Nick
It was complicated.
No. Nick mentally corrected himself.
It was way more than complicated.
Especially considering Char didn’t even know the truth that he wasn’t Amelia’s father. Now that the dust had settled with everything that happened the day before, with her just jumping in to help him, no questions asked, that seemed like a really important detail that she deserved to know.
And then there was the kiss.
Somehow, he’d managed to get some sleep the night before after they’d kissed.
That’s all they’d done. But it had been enough.
Enough to turn an already twisted situation into a complete cluster of complication.
Which he shouldn’t have done.
He needed to keep his focus on Amelia and making sure they didn’t screw that up with this fake relationship that had some very real feelings. And real feelings were exactly where the problems started.
A relationship of any kind could only make things worse. What if things didn’t work out or they had an argument or…what if it screwed things up with his adoption? He couldn’t risk it. Amelia was the most important consideration. No matter how he was feeling about Charlotte.
And he was feeling something for her. Oh, was he ever.
Nick knew he was playing with fire when he’d gotten into the bed the night before, far closer than he should have. Maybe they had to sleep in the same bed, but he could have been a gentleman and scooted to the far edge. But he hadn’t. Like a magnet, he’d been drawn close to her. Really close.
He should have turned away. He shouldn’t have told her he was attracted to her. He…it didn’t matter. It had happened. And damn—that kiss and the one after that had been fire. He’d thought the tiny, chaste kiss in the coffee shop had been amazing. But their kisses the night before had been absolutely life changing.
And now, in the light of the new morning, with Charlotte still fast asleep only inches from him, Nick was going to have to…what?
He laid back on his pillow and stared straight up at the ceiling.
What? What was he going to do?
He knew what he wanted to do. But was it the right thing?
And first things first. Before it went any further, he needed to tell her the truth.
“Good morning.”
He flipped over to see Charlotte watching him.
“Hi.” He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her. She was so damn beautiful. Especially first thing in the morning. “How long have you been up?”
“Long enough to see that something is bothering you.”
He blinked hard. “I wouldn’t say bothering me. But…yeah, okay.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I need to tell you something.”
Her smile faded a little, but Nick pressed on.
“I need you to know that I’m not biologically Amelia’s father.”
“What?” She sat up a little, propped up on an elbow. “I don’t—”
“I mean, I am her father.” He cut her off. “When she was dropped off with me, I wasn’t sure but it didn’t take long for me to figure it out. But by the time I did, I was already completely smitten with her and there was no way I could let Amelia go into the system and…”
“Hey.” She put a hand on his arm to still him. “It’s okay.”
“It’s okay?” He blinked.
“Well…” She shrugged a little. “I’m not going to lie. I’m surprised. Very surprised. But I’ve seen you with Amelia, and I can see how much you love her. What about her mother? You’ve never said anything about her.”
Nick took a deep breath and told Charlotte everything he knew about Jessica. Including how he’d hired a private investigator to look into her situation. He told her that he’d wanted everyone to think Amelia was his, but only a few people knew the truth. He even told Charlotte how he’d told Stephanie that he’d called off the private investigator, only to hire him again. And because he was telling the truth, he also let her know about how he’d grown up with an addict mother and refused to let Amelia experience that lifestyle as well.
“It makes sense,” Charlotte said when he was finished explaining. “I understand.”
“You do?”
She laughed a little. “How could I not?”
“And you still want to help me out even though I didn’t tell you the truth?”
Her smile was so warm, it instantly made Nick feel better.
“Of course,” she said. “In fact, it kind of makes me want to help you out even more. Biology aside, Amelia is your daughter. I’ll do anything I can to make sure you get custody of her. She belongs with you.”
“I can’t even tell you how happy I am to hear that.” Relief washed through him. But that wasn’t the only complication he needed to address this morning. There was the whole matter of the kiss. Only, he really didn’t want to talk about that. Because what he really wanted to do was kiss her again. It took all his willpower not to reach out and pull her close. “There’s one more thing we should probably talk about,” he said. “About last night—”
“Nick, what we did…the kiss…I’m really—”
“No.” It suddenly became critically important that she did not apologize for the kiss or try to dismiss it in any way. If she did that, he didn’t know if he’d be able to reconcile it in his head. Because… “No,” he said again. “Don’t apologize or…just…” He shook his head. “I meant what I said last night,” he said, deciding on the path of least resistance. “I am attracted to you, Char. And I also can’t promise you anything. Not right now. Amelia has to—”
“She has to be your first priority,” she interrupted and finished for him. “I know. You said that.” She smiled. “A few times. And I understand. Don’t worry about me, okay? I’m a big girl. This isn’t serious. This isn’t real.”
