“I’ve known him for years, so trust me, I know what parts of his reputation are true and which are not. He’s never stayed with anyone long except for Naomi, and he’s been with probably as many women as me. When guys like him get married, it rarely lasts.”
“Should I be warning Addie then?”
“Hell no. You know that.”
“And thanks to you and Jake, I know people can change. So even if he’s been with over two hundred women and participated in orgies, it doesn’t mean we won’t be happy together.”
“Damn, I can’t argue with you there.” Leaning forward, he rested his forearms on his thighs and laced his fingers together. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
During their private conversation at their parents’ house, Scott had said the same thing. And tonight she’d give Trent the same answer she’d given her brother. “It won’t happen. No marriage is perfect, but we love each other. We’ll be fine.”
“Orgies, huh? Yeah, you don’t have to worry about that. If he’d ever taken part in one, he would have told me.”
Josh tucked an arm behind his head while he waited for Courtney to come to bed. He knew Trent had talked to her. He hadn’t been in the room, but he knew the topic of their conversation. Him.
After they returned, he’d waited for Trent to pull him aside too. And when Courtney took Addie to the bedroom to see her wedding dress, he’d expected his friend to jump on the opportunity. And he had.
He’d started with wanting to know why Josh never told him they were together. Before Trent could get any further, Josh took control and assured him that he’d never do anything to make Courtney unhappy.
Even as he said it, he’d known it was true. In a short amount of time, Courtney’s happiness had become important to him. Josh then went on to tell Trent how much he loved Courtney, because he knew Trent needed to hear it. But it wasn’t a complete lie either. Too many emotions hit him when he thought about Courtney and their current situation. And he had a feeling love would soon be one of them.
“For your first time playing Pitch, you did well.” Getting into bed, Courtney snuggled up next to him. “Did Trent interrogate you when Addie and I left?”
“Nah. He only asked why I didn’t tell him we were together.” Since he hadn’t given Trent a chance to ask anything else, it wasn’t a lie. “What did Trent want with you?”
“Playing the role of surrogate big brother. I guess he didn’t get the memo that Scott already talked to me. They think we’re rushing.”
He doubted that was the extent of the conversation. But if she didn’t want to share more, he wouldn’t push.
She leaned up on her elbow. “I told them whether we get married in a few weeks or a few months, it won’t change anything.”
Yeah, he didn’t agree with her there. In a few more months, a lot of things might have changed.
Twelve
Thursday night, Courtney pulled into her parking spot, glad to see Josh’s car parked right next door. In the almost three weeks he’d been living with her, she’d grown accustomed to coming home and him being there. The handful of occasions she’d arrived home before him, the penthouse had seemed empty and too big—things it had never felt before Josh moved in. If living with him for only a few weeks could do that, what would living with him for possibly a year do? Most of the time she tried not to think about it. Every once in a while, the thought snuck up and bit her in the butt. Like it was now.
It wasn’t the only thing that popped its head up from time to time. More times than she’d like to admit, her conscience poked her hard. Each time, it hinted that her heart was becoming fully invested in the relationship. Considering the way she’d felt over the weekend, she suspected it might be true.
Per the temporary custody agreement in place, Adalynn stayed with Josh for the weekend every three weeks. The previous Friday, she’d left work early so they could drive to Brookline to pick Adalynn up and bring her back to Josh’s condo in Boston. A condo she’d learned he’d purchased back in April for no other reason than to have a place closer to his daughter after Josh’s ex moved in with her boyfriend, a man who became her fiancé right before Thanksgiving.
From the moment they picked her up, it’d been clear father and daughter adored each other. Their first night together, they’d eaten pizza and made ice cream sundaes before playing Candy Land, his daughter’s favorite game, not once but twice. When Josh tucked Adalynn into bed, in a room clearly decorated with the little girl in mind, she’d watched from the doorway as he read her a story. Her conscience took the opportunity to stand up, wave, and shout, “You’re in deeper than you intended!”
