“Did you sleep well?” he asked.
“Like a rock.”
It was true, but only after lying wide awake, tossing and turning, until three a.m. The flight home had been anything but romantic, as they’d sorted through all the logistics of living together for the next five months or so and the exact phrasing to utilize when discussing the marriage in public. By the time she’d arrived at his country home, she’d taken two Tylenol and climbed into bed, knowing she had to get up early to make it to work on time.
“I have some meetings today,” he said, picking up one of the two coffee mugs on the tray and settling into a nearby wingback chair. “So I’ll drive you in to work and pick you up at the end of the day.”
“That’s not necessary,” she said, hoping he would leave, since her bladder was complaining. “I can drive myself.”
“We already agreed about this.” He sounded almost as impatient as she felt.
“No, you told me how it was going to be, but I never agreed.”
“Brooke, it’s not safe. When word gets out, reporters might show up at Hayward Home.”
“So what? I’ll show them my fancy ring and say the stuff we agreed to say. It’ll be done and over with. If I avoid them, it’ll make them think there’s some great hidden story, and they’ll be even more intense.”
“I’m not worried about the reporters. I’m worried about the crazies who might see you as an easy target.”
Unable to ignore her screaming bladder, she threw the covers back and hurried toward the bathroom, tossing her reply over her shoulder. “If they think I’m easy, they’ll learn a hard lesson.”
She barely heard his mumbled response. “No kidding.”
Fifty minutes later, despite her protests, she was pouting in the passenger seat of his Ford pickup.
“You didn’t tell me you’d put my car in the shop,” she complained, idly twisting the foreign ring around her finger. It was a beautiful, but constant, reminder of how completely out of her element she was, married to a billionaire.
“If you call that hunk of junk a car.”
“This old truck has more miles than my car.” She eyed the odometer, displaying some number over 180,000.
He patted his dashboard. “You can’t compare Betsy here to that thing that you drive around. She’s still young in truck years.”
Her lips twitched with a threatening smile. “Don’t let Andretti hear you criticize him like that.”
“Andretti? You named that car after a race car driver?” He choked out a laugh. “It probably tops out at seventy miles an hour.” As if to make a point, he picked up speed as he merged onto the highway.
“I gave him a strong name, so he’d have something to aspire to.”
“Is that why you named this guy Shrek?”
He waved a green hand at her, the motor purring, and she laughed.
“Let me buy you a new car. I can’t have my wife driving around in something that looks like it belongs in a junkyard.”
“If my car embarrasses you that much, I’ll drive something else while we’re married. But when we divorce, I’m taking Andretti with me.”
“Fine.”
From his pleased-with-myself expression, she figured he would try to change her mind when the time came.
Stubborn man.
Coming from outside town into the heavy Houston traffic, it took a full ninety minutes to reach Hayward Home. She was surprised when he parked the car and got out.
“I can walk inside by myself, Cole. There’s no one waiting around to attack me.”
“I’m aware of that. But I have an appointment this morning. I’m going to arrange a monthly donation… with the implied understanding that it will continue as long as my wife is employed here.”
“Isn’t that unethical, somehow?”
“It happens all the time. Some people donate millions to get their kids into the top schools. In this case, you’re not getting anything you don’t deserve. I’m just making sure you don’t get fired for something that isn’t your fault.”
“Part of me feels guilty, like I’m taking a handout. But Hayward Home helps a lot of women, so at least you’re donating to a good cause.” As she fell in step beside him, she realized she felt lighter inside. Marrying Cole really had taken the weight of the world off her shoulders. “Can you also make sure I can keep my health insurance for a couple of months after I quit working? I’ll finish my counseling hours four weeks before the baby comes.”
“As of yesterday, you’re on my insurance.” His hazel eyes clouded. “And you’ll be on it until after the baby is born.”
“But I don’t need—”
“It’s in the contract you signed, so it’s too late to argue.”
She wondered what else she’d missed reading in the multi-page prenuptial agreement. He’d hired an attorney to represent her interests. But everything had happened so fast she hadn’t had time to fully grasp all the details. Her main concern was keeping sole parental rights, which her attorney had assured her was the case.
“Fine.” She would find a way to pay him back out of her divorce settlement, which would dwindle to nothing if he continued to lavish his wealth on her.
He opened the lobby door and caught her hand before she could escape, pulling her into his embrace. Though brief, the fiery kiss he placed on her lips felt like he’d branded her.
