A Friendly Arrangement

by Sarah Bates

  She’d sworn that day, after her last lesson, that she would never turn out like her parents. She would never get married.

  He sighed and stood, went to her and stopped her by placing his hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay, Sami. I’ll figure something else out.”

  She stared at him, then lowered her head and rested her brow on his shoulder. “I’ll do it,” she mumbled.

  He closed his eyes and pressed his face into her hair and his arms went around her. “Oh, Sami. I promise,”

  “There’s just one thing that you need to consider first,” she interrupted, pulling back so she could see his face.

  “What’s that?”

  She hesitated, her lower lips caught between her teeth. “If we’re married for a year, then when my baby is born, you’ll legally be the father,” she said. “How do you feel about that?”

  He stared at her for a long moment, clearly unsure how to answer. When she went to pull away he gently tightened his grip on her. “You’re willing to marry me,” he said slowly. “I think it would be a little on the ungrateful side for me to complain about my name being listed on your baby’s birth certificate.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He sighed and slowly reached a hand up to play with a stray curl. “You’re my best friend, Sami, so your child is going to be a part of my life, whether we’re married or not.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded and dipped his head to press a kiss to her brow.

  She sighed and kissed his cheek, then stepped back. “I promise that when everything is settled and, you know, we can go back to our normal lives, you won’t be held responsible. The baby won’t even have to have your name.”

  “It’d be a bit odd for him or her to have a different name from their parents wouldn’t it?” he asked.

  She frowned, not understanding. “You want me to change my name?”

  “Well, I mean, obviously you don’t have to, but it might look a little better if maybe you hyphenated Steel onto your name, for the time being, at least.”

  “Oh,” she thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Alright.” She stepped back and picked up her purse. “We’ve got seven days.”

  “Seven days,” he agreed.

  “If you can afford a lunch break we could head over to the court house and get the marriage license,” she suggested.

  Well, that didn’t take long, he thought. She was already in her organizational mode. “I can spare a few hours,” he said, stepping behind his desk to retrieve his suit coat.

  “Good. After we do that we should visit Franklin’s office,”

  “What for?” he asked as he led her to the doors.

  “To see how long it’ll take for him to draw up a pre-nup.”

  He froze halfway opening the door for her. “Why do we need one of those?” he asked, scowling.

  “It’s just a logical thing to do,” she replied, pulling a tin of mints from her purse.

  “Do you plan on taking half my net worth when the year is up?” he asked, opening his mouth to accept the mint she held up in offering.

  She popped the mint between his lips and shook her head. “I have my own money. What would I need any of yours for?” she asked back.

  “Exactly my point. Besides, a pre-nup would simply prove that we don’t intend to have a lasting marriage. I think we’re safe without one.”

  “Okay.” She followed him towards the elevator, waving and smiling goodbye to Theresa on the way. “What about the ceremony? Simple I do’s at the courthouse?”

  He frowned as he punched the button for the parking garage. “It would be more simple that way, but I was thinking of maybe having a JP come out to Winterhaven, say the whole I do thing in the garden. It’s where my grandfather said he’d like to see me get married,” he explained when she blinked in surprise. “And my parents were married there, down by the fountain. I’m not trying to be sentimental,” he added when she gave him a bright smile. “It just seems fitting.” he slowly nodded and looped her arms around him.

  “Well, I guess since this will be my one and only it should be slightly more romantic than a judge’s chambers. And I have always loved the garden at Winterhaven. But I’m not wearing white,” she added suddenly. “I’m pregnant. It would be more than a little hypocritical.”

  He shrugged. “Wear whatever color you think would be best.” A smile slowly crept across his lips. “I’ve always thought that you look pretty in yellow.”

  She blinked in surprise, but before she could respond the double doors slid open and he led her out into the parking garage.

  Chapter Two

  Three days later Samantha stood studying her reflection in the mirror of the master suite’s private bathroom. Today was the day that she would break her promise to herself and marry her best friend. Her belly churned and she quickly spun away from the vanity, making it to the toilet just in time to lose what was left of her dry toast and herbal tea breakfast.

  She wasn’t sure if it was because she was nervous or if the morning-sickness had suddenly kicked in, but she was beginning to suspect that it was a little bit of both. She only hoped that she didn’t repeat this last episode all over Alex during the ceremony.

  That would definitely be one for the memory book.

  Groaning, feeling a little lightheaded, she carefully climbed back to her feet and went to brush her teeth, again. After she fixed her make-up, re-applied her cherry flavored lip-gloss, she stepped back to study the end results.

  Thankful that her dress had been spared any stains, she reached out and lifted the small bouquet arranged out of the yellow and white roses that had been gathered fresh from the garden that morning. Her dress was a simple sleeveless A-line summer dress, its hem reaching just below her knees and the shade of a soft buttercup. Her strappy sandals matched it perfectly, and her long mane of golden curls was pulled back in a simple, classic twist, with loose tendrils slipping free to kiss her softly tanned, freckled shoulders. She didn’t wear a veil.

