Foolish Expectations (13 page)

Judge Barclay pointed his gavel at Nash in a threatening manner. “I understand why you’re upset, but don’t forget whose courtroom this is. We may not be on a case, but I’ll damn sure hold you in contempt if you speak to me like that again.” Then he set his gavel down. “And keep that bit of information to yourself. Ms. Hobbs doesn’t need to know about my failed marriages. I
may
have told her something a little different to give her some incentive to show up.”

Nash lowered his head in resignation. “Look, I know Bailey didn’t disclose her pregnancy to the court before her divorce proceedings like she was supposed to, but you’re not really going to hold her in contempt and have her arrested if she doesn’t show, are you?”

“Of course not. I don’t throw pregnant women in jail. What kind of monster do you take me for?” Then he grinned and held his hands up in the air innocently. “Not my fault if Ms. Hobbs got that crazy idea in her head.”

“She said you told her that.”

“All hearsay…and you know we don’t allow hearsay in my courtroom,” Barclay said in a stern tone. “What happened between you two when you left here, anyway? You do something to change her mind?”

“We had words. But I didn’t get to use nearly as many as she did.”

The judge laughed. “Oh, hell, that’s women for you. Can’t live with them, can’t shoot—”

The door flung open behind Nash, cutting off Barclay’s words. Nash turned and blinked rapidly. Bailey stood there in a long, shimmery ivory gown. It wasn’t a fancy dress—sort of plain, really—but the satin skimmed her curves in all the right places, and she’d pinned her wavy blonde locks back, allowing wispy pieces to fall and frame her delicate cheeks.

She wasn’t smiling, though.

With her lips pursed and a look of determination on her face, Bailey marched forward, not stopping until she reached Nash’s side. “If we’re really going to do this, then let’s get it over with.”

“Oh, look, the blushing bride has arrived,” Barclay announced.

Nash blinked again, still not believing what he was seeing. “Y-you came?”

She held out her arms. “Ta-da!” she said. “Now can we get a move on? I’ve got things to do if I’m going to uproot my entire life after marrying a complete stranger.”

Her caustic tone made him frown.
Why is she so irritated?

But before Nash could ask, the judge spoke up. “Bailiff, let in the witnesses.”

“Witnesses?” Nash repeated, watching the bailiff make his way across the room to the adjoining doors for another courtroom.

The judge smiled. “Everyone in the courtroom this morning wanted to see how all this played out, and since I figured you two yahoos wouldn’t think about bringing your own witnesses…well, let’s just say I’m providing them for you. I ordered them to wait in the empty courtroom next door, just in case Ms. Hobbs decided not to show.” He lowered his tone and mumbled, “Didn’t want to embarrass you, Sutherland.”

Nash gave him a disgruntled snort. “Thought you said she
would
show?”

“Well, she’s here, isn’t she?”

The bailiff opened the doors and a crowd began flooding into the room, staring and smiling at Nash and his bride-to-be. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who was surprised she’d showed up.

“Wait a minute,” Bailey said, as people filled the seats. “There weren’t
this
many people here earlier today.”

“Instant celebrity status,” Judge Barclay said, smiling. “Word travels fast in the courthouse.”

“Oh, that’s just great.” Bailey looked at Nash with her lips in a tight, thin line and shook her head in disgust.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked. “I didn’t have anything to do with this.”

“Yes, you did! This is all
your
fault. If you hadn’t burst into the courtroom earlier today and caused such a big scene, then none of this would’ve happened.”

“Why don’t you two argue about this later,” Barclay intervened, giving them both a terse nod. “We’ve got a ceremony to start.” He picked up some papers from his desk, cleared his throat, and began to read from them. “Ladies and gentlemen, today we have gathered to celebrate the marriage of…”

The judge continued talking, but Nash couldn’t take his eyes off Bailey long enough to pay attention. As soon as the judge started reading from the script, her heated expression dissolved into a murky puddle and all the blood drained from her face. Her stiff posture held her position remarkably well for someone who looked ready to hit the floor.

