Chapter Nineteen
Avery
I was walking on air. Today was the day. At least I hoped it was the day. Today was the day we went to court to prove we were worthy of custody of Iris. There was so much riding on the fake marriage. I had recited our story about how much we loved each other and how being put together in the aftermath of a tragedy had reminded us of how much we wanted to be together. We were stretching the truth.
After the kiss yesterday, I had been avoiding Jake like the plague. I didn’t want to be anywhere near him. I couldn’t trust myself, and I certainly couldn’t trust him. We didn’t love each other, and the only together we had on our minds was in a primal way. I had decided it was best for my sanity if I stayed away from him.
Being in a house this big made that easy. He stuck to the den, and I stuck to my room upstairs, only leaving to grab some snacks from the fridge once. He hadn’t made any effort to try and talk to me after the kiss. The asshole had turned me on and then left me standing there like an idiot. I wasn’t about to forgive him anytime soon.
I straightened my blouse, turned around to check and make sure it was evenly tucked into the blue skirt I was wearing, and made a few adjustments. I didn’t normally worry this much about what I wore to the library, but this was also what I would be wearing for the custody hearing.
Jake had been upset that I was going into work today at all, but I couldn’t not show up. It was my last day, and I wanted the chance to say a proper good-bye to all my coworkers and the regulars I had gotten to know. I was going to miss the peacefulness of the library, but it was time I moved on to bigger and brighter things, like a job that paid real money.
As I drove into the city, I couldn’t help but ponder the kiss. If I had been wearing socks, it would have knocked them off. His dirty talk after the kiss had nearly been my undoing. I knew it was a game for him. He wanted me to admit I wanted him. I couldn’t. I refused to let myself fall under his spell ever again. The man was like kryptonite. He not only made my panties drop, but also all the walls I had carefully erected around my heart.
I had to keep my wits about me. I could keep my hands off him and my eyes on the prize. The prize being Iris. I was not going to let him get me distracted—even if I knew the sex would be mind-blowing. If we had sex, there was a good chance he would decide he was finished with me and leave like last time. The man liked a challenge. I was a challenge. If I gave in to the sexual tension, he would grow bored and leave. He said he was in it for Iris, but I was sure there was more to his desire to stick around Phoenix.
I managed to get through my short shift without completely going out of my mind with anticipation and anxiety over the upcoming hearing. I had watched the clock like a hawk, willing it to hurry up. At noon, I was officially done. After saying my good-byes to the ladies at the library, I headed to the courthouse. I was so nervous, I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking as I drove. My legs were trembling as well. I tried to prepare myself for the possibility of being denied custody. I knew it was possible. I didn’t want to start bawling and make a complete fool out of myself. I had to keep it together so I could try again.
I parked my car, checked my makeup in the mirror, and headed toward the steps. I saw Jake leaning against a pole, staring at his phone. He was in his typical dark suit with dark shades. I hated that he could make me wet simply by standing there looking like a Calvin Klein model. He was tall, blonde, and sexy, a very dangerous combination.
“Hey,” he said, greeting me with a kiss on the cheek.
I stiffened under his touch, not expecting him to touch me at all. He rubbed his hands up my forearms, grabbed my elbows, and kissed me again. His mouth moved to my ear. He whispered “she’s watching” before kissing me one more time and letting me go.
I gulped down the lump in my throat and knew exactly what he was talking about. “Okay. I didn’t see her.”
“She’s been up there watching me,” he said.
“Weird,” I replied.
He smiled. “I think she was waiting for me to grab a woman and make mad, passionate love to her on the steps. The woman has read way too many stories about me, I’m afraid. I don’t want to burst her bubble and tell her most of it’s made up.”
I laughed and felt myself relax, and I didn’t flinch when he grabbed my hand.
“See, that’s not so bad, is it?”
I kept on my fake smile and nodded my head, pretending he had asked me something and I was happily agreeing. We turned to climb the steps together, looking like the happy couple we were pretending to be.
Janice met us at the top of the stairs. She was frowning as usual while juggling a stack of manila folders. She raised an eyebrow, looking at me and then Jake, then our joined hands.
“What’s this?” she asked.
I fought back the urge to shake her. “I called you and told you Jake and I had married.”
“I didn’t believe you.”
