Foolish Expectations (12 page)

A few minutes later, Bailey—feeling guiltier by the minute—emerged from the bathroom and sat outside the courtroom on a long wooden bench. She had five minutes before she needed to go back inside and wanted some time to clear her head before facing Nash for round two.

The door swung open and Judge Barclay stepped out. He held out his hands and offered her a package of peanut butter crackers and a bottle of water. “Sutherland said you were feeling sick. He ran down to the vending machine and got these for you.”

“Thank you,” she said, taking them from his hands. “But why are you bringing them out to me?”

“Guess he figures you wouldn’t accept his help.”

She frowned at that. “It’s not that. It’s just—”

“It’s just that—and pardon my French—you’re too plain chickenshit to take a chance on him.”

“Excuse me?” Bailey said, blinking.

Barclay chuckled a little and sat down beside her, patting her knee. “Look, it’s none of my business. But if you ask me, that boy is head over heels for you. I saw the way you two looked at each other in there. You’ve got chemistry.”

“Maybe. But that isn’t the same thing as love.”

“No, it’s better. Couples fall out of love all the time. It happens. But lust can keep you going for years. I should know…I married my wife two weeks after I met her and got her in the backseat of my Crown Victoria.”

“You fell in love that quick?”

“Hell, no. I wanted to sleep with her some more. But the only way I was getting past her father or his shotgun was by marrying her. So I did. That was forty years ago.”

Bailey smiled at him, though her heart and mind were still warring against each other. “Maybe we should go back inside.”

“One more quick word of advice, Ms. Hobbs.” Judge Barclay grinned and patted her hand. “Do me a favor. Shit or get off the pot already.”

Chapter Twelve

He had no right to be mad.

No matter how much he disagreed with her, he couldn’t force her into marrying him. Deep down, Nash knew that. He even respected her decision to stand on her own two feet and not willingly participate in a loveless marriage. But it still pissed him off.

What is it about this woman that has me so unsettled?
As the mother of his unborn child, of course he cared about what happened to her. But that wasn’t it. Something else had him in an uproar. Something besides her being so damn frustratingly stubborn.

He looked up as she came in with the judge. She was carrying the bottle of water and the pack of crackers he had purchased to help with her morning sickness. He’d asked the bailiff to deliver them to her, but Barclay had volunteered instead. Nash wished she would just let him help her. She couldn’t really want to raise this baby alone.

Damn it, she needs somebody. It may as well be me
. But Bailey had made it perfectly clear that she didn’t want him anywhere in the picture.

She stopped beside him, but he refused to look directly at her. He just wanted to quit delaying the inevitable. If Bailey would rather stay married to her cheating prick of a husband than be with him, then that was her choice and her loss. She’d have to live with the consequences.

As the judge took his seat behind the bench, the bailiff made his announcement. “All rise. Court is now in session. The honorable Judge Barclay is presiding.”

“Okay, Ms. Hobbs,” the judge said. “If there’s nothing further I can do for you, then—”

“Wait. Give me a minute, please.” She turned to Nash, and he glanced up to see her twisting her trembling fingers together and biting her lip. “Did you mean what you said?”

“About what?” he said, his tone coming out depressed and flat.

“In the bathroom, when you said I could be the woman you’re meant to be with. Did you mean it?”

He nodded. “Of course I meant it. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t—”

“Then ask me again.”

He stared deep into her eyes to see if they were talking about the same thing. “Ask you what exactly?”

She smiled, which was the only answer she gave.

“Are you sure, Bailey? I don’t think I can stand to hear you say no again. There’s only so much rejection a man can take.”

“Ask me,” she repeated.

His nerves twitched and his heart stopped beating, but he managed to force the words off his tongue. “M-marry me?”

Her smiled widened and her eyes softened, but there was no hesitation with her answer. “Yes.”

Nash blinked, then reached for her, cupping his hand around the back of her neck and pulling her closer. “Really?”

