by E. L. Todd
Just spit it out already.
Sebastian watched her with affection in his eyes.
No one would ever look at me like that.
Kara took Sebastian’s hand. “We’re having a baby!” She smiled wide and watched my parents’ reactions.
Oh shit, she was having a baby? Mom and Dad would be pissed. They wouldn’t even pay for the wedding if Kara were knocked up out of wedlock. They would disown me immediately if they thought I was pregnant. I watched my parents, waiting for the explosion.
“That’s wonderful!” Mom covered her mouth and gasped.
What?
“We’re going to be grandparents, dear,” Dad said.
Say what?
“I knew you would be supportive,” Kara said. “Sebastian and I are so excited. Obviously, it’s earlier than we planned but that doesn’t mean we aren’t thrilled about it.”
“I’m very thrilled about it.” Sebastian gave her a quick kiss and looked into her eyes with fondness.
This better be a fucking joke.
My parents got up and hugs were exchanged. I finally forced myself out of my seat and hugged Kara. “Congratulations.” I was happy for my sister but I was pissed that my parents didn’t hold Kara to the same standards they held me. She could do no wrong, but I was judged for every little thing. “How far along are you?”
“About a month,” she said. “Only eight more to go.”
Sebastian hugged me. “You’re going to be an aunt.”
“I am,” I said. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” He returned to Kara’s side like a magnet.
When we sat down again, the weight of the situation hit me. Now my sister was getting married and having a baby. My mom would be on my ass a million times harder. Geez…
“So, are you still having the wedding next summer?” Mom asked.
“Well, I don’t want to be a cow when we get married,” Kara said.
Sebastian shook his head. “You would never look like a cow.”
Mom smiled at him. “You found yourself a good husband, Kara.”
I was going to need Troy a little earlier than I planned.
“So, we want to get married in a month.” Kara grinned but it wasn’t genuine. It was more of a cringe than anything else.
Sebastian cleared his throat. “The reason being, we want to get married in Hawaii and she can’t fly past her first trimester. And we want to have a nice honeymoon before the morning sickness arrives.”
A month? That just wasn’t doable.
“We know it’s short notice but it’s what we want,” Kara said firmly.
Now Mom and Dad would explode. This was too much, too fast. And they were old-fashioned.
“We think it’s great,” Dad said. “If a wedding in paradise is what you want, we’ll make it happen.”
My jaw was on the floor.
‘Thank you, Daddy.” Kara rested her hand on his.
So, she gets knocked up and gets a dream wedding? And I’m the loser of the family? I wanted to scream.
Kara turned to me. “We have a lot of planning to do.”
I put on a fake smile. “Yeah, we’ll make it through.” How were we supposed to plan a wedding that far away? In a month? This was crazy.
“I’m so glad one of my daughters is getting married and starting a family,” Mom said. “It might be the only one.”
She did not just go there. I turned my wide eyes on her.
Kara cringed, like she felt my pain at the insult.
“Well, I’m bringing my boyfriend to the wedding. Perhaps we’ll get some wedding tips while we’re there.” That came out of my mouth like an uncontrollable waterfall. I wasn’t thinking. I was just mad.
Everyone turned my way.
“Boyfriend?” Mom asked. “Last time we spoke, you told me you weren’t seeing anyone.”
“I didn’t want to talk about it at the time,” I lied. “Kara just got engaged. I didn’t want to steal her thunder.” It was the only thing I could come up with. In reality, Mom asked about my personal life before Sebastian proposed. So…that didn’t make sense. But I doubt anyone would realize it.
Mom looked at me in a new way, like she actually liked me. “That’s wonderful, honey. Is it serious?”
“Super, duper serious,” I blurted. “Like, we’re serious.” I knew I sounded stupid but I couldn’t control my tongue.
“I’m so happy for you,” Kara said. “What’s he like?”
Think quickly. “His name is Troy. He’s gorgeous.” What did he do for a living? “He owns an online dating company and is worth a shit ton of money.” That wasn’t totally true but it would work. “And…we’re madly in love.”
“Wow.” Kara couldn’t see past my lies. “That’s amazing, Harper. I can’t wait to meet him.”
“Invite him to dinner this weekend,” Mom said. “To the house.”
That quickly? I thought I would spare myself some time. “I’ll let him know.”
“That’s great,” Dad said to Mom. “Maybe both of our girls will be gone from the nest too.”
Gone from the nest? I’ve been living on my own for seven years…and never once did I ask them for money. I wasn’t sure why Kara asked them to pay for her wedding. She and Sebastian should pay for it themselves if they wanted to have a ridiculous wedding in paradise. But that was just me.
My parents were in a festive mood. They were laughing and drinking their wine like water.
Was me finding a boyfriend that important? Was the fact I was happy on my own irrelevant? None of my accomplishments mattered to them. All they cared about was putting a ring on my finger—like that would solve all my problems.
***
Troy picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Perfect Ten. Ready to get down and dirty?”
