzy. You really are beautiful.”
I grinned even bigger as I slid into the booth. “And you’re being awfully nice to an old friend.”
“I’m just honest to a fault, that’s all. Don’t blame the messenger when he brings the truth.”
“Sure. Right.” I nodded, then cocked my head and furrowed my eyebrows. “Tell me again how many of our friends know about your little brother?”
Jude scoffed and sat back. “Keeping stuff to myself doesn’t make me dishonest.”
“It doesn’t exactly make you honest to a fault, either.” I made air quotes, then watched as he digested and disregarded my statement. That was the thing about Jude, he always thought he was right, even when he was wrong.
He shrugged and moved on. “I ordered you a water. I was going to get you a Coke, but then I thought about the baby, and I know caffeine is bad, so I switched it to raspberry lemonade, but then I worried about all the sugar, because it’s bad too. So I went with water.” He puffed out his cheeks. “Feel free to order something else when the waitress comes back, but it’s only fair to warn you that I’ll judge you hard for the decision.”
Somehow, Jude Malone worrying about the health of his unborn child was both the most ridiculous and most touching thing I’d ever experienced. “Water is wonderful. Thank you.”
“Great.” He shifted to reach into a messenger bag sitting on the seat next to him and pulled out a tablet with an electronic pencil. “I thought we might want to take notes. You know, so we’re both super clear on how this is going to go.”
“Works for me.” I folded my arms on the table, ignoring how weird it was that an organized Jude turned me on. “All right. Lay it on me. How do you see this working?”
“Me?” He grimaced as he placed the tablet in front of him. “I thought you’d have some ideas.”
So much for organized…
Shocked, I turned up my palms and leaned forward. “This whole thing was your idea in the first place.”
“This is true, but see, I just thought we’d get married at the courthouse and that would be that.” He stabbed the pencil in my direction. “You’re the one who wants to date and plan a wedding and make this whole big thing out of it.”
His satisfied smirk told me he thought he’d won this little battle, which only egged me on.
“Because you’re the one who thought it would be better for your adoption if it seemed real,” I replied with an air of finality.
“Are you kidding me?” he asked with a roll of his eyes. “I’m pretty sure you got hung up on disappointing your parents first.”
I growled and sat back with a heavy sigh. “I think you must really like getting under my skin. That’s the only reason I can come up with for any of this.”
“Is that so?” He leaned forward. “You think I’m enjoying this?”
The glint in his eyes said he enjoyed it a hell of a lot. The way they locked onto mine looked more like lust than anger and I would have called him out on it, but this conversation felt like foreplay to me too.
The waitress arrived with our drinks and took our orders. By the time she left, the electricity sparking between us had settled down to manageable levels.
Jude turned on the tablet and opened a notebook app. “At the very least, let’s start with a list of ideas. Once we have a clearer picture of what we both want, we can whittle it into a plan.
“That seems fair.” I stared at the blank screen and blurted out the first idea that came to mind. “I think we need to go out on a few dates so people see us together and aren’t surprised when we’re suddenly engaged.”
Jude nodded and scrawled the word date. “And I don’t think our friends should know this whole thing is fake. Your brother’s gonna kill me enough as it is.” He moved to add his thought to the list and I held up my hand.
“That might be a little difficult because I already told Evie and Amelia you proposed. The night you guys showed up to play cards. I didn’t tell them about Brennen though. Just that you needed a wife.”
“I knew they were acting weird!” For a split second, he looked relieved, but his smile slowly disintegrated. “Oh, shit.” He dropped his head to the table. “Which means it’s only a matter of time before Alex knows and I’m dead.”
“I seriously doubt he’ll kill you. Besides, it’s better if we’re up
front with him.” My brother was a reasonable person and I was an adult. Alex might not agree with what we were planning, but it really wasn’t his business what I did with my life.
“Believe me,” Jude said as he widened his eyes, “it will not be remotely better if he knows what’s going on. Alex has made it abundantly clear that you are off limits.”
“I’m a grown woman in the twenty-first century. I don’t need my older brother to protect my honor or whatever.”
Jude held up his hands and sat back in the booth. “If you want to gamble with your future husband’s life, then that’s up to you.”
I didn’t think Alex would be overjoyed with me marrying Jude, and I doubted the announcement would end in homicide, but I gestured at the paper. “I guess you should add ‘Decide how to tell Alex.’ With Evie knowing, it’s only a matter of time before he does too. It’ll definitely be better if the story comes from us rather than her.”
With a look that said he was really not feeling this particular list item, Jude added decide how to tell Alex and avoid subsequent murder.
“What about kissing and stuff?” I asked through a laugh.
“I definitely like the kissing…” A wicked smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “…and the stuff is pretty good too.”
“Come on, Jude. Be serious.”
“I am being serious. I like kissing you. You can’t deny we have amazing chemistry. And what happened in bed that night? We’re good together.”
He was right. We were very, very good together. Funny how a decade of pent-up desire and frustration could do that to you.
But if the goal was to keep feelings out of the equation, then we needed to tread lightly. I didn’t know if he felt what I did when we kissed the other night, but I couldn’t keep doing that and not fall for him.