The Billionaire's Baby Arrangement (Bad Boys and Babies 2)

Emma stood there for a moment in shock. She hadn’t seen this coming. Jackson had been so comfortable and completely at ease all evening. He hadn’t looked even the slightest bit nervous about proposing.

He wasn’t nervous because she was contractually obligated to say yes.

There was no doubt of her answer, so there were no nerves. This was a business transaction, albeit a pleasant one.

She’d known from the moment she signed that contract what was coming. They’d never agreed to love. This was all about appearances and saving his diaper company.

So why did the fact that this wasn’t real hurt so much?

Why did she want it to be real?

“Emma?” Jackson prompted. He held up the ring a little higher to catch the sparkle. It was then that she realized they were on the mega-tron. She was glad she’d worn something cute.

“Yes,” she said, putting on a big, bright smile. “Oh my god, YES!”

She could play her part just like him. She could pretend that this proposal was a total surprise and that she was over the moon.

It was why she was getting paid. She could keep her feelings to herself. Just because she was falling for Jackson, just because she wished that he could have been a little nervous, didn’t mean she couldn’t smile.

Outside, the crowd went wild. Players came and banged on the glass and the crowd screamed their approval. Jackson carefully slid the ring onto her finger, kissed her, and then held her in his arms.

The tears in her eyes were happy tears, at least according to the people watching. No one would ever know that this was fake, and that was why she was crying.

“You’re doing great,” he whispered in her ear. “Everyone totally believes us.”

“Yeah, great.” Emma sniffled and was glad she didn’t have to look him in the eyes right now. She just tucked her head into his shoulder like she was overwhelmed with emotion. At least that wasn’t far from the truth.

Outside, the crowd finally calmed down and the game continued into the next inning. Jackson released her from his hug and grinned.

“I think I surprised you,” he said with a chuckle.

She wiped a tear from her cheek. “Yeah. You sure did.”

“Do you like the ring?” Now he sounded a little nervous. This was something that wasn’t in the contract.

“It’s beautiful,” she replied, finally taking a good look at it. The band appeared to be white gold with a single princess cut diamond sparkling in a delicate setting. The diamond looked like it belonged in a museum with a full time guard, it was so big. She had no doubt it was real. Jackson was a billionaire after all.

Jackson grinned and his shoulders relaxed. She leaned i

nto him and he wrapped his arm around her. It felt nice. For a moment, she could almost believe this was real. She could almost believe that he wanted to marry her.

Almost.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jackson asked, looking concerned.

“Of course. Why?” Emma replied. She put on her best smile.

“Because you’re still crying.” Jackson frowned. Tears obviously weren’t his thing.

Emma chuckled. “They’re happy tears. It’s an emotional moment. I just had a billionaire propose to me. Life is good.”

Jackson’s concerned look slowly faded. “Okay. I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Definitely,” she assured him, snuggling into his shoulder a little more. His arm felt good wrapped around her. Even though their relationship wasn’t real, she could pretend it was. For this moment, she could pretend she was happily in love and that nothing was wrong in the world.

At the end of the ninth inning, the Stingrays were winning. It was the perfect way to end the day, Emma decided. She was engaged and her favorite team was going to win.

The game ended and the players all came out on the field to shake hands. It surprised Emma that the stands were still mostly full. No one appeared to have left, despite the fact that the game was over. That was when the fireworks started.