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see me. “I have a crisis on my hands and I need to talk.”
His playfulness evaporated, replaced by seriousness. “Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m fine. Where are you?”
“At home.”
“Can I come over?”
“Of course,” he said. “I’ll text you the address.”
“Okay.” I hung up then headed to his apartment. I’d never been there before, just his beach house. As I navigated to it on my phone, I realized it was in a nice district of the city. Since he bought a beach house, I already assumed he was wealthy, but it still surprised me.
As soon as I got to the door, he opened it without waiting for me to knock.
“You okay?” he asked immediately. He wore jeans and a t-shirt, looking hot like usual.
“I’m okay. I’m not hurt or anything.”
“Come inside and talk to me.” His arm moved around my waist and he chauffeured me inside.
I liked having his hand on my waist. It was a feeling I’d never felt before.
He moved me to the couch and gave me his full attention. “What’s up?”
“My sister is having a damn baby.”
A blank expression came over his face. “And that’s bad because…”
“She’s not married.”
Now he became confused. “So, you agree to sleep with me so I can move on, but you’re going to judge her for having a baby out of wedlock? I got to say, that’s pretty hypocritical.”
“No.” I waved him away. “That’s not what I’m mad about.”
“Then you need to explain.”
“She’s getting married in a month because she doesn’t want to show in her dress,” I explained. “Then my mom made a bitchy comment about only marrying off one daughter so I blurted out that you and I were super serious and madly in love and crap.”
He shrugged. “Well, that’s what we agreed on.”
“But they want to meet you this weekend,” I argued. “I just wanted you around for the wedding.”
He shrugged again. “I’ll do it as long as you need me. I don’t mind.”
“I’m a terrible liar. I don
’t think I can be convincing that long.”
“Well, I’m a great liar,” he said. “I’ll take care of it.”
“How admirable,” I said sarcastically.
“Harper, just chill.”
I took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m overreacting right now. I just…this is all happening so fast. And the wedding is in Hawaii.”
“Really?” he asked. “That sounds fun.”
“You don’t mind taking a weekend off of work?”
“Not at all,” he said. “You and I will have a good time.” He patted my hand. “Don’t worry about it. Everything will be okay.”
I nodded. “You’re right. I went bat-shit crazy there.”
“When you called I thought you were mugged or something. I was terrified.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “Just don’t do it again.”
“Deal.”
He leaned back into the couch and relaxed. “You want to go get a burger?”
“A burger?”
“From that diner?” he asked. “Where we ran into each other?”
“That does sound awesome.”
He smiled, and it was different than all the other ones he gave me. “Then let’s go.”
***
We took our seats then ordered our food.
Troy sat across from me, his shoulders looking broad in his shirt. We hadn’t talked about our relationship since the beach house. We agreed to be friends with benefits but no fooling around had actually taken place. I wasn’t in a hurry and neither was he. But I was looking forward to it. He had a nice package and a nice kiss. I’m sure everything else would be good too. And I cared about him—more than I thought I would even though he was a jerk sometimes.
“Why do your parents care so much about you being married off anyway?” he asked. “Isn’t it more impressive that their daughter is financially and emotionally capable of being alone rather than needing someone to fill that void? That’s how I would feel at least. Actually, if I had a daughter, I would want her to be alone forever.”
I laughed because the idea of Troy having kids was hilarious.
“What?” he asked.
“I just can’t picture you with kids.”
“Neither can I,” he admitted. “And none of them have come up unexpectedly.” He knocked on the wood of the table.
“I’m not sure if I want kids either.”
“Really?” He looked at me with surprise in his eyes. “Why is that?”
I shrugged. “Maybe when I find the right guy I’ll feel differently. But I’m so busy with work that I just can’t picture it. But then again, I can’t picture myself finding the right guy to fall in love with.”
“What’s your idea of the right guy?” he asked.
“Why?” I stared at him suspiciously.
“I’m just curious. I thought I was the right guy for Alexia but she left anyway.” There was no bitterness in his eyes, just calm acceptance.
“Well, first of all, he needs to be hot.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
“He needs to make me laugh.”
“Absolutely.”
“And…?”
“What else?” he asked.
“He’s got to be my best friend too.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound unrealistic,” he said. “You can find that guy anywhere on the street.”
“You would think,” I said sadly. “I’ve dated a lot and met interesting people but…whatever spark that needs to be there is just not there. There’s always something about them I don’t like.”
“You’re picky,” he said. “That’s good. I hate ‘I love you’ whores or girls who will be with anyone who gives them the eye. The only girl worth waiting for is the girl who doesn’t wait for anyone.”
I cocked my head to the side, more surprised with him. “For being against relationships, you speak highly of them.”
“No, I don’t,” he said. “I’m just expressing the fact that women should be choosy with men. Women are the better-looking sex so they have all the power. They should use that to their advantage. I hate seeing chicks at parties that go to bed with any guy just because they have enough liquor in their system. And you’re drop dead gorgeous, Harper. You shouldn’t be with anyone unless they’re absolutely perfect.”
