I'm willing to double the fee, Libby. You'll be free to make every dream of your own come true. To never worry again about having a place to live and to sculpt. Please, Libby?" he asked, and it struck me that I'd never heard him use that word…
"Will you marry me?"
13
Jack
Friday
The only thing that had kept me from stripping Libby bare and burying myself inside her last night had been fear, that if I'd seduced her and taken her the way my raging body had demanded, I'd have lost her for good. Lost her, and my chance at fatherhood with a woman perfectly suited to have my baby. She was talented, kind, beautiful and smart. Any child would be lucky to inherit genes like hers…
The only other thing that had stopped me was the simple fact that I'd lost control in the shower. It had been too goddamned long and the ache had been far too much. After holding her naked at the edge of the lake… seeing what I'd only imagined up until then…
And then knowing we'd be spending the night in the same fucking bed… Well. A man can only take so much.
I looked over at her, working her hands together in her lap as I drove. We were only minutes away from the clinic. And shit, I was as nervous as she was.
I reached over and took her hands in mine. I held them as I drove, keeping them next to my thigh. In spite of the fucking great orgasm I'd had in the shower, I'd still been hard most of the night. Just like I was now. Neither of us had gotten much sleep. We'd been awake until nearly dawn, discussing my proposal…
"Are you still up for this today?" I asked. God knew I was… "We could always postpone."
"I'm good, Jack, really." Her eyes were bright, although they had faint shadows underneath them. "I want this. And I'm ready." She smiled and I felt my chest and groin tighten at the same time. "More than that, my body is ready. I know it doesn't make much sense… but it just feels like the timing is perfect."
I smiled and held her eyes a moment too long. The back tire went over the curb hard, and we laughed together. Although she hadn't said yes outright to marrying me once my baby was growing inside her, I was sure that she would. I parked in the clinic lot and went around to open her door.
"Last chance to bail," I offered. I put my arms around her without thinking. It had started to feel so natural, to hold her like this.
"Not a chance, Jack," she shot back. "Now get your ass inside and let's get me knocked up."
It didn't take nearly as long as I'd expected. Nothing like it would have been, done the way nature intended, I thought. I'd have had Libby in bed with me for days, exploring her responses, discovering her needs… I'd have exhausted us both, satisfied us both…
As it was, I'd pushed the soft porn mags aside in the room they'd put me in, while they prepped Libby for the procedure. I had all the images I needed already in my head, of her lush round body. I unzipped and took cock in hand. Then I imagined her wrapped around me, the way I'd wanted her when I'd pulled her from the lake. Half submerged in the water and almost weightless, I could have fucked her right there, her breasts bobbing on the surface as I pumped inside her and her legs gripped me as tight as her sweet little pussy…
To her credit, the nurse merely raised her eyebrows as I emerged, specimen cup in hand, only a few minutes later. I was in the waiting room for less than half an hour when they told me to come in, that Libby was asking for me.
"I didn't want you to miss this," she said, reaching out for me from under the drape. She was on her back, knees in the stirrups. I took her hand and held it tightly.
"Okay, Mom and Dad," Dr. Tiller said, not glancing up from under the drape. "This is it." She glanced up at me. "You can do this with me, if you like."
I looked at Libby, who nodded and smiled. Her eyes were so bright, so brilliantly green. For a moment, I forgot everything but her. Then the doctor cleared her throat.
With one hand, I held Libby's warm little hand, threading my fingers through hers in an unbreakable bond. With the other, I reached down and helped the doctor press the little plunger. Though it was nothing like how I'd always imagined it, I was filling my chosen woman with my seed. This was the beginning of a whole new world… a whole new life… Gratitude flooded through me… along with something else… something even deeper…
I kissed Libby's forehead and found myself unable to pull away. The doctor left the room discreetly as I remained, holding onto this beautiful woman, who with every passing day, was becoming more and more important to me, in every imaginable way.
"So help me, Jack, if you help me with one more goddamn thing…" She was exasperated after I'd offered to carry her up the stairs. "I'm not really pregnant, at least not yet… and my legs sure as hell aren't broken."
I let her walk up to her bedroom on her own, but I kept one hand on her elbow as she went. I didn't relax until she was settled on the bed, a pillow under her head and one under her knees.
"Dr. Tiller said it couldn't hurt, didn't she?" I asked, sitting down beside her. "How do you feel? Can I get you anything…?" I couldn't seem to keep my hands to myself. I stroked her arm, her hair. I was used to feeling powerful and in control, and here I was fussing like an old woman. "When you're settled, I can make us lunch and bring it up here. Unless you'd like to sleep for a while." I held her cheek in my hand, cupping her face. "This morning I didn't think you could be any more beautiful, and yet here you are…"
I leaned in. Maybe it was gratitude. Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe it was relief that the day I'd dreamed of was finally here. Or maybe it was just that even a strong man can only hold out in the presence of a woman like Libby for so long. But I leaned in and I kissed her. Hard, the way I needed to, the way I was meant to. A second later, her hands were tangled in my hair, my chest on her chest, my hips working their way between her legs. I was lost in the taste of her, the way her legs felt, wrapped around my waist. My cock was enormous and I could feel how hot she was at her core. I knew she was wet, just like I was. That's what snapped me back into consciousness.
