Page 80 of Wed to You-
“You’re not a part of this.”
His words felt like a slap, but Chelsea reminded herself he was in pain. “We’re married.”
“I’m in charge of Kaden. Our being married doesn’t change that.”
Chelsea worked to tamp down her annoyance. “Then why am I here? This marriage is all about keeping Kaden.”
Jagger sprang from his desk, rushing toward the office door. He glanced outside the office before shutting the door. “Keep your voice down.”
“Why? You said we needed to act like this was a real marriage. In a real marriage, we’d fight this together. If we’re not doing that, then why pretend anymore?”
He scowled. “We need to pretend so everyone believes we’re a happy family. But we’re not a team. Kaden is my responsibility alone. I’ll be making all the decisions about him.”
While she cringed at the idea of being a subservient 1950s wife, this marriage was a business deal, so she needed to abide by his rules. “Fine.”
She turned to leave, but his hand grabbed her arm.
“I paid a fortune for you to act as a loving wife.”
The mention of money shocked her. Made her feel dirty. But she smiled sweetly, hoping she wouldn’t lose her lunch. “Why, of course,dear. My little ol’ self couldn’t possibly offer any help. I’ll just run off and care for the chitlin.” She glowered at him, yanked her arm free, and fled the room. Once in the foyer, she wasn’t sure where to go. All of a sudden, the house felt like a prison. She considered leaving, but Kaden appeared at the top of the stairs.
“I’m hungry.”
“Wanna make cookies?” There was nothing like baking to take her mind off her troubles.
“Yay! Will Miss Z let you use the kitchen?”
The comment reminded Chelsea that she was a guest in the house. None of Jagger’s staff had warmed to her. Now Jagger was cold too, and the only friend she had was Kaden. But she’d agreed to this arrangement and so she needed to stick it out.
“We’ll find out.”
“What if she says no?”
Chelsea didn’t have an answer. “Let me get cleaned up and we’ll see what happens.”
After changing her clothes, Chelsea met Kaden in the kitchen. Miss Z was nowhere to be seen. Chelsea checked her watch. It wasn’t quite four, so surely they had time before Miss Z needed to start dinner.
“You take a seat at the island and I’ll see if we have everything for snickerdoodles.”
“Snickerdoodles.” Kaden laughed like it was the funniest word he’d ever heard.
“You’ve never had a snickerdoodle?”
“I don’t know. What is it?”
“It’s a cookie. We’ll make my mother’s recipe. You’ll love it.” Chelsea rummaged through the pantry, looking for flour, sugar, and other ingredients. “We’re going to need a mixing bowl and measuring cups.”
“I know where they are.” Kaden jumped down from the stool. “Sometimes Miss Z lets me watch her bake cookies.”
“Well, this time you can help make them.” Chelsea carried the ingredients to the island counter. She worked with Kaden to find the needed bowls and measuring spoons and cups.
“Miss Z usually uses that machine.” Kaden pointed to an electric mixer.
“This time we’re going to use old-fashioned manpower. How strong are you?”
Kaden held up his arm, showing off his bicep. Chelsea gave it a squeeze. “You’re strong enough to stir.”
Chelsea combined the ingredients to make half a batch and stirred enough so the flour wouldn’t go flying if Kaden’s spoon slipped out of the bowl. Then she handed him the spoon. “It’s your go.”
