Chapter 8 – Jessica

“Are you sure this is the right place?” I asked my mother as we came to a stop in front of a massive wrought iron gate.

The entrance was gorgeous, with thick bars that were curled to look like black vines surrounding a large, golden plate with the letters BTW. Through it, I could see a long red brick path and a luscious garden that seemed to have been designed to look like the world’s most perfect forest. In every way, the place was magnificent, and I couldn’t help but feel completely overwhelmed by the idea that it would be my home from now on.

Mom looked from the gate to me with a nervous smirk on her lips and said, “There’s only one way to find out.”

Her voice was filled with anxiety, but as she turned to the interphone outside her window, her features transformed into a firm and confident mask that made me proud. This was going to be a big change for us, but we both knew that in the end, it would be a good one. With her head held high and a hefty dose of confidence, Mom pressed the intercom button and after identifying herself as Ben Walker’s fiancée the gates opened, and we drove in.

Dead silence filled the car as we rode down the brick lane, underneath the thick canopy of the trees. We passed the mini forest, a lake with peacefully swimming swans, and a gorgeous manicured garden filled with colorful flowers. Although a million things were running through my mind, the fanciness of the life mom and I were entering was too overwhelming to speak.

At least it was until our future house came into view. The three-story, colonial building, was enormous and beautiful, with long white windows and a wide porch that seemed to wrap around the entire house. It almost begged for the string of profanities that passed through my lips as mom parked the car at the ginormous driveway.

“Mind your language, Jess,” mom reprimanded me as she killed the engine. “Although Ben doesn’t strike me as an easily offended person, I’d like to try and make a good impression.”

“I always make a good impression,” I reminded her as I opened my door and got out.

Mom chuckled and quickly followed me out. I smoothed the fabric of my royal blue dress over my curvy hips and tugged at the neckline a bit, so it was nice and proper. I fluffed my hair and checked my lipstick on the window of our car to make sure I wasn’t looking like a clown, and once I was satisfied that I looked just as I should, I made my way toward my mother.

“Okay, Momma, let’s meet your fiancé and get you hitched.”

Mom pulled in a deep breath through her nose, fidgeted with her tight blush dress and, after a nervous nod, started walking towards the massive house. For some weird reason, my heart pounded with a strange kind of anxiety as I followed her. I wasn’t really sure how to explain it, but something inside me said that although my mother’s life was the one about to change, I was the one walking toward my destiny. It was an odd feeling, and since I had a lot more to worry about, I just pushed it to the side and focused on staying strong for my mother.

The door opened before we had even climbed the three steps that lead to the porch and a tall man in a tailored gray suit appeared at the threshold. Although I tried to remain polite and hide my reaction, my eyes widened with a bit of panic as I took him in.

Over the past few days, Mom and I had talked a lot about Ben. She had told me about the conversations they had had, how smart and interesting he was, and as much as she knew about his life and company. But, since it wasn’t relevant to their deal, she had never described his appearance. For that reason, the sight of the man’s protuberant stomach, puffy face and cotton-ball white hair made me feel sorry for my mother. She was such a beautiful woman and deserved better—even from a fake husband.

“Welcome to Walker Mansion,” he greeted us in a friendly but proper tone. I stole a look at my mother who made no move to greet the man and looked back at me with confusion in her eyes as well. With a smile—probably at the dumbstruck looks on both our faces—the man added, “My name is Geoffrey, ma’am. I’m Mr. Walker’s—and soon to be your—butler.”

Although it had nothing to do with me, I sighed a breath of relief that Cotton Balls wasn’t my new daddy. Whew . . .

“Oh, of course,” mom said, trying and failing to sound casual. “Nice to meet you. I’m Pam, and this is my daughter, Jessica.”

Geoffrey welcomed me as well and then invited us to follow him inside. A little out of place but trying hard to belong, we followed him through a vast foyer that was decorated in shades of light gray and white. At the middle of the space was a round table with a huge vase of beautiful fresh flowers that filled the room with a delicious perfume and bright colors. Facing the front door and lining the back wall was a massive curling staircase framed by matching archways on each side.

Not allowing us enough time to admire the beauty of the home, the Butler led us through the archway to the right and into a sitting room that was just as beautiful and opulent as the rest of the house.

“Please, make yourselves at home,” Geoffrey instructed as mom and I walked further into the space. “Mr. Walker is just finishing a phone call in his study and will be right with you.”

We thanked him for his attention and, after a discreet bow, he turned around and walked away. As soon as we were alone, I started to wander around the room. My fingers grazed the lush fabric of the couches, the rough wood of the mantel and the silky finish of the grand piano, as my eyes admired the fine art that hung from the walls and the gorgeous view from the windows. To be honest, the room wasn’t necessarily welcoming and homey, but it was undoubtedly the most beautiful living room I had ever seen in my life, and I could barely believe that by the end of the day it would be mine.