“Well, believe it,” I started, but I stopped talking when Jake squeezed my hand. The word that was about to follow would have probably guaranteed I never saw Iris again. I took a deep breath and started over. “Yes, we are married.”
Her scrutiny made me anxious. I looked at Jake. If the woman started asking me questions, there was no way I could hold up. I would fold like a cheap suit.
“When did this happen?” she asked, staring at me.
I was beginning to wonder if she had lost her damn mind.
Jake put on his best charming smile. “Tuesday. We have you to thank for bringing us back together. After our meeting last week, we got coffee and realized we had never stopped loving each other. We had gone our separate ways only to be thrown back together by a strange twist of fate. It was then we realized we didn’t have to fight our attraction to each other. We want to be a family. We want to raise Iris together and build our own family.”
I nearly gagged at his easy lie. The man was definitely too smooth for his own good. I could see Janice trying to determine if he was telling the truth or if he was full of shit. I knew he was full of shit, but I hoped my expression didn’t reveal that.
“Really? You realized you loved each other after you were in my office together and I told you neither one of you alone was suitable for custody of Iris?” she asked accusingly.
Jake smiled, clearly not bothered by her accusations. “Trust me, Janice, you were the catalyst for something that had been brewing a long time before you ever brought us together in that office.”
Janice turned her gaze to me. I could feel sweat popping up on my brow. The woman didn’t believe him. I prayed she didn’t question me. I was not as good a liar as Jake.
“Well, your story sounds nice, but it isn’t me you have to convince. You have to try to sell this whole thing to a judge,” she said with an evil smile.
I felt my mouth go dry. The woman could see right into my soul. I was convinced of that. She knew we were lying. I didn’t think I could get sent to prison for marrying a guy, but who knew? There could be some law we were breaking.
“Good luck,” she said and rushed inside the courthouse.
I released the breath I had been holding and walked to one of the benches to plop down. Jake, still holding my hand, had to follow.
He released my hand and wiped his on his pant leg. “You need to relax,” he stated.
“She knows.”
“She doesn’t know anything. She’s going to figure out something is up if you look and act like you did something wrong. We didn’t do anything wrong, Avery. We are free to marry who we choose. Don’t let them pressure you into thinking you did something horrible.”
“The way she was looking at me, though,” I protested.
“Who cares? You have to do a much better job if you plan on convincing the judge we are the real deal. I have a feeling a judge is going to be far more discerning,” he warned.
I nodded my head. “Okay. I’ll try. She makes me nervous and mad at the same time is all.”
He chuckled. “I know. I could feel it in your sweaty palms.”
I was instantly embarrassed. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. Not everyone is used to being put under the microscope like that. I’ve been interviewed and picked apart in the tabloids and magazines enough to have developed a thick skin. I know what’s right, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks. You know what’s right here. We’re doing this because it’s the right thing for Iris. Okay?”
I nodded and took a few deep breaths. “I know. I can do this for Iris. I’ll do better.”
He smiled. “Good, because our hearing is in about five minutes. Let me do the talking. If the judge asks you a question, remember what we talked about. Don’t feel like you need to give a lot of details. Keep your answers short and to the point. Details will trip you up,” he instructed.
I stood and looked down at him sitting so casually on the bench. “It’s scary that you’re so good at lying to people.”
He smirked. “Now what part is a lie? We’re married, we live together, and we want Iris. All true.”
I shook my head. “Still, you’re scary.”
He stood up and took both my hands in his, looking straight into my eyes. Despite my earlier conviction that I would not let myself want him, I wanted him. I wanted his lips on mine and so many other places.
Jake leaned down and brushed a kiss over my lips before moving to my ear. “Man up, Avery. This won’t work if you cave under the pressure.”
His words washed over the sensitive skin of my neck, making me shiver with need. His mouth moved closer and his teeth nibbled at my earlobe.
Fire raced through my veins.
“Let’s do this,” he said, dropping one hand and pulling me with the other.
I stumbled behind him before I managed to get my wits about me and match his long strides.
“We can do this,” I said under my breath.
He squeezed my hand. “Yes, we can. We got this.”
Together we walked through the doors of the courthouse, only separating long enough to go through security. We strolled hand in hand to the right courtroom, waiting our turn. I had to have faith that everything would go our way. This had to work. I hated that I was counting on Jake so much. I would figure out how to untangle myself from him later.
***
END OF SAMPLE
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