Forbidden Contract (The Birmingham Brothers Series) (8 page)

“Then leave them at home…I’m sure they will be fine with me…it will give me a chance to get to know them better
.”

Bailey thought about it and the more she did the angrier she got. There was no way she was going to expose her brother and sister to his deception. Then again now that she knew
, why couldn’t she just play him, teach him a lesson? She made the decision she would go with him but leave Alexis and Tristan at home. Suddenly an idea came to her head.

“Grandmother
, will you excuse me? I think I should change for dinner.”

“
Of course dear.” She smiled.

Bailey left the room and before going to her room to change she checked in on the kids. They were both sleeping and knew they would still be asleep for another hour. Heading in her closet she sorted through the new clothes till she found the perfect little black dress.
An hour later she was showered and dressed for a night on the town. To her surprise Alexis and Tristan were ok with her going out because their grandmother had promised a movie and popcorn night. Beckett was by the door when she descended the stairs and by the look on his face she knew he was impressed. If she hadn’t known the truth she would have admitted that his dark good looks made her heart race a little faster and the desire she saw in his eyes was flattering.

“
Wow!” He said looking at her. “That definitely is a little too fancy for Chucky Cheese.”

“Change of plans….grandmother is watching the kids….I figured we should enjoy our evening while we talk
.”

“OK….uh…maybe I should go chang
e?” He said looking at his dark jeans and Henley.

“I’ll wait
.” She smiled.

With one more look he turned and raced up the stairs. Fifteen minutes later he was coming down the stairs in a pair of dark chinos and a grey dress shirt.
Beckett led her outside where his Audi was parked. He opened the door for her watching as she slid inside. Bailey couldn’t help but notice the confidence he showed as he walked around to his side. For a brief moment she panicked unsure she could pull this off. Just as she was about to flee he opened his door and slid in behind the wheel.

The moment Beckett had seen her at the top of the stairs he hadn’t been able to think of anything else. Her dress definitely wasn’t Chucky Cheese attire and when she had told him the kids were staying home he couldn’t believe his luck. Now sitting next to her in his car he was extremely conscious of the warmth of her body and the scent of her hair. There was something different in her attitude though and he just put it off to nerves. Wanting to put her at ease he decided to try small talk.

“I thought we should try
the new Italian restaurant ….unless of course you prefer Mexican?”

“Italians fine
.” She said looking out the window.

“Would you like to go dancing afterwards?”

She looked at him and couldn’t believe how sincere he looked. He actually was trying to put her at ease. She wondered how many times he used that trick to get someone in his bed.

“I don’t dance
.” She said not because she couldn’t but because of the layer of smoke that usually resided on her clothing when she came home. She knew it might set off Tristan’s asthma.

“I could teach you
.” He grinned. “We’re going to have to dance this Friday, we might as well make it look like we’ve done it before.” He said starting the engine.

“Ok
.” she said deciding she would come to that bridge when and if they crossed it.

Beckett frowned. He knew he was a little rusty in the dating world but the way she was acting made him feel like a leper”

“Bailey…is something wrong….did I do something to upset you?”

Bailey looked at him and never one to play games decided to be direct. “Tell me Beckett…
.just exactly what did you think would be the outcome of tonight?”

Confused he looked at her
. “Dinner…maybe a little dancing and good conversation.” He replied.

“And that’s all
?” She accused as he pulled out of the drive and onto the main road.

Beckett raised his eyebrow understanding the meaning of her question
. “Yes that’s all…just exactly did you think I had in mind?”

“I don’t know…why were you so nice to my brother and sister?”

“Because they’re cool kids….besides…I told you I remembered when my brothers told me I wasn’t a superhero and how it felt.” He said upset she thought he was playing games with her. “Whatever gave you the idea I wanted anything else?”

“
You do have a reputation as a ladies man…you made me believe this was all your idea when in fact it was my grandmothers.”

“I see….so it was your grandmother who planted this idea in your head
.” He said understanding. “Bailey….I’m not interested in sleeping with you now or ever…I have a girlfriend whom I have been with for the last three years and have no intention of dumping….this.” He said pointing to her then to him and back to her again. “Is purely business…a means to an end…I just figured since we had to pretend to be married we would get to know each other but if you’re uncomfortable with this then we can just turn around and head back.” He said stopping on the side of the road.

