Her eyes widened with every item on his list. She wasn’t sold on this arrangement, ladybug or no. “Before it hits the papers, I need to make a few calls. I don’t want my family to find out from someone else. This is going to come out of the blue.”
Liam nodded. That was understandable. He had a few calls of his own to make. First, to his mother and younger sister, both living in Manhattan.
His family was miserable at keeping in touch, but this was big enough news to reach out to them. They had always been like ships passing in the night, waving to one another as they went along their merry way. His parents were very outgoing and traveled quite a bit his whole life. But that changed after his father died three years ago when his car hit black ice on the highway coming home from a late business meeting. Since then, his mother had kept to her place in Manhattan, nearly becoming a recluse. He just assumed she was bad about calling until she stopped altogether—then he knew something was really wrong. His sister had moved in with her to keep an eye on the situation, but it hadn’t helped much.
When he spoke with them, it was because he was the one to reach out. Maybe the news of the engagement would be exciting for her. He felt bad lying to his mother about something like that, but if it got her up and out of the apartment, he didn’t care.
Liam had often wondered, even more so in the past week, how things would be different if his father hadn’t been in that accident. Where would everyone be now? Perhaps Aunt Beatrice would’ve wanted to hand the family to him instead, and Liam wouldn’t be in this mess.
That was a pointless fantasy, but it reminded him of his next call. Once he was done with his mother, he had to inform Aunt Beatrice of the “happy” news. He didn’t have many people to tell, but he could see by the expression on Francesca’s face that she had the opposite problem. She must have a large, close family. An out-of-the-blue engagement would send up a hue and cry of mass proportions.
“I know this is a big deal. And not at all what you were expecting when you walked in here today. But it’s all going to work out.” He moved closer to her and put his arms gently around her waist. She reluctantly eased into his embrace, placing her hands on his lapels and looking up into his eyes. “I promise.”
The dark eyes watching him were not so certain. He needed to reassure her. To make her feel more at ease with their new situation and prove they were compatible enough to pull this off. He only knew of one way to comfort a woman. He slowly lowered his lips to hers, giving her time to pull away if she needed to. She didn’t. She met his lips with her own, her body leaning into his.
The kiss wasn’t like the one in the elevator. They had come together then in a passionate and desperate rush. Two people in a stressful situation looking for any way to deal with their nervous tension. This kiss was soft, gentle and reassuring. They were feeling their way around each other. Her lips were silky against his, the taste of her like cinnamon and coffee. She made a soft sound of pleasure that sent a warm heat running through his veins. It reminded him of the cries she’d made beneath him that first day. It beckoned him to explore further, but he didn’t dare push this moment too far. At this point, she could change her mind and no one would know the difference.
He couldn’t risk running her off. They both needed this fake engagement to work. And if it did, he would eventually have his chance to touch her again. The thought gave him the strength to pull away.
Francesca rocked back onto her heels, her cheeks flushed and her eyes a little misty. She took a deep breath to collect herself and took a full step back from him. “Well,” she said with a nervous laugh, “that authenticity thing shouldn’t be an issue.”
Liam smiled. “Not at all. Are you hungry?”
She straightened her suit coat and shrugged. “A little.”
“Okay. You’re not starving, so let’s go ring shopping first. Then if we run into anyone at lunch, we’ll have it and can share the news like a happy couple would.”
“I need to get my purse from my office before we leave. I’ll meet you at…” Her voice trailed off.
“The elevator?” he said with a grin.
She blushed. “Yes, I’ll meet you at the elevator.”
*
They strolled out of Pampillonia Fine Jewelry two hours later and, frankly, Francesca was exhausted. Who knew jewelry shopping could be so tiring? She almost wished that Liam had just popped the question with ring in hand like most men would and saved her the trouble of choosing.
Instead, they had spent the past couple of hours quibbling. She was worried that Liam was spending too much, especially considering it was a fake engagement. Liam insisted that Francesca needed to choose a ring large enough for people to see from a distance. Fake or not, the engagement needed to be splashy so people like his aunt would take notice.