Her words, although completely true, sent a stab to his heart. It sure felt real and serious. But she was right. She had to be.
He nodded.
“So…I’m okay with that if you are,” she finished. “Besides, I’m not looking for anything right now anyway.”
That made sense after what she’d been through, but again…her words hit him hard, and he didn’t like the way they made him feel inside.
“So what are you saying?” Nick desperately wanted to touch her. She was so close to him, but at the same time the distance between them was too much. Still lying on his side, propped up by one arm, he reached his free hand out to touch hers.
“Well…”
She gave him a sassy grin that made him want to flip her on her back and kiss her senseless. Instead, he swallowed hard and fought the urge while she finished her thought.
“If we’re affectionate, it can only make things look more credible, right? I mean, if Susan were to stop by or see us at the store or something.”
He nodded.
“So…why don’t we just not worry about complicated or any of that? I know Amelia is your priority, and I don’t want anything serious.” She shrugged. “It seems pretty perfect to me.”
It did to him, too. If it meant being able to kiss her again and not put his custody at risk, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with her plan at all.
“I can’t disagree with that.”
“So we’re in agreement?”
He bent and sealed their agreement with a kiss.
Without taking his lips from hers, Nick moved so he was over top of her and able to deepen the kiss the way he yearned to.
Complicated was the furthest thing from his mind when she let out a small moan and wrapped her arms around his back. There was nothing complicated about what he was feeling at that exact moment. Nothing at all.
“Charlotte.” Her name came out on a deep breath. “I know we…I…”
She reached down, pulled him back to her, and it was Nick’s turn to moan.
Oh yes, it was going to be an absolutely perfect arrangement.
A sound that was half screech-half laugh came from the corner of the room, and Nick jumped back, off Charlotte. It was so abrupt that he couldn’t help but burst out laughing. A moment later, he heard Charlotte join in with his laughter and from her crib, Amelia, too, squealed her delight.
He hauled himself from the bed, but allowed himself one last look at Char, still lying in the blankets, looking even more gorgeous than she had a few minutes ago, because now her lips were reddened from their kiss, the memory of her on his own lips. “I guess Amelia has other ideas about how we should be spending our morning.”
“To be continued then.” She winked and rolled over to slip out of her side of the bed.
Nick couldn’t be sure if it was the lingering effects of the kiss, the sight of her ass in her pajama shorts—that even without his glasses, he could see clearly—or the very clear promise of later, or all of the above, but suddenly complicated was no longer an issue. The idea of anything happening with Charlotte being anything but amazing was the furthest thing from his mind.
Charlotte
“Okay, wait.” Jeremy spun around and walked back toward where Charlotte sat.
She’d asked her brother to meet her in the park by the waterfalls in town because it would definitely be better to break the news about her engagement in a public place. Her brother was the most supportive man she knew, next to her father, but he also had the tendency to be more than a little overprotective. And she was pretty sure he wouldn’t understand why she’d jumped into an engagement with a man she barely knew—fake or not.
“So…” He came to a stop in front of the picnic table Char was perched upon. “You’re engaged?”
She nodded.
“To Nick Newton?”
She nodded again.
“The billionaire single dad?”
“Yup,” she said. “That’s pretty much the gist of it.” She grinned and then quickly added, “But it’s not real. Don’t forget that part.”
“Right…” He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up in odd angles. “And you’re not dating? Just friends?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again. Were they friends? Yes. But that kiss earlier this morning was definitely more than friendly. Much more. But they’d made it very clear that there was not going to be anything serious between them. She’d made sure of that with her little white lie. Well, it wasn’t really a lie. She wasn’t looking for anything serious. She’d just come out of a terrible relationship and she had been looking forward to being single again and rebuilding her life. That was all true. Very true. But…when she kissed Nick, there was nothing casual about it. He made her want things she didn’t know she even wanted again.
Still, Amelia was the focus and she knew that. So she’d told him what they both needed to hear.
“It’s complicated.”
She almost laughed out loud at the choice of word. It was an understatement to be sure, and she was getting really tired of the word altogether.
“Complicated?” Jeremy scoffed. “That’s the stupidest cop-out I’ve ever heard. Complicated.” He drew out the word until it sounded ridiculous. “You might as well say that you have commitment issues.”
Char did laugh out loud at that. “I don’t think that’s the problem here,” she said. “After all, we are engaged.”
