Fake Marriage Box Set

“Wow,” he laughed, looking up at me. “I’d like to see pictures of that.”

“No media allowed,” I said, smiling. “It was a private show.”

“Did you put on the play for your mom?”

“No, she didn’t come home until I was in bed,” he said, with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

I looked over at Luke and could tell that Jake’s answer upset him, but he took a deep breath and continued with his questions. The situation wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward anymore, but I did find it odd that he wanted to know so much about me. At one point I thought he was going to ask me about my dating life, but he skipped over to something else, forcing a breath out of my lungs. It was like an interview mixed with an online dating profile. It was very strange. Still, I answered the questions figuring he was curious about who I was. A concerned father had the right to know about the woman watching his child, right? The fact that he cared enough to worry about it was enough for me.

When we were done, we talked to Jake about not telling his mom that he saw Luke, and he wholeheartedly agreed, already knowing the situation between his mom and dad was volatile. As I watched Luke hug Jake tightly, I forced the smile off my face, but not out of my heart. There was something intriguing about this man, and I wanted to know more.

Chapter Nine

Luke

I was going to leave after the walk, but I knew I had some more time since Sarah was a very avid shopper. I asked Quinn if she minded if I stuck around a bit longer and she didn’t seem to have an issue with it at all. I liked this girl, and I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was that drew me to her, but I knew it was there. She really cared about Jake, and that was really heartwarming.

“Actually, I was just showing Mr. Brave Jake here how awesome it was to swing on the big kid swings,” she said. “Maybe you could help him get comfortable with it.”

“I can do that,” I said, picking up Jake and setting him down on the swing.

Immediately, you could see Jake freeze; his hands squeezed tightly around the chains. I couldn’t believe he was six and still hadn’t been on a big boy swing. I didn’t even know how he could still fit in the harnessed ones. His mother was obviously not taking him out to the playground very often. I picked him up and sat myself down on the swing, putting my arms around him and moving back forth, getting just a little higher with every push. Finally, he started to smile, showing me that he felt comfortable with the movements. I slowed the swing to a stop and stood up, setting him on the ground. He looked at me, at Quinn, and then back at the swing as if contemplating his next move. Slowly, he walked over to the swing and pulled himself up to a seated position. Once he was comfortable, he looked at me and smiled. I walked over and gave him a slight push, getting the swing in motion and then standing back and watching as his little legs pushed and pulled, a huge smile spreading across his face.

I walked over and stood next to Quinn, crossing my arms and watching as he began to go higher and higher. With every down motion, he giggled with happiness, and my heart was instantly full again. I didn’t know how I was going to walk away from him, feeling the love between us growing more and more. I loved my son so very much, and I realized that I would do anything to get him back in my arms, even if it meant finding a woman to be my wife and a mother to him as well. I couldn’t continue to watch him miss out on things because his mother refused to be what he needed.

I walked over to the bench and sat down, spreading my arms across the back of the iron seat. I smiled as Jake flew up and down through the air, his ruffled hair blowing wildly in the wind. Quinn stood just feet away from him, encouraging him with every push and every pull. She was really good with him, and I couldn’t help but notice her. I may have married wrong, but over the years had developed the ability to really judge someone’s character, not from what they said, but from what they did when they thought no one was watching. I knew Quinn was a good woman, a woman with morals, love, and someone who really enjoyed watching over Jake, as well as other children. Not to mention the fact that she was sexy as hell with a perfect ass, strong legs, and curves in all the right places. She was definitely easy on the eyes, which made it all that much better, not that her figure had anything to do with how she treated my son, but it was definitely a plus.

I shook my head, pushing the thoughts from my mind and forcing myself to remember what the task at hand really was. I needed to stay focused in order to have this in my life, not just once in a while, but all of the time. I wanted my son at least half of the time, if not more, and if Sarah couldn’t get her act together, my pursuit of joint custody was only the beginning. I needed a strong female influence to bolster my court case. I needed someone who was kind, gentle, and would be willing to stand up for what was best for Jake. She had to be sure of her love for my son, and ready to take on the world to make sure that he was safe. I realized then that maybe my train of thought was not so far off after all.

Quinn was a perfect candidate for this task. She already loved Jake, wanted what was best for him, and obviously could tell that I wasn’t the man who I was being painted to be. Not just that, but Jake already loved her so there would be no real transition period for him and he would feel extremely comfortable with her. Everything about it seemed perfect; I just needed to make sure she thought so too. What I was asking was a big deal, and I knew that not just any woman would be up for the task. I needed to have my son, no matter what amount of money it cost me. Money didn’t matter to me if I didn’t have my son there by my side. Besides, just the thought of yanking Sarah’s babysitter out from underneath her gave me a great deal of satisfaction. She would be so pissed, and that alone was worth the ordeal.

Quinn laughed as Jake fluttered his legs through the air, pretending he was flying. Her laugh was almost contagious, and when she looked at Jake, her eyes glistened. There was definitely something behind those eyes, a secret that she kept very guarded, but whatever it was, I couldn’t imagine it being anything too severe. Quinn was a woman who wouldn’t hurt a fly; I could already tell. She looked down at her watch and walked over to the bench.

“I have to get him back and start dinner,” she said quietly

. “Sarah will be angry if it isn’t done on time.”

“She can be quite the terrorist,” I laughed. “Funny since there wasn’t a night in our entire marriage that she actually cooked dinner. Either I cooked, or she ordered food and had it delivered.”

“I don’t mind,” she said. “I like to cook for Jake, and sometimes Sarah lets me stay and eat with him. Especially if she has had a long day and isn’t hungry.”

“What are you cooking tonight?”

“Oh, I haven’t fully decided, but I am leaning toward an old family recipe,” she said. “My mother was an amazing cook, and when she passed away, she left all the recipes to me. I don’t know if I am as good as her, but I definitely love doing it. I can remember cooking with her when I was a child. Tonight, I am thinking we are going to have fried chicken and mashed potatoes with buttermilk biscuits. Jake really likes my biscuits; he ate like four the last time I made them. I work in the morning, so I’ll be able to use the leftovers and make him biscuits and gravy before school. That way he goes to school with a full belly and an empty brain, or at least that’s what my father used to say.”

“Wow, that sounds amazing,” I said, realizing that I was actually starving. “I wish I could get in on the chicken and biscuits.”

“I know Jake would sure love it if you could,” she said, smiling broadly. “He really gets excited when he doesn’t have to eat alone, and he always stares at the empty chair at the end of the table.”

“That’s where I used to sit,” I said, standing up.

Sure, the sound of a home-cooked meal sounded absolutely amazing, but what I missed even more than that were family dinners. I didn’t miss Sarah at all, but I definitely missed sitting next to my little man and relaxing at the end of a long day. He would always mimic me as I ate, wanting to be just like me. I could tell Sarah hated it, but it was something special between the two of us. I walked over and picked Jake up, squeezing him tightly in my arms.

“You have to go home for dinner,” I whispered.

“I don’t want to,” he said, looking at me sadly.

“Buddy, I know you don’t, but you have to, but I promise I’m working on seeing you more often,” I said. “I love you very much.”