Jessica walked to the door, down the steps, and out to the parking lot on the side of the building where a crying Ellen was sobbing as her husband stood arms-crossed glaring down at her. She wanted to walk past them, climb in her car, and get the hell away from anyone connected to the Larson family. Instead, she walked over to the fighting couple because she wasn’t quite the hard-hearted woman she wanted to be.
“Please tell Luke I never cheated on him. I didn’t. I wouldn’t,” Ellen implored. “Neither did Will. He hasn’t touched me since the divorce. I swear.”
Jessica looked at the good looking man with pain in his gaze and a clenched jaw that was uncompromising at that moment. Ellen was going to have to do a lot to get back into his good graces, but Jessica knew it went both ways. Being eye-to-eye with the man helped make sure the man held her gaze as she spoke.
“Mr. Cannon, what I said was the truth, but I don’t think anything happened. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still plenty pissed about Ellen flirting when she knew Will and I were lovers. I didn’t bother kicking her ass that day because Will did a good job convincing me he wasn’t interested in her any longer. I don’t pretend to know how these people think, but I have been in therapy for thirty years. If you love your wife, it’s your job to help her work out her problems,” Jessica said. Then she turned and looked at Ellen. “I believe Will didn’t touch you, but it wasn’t because you didn’t try. You’re not the injured innocent here, and you need to admit that to yourself.”
“Ms. Daniels—Jessica,” Ellen called. “Will does love you. That’s mostly what we talked about on the trip over here. I don’t know why he didn’t tell you about his teaching work, but it’s nothing compared to how much he cares about you. You need to forgive him.”
“Really? Would I be forgiving Everett Williams the stone sculptor or William Larson the retired principal? Will just yanked my trust foundation out from under me and I don’t know what to believe anymore. You’d be upset too if you were in my shoes,” Jessica said.
Ellen just blinked at her as Jessica shook her head and walked on.
Chapter 20
Tucking the papers he carried under his arm, and gripping a jeweler’s box in his hand to discreetly hide it, Michael walked into the offices of The Main Event marketing and promotion company. He smiled at the receptionist, suddenly glad he had never dated the beautiful blond who smiled at him in welcome each time she saw him.
“Hey, Belinda. Is Carrie in?” Michael asked.
“She is, but I’m not sure she’s seeing clients today, Michael. Carrie’s not been feeling well,” she said sweetly. “Can I give her a message?”
“This is not a business visit. It’s personal, and Carrie’s expecting me. You can tell her I’m here if you want,” he offered.
Belinda blinked and raised her eyebrows at his tone. “She didn’t mention you were coming by, but if she’s expecting you, then I guess you can go on back.”
“Thanks. I just need to drop something off with her, and then I’ll be on my way,” Michael said, rapping the knuckles of his free hand on her counter as he walked by.
Carrie’s door was mostly closed, but not completely. He could see through the crack that she had her head down on the desk and a trashcan at her feet. There had to be something she could take for the sickness, Michael thought, his own stomach contracting in empathy.
He knocked lightly and pushed open the door. She raised her head and tried to sit up straight when she saw him. Michael closed the door behind him and walked over to sit in the chair across from her.
“Are you this sick all the time?” he asked softly, keeping his voice quiet.
“It comes and goes,” Carrie said weakly. “I hear I only have two more months of this before it gets better.”
“Well, that’s depressing as hell,” Michael said seriously, getting a little laugh out of her when he wasn’t even trying. “There has to be something you can take to help with the sickness.”
“I’m going to ask tomorrow at my appointment,” Carrie said. “I should have just stayed home today, but I haven’t been to work in over a week.
“I’d like to go with you to the doctor tomorrow,” Michael told her. “What time is your appointment and where?”
“You don’t have to do that,” Carrie said, looking away from him.
“I want to,” Michael said firmly. “I have a lot of catching up to do and a lot to learn about having a baby. I bought some books, but I learn best by talking to people.”
“Michael, you don’t have to worry. I’ll do what I have to in order to take care of the child and me.” She pushed her hair behind her ears and again tried to sit straight in her chair. “Why don’t you tell me why you’re here? I’m guessing you haven’t changed your mind.”
“No, I haven’t changed my mind. In fact, I came to ask you to marry me,” Michael told her, watching her face to see her reaction. The shock was swift and drained the remaining color from her face. Well, at least she wasn’t yelling at him. He knew she could because he’d heard her yelling at her crew on many occasions.
“No,” Carrie said firmly, absolutely certain of her answer. She was not marrying Michael Larson, did not want to bind herself to a man she didn’t really like.
“I thought you might say no, but I figured it was worth a shot to just ask in the traditional way first,” Michael told her, slipping the papers from under his arm and pushing them across her polished desk to her. “Here are the reasons it’s a good idea. They are all in a contract I had my lawyer draw up. It’s a prenuptial agreement that requires we marry and stay married until baby is born, which will give me unquestionable legal rights to our child after we divorce. It also requires that we live together so that our marriage will seem legitimate to the world and which will also make it easier for me to establish parental rights.”
“What happens if I don’t marry you?” Carrie asked, her throat dry and her heart banging against the walls of her chest. What Michael was saying made her suddenly realize that there were many things she had not taken into consideration when she’d offered him the chance to raise their child.
“I have to go through the motions of dragging you and the baby through court to prove I’m the father, which means DNA testing and God knows what else. Then there would be custody agreements and having to explain why the birth mother doesn’t want any rights to the child. Every other alternative but marriage is ugly, very public in the legal records, and not good for any of us. If you marry me, I can have the child when we divorce and no one will question it,” Michael said, working to keep his tone neutral and his words logical, but it was a battle he was losing. “If you keep looking at me like I’m the worst man in the world, I’m coming around the desk to prove I’m not.”