The following morning, Adalynn made the only two requests Josh denied her all weekend. She’d wanted to go skiing, something her mom didn’t do. With their visit so limited though, Josh decided against it but promised to take her soon. He’d also put his foot down when Adalynn asked to eat ice cream for breakfast. Instead, they’d enjoyed pancakes and French toast at a nearby restaurant before spending the day at the Boston Children’s Museum, followed by the aquarium—two places Courtney had been to as a child, but hadn’t visited in years. For much of the day, Adalynn had walked between them holding their hands. To anyone watching them, they would’ve appeared like a family enjoying a day in the city. At the same time, it pulled at the loose thread that led back to the fact someday she wanted a family like her brother and so many of her cousins had. Later, when she’d been in bed, she convinced herself the feelings had nothing to do with Josh specifically. Rather, they were associated with the fact her brother had recently gotten married and his wife was pregnant.
Her conclusion lost much of its validity late Sunday afternoon after they dropped Adalynn off with her mom. Gone was the smiling Josh, replaced by a sober, less talkative version. In fact, she didn’t think he said a word during the ride back to Providence. And more than anything she’d wanted to wrap her arms around him, promise him everything would work out, and then snap her fingers and reinstate the original custody agreement that had been in place since shortly after Adalynn was born. Unable to change anything, she’d done her best to get his mind on something else, if only for a short time, when they got home. Thankfully, as the week progressed, the Josh she’d grown to know slowly returned.
As she approached the entrance to the building, Courtney retrieved her cell phone from her purse. She’d heard it ring while turning onto West Exchange Street. A glance at the screen had confirmed it was Cliff House’s long-time chef, Henri Renault. Finalizing the menu for the reception was the last thing she wanted to do tonight, but with the wedding just around the corner, she didn’t have much of a choice. All week she’d been dealing with wedding preparations. Every time she got a call pertaining to it, she wished they’d taken Jake’s advice and had a secret wedding, because trying to plan one on such short notice wasn’t for her.
“Excuse me, Ms. Belmont.”
The woman’s voice reached her as she redialed Henri’s number. Glancing up, she spotted Aimee Trainor, a reporter and the host of the Star Insider, a popular entertainment talk show. A photographer stood alongside her as well as a cameraperson, although at the moment the video camera wasn’t pointed in her direction. Courtney wasn’t surprised to see the two individuals standing with the woman. Aimee loved to use both videos and photos on her show. The woman had been calling the office almost every day since they announced their engagement. Most reporters did almost anything to get a story, but Aimee stepped over lines others wouldn’t cross. So while she’d taken calls from Marcy Blake and Daniella Naulta, two reporters for well-known magazines, she’d dodged all of Aimee’s calls. Given Aimee’s reputation, she should have known the woman would stop at nothing to get a story, even if it meant traveling from Manhattan to Providence and staking out the Mayfair.
Before Henri answered the phone, Courtney disconnected the call. Finalizing the menu would have to wait a little longer.
“Aimee Trainor, we’ve been playing telephone tag,” she
said, extending her gloved hand toward Courtney. Phone tag insinuated Courtney had tried calling the television host back, something she had not done. But there was no point in correcting her. “I hoped we could chat,” Aimee continued.
Chat. The woman didn’t know the meaning of the word. She’d seen a few episodes of the Star Insider, and when the woman did an interview, it resembled an interrogation from a police drama.
She eyed the distance between her and the main entrance. If she made a run for it, she’d only draw more attention her way. People on the sidewalk were already slowing down and looking in their direction. Not to mention, Aimee might sneak inside before the door closed behind her.
“Maybe for a few minutes. I don’t have a lot of time tonight.” She’d seen family members handle the media before. Sometimes if you gave them an inch, they took it and left you alone. Of course, sometimes the reporters took what you gave them and tried to hang you with it. She’d heard Aimee was the hanging type, so she needed to watch every word she said.