"Libby," I pulled my weight off of her. "I'm so fucking sorry. Did I hurt you?" My heart was pounding. "I didn't mean to do that…" Who the fuck was I kidding. I'd meant every single second.
She laughed and pushed herself up higher in the bed. "It's okay, Jack." Her eyes were brilliantly green. "Couples have actual sex all through their pregnancies, you know." She licked her lips and I yearned to do the same. "It's not like you're going to break me."
"It's just that this is so… I've never felt this way before, Libby. I'm excited and grateful and happy and terrified."
"I know," she said. "Me too." She reached out and smoothed my hair. "It's really too early to know anything. I just have such a good feeling about this, you know? Like it's actually going to happen. That, in a couple of weeks, the doctor will be giving us good news."
"I know she will," I answered, smoothing her curls behind her delicate ear. "I can feel it deep inside, that this is right. That everything that's happening is somehow meant to be."
I kissed her softly this time. "It's why I want to start making plans. Today, if you'll agree." I watched the color of her eyes deepen. "I'm certain my baby is starting to grow inside you. Right now, right this very minute.
And I don't want to wait any longer. I want you to marry me, the sooner the better. If you'll just say yes, I know India and Mom could work miracles… They could have the ceremony planned in no time. You wouldn't have to lift a finger." I put my forehead to hers and felt the little pulse beating there.
"Say yes, Libby. Right here, right now. Don't think about anything else but me and my child in your belly…
And tell me yes."
14
Libby
"Think of it, Libby. The baby could be legitimate even before we find out he's on the way."
I sat, just breathing, unable to sort the conflict in my mind. I had enough on my plate with the procedure this morning, thinking, knowing I was right on the edge of a life altering, body altering experien
ce. But this pretend marriage deal had come out of the blue. Everything was happening too fast…
"Damn it, Jack. Pretend words on a piece of paper won't make her legitimate." Tension and lack of sleep had left me with a few ragged edges. "Sooner or later, someone would find out that the whole thing had been just one more lie, and I don't want to bring an innocent baby into the middle…" He cut me off.
"I never suggested the marriage would be a lie, Libby." He held my hands tightly. "It would be as legal and binding as the surrogacy contract you've already signed."
"But you said we'd have to make them believe it was real…"
"No differently than we already have," he answered, his voice confident. "My family accepts you as my girlfriend now. So will everyone else, in our business and social circles. And now, they'll accept you as my wife. It's the next step, Libby. A man in my position has a certain appearance to uphold. I know it's old fashioned, but it's how things are done."
"So the marriage would be for real…?"
"Legally, yes. For my family's sake. For the baby's, too. But I wouldn't expect anything more. The marriage would be for their benefit. That's why our arrangement is so perfect, sweetheart. It's clear, simple and meets everyone's needs. Neither one of us was ever looking for the complications of a relationship… I finally become a father, and you have financial freedom for life."
"Everyone's happy…" My words trailed off. "And the baby is born to a properly married couple."
"And there would never be any need to tell anyone that he was born from anything other than love. He could grow up feeling no different from any other child…"
"Not feeling different," I muttered softly, letting the words sink in. "With a dad who loves her more than anything… and would do anything to give her the perfect start in life."
Jack chuckled softly. "Still so sure, that's it'll be a girl?"
I smiled, seeing the kindness in his eyes, the excitement he was feeling. I'd never met anyone who'd given so much time and thought and effort into parenthood, and the baby wasn't even here yet. So many men just became fathers by accident. But Jack was charging in, eyes wide open, with nothing but the best of intentions. He was the kind of man who would make the very best father and I knew in my heart, I could trust his judgement. Being a fake wife couldn't be much harder than being a fake girlfriend. And what he'd said about neither of us wanting more had gone a long way in sobering up my hormones… "Yes, Jack," I said slowly.
"Yes, she's going to be a girl?"
"Yes.
That, and I'll also marry you."
He called his parents within the hour. But not until after he'd fed me the best lunch I'd ever had. Freshly grilled salmon on a bed of salad greens. Cranberries and pecans sprinkled over the top. He had served me in bed. I patted my not-yet-round belly and sighed, replete. A girl could get used to this…
"I know it's happened fast," he said into the phone. "But when a man knows, he knows…" His eyes met mine and he smiled in a way that warmed my whole body. "I've never met a woman in my life that I felt this way about. Like she's the beginning of a whole new world for me… And I can be that for Libby, too. I only know I don't ever want to let go…"
My heart was pounding away in my chest, even though I knew the words were all for show. But they were believable enough to make even me wonder, just for a moment, if maybe there was a chance he could feel something more than appreciation toward me…
I dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it formed. This wedding really didn't change a thing. We'd go on acting like the happy couple until the baby was born. And shortly after that, there would be a ‘break-up' too painful for him to talk about. I would disappear, and we would both move on with our lives.
