Whatever the Price. Jules Bennett

big enough for ten people and a sunken Jacuzzi would never be hers again. The day she’d walked out, she’d left behind any and all luxuries she’d grown accustomed to.

      Of course, she would’ve given all of it up in a heartbeat if she could have had the man she’d married back in her life. To have that attentive, loving, funny guy back, she’d gladly turn her back on this “glamorous” lifestyle.

      Not so glamorous once the cameras stopped filming and the doors to the mansion closed. Everyday problems still occurred for the rich and famous. She’d always heard the expression “More money, more problems.” How true. Except their problems were out there for the public to see. Nothing was sacred in Hollywood, which made heartache that much harder to deal with.

      Why had she once thought that they’d live happily ever after? Had she been that naive to think love would carry them over any obstacle?

      Charlotte sat in the cushioned wooden rocker and eased back and forth while Lily finished her bottle. Sweet little lips pulled at the last drop of formula, then her mouth lost suction as she drifted off to sleep. Charlotte smiled, pulled the empty bottle away and eased the baby up onto her shoulder.

      Keeping with the rocking motion, Charlotte closed her eyes and relished the peaceful bliss of holding a sleeping, innocent baby. No matter what happened with the marriage or the baby she carried, Charlotte knew she had a responsibility to Lily. Even though they weren’t blood-related, that didn’t matter. Charlotte would love and care for Lily as if she were her own.

      Rachel had been an amazing woman. Charlotte hadn’t been super-close with her sister-in-law because of the miles between them, but they had communicated a great deal over the phone.

      Rachel had been so excited when she’d become pregnant. Charlotte had been both thrilled and a little jealous, and once she’d seen how happy the news made Anthony, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d changed his mind about having kids of his own.

      But when she’d brought it up, he’d blown her off again, claiming it wasn’t good timing. Good timing or not, he soon would have to get used to the idea of baby number two.

      Giving in to the inevitable and relinquishing the peacefulness of rocking Lily, Charlotte came to her feet, laid Lily in her sleigh crib and went down the hall to her old master bedroom.

      She prayed for the strength and courage to have a calm, adult conversation with Anthony. Prayed they wouldn’t start yelling and hurling accusations.

      She was getting stronger in standing up for herself and he needed to understand that unless and until he made a drastic change in his work ethic, she couldn’t consider them a family.

       Four

      Charlotte entered her room—no, Anthony’s room—but didn’t see him. She moved farther in, beyond the sitting area and out on the balcony, where he’d left the French doors open. Everything about this room screamed sexy—from the delicate white sheers flowing from the patio doors and windows to the draped fabric encasing the canopy bed, the soft hues covering the wall, and the sunsets that would cast a romantic glow every evening.

      Reality check. She wasn’t here for romance. There was nothing romantic about being in a predicament where you were forced to work with someone you needed distance from, or loving someone with your whole heart only to have that love taken for granted and ignored.

      Anthony stood against the short, fat pillars and marble rail, his back to her, his eyes on the lush grounds below that were manicured to perfection. There wasn’t one aspect of this home that she hadn’t had a hand in deciding when they’d built. She wondered if he even noticed that, before she left, she’d had a whole new flower garden and waterfall put in. If he had, he never mentioned it. Neglect had come on so many levels.

      “I won’t live these next three months like this,” he said without turning. “I won’t worry about making you angry or doing something wrong with Lily.”

      Charlotte wanted to go to the rail, but she remained in the doorway. If he was ready to open up and discuss his feelings without her begging him, she certainly wasn’t going to interrupt.

      “I love Lily,” he went on, turning to face her. “I’m going to screw things up—I’m only human. But I’m trying my hardest here, so let me.”

      Unable to remain at a distance, Charlotte stepped forward and rested her hands next to his on the rail. “I know you love her—it would be impossible not to. But you can’t just expect me to believe that this baby has turned your entire mind-set around. Our problems can’t be fixed overnight because we instantly have a family. If anything, we have more than we expected.”

      She resisted the urge to run a hand over her flat stomach.

      “I didn’t say anything was fixed overnight.” He pushed off the rail, his face mere inches from hers. “But you’re here. I’m here. And I want to work through this, Charlie. Tell me you’ll work with me and not against me.”

      Tears pricked her eyes, burned her throat. “I have no choice but to work with you now. But I can’t promise that after this ninety-day period I’ll still be living here.”

      He prayed for a miracle to take place in these next few months. “Let’s take this one day at a time, okay? That’s all I’m asking.” All he was begging. “I just want us to be happy.”

      “It’s hard to be happy right now, Anthony. We were separated, heading for divorce, then thrown into parenthood with Lily, and are reluctantly living together again. Kind of hard to celebrate anything.”

      Which reminded him of the surprise he had for her. He needed to make her see that she and Lily did come first. Why couldn’t he have both career and family? He’d damn well make this work. This was the only chance in life he had to get this right. He’d prove to himself—and Charlotte—that he could, in fact, have it all and excel at being a parent and a husband. Maybe he hadn’t wanted children before, but fate had handed him a gift. Yes, he was worried, but he also knew he could do this … with Charlotte by his side.

      “We’re getting away,” he blurted out. “Before I left for the awards, I had my assistant clear my schedule for the next two weeks. We’re going to our house in Tahoe.”