Inherited:OneChild(20)

He wished he could claim that he was kissing her for Isabella's sake.   But it would have been a lie. Selfishly, he wanted her for himself.   Wanted it all. Wanted to right the world for his niece and try to give   her some measure of happiness. And he wanted this woman in his bed, to   wake beside her each morning. Endless Sundays filled with Family Bed   stretched out before him, the mattress overflowing with child and dog,   husband and wife. It was a life he'd never known.

It was a life he'd do whatever was necessary to create.





Seven




T he wedding ceremony took place two short days later. It had been a   struggle to convince Annalise that a formal wedding gown and tux was an   absolute necessity. When he suggested as much, she'd stared at him in   horrified disbelief.

"You must be joking."

"Not even a little. Think it through logically, Annalise. This needs to   be convincing. The unfortunate fact is, my name is going to generate   news. Our marriage is going to generate news. I intend to use that to   our advantage. I want every newspaper, rag and media outlet to splash   lots of pictures of us in formal wedding gear. I want all the articles   to rave about the whirlwind romance between the ruthless tycoon and the   adorable nanny who won his heart."

She paled. "My father. He has no idea I even work for you. What am I supposed to tell him about our marriage?"

"Tell him it was love at first sight."

"He'll never believe that."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Why not?"

"He just won't," she argued. "He knows me. He knows I'm not the type to fall for someone like you."

"Someone like me?" He wondered if he sounded as offended as he felt.

"Rich. Powerful." She regarded him impatiently, refusing to reflect even   a modicum of nervousness at his reaction. "It's too fast. I'm a   cautious type of person."

"What's really going on, Annalise?"

Her chin shot up. "You once told me your father taught you to do   whatever it takes to achieve your goals. Well, mine taught me not to   make rash decisions. Just as you've taken your family motto to heart, so   have I. My father knows I wouldn't marry someone I've only known for a   couple of weeks."

"Then you'll have to find a way to convince him that you've made an exception this one time."

She spun away, turning her back to him so he couldn't read her   expression. "Dad agreed to captain a charter into the Caribbean for the   summer. It may take a while to track down his boat and get word through   to him. This is something that needs to be done in person. When he  does  get in touch, I'll do my best to convince him it's a love match,  but I  suggest we come up with an alternative story. Because I guarantee  we're  going to need one." She faced Jack once again. She'd gathered up  her  self-control and hid every scrap of emotion behind a calm  expression.  "How will your father react to our marriage?"                       
       
           



       

"I guess we'll find out when it hits the newspapers."

Her air of calm evaporated. "You're not going to tell him yourself?"

He bared his teeth in a grin. "Trust me. It'll be more fun if we do it my way."

He didn't give her time to argue the situation. Instead he dropped her   and Isabella off at an exclusive little boutique with instructions to   the proprietor to dress his bride-to-be in the most romantic gown   available, and to make sure that his niece wore something that matched.   The blank check he offered to make certain everything was completed on   time ensured satisfaction on behalf of both parties. Much to his  private  amusement, he left Isabella glowing and Annalise glowering.

The next morning Derek had surprised him by showing up on his doorstep with Taye McClintock in tow.

"What the hell … ?" Jack greeted his two best friends with a broad grin.

"Fine greeting that is," Taye griped. "I fly in all the way from Singapore-"

"I thought you were in Paris."

"That was last month." Taye paused, and his angel's face assumed a   wicked expression. "Doesn't really matter, does it? I couldn't miss your   wedding, could I?"

Jack spared Derek a brief glance. "You told him?" he asked.

"About the wedding, yes."

"About the reason for it, no," Taye contributed with the comfortable   brazenness of an old friend. "But I can make a fairly good guess. And   I'm guessing that it has something to do with Isabella and that ongoing   fight you're having with CPS. Am I right?"

Jack started to agree, then for reasons he didn't dare analyze, he   hesitated. "Isabella's part of the reason," he grudgingly admitted.

He couldn't explain his reluctance to go into the finer points, but   suspected it had something to do with Annalise. Even though Derek had   drawn up the prenup that spelled out every last detail of their   forthcoming marriage, he felt a bone-deep urge to protect his bride from   his two best friends, which struck him as vaguely ludicrous. Even so,   he didn't want them to think she was marrying him for financial gain,   mainly because he knew that wasn't her true reason. Like him, she was   simply putting Isabella first, and that fact had to be protected and   celebrated.

Derek's eyes narrowed. "Well, well. Who'd have thought?"

"Thought what?" Jack asked defensively.

"That the great Jack Mason has been brought to his knees by his nanny."

"Stuff it, Fletcher. It isn't like that."

"Huh." Taye appeared intrigued. "I think it's exactly like that. I don't   doubt Isabella is a big part of the reason for the hasty marriage, but  I  think you have a thing for your bride-to-be." Before Jack could  argue  the point, he added, "But, the more interesting question is why  the hell  would she marry you, Mason?"

Jack felt his anger stir. "If that's the attitude you two are going to   adopt, you can support me on my wedding day by taking off."

Taye chuckled. "Oh, yeah. I can definitely see the appeal now."

"You know … " Derek chimed in, "Taye raises an interesting point. I   thought she was marrying you for the obvious reasons." He and Taye   exchanged a knowing look and chimed in together, "Money."

"You don't think she is?" Taye asked.

"Guys-"

Derek shrugged. "I'm not so sure. When I met with her yesterday, I didn't read 'gold digger,' if you know what I mean."

Jack lost his patience. "That's because she isn't."

"Which brings us back to Taye's point." Derek lifted a sooty eyebrow.   "Precisely why is she marrying you, Jack? For Isabella's sake? Fast   work, that. What in the world would prompt a woman to sacrifice two   years of her life for a child she barely knows?"

"Unless it was for money." Taye slipped the suggestion in again with far   too much cynicism. But then, he had cause, as Jack knew all too well. A   small case of been there/done that. "If it wasn't for the money … " Taye   allowed the comment to trail off.

Jack shrugged uneasily. "She cares about Isabella, just as I do. She   plans to get her master's over the next two years, and this will provide   her with the perfect opportunity to set herself up for the future  while  helping Isabella."

It sounded weak, even to his ears. As though sensing his concern, his   friends exchanged meaningful looks and deliberately changed the subject.   Jack listened with half an ear. Now that he stopped to consider the   matter, he had to admit that his plan to circumvent CPS had fallen into   place with impressive ease. Granted, he'd always had a knack for  getting  his own way and making things come together to his advantage.  This was  just one more example of that, right? But he couldn't stop the  question  from fomenting in the back of his mind.                       
       
           



       

Why had Annalise really agreed to marry him? Was it for Isabella's sake,   as she claimed? Or did she have a very different agenda?



The wedding itself took place late that afternoon in the serenity of his   backyard, with Taye and Derek at his side. Annalise and Isabella  walked  together across the lawn toward him, hand in hand, while a  string  quartet played softly and a photographer worked discreetly in  the  background. His bride paused halfway to the makeshift altar and  stooped  to adjust his niece's hat. Dappled sunlight framed them,  capturing them  within a golden glow. And just like that, his heart  stopped.