Fake Marriage Box Set

“I'm Janice. Why don't I take her in to the kitchen?” a woman asked, bustling out of nowhere. She nodded at me. “Don't you worry about her. I'm Andrew's maid now, but I used to do more work where childcare was involved. Does she have any allergies?”

“No,” I said, looking between Andrew and his maid. “Honestly, are you sure? She's just being fussy. She had a solid breakfast.” Misty had been helping me out with food in addition to housing. It made me feel a little uncomfortable, and I'd promised to pay her back as soon as I could, but I didn't really have the option of refusing her help.

I hated handing Emma off to strangers, but I had to figure that if Andrew trusted the woman enough to work for him, then she had to be trustworthy. Besides, she seemed friendly enough. A pleasant, middle-aged woman, warmth oozing from her, in contrast to Andrew's perpetual frostiness. And I had to think that this conversation with Andrew would be a lot easier if Emma was occupied with something else while we chatted.

“Not to worry,” the maid said, crouching down until she was at Emma's height. “I bet you'd like some crackers and peanut butter, wouldn't you? Just something small. We wouldn't want to spoil your lunch.”

Emma n

odded vigorously, and after one more glance between Andrew and the woman, I shrugged. “If it's all right with you,” I said. I bit my lip. “Andrew and I have quite a bit to discuss, anyway.”

“That, I'm sure, you do. Don't worry about your daughter, we'll have some crackers, and then I'll see if I can rustle up something to keep her occupied.” Janice’s voice was warm. She led Emma off down the hallway, making chitchat with her as they went.

I breathed out a sigh of relief, watching them retreat. “I really lucked out,” I said to Andrew, looking back towards him. “Emma's never been one of those shy kids who cries every time you try to leave her at daycare. That, at least, has made this all a little easier.” It was a small ray of sunshine, most days, but I'd take what I could get.

Andrew jerked his head towards the open living room, and I followed him in there, remembering the last time we'd been in there. The views were just as impressive this time, but I hardly spared them a glance, knowing I had to stay focused. Andrew couldn't be happy to see me, and I doubted he was going to acquiesce quickly to my requests that he pay childcare.

“I'm surprised you're here, Lexi,” Andrew said flatly, sitting in the chair opposite the couch rather than beside me like he had the previous time.

That was probably for the best. A little space between us would do some good. I couldn't deny how attracted I was to him still, and it didn't help that it had been a really long time since I'd hooked up with anyone. Since before Emma was born.

I rolled my eyes at him, though. “I'm surprised you even remember who I am,” I told him. “You've probably slept with a dozen girls since you and I hooked up.”

It was flattering, in a sense, to know that no matter how rude he'd been to me the morning after we'd slept together, I must have made some sort of an impression on him. I doubted he remembered the names of all of his conquests. I doubted he even knew the names of all of his conquests.

Andrew snorted. “A hundred girls, more like,” he said. He paused, though, looking away from me for a moment, his eyes cloudy. “I remember more than you would expect.” Then, he shook his head. “You said you were on the pill.”

“I was,” I told him. “But no birth control method is a hundred percent. The pill can only do so much. Now, if you'd been wearing a condom as well, maybe you wouldn't have fathered a child.”

“You told me it was okay if I didn't want to wear a condom,” he accused.

“I said I was on the pill; I didn't say that I was ready for children!” I snapped.

“Well, I figured that if you found out you were pregnant, you'd take care of it,” Andrew said, flapping his hands at me.

“That's our baby you're talking about,” I reminded him.

“Says you,” he said, shrugging. “For all I know, you've slept with a hundred guys since you and I were together. There's no reason to believe that it's my kid.”

I stared at him for a minute. “Unbelievable,” I muttered.

This was worse than I'd even expected it to be. I'd expected that he'd want no part in the kid's life. I'd expected that it would be a fight to get him to shell out any money in child support. But I hadn't expected him to deny any sort of wrongdoing.

“As far as I'm concerned, that child could be anyone's,” Andrew said flatly, folding his arms over his chest again.

“A paternity test wouldn't be very difficult,” I muttered. “And yes, I am that sure that she's yours.”

“How old is she, even?” Andrew asked. “She's too young to have been mine.”

“She just turned three,” I told him. “She acts older, but she's only three.” I smiled at him. “She's really smart. Persuasive, too. I'm sure she gets that from her father. She likes to color and play make-believe, and she's incredibly good at making friends.”

I didn't really know why I was telling all of this to him. I was sure he couldn't care less about the girl. And I still didn't really want him to know anything about her. Emma was my daughter, and I didn't want him to have any part in her life. But maybe if he was able to think of her as a child, as our child, he'd be more likely to help us out.

I should have known better than to think I could humanize her to the king of ice, though.

“If this is just some ploy of yours to squeeze money from me, I hope you realize that I could have this tied up in legal proceedings for years to come,” Andrew threatened. “I can stall. I can get my lawyers on it, and you won't see a dime from me for all of that time. I don't like people trying to take advantage of me.”

I stared at him for a long moment, and then, before I even knew what I was doing, I crossed the space between us and slapped him hard across the face. “How dare you,” I hissed, scowling down at him. “Taking advantage of you? Is that really what you think I'm doing? I've been working my ass off trying to raise our child without any help from you, and you refuse to even consider that you might have some responsibility to her.” I took a deep, shaky breath, but before I could continue, Andrew butted in.