Bailey looked at him and he could see her process what he had just told her. He didn’t know if it was relief or disappointment in her eyes. He was angry she had jumped to that conclusion especially since he had never given her any reason to think that low of him. He waited for her response and even though he was angry he was also worried she may agree to go back. Even angry at her he didn’t want the night to end. If he was being totally honest with both of them he had considered taking her to bed but he also knew in doing so it would void the contract and his
family had too much invested to lose this deal. He hadn’t realized he was holding his breath till she looked at him.

“I’m sorry….I was wrong…. you have been nothing but a gentleman with me and I had no right to jump to conclusions…I apologize
.”

He let out his breath and then smiled
. “Ok…so can we both just relax and enjoy the evening?”

“I’d like that
.” She smiled as he pulled back onto the road.

With that out of the way she seemed to relax and he found now when he talked to her she replied in more than
monosyllables. By the time they reached the restaurant he had her once again laughing at his antics. They were given a seat in the back near a window which gave them the privacy they needed to talk. After the wine was poured the meal ordered Beckett decided to begin his line of questions.

“Ok…so I guess the best way for us to do this is first tell each other about ourselves and we can ask questions afterwards….then we can figure out a story to tell people about how we met
.”

“Alright who goes first?”

“I will.” He said and proceeded to tell her his life story. He glossed over his relationship with Lachelle and downplayed his relationships with women. Mostly he told her about his family, how they worked together in the family business and how they supported each other. By the time the meal came he was finished. “So any questions?”

“Just one….why did you agree to marry me?”
She asked.

Beckett hadn’t expected that, like all women he knew she was more curious about his love life but she seemed to refuse to ask those questions. He studied her for a moment before he replied.

“Well…your grandmother made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.” He said in his best Al Pacino imitation which brought out a smile. He liked it when she smiled. Somehow he figured she didn’t do it that often “Truthfully?” He asked.

“Yes
.”

“
Ok….at first when she made the offer I thought she was crazy….I mean I went to her and made her a deal I figured she couldn’t resist. My brother Trent had already tried to buy the company and my brother Justin had spent the last 6 months underbidding their contracts and still they wouldn’t sell….so I did my homework…I learned your grandmother didn’t know how badly her son and grandsons had run the company in the ground….I knew she had a tendency of bailing everyone out and if the company failed not only would the family be broke but the name would be disgraced….she had spent too many years covering up for their mistakes….what I hadn’t counted on was her doing her history on my family….she knew the problems we were having establishing our business here in the South.”

“Yes….Yankees
.” She grinned.

“Yeah…the more she talked about an alliance between the families and the benefits the more she made sense. I figured what the hell, it
’s not like it’s going to be permanent and if it achieved the ends to the means why not?”

“What did your family say?”

“They thought I was nuts….my mom was totally against it….she worried what my future wife would think.” He grinned.

“
Your girlfriend.” She said and he knew she would somehow find a way to bring it up.

“Macy…yeah….well I reminded my mom I wasn’t the marrying kind and that’s not the type of relationship we have
.”

“And just exactly what is your relationship?”

“Open.” He said honestly.

“Is she ok with this
?” She asked pointing back and forth from her to him and back.

“Yeah…we figure we’ll have to sneak around to maintain the cover….it should add a little spice to the relationship
.” He joked.

“I see
.” She said and he wondered what she really thought.

“Ok so your turn
.” He said as desert and coffee was brought.

Beckett watched as she added cream and sugar to her coffee then once satisfied it was the p
erfect blend she inhaled first before sipping it. How was it possible she made drinking coffee erotic? When she smiled as the blend slid down her throat he felt his body respond and frowned. When she opened her eyes and saw his face she tilted her head.

“
Something wrong?” She asked.

Trying to cover up his own emotions he shook his head
. “No…but I think you’re stalling.”