“You speak so highly of me,” I said quietly.
“I think the world of you,” he said seriously. “You’re pretty, you’re smart, you’re successful, and you don’t put up with bullshit. You got all the ingredients to make a perfect woman.”
“But I’m not the perfect woman to you.”
He shrugged. “But that’s only because I don’t believe in such a thing—at least anymore.”
It was a pity this girl ruined him so much. He could be the perfect man if he wanted to be. But she permanently scarred him and made him a ghost of a man. He was too scared of women and relationships. Hopefully, he would change his mind someday. “That makes me sad.”
He turned serious. “Don’t feel bad for me. I just had poor taste in women.”
“Just because she left you doesn’t mean she didn’t love you before—”
He held up his hand. “I don’t want to talk about her.”
I dropped the subject.
The food arrived and that made the atmosphere less awkward. He grabbed his burger and took large bites. I picked at my fries and loved the taste of the grease. The silence stretched for a long time but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Troy and I were fairly comfortable with each other at this point.
“I want to talk about our arrangement.” He was serious, like he was running a business conference that had a lot of money on the line.
“Okay.”
“I really care about you and I think you’re amazing.”
It was a really sweet thing to say and I didn’t expect it out of his mouth.
“And I don’t want to hurt you. I need you to understand that this arrangement will never lead to a relationship or love. I will never feel that way, and please don’t think you have the power to change me. You don’t, and no girl does. I need you to understand this completely. If not, I can’t go through with it. If you’ve changed your mind, that’s fine. I will still help you out with your family because you’re my friend. So don’t feel obligated to go through with it.”
“I don’t expect you to feel anything romantic toward me or have deep feelings. But I do hope you rethink your view on relationships and try again—someday.”
“I never will,” he said simply. “Please don’t try to change my mind.”
I looked down at my plate of fries.
“And you can’t feel anything for me. I’ll never return those feelings and it will only hurt you.”
“Troy, don’t worry about that,” I said. “That won’t happen.”
“May I ask why?”
“You’re not Mr. Right. If you were, I would have known from the beginning. They say you know someone is the one the moment you meet. It doesn’t take longer than a conversation. And we’ve had several conversations about different things. It’s not you, Troy.”
“Okay,” he said with a nod. “Then let me ask you something. What do you get out of this?”
“Uh, you’re hot. A girl has needs too.”
That typical grin broke out on his face. “Good answer.”
“And this is to remain a secret. Neither one of us can tell anyone.”
“Consider it done,” he said. “Are we monogamous?”
“Yes.” Sleeping with one guy I didn’t love was slutty enough. And I didn’t have a long line of guys waiting for a chance to be with me.
“Good. It looks like we have an agreement.”
“I think so.”
We kept eating.
Troy finished his burger than moved onto his fries. “Nervous?”
“No. You?”
“Are we still being completely honest with each other?” h
e asked.
“Always.”
“Then yes.”
Troy hadn’t been active in his personal life so I wasn’t surprised if he was nervous. When we were finally alone together it might be awkward. Neither one of us might know what to do. Or it could fall naturally into place. I didn’t have a clue.
The bill came and Troy paid for it. “Ready to head back to my place?”
When I remembered the way that kiss felt, excitement coursed through me. “Yes.”
***
We entered his apartment and I looked around. I was pleased to see that it was similar to the style of his beach house. I did a good job understanding what he wanted and making it a home he could feel comfortable with.
I tossed my purse on the couch then turned to him.
He came close to me, his eyes moving to my lips. “Want to know a secret?”
“Sure.”
“I looked in the water a few times when we were skinny dipping.”
“Is that supposed to surprise me?” I asked.
A grin stretched his face, and it somehow always made me feel warm. “But I didn’t see much. But when I did take a peek when I wasn’t supposed to…wow. I’ve been thinking about it ever since.”
“What did you like?”
“Everything,” he blurted.
“I liked what I saw too,” I admitted.
“Well, eight inches is pretty impressive…”
“I knew you liked it.” That cocky grin was on his face. He cornered me against the couch and rested his hands on either side of me. I was blocked in but I didn’t mind being unable to get away. He pressed his forehead to mine and stared down at me.
My hands moved to his arms, exploring the muscle I’d thought about for a long time. They felt good on my fingers, strong and powerful. My hands moved across the skin and I was surprised how soft he was.
Troy’s hands moved slightly up my shirt to my hips. “If you want me to stop, just tell me.” His voice came out quiet and gentle.
“I know.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
I stared at his lips and felt his warm breath fall on my skin. “Shut up and kiss me already.”
A deep chuckle came from deep in his throat. “Perfect Ten is bossy...” He leaned in the rest of the way and pressed his lips gently against mine. The kiss wasn’t aggressive like before. He took his time, like he had the rest of his life to kiss me. One hand slowly moved up my shoulder and neck until it settled in my hair. He fists it like he needed it to survive. Then the kiss deepened.