Fake Marriage Box Set

“Don't be ridiculous,” I said. “I'm not in the habit of lying to Renée.”

“There's a shocker,” Lexi muttered. I glowered at her, and she ducked her head again. “Sorry.”

“I expect you to be civil, if we're going to be living together, regardless of what your personal opinions are of me.” I paused. “I don't shy away from my personal responsibilities, you know. Whatever else you might think about me, whatever else you might have heard about me and Orinoco and the way that I do business, that's one thing that you can always count on.”

“Good,” Lexi said. She bit her lower lip and then stood up slowly. “I guess Emma and I should go back to Misty's and tell her what's going on. Pack up our things.”

“Don't be ridiculous,” I said, knowing she must be exhausted from the outpouring of feelings that she'd displayed during the conversation. “Give Misty a call, maybe. But you can save packing up your things for another time. Let me show you around the house.”

Chapter Eleven

Lexi

The shower in the en suite room that Andrew was putting us up in was huge and luxurious. Between the size of the place, the pleasant warmth of the water, and the relaxing scents of his sister's hair products, which I was using to wash away all my worries, I never wanted to turn the water off and get out. But eventually, I did just that, drying myself off with a fluffy towel, careful not to drip all over the floor even though it was just Emma and me using that bathroom.

I got dressed in some clothes that Janice had given me. They belonged to Andrew's sister, who apparently had her own room there at his house, even though she only stayed there infrequently. They were clean and comfortable, and they fit perfectly.

I still couldn't believe his house was large enough that he had multiple spare bedrooms, plus a dedicated room for his sister who was only sometimes there. Then again, I thought, snorting, Andrew himself confessed to not spending very much time here outside of sleeping.

I toweled my hair dry and walked out into the bedroom, smiling at the sight of Emma napping in the middle of the large bed. Heck, that bed was about the size of the living room in my old apartment. We'd need to get her crib put up in there soon, but she could sleep with me for the night.

When Andrew had first suggested that we save the moving for another day, I'd wanted to argue with him, but now, with exhaustion weighing on my bones, I was glad he'd suggested it. The past few months, or the past few years rather, had been difficult, and now that Emma and I were going to have a relatively stable place at least for a little while, all that stress was catching up to me. I was worn out.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and I blinked, wondering who it could be. I doubted it was Andrew. He'd made it clear that he had work that he wanted to get done for the rest of the day and that he didn't want us to disturb him. The prick had even mentioned writing something in the contract about his office being off-limits to all distractions, as though Emma and I were just there to get in the way.

Maybe it was the girlfriend that he'd mentioned? But I couldn't imagine Andrew telling her about us already, unless she was living there as well. I didn't think she was, though, based on what I knew about Andrew. And based on the fact that Misty hadn't mentioned anything in the tabloids about him having a live-in girlfriend. She would have known about it if that were the case. I was sure of it.

When I answered the door, it was Janice who was standing there, and I couldn't help but smile at her. The woman had been absolutely wonderful all afternoon. When Andrew and I had walked back into the kitchen, she and Emma had been baking chocolate chip cookies. Emma had been more of a hindrance than a help, but Janice was quick to heap praise on her anyway, and Emma had had the biggest grin on her face.

It was seeing that grin that made me realize how long it had been since I'd really been able to make Emma smile like that, and I felt another stab of guilt.

Janice had also made a great, kid-friendly grilled cheese dinner for Emma that evening, putting some green beans on the side and making sure that Emma ate them. I couldn't thank her enough.

Now, she came bearing a steaming mug of tea, and I practically cried at the sight of it. “Thank you,” I said, immediately wrapping both my hands around the mug.

Janice frowned. “It's a bit chilly in here, isn't it?” she said, marching over to the thermostat. She grinned over her shoulder at me while she adjusted it warmer. “I thought it was silly when I first found out that each room in this house has separate heating, just like in a hotel. But then I realized how few of the rooms Andrew actually uses on a regular basis, and I realized it makes sense for him to be able to only heat the rooms that he's using, rather than heating the whole house at once.”

“That is smart,” I said faintly, moving to sit on the sofa in the “living room” area of the suite.

Janice came and nodded to the seat across from me. “May I?” she asked. “I wanted to ask you about Emma.”

“Of course,” I said. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, since I'm sure I'll be helping you out with her quite a bit, I just wanted to check in with you about some things. I know you said she doesn't have any food allergies, but does she have any other sort of allergies? Laundry detergent or wool or animals or anything like that?”

“Nothing,” I told her, shaking my head.

“Good,” Janice said. “I was also thinking that I could pick up some coloring books for her, and other things to keep her occupied while you're looking for work and her father is away at work. What does she like?”

I blushed. “Uh, I don't know. Animals, I guess. Usually, she just colors things that she imagines. I don't think she's ever had a coloring book before.”

To be honest, I wouldn't have been able to afford something that frivolous. Usually, she just colored on the backs of used printer sheets that I got from the recycling boxes at the local schools.

“Animals,” Janice mused. “Probably flowers as well. Maybe some pictures of people while we're at it.” She smiled at me, taking the sting out of the fact that I had never been able to afford these things before. “How are you holding up, Mama?”

I sighed and shrugged. “This isn't quite what I imagined for my life,” I said bitterly.

“Having a kid?” Janice asked.