Jeremy glared at her, turned around, and walked back toward the fence to look out over the falls. “I don’t like it,” he said after a moment. “A fake engagement is never a good idea and—”
“Jeremy?”
He turned around and Char shrugged. “I don’t really care if you like it or not.” She may have been the older sister, but Jeremy had been the protective one as long as she could remember. She almost never discounted his opinion, but there was a time for everything. “Because I’m doing it. I’m just letting you know because you’re my brother, and I love you.” She stood and jumped down from the table. “But I’m not asking you permission.”
Jeremy looked as though he were going to object, but instead he just dropped his gaze to the ground and shook his head. “What about Billy?”
“Billy?” She took a step back, anger flaring in her. “What about Billy? This has nothing to do with him.”
“Doesn’t it?”
Char clenched her fists at her sides and released them slowly. He was only trying to wind her up, she knew that. She just didn’t know why. “It doesn’t,” she said slowly and took a breath. “I know you’re trying to look out for me, Jer, but I’m not a little girl anymore and—”
“Char, I just had to save you from a shitty situation.” He moved to stand close enough that Charlotte could see the worry lines on his face. “I can’t stand by and watch you fall into another one.”
“Nick isn’t like Billy. It’s totally different. And it’s not like we’re…well…it’s just different.” It was a lame explanation, but there was no way she was about to tell her brother that even though it was a fake engagement, her feelings for Nick were growing every day. And quickly. No. It definitely wasn’t the time to mention that.
“But you’re not ready.”
“Excuse me?” Char froze and stared at her brother. “I love you, Jeremy, but you do not have any right to tell me if I’m ready to help out a friend, or get involved in a new relationship, or anything of the sort. I’ve been working hard with my therapist, not that it’s any of your business. Billy was a mistake. Yes. A big one. And that whole stage of my life has changed me, but it will not define me.” Her voice rose; it trembled a bit as she worked to control her escalating emotions. “You’re my brother, and I care about you and your opinion, but unless and until I ask for it, keep it to yourself.”
Jeremy opened his mouth and Charlotte braced herself for whatever it was he was about to say. Finally, he closed it and looked at his feet with a shake of his head. “I knew I couldn’t trust that guy,” he muttered. “Just be careful, Char. Because I don’t…well, never mind.”
“Thank you.”
She knew it was hard for him to swallow his opinion. Really hard. But she appreciated his effort.
Jeremy kicked at a rock. “And…you’re okay?” he asked. “I mean, everything else? Billy hasn’t tried to—”
“Nope. Nothing.” She cut him off quickly because she knew what he was going to ask. The same thing he always asked her: Had Billy contacted her? It seemed almost unfathomable that she’d fled that relationship and had never heard from him again. She’d literally left with nothing because she just wanted to get out. And not once had she heard from him. Until recently.
Well, she wasn’t sure it was Billy. But a few calls from anonymous numbers had come through over the last week or so. She was going to tell Jeremy about them, but now…well, there was no point worrying him any further than he already was. Besides, the calls were probably nothing. No doubt they were just a wrong number.
“I should get going. I need to get to the station.” He lifted his hand in a wave and started walking away.
For a moment, she thought about calling him back, but he needed time. He’d come around. Besides, she was already running late.
She glanced at her phone to check the time and smiled when she saw the text from Nick displayed on the screen.
It wasn’t real. She knew that. Still, the idea of Nick slipping a ring on her finger sent a crazy kind of thrill through her. Fake or not, she was excited.
Nick
“It’s too big, Nick. No.” Char shook her head and backed away from the diamond solitaire ring he held out to her.
It was big. That was the point. He had the money to afford an amazing ring. No one was going to believe it if Charlotte wore some sort of dinky, diamond chip on her finger. She needed a real ring. One that was worthy of her.
They’d been looking at rings for ten minutes and so far hadn’t agreed on anything at all. Katie had insisted on watching Amelia for him, so Nick could focus on Charlotte and the task at hand. Despite the fact that they couldn’t seem to agree, he was enjoying his time alone with her. Very much.
“That’s the point,” he insisted. But she still shook her head and backed away. “Char, you deserve this ring. It’s gorgeous.”
He meant it, too. She absolutely deserved a gorgeous engagement ring, and maybe some earrings and a necklace to go with it. As far as Nick was concerned, she deserved any and all of the jewelry he could give her after what she was doing for him. In fact, it didn’t seem like it was enough. Not at all.
She shook her head again and crossed her arms over her chest.
Her stubbornness was so cute, Nick almost laughed. As it was, he smiled and lowered the ring. “Okay,” he finally conceded. “That one isn’t your style then. You pick one.”
