Page 20 of The Baby Behind Their Marriage Merger

Maybe. Lex deserved to have some fun. Or maybe Lex was simply worried about her job. Addi wished she could reassure her and tell her that Jude was going to pay her maintenance and that she had a job waiting for her at Fisher International when it was time to move on from Thorpe.

But, if she explained that much, then she’d have to explain how it all came about. None of her explanations would make sense without telling Lex why she needed money so quickly and explaining her decision to marry Jude. She’d promised Jude their marriage would remain a secret and, because Joelle was the master of broken promises, she took any vows she made super-seriously.

She hated lying, even if it was by omission. But the simplest solution, the one that would allow her to keep her vow to Jude, would be to wait until she started at Fisher International, tell Lex she’d received a massive increase and that their money troubles were a thing of the past.

It was the truth, sort of. If she massaged it really, really hard.

Addi bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to convince herself that she was shutting her sister out for everyone’s greater good. That Lex would understand that she was taking such a drastic step for her, Nixi and Snow.

Lex also had the right to know that Joelle was suing for custody, but if she told her Lex would lose it. She would start to worry, to fret, and her stress would affect the girls. Lex couldn’t afford to be distracted right now; she had an exam coming up, exams she couldn’t afford to fail. No, she’d tell Lex after she got some feedback from the family lawyers she’d hired yesterday, when she knew what were their chances of keeping custody of Nixi and Snow. Hopefully, this custody battle would be all a storm in a teacup, and she could avoid worrying Lex at all.

Addi wanted to spare Lex any worry she could. She also wanted to tell her about the baby, but she was embarrassed to have made such a mistake when she was supposed to be so super-smart. She felt as if she’d let Lex down, and that she wasn’t providing a good example to her sisters by doing what their mother had done...five times! How did she tell them to be careful, to take precautions, to be sensible, when she’d messed up so badly? She felt like an utter fool.

She knew what sheshoulddo but she wasn’t ready to tell Lex, she wasn’t ready to tellanyone, her life-changing news. She was still wrapping her head around the events of the past days, coming to terms with everything that had happened. When she felt stronger, when she was in a stronger position mentally and financially, she’d tell her sisters she was pregnant, that they were financially secure and that everything would be fine.

She’d leave out that she was married. Besides, this wasn’t a proper wedding anyway. If it had been, she’d have had Lex as her maid of honour, Storm as her bridesmaid and Nixi and Snow as flower girls. She would have worn a white dress with a veil, and she would have fizzed with happiness instead of carrying around a heavy boulder in her stomach. Jude would have looked at her with love in his eyes instead of wariness and, after they exchanged rings, they’d have shared their first kiss as man and wife.

Yes, it was sad that her first wedding, probably her only wedding, wasn’t the fairy-tale day Addi had expected and dreamed of, but this was real life, and, as Lex would say, she had to suck it up. Real life demanded practicality and pragmatism: happy-ever-afters were a myth, and love and commitment frequently ran when adversity knocked on the door.

This was a business arrangement, a legal arrangement. Despite them being in a chapel, nobody could call this a wedding ceremony.

Business. Arrangement.

And, since that wasallit was, she could hold off telling Lex. But, man, she still felt guilty.

The priest cleared his throat and Jude covered his hand with hers, his gentle squeeze bringing her out of her thoughts. ‘I understand there are no rings to be exchanged?’ the priest asked, managing to look disapproving.

‘Unfortunately, they are getting resized and weren’t ready in time,’ Jude replied, his lie sliding smoothly off his lips. They couldn’t wear rings, of course, because no one could know they were married.

The priest sniffed his disapproval. It was obvious that he thought that something was off but, judging by the faded furniture and the cracks in the walls, Jude had chosen this church so that he could make an enormous donation in exchange for the priest’s silence.

Addi couldn’t judge him; she was getting married because she needed Jude’s money too.

The priest looked at Jude. ‘Do you promise to love, honour, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her for evermore?’

Addi gulped. Those were terribly serious, portentous words.

Jude didn’t hesitate. ‘I do.’

My turn.

Addi forced down a hysterical giggle. This couldn’t possibly be her life. Addi Fields, control freak, didn’t enter marriages of convenience.

‘Do you promise to love, honour, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him for evermore?’

Um...uh...

Could she do this? Should she do this? Addi didn’t know if she could say the words and commit herself to this extraordinary course of action. But then she recalled the photograph hanging in the hallway of her home. It was a candid shot of the five sisters, arms around each other, laughing.

Yes, she could do this. Shewoulddo this. It was her job to look after them, to protect and nurture them, and this was the only solution available to her.

Addi lifted her chin and looked from the priest to Jude and back again. ‘I do,’ she said, her voice strong and clear.

‘By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.’

Well, there was definitely no going back now.

Addi stepped inside thecasinha, a ‘small house’ down the beach from the dining area of Turtle Bay, and looked around at the wood, thatch and canvas structure. A huge double bed was covered in white linen and a filmy mosquito net was wrapped around the makeshift tree-trunk four-poster bed. She knew, because it was her job to know, that there was a slipper bath and an open-air shower—also with amazing views.

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