She smoothed out the satin material of her dress over and over again, like she wasn’t sure what to do with her hands, until they fluttered over her stomach and stayed there. That move cracked his heart into two jagged pieces. Without saying a word, he knew what she was thinking.
I’m doing this for the baby.

And he was thinking the same thing. The only difference was that he was sure as time passed, they’d grow to care and love each other in the way a husband and wife should. Bailey, on the other hand, didn’t seem so sure about that.

But what could he do? Give up his child by letting her leave?
Not a chance in hell.
No,
he
would make this marriage work, no matter what it took. With or without Bailey’s cooperation. All he had to do was make her happy. Now if he could just figure out how the hell to do that without screwing everything up.

“Sutherland!” the judge said, raising his voice.

Nash shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and forced himself back to reality. “What?” he snapped back.

“Get your head out of your ass. I asked you a question.”

“Oh. Uh, yes. I mean, I do.”

The judge cut his eyes to the woman at Nash’s side. “Bailey Marie Hobbs, will you take Nash William Sutherland, to be your lawful wedded husband? Will you grow to love, comfort, honor, and protect him; forsaking all others until death do you part?”

Her shaking hand moved to her throat, and she hesitated as her gaze flitted to an empty glass pitcher on a nearby table. With no water in sight, she finally squeaked out, “I…d-do.”

The judge grinned. “We’ll skip the part with the rings and move on to—”

“Actually,” Nash interrupted, pulling a small ring box from his pocket and opening it. “I stopped off at the jeweler’s on the way here, just in case.”

Inside the black box was a duo of platinum rings set in black velvet: a woman’s three-carat diamond wedding band and a man’s thicker, contoured band.

Bailey’s glistening eyes widened, filling with tears, as her mouth dropped open. The shocked, appreciative look on her face sent a thrill through Nash, warming his heart and loosening the knot in his stomach. He’d wanted to make her feel special, and her expression led him to believe he’d done just that.

The judge smiled as Nash placed the box on his bench and pulled out the diamond ring. “Nice touch, Sutherland,” Barclay said with a wink. “Now repeat after me…”

Nash captured Bailey’s trembling hand in his and gave it a light squeeze to help calm her nerves. She smiled softly as he slid the sparkling band up her left ring finger and repeated the words given to him by the judge. “With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow all the treasures of my mind, my heart, and my hands.”

Bailey blushed a little, but reached for the other ring, pulling it from its box and did the same. Her words weren’t nearly as smooth, and she hadn’t looked directly into his eyes as she spoke them, but the way her slender fingers rubbed across the top of his hand in a soothing motion was enough. Even a gesture as small as her slight touch was enough to convince Nash that this would work.

“Today you came here as individuals, but you will leave here as a couple. By the power enthroned in me, by the state of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Counselor, you may now kiss your bride.”

Before Nash had a chance to move, Bailey leaned up on her toes and quickly brushed her lips across his. It happened so fast that Nash stood there in silence, wearing the same frown as everyone else.

“I think we can do better than that,” he said, stepping toward her. She backed up, flickering a gaze at the witnesses. But Nash didn’t care that they had an audience.

“Bailey, you’re my wife now, and I’m going to kiss you as such.” He took another step forward, determined to end this never-ending battle of wills between them.

She didn’t move away this time. Instead, she lifted her stubborn chin and put up a hand to stop him from reaching out to her. “Hold up, Prince Charming. I may be your wife now, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to do whatever you want with me. Don’t make me get a protective order against you already.”

The judge chuckled under his breath.

Nash glared at him until he stifled his laughter and then turned back to Bailey. “That’s not the way this is going to go,” he said, grasping her arms and pulling them to his chest. “I’m going to kiss you properly, and I don’t give a damn who’s watching.”

Threading his fingers into her soft hair, he bent slowly and touched his lips to hers with a gentle, firm pressure. He eased her into the kiss, but the moment she relaxed and opened her mouth a little, he pressed further, running his tongue along her bottom lip. With their eyes still open, Nash witnessed the panic flashing through hers as a breathless sigh escaped her mouth.