Aimee smiled, reminding Courtney of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland, and she immediately regretted her decision. “Don’t worry, I won’t take a lot of your time. Earlier this evening I caught J.T. on his way in. He mentioned you have some plans this evening.”
Just how long had she been hanging around outside? Whether Josh had something planned for them or not, she’d use his statement to her advantage. “Uh, yeah. We’re meeting with the wedding planner this evening.” She ignored the stares following them as they entered the building and walked toward one of the small sitting areas in the lobby.
“Do you mind if I record this?” Aimee pulled off her gloves and winter coat as she sat down.
If she said yes, it might appear as though she had something to hide. While she did, Courtney didn’t want Aimee to think she did. “Of course not.”
Aimee signaled to the woman with the video camera and the photographer to get into position and waited until the camerawoman gave her a thumbs-up. Then she launched into her list of questions saved on her phone, starting with how they’d met and how they’d managed to keep their romance a secret for so long. After blowing through those at a breakneck speed, she moved on to Josh’s reputation—a topic Courtney tried to keep far from her thoughts. Sometimes she was more successful than others.
“How do you feel about the fact J.T. has been associated with so many women over the years?”
“It’s in his past, so it doesn’t bother me. Just like whoever I dated before him doesn’t matter to him.” Courtney mentally high-fived herself for giving the reporter what she considered the perfect answer.
The woman patted Courtney’s arm as if consoling a dear friend. “I doubt you can compare your past with his. He’s been photographed more than once with a topless woman on his boat. And he’s been rumored to have threesomes. Not to mention, I have it on good authority he cheated on Naomi Tillman, the mother of his daughter, and that was why she ended their relationship.”
They’d never gone into specifics about why his relationship with Naomi ended. Still, the idea he’d cheated on her didn’t sit right. As for the other rumor, she’d never heard it mentioned anywhere, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t true.
But whatever the truth, she wasn’t going to let Aimee think his past bothered her. “The past is the past. I’ve seen people change when they fall in love. My cousin Trent is a perfect example of that. And I know Josh loves me.”
Okay, she knew he didn’t love her, but he did care about her. If their relationship was truly all about getting back custody of his daughter and physical pleasure, he wouldn’t hold her during the night. No, he’d enjoy the sex—correction, the mind-blowing sex—and head back down the hall to his bedroom. He wouldn’t make sure he was up every morning so he could have coffee with her before she left for work. And he wouldn’t sit around at night and watch old sitcoms with her or play chess.
“True, but not all women would feel the same way. J.T.’s lucky to have someone who is so understanding.” Pulling a bottle of water from her giant shoulder bag—the thing was so large Courtney wondered what else she might have inside it—she took a sip before continuing. “Other than a date and location, no details about your upcoming wedding have been released. People are understandably curious, especially since you’ve only been engaged since December. It’s even been suggested you’re rushing the wedding because you’re pregnant. Is it true?”
The heat burning her neck made an instant detour to her face. That rumor was floating around? Maybe she needed to pay closer attention to the tabloids.
“Nope.” One thing she could say with certainty was that she and Josh would never be expecting a child. “Since we just want a small wedding, we saw no reason to have a long engagement.”
Aimee’s expression went from expectant to disappointed. “So it’ll only be family members at the wedding.”
They’d both included a handful of friends to the guest list, but Courtney saw no reason to share specific details with the reporter. “More or less.” She turned over the cell phone in her hand and glanced at the device. “It’s later than I realized. I’m sorry I can’t chat longer.”
Aimee again flashed her bright smile and stood as Courtney did. “Will you be granting any media outlets access to the wedding?”
“We haven’t decided.” They discussed it and agreed to keep it as private as possible, so only Today Magazine would have access to Cliff House for the wedding. Of course, it wouldn’t stop other reporters and photographers from camping outside the fence. The woman standing in front of her didn’t need to know that either.
She kept her eyes focused on her destination, the elevator, rather than the people still glancing her way. Thank you, she thought when the doors opened immediately, allowing her to escape the unwanted attention.