She nodded, then laughed as he let out a whoop and wrapped his arms around her, swinging her in a circle. When he put her down, she looked a little green, but he couldn’t stop grinning.

He pointed to the judge. “You heard that, right? She said she’d marry me.”

Doug leaned back in his chair and mumbled, “So what. Been there, done that. And trust me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

Nash started for him, but Bailey stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “He’s just being an ass.” She threw an ugly look over her shoulder at Doug and then glanced eagerly to the judge. “Now will you please grant the divorce?”

“You bet,” he said with a proud smile. “Give me a minute to sign the divorce decree and make everything official.”

Nash couldn’t believe it. Maybe right now she was marrying him for the sake of the baby, but he hoped to turn that around. He didn’t want that to be
why
they stayed married. Because he couldn’t stand the thought of being anything but a hands-on father, he would make this marriage work. Not for the baby’s sake, but for all their sakes. Of course, that was if she didn’t back out before they made it down the aisle.

“When we’re done here, why don’t we go get some lunch and talk out the details?” Nash suggested. Then he cringed and ran his hand through his hair, realizing it sounded more like a business proposal. “What I mean is…”

“I know what you mean. And that’s fine. I know we have a lot to discuss.”

He nodded just as Judge Barclay called her name.

“Here’s a copy of your divorce papers. They need to be filed first, but then you can go see Vickie over in the Vital Statistics office and take her this form and a copy of the final divorce decree. She’ll help you from there.”

“Vital statistics?” Nash asked. “Why does Bailey need to see Vickie? She didn’t change her last name after she got married. Hobbs is her maiden name.”

Judge Barclay let out a hard breath. “Sutherland, do you think I’m an idiot?”

“No, of course not. I just—”

“Texas law requires a person to wait thirty days after a divorce to remarry and there’s a seventy-two hour waiting period after applying for a marriage license.”

“I know, sir, but I’m not sure what either of those things have to do with Bailey.”

Barclay grinned. “Surely you didn’t think I’d trust her to carry out her end of the bargain on her own, did you? No offense, but Ms. Hobbs is a flight risk. I waived both waiting periods. I’ll see you both back here at four o’clock.”

“Hold on a second,” Bailey said, her face bearing a confused look. “What happens at four o’clock?”

Nash’s lips twitched a little, knowing she wasn’t going to like what she was about to hear. “Our wedding.”

Chapter Thirteen

“He can’t do this, can he?” Bailey asked, as she exited the courthouse with Nash and a marriage license in hand.

“Well, no. Not technically. But since it’s Judge Barclay and he’s about to retire, I’m pretty sure he thinks he can.”

“Well, there’s got to be some way we can get out of this.” When Nash didn’t respond, she realized he was no longer at her side and turned to see him standing frozen in the middle of the sidewalk, glaring at her. “What are you doing?”

“So you
were
planning on backing out of this marriage?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just all happening way too fast. I thought I’d have time to—”

“To what? Leave me high and dry while you run off to live in an igloo with
my
baby? I don’t fucking think so.”

Bailey waited for a lady to pass in front of her on the sidewalk before speaking. “Stop making a scene. I’m just saying it’s a little quicker than what I had in mind. I thought maybe a trial run on living together under the same roof would weed out any complications that might arise between us. You know, like roomies or something. At least until we figured out how everything would work.”

Nash stormed past, not bothering to wait for her. “Judge Barclay had you pegged—you
are
a damn flight risk. Sounds to me like you’re hoping this doesn’t work so you’ll have an excuse to leave.”

“That’s not it at all. I’m just being realistic.”

“No, you’re being a coward. I didn’t ask you to marry me because I wanted a goddamn roommate.”

“Well, then what the hell
do
you want?”

He stalled and turned to face her. The storm brewing in his eyes forced her to take a step back. “You really want to know?”

She hesitated, then nodded slowly.

“What I want is to drive my cock so far inside you that you come until your eyes roll permanently into the back of your head. Then the last thing you’re going to see me as is a fucking roommate.
That’s
what I want.”

