Bedding The Billionaire (Bedding the Bachelors Book 3) (13 page)

Behind her, Charlie babbled and Lucy turned to look at him. “Be patient, little man. You’re next. You’re gorgeous, too, by the way. You look just like your handsome daddy.”

She played with them and tickled them and got them all clean and changed. Then she took them out to Melina.

“Special delivery,” she said. “They said they’d rather go back to northern California with Aunt Lucy but I told them you’d miss them too much.”

“Thanks, Lucy.” They chatted for about thirty more minutes. Then, after Lucy called a cab to take her back to her hotel, she looked at her watch and said, “It’s time. The cab will be here any minute.”

“I’m going to miss you,” Melina said, grabbing her in a hug.

“I want some of that,” Grace said, hugging her next. “You take care of yourself, okay? If you need any help with this ridiculous custody battle, you call me. Max knows a lot of attorneys and we’d be thrilled to be character references for you.”

“Us, too,” Melina said.

“Thanks, guys. I love you all so much. Tell Max and Rhys I adore them, too.” She kissed her friends and then the babies before letting herself out the front door. She’d been expecting the cab to be waiting for her.

To her surprise, Jamie stood outside, leaning against the huge tree in Melina’s front yard. He waved. “Hey.”

“Why didn’t you come in?” she asked. She searched the road for the cab.

“I sent the cab away. And I didn’t come in because I needed to talk to you. In private. Would you take a walk with me?”

* * *

“You want me to take a walk with you,” Lucy repeated. She looked at Jamie as if he’d lost his mind, and maybe he had, but he had to act cool, calm, and confident if he was going to get her to agree to his plan.

“That’s right.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes.” He held out a hand for her. “I’ve just been thinking about something and I want to talk it over with you.”

Lucy took Jamie’s hand and they began walking. They’d only gone about a block when she suddenly stopped and turned to him. “Jamie, if this is about last night—or this morning, for that matter—we both agreed nothing’s changed…”

Everything had changed, he thought. At least for him. But even if things hadn’t changed for her, he was determined to help her. “This isn’t about me wanting to start a relationship with you again, Lucy. At least, not the way you think. This is about me helping you get custody of Milly so the two of you can start being a little family
or
…” He held up a hand to forestall her saying she wasn’t sure keeping the baby would be the best thing for her. “
Or
you can make arrangements for her to go to caregivers you’re comfortable with. Although I just want to say again, I think any child would be lucky to have you as a mother.”

“Go on,” she said.

He took her hand and they started walking again. As they did, they passed charming houses, some with tricycles and swings in the front yard. To anyone looking at them, they’d appear to be just another couple taking a stroll. “I talked to my lawyer, and from everything I’ve told him, he says you’ve got a long, ugly battle ahead of you. If there was a way to get Mason’s family to drop their opposition to custody, that would be the best option.”

“Of course it would, but they’re not just going to do that.”

“Maybe they would if they realized you wouldn’t try to keep Milly from them. I’m betting, given your estrangement with your family, that’s really what this is about.”

“Oh. Well, I never considered that.”

Of course she hadn’t, Jamie thought. She was determined to believe the worst of people, and Mason’s family had certainly given her reason to, but Jamie was still hoping they could be reasoned with. “Milly needs to know her aunt and grandparents, no matter what’s happened in the past, don’t you agree?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure me just telling them that is going to change their minds.”

“No, but maybe
me
telling them will. Not just as your friend, but as something more.”

They stumbled to a halt and Jamie tightened his hold on her. He’d given this a lot of thought, and it seemed like such an easy way to help her. And while he usually hated dishonesty in any form, this was Lucy and Lucy’s niece and they’d both been through so much already. He wouldn’t allow Mason’s family to make Lucy feel bad about herself, especially when Mason had done such a good job of that already.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I have an idea that I’m not sure you’re going to like, but hear me out, okay?”

“Okay…” she said again, obviously even more nervous now.

He sucked in a deep breath and said, “What if you and I pretend to be engaged?”

Lucy’s eyes went wide and she started to protest but he put his finger to her lips. “Hear me out. Please?”

She nodded, but her eyes stayed wide as he went on, “We pretend we’re engaged, announcing it before my sister’s wedding. I’ll get my sister to invite Mason’s family.”

“Why on earth would your sister invite Mason’s family?”

He shrugged. “Their social circle overlaps my family’s slightly. The Lancasters have long been on the fringe, just waiting for an entrance into high society. Recently, Evelyn Lancaster served on the same charitable organization as my mother, so it wouldn’t be unheard of that they get invited to the wedding. Then there’s the fact you recently saw them again, and had a prior relationship with their son…”

“And that they just happen to be contesting guardianship of Milly. They’ll see right through us.”

“Maybe not. I was with you the night of the accident, remember?”

“And you really think being engaged to you, even if they believe the engagement is real, will make a difference in the custody dispute?”

“Yes, because, although we both know they’re wrong about you, we also both know that it’s difficult for people to let go of preconceived notions about someone. From what you’ve told me, your parents and Mason’s parents are impressed by social standing. Respectability. That’s one thing my family has lots of. Being invited to Coronado Island as guests of a family who are multi-billionaires would impress the hell out of them—because it would impress their friends. It would mean they’d made it into the upper echelons. We make sure they’re given the best five-star accommodations and they’re treated like royalty while they’re there. We also make sure they see us together, see that you fit in with my family and my family’s lifestyle…and thus would fit into theirs.”