Josh glanced at his watch while he listened to his father again invite them over this weekend. Where was she? She was usually home by now.
“Sorry, this weekend doesn’t work,” Josh explained for the second time. “How about one night next week? Maybe Evan and Gemma can join us.”
He got it. His dad and Laura wanted to meet Courtney before the wedding. But he had other ideas for them this weekend, ideas that didn’t include her family or his. Maybe if his dad had called earlier in the week and invited him, he would’ve been more open to the idea. The night before he planned to take her away for the weekend was just too late.
“I’ll call Evan on Monday and see what he has going on next week and then call you.” If another couple joined them at dinner, it would take some of the attention off Courtney. “Say hi to Laura and tell her I hope she feels better soon.”
The woman needed to stop going on cruises. Last winter, she’d sprained her wrist when she slipped on water near a pool and tried to break her fall. The winter before that, she got food poisoning while on a cruise in the Caribbean. This time she’d turned her ankle walking down the stairs and broke it, forcing them to end their vacation early and return home.
From inside the kitchen, he heard the door open. Josh stepped into the hall as Courtney slipped off her long wool coat, revealing the forest green, knee-length dress underneath. He didn’t know what they called the style of the dress, but he did know it hugged her in all the right places. And he wanted nothing more than to ease it off her shoulders and past her breasts so he could give them the attention they deserved. Then he’d tug it the rest of the way down and take her in the hallway.
But what he wanted and what he planned to do existed on two different planets.
For the sake of his sanity, he forced his gaze north of her breasts. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” After pulling out the clip holding her hair up, she ran her fingers through it.
He’d seen various emotions on her face. But the agitation there now was a first. “Rough day?”
“It was fine until Aimee Trainor approached me outside. Next time you know there is a reporter hanging around, please give me a heads
-up.”
She’d cornered him earlier too. He’d thought after their impromptu interview she’d be satisfied and leave because, although not frigid, it was rather cold to stand outside and wait for Courtney to show up. “Sorry, I thought she’d be gone before you got home. You could have blown her off.” He rarely ignored a reporter or a fan but only because he didn’t want to be labeled an ass. Courtney didn’t have to worry about her reputation in the same way.
“She’s called my office almost every day since our engagement went public. It seemed easier to answer some questions so she’d stop.” She rolled her head from side to side as she kicked off her heels. “Unless you really want to go out, I’d rather stay in tonight.” She started to massage the area just behind her left shoulder.
Last night they’d met Evan and his girlfriend for dinner. The night before that, they’d visited her cousin Gray and his wife. Monday, he’d spent much of the evening alone while Courtney spent time with her friend Meg, the same woman he’d shared an elevator with the night he moved in.
Pulling her hand away, Josh kneaded the small knot in her shoulder. “No desire to go out.”
“Good. Then I’m changing, and I need to call Henri back. He called me earlier.”
“Meet me in the family room when you’re done.” Since she didn’t move away, he continued his massage and started to rub her other shoulder as well.
Courtney’s eyes drifted closed. “Mmm.”
“I thought you wanted to change.”
“To do that, I have to walk away from this,” she answered without opening her eyes.
The moment Josh removed his hands and stepped back, Courtney’s eyes opened, and she pouted. “Go. Later, I’ll finish the massage.”
“You better.”
“Scout’s honor.”
She poked him gently. “There’s no way you were ever a Boy Scout, but I’m going to hold you to your promise anyway.”
Josh surveyed the room. As far as indoor romantic picnics went, he’d nailed it. And it was only the beginning of what he had planned for them this weekend. Tomorrow he wanted them to leave early for his home in Bar Harbor. Of all the properties he owned, it was the one he considered not only his home but also his private retreat. Situated on almost eleven acres of land, the house overlooked Frenchman Bay and was a short drive to both Acadia National Park, a place he’d spent countless hours hiking, and the Regency Marina, where he kept his sailboat moored.
Tempting The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 13) Page 14