The judge chuckled. “Have fun tonight.”
Bethany knew her face was flushed as she gathered up the paperwork. Jamie wove his fingers into hers, and they walked out of the courthouse, looking for all intents and purposes like happy newlyweds.
Behind them Bunny sniffled. “I love weddings,” she said.
Jamie held the door open as Bethany slipped back into his car. He watched her legs as she swung them in. His lips burned with the memory of that kiss. It was all he could do to not lean in and ask for a repeat. He wondered if she felt the same, or if this was just an act for her. He shouldn’t expect it to be anything other than what it was. She hadn’t said much as they walked back to the car.
He stuck his key into the ignition. “You okay?”
She nodded and toyed with her ring. It looked so great on her finger. Like it belonged there.
“It feels weird, doesn’t it?” he asked, putting his finger on her ring. That ring marked her as his. He liked that.
“Yeah, does yours?”
The simple silver band he’d purchased earlier looked good on his finger.
“A little. I really do appreciate this, you know.” She’d never know how much this meant to him. Not really. She’d saved his bacon, and he wasn’t about to forget that.
“I just hope it works.”
“Annabelle said it should. We’ll see. The next court date is a week from Wednesday. That should at least secure me some visitation. Do you mind if we buy some toys and things for the guest room?”
“Not at all. You can completely redecorate if you want. I can put it back to normal after you leave. We want it to look like he’s got a permanent place in our home.”
Jamie’s heart constricted. He hadn’t thought about that. He realized he didn’t have a prayer of winning the case without someone like her on his side.
“Well then, I guess I know what we’ll be doing tomorrow afternoon.”
After dinner Bethany threw herself on the couch. She flicked off her shoes and rubbed her feet.
Jamie sat next to her. “Feet hurt?” he asked.
She smiled and nodded. “I don’t wear shoes like this much anymore.” She probably never wore shoes like that, but he didn’t want to point that out.
He grabbed her foot, and she jerked. Jamie chuckled. “Chill. I’m good at this.”
He massaged the ball of her foot, and she groaned. “Where have you been all my life? I could’ve used that when I was dancing. Especially when I was doing ballet.”
He leaned back on the couch with both of her feet in his lap. “You mean no one’s ever done this for you before?”
She closed her eyes. “Not like that, they haven’t. Maybe we should’ve added this to the pre-nup. ‘Jamie must provide Bethany foot massages every day.’”
Jamie chuckled. “And what do I get?”
“What do you want?”
“Hm. I don’t know. That kiss earlier was pretty amazing.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself. He shouldn’t have said that.
Bethany’s eyes flashed open, but her expression didn’t change. Jamie continued to massage her feet, trying to play it off as nothing. But the look in her eyes told him she wasn’t about to let it go.
“What are you saying? Bethany gets foot massages, and Jamie gets kisses?”
“Yeah, I guess.” He kept his hands on her feet, because if he didn’t, he might actually reach over and pull her in for that kiss. He was having trouble remembering why that would be a bad idea.
Bethany tugged her feet from out of his grasp and tucked them under her dress. She leaned forward. The look in her eyes was impossible to read. Maybe he’d gone too far, and she was about to bolt. He should’ve just kept his mouth shut. That was a dumb thing to ask for.
“Seems fair enough.”
Jamie’s heart raced. Before he could so much as ask if she was sure, she crawled into his lap and put her arms around his neck. Jamie’s body reacted immediately, and Bethany’s eyes widened. She leaned into him and whispered in his ear.
“You know, I am your wife. That does come with certain benefits.”
He pushed her away before she could kiss him. He gently moved her off his lap, and he stood up.
“No, not this way. I’m not sleeping with you because you feel obligated. This is a business deal. Nothing more.”
He escaped from the room before she could argue. He didn’t want her talking him into doing anything she didn’t really want to do.
He shut his bedroom door and leaned against it, breathing hard. He couldn’t believe she’d been so bold. Especially considering the circumstances. Her feelings were probably hurt, but he couldn’t risk this heading down the wrong path. They had to make it for his son’s sake, and that wouldn’t happen if their feelings got involved.
Bethany woke the next morning just as embarrassed as she had been the night before. She couldn’t believe she’d misread his signals. He’d been the one who suggested kissing. How was she supposed to know he didn’t mean anything more? This was why she didn’t date. She didn’t understand how any of this worked. She wasn’t normally so forward, but he’d been rubbing her feet, and for some reason that made her bold.
She couldn’t hide out in her bedroom forever, so after she did her yoga and showered, she found Jamie in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal. She sat across from him and waited for him to speak. She didn’t want to open her mouth and insert her foot again.
“We should go to the bank and get you added to my accounts. Order you credit cards and things. After that, we can go shopping for Garrett’s room.”
She creased her eyebrows. “I have to work at ten.” Relief flooded her. Looked like he wouldn’t even bring her forwardness up. Maybe they could both forget what she did.
He frowned. “I assumed you would quit. I got the impression you didn’t like your job much.”
“I don’t. But I still have to eat and pay the bills.”
