Page 33 of Wed to You

Chapter Five

Marrying Jagger was a ridiculous idea, so why was she actually thinking about it? Because it was her only hope to get out from under her mountain of debt and insure the house stayed in her family. She looked over the numbers on her legal pad again. They never worked out to equal “financially secure” no matter how many times she tabulated them. She’d never be able to work enough hours or sell enough of her stuff to climb out of the hole. She’d always known it, but before, there was no alternative she felt comfortable with. All she could do was keep on keepin’ on. Now she had another option, and it was tempting in more ways than one. Not just because she would be able to breathe freely once her debt was paid. And not just because Jagger was a devastatingly handsome and sexy man. The resolve she’d seen in his blazing blue eyes—his fierce commitment to Kaden—was pushing her toward his crazy plan. A man who’d do anything, even marry a woman he barely knew and didn’t love, in an effort to keep a child was endearing. She found herself wanting to help him.

Of course, there was the fact it felt unethical considering it involved a legal issue. Plus, when the marriage was done, she’d be divorced. Divorce was all too common; though divorced people usually re-married, second marriage success rates were lower than those of first marriages. Would her marriage to Jagger really count as a first marriage since it wasn’t a traditional one? She’d always hoped that if she married, it would be for love and for forever.

Chelsea tore a page from her yellow legal pad and drew a line down the middle. On one side she wrote “Pros” and on the other “Cons.” Starting with the cons, she listed: Not marrying for love, will end in divorce, have to lie to friends, the town will talk, and having to leave Kaden in the end. That was hard because she knew she’d grow more attached to Kaden, and he might come to care for her more too. It would be hard on her, and possibly harder on him to leave that relationship behind.

She looked over at the pros section and wrote: pay off all debt, keep the house, and stop working at the diner. The pros list was shorter, but the pros themselves were powerful. She couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like to be without debt and have the security of knowing she could keep the house. The house her ancestors had built and lived in. The house she’d grown up in with her mother and Brian.

She glanced at the scrapbook sitting on the hutch in the dining room. Reaching over, she picked it up and set it on her list. Opening it she looked at all the ideas she had for fixing up the house to its former glory. There were magazine cut-outs of home decorating ideas, paint chips, cloth samples, and landscaping sketches. Each room in the house had its own page of ideas. None of it would be done because she wouldn’t ever be out from under her oppressive debt.

In the end, she’d either lose the house or die a spinster and the house would be lost to the Beemer family anyway. She looked around the dining area, remembering family meals with her mother and brother. They used to talk about their days and their mother always asked them, “What one good thing did you do today?” Would marrying Jagger be considered a good thing?

Chelsea stood and toured her home. She entered the kitchen she’d painted a crisp sky blue, which didn’t mask how tired and worn it looked. The linoleum was about twenty years past needing replacement. The appliances were dated and dingy. She found much of the same in the family and living room, where the original pine floors were badly in need of refinishing and the furniture needed replacing or reupholstering.

Upstairs wasn’t much better. While she’d painted many of the rooms, a few of the walls could use a replastering and the floors, like downstairs, refinishing. The bathroom had beautiful checkered tile that needed a deeper scrub than she’d been able to achieve. The claw foot tub needed reglazing. Those were only the repairs she could see. She suspected there were hidden problems with the plumbing and electricity. The house was still on fuses, but she couldn’t imagine she’d ever be able to afford to switch it over to circuit breakers.

With Jagger’s help, she might be able to achieve it. She could live on her teacher’s salary alone and still have money to fix up the house little by little.

She returned to the living room, looking over the framed photographs of her, her mother, and Brian. They ranged from baby pictures to until Brian left for Iraq. Once he died, there were no more pictures. In some ways, Chelsea was glad. The loss of Brian had been the beginning of the end for her mother, who died of cancer a year later. Chelsea wouldn’t have wanted a photographic reminder of her mother during that time. The desolate look in her eyes, the gaunt features on her face.

“What should I do?” She held the last picture the three of them had taken together. It was the Thanksgiving when Brian was home on leave before shipping off to Iraq. Her mother looked a little worn from all the cooking but was beaming having her children with her. Chelsea studied their faces as if they could talk to her. She felt certain they’d say saving the house wasn’t worth a marriage of convenience. They’d want her happiness to come above all else. Except her happiness was tied to the house. It was all she had left of them. Losing it would be like losing a piece of them, and a piece of herself. She let out a breath as she realized she’d already made her decision.