  Her neck and wrists were unadorned as were all of her fingers. Tiny diamond chips, a gift from Alex for her sixteenth birthday, winked at her ears.

  Setting her shoulders, she made her way down the grand central staircase and met Franklin by the terrace doors.

  As Alex no longer had any family, and what was left of hers was too busy in their own selfishness to bother attending, the lawyer and his wife had volunteered to act as witnesses, along with the few friends the two of them had in common.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” he asked when she looped her arm through his.

  She nodded, trying to ignore the queasy flutter in her belly.

  He studied her for a moment, then sighed and reached for the door. “Alex is lucky to have a friend like you,” he told her. “And by the way, you look beautiful.”

  She smiled weakly and carefully followed his lead down the steps. The moment her feet touched the stone path the harpist Alex had hired began to strum the wedding march, and the small group of people turned in their seats to watch her.

  She swallowed hard as a sharp wave of panic washed over her, and she was certain that she’d be sick and ruin everything. Breathing deeply, she clenched her teeth and forced a smile for the gathering, and turned her attention to Alex.

  And was surprised to find the expression on his face wasn’t his usual brooding scowl but awe. It made her blush slightly and eased her nervous jitters, but only a little.

  As it was mid-morning and the weather was crisp and clear the simple luncheon planned for after the ceremony was to be held out under a white tent not far from the fountain, where Alex now stood waiting for her in his tailored charcoal suit. He was by far the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

  They reached him and the harpist ended with a final flick of her wrist, and Franklin eased her suddenly rigid arm free from his. Alex nodded his thanks and gently took her hand in his. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

  She jer
ked her head in a quick nod, then forced her lips into another smile and turned to face the Justice of the Peace rather than him.

  The older man studied the two of them for a moment, then slowly began to lead them through the ceremony. The vows were the hardest part for both of them, as neither one of them had ever wanted to take them, but they managed to get through it with no real mishaps. Then the time came at the end when the JP turned to Alex and smiled. “You may kiss your bride,” he said.

  There was a soft, collective catch as everyone held their breath, and Alex hesitated when he saw the panic in her pale green eyes. “Are you alright?” he asked softly, trying not to frown.

  She jerked her head in a slight shake and the JP took a small step forward. “Is there something wrong?” he asked in a worried tone.

  And then Alex noticed that she held a hand tightly to her stomach. “Oh.” He leaned in quickly and kissed her, then turned to the JP. “Announce it, fast.”

  He blinked in surprise, then looked out over the small crowd. “I now give you Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Steel.”

  The group stood and clapped and Alex gripped her hand and quickly led her back down the path. The moment they entered the house she made a beeline for the closet sized half-bath in the next room. He waited, peaking out the French doors to check on their handful of guests.

  Franklin, bless him, had taken on the role of host and was now shepherding the small crowd towards the tent and waiting tables.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Samantha said weakly a few minutes later as she stepped back through the doorway.

  He turned to study her and sighed at the sheer misery in her eyes. “Are you alright now?” he asked.

  She swallowed and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “For now.” She shifted her feet and lifted her gaze to meet his. “So, we’re married now.”

  “I guess so.” He crossed over to her and gently took her hands in his. “I can’t thank you enough, Sami, for what you just did for me.”

  “You would have done the same for me.” She blew out a heavy breath and tugged her hands free to place them on her belly. “What are we going to tell people when I start to show, Alex? Everyone will assume that the baby is yours.”

  He’d thought about that a few times over the last couple of days, and still had no answer. He had never wanted children, which happened to be a well-known fact about him. Now every one would assume that he had slipped up and made a mistake, which bothered him because he didn’t make mistakes, it just wasn’t part of his personality to allow such things to happen. And people were bound to say that he had married her because of a mismanaged affair.

  “We’ve got a little while before there’s a bump. I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

  She nodded and reached out to take the hand he held out to her, twining her fingers with his. The wide gold band on his ring finger felt cool against her skin. “Let’s not wait too long to cut the cake,” she said in a light, teasing tone as he led her back outside. “I’m in a desperate mood for chocolate.”

  He chuckled softly, as she had hoped he would, and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked towards the tent. “You ordered a chocolate cake?” he asked.

  “Is there any other kind?” she asked back, tilting her head up so she could see him.

  He grinned and dipped his head to kiss her, and a chorus of cheers spilled out from the tent, along with a soft clicking noise.

  “Something tells me there’s going to be a lot of that,” she murmured when he kissed her again.

  “Probably,” he agreed, and they both plastered smiles on their faces when they stepped into the tent. “It’s going to be a long afternoon.”

  “Yep.”

  They braced themselves and suffered through the small talk, improvising as best as they could with answering the more curious questions, and picked through the meal as everyone around them chattered on. As Samantha had predicted, the clinking rang constantly.

  At first it was sweet and sort of romantic, but after a while it became irksome and tiring. The only relief she felt came when two young waiters rolled the cake out, and she smiled when she saw Alex’s eyes widen at the sight of the confection. Single tiered, it was large and round, frosted in a tick, rich fudge icing and in the center of it was a large mound of chocolate covered strawberries, with smaller ones scattered around the base.

