Page 40 of The Baby Behind Their Marriage Merger

He was sayingthatto her? This was the person who’d reminded her, twice yesterday and three times today, that they couldn’t be linked together, that she couldn’t say anything about them being married, variations on the ‘this can’t hit the papers’ spiel. If he mentioned the words‘press’and‘secret’one more time, she might brain him.

He had no concept of faith or trust. He’d made up his mind that no one could be trusted and that included her. And that made her eyes well up and her heart sink to the floor because, without trust, there couldn’t be love.

And, because she was intensely stupid when it came to matters of the heart, she’d fallen in love with him.

Stupid, stupid girl.

Addi turned away and scrabbled in her bag, using it as an excuse not to look at Jude. If he saw her eyes, he’d see the longing, the love, her hopes and dreams about their future on her face and blazing in her eyes. A house of their own, two little girls running in and out, a baby to raise and a man in whose arms she could rest at night, whose face she wanted to kiss for the rest of her life... A friend to talk to, a steady partner willing to share the responsibilities life continuously shoved her way, someone steady and reliable.

And hot.

There was something to be said for sharing her life with someone who could make her insides quiver, her knees melt and her breath hitch.

Except that she wouldn’t.

There was no chance of living her life with him, raising a baby and sharing the ups and down. They would stay secretly married for another year and a bit, then they’d quietly divorce, hopefully without anyone being any the wiser. Their baby would be raised in separate houses and they’d share custody. Their sole link would be through their child...

She was weaving dreams from fairy dust, and that wasn’t like her. She didn’t dream or hope, she faced life as it was; living with Joelle had taught her to do that. She had to look at life the way it was, not how she wanted it to be.

Jude would never love her. She had to accept and deal with that. And soon.

‘I wonder what’s causing the delay,’ Jude said. Addi turned to look at him and saw his frown. He bent down to push the intercom to talk to his pilot. ‘Siya, what’s the problem?’

‘Sorry, boss, there’s been a breach in security, someone tried to sneak through onto the taxiway. He’s been arrested but they aren’t allowing private cars up to the planes.’

Jude pulled a face. ‘Does that mean we have to go through arrivals?’

‘Yes, sorry, sir. An Airports Company representative will be with us shortly and he’ll escort you to the terminal.’

‘I know where to go, Siya,’ Jude told him.

‘Airport rules, sir. Joe is going to open up and drop the stairs. He’ll follow with your luggage.’

‘Okay, thanks, Siya.’ Jude reached for his black leather jacket and pulled it on. When he looked at Addi, his expression was impenetrable. ‘Okay, so we’re going to have to walk through the terminal. Remember, we are—’

‘Work colleagues, people who barely know each other. We can’t give anyone the impression that we are married or lovers or even friends!’ Addi snapped. ‘I have a degree in business management, Jude, you don’t need to keep reminding me or treating me like an idiot.’

‘I’m not, I’m just reminding you...’

Addi saw the cockpit door open and held up her hand, cutting off Jude’s words. It took all her energy to smile at Joe. ‘Thanks for ferrying us around safely these past few weeks, Joe. Will you thank Siya for me too?’

‘Certainly,’ Joe replied, before turning his attention to the door. He opened it and cold air drifted into the plane as Addi pulled her bag over her shoulder and picked up her laptop case.

Jude gestured for her to precede him, and she realised that the temperature between them had plummeted. And not only because of the cold front currently battering the city.

Okay, maybe he’d been a bit heavy-handed earlier. He hadn’t needed to keep reminding Addi about their agreement, that their arrangement couldn’t become public knowledge.

Maybe he was just reminding her to remind himself, to convince himself that there was nothing between them but great sex and a baby on the way.

He wasn’t making any progress on that front.

The thing was...he liked her. Helikeliked her.

Jude jammed his hands into the pockets of his jacket and rolled his eyes, irritated with his juvenile assessment of the situation. How old was he—fifteen?

He loved making love to Addi, it had quickly become his favourite thing to do. But he also enjoyed her sharp mind, and understood her sometimes prickly attitude—she was her family’s protector and life had taught her to fight. And he enjoyed seeing the softer side to her, the Addi behind the shields. That woman was lovely and warm, funny and fantastic, and he didn’t know how he was going to live his life without her constant presence.

Jude felt the cold wind slide down his back as they hurried across the apron, and he yanked his hand from his pocket to rest it on Addi’s back but pulled back at the last minute. He couldn’t touch her; he couldn’t act or be solicitous. At the remote locations they’d recently visited, privacy and isolation had been high on the list of the hotels’ offerings, so he hadn’t been worried about their connection being revealed.

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