I smiled back at him, unable not to. His eyes were so bright… he looked so fucking happy. But it was the baby he was happy about. She was the one who really made him smile, not me. I'd be wise not to forget that…
"Two weeks, no longer. I'll call India right after we hang up and we'll leave the details up to the two of you." He paused, listening. "Libby wants to choose her own dress, that's all." He nodded at me and I absently nodded back. "I'm going to keep her entirely too busy for the next week helping me plan our honeymoon for her to be able to help with the wedding details," he said. "We're both putting our trust in you and it's going to be beautiful." He listened again. "Thanks, Mom. Dad. I love you guys too."
He hung up and ran his hands through his hair. It stuck out in a dozen directions at once. I smiled. "Do you think they suspect this is a shotgun wedding?"
"Maybe. Probably…" he said, coming to sit next to me. "But I can tell when they're happy and they are. They took to you, Libby. They really did."
"You're lucky, to have a family like that, Jack. All the love, all that support. I feel uncomfortable about deceiving them, when they've been so kind to me."
"They're going to be your family too, two weeks from Sunday. And it's not so deceptive, not really. They desperately want grandchildren. And we're going to give them that." He put his warm, roughened palm to my cheek and I couldn't help but lean into it. "We're two good people, who want very much to have a child. It may be for different reasons," he said, looking past my eyes for a second. "But it's what we both want. And it's not as if we don't have feelings for each other…"
Something flared when our eyes met again. "We're… good friends, Libby. Even after the baby's born… I'll always be there for you if you need anything, sweetheart. I can't imagine experiencing all this together and then not knowing you were okay." He kissed me softly, sweetly. "You have no idea how important you've become…"
I kissed him back and let him hold me in his arms. He rocked me gently, like a parent holding a child. As much as his presence stirred my body, he calmed me too. And I relaxed, soothed, feeling like as long as he held me everything would be alright.
But somewhere deep down, there was something else too. The knowledge that despite the wedding, his family would never really be mine. I could only borrow them, until the baby was born. And he would never truly be my husband, in spite of the vows we would soon exchange. There was his world, and there was mine. He had a family and I had none. Their family would move on… and I would go away on my own…
Once I gave birth and I left them all behind, the way I had already agreed to do, I knew that Jack and I would never see each other again.
15
Jack
I'd insisted Libby stay in bed the rest of the day, and I'd slept in the chair next to her bed that night. I wanted to be close, if she needed anything. And truth was, I simply wanted to be near her. I felt content only if I could see her, touch her. I had to know that she was safe and well. And I hated the fact that I had to put in at least a few hours at work on a Saturday. But I'd been leaving far too many responsibilities to my brothers. Plus, they'd be bearing the entire load while Libby and I honeymooned on Necker Island.
I'd already booked it for a full month. We'd have the entire Caribbean island to ourselves. A small, discreet staff would be on hand, and I'd arranged for a doctor to be ready to helicopter in, if necessary. Everything was ready. And it would hardly come as a surprise when, in a couple of months, we announced that we'd conceived in tropical paradise.
"I'll be back no later than two," I said, pouring us each a cup of herbal tea. She'd already finished the omelet I'd brought her. "Are you sure there's nothing else you need?"
"God, Jack. I might be pregnant. I'm not an invalid," she said sharply. "Pregnant women work and exercise and live their lives… What I need, I can get for myself."
"Okay… but keep a phone nearby. And no swimming by yourself." I reached out to touch her hair.
"Okay… Dad…," she smiled, softening toward me but still not meeting my eyes. "Now go, get out of here. You've got a company to run. And I've got a lump of clay that's calling my name."
"You're good? I searched her face.
"We're good," she smiled back unevenly, nodding.
I c
aught the back of her head and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then I headed out, anticipating what the day would bring.
"I've got Bill Jackson, but Wyler's still a hold out," Spence said, spreading his hands wide. "I've got dinner set up with him tonight. You know, with the wife along, keeping it social, low key." He tapped his fingers on his thigh. "I promised you I'd get him on board, Jack, and I will. I just need a little more time."
I looked out the tall glass windows… considering. I'd been absent too long. Distracted. "No, Spencer. I appreciate that you got Bill to sign, but I'm going to take on Wyler. I'll take the dinner meeting myself. Meanwhile, I want you to take another look at Warner stock. The price has been creeping up lately and I want details."
"Right, no problem… And congratulations, boss. Word is you're tying the knot again." I turned back to him, his fingers tapping away. "I got the heads up that you won't be back until the end of next month." His eyes were sharp. "Didn't know you were seeing anyone."
"And yet I was," I answered coolly. "Her name's Libby. Dad, Ben and Blake will be here full time in my absence. Reid and India will be on call. I expect the merger should be fucking close by the time I get back."
"And you've got plenty on your plate, right now Jack. Forget the deal for now. And let me take the Wyler meeting tonight. I've got this, boss. Go on and spend this time planning for your wedding."
I was halfway home, with mixed feelings about having left Spencer in charge. And I'd realized that I'd forgotten to ask why India had found their dinner meeting unsatisfactory. But my foot was heavy on the gas anyway. The closer I got to home, where Libby and the baby were waiting, the lighter I felt. Spence was right. There wasn't much time till the wedding. I needed a tux. And Libby had a dress to buy…
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