‘Think of it as a business relationship. We’ll both be clear that the only reason we’re married is for the welfare of our baby. Our mission will be to nurture and protect our child by working closely together and supporting each other in parenting him or her. It will be a team effort.’
He made it all sound so simple and logical. She shook her head and walked away, towards the kitchen counter, muttering, ‘I think I’m in a nightmare.’
‘This is the best solution. Our baby will have both parents in its life, you get to stay in London, stay working in the job you obviously love.’
Why was he doing this? There had to be more reasons than just because he felt responsible. Why would a player, a man known to live for his work, be willing to change his life so much when he didn’t have to? A horrible thought took hold. Was this proposal nothing more than appeasing his board and protecting his reputation? It wouldn’t look too good for a CEO to have got an employee pregnant. Even if he was the majority shareholder in the company. With a bitter taste in her mouth, she asked, ‘Do you want to marry so as not to damage your reputation?’
He considered her with amusement, a faint smile on his lips. ‘My reputation! Je m’en fiche complètement! I couldn’t care less. I’ll happily tell people that it was an accidental pregnancy and we decided to marry in order to raise our baby together. There is no shame in either. We’re simply being responsible and mature parents.’
Her mouth dropped open. ‘You’ll do no such thing.’
‘Why?’
‘My parents are elderly and conservative...they believe in the sanctity of marriage. They would be deeply upset if they knew I didn’t marry for love.’
Lucien threw his eyes upwards.
She eyed him angrily. ‘My parents have the most wonderful, loving marriage imaginable. Just because you’re totally lacking in any romance doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist for other people.’
‘Don’t tell me that you were waiting to be swept off your feet.’
She fixed him with her iciest stare. ‘Hardly.’
He looked at her warily. ‘Do you want romance, love...all of that fairy-tale stuff?’
She folded her arms and threw him an unimpressed look. ‘And here I was thinking all Frenchmen were romantics.’
‘A lot of us are grounded in reality.’
‘You’re so grounded I can practically see roots emerging from your shoes. To answer your question, no, I don’t want romance. Thanks to a few too many run-ins with men like you, I’ve been cured of all such desires... What my parents have is unique, but certainly not for me.’
‘Good, so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t marry. My PA has set up a meeting for us at the marriage registrar’s office tomorrow morning to give notice. You will need to bring your passport and proof of address. She also provisionally booked a slot for us to marry there in a month’s time.’
She swallowed the yelp of disbelief that barrelled up inside her. And fixed him with a deadly stare. ‘Wasn’t that a tad presumptuous on your part?’
‘Simply forward planning in the knowledge that your logical legal brain would see the sense of this plan. We have only seven months to get to know one another, to establish an effective working marriage. I want any potential issues resolved before the baby arrives.’
His words should have brought comfort; what he was proposing could, just maybe, work...on paper. Her baby would benefit from having another person in his or her life.
But what if Lucien proved to be unreliable?
And what of her attraction to him, how vulnerable she already felt around him? How she was always waylaid by her attraction to him, abandoning logic and self-preservation to the sound of his voice, the sight of his rugged face, powerful body, the pull of his clean, masculine scent.
She paced the room.
Dizzy, overwhelmed, giddy.
She had to think of her baby. And one thought kept snaking around her brain, around her heart. What if her depression returned? Who would take care of her child then?
She went to the kitchen counter and poured a glass of water.
The cold liquid calmed the nausea swishing around in her belly. ‘Do you mean it when you say that it will be a business relationship and nothing more?’
‘Let’s call it a team effort—we will raise our baby together and support one another at home and in our careers.’
His voice was calm, conciliatory, at peace with the decisions he had taken. A red rag to all of the fears coursing through her. ‘But will we be a team...or are you expecting me to make all of the changes? It’s me who has to leave my home, my independence. The plans I had already made for our future, the baby and me. Will you accept my desire to have a career of my own? Will you accommodate my friends, my parents, my interests? Or will I have to flex to your way of life? Will you change the way you work, your socialising? Will you welcome me and the baby into your life or will you always begrudge us?’
She had spoken angrily, her fear sitting at the base of her throat. She expected him to respond just as angrily but instead he walked towards her. He held her gaze while gently fixing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. ‘I will never make our child feel unwanted.’
His expression grew even gentler; concerned eyes swallowed her up. Just as they had the night they made love. ‘Don’t be so afraid.’
‘I’m not afraid.’
His smile told her she wasn’t kidding anyone. So she added, ‘It’s just that this is the craziest idea ever. We don’t know each other.’
‘We’ll get to know one another. You don’t have to do everything in life by the book.’ He lowered his head closer to her and whispered, ‘We can make this work, trust me.’
Her heart dipped and then soared in her chest.
He spoke with such strength, determination, even kindness, she forgot every reason why this could never work and said with a gulp, ‘Can we?’
His hand reached out and for a moment rested just above her hip. She stopped breathing. She fought the urge to move in closer. Longing to feel his arms wrapped around her, his body pushed against hers.
His gaze moved to her tummy and then back up to hers.
He lowered his head, his lips not far away from hers.
She fell into the green burning depths of his eyes.
His breath whispered across her lips.
She swayed closer.
His eyes burnt even brighter. And then his lips brushed against her cheek until he reached her ear. In a low voice he whispered, ‘We’ll make this work.’ His hand cupped her hip even more. ‘I’ll make sure it does.’
And then he was moving to the door. ‘Our appointment is at nine-thirty tomorrow. I will collect you at nine-fifteen.’
Dazed, she stared after him.
A gut-wrenching thought hit her.
Had she just witnessed a master manipulator at work?
She followed him to the front door, resolute that she was going to say no to everything he was proposing. There was no way she was agreeing to marrying this expert schemer...player...heartbreaker.
But before she could speak he turned and, with a quiet, intent dignity, he said, ‘I will be the best father and husband that I can. I’ll change my way of working, my socialising. I will be faithful to all of my marriage vows.’ He paused and his hand moved close to where her belly lay beneath her sweater top, his fingers tipping against the navy cotton. ‘Why wouldn’t I, when I have something so special waiting for me at home?’