My renewed enthusiasm over this whole arrangement made me confused when I looked at my mom and saw uneasiness in her face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, walking back across the room toward her.

She sighed and, with her eyes locked on mine, said, “Am I doing the right thing, Jess? Do we really need all of this?”

“No, we don’t,” I replied honestly because that was the truth. We really didn’t need to live in that house and have five million dollars. Although short on money, we had a good life and that was enough. However, before she got any ideas, I quickly added another nugget of truth, “That doesn’t mean we should throw away a good opportunity.”

Mom nodded, but her expression remained worried and pensive. Then, after a few moments of silence, she whispered, “I’m not going to quit my job, Jess. I may cut back on my hours but I’m still going to work, and that means I won’t be here to watch over you. You’ll be alone and living with a man we barely know.”

“I’m twenty-two years old, mom,” I reminded her with a smile. “I can take care of myself. You don’t need to watch over me anymore.” She gave me one of hers ‘are you sure?’ glances, so I smiled and gave her the reassurance she needed. “As long as this place has a cleaning lady, I’ll be okay. I really don’t think I would make a very good Cinderella.”

Mom’s laughter filled the room, and she wrapped her arms around me. Happy I was able to provide some comfort to her always worried mind, I laughed as well.

Suddenly, a deep, sultry male voice interrupted our chuckles. “As much as I hate to admit it, my dad was right. Having a family laughing does make a house feel less empty. I think I’m going to actually enjoy this arrangement.”

His words ceased our laughs and made mom and I part our embrace. We turned to look at my mother’s fiancé, and my breath literally got caught in my throat.

Ben Walker was tall with wide shoulders and thick muscles that filled his navy suit like a sports star. His hair was a shade of dark brown that looked almost black and lightly dusted with gray at the temples, and his eyes were the most intense blue I had ever seen. His straight nose, chiseled jaw and high cheekbones were so perfect and symmetrical they seemed to have been carved by an artist and not created by genetics and nature.

He was, without a single doubt, the most handsome man I had ever seen and I couldn’t, for the life of me, peel my eyes away from him. For some unexplainable reason, he wasn’t taking his eyes away from me either.

Those bluer than blue eyes slid down my body from head all the way to my shoes. Although he was discreet—thank goodness, after all, the last thing I wanted was my mother throwing a fit and taking me away from him—I could feel his gaze like hand grazing my skin. It was hot and intense, and it awoke that same hungry need I felt while watching the couple fucking on TV.

I pressed my thighs together just as my oblivious mother took a few steps towards her fake fiancé. “I’m happy you think you’ll enjoy our time together because we’ve just decided that so will we.”

Ben raised a brow as he finally peeled his eyes from me to look at mom. “You’ve just decided that?”

“Yes, we did. As long as you have cleaning people, Jess and I have decided we’ll enjoy this place,” mom said playfully as she stepped in to give Ben a kiss on the cheek and added, “Hi, Ben. Your house is lovely.”

He chuckled at mom’s words and tilted his head to the side. At the same time, my hands involuntarily clenched at their closeness.

“Although I have no idea what cleaning people—which I do have, by the way—have to do with anything, I’m happy you’ve decided to enjoy this place. It’s your house now too,” he said in a casual tone. Then, with a smile that was more polite and friendly than sexy and flirty, he added, “And the only lovely thing here are the two of you.”

I blushed bright red at his compliment and nearly gasped when instead of waiting for my mother to introduce us, Ben turned his eyes to me and extended a hand. “You must be Jessica. Your mother has told me a lot about you.”

Trying my best to contain the wrong, lustful thoughts I was having towards him, I reached my hand to touch his. As our skins collided, a chill ran down my spine. I wasn’t sure if the feeling was a warning for trouble or a prelude to something great; all I knew was that I had to get my skin away from his as soon as possible.

“She’s told me a lot about you as well,” I informed with a sweet smile as I abruptly pulled my hand back from his. A light crease formed between his brows at my rudeness. Hoping to soften the blow, I playfully said, “I’m thrilled to finally meet you…daddy.”

Mom chuckled, and Ben’s lips curled up into a smirk at that last word. For anyone watching, his expression was just a display of mirth over my joke, but I could see right through it. The way his lips pulled harder on one side and his eyes narrowed as he held my gaze told me that there wasn’t even a hint of amusement in his expression.

“So am I, baby girl.” Those words hung heavier than they should between us, but Ben quickly turned his attention back to my mother and said, “Okay, if you girls are ready, we should head on over to City Hall. I’ve asked my chef to prepare us a special meal for when we come back.”

Eager to get this whole thing over with, Mom agreed, and we both followed Ben out of the house. As we drove to City Hall, I sat on the back seat of Ben’s Bentley and tried to ignore the little glances he threw my way through the rearview mirror.

Fake marriage or not, Ben Walker was about to marry my mother, and I was too busy building a future for myself to be jealous of her—no matter how hot and bothered her future husband made me feel.