“Really?”
He did laugh then. “Of course. This is your ring, Charlotte. I want you to love it.”
She looked at him with such a sweet smile that for a minute, Nick could imagine actually giving her the ring for real. It was a ridiculous thought, completely out of left field, considering what they were doing and that they really hardly knew each other at all. But still. The kiss.
Okay, all the kisses.
Every time they shared a kiss, it was so much better than the one before. Would it always be that way? Damn, he hoped so. Because fake engagement or not, kissing Charlotte was one hundred percent real.
“Which one of these rings would you choose for your engagement ring?” Nick handed the solitaire he was still holding back to the owner of the jewelry store and stepped back so Charlotte could have full access to the display case. He watched as she approached and scanned her eyes over the section once, and then twice without picking anything out. “Really, Char. There must be something that catches your eye.”
She tilted her head and looked up at him with a sly smile.
“Which one is it?” he prompted.
“You’re never going to guess.”
Nick was not one to back down from a challenge. Ever. He stepped forward and scanned the rings Char had stopped in front of. “Well, I know it’s not that one.” He pointed to the five carat solitaire the jeweler had just returned to the display. “And it’s the biggest one in here.”
“Precisely what I don’t like about it.”
Nick glanced up at her, and Char raised her eyebrow with a quick wink.
He should have known. Flashy wasn’t her style. In fact…with a new idea, he examined the display case.
Something classic, but understated. Nothing too flashy or in your face. Elegant. And… “That one.” He tapped the glass in front of an oval-shaped emerald stone surrounded by tiny diamonds on a gold band. “Yes. Definitely. That’s the one.”
The jeweler smiled and silently moved to pick the ring out of the case. He handed it to Nick, who turned it over in his hand so the light could reflect from it. It was a stunning ring. Completely unpredictable and perfect for Charlotte. Slowly, he turned, the ring between his fingers. “Is this the one you would pick?”
The look on her face told him everything he needed to know.
She nodded quickly, her eyes shiny. “It’s beautiful.”
He nodded slightly, so she held out her finger and he slipped it on. “It looks amazing.”
Charlotte stared, unspeaking, at the ring on her finger. After a moment, she shook her head. “I can’t, Nick. It’s too much.”
He shook his head sharply. He wasn’t going to listen to this again. Surely she knew that money was no object, and it was the perfect ring for her. Now that he’d seen it on her hand, there was no other ring that would even come close to being suitable. There were no other choices. Nick turned his back to her and spoke to the jeweler. “We’ll take it.”
“No.” Charlotte was next to him, placing the ring on the counter. “We won’t.”
“Char…”
“No, Nick. I told you, it’s too much and…” A single tear slipped down her cheek, stopping Nick in his tracks.
The ring forgotten, he turned to Charlotte and put his hands on her arms. “What is it? Are you…” He couldn’t finish the sentence. If she was having second thoughts about the whole plan, he didn’t know what he would do. But he would never force her to continue with anything she didn’t want to do. “If you need to—”
“No.” She shook her head and forced a smile. “I’m being silly.” She moved to wipe her tear, but he beat her to it and let his finger linger on her cheek. “I don’t usually cry,” she said. “And I really don’t know why I am now. It’s just…” She took a deep breath and sighed. “You asked me to pick out the ring that I would choose for my engagement ring and then I started thinking that this”—she glanced over his shoulder and whispered into his ear—“isn’t real and it made me kind of sad that I might pick out the ring and it wouldn’t be…well, you know.”
He did.
Slowly, he nodded.
She was giving him so much with this favor, Nick wouldn’t take that from her. She deserved to have the ring of her dreams, certainly. But not like this. “I get it.” And he really did. It also disappointed him more than he expected that he wasn’t the man to be giving her that.
In a different time.
“How about we pick out your second favorite ring, then?”
She smiled and nodded. “I’m sorry, Nick. Really. I’m not usually so…sentimental about this kind of thing.”
“It’s all good. I understand.” He took her hand in his and squeezed gently. “What about we go with something you can wear later then? A gift from me.”
For the next few minutes they looked at rings, and finally decided on one they were both happy with. A round cut diamond, surrounded by chips of ruby, her mother’s birthstone. It was pretty, but not too flashy. Char liked it, Nick thought it was expensive enough to be suitable, and most importantly, it wasn’t her dream ring. Because that ring deserved to be on her finger in an entirely different circumstance.
The idea settled deep into his heart.
A maybe.
A one day.