It nearly undid him.
The mother of his unborn child. His woman. No, his wife. And she was responding to him.

He let go of her arms and snaked his around her waist, pulling her close enough that he could smell the perfume of her hair and feel her rapid heartbeat pounding against his chest. Nash meant to end it there. He really did. But it was impossible to be this close to her and not want to ravish her completely.

One more taste. That’s all I need.

His tongue slipped between her dry, parted lips, seeking another response. Initially, she shied away, but then settled into the kiss as her tongue tentatively touched his in return. For Nash, it was like metal striking flint. What started as a spark, quickly grew into a roaring fire inside of him, and he realized that he was wrong.
One taste will never be enough.

It wasn’t graceful. Hell, it wasn’t even decent.

As a prisoner of his own desire, Nash lost his wits and allowed his male libido to take over. His hands moved to her slim neck, anchoring her in place, as he covered her mouth with his, putting his heart and soul into the kiss. No warning. No negotiations.

Bailey clung helplessly to his broad shoulders, seemingly disabled by his dominance and his strong demand for submission. She kissed him back, within reason, but disciplined herself. For a moment, Nash didn’t understand her reluctance, but then he realized his lapse in judgment.

An entire room of people are watching us make out. Shit.

Nash loosened his grip and harnessed his fervor.

They weren’t alone…
yet.

He wiped his thumb over her wet, swollen bottom lip and studied her curiously. She may have held back, but she damn sure hadn’t tried to stop him. Her half-closed eyes held a content, glazed look, and her hair was slightly disheveled. It was a dick-hardening reminder of how she’d looked in his arms once before when he’d given her the first memorable orgasm she’d ever...

Whoa! Wait a minute. She’s never been intimate with another man. Would she regret that as time went on?
But the image of another man putting his hands on her, touching what was now his, pissed him off in a way he hadn’t imagined. Nash decided right then and there that he was okay with him being her one and only, and would make damn sure she never regretted it for a second. Then his mouth twitched into a full-on smile.

That alone must’ve snapped Bailey out of the euphoric fog she was in. She glanced around and took in their audience. Her cheeks reddened and her face warped into a scowl as she pushed him away from her. “Okay, that’s it. I want a divorce.”

Nash felt his grin reach his eyes. “Tough shit.”

The judge chuckled. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland.”

Chapter Fifteen

After hanging up with her father, Bailey hadn’t felt much like talking. He’d chastised her—like she’d figured he would—but he’d also given the two of them his blessing. Then he’d promised her that everything would work out in the end.

If only she could be sure of that herself.

“How are you feeling?” Nash asked.

Bailey knew this was coming. She’d been staring out the truck’s passenger window for the last five minutes, completely mute, while watching the trees blur past. She cut her eyes to him. “You know how it feels when everything in your life seems to be going right?”

He smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, the opposite of that.” Then she went back to staring out the window.

Nash cleared his throat. “You seem a bit grouchy.”

“I wonder why,” she said, sarcastically. “Maybe it has something to do with my new husband being a complete stranger. Or maybe how my entire life shifted just to suit him.”

“Come on, Bailey. You had to give up your apartment. I wasn’t living apart from my pregnant wife.”

“No, it’s not the apartment.” She turned back to look at him. “I’m talking about how you gave all my stuff to the landlord and told him to have a moving sale. You had no right.” She folded her arms across her chest.

“Hey, I told you to go through and point out anything you wanted to keep first. You could’ve taken more than just your clothes and toiletries. That was
your
decision. There was plenty of room in my truck for more of your belongings. And if you had wanted to keep some of your furniture, all you had to do was say something.”

“You already have furniture and…well, it’s nicer than mine.”

Nash glanced over at her, probably wanting to see if she looked as embarrassed as she sounded. Apparently, she did. “I’ll buy us some brand new furniture,” Nash said. “You can pick it out.”

She sighed. “You don’t have to do that.”

“It’s not a big deal,” he said, shrugging. “Besides, we have to go car shopping next week, anyway. While we’re out, we’ll hit up a few furniture stores.”