She smiled as if she had been caught
. “Let’s see….I’m the oldest of three kids….you’ve already met my sister and brother…..when my father met my mother he was forbidden to marry her by his parents. Mom was from the wrong side of the tracks you might say.” She frowned. “So my dad married my mom and once he was disowned by his family they moved to California….he had his own construction firm and it was pretty successful….after I was born my mom had a few miscarriages so they kind of gave up thinking I would be an only child….then Alexis was born.” She smiled then slowly the smile faded as she remembered. My mom found out she was pregnant with Tristan and my dad was coming home from a business trip to celebrate when a drunk driver killed him.” Beckett watched the pain on her face and was about to reach for her hand when she clasped them together and placed them on her lap. She stared down at the desert that sat uneaten before her. “That’s when we learned she had cancer.”

“B
ailey…I’m sorry…look if you don’t want to talk about this.” He began seeing the hurt in her eyes.

“No
.” She smiled sadly as she looked at him. Tears were brimming but she managed to keep them from falling. “They wanted to do chemo but mom refused…it would have meant killing Tristan….I had just been accepted to college and had to quit to help out….that’s when I learned that my father’s partner had embezzled money from the firm and my dad had mortgaged our house to keep the business going. My mom’s health began to deteriorate and when Tristan was born it took the fight out of her. She died two months later.”

Beckett began to do the math in his head
. “You were what 19 when you got left with a 2 year old and a 2 month old?”

“Yeah….with her bills and the home mortgaged there was no way we could keep the house…..I got two jobs and found us a small apartment….our church helped out…they provided day care for free….then Tristan started having problems breathing….he has asthma….
the bills kept piling up and I did what I could to stay ahead of them….I landed a job in Newport Beach and was doing really good on tips…I also had a friend who owned a cleaning company…Matt got me jobs and sometimes he would help out by bringing over pizza and watch the kids for me so I could have a breather.” Beckett noticed her voice had changed as she began to tell the story as if she was reading from a script. “I lost my job when a customer got to fresh with me one night and even though Matt tried to help by finding me more jobs I couldn’t replace the tips…Tristan got worse and the medical bills got worse….that’s when my grandmother found me….she made me an offer and here I am.”

Beckett waited a minute trying to fill in the gaps of her life she didn’t divulge. He couldn’t hold it against her since he hadn’t been forthcoming about Lachelle and he had basically glossed over most of his life too. He wondered though how tough it had to be to raise two kids alone. She had basically sacrificed her youth for them. She was nothing like anything he had imagined and he found he wanted to know her
better, peel away the defenses she had put up around herself. There was a moment of awkward silence and he realized it was his turn to ask questions.

“So no boyfriends? He asked and realized when would she ever have
had time. “I mean…this Matt guy….nothing?”

“
Matt is a good friend” She smiled and for a moment he felt a stab of jealousy. “Someone I knew from high school.” She said refusing to elaborate on him anymore. Beckett suspected there was more but didn’t push the issue. Later there would be time for further questions.

“What about your family…couldn’t you have gone to them for help
?” He asked unable to comprehend what life would be like without his families support.

“My mom
’s parents were killed shortly after they were married…she was an only child.”

“And your grandmother….did you ever consider going to her for help?”

“No.” She said playing with her desert with her fork. “The day she showed up at my door I would have closed it if she hadn’t just walk in….I knew enough from my parents to know she wouldn’t welcome us with open arms.”

Beckett grinned at the image. Regina needed Bailey and he wondered had it killed her to ask her for help.

“How did she ask you?” He wondered.

“You mean….to agree to marry you
?” She said studying him.

“Yeah
.”

“
I was one step ahead of the collection agency….then some parent must have complained to the authorities about me….social services showed up on my door step the same day she did….if she hadn’t been there they would have taken Alexis and Tristan away.”

Beckett thought about that for a moment
. “Bailey…what the odds your grandmother would arrive at your doorstep the same day social services showed up?”

Bailey thought about it for a moment before she raised her eyebrows as the meaning of his words sunk in.
She had also wondered about her grandmother having everything prepared when they arrived.

“You think she
’s the one who turned me in?”

“Well I wouldn’t put it past her…but…no….there wasn’t enough time between the time she and I made the deal and Alicia went to Vegas and got married…..she substituted you at the last minute….there wouldn’t have been enough time for the government
bureaucracy.”