“No, stay where you are,” Carrie said, holding up a hand and closing her eyes. “I just—I just hadn’t thought about it from the legal standpoint. It’s hard to think of rational next steps when you’re throwing up all the time.”
“I can’t even imagine how you’re managing to get through the day. So will you marry me? You’ve been married and divorced twice already. I can be just as civilized as the first two guys,” he said carefully. “Marry me, Carrie Addison. Make me the legal father of our child. The prenuptial agreement guarantees you a divorce after the baby is born and is three months old. You don’t have to live with me after you deliver the child. I understand that would hard.”
Carrie flipped a couple pages of the prenuptial agreement, skimming the contract terms. Everything seemed to say exactly what Michael had told her, but it didn’t seem real for her to be even considering marrying the man who had caused her so much pain.
“I need some time to look over this agreement, and I may want changes. However, I do see that marriage would legally simplify our—arrangement,” she admitted quietly.
“Is that a yes?” Michael asked, wondering if it was really going to be this simple.
Carrie searched Michael Larson’s gaze, looking to see how genuine the man was being with her. She couldn’t tell much, but then her head was in a fog of nausea anyway.
“I guess marrying you makes some kind of sense,” Carrie said sarcastically. “It’s not like it’s forever. What’s one more divorce in my personal resume anyway? I don’t want to have to do some bogus court battle over your rights to your child either.”
“Thank you for agreeing with me, but is that a yes to my proposal?” Michael asked.
“I guess it’s a yes,” she said wearily.
“Good. Here’s a ring,” Michael pushed the ring box across the desk. “It comes back to me after the divorce, but it will help us build a story that will protect your reputation here. There’s no reason for you to let this affect the career you’ve spent years growing.”
Carrie looked at the ring container like it contained poison, but she reached out a hand and pulled it to her. She was so weak she couldn’t pry open the tight box.
Michael did jump up then and stalk around the desk. He couldn’t stand not helping her any longer. He put a hip on the desk to keep as much distance between them as possible. It was hard as hell not to touch her.
“Here,” he said briskly, pulling the box open and taking the ring from inside.
Michael picked up Carrie’s left hand and slid the diamond solitaire on her finger. It was just about a perfect fit and he couldn’t believe he’d guessed it right when he’d had it sized.
“It probably needs to be a little big so you can still wear it as you gain weight with the baby.”
Michael let her hand drop gently back onto the desk. Then he moved back around to the chair so he wouldn’t give in to the temptation to pull her into his arms and hold her.
“The prenuptial agreement also stipulates that I go to all doctor’s visits and check-ups as well as be allowed into the delivery room. If you just rebel at that the delivery room idea, I’ll try to understand, but I want to be involved in the birth. If I have to do this alone later—well, I just want to know all I can,” he said.
And I want to be there to take care of you, Michael thought, not liking the fact that the strong woman he was used to seeing looked like she was going to fall into a dead faint any moment.
Carrie shook her head and shrugged, barely hearing what Michael said. She was still staring at the ring, which was amazing. “It’s a beautiful ring.”
“It was my grandmother’s, but I had it reinforced with more gold.” Michael wanted to smile because she liked the ring. Well, he wanted to scoop her up, hold her, and study how the ring looked on her hand, but he knew that couldn’t happen—not yet anyway.
“I’ll be careful with the ring,” Carrie said quietly. “I gave back rings to both my exes. I’m used to the procedure.”
“You also need to know that I told my family the truth about our situation, even my mother knows some of it. They know we’re marrying for the sake of the baby. They will help us, and I need their help, so I didn’t want to have to lie to them,” Michael told her. “They won’t judge you. They’re just glad we’re choosing to have the baby. My mother and father are thrilled to be getting a grandchild.”
Carrie nodded, opened a desk drawer, and grabbed a tissue. Crying had become another daily activity just as much as being sick was.
“Sounds like you have a great family. I haven’t told mine yet. They’re still upset I got divorced the first time, much less the second. I’m dreading what they’re going to say when I tell them I’m pregnant. I don’t think they will understand any of it.”
“So don’t tell them the truth. It’s not worth stressing over it. Tell them the same story you tell the office,” Michael said.
“What story is that?” Carrie asked sarcastically, sniffing.
Michael leaned forward, meeting and holding her gaze. “Tell them as much of the truth as you can manage with a clear conscience, starting with the fact that I’ve loved you for years and that you got pregnant in a moment of unplanned passion. When they see us together, no one is going to think we married for any reason other than love, because that’s how I feel about you and it’s going to show. Only you and I will know there is a time limit and that you are likely never going to love me back. The details are our business.”
“Then I become as bad as I’m accusing you of being. I’m just using you to save myself,” Carrie said, tearing up as she thought about all the wrongs that would not be made right by what they were doing.
“It’s okay. I can handle the heat, and I owe you,” Michael said, clenching his jaw in determination.
He leaned back in the seat, noticing the color was finally coming back into her face. Telling her family must really be worrying her. God, was he ever grateful for his family, even as messed up as they currently were. They gave him shit over what happened when he told them, but he knew they also would support him. They would support Carrie too.
“So I thought we’d give people a little time to absorb the engagement, and then get married in three weeks before you start showing,” Michael said. “In the meantime, I want you to move into the house with me and my father. I’m in the process of moving into a guestroom so you can use the master. It has a private bath. You can have your own space that way.”
“Why do you want me in your house?” Carrie asked.
“You need someone to help you until the sickness passes. Then after that, you’re going to need support as well, even if it is just to fix you dinner at the end of a long day. I’ve had both my divorced parents under my roof lately. You can’t be any more trouble than them,” Michael said lightly. “I do draw the line at the UK ballgames. The TV is solely mine on game days.”