He cocked his head and rubbed his chin. “You can do that from my bank account. As of yesterday, what is mine is yours.”
Now it was her turn to be confused. “But nothing changes until we get divorced. None of your money is mine until then.”
He laughed, and she felt dumb. She must’ve missed something.
“Do you not understand how marriage works? As of right now, we share everything. That’s what I’m saying. I don’t think it makes sense for you to change your name or anything, but I’m putting you on all my accounts and adding you to all my credit cards. The cards should be here in a week. In the meantime, you can use mine. Can we get the accounts set up today or do we have to wait until you have a day off?”
She rocked back in her chair. “You mean it? I can quit.” She wouldn’t allow herself to be excited until she knew for sure. She’d wanted out of that job for months.
“Yeah, I mean it. Make the call now, and then we can get on with our lives.” Jamie handed her his phone.
“But I thought…” She trailed off not sure what else to say. This was unreal. Only a week ago she was broke, had a job she hated, and could barely look a hot guy in the eyes. Now she was married to said hot guy, had access to his money, and could quit her job. Life had never looked so good.
“We need to make this look as real as possible. That means holding hands in public, kissing goodbye, and sharing finances. If you don’t like your job. Quit. If you want, we can even start planning that dance studio you want to set up. I’m a pretty good businessman. I can put you in touch with the right people to draw up a corporation and make sure you have adequate liability insurance.”
She spoke slowly, to make sure he understood. “All with your money?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, why not?”
“What’s the catch?” There was always a catch.
He paused for a moment as if thinking, then he got a wicked grin on his face. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair looking all cocky. “You let me take photos of you and publish them.”
She rolled her eyes and thought if there was some way this could go wrong.
“No nudity.”
“You’re my wife. Do you think I want naked pictures of you floating around?”
He didn’t actually confirm that he wouldn’t, so she gave him a look.
He laughed. “Yes, dear, no nudity. Do we have a deal? Will you quit your job?”
He didn’t have to tell her twice. She pulled out her phone and ten minutes later was officially unemployed.
When Jamie handed Bethany a bank statement her eyes widened.
“You keep that much money in a bank account?”
“I have several because I don’t want the money to be uninsured. Most of my money is in a trust fund. When the bank account gets below a certain amount, the trust fund automatically fills it up. I’m not a huge spender, so I don’t usually worry about it. You’re free to spend what you like. I’m not worried you’ll go overboard, but if you are going to spend more than ten grand in a day, I’d like some notice.”
Bethany choked on the water she was drinking.
“Ten grand?”
“Yeah. Just so I know.” He was so nonchalant. Ten grand. She’d never even had that much in a bank account at once before.
“I don’t think I could spend that in a whole month.”
He parked the car in front of the mall. “We’re about to outfit my son’s room. Watch and learn. Ten grand, easy.”
Bethany was a strict bargain shopper. The price was the first thing she looked at. Then she decided whether or not she liked it. She never even looked at full priced clothes, heading straight for the clearance racks.
But she did love to shop.
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Will you help? I know nothing about little kids.”
She snorted. “Neither do I. But I’m willing to try. Do you know what he likes?”
“The school keeps me pretty informed. He’s a car and plane kid. Anything with wheels or wings.”
They entered a kids-only furniture store. All the princess beds made her sigh. She’d always wanted one of those when she was a kid. They made it to the little boy’s area, and most of the sets were baseball or basketball. There were a few for older boys that didn’t have any fancy designs, but were deep grays and greens. Jamie seemed to be sticking to those, so she dragged him over to the most elaborate set in the store.
The bed was shaped like an old bi-plane painted deep blue. There were three dressers that matched and a bedside table with a propeller.
“Do you think it will be a bit much?” he asked.
“If he likes planes, it will be perfect.”
Jamie creased his eyebrows and walked around it.
“Seriously. You don’t think he’ll think I’m trying too hard?” She thought it was adorable that he worried about that.
“No. Not at all. He’s six. He’ll completely appreciate it if you try too hard.”
“Okay then. Now are you ready to learn how to spend money?”
“What do you mean?”
“Take my card and tell the saleswoman you want the entire set delivered next week. Don’t mention price.”
Bethany was a bit skeptical. But she took his card anyway and found the saleswoman. “I’d like to buy the airplane bed over there.”
“Just the bed?”
“No, the whole thing. Including the planes hanging from the ceiling. I need it delivered next week. We live on Folly Beach. Do you have people who can put it all together?” Bethany surprised herself. Maybe she could do this after all.
The woman nodded and didn’t blink an eye. “Of course. Do you want the bedding as well?”
“Yes. Throw in an extra set of sheets.” Little kids wet the bed, right?
“Is there anything else I can get you?”
“No. I think that will be it.”
The woman took the card from Bethany and came back a few minutes later with a receipt for her to sign. Jamie intercepted it.
“It will be delivered next Wednesday between eleven and one. Will someone be home?”
Bethany nodded. “Unless you have plans, Jamie.”
“Just hanging out with you.”