She bit her lower lip. Maybe it wouldn’t be so awkward. Jagger was kind and it was hard not to like a man who was so dedicated to a child who wasn’t his son. But even as she accepted her decision, new concerns crept up. She didn’t know Kaden’s mother. What if she was a nice woman who had gotten her life together? Surely she deserved a second chance. Or what if Jagger lost his case? Would he require her to repay the money? And what if spending so much time with him caused her infatuation to grow into something more? Chelsea wasn’t interested in experiencing heartbreak on top of all the other loss she’d had in her life.

She picked up the picture of her mother and brother again. It was up to her to keep the family home in the family, even if it meant moving out for a short time to live in a fake marriage.

“I’m going to do it.” She laughed at herself for her foolishness and then cursed herself at the insanity of her decision. Great day! I’ve gone off the deep end.

On edge, she headed to the kitchen. Baking always calmed her because it was something she associated with her mother. She knew a batch of cookies wouldn’t completely settle her nerves, but at least she’d have something to bring to the picnic when she accepted Jagger’s proposal. As she mixed the flour and sugar, she worked to rationalize her decision. When that didn’t work, she reminded herself of how daring she’d once been, before the realities of death, loss, and debt had shrunk her world. As far as striving for an exciting life, marrying Jagger could be the most interesting adventure of them all.

Chelsea blewout a breath as she walked from her car, making her way toward the river. She was late, partly because she couldn’t decide what to wear and also because marrying Jagger was the craziest idea she’d ever considered. Even as she walked toward the area Jagger said he’d be waiting at, she stopped several times and turned back to her car with the intention of going to work at the diner, because the alternative was idiotic. Each time she wavered, she ultimately continued forward toward this crazy, ridiculous plan.

She saw Jagger and Kaden sitting through the trees. Kaden pointed toward the playground, while Jagger handed him something. As she drew closer, she could see Jagger was trying to get him to eat before running off to play. He scanned the area, stopping as he saw her. At first, surprise flashed in his blue eyes. Then he smiled a wide, relieved smile.

He stood and walked toward her. “You came.”

She wasn’t sure what to say, because the situation was so surreal. So she nodded.

His hands went to her arms. He pulled her to him and dipped his head, his lips brushing her cheek as they made their way toward her ear. “I’m so glad.” Then he shocked her by capturing her lips with his. Immediately, she was distracted by the warm and gentle sensuous slide of his lips across hers that sent shockwaves of pleasure all the way to her toes. He tasted like lemonade and sin, her new favorite flavor.

He pulled away abruptly, his brows knitting together as his eyes studied hers for a moment. Then a slow, knowing smile grew on his face, and he kissed her again with the same leisurely, sensuous brush of his lips over hers as his hands slid behind her back and held her tight against his firm body. His tongue slid across the seam of her lips but didn’t invade her mouth. He didn’t have to for her body to heat, for desire to pool deep in her belly, for her mouth to part and invite him in.

When he pulled away, he smiled, his gaze holding hers for a moment, before it lifted, and he peered over her, looking behind her. Then he returned his attention to her. “Do you think they bought that?”

It was like a cold bucket of water had been poured over her, shocking her back to reality, and all the warm sensual feelings evaporated. His actions were a part of the role he was playing. Well, of course they were!

It was in that moment that Chelsea realized she was in over her head. She liked kissing Jagger. She liked the way he tasted and the shivers his kisses sent coursing through her body. But it was dangerous to let herself go there. She couldn’t fall for the man whose actions were a deception to keep custody of Kaden. If her reaction to this short kiss was any indication, it would be all too easy to develop deeper feelings for him.

What concerned her most was she might find it difficult to separate out the fiction from the reality if he continued to kiss her like that as part of his act. The lines might blur. Her hormones liked him. It would be too easy for her heart to follow them, to develop feelings deeper than this plan allowed. Since he was clear that he didn’t see love in their future, falling for him would be dangerous to her heart.

She should change her mind, right then and there, because she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to be on guard in protecting her feelings and her heart 24/7.

He took her hand and pulled her toward the blanket. “Kaden and I were just about to eat. I brought extra, hoping you’d come.” He flashed her a smile. Not the devilish, flirty one, but something worse. It was tender, grateful, making her heart warm to him. He pulled her hand up, brushing his lips over her knuckles. “Danger, danger,” went off like a siren in her mind. She started to pull away, but he stopped again and looked at her.

“This means a lot to me, Chelsea. Kaden is my life.” There was so much gratitude and relief in his gaze. And just like that, she was going to follow through. She nodded and was about to continue to the blanket when she decided to share another concern. “Jagger, what if being married isn’t enough either? What if Kaden’s mother suc—”

He pressed a finger to her lips. “I refuse to think about that. I’m going to do all I can to make sure he stays.”

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