Her mouth went dry. Most likely because it was hanging wide open. All she could say was, “Oh.”

“That’s all you’ve got to say?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out, so she closed it again.
Yep. Apparently so.

“Well, that’s just great.” He glanced at his watch. “You’ve got a little less than five hours to figure out what you’re going to do. I’ll be here at four o’clock. If you aren’t, then I guess that tells me everything I need to know.” Not bothering to wait for her response, Nash crossed the street and headed for his truck.

Bailey didn’t even try to stop him. He seemed even more upset with her after she hadn’t responded to his remark about what he wanted to do to her. But what the hell do you say to something so deliciously vulgar?
Okay? Yes, please? Is now a good time for you?
Because
that’s
exactly what she wanted to respond with, though the words refused to leave her mouth.

That was probably a good thing, since she still hadn’t decided on which course of action to take with this whole marriage business. And ending up back in Nash’s bed before making that decision wouldn’t be fair to either of them. No point in giving him false hope and toying with both of their emotions.

She couldn’t deny that marrying Nash was an attractive offer. He was a good-looking, successful man who had a real interest in being a hands-on father to his child. That spoke volumes to his character. And she already knew what kind of lover he was.
Definitely no complaints in that department.
But what kind of husband would he be?

Would he be the kind of husband who brought her flowers and remembered their anniversary? Or would he be the type who became easily bored, and as soon as the newness of his favorite toy wore off, he’d be looking for something—or someone—else to play with?

She hated to think that about him, but she had to consider it. Especially since her first husband hadn’t been able to keep his dick in his pants even on his wedding night. She should have never married Doug. She knew that now. But if she were being honest, not everything had been his fault.

Something had been off in their relationship from the beginning, yet she’d ignored all the warning signs. Sure, Doug put on a great act most of the time, but when he proposed, it was the need for security and the desire to connect intimately with a man that ultimately led to her decision to say yes. And what a disaster that whole thing turned out to be.

The thought of paddling in circles, going from one marriage that wasn’t meant to be into another, scared the hell out of her. But it also wasn’t right to hold what Doug did to her over Nash’s head.

Besides, he was nothing like Doug. Nash had made that perfectly clear when he’d saved her at the bar and again when he’d taken up for her inside the courtroom. He would be a protector, a friend, an everyday hero—for her, as well as the baby. But was that a good enough reason to enter into a marriage with him?

She wanted to give her child a better life than she’d had growing up with only one parent. But was this the solution? Bailey could raise this baby alone, but that didn’t mean she wanted to. And Nash wasn’t going to give up. No, he was a lawyer who was used to getting his way.

Clearly, Nash saw their marital arrangement as a foolproof plan, a chance to build a family and raise their child in a household with both parents, two people who would grow to love each other. Foolish expectations, if you asked her.

Skeptical as usual, Bailey knew their life together would be based on an adjustment period and a colorful assortment of complications in their new roles as husband and wife.

Then she imagined herself lying naked in Nash’s bed with him hovering over her, pressing his hard muscled body into hers as he’d done before, and her stomach fluttered.
Good Lord. That’s exactly what got us in this predicament to begin with.

What she needed was perspective, which was exactly what a few hours away from Nash would give her. She had a decision to make.

And soon.

Chapter Fourteen

Nash looked at his watch again. 4:03.
Shit.

The judge leaned over his desk. “Problem, Sutherland?”

“She’s not coming, sir.”

Judge Barclay leaned back in his chair comfortably. “She’ll be here.”

“It’s after four. If she was planning on making an appearance, she would’ve been here already. I made it clear that if she pulled a no-show I’d take that as my answer.” Nash’s jaw clenched involuntarily. “And I guess I got one.”

“Do you know nothing about women, son? They’re almost always fashionably late, even to their own weddings. She’ll be here.”

Anger built inside Nash, stripping him of any lingering dignity. “Right, like you know anything about women. What are you on now, your fourth marriage?”