Her butterflies fluttered. When they walked out of the store, Jamie grinned. “Admit it. That was fun.”
“Okay, yeah, that was fun.”
“Now we need clothes. He’s a size seven.”
They found a department store, and Bethany didn’t want to do this for him, so she stood back and watched. This was the first time he was shopping for his son. He went for the slacks and button up shirts that Bethany was certain six-year-olds only wore to church and weddings. He looked perplexed, so she rescued him.
“Maybe try the t-shirts and shorts.” She pointed to a rack a few feet away.
“Yeah, maybe,” he mumbled. He picked out a few outfits and bathing suits, and Bethany grabbed a couple of pajamas.
They spent the most time at the toy store buying pretty much the entire car, plane, and train section. Jamie picked out a nice Thomas the Train set with the table. He was pretty much ensuring the kid would never want to go home again. Bethany also chose a few movies that seemed appropriate for his age.
They loaded the stuff into the car, and Bethany collapsed into the front seat.
“Spending money is a lot of work. How much did we spend?”
“Oh, we’re not done yet. It’s only lunchtime.”
“What else do we need to buy?”
Jamie shrugged. “You wanna get some lunch?”
“Sure. Then I want a nap.”
“Then you shall have a nap. Unemployment is nice, huh?”
She laughed. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
“Do you mind if we do a photo shoot this afternoon?”
She grumbled. “I guess not. But I’m getting that nap first.” This whole idea was stupid. She wasn’t photogenic in the least. The pictures were gonna suck.
They enjoyed a nice lunch then grabbed a few groceries.
Once they got home, she was pulling a couple of bags out of the trunk when she heard a “yoohoo” behind her. For once in her life, she wasn’t terrified by that voice.
She spun around and put on her best sugary smile. “Mrs. Calhoun, what can I do for you today?”
Mrs. Calhoun looked at the bags in her hand. “What’s all that?”
“Clothes and stuff for Jamie’s son.”
Mrs. Calhoun waved her hands. “You might as well put them right back in the car.”
“Why’s that?” Bethany knew what she was about to say, but she wanted to hear the hag say the words.
“Because the HOA says he’s has to move out. I’m just giving you a heads up.”
“Why would he have to move out?” she asked in a sweet voice.
Mrs. Calhoun sighed like Bethany was slow. “Because, dear, we’ve been over this. Roommates are not allowed.”
“But Jamie’s not a roommate.”
Mrs. Calhoun drew herself up to her full height. “He most certainly is.”
Bethany set down the bag in her left hand and held it out for Mrs. Calhoun to see.
“Jamie is my husband.”
Mrs. Calhoun’s face went beet red. She sputtered for second then spun on her heel and marched back to her own house.
Bethany stood a little taller as she walked up the stairs. Mrs. Calhoun would continue to fight her for the house, but for now, she’d won.
Bethany told Jamie to wake her up at four. She napped on the couch because she said if she slept in her room, she’d never get up. She looked so peaceful and beautiful asleep. He didn’t want to wake her.
He gently shook her shoulder. She blinked her eyes open.
“Fifteen more minutes,” she mumbled and rolled over.
He grinned. How could he wake her? He supposed Hexa could do the honors, but she was snoozing at Bethany’s feet. He pulled the blanket away from her shoulders and covered up Hexa instead. He studied her legs and suddenly had an idea for
his next picture. But first he needed her awake.
He slipped one arm under her shoulders and one under her knees and lifted her up. Her eyes flashed open.
“What are you doing?” She struggled to get out of his arms.
“Waking you up. We aren’t going far.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m not ready to get up,” she said.
“I know. But we’ve got work to do.”
He set her down on the table, with her legs dangling over the edge. He escaped into the pantry for a second and came back with a Snickers.
“Eat this. I’ll be right back.”
He found his camera and the right lens, and when he came back, she was licking chocolate off her finger. Damn if she didn’t look sexy.
“When you sit on the kitchen chairs, do your feet touch the floor?”
She shook her head.
“Good.” He pulled the chair out that sat at the end of the table.
“Sit. This will be easy for you.”
She slid onto the chair without arguing because she was still half asleep. He needed to remember this for the future. She was rather agreeable when she was waking up.
He lay down on the floor behind the chair to get the shot. All he wanted was the chair legs, her calves, and her feet.
“I’m going to ask you to do several things with your feet. Just let them relax for now.”
He snapped away, barking orders of what to do. She complied without argument, but he still hadn’t got the shot he wanted.
“Cross your ankles and point your toes.”
Her calves flexed, and he could see the muscles. Her point was perfect. Definitely a dancer. That was the money shot. Sexy too. He hadn’t planned on that.
After a few more shots, he stood up and found a chair across from her. “Thanks.”
She shrugged. “That was easy. What’s the theme? All of your pictures have themes.”
“Short people problems.”
She snorted. “That’s weird. Do you think it will sell?”
He was a little offended that she thought it was weird. But he was confident this would sell. People appreciated his art. He’d never had a series that didn’t sell.
Folly and Forever (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 3) Page 10