Chapter 7 An Arrangement

(Lila)

I sat on Nick’s penthouse balcony. He’d insisted I stay at his place after being discharged from the hospital, claiming my family’s mansion would be the first place anyone would look for me.

“Here.” Nick handed me a steaming mug. “Ginger tea. Good for morning sickness, or so G****e tells me.”

“It’s evening.”

“Tell that to your stomach.” He settled into the chair beside me. “You’ve thrown up three times today.”

“Are you keeping count?”

“Someone has to.” He propped his feet up on the railing. “So, ready to talk about it?”

I wrapped my hands around the warm mug. “About which part? The pregnancy? Ethan? The fact that I’m hiding in your penthouse like some scandalous secret?”

“Let’s start with Ethan.” Nick turned to face me. “Tell me everything.”

“Everything?”

“From the beginning. The real beginning.”

I took a sip of tea. “I saw him first in my father’s office. He was rejecting another takeover attempt.”

“And?”

“And something about him felt…familiar.” I closed my eyes, remembering. “Like a song you’ve heard before but can’t quite place.”

“So you stalked him.”

“I researched him.”

“For months,” Nick said, but I knew he wasn’t judging. He just wanted to know. “Why not just introduce yourself as Lila Montgomery?”

“Because then he’d only see my last name. Do you know what it’s like, being a Montgomery?”

“About as fun as being the Baldwin family scandal, I’d imagine.”

“Every person who approaches me wants something. Money, connections, power.” I set the mug down. “I wanted someone to want just me.”

“And did he? Want just you?”

“I thought so. Until I heard him call her name in his sleep.”

“Grace.”

“His perfect Grace.” I laughed, but it came out wrong. “I look like her, you know. Same body, same coloring. I thought it was a coincidence until I saw her photo.”

Ethan leaned forward. “Did you love him?”

“Yes.” It hurt so much to admit. “I still do.”

“Even after everything?”

“Even after everything.” I pressed my hands to my stomach. “And now…”

“Now you’re pregnant with his child. Have you decided what you’re going to do?”

I tasted the salt on my lips before I knew I was crying. My fingers wouldn’t stop shaking and I couldn’t keep them still

“I can’t tell him. He already thinks I tried to trap him. He found his condoms broken, you see. He blamed me but I swear it wasn’t me. If he finds out I’m actually pregnant—”

“He’d assume it was your plan all along.”

“Exactly.” I wiped my face with my sleeve. “But I want this baby. I know it’s crazy and complicated and the timing is terrible, but…”

“But you want it.”

“Yes.”

Nick was quiet for a long moment. He stared out the window, then back at me.

“Marry me.”

I nearly dropped my mug. “What?”

“Marry me.” He walked over to me to get my full attention. “Think about it. Your parents are already pushing for it. My father would love the connection to Montgomery Industries. It solves everyone’s problems.”

“Nick—”

“Let me finish.” He took my hands in his. “We get married. You keep the baby. No one questions the timing because we’ll be newlyweds. Ethan doesn’t say anything, the baby has a father, and our families get the merger they’ve always wanted.”

“That’s insane.”

“Is it?” He wouldn’t let go of my hands. “We’re friends, aren’t we? We make each other laugh. We’re comfortable together. It doesn’t have to be a real marriage.”

I stared at him. “What do you mean?”

“An open marriage.” His eyes locked onto mine. “We’ll act like the perfect couple so no one will know it’s fake. We’ll give our families what they want, but privately, we live our own lives. They’ll buy our story”

“And if one of us falls in love with someone else?”

“We divorce amicably.” He shrugged. “Or stay married and have a modern arrangement. Whatever works.”

“You’d do that?” I looked for any sign he was lying. “Tie yourself to me, to this mess?”

“Lila.” He cupped my face in his hands. “In the past week, you’ve made me laugh more than anyone has in years. You don’t judge me for my past or my reputation. You see me as more than just the Baldwin black sheep.”

“But marriage?”

“Why not? We’re already pretending to date. This just makes it official.” He got a look in his eyes that wasn’t his nice smile anymore. “Plus, it would drive Ethan absolutely insane.”

“Nick!”

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

I couldn’t. The thought of Ethan’s face when he heard…

“What about the baby?”

“I’ll be the best fake father any kid could want.” He wasn’t playing around now. “I’ll protect both of you, Lila. No questions asked, no strings attached.”

“Until you meet someone else.”

“Same goes for you. We’re both adults. We can handle an arrangement like this.”

“And our families?”

“Will be thrilled.” He grinned. “Think about it. The scandalous Baldwin son marrying the Montgomery princess? They’ll eat it up.”

“This is crazy.”

“The best plans usually are.” He stood, pulling me up with him. “So what do you say, Montgomery? Want to cause a scandal with me?”

I looked at him—this man who’d gone from stranger to friend to potential husband in a matter of days. Who made me laugh when I wanted to cry.

“This is just too romantic to say no.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes.” I couldn’t help laughing at the silliness of it all. “Yes, Nicholas Baldwin, I’ll fake marry you.”

He swept me into a hug, spinning me around the balcony. “We’re going to have so much fun with this.”

“You’re insane.”

“And you just agreed to marry me.” He set me down but kept his arms around me. “What does that make you?”

“Equally insane?”

“Perfect match then.” He pressed his forehead to mine.

I opened my mouth but nothing came, so I just nodded.

Marry him?

It was more than Ethan had ever offered.