The Billionaire's Unexpected Baby(9)

"If you would have let me get a plain band like I asked it wouldn't be a problem."

"Maybe I'd like the chance to spoil you a little. It's not like I've  ever had a wife before. And I won't have one long. Being a doting  husband for a few months could be fun, if you'd let it."

"Only a few months, huh?" she said with half a grin.

"Oh, believe me, after a few months of being shackled to me, you'll be begging the judge to release you."

She could see herself begging for release, but it wouldn't be a judge  she'd be pleading with. She glanced at Brooks from the corner of her  eye, hoping he didn't notice her sudden flushed cheeks or jumping heart  rate. The artery in her neck was probably visibly pulsing. Thinking of  Brooks tended to make everything pulse.

"Like it or not," Brooks said, waving the driver away and opening the  car door for her, "you will soon be Mrs. Brooks Larson. I have a  reputation to uphold. You might have to fancy it up every now and then.  And since money isn't an issue, you definitely need to take advantage of  me. I insist."

She resisted the urge to sigh. She'd known that being his wife, even for  a short time and even if it wasn't real, would mean stepping out of her  comfort zone.

Brooks slid in beside her, laughing. "I've never met a woman who treated  wearing diamonds with such distaste. You'd think I was asking you to  wear a ball of slime on your finger."

Her lips twitched. "It's not that bad. It's just not what I'm used to. I  wouldn't be comfortable with something that large. Don't say it," she  said when his mouth opened again.

"You read my mind far too easily," he said instead.

She laughed. "It's not really hard when your mind seems to permanently reside in the gutter."

"This is probably true."

"As I was saying, wearing a massive diamond on my finger, especially  since I work with children all day, might not be the best idea. I'd be  too afraid to lose it."

Brooks looked thoughtful for a minute and then nodded. "I guess I can see that."

It was her turn to show some surprise and he laughed again. "What? I can be reasonable occasionally."

"Good to know. I was starting to wonder."

They drove up the street a short distance to several trendy clothing  stores, including the studio of a bridal designer Leah had only seen in  magazines.       

   





Brooks jumped out and held the door open for her. Leah looked inside the window to see Kiersten waiting for her.

"You ladies have fun," Brooks said, getting back into the car.

"Oh yeah," she muttered under her breath.

Shopping for a wedding dress she would never be able to afford on her  own to marry a man she barely knew so she could fool a nun she'd  recently met into thinking she wasn't the Harlot of the Year sounded  like heaps of fun. How much did it take for a person to get sent to  hell?

Though, despite her misgivings and the sheer craziness of the entire  situation, she couldn't help the small flutter of excitement in her  belly. Like many little girls, she had always dreamed of what her  wedding dress might look like. And while this might not be a real  wedding, and it would be more appropriate to wear some simple  off-the-rack dress, the thought of trying on gorgeous gowns appealed to  her more than she wanted to admit.

She went inside to meet the girls with a much greater bounce in her step  than she'd had with the jewelry. With the dress, she could have fun for  a day, dress like a princess, and then put it away. A ring would have  been a reminder every day of the absurdity of it all.

The dress though …  She stared at one of the enormous confections in the  window, her smile growing. She could have a little fun with a dress … as  long as she didn't think about the wedding night when her groom would  normally be taking it off.

 …

Kiersten opened the curtain a little so she could pass in another dress. "Here, try this one."

Leah took it and hung it on the little hook until she could unzip the one she was wearing. "This isn't necessary."

"It's absolutely necessary. You're getting married. You need a dress.  What were you planning on doing? Heading down to the courthouse in your  jeans?"

"No," Leah said, trying on the sixth dress. "I was going to wear a nice  dress, one that I already have. Seems kind of pointless to buy a new  dress for something like this."

"Something like this? You mean your wedding?"

"But it's not really my wedding. I mean it is, but you know what I mean."

Kiersten laughed. "All I'm saying is you only get a first wedding once.  You might as well make the most of it. What does your mom have to say  about all this?"

"We didn't have much time to talk about it but she's thrilled I'm  getting married. And disappointed she can't come. I wouldn't have told  her about it at all, but I didn't want to risk her hearing it from  somebody else. I mean Brooks is kind of … well kind of a … "

"Celebrity?" Kiersten said.

"Something like that. The first thing my mom did when I told her was  google him. And she wasn't totally thrilled about all the stuff that  came up. But I think she's too busy swooning to complain. How in the  world did I get mixed up with a guy like him?"

"I know exactly how you feel," Kiersten said. "Hell, when I married Cole  he was in People magazine's Sexiest Men edition. It's definitely an  interesting group to marry into."

"It's not one I should be marrying into. He should be marrying a model or an actress or Miss Universe or someone."

"Here, try this one, too." Kiersten passed in another dress. "I think  you're forgetting the fact he's dated all those women before. None of  them stuck, and yet you've managed to snag him with hardly even trying."

"What do you mean hardly trying? I haven't tried at all."

"Well, now you're just bragging."

Leah groaned. "You know what I mean. I can't believe this has gone this  far. I haven't snagged him. Didn't want to snag him. The only reason  we're in this mess is because he couldn't keep his mouth shut in front  of my boss."

Kiersten laughed again. "Yeah, keeping his mouth shut isn't one of  Brooks's strong suits. Don't get me wrong; he's a great guy. He's just a  bit of a goofball is all."

Leah sighed and zipped up another dress. "This is a disaster waiting to  happen, even for a temporary marriage. We still have to be roommates for  a while. We'll probably kill each other inside of a week."       

   





"It won't be that bad," Kiersten said. "Now come out and let me see that one."

Leah came out and stood in front of the three-panel mirror, turning a little from side to side so she could see all the angles.

"Oh, I love that one," Kiersten said.

"I think I do, too," Leah said, doing one more twist to see the back.

It was a tasteful lace dress with three-quarter-length sleeves that fell  in a flaring skirt to her knee. Simple but beautiful. Perfect for a  fake shotgun wedding.

"I think that's the one," Kiersten said.

"Agreed." Leah gave her a big smile.

"See? Aren't you glad I made you come dress shopping?"

Leah laughed. "Yes, I guess it will be nice to have something  presentable to be married in. Oh, God," she said, burying her face in  her hands. "This is insane."

"It is. But sometimes insane works. Look," Kiersten said, prying Leah's  hands from her face. "It might be crazy, but it's also about the only  thing you can do to save your job, right?"

Leah nodded.

"Well, then, you might as well make the best of it. Brooks is a good  guy. He's also drop-dead gorgeous and filthy rich to boot. You've got  the winning trifecta right there. No matter what reason you guys are  giving for doing this, the fact remains you are going to be married to  him in a few hours. So why not enjoy it?"

"That's what he says."

"He is occasionally right," Kiersten said with a grin.

"And if it all blows up in my face?"

"At least you'll get a good story out of it."

Leah laughed. "That part, at least, is true." She took one last glance in the mirror. "Do you think he'll like it?"

Kiersten grinned. "Honey, he's going to love it."





Chapter Seven

The intercom buzzed and Brooks smiled. He'd hoped his friends would drop  by. With Leah out dress shopping, it was the perfect opportunity for a  little impromptu bachelor party. He knew he could count on his friends  to come through.

He glanced at the computer monitor which showed him the security feed.  Harrison, Chris, and Cole stood clustered on the street. He buzzed them  in and opened his door.

"What's this?" he asked as they all marched inside.

"You know what it is," Harrison said, handing him a six-pack.

"The girls are out doing their thing," Cole said. "So we're here to have a little fun ourselves."

"Can't let you get married without some sort of a send-off," Chris said. "Fake wedding or not."