“I don’t know if I can do that,” she said. “I hate being fake, pretending to be something I’m not for the benefit of other people…”

“Of course you do. The fact that you’re comfortable in your own skin is one of the things I love most about you. But if pretending for a few days can get them to drop their objection to you getting custody of Milly…wouldn’t it be worth it?”

“Of course. But, Jamie, what would you get out of this?”

He almost said he didn’t want anything out of it. All he wanted, all he ever wanted, was for her to be happy and get what she wanted out of life. He wanted her, but that wasn’t what this was about. He would never resort to using something like this to gain her affections. The problem was, Lucy was always so suspicious and she wasn’t likely to believe that. He suddenly had another idea.

“Whitcomb Enterprises is trying to reopen what used to be an old automotive plant and turn it into a factory to produce airline parts that will literally revolutionize the way planes are made. The townspeople are a little suspicious of us. They’re not an affluent community, and they don’t trust easily.”

“So you’re suggesting I use you to get custody of my niece, and you use me to get poor people to like you?” she said.

Jamie shook his head. She could be the most stubborn, insolent woman he’d ever known sometimes.

“You wouldn’t be using me by accepting my help. And I don’t want you to help me win over people because they’re ‘poor’ but because they’re people who view me with suspicion because of my family’s bank account, and you know all about that. Whether you like it or not, you straddle both worlds, Lucy. You know what it would take to merge them.”

“But we’re just supposed to be friends.”

“We can be friends and still do this. I’m not requiring that you sleep with me in exchange for pretending that we’re engaged.” Of course, that didn’t mean he
didn’t
want to sleep with her. After their time together, he could barely think of anything else. But he wasn’t going to say or do anything that would make her feel that accepting his help was somehow dependent on her willingness to have sex with him.

She bit her lip. “I don’t know, Jamie.”

“What’s the matter?” he said. “Afraid that being around me will be too much temptation?”

When she didn’t deny it, he said, “Just say you’ll think about it.”

Lucy sighed and then she said, “Okay. I’ll think about it.” She looked at her watch. “I have to get back to the hotel and finish packing. I need to check out and get to the airport and…” She had a thoughtful look on her face.

“What?”

She looked embarrassed. “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking,
if
I take you up on your offer, I have a few rings I don’t get a chance to wear too often. I can pretend one’s an engagement ring…”

The fact she was even thinking about wearing a faux engagement ring filled Jamie with hope. “Actually…” He slipped his hand in his trouser pocket and pulled out a white velvet box.

* * *

Lucy stared at the box even as her stomach started doing flips. “What is that?”

“A prop,” Jamie said.

“A prop you just happened to have in your pocket?”

“I bought it because it was beautiful, and I figured I may never find one like it again.” He shrugged. “I brought it with me in case you said yes to my proposition. Why don’t you take it while you think about it?” He held it out.

Lucy was still reeling from Jamie’s suggestion that they pretend to be engaged. Yes, he’d said he was her friend and would gladly help her however she needed, but this…?

Gingerly, Lucy took the box and flipped it open.

Inside was a ring with a huge diamond and sapphires. The design was over-the-top feminine with flowers and bows. It was unusual and classic at the same time.

Lucy loved it. She didn’t love the fact she immediately pictured herself in a white dress, walking down an aisle to Jamie so they could exchange vows in front of all their friends.

“Jamie, are you crazy? You can’t just give this to me. It must have cost you a million dollars.” She closed the box and tried handing it back to him.

He wouldn’t take it. “It didn’t cost a million dollars,” he said. “But it cost enough that it should convince others that we’re not playing games.”

“Shit! Why are you so incredibly nice? You kill me sometimes with all of this niceness. Who lets some crazy chick ‘borrow’ a million dollar ring?”

“You’re not crazy. And I didn’t pay a million dollars for it,” he said again.

“Whatever. Take it back while I think about things.” Like how I’m going to ever move on from my feelings for this man. It wasn’t just physical attraction between them, and it never had been. Jamie was
special
and for some reason he thought she was special too.

Special enough to wear this amazing ring, even if it was only for pretend.

She held it out again, and he finally took it from her.

“You did get insurance on it, right?”

Jamie laughed. “Yes, it’s fully insured.” He removed the ring from the box and said, “Give me your hand.”

“What?”

“I want you to try it on. In case you want to go forward with my plan, and I need to get it resized.”

She shouldn’t do it. She wouldn’t. This was all crazy.
He
was crazy.

But she took the ring and slid it on her finger. It fit like it was made for her.

“So, what do you think?” he said.

“That I’ll have to do more wrist exercises at the gym to be able hold it up.” And that it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

She wanted it.

She wanted Milly.

She wanted him.

Shit, she was in serious trouble.

CHAPTER SEVEN

On the way out of Vegas, Jamie blocked out the conversation between his friends and thought of Lucy instead. Was he insane to have suggested a fake engagement? He was shocked she’d even agreed to think about it. He’d been convinced that she would turn him down flat. He’d like to think the reason she hadn’t was because she was learning to trust him, but he knew that wasn’t the case—she was simply desperate to do right by Milly.

Before Jamie caught his flight, but after he and Lucy had called for a driver to pick them up at Melina’s house, Lucy had dropped her one and only stipulation to his proposal.

“If I agree we’re going to be engaged, then we’ll be engaged,” she had said.

“What does that mean?” he’d asked her with a half-smile.