  Alex turned to look at her and her smile widened at the delight flickering in his eyes. “Chocolate covered strawberries.”

  “They are your favorite,” she murmured, placing her napkin on the table.

  “Yes, they are.” He stood then carefully pulled her chair out and helped her to her feet. A clinking noise indicated that apparently someone still found the game amusing, so he sighed and brushed his lips over hers, hoping once again that the crowd would finally be appeased. “Cake or strawberry?” he asked as he led her to the small table.

  “What do you think?”

  She grinned up to him when he turned to face her. Without another word he reached up and plucked one of the largest berries he could find, then turned and held it up.

  Though her stomach still felt queasy, she reached up and wrapped her long, slender fingers around his hand and leaned forward to take a bite. Alex dipped his head at the same time, taking a much larger portion of the berry.

  Sounds of delight murmured from the female members of their captive audience, especially when he lowered their hands and slid his mouth more possessively over hers.

  As kisses went it wasn’t overly passionate, but it still had her already jittery system flaring in reaction. She stepped back a moment later and swallowed hard.

  He studied her, then bent to kiss the rest of the chocolate from the corner of her lips. “Waste not, want not,” he murmured teasingly in her ear.

  She rolled her eyes and reached up to wipe away a small drip of berry juice from his chin. “Then you’d better get eating, pal,” she whispered back, indicating the cake with a tip of her head. Her pale green eyes sparkled teasingly at him and he grinned.

  After everyone had been severed their cake Alex had some soft music turned on and they shared a slow dance to entertain their guests. When the song ended they settled in at their table for the rest of the afternoon, preparing themselves for another, longer run of small talk.

  Hours later they finally bid the last of their guests goodbye, then headed upstairs to change and relax for the evening. When Samantha opened the door to the master suite they both came to a stop in the doorway and stared at the enormous bed. “It’s not going to happen,” she said softly.

  He scowled over her shoulder. “I wasn’t expecting it to.”

  She nodded and stepped into the room. “I want the right side of the bed.”

  “That’s my side.”

  “Not anymore.” She turned to smile sweetly at him. “The baby likes the right side.”

  He opened his mouth to protest, but seeing her pat her belly he sighed. “It does, does it?” She nodded and he reached up to loosen his tie. “So what else does the baby like?”

  “Foot rubs.”

  “Foot rubs, huh?” He looked as though he were considering her words as he crossed over to her.

  “Yep.” She grinned as she tilted her head back to look at him as he drew closer.

  “Anything else?”

  “Bubble baths.”

  “Hmm.” He came to a stop, standing toe-to-toe with her. “Wow, this baby already has so much in common with you.”

  “I know. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

  He studied her closely, then sighed and leaned forward to kiss her brow. “I hope that if it’s a girl she’s just like you, Sami.”

  She blinked in surprise. “Really?”

  He nodded and reached up to tug gently on one of her loose curls. “Really. Do you guys want a bubble bath now?”

  She smiled but shook her head. “Maybe later. Right now I’d just like to get out of this dress and relax.”

  “Want some help w
ith that?” he asked, slowly sliding a fingertip over her bare shoulder and collarbone.

  Her breath hitched slightly. Though they teased each other often, he had never consciously made such a suggestive gesture towards her and her pulse quickened as an image popped into her head, of him ‘helping’ her out of her dress. She swallowed and cleared her throat. “Um, I think I can handle it myself.”

  His bright blue eyes sparked with mischief and he nodded and stepped back. “Well, if you change your mind, I’ll be in the shower. Feel free to join me any time, Mrs. Steel.” And with that he turned and went into the bathroom.

  She stared after him, her heart pounding a wild, unexpected beat in her chest. Well, that was new. She blew out a breath and turned to the closet, where her bags had been stored that morning when she first arrived. Wondering if maybe her hormones were already getting ahead of her, she reached behind herself and easily slid the tiny zipper down, and stepped out of her dress. It would have to be dry cleaned so she hung it to the side of the rest of her dresses, which one of the maids had apparently decided to hang.

  As it turned out, the maid had gone the next step further and had put away all of her clothes, and it took her several minutes to find them.

  Meanwhile, in the bathroom Alex stood under the near-to-scalding spray, willing himself to relax. It had been a long day. One of the longest in his life. He was married. If it wasn’t for the fact that his new, blushing bride was Samantha, he probably would have gone running for the hills by now. But on the other hand, if it had been anyone other than Sami, he’d probably be spending the night in a vastly different way.

  The idea of a good round between the sheets had him wincing and quickly flicking the water from hot to cold. He couldn’t afford to have those kinds of thoughts with Samantha curled up beside him. The water turned frigid very quickly and he had to catch himself before he yelped in surprise. One quick burst of the icy spray cured him of any worries and he turned the water off with a quick flick of the wrist.

  He shivered once, blowing out a deep, cleansing breath, then stepped out and reached for his robe. And groaned when he realized he’d forgotten it. With a sigh he hitched a large, fluffy blue towel about his narrow hips and padded out into the bedroom.